stay-cation

We talked about beer last time, so these buds are for you (snicker). This is the Rose of Sharon I shot through to catch the Monarch that was perched atop a nearby Zinnia.

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Hooray!!! My parents are coming in to visit (from Florida), and I will be spending a lot of time with the family. Sorry, that means less time on the computer, but maybe I can get some good photos out of it. I hope we can make this visit an enjoyable time for Mom & Dad. They're top quality people, and deserve the very best!

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As a bonus, I'll be spending those days together with my wife. I'm smiling so much, my cheeks are sore.

frankenstein's camera

Preliminary tests are in on my Franken-camera. (Thanks to Lime, for the nickname.) It is intimidating to me, especially when I add a white envelope high atop the stack for soft fill-in. I can only imagine what the subjects think when I point this enigmatic contraption at them. Naturally, I have lots to learn here. The very first picture I took with this external flash & slave trigger was a skunk at 10:30 PM. It was dark outside, but the photo lights up like the middle of the day.

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On the left, we have a sample of what happens when we leave the flash off. I could have spot-metered it, but what fun would that be? This was more dramatic.

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Compare that to this one below, bounced off the ceiling with strong backlight.

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(By the way, those are my beloved paternal units. Mom sets up a story with a poker face, while Dad's anticipation of the outcome telegraphs the ending... a subtlety we catch with Franken-flash.)

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All of this leaves me awestruck with wonder at the complicated workings of the human eye. I worship God for creating our eyes to automatically and freely process raw visual information without having to strap on a bazillion gadgets and gizmos.

midweek huddle

My parents came up from their home in the South. They will be visiting for a couple of weeks, and staying with one of my brothers. I took Tuesday day off of work; we had a cookout, and guess what else we did?...

[clockwise from top: Craver, SIL (she refused to touch the fish she caught), S1, Brother (SIL's hubby)]

Our family grew up real tight, until we (six) siblings grew up. Now that people bought homes in scattered places, it's rare to have all eight (parents plus kids) in the same place.

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When we got together on Tuesday, I really felt close with my brothers. It was as if we had never moved away. Dad got a temporary fishing license, and hung out with us for a bit, but he later told us that fishing is not really his thing. That's okay.

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It was heart-warming to see our kids getting along so well with their cousins, but let me tell you about something that one of our kids did. My brother (the host) was visited by a friend of his family. We have never met her before. She was introduced by her first name to all the grown ups. My son (S2) asked her for her last name. Then said, "Hello Miss (last name)." And he gave her a hug. She was impressed, and as the lad's parents, we felt most honored. Atta boy, S2!

small voices; big choices

The 4th and 5th graders are a fun group to teach. They are young enough to respect adults, and old enough to understand when I teach.

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A mother and her daughter approached me Sunday, after church with a concern about the day's lesson. The mom asked, "Are you saying that if God does not choose a person, that a person cannot be saved?"

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Here's the backdrop: Last week's memory verse was John 15:16, where Jesus tells his disciples, "You did not choose me, but I chose you..." And I began this day's class with a review and comments about last week's lesson.

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This is good though, and I am delighted about several things:

1. The child took the question to her parents. That is as it should be, because the parents are the ones who are ultimately responsible for the training of the children. It scares me to think what kind of things people are teaching our children, and much of it does not get to the parents' ears.
2. One of the parents spoke with me about it, thereby holding their daughter's teacher accountable, plus giving me an opportunity to discuss the doctrines of grace with them.
3. The other parent spoke with an elder/pastor. That is also a good move if someone has a theological question. Unfortunately, sometimes people forget to do the follow-up, or don't get around to it.

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Anyway, the little girl was nervously wondering, "What if God did not choose me?" What a great question!! I explained that someone who is not chosen by God probably wouldn't care about such a thing. The fact that she was concerned indicates to me that the Holy Spirit may be working on her heart.

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In the brief conversation that followed, I think I answered the question to the mom's satisfaction. I know that election is not always the most popular lesson, but the Bible teaches more than Noah's Ark and David & Goliath. So must I.

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The question now is, will there be an apple in the classroom next Sunday, or an empty chair?

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Related link: Frozen-Chosen at Voice of Vision.

Now, also at Blue Collar.

Pencil Sharpener closeup by Beernotbombs. Image found on Flickr.com.