Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see: All I have needed Thy hand hath provided— Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above Join with all nature in manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow— Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
This hymn was written in 1923 by Thomas O. Chisholm. He based it on Lamentations 3:22–23: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.”
Sometimes we need to just sit back and remember the truths proclaimed in this masterpiece.
It’s hard for me to believe it’s been so long since I published anything here. Life gets busy and when one has too many irons in the fire something has to give. In this case, this backwater blog has been neglected. PWM Photography, however, has been updated a few times. It’s easier to grab a few pics I’ve taken and toss them up than it is to think up anything someone might read.
The downside to busyness is the probability of one ending up on the smoldering edge of burnout. Going, going, going eventually leads to gone, should one not find a way to stop and “smell the roses”, listen for “the still, small voice” or otherwise get a respite from activity.
But who’s to care? Who will step in and say “Hey, brother, you need to take a break!”? Growing up, as we did, between continents and cultures means that the “normal” acquisition of meaningful friendships fell along the wayside somewhere. We are welcomed pretty much everywhere, but nowhere are we sought out for who we are, for the friendship we offer is rarely or never reciprocated.
I look at ministries I’m familiar with that have ended in disgrace for one or another reason and am reminded that one must keep eternally on guard against one’s own moral frailty. The question is – “How does one raise up a team that will help one stay focused on the goal and the necessary processes of reaching that goal?” This is an area I’ve struggled with over the years, to the point of no longer pursuing it. Why? Every time we’ve sought a congregation willing to oversee and encourage us in our work we’ve been turned down. One time we spent several months thinking we were building a solid relationship with a group of elders only to be turned down from our request that they help provide oversight to our work – and they quit supporting our work because we had no congregation providing such oversight. THAT one really hurt, and lead to a distrust of elected “leaders” in local congregations in general.
So, now what? Well, we continue on doing our best to fight the good fight, to stay true to the vision we have of service to our Lord and Savior by serving His people as best we can. We do our best to provide encouragement to all we can and words of warning when we see someone in our sphere of influence who needs to get back on course. And we try to keep our eyes on Christ, even when we feel alone in the battle. Often I’m reminded of Elijah’s words (roughly paraphrased here) “Lord, just kill me already because I’m all alone and no one else stands firm for You.” And the answer from the Lord: “Buck up! I’ve got 7,000 who have not bowed their knees to Baal – and I’ve still got work for you to do!”
So, to those “7,000” – keep your eyes on the Lord. Take time to rest and care for yourself. The Lord’s not finished with any of you until He takes you home. Stay firm in your commitment to not be conformed to the world around you but rather transformed through the renewing of your mind. The Lord WILL see you through!
They have installed kings, but not through me. They have appointed leaders, but without my approval. They make their silver and gold into idols for themselves for their own destruction. ~ Hosea 8:4
Once again election year has rolled around and social media and legacy media and all kinds of other opinion and fact and misinformation founts are heating up. Politics is an extreme sport and can be very entertaining at times. Unfortunately, far too many take a “My team against your team” approach and they focus on the false dichotomy of “You MUST vote Democrat or Republican!” – forgetting that there ARE other alternatives. When one mentions such a possibility then people get defensive and INSIST that “any vote for another party is a vote for (fill in the name of the candidate they don’t like)”. In this manner the myth that one MUST vote Democrat or Republican is perpetuated, and the prophecy that a third party has no chance is fulfilled.
A look at Ballotpedia shows that as of today, August 17, 2024, there are seven candidates representing five parties and two independents as well. Yet the public continues to allow the media to foment the idea that there are only two candidates. The more I consider the possibilities, the more I’m amazed at how people focus on the the flaws of one of the two front runners, completely forgetting that the other is equally or even MORE flawed. It’s as if the public wears blinders and is incapable of reasoning for themselves or of sifting through the allegations and attacks and personalities to come to the conclusion that, in a nation of 340,000,000 or so people – there HAS to be a better option than that which someone is attempting to foist on a complacent population.
Now imagine the possibilities if the nation as a whole were to step back, take a breath and look at other options than the false dichotomy of “D” vs “R”. If through the prophet Hosea God made His abhorrence to the princes and kings chosen by His people known, a people governed mostly by hereditary hierarchies, imagine His opinion of the leaders chosen by a people that was founded on principles taught by His Son. How can a people that has “In God We Trust” emblazoned on their currency fall so low as to be forced to choose between two evils? To choose between two evils still means choosing evil. Isn’t it time that the nation repented and told those who have been manipulating public opinion to their own ends to “take a hike”? Isn’t it time the nation repented and sought a better solution than that offered to us by “our betters”?
Apparently the world has come around to another cycle of Olympic games. And this year it started off with a lot of commotion, judging from my inbox and social media feeds! I’ve seen more of it than I care to, but such is life in a connected world.
Apparently the opening ceremony included a scandalous depiction of – something. Reports vary between a blasphemous reproduction of the “The Last Supper” painting and “merely” a reincarnation of a Bacchanal ceremony – or maybe a combination of the two! Anyway, it was not something that the world was ready for, at least not the less radicalized world.
Yet I find myself unimpressed. Or rather, unsurprised. After all, the original games were staged to honor the Olympic “gods”. And anyone who was paying attention in class way back when knows that the Greek and Roman “gods” were anything but pure or holy – and those who worshipped them were merely worshipping exaggerated versions of themselves. Zeus could not pass by any kind of female, human or otherwise, without engendering offspring from it. Bacchus was the god of wine and according to some his “worship” involved unbridled lust and drunken revelry. And that’s just to start going down a list of the Roman and Greek “gods”.
So, why are Christians shocked that a celebration of games in honor of the ancient “gods” would involve the type of opening ceremony that was presented in Paris? Why are Christians participating, even just by watching, games that honor false gods? Why has sport become more important than faith in worship of the One Who made us all? Sports in themselves are not evil, but why participate in those dedicated to the ancient “gods” of societies that failed due to their propensity to imitate their supposed deities? There are plenty of sports one can participate in without fomenting the Olympic games and the evil that goes with them.
Immorality has become part and parcel of the Olympic games. This year continues the tradition with a reported 300,000 condoms being distributed to the athletes. Again, why would someone who claims to be a Christian participate in games oriented towards the values of the pagan gods?
Redneck, a term used disparagingly by many and a stereotype fomented by the likes of Jeff Foxworhy, yet born proudly by those of us who understand where the term comes from. Back in the days when many wore neckties even around the farm, there was a hardy lot of men who eschewed such things and bore the mark of the sun upon their exposed necks. Necks that were exposed to the elements as they went about their daily lives doing what men do “to get the coon” (whatever it takes to obtain what is needed or desired for daily sustenance.)
Such are the backwoodsmen and farmers, miners (black necks?) and stockmen that built the infrastructure of what we know as The United States of America. Rednecks. And leaving Jeff Foxworthyisms aside, what tends to indicate a redneck or someone with such a background? A pocketknife in their trouser pocket and a vehicle containing “the bare necessities” to jumpstart civilization and/or take care of needful tasks that may crop up along the way are just a couple of common denominators of the breed.
The year was 1998 and it was cold. We’d gone into town for something and found a lady with a car that wouldn’t start – dead battery. As we were up from S. America for a few months on “Home Service”, our vehicle didn’t contain all the paraphernalia we’d learned to carry with us down south. So I told the lady to hang on and I’d be right back. Down to the local wallyworld I went, straight to the automotive section where I got a good idea of the options – and chose not the cheapest but the best I could afford at the moment. Heavy gauge wire, heavy duty clamps, long enough to stretch across the front of two vehicles if needed, those were the cables I selected and carried back to get the lady out of the cold and on her way home. And those cables were included in our luggage upon our return south where they’ve resided in the trunk of various vehicles over the years, being brought out only occasionally, but always with appreciation from the person being helped. Machete, small hatchet, a tool box with basic things, a multimeter, two extinguishers, wheel chocks, a tow rope, hydraulic jack, a small set of sockets and a ratchet along with a decent 12v compressor – these are the type of things that reside in the trunk “just in case”. A quart of oil, radiator fluid, brake fluid – you never know for sure what you’ll run into or need along life’s journey.And at one time or another, all these and more have come in handy.
So, getting back to the title, “How do you make a redneck happy?” – give him a chance to use the tools, knowledge and abilities he’s been carting around for years. “See? I TOLD you it’d come in handy some day!” he’ll say, or at least think, as the situation at hand is resolved due to his forethought and preparation.
…according to the religion duly registered in their pay books, a majority belonged to the Church of England, with Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists and Baptists following in order of numbers, also one Jew and one Atheist; none of them, however, as far as I could find out, had any strength at all of religious feeling; neither in behaviour nor in argument did anyone ever display any interest in matters of faith. They were not ignorant, for they all had had a religious upbringing, but so completely unconcerned that they could not legitimately be described as Christians.
The quote above is from “Popski’s Private Army”, a book about the adventures of one Vladimir Peniakoff and the “private army” that he raised and fought with against the Axis powers during the second world war. Recently I read the book for the second time and this quote stuck out to me. It is from a place in the book where he was reminiscing about the kind of men that made up his unit. Just previous to this quote he was talking about their political outlook, but then he drifts into his observation about their religious outlook, which independent of their upbringing did not seem to impact their daily lives very much – if at all.
This lead me to consider how his observations are valid when considering the majority of “Christian” peoples today. His comment, “They were not ignorant, for they all had had a religious upbringing, but so completely unconcerned that they could not legitimately be described as Christians.” rings true for many today, with the clarification that many ARE ignorant, for the level of religious teaching in most homes and churches today is far less than in the days in which the members of PPA were raised.
Unfortunately, the concept of living daily for Christ and of not allowing the world to direct our thoughts has been lost on most of the current generation of people who are called “Christian”, but who do not live out their supposed convictions.
Romans 12:1-2 really needs to be taught to our people, and not by rote but by deed, example AND by word. “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”
Building on experiments here on my blog dealing with photographic expression, I decided to simply dedicate a domain to that endeavor, so pwmphotography.net was obtained, hosted next to our mission blog and my personal (this) blog. My hope is that this will help me to 1) keep my photographic learning and sharing organized into its own space; 2) help me focus on choosing which of the many pictures I take to share with others; and 3) help me track improvement in my photographic learning trajectory as well as 4) give me a simple URL to share with folks who might be interested in what I have to share there.
It’s not much to look at yet, but I have hopes of sharing some of the beauty that I see around us, even in an urban environment such as where my wife and I live. Even in an urban area of over a half million people one can see God’s handiwork – if one will look. Botanical Beauty – Looking Out My Front Door, for example, takes a look at what is there to see, if one will, just stepping out our front door.
I’m hoping to bring back some vintage lenses to experiment with as well when I return from an upcoming trip north. Photography as an art form is one means of helping people to see God’s handiwork and His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made – as stated in Romans 1:20.
Recently I started a new page on this blog, “This Is My Father’s World“. There I hope to share pictures of nature that I take with my trusty old Canon DSLR’s. As mentioned in a post by the same name, I’m doing my best to get into shooting “off auto”, using manual settings and learning how to get the shot I want and the look I want.
Over the past few weeks where I’ve been working on this off and on, it has become obvious that my efforts would be improved by improved gear. This lead me to check out various channels on YouTube and to join a couple of groups on FaceBook about photography with Canon cameras. And I keep seeing the same questions over and over again – mostly along the lines of “Which camera should I buy?” or “Would this upgraded camera be worth it?” and so on and so forth. Now, I’m by no means a professional photographer, but both of my current cameras are capable of pretty decent pictures under the right conditions. I’ll confess to looking longingly at this or that camera body that some “internet expert” touts as “the ultimate!” or “the absolute best!!!”, but the truth of the matter is – lenses count more than camera bodies.
The fact is – whatever you’ve got between your subject and the sensor is going to affect the image more than anything. Lower quality lenses will not give you the sharpness you’re looking for. “Slower” lenses are going to cause you to crank up the ISO and crank down the shutter speed, resulting in noisy or blurred images. A mediocre camear with top of the line glass will probably give you better results than the latest, greatest camera model that is currently being hyped on the ‘net – if it’s wearing mediocre lenses.
Kit lenses ARE capable of turning out some decent quality images – if the conditions are right. But they limit you in certain ways. For example, the 18-55mm lens typically sold with the Rebel series of Canon cameras has a maximum aperture of f/3.5, but as soon as you start zooming in it reduces quickly to a maximum of f/5.6 at 55mm focal length. This is fine if you’ve enough light to be using a smaller aperture anyway, such as an f/8. But when the light starts to fail in the evening or if the light is still dim in the morning or if you’re in a shady area or it’s a very cloudy day, this lens will simply not give you enough light for certain pictures.
When it comes to the camera body, one must ask: “Do I have good enough glass to take advantage of the capabilities of this new camera?” Also: “What will this camera body improve over the one I’m currently using?” In my own case, I’ve got three EF-S lenses, two 18-55’s and a 55-250mm. These are not the greatest lenses, but they’ve given me some really decent pictures, under the right conditions. I also currently have an EF 75-300, but it is also limited by the f3.5-5.6 aperture range. It really cramps the ability to take hand held shots in low light, such as this picture of El Nevado De Ruiz that I took recently as the light was fading fast.
Unfortunately, I did not grab my tripod when my wife called to say, “Get your camera. There’s something I want you to see!” She was coming home and had seen that the nevado was clear after a long period of hiding behind the clouds. If you click on the picture it’lll show you exactly how grainy and noisy it is – because the camera simply wasn’t able to receive enough light through that f/5.6, 1/100 shutter at 300mm zoom, and 6400 ISO. I’m sure the little Rebel T3 would have done just fine with a better lens, but my glass held me back, and that’s the best lens in the bag right now. It’s still a lovely enough photo, at low size such as in this thumbnail view above. You can see the pink tint from the sun setting behind me, but blow it up and the noise crops up.
Anyway, those are just some random thoughts I’ve come up with on the matter of upgrading photographic gear. I hope this year to be able to pick up a really decent lens, but don’t know right now which one to go for. Once we have some good glass we’ll start to see what these camera bodies are capable of.
One of my all time favorite hymns was written in 1901 by Maltbie D. Babcock. It is a call to remember – this world has an Owner and He is in ultimate charge, why should we then worry? Here are the lyrics.
This is my Father’s world, And to my list’ning ears All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas— His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father’s world: The birds their carols raise, The morning light, the lily white, Declare their Maker’s praise. This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair; In the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere.
This is my Father’s world: Oh, let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father’s world, The battle is not done: Jesus who died shall be satisfied, And earth and Heav’n be one. ~ Maltbie D. Babcock
As we come up to the 30th anniversary of my earthly father’s passing from this life, I’ve been quite pensive. Looking back at what I learned from him all those years ago reminds me of God’s love and mercy as well as the positive aspects of my father’s life and teaching. He taught me many things over the years and although he was no perfect father (who is, other than God Himself?) he left a legacy in his children of a love of God and God’s word and a willingness to try to do things ones’ self rather than depend on others. Dad was a very creative person and had amazing skill in many areas, and he passed some of this on to each of his kids.
One of those areas that I learned a little bit of is in the area of photography. Dad loved to take pictures and I can only imagine how much he would have enjoyed the new technologies available via digital photography and digital processing of images. Dad had a Konica Autoreflex TC and upon leaving home I managed to acquire one of my own. I didn’t know too much about photography, but did know that setting that lens on AE would allow me to control the shutter speed and focus and turn out some decent images.
Recently I looked around, trying to remember what camera it was, and eventually found an image and the name and a few details came surging back.
That old camera went with me on many adventures and recorded precious memories, but the cost of film and processing and the delays involved never allowed me to learn too much about the mechanics of decent photography.
And then came a Sony Mavica with its 640X480 jpgs, followed by a 3 megapixel camera that I can’t recall the manufacturer of and then a number of different cell phones, all allowing one to snap a quick digital image and share it online with others. But again, not much about photography was learned other than “let the camera do it all”, which sometimes is enough, but often falls far short of what one is seeking to portray.
And then we stopped at a Walmart for a bathroom break while up in the US and on their clearance rack was a Canon Rebel XT at a very attractive price. Once more I had in my hands a Single Lens Reflex camera – but with the added attraction of digital imaging. Unfortunately, however, it seemed easier to continue to slough off and let the camera do it all.
A few years later and we were in California and stopped in a pawn shop where they had a Canon Rebel T1i at a very attractive price, due to the fact that the battery was flat and no charger available. So I took the risk, ordered a new battery and charger off of Amazon and it was promptly delivered, allowing me to test and find that the camera was in very good shape and fully functional. And the original battery took and held a charge (and several years later it still does).
But again, let the camera do it all was the modus operandi. But this simply isn’t enough when you want to do a good job of portraying images of the world around. So recently I started delving into the mysteries of ISO, Shutter Speed and F/Stops. And started taking pictures of the world around me to share with others, using my own judgment as to settings and ending up with some decent pictures in the process.
So, in the spirit of “This Is My Father’s World” I intend to share pictures here on my blog, pictures shot with intentionality and and not just happenstance. I’ve already run into some of the limitations that come from the relatively slow “kit lenses” that my cameras came with, so the hunt is on for other options. One aspect of modernity that intrigues me is the opportunity to mate the technology of yesterday with that of today. The hunt is on for one of the Konica lenses from yesteryear and an adapter ring to allow me to use it on my “modern” DSLR. This should give me the chance to finally use such a lens to its potential instead of just running it on AE as before. In fact, mating it to a modern Canon would REQUIRE manual use of settings and focus instead of point and shoot and “let the camera do it all”.
Recently I’ve noticed a lot of people dedicating time to “ripping out tares”, grousing, complaining and worrying about denouncing “false doctrine!” And it’s not just from one theological perspective either! I’ve seen a messianic Jew, a lot of “conservative Christians” and even more “liberal Christians” denouncing what they perceive to be “a threat to us all”. The whole “Asbury ‘Revival'” thing has stirred a lot of folks up, but it’s not the only area I’m talking about.
It is all so easy to see when someone else messes up and “does things wrong”. But why are we worried? Jesus told us that the enemy would sow tares among the wheat. And He also told us to “let it grow until the harvest”. So, what should we do? I suggest we produce wheat, do the things that Jesus the Christ told us to do, and let Him sort things out upon His return.
Rather than criticizing others, let’s turn our eyes back to the labor to which we have been called. Let Him find us faithful to His message when He comes.
