Let There Be Light

Then God said, "Let there be light";

And there was light.

Genesis 1:3

 

 

 

 

Light! I keep coming back to it. Why? Because that's what makes a photograph.  I was listening to an instructional video yesterday by a world class wedding photographer. The interviewer asked him is one of the first things he usually did when he got to a venue was look for good light.

 

He replied immediately, "No, it is THE first thing I do!"

 

 

 

What is it about light?  Simply, it eliminates darkness. I have been told that the light from a single match can be seen ten miles away.  That's powerful!

 

 

 

As we go about our weekend let's challenge ourselves to do three things - Seek the light, Be the light, Share the light with others.

 

Have a blessed weekend.



Keep Seeking!

 

Mooresville, Alabama, located near Huntsville, is a quaint little town.  The 54 residents of the town maintain a quiet, idyllic lifestyle reminiscent of times gone by.  Time moves slowly in Mooresville.

 

The entire town is only about three or four blocks in size.  There are homes, a few places to eat, an old stagecoach inn and some other historic buildings.  Mooresville boasts the oldest continuous operating post office in the state.  There is also a very beautiful little church there.  

 

 

I spent some time visiting and photographing Mooresville and the church. The shot above is one of my favorites from the day. However, photographers know (or should know) that there are probably more interesting angles, positions, ways to shoot a subject than just the obvious wide angle shot shown above.  You have to seek those shots.  You have to move around, take your time, try, and try again!  

You photograph just parts of the building. You photograph down low, up high, and all angles in between.

 

 

You take photographs outside and inside.  If the doors are locked you point your lens through a window.  If the window is high you reach up and shoot blindly, hoping for the best. 

 

The point is you seek the best possible composition that is there.

 

 

Ask, and it will be given to you;

seek, and you will find;

knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

 



 And, sometimes you simply miss the best photograph because you just don't keep seeking.  That's what happened to me in Mooresville.  But, I was blessed to have my wife along with me.  She saw what I didn't.  After being very patient while I went round and round this little church, she suggested that I should take the image below.  It is by far the best of the best from that day.

 

 

 

Today, and everyday, keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking.  And, oh yeah, listen!

Journey On

Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev.

Genesis 12:9

 

Bodie, CA

 

Throughout history man has traveled. We travel many different ways.  We travel for many different reasons.  Some travel seeking. Others travel giving.  We travel for business, pleasure, curiosity, necessity!  We travel fast, we travel slowly.  We travel alone and we travel with others. But, we all are on a journey.

Story, IN

 

Often our journey gets interrupted. We've heard a lot about that this week.  Millions of people have had their journey altered by a winter storm.  They could not get home.  They could not get to work.

 

 

Blue Angels, Pensacola, FL

 

Soon the storm will be gone, the roads will clear, and people can resume their journey.

 

Today I am reminded that sometimes things interfere with my journey.  They may be things I cannot control, or they may be things I choose not to overcome. I stall, I sidetrack, I quit!

 

As I journey on through this life, I must remember to focus on the goal and press on toward the prize.  I hope you can do that too.







Seek the Light

For You light my lamp;

The Lord my God illumines my darkness.

Psalms 18:28

 

Marshall Point Light, Port Clyde, Maine

 

As the storm beats down on the Northeast today I am reminded of my dear friends there.  I pray that they are safe.  Bill, Debbie, Arlene, John, Tami, "Mama" - Stay safe, stay warm, and know you are loved today.

 



 

Nubble Head Light, York, Maine

I know they have weathered many storms in the past.  And I know they are prepared for this one. 

Many times those who live on the coast of Maine, and make their living from the sea, must trust a lighthouse to help them return safely to home. As we think of those in the path of this storm, also think about not only who you seek in a storm, but also how you can be a light for those around you who are in a personal storm.

 

Portland Head Light, Portland, Maine

 



Make the Call

 

 

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,

Psalms 145:18a

 

 

 

My cousin Tommy used to say, "When things get tough, we get serious about calling out to God in prayer."

 

 He's right!  When we can see no way out of a situation we know we can turn to Him.

 

Elsewhere in the Psalms quoted above we are promised that the Lord is good to all (verse 9), He sustains all who fall (verse 14), He satisfies our desires (verse 16), and He saves us (verse 19).

 

Remember to call on Him today.  He will hear. He will answer. He will provide.

 

 



 

 

Between Dawn and Sunset

They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs;

You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

Psalms 65:8

 

 

Sunrise, Atlantic Ocean, Nags Head, NC

 

 

Even on days when we don't see the sunrise, the sunset, or even the sun itself, the light is there. The warmth is there. The goodness of the day is there. The joy is there for us to accept.

 

 



Sunrise, Shaker Village, Pleasant Hill, KY

 

 

Find joy in this day!

 





Sunset, Lake Huron, Cheboygan, MI



Reflected

 

Three Brothers, Yosemite National Park, CA

 

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face;

now I know in part, but then I will know fully

just as I have also been known.

1 Corinthians 13:12

 

Marathon Motor Works, Nashville, TN

 

Photography is all about light, reflected light. We "chase the light". We use phrases like "catch the light" and "capture the light". Why? Because light, as it reflects into our camera, is what makes the image.  Without light there is no photograph! With the wrong light there is no great photograph.

Starbucks, Franklin, TN

 

Yesterday I talked about getting out and seeing the splendor and majesty of this place we call home. I suggested that you experience God through the environment around you. And as I went through the day yesterday I did just that.  I also realized that what I was seeing and experiencing is just a little taste, just a reflection, of the glory of God.

 

State Historical Site, Bodie, CA

 

I listened to the song "I Can Only Imagine" and once again was reminded that some day we will all stand face to face with Him.  My favorite part of that song says,

 

"Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel?

Will I dance for you, Jesus, or in awe of You be still?

Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?

Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?"

 

Sometimes the reflected light takes my breath away. In the full presence of Him who created, and is, the Light, I don't think I can stand, I don't think I can speak, but I know that I can worship! I can only imagine!

 



Splendor and Majesty

 

 

 

Splendor and majesty are before Him,

Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

Psalms 96:6

 

 

 

 If we take the time to see it, there is much beauty in this world. This line from a song says it best, "All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all."

 



 

 

These water lilies, all found in Gibbs Gardens, are but a few examples of the beauty in creation. 

 



 

These blooms offer an opportunity for me to not only take photographs, but also to lose myself in the wonder of creation. Even in this time of winter there is beauty to behold.  I urge you, as you walk through each day, take the time to see what God has created.  Lose yourself in the splendor and majesty of the sanctuary around you.



 

On the Road

 

Sometimes the road of life overwhelms us.  We feel pain, frustration, confusion, emptiness.  From our perspective we seem to be carrying the weight of the entire world.

 

Luggage porter, Mackinac Island, MI

 

Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar,

and by night with a pillar of fire,

to give them light on the road which they should travel.

Nehemiah 9:12

Be encouraged today.  God will light your path.  He knows all your pains, all your frustrations, all your burdens.  And, He has chosen a path to lead you through each of them.  He provides the light.  We choose to walk that way or not.

Main Street, Mackinac Island, MI

 



So, when the path is a curvy one uphill into the rocks of life, seek His light, His path.  It will be easier than you think. And He will sustain you even when it is difficult or confusing.

Tioga Road, Yosemite National Park, CA

 



 In the times when your walk is down a path with no end in sight, trust the source of the light.

Brown County State Park, Nashville, IN

When you seem to be climbing a mountain, look to the light.  Follow Him and you will reach your goal.

Wear's Valley, Pigeon Forge, TN

In the Shadows

 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

James 1:17

 



 

Shadows are not the "real deal".  They change, they grow dim, they are often distorted, and eventually they disappear. The gifts from our Father are not shadows, they are real, they will not fade, and they will not disappear.  They also will not disappoint! 

 

Look today for the gifts that come from Him.  Cling to them, and to Him.

 

 

Casey Malone Photography ©2015

Work

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance;

Colossians 3:23,24

 

 

Butcher, baker, candlestick maker. . . we all have work to do.  And, if we do it for the Lord it will be glorified.

 

 

Be blessed as you work (or play) this weekend.

 

 



Welcome Home

In My Father's house are many mansions;

if it were not so, I would have told you;

for I go to prepare a place for you.

John 14:2

 

 

 

Oak Hill, Home of Martha Berry, Berry College, Rome, Georgia
 

 As we travel around this great nation of ours we have enjoyed visiting some wonderful mansions.  They are beautiful, breathtaking examples of man's abilities and wealth.  Yet they pale in comparison to the home that awaits us.

 

Monticello, Home of Thomas Jefferson, Charlottesville, Virginia



Recently several friends have ended their time here on earth and have gone to join the Father in heaven.  Many of us are grieving because we miss the smile, the hug, the music, the wisdom, the joy, the friendship that those friends shared with us. Yet, we must be comforted in knowing that they have gone to a glorious home which will last for eternity. A home which exceeds anything we could create, or even imagine, here on earth.

 

 

 

Ashland, Home of Henry Clay, Lexington, Kentucky

So we say, "Welcome home Wick Jarrett, Sharon Okros, Carolyn VanWagner, Hunter Carter, and Claire DeLand.  We miss you and look forward to a reunion with you some day."

No Matter Where We Go. . .

If I ascend to heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

Psalms 139:8

 

 

 

There is something about hot air balloons that draws me.  I don't like high places, yet I think soaring in a hot air balloon would be a wonderful experience.  They just seems so effortless, so exhilarating, so out of control.

 

A hot air balloon pilot can't change the direction of the balloon.  He has to just "go with the flow".  The journey is going to be where the wind takes you.  Once you are in the air the only control you have is going up or going down.  And, even that depends on the air temperature around the balloon. Life is often like that.  Sometimes we just have to go with the flow. 

 

 

 

There are times when we find ourselves in circumstances that we may not have chosen.  We can't avoid them, we can't change them, we can't control them.

 

 

 

Be encouraged that as we face all the ups and downs of life, we can know that God is beside us and He will take care of us. Like the Psalms say, no matter where we go, He is there. I pray that you will give your life to Him, trust Him for the journey, and always feel Him beside you.





A New Creation

 

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature;

the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

 

2 Corinthians 5:17

 

 

At our house we enjoy taking old things and repurposing them to make them useful in a different way. We recently painted a couple of pieces of furniture, a chest and a mirror, for a room in our house. they were not made to go together. In fact they were not even bought at the same time.  Yet, they now look like a new, matching set. A real transformation. 

 

That is what happens to the caterpillar.  During this stage of it's life the insect eats leaves, destroying the plant in the process.  Not very useful! But that is not the end of the story.  God changes the leaf eating caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly which spends it time moving from flower to flower, depositing pollen in the process.

 

 

 





That kind of change happens to us when we submit ourselves to Christ.  The Holy Spirit changes us. I hope each of you has given yourself to Him so that you can be a new creature.

 

 



Preparing for Spring

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1

 

 

 

Winter is upon us.  Cold temperatures, leafless trees, short days.  It is a season that many do not enjoy.  Yet somehow I am reminded that it is a needed time.  Our environment needs winter.  The plants, the insect population, the very cycle of life in this place depends on a time of rest and restoration.

 

 

 

 



 





We need that time in our lives too.  Maybe we do not need months of rest, but there are times when we need spiritual rest as well as physical rest.  The big question I always need to ask myself is, "How do I use this time of rest?"  Am I restoring my soul? Am I preparing for the Spring, a time of new growth, new life, new callings? Or am I simply sitting dormant - decaying and desolate?

 

 

 

I pray that you will use the winters in you life to prepare for the Springs to follow.

What Kind of Barn Are You?

"Is the seed still in the barn? Even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree, it has not borne fruit.  Yet form this day on I will bless you."

Haggai 2:19

 

 

 

I love to photograph barns!  Barns have character, barns have purpose, barns have value to the farm and the farmer.  Have you ever thought of yourself as a barn? 

Farmers build a barn to store things.  Seed, hay, tractors and other equipment can all be placed in a barn and stored until they are needed to make the farm productive.  Yet, it is only when those things are removed from the barn that they do any good.  God does that with us too.  He has given us gifts, talents, abilities.  His Spirit, His love, His joy are stored within us.  There they stay until we decide to use them for God to make things better on this earth.  We use, or share, our seeds of love when we comfort those who have lost loved ones.  We share food with those who have little or none.  But, most importantly, we share our Savior with those who are like an empty barn.



 Those seed referred to in the scripture above will never produce fruit is they stay in the barn.  We will never produce fruit if we keep the blessings of God stored up within us and use them only for ourselves. 

Even if you think you are small and insignificant, God wants you to share.  Cast your seed, spread you hay, crank up your tractor and make a difference for God in 2015.

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