1The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn, 3and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor. 4They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations. 5Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the LORD,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
7Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
8“For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them. 9Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the LORD has blessed.”
10I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.
What some friends and I thought would be a weekend-long showing of our photography at Dominican Joe Coffee Shop in downtown Austin, has turned into an all-month show.
UPDATE: The show is running through the end of December.
If you’re in town, head on down to Congress and Riverside, visit, and have a look at our work.
Can’t make it, but still want to see my artwork? Click here.
If you like any of it, it’s all for sale — a portion of the sales go to support Makarios, an Austin-based non-profit organization committed to educational and economic development in the Dominican Republic.
At it’s essence, photography is the art of capturing a moment in time, so that you can show the world that moment at a different time and place.
This was taken a few nights ago, on my way home from the movie theater. I loved the way the city lit up the sky, and as I finished the panorama, a train was passing by…
We had a full moon a few weeks ago, and atmospheric conditions made the moon just look gorgeous. Or creepy. You pick.
Tonight. Late in the sunset, and a plane flew by overhead. I love the simplicity and colors of this.
I’m going to try to continue posting various images, although you’ll have to help hold me to this promise. I figure while God is a good thing to write about, a photographer’s blog should also, well.. display his photography.
1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
4Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Glory in the Highest
8Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
1As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
3My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”
4When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.
5Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.
6O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar.
7Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
8The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me— A prayer to the God of my life.
9I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10As with a breaking of my bones, My enemies reproach me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
Whenever we see God’s fingerprints in our lives, we should party hard.
We all too often forget to celebrate when God has worked in our lives. We’ll thank Him for how he’s worked in our lives, but we don’t truly rejoice.
I know I often haven’t.
6Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
8From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
Genesis 12:6-8
God appeared to Abram with a promise, and he built an ALTAR in remembrance.
A what?
An altar.
Not once, but twice.
And then he worships and witnesses to those around him.
When was the last time you ran to tell all your friends when God worked in your life? When did you tell strangers?
I know I’ve never built an altar, that’s for sure.
What I do know, is that I’ve realized the importance of celebrating God’s work in my life. Both through worship to Him, and in telling others.
I have also realized that it’s important to to look back at the times when God did wonders in my life so that I remember how He changed my life.
Genesis 13 picks up again:
1So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.
3From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier 4and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.
Abram went to Egypt, returned to the altar he had built before and remembered.
I think few things help our Faith like looking back at his ever-changing work in us. I know it blows me away each and every time.
How do you remember God’s work in your life? Do you tell others about the God-things that happen?
During my drive home tonight, this song played on KLOVE. It’s a wonderful groaning-of-the-heart kind of song.
You stood before creation
Eternity in your hand
You spoke the earth into motion
My soul now to stand
You stood before my failure
And carried the cross for my shame
My sin weighed upon your shoulders
My soul, now to stand
So what could I say?
And what could I do?
But offer this heart oh God
Completely to you
So I’ll walk upon salvation
Your spirit alive in me
This life to declare your promise
My soul now to stand
So what could I say?
And what could I do?
But offer this heart oh God
Completely to you
I’ll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the one who gave it all
I’ll stand
My soul longs to you surrender it all
I am is yours
While driving in to work this morning, I overheard Max Lucado on KLOVE.
To paraphrase him:
“We have to remember, that even as Christians, we aren’t any better than others out there… The Bible says that salvation is a gift, and not faith through works. That means that we’re still just as bad as them, but we have the blessing that comes from God. And we need to remember that, and with humility act lovingly to each other.”
Christians often think that, because of the blessing of our salvation, we somehow are better than the “vast masses of unwashed sheep” out there - but when it comes down to it, we’re not. We were born sinners, we continue to sin (often on a daily basis), but — we were offered (and accepted) the blessing of Salvation.
That makes us different, but not better.
I actually think it raises the bar for Christians - our faith is not rooted in our works, but our faith does requires continual work on our part.
James 2:14 —
14What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
18But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
19You believe that God is one You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?
…
26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
God loves us, and offers us the blessing of Salvation and a life spent following him. But if we accept that gift, we, out of love in return, are called to humble ourselves and love others.
