Photographs
I am sharing some of my photos here with you to illustrate some of the truths the Lord has taught me through the years. Lord, please open the eyes of our hearts so we can see you and know you more intimately.
The Bread of Life
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” John 6:35 NIV Only He can satisfy all the hungers of our hearts. He came to give us Life! He wants to BE our Life! Major Ian Thomas taught me that Jesus died to forgive us of all of our sins, and He rose from the dead to give His life to us so He can live His life through us! Have you received His gift of life? Have you received HIM?
In His Hands
I was a potter when I committed my life to Christ. He taught me much as I worked on the potter’s wheel. Using what He taught me, I produced the video “The Potter.” You’ll find it on the DVD link. Give Him full access to your life…to mold and shape as He chooses. His skilled, loving hands can be trusted.
I Am the Vine
In John 15, Jesus uses the grapevine to describe the relationship He desires of all who belong to Him. He wants us to abide in Him. We will only bear His fruit if we are vitally connected to Him. Only His life in us and through us will be what others really need. More lessons from the Vine are found in the video “The Secret of the Vine” on the DVD link.
The Way Home
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NIV Some people say that there are many roads to heaven. They seem to believe that’s the inclusive, loving answer. But, Jesus said that there is only one way, and I believe Him. He is the way…the only way home to His Father! Which road are you on?
Close to His Heart
Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” He said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:11 & 27 NIV
Have you heard Him call your name?
This little lamb is right where I want to always be…safe in the arms of my Shepherd…close to His heart! I, like David, say, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I lack nothing.” Psalm 23:1 NIV
The Living Water
This unforgettable waterfall is a focal point at one of my favorite places on earth — Hanging Lake near Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The water just keeps coming. There’s no pump to recycle it; it just keeps coming. It is such an illustration of the Living Water that Jesus promised that He would give! He said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from him. By this He meant the Spirit whom those who believe in Him were later to receive.” John 7: 37-39 NIV Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for all of our sins. For those who receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, on that cross, all of our guilt and all of our shame was washed away. Are you thirsty? Come to the Savior!
O Lord, may others see you when they look at me. May they be refreshed by Your Life in me and through me!
The Resurrection and the Life
Jesus said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26 NIV
Too often we think of Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life only in terms of what it will mean to us after we die. But, we don’t have to wait until then! You see, when we are born, we are born physically alive but spiritually dead…without the Life of God. When we receive Christ as our Savior, He gives us His Life! Then, at last, we can be who God meant us to be! For, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 NIV
So, in all actuality, if we have received Christ as our Savior and our Lord, we can each say, “I have been raised from the dead while still alive!” What JOY! What MEANING! What LIFE! It’s for now and for eternity!
The Bridge of Life
There are two ways to get to Estes Park, Colorado, from Drake. One is the well traveled canyon route. The second takes you up a narrow road, which zigzags with the river past meadows and towering boulders. Even though it takes longer, this is my favorite route.
One autumn day I happened upon this bridge. The golden aspen leaves were chattering; the river just kept moving along. The bridge stood waiting to serve anyone who might choose to cross.
The bridge is a marvelous invention! Such simplicity! Such practicality! It’s how you get from here…to there…without getting wet & muddy! Jesus is often referred to as our Bridge. Our sins create a forever canyon which separates us from the Holy God. But God loved us so much that He sent Jesus! Jesus came to us! It was none of our own doing! He came to us, died in our place, and in so doing, became that Bridge…the only Bridge that we can trust to get us where we want to be: in a personal relationship with the God of all creation for now & for all eternity!
Do YOU know Him? If you haven’t crossed that Bridge yet, come on over! It’s GREAT on the other side!
Pilgrimage
I took this photograph one evening as I headed west on an old highway in Nebraska. It speaks volumes to me about moving from darkness into light. The Bible often references the contrast of light and darkness. “The LORD is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1 NIV “You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light.” II Samuel 22:29 NIV “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19 NIV
I know from my own experience that when I am thinking or doing something that I know is not pleasing to the Lord, I want to keep it a secret which is keeping it in the dark. Protecting that secret becomes a bondage. When I finally bring it into the light, it loses its hold on me. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 NIV
This photo always reminds me of this wonderful, encouraging passage in I Peter 2:9 NIV “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
Thank you, Lord, for loving me enough to call me out of the darkness and into Your marvelous light! YOU are my LIGHT and my SALVATION! In YOU do I trust!!!
Listen To The Wind
As I drove down a Nebraska country road just before sunset, this shadow captured my attention. It is just a shadow of a deeper spiritual truth the Lord had to teach me. I said, “Lord, speak to me through the windmill.”
And then I heard my Father say, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 NIV “Will you be my windmill? You see, a windmill is designed to capture the wind. No matter which way the wind blows, it will turn and follow it. In fact, others can tell which way the wind is blowing just by looking at the windmill. A windmill’s purpose is to capture the wind which it converts into power that draws living water up from the earth. When the wind is not blowing, it stops; for it cannot run on it’s own.”
“Oh, Lord, yes! I will be Your windmill. Please help me be as sensitive to You, as responsive to You as the windmill is to the wind.”