Monthly Archives: April 2012

 

This week, starting tomorrow, I will be at Churchill Downs for the week.  It is a great assignment as we get to see and visit with lots of great friends in the horse racing photography world.  This is a great historic place that holds a lot of meaning for many Kentuckians, most of whom love horse racing.  I could take it or leave it.  I think it is colorful and entertaining, but it’s just not my cup of tea!  I will be working with a great team, Sara Moosebugger, our tech from Los Angeles, and Francis Yeh our repair tech out the New York office, great folks!

 

Pray that this week that God will give me many  opportunities to serve others for His sake and in His name. When hundreds, thousands of people are going to be around your life, God can open so many doors to offer encouragement, a kind word, even just a warm smile.  The longer I walk this path with Him, the more I realize how much He wants us to just be there, ready to serve Him.   The miracles of daily life with Him are incredible, the greatest blessings in life happen when you simple stand where he planted yo, and reach out with His love to others.  Please pray that I will stay focused on His work, His will,  this week!

 

I’m going to let you in on a little secret, when you ask God to give you opportunities to serve Him, He will!  I promise to share the miracles that He will bring to pass this week.

 

the pilgrim

Just as little bragging Sherelene shot this at lunch of my granddaughter Abigail lower right and my niece Gracie between us!

 

I was thinking about the last umpteen years of sharing Christ with a lost world, and I thought of some of the great questions I’ve been asked, and thought you might like to hear the questions and the answers God has given me to share!

 

Question: Does God keep a record of rights and wrongs, and is that how we get into heaven?  More rights than wrongs?

 

Answer:  God knows all, but he is not keeping a score card, salvation and forgiveness can only be accomplished in one way, confession of our sins, genuine repentance, and acceptance of Jesus’ forgiveness.  Nothing else will work.

 

 

Question:  How can you live a Christian life?

 

Answer; The line I love from the much discussed movie “What If ” sums it up very well;  “Everything in life boils down to this;   God loves you, so love other people.  God sacrificed everything to be with you, so, sacrifice everything.”  There isn’t much more to say!

 

 

Question:  How can I forgive others that have hurt me so deeply?

 

Answer:  Take a lesson from Jesus life.  Judas was Jesus friend, and he betrayed him even to the death, for money, and not much money at that!  But, Jesus wanted to forgive him, he really did, in spite of his betrayal Jesus still loved him.  If we are willing He can give us that kind of forgiveness for others.

 

 

Question:  What will the Christian life give me that I don’t have now?

 

Answer:  Peace, joy, assurance ,and a purpose greater than what the world gives us.

 

 

Question:  How do you know that?

 

Answer:  That is what He has given me!

 

 

Question:  Can I have that?

 

Answer: Yes, all you need is to desire it more than want to keep control of your life, and are willing to trust Him with it, to accept Him, and ask Him to come into your life and change you into what He has always wanted you to be.  

 

 

Spend the weekend contemplating these questions and answers and if you haven’t already, find your own answers from the only one that has them!

 

the pilgrim

 

 

 

 

Today I’m being honored in a very big way, my grandson Elijah has asked me to be his guest for lunch at his school along with his father and my son Wesley.  I know pride goes before a fall, but this is not that kind of pride.  Maybe I should have said I’m thankful to be, instead.  Today is what I will call Thankful Thursday, and I have a great deal to be thankful for, let me give you just a small part of my list;

 

I’m thankful to be God’s child.

 

I’m thankful to be forgiven.

 

I’m thankful to be Sherelene’s husband.

 

I’m thankful to be Scott, Wes, and Catherine’s father.

 

I’m thankful to be Diane, Clint, and Rhonda’s father-in-law..

 

I’m thankful to be Hannah Ben, Cassidy, Cade, Elijah, and Abigail’s grandfather.

 

I’m thankful to work with my great friends at Nikon.

 

I’m thankful to work for my great clients of Nikon.

 

I’m thankful to have such a great teaching partner in Jim Begley.

 

I’m thankful for all the blessings Scott Kelby has brought into my life.

 

I’m thankful for the wonderful friends God has given me over the years, far more than I deserve!

 

I’m thankful that at 66 years of age, I’ve learned to do a few things well.

 

I’m thankful that I have someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to.

 

I’m thankful that you are reading this.

 

Every so often we need to sit down and contemplate just how richly God has blessed us, it puts everything else into perspective.

 

Be blessed today!

 

the pilgrim

 

Sorry Abigail, this was before you joined us!  We need to do a full family portrait again!

 

 

 

 

I noticed this morning the review on the front of the DVD jacket for the film I’ve been touting, “What If”, it said , “Extremely well made, funny, heartwarming…”  I don’t disagree, but I think the film is much more than, just,  “heartwarming”, please allow me to explain.

 

Websters Dictionary defines heartwarming like this:

heartwarming |ˈhärtˌwôrmi ng |adjective emotionally rewarding or uplifting.

 

Technically that is correct, but the film is, to me,  a lot more than “just” heartwarming.   The message of the film is “profound and life changing”,  not just heartwarming!  If something can be warmed it can also be cooled, and such is the way of our hearts, our emotions, they can vary with the situation we’re in.  In a life long walk with Christ, emotions are far from adequate as your indicator of the wellness of your soul.

 

I write this blog not to warm the hearts of the readers, if it does so, that is fine, but that is not the goal.  The goal is to introduce the reader to a life changing experience with Jesus Christ.  I’m not aiming for better, but transformational, not improved, but changed, there is a big difference.  Emotional uplifting can be good, but real fundamental change is something real that lasts and stands the test of time, emotional uplifting does not.  So I don’t want you to “feel” better, I want your life to “be” better.  It is promised in scripture that if you accept Jesus Christ you will become “a new creature” not a “better creature!”  Christ is not about improving you, He is about making you completely “new”!

 

My prayer, my hope, and my goal, in this blog, is to point the way to a Savior that can change your life forever.  If you should accept that invitation from Him, your heart will not be just warmed, but changed forever!

 

the pilgrim

 

 

*Photo note:  D7000, 85mm Micro Nikkor AFS VR f 3.5,  with Nikon’s CLS  (Creative Lighting System) SB-900 and on camera flash used as the triggering device.  From the Kelby Training Class on Close-up Photography, Part 2.