Friends Just Fit!

Oil and perfume make the heart glad,

So a man's counsel is sweet to his friend.

Proverbs 27: 9

Spending time with dear friends just makes everything better!  They can hear you when you don't even speak.  They understand when you need to talk and when you need to just be still.

They are like gears in a machine to you.  They just fit!  Be grateful to your friends.  Tell them how much they mean to you.

I'm a Sunrise Shooter

My name is Casey Malone and I am a sunrise shooter.

There, I've said it.  I feel better.  Now I just have to go on with my life with the understanding that I like to photograph sunrises.  That takes a load off!

I will shoot sunrises every day if I can.  Why?  Because they inspire me. They intrigue me. They fill my mind with wonder and excitement.

The sunrise images I am using today were all shot from the same 9th floor balcony. They are all the same in many ways - sunlight, water, sand.  Yet, they are all different too.

Sometimes there are clouds which make the sun almost invisible.

March 4, 2016

Sometimes there are no clouds at all.

March 7, 2016

Sometimes the clouds dance across the sky like ballerinas on the stage.

March 8, 2016

And other times the hang low near the horizon forcing the sunbeams to push through in shafts of light for the new day.

March 13, 2016

Yet they are always there, waiting for me to witness them, to relish them, to begin my day with them.

People are like that too.  Some are full, some are empty, some are dancing, some are stubborn and forceful. But, they are there, waiting for us to make them part of our lives.

Over the past few days I have had the great blessing to share real extended fellowship with some people. People who have been part of my life for many years.  They have been with me in the good times and in the really bad times.  I am grateful for them. I am grateful for there long term friendships. And, I am grateful that they have continued to be there, just like the sunrise, waiting.

The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,

For His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3: 22, 23

My Hope!

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

Matthew 7: 24,25

Over the last several days I, like many in America, have struggled with voting in the Presidential election process.  I have seen friends express fears, anxieties, and angst.  I have shared some of those.

As He often does, God comforted me with a song- "My Hope is Built". The first line of that great hymn says, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness."

My hope is not in the President, not in the legislature, not in the pundits and the polls.  My hope is in Jesus. He is my rock and my salvation. And, that is all I need.

May you find peace in the days ahead.

Where Do We Find Peace?

Where do we find peace?  When one listens to any news report, or reads posts on social media of any kind, it does not take long to realize that the world is not a peaceful place.  And, I am not even talking about wars and conflicts between nations and/or cultures.

When did we become a people who cannot disagree without hating? Why do people who have been friends for years suddenly end the friendship because of political differences? At what point did we arrive at the position of "I AM RIGHT" and therefore I can publicly condemn all who dare to disagree with me? Is it okay to see what we perceive as a wrong (even among people we don't know) and then take to Facebook and rail on about how wrong those people are? Have we become so absorbed in ourselves that others simply DO NOT MATTER?

I pray that we will return to a patten of civility. I pray that we will learn to love as He loves us.

There is only one place to find peace.  And, it does not come from the government!

May we each seek and find the peace that surpasses passes understanding.

The Lord lift up His countenance on you,

And give you peace.

Numbers 6:26

What do we do with the "in between" Times?

Landscape photographers love to shoot at two times during the day.  They get up very early, arrive at a location before sunrise, and wait for the magic to hopefully happen.  Or, they hang around until the end of the daylight, that wonderful, warm, glowing time of twilight.

Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean, Nags Head, North Carolina

Photographs made at sunrise and sunset can be phenomenal. Experiencing either can be a very uplifting moment.  Life is like that too for Christians.  Many start and end each day with prayer and reflection on Spititual matters.  But, in photography and in life, what do we do with the rest of the day, those moments in between the beginning and the end.

Half Dome Sunset, Yosemite National Park, California

Photographers often spend that time processing their images. To process my photographs I use a program with sub menus that will affect different parts of the picture.  Here are some of those sub categories and how they might speak to how I should be using each day in my life:

Exposure -- How/Who am I exposing to a life in Christ?

Contrast -- Does my life contrast with the world's way?

Highlights -- What are the highlights of my day?  Do I recognize them all, and give credit to the One who placed them there for me?

Shadows -- What is lurking the shadows of my life that I try to hide from everyone? And, more importantly, how am I cleaning out those shadowy behaviors?

Clarity -- Does my life have a clear purpose?

As usual, I have work to do!  Have a good day and make the most of the in between times!

Therefore be careful how you walk,

not as unwise men but as wise,

Ephesians 5: 15

Are You a Radical?

for you were formerly darkness,

but now you are Light in the Lord;

walk as children of Light

Ephesians 5:8

Yesterday our pastor encouraged us to be radical in our faith walk.  That really set me to thinking. Am I living like Christ in every moment of every day? Am I letting my light shine?

Am I living on the edge, trusting Him to lead me and be my example?

Or, am I falling into complacency and hiding my faith when it might  be easier to do that?

I believe I have work to do! So, I leave you with this thought. . . Love and live radically, and do it for and with Him!

Seasons Come and Go

There is an appointed time for everything.

And there is a time for every event under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Seasons come and seasons go.  Spring is coming!  Summer will follow.

Then the green trees will turn to the wonderful colors of Autumn once again.  And, of course, then the winter.

Why do we grumble so about where we are?  Why do we wish we could be somewhere else?  This time of winter is important.  There is much to be said for slowing down, resting, and restoring.

I pray we find rest in this time.

Stepping Out Today

Do we know where we are going today? And more importantly, do we know the best way to get there?

The mind of man plans his way,

But the Lord directs his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

Dear Heavenly Father, as we plan our day, may we choose to make room for You.  May we recognize the way that You have chosen, and may we follow it with joy, trust, and gratefulness.

Focus Carefully and Selectively

In this world of social media, 24 hour news, and constant bombardment of information it is easy to become distracted.  People are convicted or acquitted via public opinion, presidents are elected based on rumor and innuendo, economies rise and fall because of fears!

Yesterday I wished a friend a happy birthday.  Why?  Because Facebook told me it was his birthday.  And, like so many others, I believed what Facebook said to be truth.  Turns out his birthday is in the summer.

Am I alone in believing what is not true?  I say not.  Look at how many people are still waiting for Mark Zukerberg to hand out millions, or how Trump is making people question the citizenship of Cruz, or how Steve Harvey is being ridiculed for making a simple mistake, or how people are demanding that a convicted felon be released because of a TV show.  We hear it, we believe it, we act on it.  We just forget to verify it.

Take the time to focus on the truth.

These two pictures were made seconds apart.  Neither the camera nor the subject moved.  What changed? The focus!  By adjusting the focus, much of the clutter in the picture was minimized.  The weed became much more visible.

Do we need to adjust our focus?

Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up  and choked them out.

Matthew 13:7

What's In a Day?

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, 

"Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"

The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, 

"Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

Matthew 20: 29-31

During this first week of 2016 I have seen multiple posts on Facebook about the new year being a book filled with 365 blank pages.  The idea is that the future is ours to shape, mold, and fill.  How we choose to do that is entirely up to us.

I respectfully disagree with that idea.  The future is His!  True, each day is a new beginning. But, it is not blank.

God fills each day of our lives with so much.  We just have to choose what we see in that day.

I pray as we walk through each day of the rest of our lives, that we will become more and more like the two blind men in the story above.  I think, while the crowd did not, the two blind men "saw" what Jesus passing by really meant.  

God is present in the day ahead.  Watch for Him, recognize His presence, and follow!