Monthly Archives: July 2013

Like many Americans I’ve been inundated with political talk about the Zimmerman trial all this week.  I have a solution!  First let me tell you about something we do at His Light Workshops. I search continuously for great Christian films that I can use to set up a little devotional time at our workshops.   It usually goes something like this, as the last thing one evening, in the classroom,we tell about a film and bring people up to the pivotal moment in the film by telling the back story.  We then play the film clip.  It has become a very powerful way for all of us to concentrate on what is most important in our lives.

 

We’ve featured such films at Seven Day in Utopia, What If, and Joshua, all great Christian films.  Some year back I found a film called The Grace Card, a very powerful film about forgiveness and Grace.  I won’t spoil it for the folks reading the blog that may attend Nashville, but the short story is, it is about a white policeman that tragically looses his son, by a young black man fleeing a robbery attempt.  His police partner, a black man, and part time pastor tries to witness to him and comfort him, but he is having none of it.  He has become very racist and bitter, destroying his life and marriage.  Through a series of events he finds himself on  his knees before God.  The bottom line is he must learn to forgive and offer God’s Grace.

 

Anger and hatred are a poison we concoct to kill someone else, but drink ourselves. Bitterness, hate, and un-forgiveness does far worse to the person doing the hating than the person they hate.  The emotions that have been stirred up in this tragic event are tearing our nation apart along racial lines.  It’s time to forgive the past, love one another,  and pledge to pray for one another, and agree that the hatred has to end.  Getting even does not bring justice, and justice is not as good as forgiveness and peace!  God will take care of justice, He wants us to take care of the forgiveness!

 

Pray for our country, that we might take a higher road to a place where we can lay all our cares and concern, pain, and hurt at the foot of the cross.

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

I got an email today from one of my favorite friends who attends our workshops, Dr. Ted Thelin. Ted has made very steady improvement over the few years I’ve watched him study and work so hard.  Ted is a serious technician and struggles with getting everything just right, but his intense nature has also led to his getting better and better at the technical issues of our craft! The best thing is that he is enjoying the process more as his confidence has increased!

 

This is why I teach, I love to see others get on fire about the craft and art of photography.  Ted is a member of the NECCC group where he lives.  They are group of very serious and very accomplished shooters.  His print of the shot above, Palouse Falls, got 28 of 30 possible points and earned a Blue Ribbon and Judge’s Choice Award.  No small feat in this prestigious club!

 

Congratulations Ted, and thanks for sharing the news with Jim and I, we are both really proud of you, and thankful to have you as a friend!

 

Today’s Prayer…  Father thanks for filling my life with such wonderful people, dear brothers, and sisters, and photo buddies that bring me such joy!  You give us the best gifts!   Amen

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

A friend of ours J. Bruce Baumann produces a wonderful on line magazine  called Posey Magazine, the articles are interesting and the photography wonderful, spend a few minutes this weekend enjoying his effort and spread the word!

 

 

Here is the link:   <http://www.poseymagazine.com/>

 

 

I spent all day to day sanding my deck getting it ready for preservative!  Worn out!  Promise to do a better job posting next week!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

At least four times a day someone asks, “What Now?”   I can understand the curiosity.  Maybe people want to know what they will do when they retire, maybe they really wonder what I will do, though I find that hard to imagine, why would anyone care what I did?!   So, if you are the one person in the universe that really does want to know, here goes!  First,  life does not fundamentally change just because a person no longer has a 9-5 job, it doesn’t mean you loose your drive to do anything of value. In my case the drive is even greater, because what I want to do of value, I’ve been doing for most of my life. It’s really pretty simple, I hope that when I leave a place I will leave it better than I found it. Not because of what I can do, but because of what He can do through me.  The only way to help others make their lives better is love them with His love.

 

Then there is family and friends.  I’ve not always had as much time for them as I wanted to have.  If someone sends you a check every two weeks, they attach certain responsibilities to them, now my first concern can be my family.  No one, except someone who has traveled for a living, can know just how precious that time is going to be to me.

 

Photography is the next great joy in my life, and now I can pursue it with complete freedom.  I am proud to have worked for Nikon, but I am thrilled to be a free moral agent now.  I will enjoy reviewing gear and offering my humble opinion of it’s value to the photo community. It will be fun to evaluate lots and lots of toys, with no axe to grind!

 

Best of all is the relief from the pressure, reports, emails, requests to travel places you don’t really want to go, long hours in airports, on airplanes, waiting for client to show up, driving thousands of miles, sorting, and doing inventories of thousands of pieces of gear.  Will I miss that stuff?  Nope. Will I miss the people. sure, but I can still call them and run into them out in the real world, my new real world!

 

A blessed man,

 

the pilgrim