His Eye Is On the Sparrow

There is an old hymn that says, "His eye is on the sparrow and I know He cares for me..." The song is taken from Matthew 10:29, where is it says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care." I was reminded of that today in a very special way. For the past few weeks we have been feeding the birds in our back and front yards and they have been eating my seeds like there is no tomorrow. I have noticed that when there is snow predicted they seem to go crazy and come by the dozens to eat. This morning, after it had snowed for a while, I was heading for the house, when I noticed a lone sparrow on the ground, just sitting there. I thought for sure that when I got close it would fly off - but it didn't. I stooped down and touched the bird. It just sat there, so I picked it up and held it in my hand and started to talk to it. For a few seconds it just sat in my hand and then it flew off. I don't usually get that close to wild birds. If God cared even for that lone sparrow, that was stunned, He definitely cares about us who are worth a whole lot more to him than a little sparrow. He cared enough to send His Son to die for us. Yes, His eye is on the sparrow! But more than that His eye is on us!

Clear Lake Swans

Last night at Camera Club one of the men mentioned that he had taken some pictures of swans at Clear Lake - Thanks Tom! This morning I decided to brave the 8 degree cold and take a trip to Clear Lake. I was not disappointed. I bundled up and prepared my camera and headed for the lake. When you look at the photos they seem a little foggy. That is not fog - It is frost coming off the lake. How these creatures of God can handle this bitter cold water, I have no idea. In 20 minutes I took over 200 photos and then got out of there to my warm car and turned on the heater. The ones I am posting are a few of the better ones. My body is still shivering, but it was worth the effort. Even the frost is a wonder of a great and Holy God!

First Day of 2012

There are a lot of predictions about this new year, 2012, but only God know just what this year will really bring. The only thing I know so far is that the year came in with a winter storm. To me that is not a bad thing but a thing of beauty. Although I don't love the slippery roads and extreme cold, I do love what snow does to the landscape. It is indeed a winter wonderland of God's creation. One day things can be brown and ugly and the next day everything is covered with a white coat of glorious snow! The Bible compares it to the covering of our sins by the blood of our our Savior. Isaiah 1:18
Today I took some time to travel around and take some pictures of the area, especially some of the lake. With the blue sky it makes a great contrast to the white ground and water. God is a whole lot better artist than I could ever be!

Foggy Day in Wisconsin Land

Today was one of those rare foggy days here in N.W. Wisconsin. On my way to and on my way back from Duluth, I took quite a few photos of the foggy landscapes. (I also went to Wisconsin Point and took more pictures of the lighthouse in the fog. I will publish those at a later time.) After taking the photos, I edited them in PaintShop Pro, by using special effects, such as sepia, infrared, or aging them. The process can take an ordinary photo and make it into an eye popping image. The process takes all of a minute or two. Think what could happen if God could transform us in that short of time. God's transformation of us takes a life time. The cemetary was in Wascott and the truck was north of Trego in an open field.

December Harvest Moon

For the past couple of years I have been waiting and wanting to to take photos of the full moon - especially a harvest moon. This seems almost impossible to capture. It is either cloudy or I am too late in taking the photo. The other problem, (one that almost all photographers experience) is that night shots are very hard to take, even with a DSLR camera. I knew that tonight there would be a full moon, so I prepared for it. Just as it was getting dark, I saw in the East that the moon was full and large and ready to be shot. I should have went out about 15 to 20 minutes earlier. By the time I found a place to shoot the moon, it was higher in the sky and much smaller. I did manage to take a few shots, but it wasn't exactly what I had planned. Maybe next month??? Here are a few of the shots I took. Either way we have an amazing God who has given us the blessing of a full moon and a great night sky. These shots were taken over the Earl Bridge about 5:30 pm tonight.

Newpaper Article

The more I get into photography I can see new ways of using this tool to glorify God and to share Christ with others. For that reason, when Diane asked if she could do a newspaper article about my love for photography and my involvement with the area photo Club (Northern Lights Camera Club) I was more than willing to do that. She is a very talented writer and did a great job with the story. One of the things I would love to do with photography is to teach it to elementary kids and teens, along with teaching them about our Great Lord and Creator and the world He has made for us. It would build self confidence in their lives as they work with photos and also help them to realize how great a God we serve.
As we get closer to Christmas I am looking for photo projects that I can make for family and friends for Christmas. If you have any ideas, please let me know. Bargain Bills had these tissue box covers that I plan on painting and add photo to.

The other day I was out taking pictures at Dilly Lake just before dark. The sun was starting to set and as I headed home down Dilly Lake Road the sunset became explosive. As I traveled over each hill I noticed the silhouettes of the trees against the sunset. It was almost like the sun was playing peekaboo behind the trees. I took several shots, but these are the ones that really stood out. Every time I see those big bold yellows, reds and oranges it reminds me of what an amazing God we have. It is like He is playing with His finger paints in the sky. I can take the picture, but God is the real artist. For some reason I really like the last photo, where the sun is peeking around the tree almost like it doesn't want to be seen.