From the zoo to the mountain

A few of my favorite photos from a recent day trips to Point Defiance Zoo and Mt. Rainier.

Inspired or frightened?

On a walk through one of my favorite little towns, I noticed that several of the trees had paper tags that rivaled the number of green leaves on the tree.  On these paper tags were written responses to a question at the base of the tree.
One of the questions was: What inspires you?
The numerous answers ranged from certain people to the complexity and beauty of God's creation.  One answer in particular caught my eye and I've been thinking about it ever since.  Paraphrased, the answer read that the writer was inspired by the numerous possibilities each day holds.  Would that be something you would write?  Do you find possibilities exciting or daunting?  I know for some people in my life, they would tend to be more frightened by the possibilities that exist rather than feel inspired by it.

Fort Worden Outing

Fear of a Frog

Recently I was house-sitting for a day and one of my tasks was to water the hanging baskets.  I pulled out the hose and watered one of the baskets and turned around to water the other.  It was then that I noticed the big, brown frog perched precariously on the side of rock covered column.  At first, I couldn't tell whether or not it was real.  I watched it closely to see if it blinked or was breathing heavily.  After observing it for about a minute without either of these signs appearing, I then assumed that it was possibly a well-made plastic frog that somebody left there as a practical joke.  I started to water the basket above it keeping a careful eye on it to see if it moved.  It didn't move as the first few drops of water landed on it, but then it shifted its leg slightly.  I stopped watering immediately and slowly stepped away from the frog.  What did I do next?  I called home.  My father informed me that frogs in the area were perfectly harmless and that it was probably more afraid of me than I was of it.  I failed to find this encouragement comforting though.  I quickly finished watering the basket with my body as far away from the frog as possible and then went on to fulfill my other tasks.
How often does fear keep us from fulfilling a task that needs to be done?
How often is this paralyzing fear ungrounded?
Why do we choose to focus more on the subject of our fear rather than the task that needs to be done?
I know for myself, I was tempted to skip watering that particular hanging basket, but being a hot day, I knew that the plant would wither if I didn't give it water.  What should have only taken me 5 minutes took me closer to 15 minutes because of my ungrounded fear of the frog.  Fortunately, this incident was quite trivial, but the thought remains: when it really matters, will I be able to focus on the task or will I allow my ungrounded and temporary fears keep me from doing the right thing?

"So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" -Hebrews 13:6 (ESV)

What does it mean to prosper?

Recently I heard a talk on Psalm 1:1-3.  The last verse reads (ESV) "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers."  While the talk was on the importance of mediation, which I am still learning and will always continue to learn how to do, a question has stuck in my mind: What does it mean/look like to prosper during times of trial or grief?  Is there such a thing?
Other questions of a similar note flow from this:
What does it mean to prosper when you are out of a job?
What does it mean to prosper when all that you put your energy towards seems to come to nothing?
I have a feeling that what our culture defines as being prosperous is not how God seems to define it in the context of this verse.

Importance of Background

I'm have been watching a course called the Fundamentals of Photography produced by The Great Courses.  During one of the lectures I viewed today, the instructor emphasized the importance of having a good background.  A good background is one which encourages the viewer to focus on the subject, rather than what lies behind the subject.  What is behind the subject can be interesting and can most certainly add to the photo, but it should not take the focus away from the subject in a way that makes the subject seem less important.  The instructor of the course encouraged the viewer to take time to focus on the background before bringing in the subject.
What about the times when we don't have a camera in our hands?
We go around viewing the world capturing many "photos" in our memories throughout the day.  Take a brief moment to reflect on the memories you have today.  Are they clear, sharp, and focused on a particular moment?  Or do you struggle to bring to mind a clear picture?  Maybe if you are struggling, it means that the background to a particular moment overpowered the moment itself.  If your mind is wandering throughout the day, how can you expect to remember what you did as you reflect upon your day that evening?  To have a clear photo, we must strive to clear up the background so that the subject could be in focus.  One of my professor's recommends always keeping a list of the things you remember that you need to do or get at the grocery store.  Writing these random thoughts down helps you to relax and focus on the present moment rather than cluttering it up with all of these other thoughts that could potentially cause you to worry or have stress unnecessarily.
Whether or not we have a camera in our hands, we should realize the importance of the background whether it be physical or mental.  To let the subject shine in our photos or our memories, a complimentary background is essential.

Back to the blog

During my second trip to my local library this summer, I picked up a book that had the name Lewis on it (I'm a huge C.S. Lewis fan).  The book I checked out was not actually written by Lewis, but contains hundreds of quotes from George MacDonald edited by Lewis.
Here is one quote that appears early on in the book:
"But herein is the Bible itself greatly wronged.  It nowhere lays claim to be regarded as the Word, the Way, the Truth.  The Bible leads us to Jesus, the inexhaustible, the ever unfolding Revelation of God. It is Christ 'in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,' not the Bible, save as leading to Him."

Just something to ponder.