Thursday, March 5, 2009

Print It!

Good morning, dear friends and Prayer Partners! This is the cool, sunny day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! I overslept again this morning,...seems like I do that a lot lately, so when I arose, no stars, just daylight and tons of oak seeds all over everything. We live in a yellow world these days, with the pollen flying around. Achoo!!

Even the Park is covered with seeds and oak trees. Not a good time for walking for those with allergies. I saw the reflection of an ibis in the canal and it was so old Florida. It looked beautiful , perched and waiting for lunch to swim along. God is good!

From the book Quiet Moments with God:

Be very careful then how you live. Not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.
Ephesians 5:15-16

When we come to the end of the day and wonder why things went wrong, we usually don't have to look very far to discover the answer. Somehow, we lost our sense of direction and couldn't seem to get back on track. To ensure this doesn't happen again, or at least not as often, we can take some advice from National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones.:

1. If there's a problem at work that
has you stymied, try looking at it from different
points of view. Pray for the eyes of your
understanding to be enlightened. (See Ephesians 1:18.)
Before he goes out to shoot, Jones knows he has
to have a good camera with the right lens.
Different lenses give different perspectives.
Jones experiments until he finds the right one.

2. Another important factor is focus.
A picture can be razor sharp, or if Jones prefers,
just the subject in the foreground will
be clearly in focus.

3. We sometimes become so focused on one aspect
of a problem, we lose sight of the big picture--
of other circumstances influencing the situation
or how the problem is going to affect others
if it isn't resolved properly. Look at the big
picture, then consider all individuals involved.
Jones allows his creative instincts to drive him
to find more than one "right" way to shoot a
photo. He uses about 400 rolls of film per
article--and each published article uses
approximately fifty photos.

4. Don't be afraid of experimenting with new
ideas and methods. Ask God to show you
great and mighty things that you haven't
known before. (See Jeremiah 33:3) When
Dewitt Jones empties his camera at the
end of a shoot, he knows he's given it his
best shot. He's looked at the subject he's
photographing in a many different ways
as he can think of.

If we've found the right perspective, stayed focused on what's truly important; been willing to try something different; and refused to let fear of failure paralyze us; we, too, can look back at our day and say, "Print it!"

No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined.
Harry Emerson Fosdick

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis