One of the hardest challenges in nature photography is distilling a chaotic scene into a handful of elements that tell a cohesive story. In other words, the natural world is messy, and the photographer's job is to make sense of that mess. Case in point: on my recent trip to West Virginia, I chose to photograph fall color primarily. It’s one thing to look at a canopy of trees with our human eyes. But taking that view and making it into a two-dimensional image is another. There

Do you ever wonder what went through the minds of people in the Bible? Case in point, David. This morning I read a small portion of Psalm 57; it is a favorite of mine. But the occasion for its writing was when David hid in the cave from Saul. Now, if you're at all familiar with the life of David, then you know that he was in caves more than once. So, which particular time this Psalm is referencing, I don't know. But I'm sure in each case, he had a heavy heart and a burdened m

Well, Sunday is coming up, and it is a day to gather under the preaching of God's word. But is that all going to church is about? Tim Challies says, "no". Instead, preaching is just one part of a church service. A very important one, mind you, but not the only. So why is it that we can be so dismissive of the worship or fellowship or any other part of your local gathering of believers? In this post, Tim Challies discusses how we ought to treat all of our church service, not j

I doubt there is anything more challenging to understand in the Christian faith than the Trinity. And rightly so—God should be beyond our comprehension. But He also has condescended to us and given us glimpses into who He is. One aspect of who God is is that God is a Trinity. One God, not three. Yet three Persons, distinct, yet equal in divinity. Again, hard to understand. But as Christians, we're called to trust God and His word. And His word clearly shows us that the Father

Autumn is in full swing where I live. Just a few days ago, I returned from a short trip to West Virginia. Close to home, at least, it's some of the finest fall foliage you'll see. Everywhere you look, there are forests full of reds and golds, and every shade in between. In the hollows between mountains, beautiful waterfalls, full from recent storms, flow down steep gorges, seemingly disappearing into the deep, dark rivers below. Meanwhile, on any given morning, you might find

Why do we worship so many things? It's really an offensive accusation, but if we're honest with ourselves, we all are guilty of worshipping things other than God on occasion. When we find our worth in other things, when we find our hope in other things—when we search elsewhere for what we can only find in God, we are, in effect, worshipping that thing. Jobs, relationships, hobbies, finances—you name it—all of these can become replacements. But tomorrow, the Lord's day, we hav

Three hundred and fifty posts? That's right. But currently, I'm in West Virginia, and it's been a bit of a whirlwind. Between the big 350 and this current trip, I have some writing to do, I suppose. In the meantime, instead of writing out a full blog for today, I decided to share a couple of my old posts. I couldn't pick between these two; I just know they both struck me as posts I should re-share. So here we are. First, this post is about how God is our help and our hope. Ps

Water rushes gently over mossy-covered stones, as nearby ferns dance in the breeze. Days turn into weeks; weeks turn into months, and the small waterfall goes on, doing what it does, without a single human eye seeing it or a human hand touching it. It needs no approval or suggestions; it simply continues to do what God designed it to. I'm sure you've heard the question before: If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, did it make a sound? But have you ever

It's getting a bit chilly outside around here. Okay, forty-nine isn't that cold, but it's a clear sign that fall is here. Leaves are starting to change, and the air is crisp and clear. It's a strange time of the year, if you ask me. On one hand, it's when nature starts to close down for winter. Leaves fall, bugs go somewhere (I honestly have no idea what happens to all of the little insects), birds migrate, and the days are shorter. Yet, I feel like it's a time of so much lif

Well, you've probably seen the headlines: a team has supposedly found major evidence suggesting a formation in Turkey near Mt. Ararat is Noah's Ark. As a creationist, I would love to see the real ark, not just Ken Ham's in Kentucky. It would be an incredible discovery. Skeptics will be skeptics, of course. Speaking of skeptics, while I would love for us to find the real Noah's Ark, I'm a tad skeptical, too. I'm open, but I want real evidence that proves or denies this discove

Over and over, a theme appears throughout Scripture: wait on the Lord. Abraham had to wait on the Lord for a child in his old age. Hannah had to wait for a child as well, as we see in 1 Samuel. David had to wait years between being anointed king and actually becoming king. The Israelites had to wait on the Lord to deliver them from slavery. The world had to wait from Genesis 3 until the opening verses of Matthew for the Messiah to come. And we now must wait for the Lord to re

High in southwestern Montana, stretching into the northwest corner of Wyoming, are many sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains. The Teton and Wind River Ranges in Wyoming rise dramatically, showcasing some of the most stunning natural beauty in the United States. Nearby, the Absarokas stand tall to the Northeast. Further north and east, straddling the border between Montana and Wyoming, are the Beartooth Mountains, an impressive range in its own right. Driving up Beartooth Pass, o

Have you ever woken up and wondered how in the world you were going to face the day? If you haven't, don't worry; your time is coming. Several years ago, I was hiking with a friend. It was a much longer and steeper hike than I expected. Daylight was waning. As we trudged uphill, I reached a breaking point. Unless I got rid of my backpack, there was no way I would be able to keep going . Thankfully, my friend was able and willing to take it. My weakness presented itself ever s

It's really hard to believe today marks twenty-five years since the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. It's also hard to believe that an entire generation has been born and come into adulthood since that time. It's hard for me to believe, as well, how quickly it seems that we as a nation have forgotten those events. My desire with this blog is not to be highly political or unnecessarily controversial—meaning I don't feel the need to make bold accusations about leaders

Last night, while sitting in the hospital, waiting for the birth of my friend's child, I got thinking. This, of course, is a dangerous proposition. But no matter how you cut it, the birth of a child is an amazing thing. I won't go so far as to say that childbirth is a miracle; it's a normal thing that happens all the time. Conception, on the other hand, is a miracle: life from that which is (basically) non-life. I realize the oversimplification, but I hope you're following wh

Do you remember back in the nineties when TV shows would have recap episodes? A couple of people would talk and remember something. Then the screen would get all fuzzy, chimes or some dreamy music would play, and then there would be a scene from an earlier episode. I suppose I do something like that on this website at times. But hey, I was a nineties kid. It is amazing to me, however, that here we are, around a year in. By God's grace and with His help, I've been able to writ

Four hundred and six miles. That's how far we drove, if memory serves, one day on my recent trip. Montana is a big state, and there is a lot to see. Smoke, however, kept us from some locations. Instead, we searched all around, and on this particular day, we ended up looking for a waterfall. It wasn't one that either of us knew much about; we weren't even really sure where it was. Well, other than which trailhead to go to. We arrived with a couple of hours of sunlight left, an

Recently, I wrote a post on the essentials of eschatology (the study of last things). There is a lot of debate on the topic, but there are core aspects that all orthodox Christians have held to, regardless of their position. With that being the case, Christians shouldn't divide over this branch of doctrine. But there are still different views! And it can be confusing to keep up with them. So, I thought it would be helpful to link to a few articles, mostly from Got Questions,

I can't remember exactly what I saw recently, but it reminded me that people, myself included, find that understanding the Bible is hard. As a result, it's easy for people to put it away, to shy away from reading God's Word. I've also often seen we dumb down the Scriptures for people younger than, say, twenty-five, as if they can't really comprehend it. But I wonder, do we dumb things down for others and ourselves because it truly is hard, or is it something else? Let me expl

I mentioned the other day that I am often asked Bible questions. A lot of those times, if I'm honest, seem to revolve around my views on the end times. Now, this post isn't the time or place for me to talk about my beliefs on the topic, but I had a thought I wanted to share. If you're not familiar with the various views of eschatology (the study of last things), then I may link to a few articles soon to help you understand the differences. Regardless of the view, there are es