Storm on the Horizon

Intensely Two

The Next Cloud

This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Acts 1:11

Though perhaps the picture is not the most beautiful you've ever seen, or even on this blog, it can remind us of one of the most precious promises we hold, the return of our Lord.

Then we ... shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.

I Thessalonians 4:17

As we see look at the clouds in this picture and the one around us, we can watch and say "He may be on the next coud"

Here is a song I like that speaks about that, It's called "He may be on the next cloud"

Only One

Renewed Fire

January 4. 4 days into the year 2012. Just long enough to be hit with reality again. Probably for most over half of the infamous "New Year's resolutions" broken.

Where is that fire we had on the 1st?

We start the year with lofty expectations. We determine things we think will be good for us, and rightly so; things that will take us to another level of living. But time goes by and we're hit with reality again. We find it hard to go up to another level when we remember that we are still doing the same things we did last year.

Maybe one of the problems is that we don't live what we are. Ephesians 2:6 tells us we are on a higher level. Ephesians 2:6: And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. He has raised us up. Positionally we are on a higher level, but we don't necessarily practice it. He has raised us up, He has brought us closer to him than anyone else could be in any other time. Even John the Baptist was only the "friend of the Bride Groom", but He has made us his bride. He has made us sit together in heavenly places. Oh that we could enjoy the heavenly places more fully! Above all this we see "in Christ Jesus". Oh the greatness of what we have "in Christ".

May this be our lasting light this year. This light is one that can last longer because it is not by our own power, but by His. He has done it all, it is for us to enjoy and live in the good of what he has made us. May this go with us and light our gloomy days, "He hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

May these first days of the year be like the picture. The sun, dispelling the past darkness, promisses a day of bright light. May these days be the sign of renewed fire in our Christian life, the beginning of a day of spiritual brightness in our lives.

Credit for this photo goes to Joshua Peña.

Uplook

growing

Alone

Among the dusty surroundings and trash that surrounds it, is one solitary flower brightening up the scene... alone...

If only the same could be said about us. In the midst of the dreary world that surrounds us we can "brighten the corner where we are". That wherever we are there is a smile, thought it may be... alone...

Miracle

This picture is full of miracles. First, if you recognized this as the head of a sea turtle, that's a miracle in itself. But there are others too. The fact that I was able to get a picture this sharp while focusing manually in pich darkness is a miracle. This turtle was laying eggs, that in itself is a miracle, but also the fact that we were able to see it is a miracle.
This picture has so much detail that I had to let you all see it full size. Just click on the picture so you can see all the details.

Look up

Harvest

Guest photographer: Amanda

This is another special post on the Joel Thiessen Photography blog. This picture was taken by a friend called Amanda. After some of her recent travels, she sent me this picture. When I saw it, I knew it would go on this blog. This photo is very interesting because of the angle at which it was taken. One of the ways to make photography unique and interesting is by taking it at angles not usually captured by the human eye. This angle makes the viewer feel small, magnifying the wonders of God's creation.

The End

Something New

I wanted to start off this new year a little differently than normal. While our minds are on new things, a new year, new resolutions etc. I wanted to think a little about new life.

A short while ago, I had privilege I never thought I would have. While we were on the beach last December, I was able to see a sea turtle lay her eggs in the sand. It was something quite unexpected when my uncle came up to me and told me that if I wanted to see something interesting, I should go down to the beach where a turtle was laying her eggs. After a quick trip to the room to get my camera, we headed down to the small gathering around the turtle. When we got there, there was just enough light to see a black mass that almost blended in with the sand in the dark. So, doing the best I could in those conditions, I started taking pictures of this unusual sighting.

After about 15 minutes of standing there with minimal motion from the turtle, some started getting bored and leaving. But suddenly, she started moving up and down, back and forth, using her back flippers to fill her hole. Then, she started moving around in circles to abandon the site leaving a well camouflaged area. Soon, she headed down the 20 meters to the water, and got washed away by the waves into the ocean.

Returning to the hole, the official was diging out the eggs. Up from a 2-foot deep hole he pulled out 83 turtle eggs.

After a bit of inquiring by some english-speaking tourists, the official (who did not know english except for a few words) proceeded to clarify (through something like 20 questions) that they were definitely not going to be taken to a hatchery, and assured that they were indeed going to be eaten. Immediately he told the mexicans in spanish that it was illegal to eat them and that soon the authorities would be there to take them to the hatchery. After having this clarified, the astounded english-speaking tourists were greatly relieved that the eggs of a species in danger of extinction were not going to be fried for some well-paying tourists!

After this was over, all we had were the pictures and the great feeling of seeing something out of the ordinary along with the hope of new life for the new year.

Leaves, fallen

A Sun Below

This is a picture taken by a friend named Fabiola. She has recently begun to develop her interest in photography. Her artistic eye and talent are quite evident in her work. We hope she will continue working on her skills, and that we will see more of her pictures here on the Joel Thiessen Photography blog.

A Reflection on Color

Part of the Series: "Reflections on Colors"

This photo "A Reflection on Color" is the first of a new series being posted here on the Joel Thiessen Photography blog. This series, called "Reflections on Colors", was inspired by and named after this photo. The rest of the series will be posted subsequently, though not necesarily consecutively. So, keep your eyes open for subsequent post from the "Reflections on Colors" series.

Persistence

How many times we under estimate the little things! When we consider it insignificant, the spider, with a little diligence, will get in to kings' palaces (Proverbs 30:28).

Sparkle

How long has it been since we stopped to look at the little things and paused to view the greatness in them?

If you liked this picture, you might also like the following poetic paragraph: Sparkling Life.