I first took this shot standing on the ground at the end of the rolls of hay but the image looked flat.  Then I got the bright idea to climb up on the hay.  It made all the difference in the world.  Sometimes just a minor adjustment of position or perspective helps us see our world quite differently.  It’s an obvious and foundational truth in photography.  However, for some reason, in life we always think that our current position and perspective are the best.

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Isaiah prophesied,
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

Before Jesus began his ministry, John the Baptist said of him,
“The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”

Finally, Jesus said of himself,
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

This Christmas, celebrate the light that frees us from darkness.

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The lone microphone washed in the color of lights stands ready to receive the voices of the church choir at Christmas.  In the background the organ pipes glow with expectation as well.  Christmas is here and the birth of Jesus is about to be announced.  On that day in Bethlehem so many centuries ago, the coming was announced by angels declaring, “Glory to God in the Highest.”  Today we announce Jesus’ birth with microphones and music, with human voices and instruments of praise because even after all these years it is an announcement worth declaring.  Glory to God in the Highest!

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Last Sunday evening our church had a marvelous Christmas celebration they called “A Christmas Journey.”  We listened to our children, our youth, and our adults proclaim the coming of the infant Jesus, all under changing lights that made the auditorium sparkle and caused me to think of the night skies above the shepherds on that wonderful night.  Cynthia Clawson and her husband, Reagan Courtney, joined us to share their gifts of song and verse.  I don’t count myself a musician, but I’m grateful for the creative gifts of so many others who can praise God through melody, harmony, and rhythm.

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Fall is such a grand time of year.  I find it wonderful that in those weeks when death is upon them, the leaves show their most spectacular self.  In the aging years of beautiful people, the same phenomenon often occurs.  While we are so busy trying to make something of ourselves and blending in to our world, many of our elders have learned that it’s okay to be different from everyone else; it’s good to live out their own colors and show off their individuality.  It’s a shame it takes us so long to learn these lessons and get to the point where we lose our self-conciousness enough to embrace our rainbow of colors.

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Here’s another take on the abandoned house in southwest Oklahoma.  I’m always amazed at the presence of beauty in the midst of decay and abandonment.  Here, the wild flowers (some would call them weeds) are framed by the wood and tin of the ancient house.  Even as one is dying the other is living and thriving.  I had a conversation with one of my sons today about dilemmas and life struggles.  I promised him that they will always exist, but I felt confident he could handle them.  When things seem to be falling apart, new beauty is often struggling to live.  If we let it, and nurture it, the old that we once thought so precious becomes less important. The old now acts simply as a faded counterpoint to new beauty.

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This old house sits idly beside Oklahoma State Highway 19 in the southeast corner of the state.  Long abandoned, it still holds great charm for me.  It makes me wonder about the family that lived here once upon a time.  What was life like for them?  How did they survive?  What were their joys and celebrations?  Their defeats and sufferings?  What did the cold Oklahoma winter wind feel like as it rattled the siding and seeped through the cracks?

After taking a few shots (okay, a lot of shots) I stepped across the mud and entered the house through the opening in the side of the building.  I stood on the old, rotting floor taking in the dimness now illuminated only by exterior light.  I woke two large gorgeous white owls who now inhabit the home.  I suppose they were Snowy Owls, but what do I know?  I do know they were the highlight of my day.  One flew around me several times, swooping within a few feet.  She hovered for a moment while changing direction, and we stared at each other–man to bird–frightened animal to frightened animal.  The house, once occupied by humans continues to shelter life of the most wondrous kind.

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I took the scenic route home from Altus today by way of Oklahoma Highway 19.  I stopped numerous times to take some great shots.  One of my favorites is this beautiful horse pinned up outside its red and yellow barn surrounded by yellow wildflowers.  I’ve done little to enhance it.  The wildflowers are actually a weed of some kind with irritating thorns.  What is so wondrous to me is that there is great beauty among the thorns, rust, and peeling paint in this scene.  It reminds me that despite the thorns and worn surfaces of our lives, there is always beauty to be found if we look closely enough.

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I took this photo of the Washington Monument at dusk a couple of years ago from the steps surrounding our nation’s Capitol.  Traffic jammed the streets, workers hurried home along the sidewalks, and tourists stopped to listen to their guide.  I’ve always liked reflection shots.  Reflections  reveal a whole other world that is upside down from ours–a mirror world where bad can become good, war can give way to peace, anger can turn to love, pride can dissipate into humility, and selfishness can be replaced by compassionate giving.  I pray for a nation where the monuments we treasure are not the evils that are so prevalent; rather they are the mirrors of those evils I believe exist in the depths of our being.

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I wouldn’t mind walking to work even in the cold if I could enjoy this beautiful park along the way every morning.  However, I know that even if this were my route, before long I would stop noticing its charm.  My mind would turn to the work ahead of me, and I would miss the shadows, the natural canopy, and the way the morning light reflects off the snow.  Although  this is not the sidewalk I take to work, I do have my personal routes.  Perhaps if I took the time to open my eyes I might find beauty on my morning commutes as well.  Unique and wonderful beauty is always around me.  Open my eyes and behold.

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