Always in HIS Care

One afternoon I stepped outside to take a look around. I saw beauty everywhere. A male cardinal sat on a leafy bough. An Eastern Phoebe perched on the limb of a crepe myrtle. Bright red cactus blooms, some as wide as a saucer, cascaded from the huge hanging basket on the front porch.

Peach colored daylilies and buds galore caught my eye as I strolled along the sidewalk. Purple and white irises looked so lovely against a backdrop of hydrangea leaves.

As I happily photographed such beauty, I reminded myself (again!) that the Creator God who designed and sustains everything is the One who is in charge of me, too. Why, then, do I worry? 

Beauty is God's Handwriting

Changes

Year after year, one season ends; another one begins. In books (and in life), one chapter closes; another one begins. People come into our lives; people leave. The tides flow in and out. Flowers bloom; flowers fade. 

Since changes surround us, you’d think we’d learn to accept them more easily, wouldn’t you? But we resist them; sometimes we run from them! However, we'll experience more peace and happiness if only we'll take the advice Jim Milligan (President/CEO of BlueLetter Bible.org) gave in that organization's Summer 2018 newsletter: 

“I pray that as the summer season winds to a close, you will continue to see Christ and what He has done for you. It may look different from what you had planned, but rest in the assurance it will ultimately be for His glory, and your good.”

He's right! And so is Amy Carmichael who said, "In acceptance lieth peace." 

Therefore, it's crucial that you and I not only ACCEPT changes—even those we had not planned, even those we never wanted, even those that terrify us—but that we also REST in the assurance that even those changes will result in God’s glory and our good. Even if we can’t see how that will ever happen, God can see, and He can—and will—make ALL the changes result in glory for Him and good for us.

Give Thanks Every Day!

Give thanks to the LORD, 

for He is good;

For His lovingkindness 

is everlasting.

~Psalm 118:1, NASB

There Is a Season...

Hanging On

After first hearing the term concept photography, I’ve tried—in vain—to find a clear definition. So, after reading the dictionary’s definition of concept and after looking at many examples of concept photography on websites, I’ve concluded that a concept photo is one that tells a story and/or illustrates an abstract idea or theme.

Although almost any photograph can tell a story or make a statement, concept photos are those that provide the viewer with a clearer idea of what something is. For example, no one can take a picture of abstract ideas such as love or loneliness, since they do not exist in physical form, as does a waterfall or a window. But photographs can be composed in such a way as to lead the viewer to conclude, “The person in this picture looks lonely. This photo gives me a better idea of what loneliness looks like, a broader concept of how it might feel to be lonely, a greater sensitivity to loneliness, etc." When that happens, the photograph is a concept one.

Sometimes simple items can be arranged in such a way as to express a concept. For example, an image of paper dolls of various sizes, linked hand to hand, implies family. A picture of ABC blocks, a notebook or two and a red apple causes viewers to associate that image with the concept of school or education. Hearts, especially red ones, symbolize love.

Ever since I first heard the term concept photography, I’ve been trying to understand what it means and to take photos that fit into that category. For example, one January day, while searching my yard for something to photograph, I noticed two dried up, brown leaves still attached to a limb. Aha! I thought. That’s an illustration of hanging on, of tenacity. Unlike the many other leaves that had once been attached to that same limb, the two leaves had held on, despite being pressured by the wind, drenched by the rain, and subjected to temperature changes. I have no clue how they had managed to hold on. Apparently, some leaves, like some people, have more “staying power” than others.

For people, Jeremiah 17:7, New Living Translation, holds one of the secrets to staying power: "But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit.”

Reminder from the Leaves

LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered and that my life is fleeing away.

~David~

Psalm 39:4, New Living Translation

Fall Has Arrived

The hot, humid summer now is past.
It looks like Fall has come at last.
I feel a slight nip in the air
As the cool wind blows through my hair.

It’s time to pack the shorts away,
Since cooler temps are here to stay.
The nuts are falling down, down, down!
Leaves are turning from gold to brown.


Soon we’ll move the potted plants inside,
Checking them first for insects trying to hide.
The deck chair cushions will be stored away.
We’ll get them out again some warmer day.

As the wind blows leaves across the ground,
I enjoy the signs of Fall I’ve found.
The sight of mums blooming in a pot
Reminds me that I like Fall a lot!

(c) October 24, 1999, by Johnnie Ann Burgess Gaskill. For permission to use, please contact her.