Monthly Archives: April 2012
When I was a young man, my father and mother drilled courtesy into me. If I ever failed to show appreciation for a kind act, failed to say thank you, I was in big trouble!!!! Coming onto the Masters this morning I stopped a couple of times top let a car cross our lane of traffic, because traffic is horrendous around Augusta National this week!! One man, (a man maybe my age), threw his hand up, acknowledging his appreciation, that after a long wait, someone considered him! The other driver, (a very young man), shot across the lane as if he thought I might change my mind, and never acknowledged anything. I mentioned to Brien that if I had done that a spanking would have been on the way. I know that there are young people that are polite, but I think the kind of training I was subjected to is much less common today. So what’s the big deal?! Actually, as a believer, I think it’s avery big deal. While the action of a thank you or a please are important, it’s more about the attitude.
Why did I pause and let the other drivers pull through my lane? My father has been in Heaven for a long time, so I know he wasn’t watching, or at least I certainly hope he has better things to do there! No, I think it has to do with your approach to life. Do other people matter? Is life all about you? Do you really care about any of the other thousands of people that you will interact with over your lifetime? Would Jesus take a moment in traffic to let someone through? Would Jesus look someone in the eye and say “Good morning”? Would Jesus say, “thank you” when someone handed him a cup of water? The scripture doesn’t say a lot about this kind of dialog, but it does tell us about his talking to the woman at the well, and stopping to touch and heal the sick, the lame, and the blind. If Jesus touched the lepers, who no one touched, he smiled and greeted people warmly!
If you desire to witness to others about your faith, you have to start by doing something that people are not expecting, kindness, consideration, warmth. At the Masters the countless hundreds of security people, cart drivers, and door greeters, meet you with warm words and kind wishes, it reminds me of how i think things should be everywhere. How much does it cost to be courteous? The more important question, if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, how much does it cost your witness to not show that concern?
Have a wonderful day!
the pilgrim
Yes I’m at the Masters, and speaking of nice guys!
Photo Note: Nikon D800, 70-200 AFS-VR f 28 lens at f 2.8 @ 1/125th of a second. ISO 1600. Hand Held.
After I wrote this mornings blog, I got the email below, it is a testament to how a little kindness, can affect someone else’s life!
I had participated in the photo contest at Sun N Fun last weekend. I wanted to write you and thank you again for your kind comments regarding my photography. I have met a number of “professionals” shooting photos at air shows in the past year or two that I have been pursuing photography semi-professionally. From the people I have met, I have encountered some really great folks, and a couple of others who really look down on me as just another kid with a camera. I even had a fellow tell me once “Your photos probably aren’t good enough for a magazine.” Since then I’ve somewhat taken it upon myself to prove him wrong, but it does make me more grateful for people like yourself who would seek to offer positive and constructive comments. I have been shooting photos for a large portion of my life, and have my roots in plastic 110mm film cameras. I just got my first DSLR a couple of years ago (D90) and I am still using it even though I did take a short detour with an Olympus om2 and a dark room, so I guess you could say that I would be one of the “purists” who still embraces 35mm negatives and dark room chemicals. I feel like I am actually pretty well rounded for just being another kid with a camera.
On my way out of the door following the presentation of awards after the photo contest you had mentioned to stay in touch, and I take that comment with a great sense of honor coming from someone of your merit. I would look forward to the day where our paths might cross again. Thank you again.
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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 5th, 2012 at 11:56 am
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As we approach Easter, this morning’s devotional from In Touch is all the more meaningful…..
Colossians 2:13-15
New Living Translation (NLT)
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
What does the cross mean to you? Many people in the world today view it as a symbol of Christianity, but stop and think about what it represented in Christ’s day. Nobody wore a miniature cross around the neck or displayed one in a place of worship. The cross was a torturous means of execution, and the mere thought of it was repulsive.
Yet believers throughout the ages have chosen this as the sign of their faith. In fact, to remove the cross from our teaching and theology would leave nothing but an empty, powerless religion. The subjects of death, blood, and sacrifice have become unpopular in many churches because they’re unpleasant and uncomfortable topics. We’d prefer to hear about the love of God, not the suffering of Jesus.
But let me ask you this: How could anyone be saved if Christ had not been crucified? Some people think all you have to do to receive God’s forgiveness is ask Him for it. But a sinner’s request can never be the basis for His forgiveness. He would cease to be holy and just if no penalty was imposed for sin. According to Scripture, there can be no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Heb. 9:22). Christ had to bear the punishment for our sin in order for God to grant us forgiveness.
Every time you see a cross, remember what it really was–an instrument of execution. Then thank Jesus that He was willing to be crucified so the Father could forgive you of sin. Though the scene of your redemption was horrendous, Christ turned the cross into a place of great triumph.
I wear a cross not to tell the world who I am, but to remind myself, Who I serve.
the pilgrim
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 at 12:13 pm
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So now that all the new Nikon cameras are released and being shot, which is the one to buy? Hold your horses, good question, but poorly asked! Let’s ask this question first; What do you use a camera for?
Let me draw some broad categories of shooters;
The Full Time Sports/Photojournalism Pro: You shoot all day, everyday, under all kinds of weather, dust, and grime. You charge your batteries every night, and the camera barely cools down in time to start shooting again. You need a very high frame rate, and often shoot in miserable light, but still have to get the shot. You are rough on your gear so it has to hold up to abuse! D4, D3s, or D3, maybe in a pinch, the D700 are your cameras. If you have to do video, the D4 and D3s are your only choices, (the other two have no video). The D4 is the consummate, sports camera, plenty of resolution, but gobs of speed. If your job is tough, this camera is even tougher.
The Landscape/Nature/Wildlife/Travel/ Studio/ Wedding/ Portrait/Fine Art Photographer: If you shoot anything that requires lots and lots of detail and the ability to make enormous prints (think feet instead of inches)! The new D800 is the answer to your prayers. If you simply don’t need that kind of resolution, the D700 or D7000 will serve you well. There is one problem, once you’ve shot the D800, it will be very, very hard to go back! The detail is addicting!! The D800 is made to be used hard, maybe not quite up to the D4 standard, but plenty tough! It’s lighter and smaller and easier to carry than a D3s or D4. The D7000, even more so. If you shoot sports the speed and buffer on the D7000 will eventually disappoint you. The D800 is only marginally better in that it has a big buffer, but 4 fps is not a sports camera.
What am I going to buy? Good question. If I had to decide today, I think it would be the D800 and the D7000, I might would get a D4 if the budget permitted, but I am now addicted to 36 megapixels and I love the D7000 when weight is an issue and to stretch my lenses. More new cameras will come in the future and we will have to see what they are, and how they perform. One thing is for sure, the D7000 will make almost any image I ever need to make, but oh my goodness how sweet it is to look at those big, super rich files coming out of the D800. I don’t think I can ever go back now!!
Life is Good!
The pilgrim
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012 at 2:10 pm
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It’s Tuesday the third day of April and I’m back in the, “infamous – pie shaped room”, at the Augusta National Golf Club. It’s the Masters and I’m in Golf Prison all week. Now before you start feeling sorry for me, fat chance of that, let me share a thought or two. When you give yourself fully over to God, He does as He pleases with your life. Even more so, He does with your life, what will bring Him the most glory, or at least that’s the plan, if you co-operate! The biggest hurdle to get over, in life, is seeing that the purpose He has in mind might be something completely different than what you think you are experiencing.
I’m not a big golf fan. I played when I was younger, and as the old joke goes; “I gave it up because of all the people that got hurt!” However, the week at the Masters could hardly be called drudgery. Hotel rooms in Augusta go for $450 + a night during the Masters, so Nikon is kind enough to rent a large, very nice home, for the three team members to stay in for the week. The pie shaped room is air conditioned, thank goodness in Augusta in the spring!!! The Golf Club provides good food and nice facilities for the press, so all is well in that department. No, all is well in the comfort zone.
Time for a thankfulness check up! What I do love about this week is the fellowship with people I care a great deal for but seldom get to see! My team for this event at Brien Aho, and Takawuki Abe. Brien is a new Tech Rep and has hit the ground running, he is going to be a great one! Abe San is a legend in the golf community, he has saved more photographers bacon than anyone can remember! It is a pleasure working with them. While at the Masters we get visits from lots of photographers, many of whom, I only get to see once or twice a year. this is a dangerous game, because you will always leave someone out, and that is a shame, they are all great people, but a few always come to my mind when you say the Masters! Dom Furore and J.D. Cuban, both of whom work for Golf Digest, their two best shooters in my opinion, are also great guys who make this week long sentence a lot more than tolerable! Some day when I hang it up and move onto other things, I will really miss these two guys! We always make it as tradition to go out and have a meal together and it is much anticipated by all! Fred Vuich, formerly with Golf Magazine, and now free lancing mostly for SI, (Sports Illustrated) is not only a terrific shooter, but one of the nicest men you will ever meet, and is a brother in the Lord as well, which is a real joy. Of course John Beaver and Robert Beck drop by (both from Sports Illustrated), and they are great friends as well. There are more, but these are some of my very special friends that you can find at the Masters every year. They make this event something to really look forward too!
I believe God gives us people, people to love for Him. People to encourage, to listen to, and to learn from, and maybe, just maybe, teach them a thing or two as well. It’s the wonderful way He works, as we invest in others, it brings back the riches of friendship to us, and, in the end, He is glorfied!
I may be in prison, but as Paul said, “I’m note really in prison, I’m in Him!”
The words of the song For the Love of God, sung by Kenny Rogers, seems like the right way to end this entry:
I could follow Him, I could pledge my faith
Bound by duty I could honor and obey
But the love I found is compelling me
To serve Him from a heart that’s been redeemed
I would give my all, everything I’ve got
To the highest call, for the Love of God
Every day I live, I’d give no matter what
I will do it all, for the love of God
May I never serve from a heart of fear
Thinking only that the end is drawing near
Oh but Lord I pray, that in all I do
I’ll be driven only by what pleases You
I would give my all, everything I’ve got
To the highest call, for the Love of God
Every day I live, I’d give no matter what
I will do it all, for the love of God
No greater motivation, there is no higher cause
My one and only reason remains the love of God
I would give my all, everything I’ve got
To the highest call, for the Love of God
Every day I live, I’d give no matter what
I will do it all, for the love of God
Yes, I have comitted my life to him, I will do it all, for the love of God………
the pilgrim
Clever Title???? My wife’s idea! Thanks sweetheart!
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012 at 1:14 pm
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