Category : Pilgrim’s Chronicles

Today, Valentine’s Day, February the 14th is a day of love, it’s also my 41st Wedding Anniversary. To say that this day on the calendar has meaning to me would be a understatement!
Sherelene and I have 41 great years of marriage and I’m as in love as a 16 year old even today.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8 (New Living Translation)
 1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!

This is the biblical description of love, love without boundaries or reservations. I wish I could always exhibit this kind of love, I try, but I often fail. Thankfully I know that even though I can’t accomplish this desire in my own strength, I can in His. Today I want to thank some special people for bringing love into my life. Of course the list must start with my bride and the love of my life, Sherelene, thank you sweetheart for 41 great years.

This weekend I got to spend time with three dear friends, Vinny Colucci, Melissa Southern, and Tim Isaacson. They have all been so supportive of me and are great to spend time with! We had a wonderful dinner on Saturday night and the fellowship was great. I also met a photographer that I have long admired and found him
to be a very nice guy as well.
Les Saucier is one of the top close-
up and nature shooters out in
the field today. He does work-
shops and lectures around the
country. His work is truly wonder-
ful. You can see his work at:
http://www.appalachianjourney.com/
The thing that impressed me the most
about Les was his open and giving
spirit. I went to Les asking for a big
favor, one that many shooters, would
have refused to give. I’m going to be teaching some more classes for Kelby Training and one will be on Close-ups. In the old days (70’s through the 90’s) I learned from the best of that era, John Shaw, Cliff Zenor, Larry West, and the late great John Netherton. It’s been I while and I knew it was time to dust off my techniques and knowledge before attempting to teach this class. Les really stepped up to the plate being completely open to share from his vast knowledge, what a prince. People can show love in many ways; Sherelene has shown it by staying with someone like me for 41 years, Vinny and Melissa have shown it by helping me, step by step, in the process of trying to get healthier, and in many other ways. Tim has been a spiritual mentor, and friend, who keeps me grounded. Les was willing to “give away” hard earned and proprietary information, just to help a fellow photographer, who he hardly knew…. By any definition these are all examples of love.

In addition to the other ways these people have loved me, they have also inspired me. On the trip
home I made a number of stops to shoot the images above, filled with a renewed desire to capture
my perceived beauty.

Use today to let someone who needs love know that you are there for them, as these people did for me.

Thank you Father for your love, that we can then share with others………

the pilgrim

*Photo Note: All images D700 and the new 24-120 AFS VR f4 lens. Hand held. At 65 VR really works!

Today was much like many work days, except the company was extra special. Working the CNPA (Carolina Nature Photographers Association) annual meeting is actually a real treat for me. They are terrific people, many old friends, all fun to be with. Even though the day is long for a trade show, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. it is at least in the company of good folks. After the show I had dinner with a dear friend from the show. We talked about a lot of things but when the conversation got serious, I listened as he shared about a large number of mounting frustrations in his life. He described how where he worked, a lot of the ways things were done, were just short of criminal. How uncertain the future seemed at times, and how much he wanted to support his family, but how many road blocks had been thrown up. He shared that he had been fighting these battles for a long time. It was a pretty depressing story. Then he broke into a big smile and said, “It has been great for me, it has taught me to really trust in God.”

I was struck with a great truth that often escapes me. God is in control even when we don’t like the circumstances He has us in.

I asked him how I could pray for him and he said, “pray that God’s will be done.” I want to thank him for sharing so openly and honestly with me. I also want to thank him for reminding me that things aren’t always what they seem. We talked on for about and hour and the more we shared the more deeply I fell under conviction. At the end of the dinner I was reminded of some vital, key principles of a walk with Him, please allow me to share them;

I’m not certain of a lot, but of these three things, I am very certain;

1. God has a plan. God knows what He’s doing and no matter how far out of control things may seem, if we are committed to Him, He knows right where we are, and exactly what He plans to do. We are never out of His mind and care.
2. God is under no obligation to tell us what the plan is. For whatever the reasons, God often does not reveal His plan until well after it has had it’s full affect on us.
3. If you have given your life and heart to Him, He not only can be trusted, He has only the best outcome planned for you. He will never leave you or forsake you.

I was talking to my friend and used an illustration that I think sums up how we are to live. I said to my friend, imagine that some thieves have walked into the restaurant heavily armed and approaching where we were seated. Imagine further that you are seasoned police detective and also armed yourself. If you said to me, sit very still and let me handle this, you can trust me, I’ve got this under control. I would be left with a big decision, do I really trust you, do I really think you can handle the situation? Would I trust you with my life?

How far are we willing to go with our Heavenly Father? Are we willing to trust Him with everything, no questions asked, with complete faith that He can handle the situation, all situations?
If we can’t, who can we trust? If we can’t trust anyone, what are we to do?!

I’m glad my friend shared with me, I’m glad that he caused me to re-examine my level of faith.
I’m even more glad that I know with certainty that God can be trusted, that He loves me, and that
even when I don’t know His plans, I can know that are what’s best for me and those I love.

Father, I do want your will to be done and not mine. That would be very hard to say if I did’nt trust you completely. Amen

the pilgrim

We had our millionth snow storm of the winter on my birthday, whoppeee! I’m ready for spring in a big way. The thing about any adversity is it makes us really appreciate it, when it’s over. I love snow and at Christmas it is a real delight, but once I have to begin traveling, I really hate it. There you go God, just like you said, can’t make em’ happy no matter what I do. I think it is pretty normal as human beings to always want what we don’t have, but I think we need to try and grow out of it. Why not try to cultivate an attitude of accepting things the way they are.

Since God has promised to never send us sanything that is not for our good, maybe we should learn to live with it, and see what the lesson is. I’m not preaching, I’m just as guilty, if not more so, than anyone else. I do realize that God doesn’t want me to live like that. I figure when I learn to listen, I’ll be a lot happier….

Thank you Father for trials and tribulations, I know your doing it for my good, just give me the strength to hang in there until I see what your doing……….Amen

the pilgrim

O.K. Mark, only for you my friend!

*Photo Note: D7000, 24-120 AFS VR. F8 @ 1/250th – ISO 800 120mm focal length.

Today at 6:00 a.m. I turned 65. To some that is the beginning of the end. Not for me. Several years ago while driving down the road with my wife, I noticed just how weathered and wrinkled my hands had become. I felt as if I was looking at my fathers hands. I turned to her and said,
“Whose hands are at the end of my arms?!” It was a statement of the shock that so many years had gone by, and the evidence was right in front of my eyes. When we age, we can see it as one of two paths. We can say, I’m growing old, I’m slowly headed toward the end, I’m used up, or we can say, wow, what a great thing it is that I’ve lived long enough to learn so many valuable lessons and now I can apply them to my life to be of more value to those I love.

I choose the second. Do I look like I’m in my mid thirties? Of course not, nor should I. I look like a man that has been up and down the hills a bunch of times. Every wrinkle and crease speaks of a life experience that has allowed me to still be standing here today. God has blessed me with a lot tough situations, all of which, have given me just a little more wisdom than I had before. I believe that God does not give us wisdom so we an claim to be wise, I’m sure he does it so we can live wisely.

If I believed that the end of physical life meant the end of everything. If I believed that when my body goes back to dust it will all be over, I would probably feel differently, but I don’t believe that.
I believe that this life is just a rehearsal for eternity. I believe we have a lot to look forward to
on the other side. If I’m wrong, I still choose to live in a daily walk with HIm. I want to exhibit
character.

character |ˈkariktər|
noun
1 the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual : running away was not in keeping with her character.
• the distinctive nature of something : gas lamps give the area its character.
• the quality of being individual, typically in an interesting or unusual way : the island is full of character.
• strength and originality in a person’s nature : she had character as well as beauty.
• a person’s good reputation : to what do I owe this attack on my character?

I want to have strength and originality as a part of my nature, and I want it to be the strength and originality that comes from an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ. If can have that I can deal
with the wrinkles, creases, the pops and cracks when I get out of bed. I aspire to live a life that leads people to ask, how did he get so lucky!? Then I want to share with them that it wasn’t luck.
No as the astronauts have said, “Luck is not a factor…..” No, luck is chance, a lifetime walk with Christ is very deliberate….and the results are self evident.

the pilgrim

*Photo note: D7000.

Opps! sorry, Wednesday Weigh in: Lost 3 more pounds. Total so far 12 pounds first five weeks.