Tundra Swans

Tundra Swans, flying in perfect formation, rely on each other to make their 4,000 mile semi-annual trip from Alaska/Canada to eastern North Carolina and back. Traveling in flocks, with family members together, they soar at 50 mph+ two miles high. They minimize their energy use by positioning themselves and coordinating their wing beats perfectly with the others.

The Bible offers similar advice regarding working together. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NIV) for example, says “Two are better than one, because they have good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

The point is that we are not alone. The Bible instructs family, friends or even strangers to help one another. Joining together to help is a trait that exists in humans just as it does with these swans. It sometimes gets lost in the nightly news, and we may have to be a little more intentional to make it a daily habit, but the instinct is there.   

Just as God extends His loving hands to help us, let us also extend our hands to others. Together we better serve and love the Lord; and together we can positively change our lives and the world.                                       

I Found Him… gazing at majestic swans soaring overhead.

            A centuries old oak tree stands tall, proclaiming its strength, withstanding all that time throws at it. Generations come and go, but this amazing tree remains solid through storms, droughts, and other disasters. What a beautiful sight it was for farm workers who took their breaks in the cool shade under its canopy.

            Oak trees are often used in the Bible to signify strength and stability. A great message is delivered in Isaiah 61, for example, when the servant proclaims that God is at work to restore and vindicate His people; that they would become strong and stable just like the oak tree. Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV) “The 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…, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve … 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”.

            Jesus taught from this scripture that we too can find comfort from our issues and can “stand tall as a mighty oak”, simply through faith in Him.

           I Found Him…under a massive oak tree.

I Found Him...Abandoned House

Oh what memories this house could share! The pig-pickings, Thanksgivings, Christmases, spring plantings and fall harvests, Sunday dinners; good times and bad; long hours farming and sweet Sunday rests all appear to fade away. This once stately farm house served proudly, but it cannot last forever. Time takes its toll.

God’s love and grace, on the other hand, is timeless. In John 15:16, Jesus speaks to His disciples “You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last”. This fruit has indeed lasted, 2,000+ years and counting. Unlike man-made structures, this fruit lasts because it is from the Spirit of the living God.  Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 3:3 “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not in ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts”. God’s grace continues to live in our hearts.

So even as magnificent as this house once was, it lasts only a finite time. God’s grace, (an undeserved gift and unearned love of God through the Holy Spirit) was here before us; it is here through Jesus Christ to forgive our sins; and stays with us forever as we strive to further develop a relationship with Him.

Lord, we thank you for your timeless grace, that as years defeat earthly objects, You remain strong; our rock, our hope. In Jesus name we pray. Amen

I Found Him...Bodie Island Lighthouse

The Bodie (Body) Island Lighthouse continues to this day sending forth its light to aid ships off of the coast of the Outer Banks in North Carolina, just as it did when built in 1872. Its beacon, seen for 19 miles, directs ship captains through deadly waters. Bodie Island’s name is said to have come from the number of bodies that washed ashore there from shipwrecks occurring in the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”.

Christians too have a “lighthouse” to guide us; a beacon that travels infinitely, however, not just 19 miles. Jesus says in John 8:12 (NIV) that “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”. We face perils daily that are just as dangerous as those the ships face. By following the “light” of Jesus, however, we have a safe route. Jesus made it very clear in John 14:5-6: “Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…”.

Paul articulated our challenge in Ephesians 5:8-9 (NIV) “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) …”.

I Found Him…guiding me just as the Bodie Lighthouse does for ships.

I Found Him...Great Egret

On a cold wintry morning, shortly after sunrise, I was mesmerized by thousands of swans, geese, ducks, and other migratory wildlife wintering near a local lake. The sounds of thousands of birds honking seemed poetic. This Great Egret indeed was poetry in motion as it gracefully glided over the marsh. This picture sparks an overwhelming feeling of praise and astonishment due to the beauty of God’s creation. It mysteriously leads me to the glorious poetry in Psalms.

Psalm 136: 1-2, 4--9 and 25-26 represents a liturgy of praise to the Lord as Creator. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of Gods. His love endures forever. To Him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever; who by His understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever; who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever; who made the great lights, His love endures forever; the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever; the moon and the stars to govern the night, His love endures forever…and who gives food to every creature, His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven.   His love endures forever.”

God is with us! His creation is bubbling over with wonder. Stop, take a deep breath, look and listen for the poetry that is God’s Creation. Thanks be to God.

I Found Him…as a Great Egret slowly skimmed over pristine marshland.

I Found Him...Moonlight

In the darkness of night, the light of the moon reveals hints that more is there; in this case, a tree. As dawn brings forth more light, more is revealed. What once appeared to be a total void, nothing, darkness awakes to a beautiful creek, blue skies, a forest, indeed a world. 

Many times it appears that people we know, indeed ourselves, go through periods of darkness, not seeing, feeling, hearing or even realizing that there is so much more available. They are oblivious to the fact a better, fuller, and joyful life is waiting to dawn. They simply need light.

            John tells us in John 1:1-5 (Living Bible) speaking of Christ: “Eternal life is in Him, and this life gives light to all mankind. His life is the light that shines through the darkness—and the darkness can never extinguish it”.

            Jesus is indeed the light by which a new life is revealed. It is through Him that we can see a new world. Peter explains in 2 Peter 1:19 that the Holy Spirit gave messages to the prophets and that we should “pay close attention to everything they have written, for, like lights shining into dark corners, their words help us to understand many things that otherwise would be dark and difficult…then the light will dawn in your souls”.

            Let the light of Jesus shine in you, a fulfilled life will emerge from the darkness.

            I Found Him…in the moonlight shining through the dark skies. 

I FOUND HIM MINISTRY

I Found Him... is a collection of reflections of finding God in ordinary places. I try to teach simple life-lessons from the lens of a camera.

Looking at life from the back of a turtle, the wings of a swan, or in the rays of moonlight glistening off of a creek gives a different perspective to what is truly important.

Readers of this anthology are encouraged to look at ordinary sights in new ways, and to be blessed by "Finding Him" every day, everywhere.