While many if not most of my posts tend to wander a bit, today I planned nothing and just wrote whatever I felt like.  Bits and pieces of whatever jumped into my mind. I admit that I often find it easier and more enjoyable to “ramble around” through the various subjects the occur to me, than to stick with one single theme and write a complete essay of a single subject.

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When we have gained a few years, and begin to get a bit long in the tooth as some would say, the saying that “if I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself” is often used.

I should be the poster child for that saying.

I’ve had only a couple of stays in hospitals in my life not counting my birth, but many visits to emergency rooms over the years. Most of the emergency room and hospital visits could have been prevented by a visit to a doctor in a timely fashion.

I have lived much of my life in a way that would indicate it be relatively short. Not brave just foolish. I am in reality, probably already beyond the years I should have lived.

Of course when your only visits to see doctors occur when you are sick enough or injured enough that you cannot function any more, that explains a lot about you, or in this case me. Having my back operated on and my appendix removed both began not with doctor’s appointments but emergency room visits. You can see I’ve always had a tendency to put off health care until hospitals (and scalpels) were the only answer.

I am not bragging. Far from it. Still, we are all different, and I have lived my life, true to who I am, or better said, who I was. 

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I have had my ups and downs over the years with well-known Californian and pastor John McArthur. Mostly over one or two Biblical interpretations. With that said, I was thrilled to see a court awarded his church $800,000 after he sued the state of California for forcing his church to close.

There have been other recent successful lawsuits from churches against  that state as well. While they forced the churches to close, Governor Newsome was seen with a large group of his friends dining mask less at a café.

It was an attempt to keep people of faith from gathering, while the less than savory elements ( Hollywood, etc.) continued on as they pleased.

To return to McArthur for a moment, there might only be a dozen or so people in this country who know the Gospel as well as he does. Most of my disagreements with him turned out to be born of misunderstandings or my own lack of knowledge. I still have a few gripes, but by and by he helps create as many truly “born again” Christians as anyone in this nation. I can only imagine that God is pleased with his work. Of course church going people who are not a part of actual evangelic Christianity, will understandably struggle with teachers of the gospel who seem “different” from many denominational pastors. They preach the Bible (God’s letter to us) over church tradition and that can understandably be a culture shock.

There are a few dozen or so good teachers/preachers that can be accessed on TV or the internet.  Each of them vary in style, but have devoted their lives to understanding the Gospel both intellectually, and in a Godly fashion.

On the other side of the coin there are charlatans, fakes and phonies as well.  Of course, the same could be said in churches. Some are “feel good” preachers who merely misinterpret the Bible as to allow you to keep on your current path, while believing you are being Christian and headed for heaven.  Then there are some who are crazy, and some who are all about making money.

The longer you search and as long you remain Biblical with that search, the more teachers you will find and you will begin to understand who are the good ones and who are not. You will begin to understand your personal journey as well

In the end, the help you need is already here in the form of God. He will aid you through prayer. He did me, and will surely do the same for you.

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While committing the act of wildlife photography, I always attempted to make sure I did not alter the behavior of subjects. I knew they were aware of my presence, but I wanted them to be as natural as possible. When a Short-eared Owl stares you right in the eyes, well  at least right into your camera lens, you go click, click, click and savior the moment.

He/she did in fact stare at me after I pulled in (from my car) that long lens, and then begin to look uncomfortable, so I just said thanks and moved on. I always thanked the animals that had blessed me with pictures.

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Memories

I don’t believe I’ve ever showed these two Red Fox images before. They are neither perfection or art, but the wildlife photographer mustn’t forget, behavior is the king of the wildlife road.

This dad was the best provider I have ever seen in the world of foxes, and maybe everything else.

Not too good for the squirrel, but the wife and kids will be happy.

Speaking of the kids…er…kits that is, this was an urban fox family and that is an automobile and a parking lot in back of that out of focus tree.

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I admit that I have not been watching, and barely even following many sports over the past few years. I grew weary of their political statements displayed by how they did or did not conduct themselves during our national anthem, and other statements made by their actions, and more. The sports leagues and the players each have that right, just as I have every right to stop watching, and to boycott products advertised on their broadcasts if possible, if of course I know about it. That of is hard to do when you do not watch the games.

My exception is auto racing.  Those who know me are saying sure, the one sport or whatever you may call it that you really love, you still support. I still watch car racing because except for the first 10 minutes of the first NASCAR race in 2020, they preach no politics or offer any social discourse. They honor our flag and God at every event. In the case of NASCAR and Indy Car, that means a prayer before each race, and our National Anthem with all participants drivers and otherwise, standing.

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Soon the stress of summer and its heat and storms will pass into autumn.  Summer is often a severe season. Fall is quieter and more peace loving than summer, with temperatures that are most times neither too hot or too cold.

For photographers, it can be a dream season.

It is the time of year when tree leaves and trunks together can become stand alone images. I always loved it when bits of summer as in green leaves, lived in harmony with the reds of autumn.

The perfect season for vertical landscapes.

Images like these of a backlit Fritillary butterfly and a Tiger Swallowtail will exist only for a short while now. Catch them when you can.

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John 15:18
If the world hate you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.

( The word Me means Jesus Christ. He is speaking here. The word you means born again Christians who have accepted His gift of Salvation.)

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

God Bless each of you,
Wayne