A Year In

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 write pretty much every day except Sundays.

Has it gone where I was expecting? Honestly, I don't believe I was expecting anything; I knew I wanted to move ahead with this. I had a burden on my heart to do something. I wanted to share God's word, document my experiences, and present it to you. And all that with the hope of pointing you to Christ. I'm reminded of a blog I wrote early on... (cue flashback music).

So what am I driving at? That while I have absolutely no idea the road that this is going to take, I want to start over, to begin again, to get this thing off the ground. It will only happen with God's help. And I am asking you to pray for me on this journey. If it succeeds, it will by God's grace. If it fails, I want it to at least fail because it simply wasn't His plan, not because of my fear and faithlessness. This is quite a confession and plea, but the truth is, starting a website, blogging, and putting ones adventures and art out there for all to see is a huge risk in terms of vulnerability. I know that I am not entirely ready for the push back, the critique, and the let downs that will inevitably come in this endeavor.

But if this is right, if these desires are things He has placed in me. If this can and will glorify the God who saved me by the atoning work of His Son, who created me for good works that He Himself planned before the world began. Then I believe the truth is: it cannot fail, even if it does. - Excerpt from "Help, There's a Lion in the Street. Or, Proverbs 26:13".

The truth is, my heart in this hasn't changed. I still battle the same fears and failings, and the kitten still roars in the street, however. But I hope I've been able to move forward anyway.

It's weird thinking about a year, though, especially at the beginning of September. That's not exactly when you normally look back over the past 365 days. Normally this is when you start getting ready for fall. Speaking of, I remember last fall I got to go to Montana. The conditions weren't ideal for photos, and a theme appeared there that is still part of my life, though I by no means have perfected the art of "showing up"... (more of that flashback music):

A few days later, we returned to the spot. The color was certainly improving by then, but the skies were still pretty dull.

But that's the reality of photography. You can plan, you can check forecasts, but the most you can do is show up. And frankly, that's kind of the lesson I think I was being taught that week. Show up.

One of my favorite movies is Signs. In it, one of the characters is an ex-baseball player who holds a record for longest distance home run. But he also holds the record for most strike outs. His response when confronted on the latter was "it felt wrong not to swing."

I think there's some truth to that statement. It's true that "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky - Michael Scott - Jeremey Voit (not an Office fan, but hey).

Ok enough of secular quotes. How about a better more Biblical concept:

"In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty." - Proverbs 14:23

In other words, I can talk about photos all day long, but if I don't put in the effort to take one, I'm just going to end up with an empty memory card. - Excerpt from "Trip Report: Show Up".

I suppose that I've lost a little bit of that, if I'm being honest. Even writing this blog has been a little bit of a struggle. Schedules, events, and life itself can sometimes grab hold of our time. If we're not careful, we start to react instead of being proactive. Time is such a precious commodity, one I don't always use the way I wish. Despite all of that, God still gives us some amazing moments in this life; moments that we wish would last forever... (I think you're getting the picture now).

Back in 2016, I had the great opportunity and privilege of going on a big out west trip with my parents. We visited many places, but this particular story was on the first day we were at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

It had rained the entire day, everything was blanketed in grey, and it was just a dismal time to photograph a place I had never been before. Very unsure of myself, I talked to a friend of mine back home, and they encouraged me to go back into the park for sunset, maybe something would happen. So me and my dad drove in to where the Madison and Firehole rivers meet. I spent some time shooting around there, but as the sun lowered, me and my dad would chase it westward, stopping at overlooks, chasing the light. He drove, I'd give directions.

We probably hit every overlook and area we could on the way west until we ended up at this spot on a corner in the Madison river.

I'm not going to say anything really about the photograph itself. But I do want to focus on the moment itself. It remains one of my favorite times with my dad. And though it was fleeting, both the sky, the photo, and the time with family, it still lingers in my mind 9 years later. I'm thankful God gave us that.

Anyway, time flies as they say. The photographer tries to slow it down, attempting to distill a thousand words down into a single image. But, ultimately, to no avail. I'm not naive enough to think that my images will last forever.

But what of the moments lived in light of eternity, storing up treasures in heaven rather than earth? What we do with those fleeting moments, what we do in light of the reality that we are but dust, here today and gone tomorrow; it matters. - Excerpt from "Stay This Moment, Pt. 2".

Well, the truth is, it is a strange feeling looking back over a year of writing. Has it garnered a huge following? No, but it has definitely been worth it. There are too many moments to recap. The year included a mission trip, Montana, many photographic outings, and many moments of just trying to get by. All these are pictures of my life. I hope you have and will continue to join me in this adventure. But this isn't about me; it is about the God who saved me, and who offers salvation to any who would call on His Son...

God is holy and just, but He is also love. In His love, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for sinners. Jesus alone satisfied the righteous demands of God's perfect justice and holiness. You'll never earn your way to heaven and a right relationship with God. You'll never be able to appease His justice. But Jesus did.

Bow the knee to Christ, call out in repentance (confessing and turning from your sin) and faith, trusting in Him alone for your salvation. He is a perfect Savior, and He saves to the uttermost. "For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - Romans 10:13 ESV - Excerpt from "The Glory of God".

There is so much more to share; I would ask you to peruse the blog further. For now, I want to say thank you for your support and your prayers. Let's see where God takes this, together.