Sample 146 - Still Flourishing

"The mountains and hills seemed to go on and on into the distance, and though that could have been picture perfect in itself, it seems as if The Lord was saying, 'You ain't seen nuthin' yet, son!' as a cloud in the distance burst with rain over the rolling landscape." 

- Sample 145, 'From A High Point'

I couldn't remember whether the rains subsided, or it seemed as if we were led to another side of the mountain on the way down, just to see even more things, to take more pictures. 

It's because just like that, the grey clouds were gone, and we were brought back to a viewpoint which was more overcast. I wasn't bothered by this at all; in fact, I was fascinated by what I saw next: trees that as far as I knew were known as Bristlecone pines. 

Hi, I'm Troy McTree. You might remember me from previous blog posts such as Sample 73 - Still Standing. 

Okay, I just did a quick Google search and no, these aren't Bristlecone pines... but they do look like they've been alive for quite some time. Older than my father? Probably. Older than me? Definitely. 

It gets me thinking about my current endeavors to blog and to write and to post and to share. I remember posting once, that there's so much life going on to write about it all. Now this may be true, but I suppose I would rather live that way instead of the other way around - more to write about than to live for. Seeing how these pines were still standing, how this one in particular was still blooming, I guess a lesson for me to take from this is that there's always time for writing, and time for living. 

That sounds just like something King Solomon would say. In this day and age, He would write it as part of Ecclesiastes 3, 'A time to blog, and a time to... what, live? Experience?' 

Now that I think about it, it would have been plenty awkward if I insisted on writing all about this while I was up there, with my family waiting, with the clock running... 

Live first, and tell the tale when you've got nothing better to do. 

There is never a dull moment. 

Sample 144 - Liberty In Uncertainty

Christ has set us free to live a free life. 

So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.

Galatians 5:1

Sample 137 - Descent

Blurred is blurred.

Mextures Formula, 'Evans Descent' (Code: HBCNTEJ) used on pictures 1, 2, and 4

Mextures Formula, 'Benevolence' (Code: ZWMEHBG) Converted to B/W, used on picture 3

When you're on top, there's nowhere else to go but down. I suppose we should be thankful whether we be in the top of the mountain or in the bottom of a valley. When you're at the bottom, there's nowhere to go but up... and when you're on top, you're reminded that you still need to go down, just to come back up again. Not sure that makes sense, but I do know that wherever we are, and wherever we were, the believer can stay at peace, determined and encouraged by the fact that Christ will never leave nor forsake him. 

The snow turned to sleet and then to rain as we began our trip down Mount Evans. This gave us the opportunity to behold the mountain ranges in a different perspective - the rain was close to us, but the sun shone over the peaks in the distance. The sight was just so much better than what I shot at the time, thus the decision to spruce things up through Mextures. I will be posting more of these sorts of shots without edits, as the weather maintained itself for a good amount of time while we drove down. 

Soli Deo Gloria.

Sample 119 - A Panorama Of What I'm Assuming Is Mount Evans

A panorama that's been sitting on my hard drive. I'll never know if it's any good if I never share it. Hey, that's a good line. 

Raw files coming from cameras such as the D40 are still so very usable. 

"Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!

Sing out the honor of His name;

Make His praise glorious.

Say to God,

“How awesome are Your works!

Through the greatness of Your power

Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.

All the earth shall worship You

And sing praises to You;

They shall sing praises to Your name.” 

Psalm 66:1-4

Sample 118 - The Ascent (Mt. Evans, 2008)

As I was editing these shots, I saw that it was raining while I was shooting these. I remember that it was raining, but it wasn't too hard for me to leave the window down to shoot with the (non-weather sealed) Nikon D40.

I had to leave this off-angle. 

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.

Proverbs 18:10

Sample 115 - Piercing The Clouds

"I don't know about tomorrow;

It may bring me poverty.

But the one who feeds the sparrow,

Is the one who stands by me.

And the path that is my portion

May be through the flame or flood;

But His presence goes before me

And I'm covered with His blood.

Many things about tomorrow

I don't seem to understand

But I know who holds tomorrow

And I know who holds my hand..."

Happy 2014! God bless you! 

Sample 113 - To Colorado, 2008

Denver International

DEN Parking Lot

If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

Psalm 139:9-10

It's pretty timely that I'm posting this set at this time. Colorado 2008 shots will be posted as Christmas comes up next week. God bless you. 

Sample 109 - Starting Off At The SD Bay Area

A Panoramic View From One Side Of Kettner Blvd. 

San Diego Marriott Hotel And Marina

“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began...

Luke 1:68-70 NKJV

Bible Gateway's Verse Of The Day, 121813

Sample 105.5 - Under The Blue, To Black

The Horse's Rear End

Power Low

HI1

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD'S name is to be praised.

Psalm 113:3

Sample 97 - Ever Forward

Shot July 2008 with the Nikon D40, 18-55mm lens, somewhere between L.A. and San Francisco. 

"A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." - Proverbs 18:24

Christ is the friend who sticks closer than a brother. He loves you when the rest of the world doesn't.

God bless you.

Sample 39, Revisited. This was taken on the same trip. :D

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 95 - S

Shot July 2008 with the Nikon D40, 18-55mm lens, somewhere between Manila and Los Angeles. This was the first time the D40 was in the air, in a series of jumps between states, and then a final one back to the Philippines before getting sold to a friend. 

" (Abraham) believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness." - Genesis 15:6

Believe in Jesus. You're in for an exciting ride when you do. God bless you.

Here's another shot taken as we landed. Didn't check the EXIF but you can tell this was at a High ISO. Welcome to Los Angeles. 

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 84 - Hope In Sight!

The future looks brighter. By God's grace, I happen to be blessed with someone to walk down the road with me. Indeed, there is greater light ahead when you see it with a partner.

I love you Paola! To God be all the glory and praise!

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 82 - Five

There will be situations that would be hard to understand... And perhaps, during these times, the reason why we fail to grasp why things happen is because due to some circumstances, we could only see (or bear to see) one side of the story.

If we are in Christ, we should always remember that though we would not be able to see all the angles all the time, our God is still always faithful to make things happen for our good, because He loves us. As we go through every trial step by step, I believe the Lord would make us see how the whole picture unfolds... and we would move forward, conquering in His name, for His glory.

God bless you.




_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Checkpoint 6

'Come Together', continued

Romans 1:23 says that God's glory is seen in all things. Yes, I continue to believe this and I am not ashamed to share that even in times when we see barrenness, even in times when the sun sets in our lives... God's absolute brilliance and glory is seen, and true wisdom is found when we seek Him with childlike faith...

In other words, He is always there to welcome us with open arms, when we run to Him knowing that Jesus Christ died and rose again so we could dwell in His presence. I pray that we would always delight in His presence. I pray that we would always remember that there is no better place to be than in His presence. All other rock is sinking sand, indeed.

God bless and keep you.

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 77 - Step Up

'Do not be afraid of moving slowly
 be afraid of standing still.'

- Seen on a car sticker


_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 73 - Still Standing

My sincerest apologies for not posting recently... I've been busy. And God has been working on me. :)

Here's something taken on the way down from the top of Mount Evans, Colorado on our 2008 trip to the United States. I love these mountain landscapes, and I pray that the my brothers and sisters there would continue to see the glory of God through His creations that they are so privileged and blessed to behold on a more regular basis. I pray that as they see the magnificent Rockies, there would be no doubt in their minds as to how great God is, and how deep His love for us, as demonstrated through Jesus Christ.

This particular shot, verse and all, was a 'page' for a photobook I intended to print some years ago. My lack of experience back then led to the abandonment of the project... but hey, who says I couldn't share what came out of it? :)

Maybe it's time to revive the project. I lift my intentions to the Lord, and I thank Him because He will make my paths straight. To God be all the glory. 


_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 70 - A Sign, A Wonder (Arizona '10)

 

And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
- Genesis 9:12-17
As I read these passages one morning just a few days ago, I was reminded of one particular 'rainbow' everyone saw when we were in the Grand Canyon. We were on one of the final stops on our tour of the park, when everyone suddenly lifted their cameras, from taking the breathtaking landscape to shooting the peculiar bright colors glowing on the clouds in the sky. I simply had to follow suit.

While I pulled up these pictures I took almost 4 years ago, I wanted to know the exact term for this 'rainbow in the clouds'; after a few seconds of Googling I found out that what we saw was a small section of what's known as a circumhorizonal arc.

I spoke to my girlfriend about what I read in Genesis, and what I shot and we agreed that we are also to be, in some way or form, a sign - a reminder to all of God's faithfulness and love towards us - that when people see us in our own daily lives, they are reminded in one way or the other of how God is faithful and true to His word.

Now that I type this, I remember the days when we just started our relationship. I was literally 'on fire' in telling everyone my story before, during, and after we agreed to be more than just friends. That I was living a life of idolatry, until the Lord brought me through the most trying of valley experiences. By God's grace and in His perfect timing, I came out so much more boldly, declaring that, indeed, those who call out the name of the Lord will be saved! 

I'd love to go in detail regarding this... next time. But this is what I want to say for now. As followers of Christ, I believe we would do well to heed His word in Revelation 12:11, which says that we overcome the enemy by the blood of Jesus Christ, and by the word of our testimony.

The rainbow exists to remind us of God's faithfulness to his word. Let our lives remind all of the same thing.

Lord, by the blood of Jesus Christ and by the power of Your Spirit, use us. Work in and through us, that none should perish, but for all to come to repentance. Take all the glory, Lord! In Jesus Christ's Name I pray, amen!

View in Monochrome:

_________________________

jb.redeemed

email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 64 - In Pace Requiescat

This was taken just outside the Echo Lake Lodge on the way down from the Summit of Mount Evans. This particular picture (verse and all) was part of a project I had way way back to publish a book. I thought to myself, maybe it's better if I actually started sharing the pictures instead of getting ahead of myself (and ultimately keeping the pictures to myself).

I just came to the realization that the Lord's glory and grace is known in our trials... not only by courage and not with the strength and wisdom we demonstrate, but also in the peace that He gives us. This peace is no ordinary peace, indeed it is a peace that goes beyond all understanding, as it is described in Philippians 4:6-7. 

The grace, the peace that God is so thoughtful and faithful to abound is us - it is far greater than the pressure and distress that a situation, a trial can bring! Though our bodies are trained to 'fight and flight', the peace of the Lord gives us the option to think things through and respond in the best way possible!

I believe this, because I know my heart was pounding and my body was gearing up for conflict when I was recently confronted, but God, in His faithfulness and by the power of His Spirit, led me to say what needed to be said, to do what needed to be done (pray, pray, pray!) for His Name to be glorified. Praise God for these times, and praise God because I know I am blessed, even when I am persecuted and ridiculed for His Name's sake! 

God bless you!

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 57 - Wrath (Benguet '10) (1)

This was from my first time in Kabuyao, Mt. Sto Tomas, Benguet; I was blessed by some good friends of mine by being called to join them during this sunrise shoot.

Psalm 109

New King James Version (NKJV)
Plea for Judgment of False Accusers
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

109 Do not keep silent,
O God of my praise!
2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful
Have opened against me;
They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me without a cause.
4 In return for my love they are my accusers,
But I give myself to prayer.
5 Thus they have rewarded me evil for good,
And hatred for my love.

6 Set a wicked man over him,
And let an accuser[a] stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty,
And let his prayer become sin.
8 Let his days be few,
And let another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless,
And his wife a widow.
10 Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg;
Let them seek their bread[b] also from their desolate places.
11 Let the creditor seize all that he has,
And let strangers plunder his labor.
12 Let there be none to extend mercy to him,
Nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off,
And in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be continually before the Lord,
That He may cut off the memory of them from the earth;
16 Because he did not remember to show mercy,
But persecuted the poor and needy man,
That he might even slay the broken in heart.
17 As he loved cursing, so let it come to him;
As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him.
18 As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
So let it enter his body like water,
And like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be to him like the garment which covers him,
And for a belt with which he girds himself continually.
20 Let this be the Lord’s reward to my accusers,
And to those who speak evil against my person.

21 But You, O GOD the Lord,
Deal with me for Your name’s sake;
Because Your mercy is good, deliver me.
22 For I am poor and needy,
And my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting,
And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness.
25 I also have become a reproach to them;
When they look at me, they shake their heads.

26 Help me, O Lord my God!
Oh, save me according to Your mercy,
27 That they may know that this is Your hand—
That You, Lord, have done it!
28 Let them curse, but You bless;
When they arise, let them be ashamed,
But let Your servant rejoice.
29 Let my accusers be clothed with shame,
And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle.

30 I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth;
Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.
31 For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor,
To save him from those who condemn him.

Right now, with so much happening in my life, with so many trials, I cannot help but get angry; It's hard to 'be angry, but do not sin,' but it is possible; Praise God for His Spirit that aids us, by making intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26). Praise God for the peace that goes beyond all understanding, that protects our hearts and minds as we lift all of our junk to the Lord... He is forever faithful, forever His love reigns! Thank You, Jesus!

Father, let Your perfect will be done for all of us. Glorify Your Name! In Jesus Christ's Name I pray, Amen!

_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26

Sample 55 - Sentinel (Colorado '08)

"But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it - lest you even be found to fight against God."
- Acts 5:39

Here's something I learned today: Be willing to share as long as what you share is of God's will, and according to His word.

Just sharing. :)

God bless you.


_________________________
jb.redeemed
email me at jibee@rocketmail.com. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26