High Dynamic Range Imaging

I am trying something new with still pictures call High Dynamic Range Imaging. (Make sure to check out the HDR images at that link. They're amazing!) It involves taking several of the same shot at different exposures and combining them. Here's the first somewhat successful try...


-1 exposure


+1 exposure


Tone mapped HDR result of the first two. (A little dark, I know, but hey...this is my first somewhat successful attempt.)

Wonder Bread

Late last week, as I was diving into the gushing torrent that is the Route 3 / I-95 North merge lane, I saw a Wonder Bread truck near me. This started another torrent...of thoughts of our culture. I realized that Wonder Bread says volumes of our culture.

As you may know, Wonder Bread is not actually that wondrous. It is bleached, and much of the nutrients are eliminated. It is also harder for the body to digest, because, if I remember correctly, it can actually somewhat attach to the GI tract. Anyway... For the most part people like it because of the texture. In other words, it feels good.

Wheat bread on the other hand tastes better (to those who realize the waste of Wonder Bread), it is not bleached, it is easier to digest (and acutally helps digestion), it is not bleached, and it does not have nutrients eliminated.

I found the spiritual parallel truths here to be "wondrous." The world likes spiritual "Wonder Bread." Note the following...

Wonder Bread --> The World's Spiritual Food
Bleached --> Made to look good, when it's not. (Matthew 23:27; Acts 23:3)
Nutrients eliminated --> Produces death (James 1:15 maybe?)
Hard to digest --> The way of the transgressor is hard (Proverbs 13:15)

There are many more parallels that I'm sure could be made. The world operates off of feeling, putting on a good face of things that aren't good.

Then, what is the real "Wonder Bread?" The Bread of Life that produces wonder in us is Jesus Christ Himself (John 6). He provides REAL nutrition. He may be hard to digest, but He cleans us out. (Sorry, a little gross, but still a great parallel.) He is also the Word (John 1:1). Reading the Word daily and digesting it IS our daily bread.

Jesus Christ through the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit IS our healthy bread that produces true wonder in our lives.

(For more on the concept of true wonder, I would recommend Ravi Zacharias's Recapture the Wonder.)

All praise to our True "Wonder Bread!" The Bread of Life that produces true wonder.

The beard is gone!

That's right. That's not some special code or lingo meaning something else. My beard really is gone, for those who haven't seen it yet. I'm not sure I like it, though most people seem to. It's kind of irritating without it. Maybe I just have a terrible razor. We'll see how it goes for awhile, but I may grow it back if it continues to be irritating.

Take It for Granted!

This morning, I was thinking about how we use the phrase "take it for granted." We use it to convey thoughts of negligent ingratitude, or just being used to blessings. However, the phrase in itself is actually completely correct. We should take things for granted -- they have been granted to us by God. If we can see that they are granted by God, we will have gratitude.

So, if you have any blessings in your life, know that they're from God, and TAKE THEM FOR GRANTED!

"Jesus answered, 'You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above...'"
-- John 19:11a

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."
-- James 1:17

Am I of Christ?

Many of us, including myself, naturally want to model our lives after someone. Many of us Christians want to be associated with important people of the faith. We look up to different people, be it Martin Luther, John Calvin, John MacArthur, our own pastor, etc. Some of these people may be great men because of the Lord, and may be great mentors, but they are still men. I don't believe we should be identified by any mere man's doctrine...

"Now I say this, that each of you says, 'I am of Paul,' or 'I am of Apollos,' or 'I am of Cephas,' or 'I am of Christ.' Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?...For when one says, 'I am of Paul,' and another, 'I am of Apollos,' are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase."
-- 1 Corinthians 1:12-13; 3:4-7

I think we can apply this to ourselves by saying. "Was Luther crucified for me? Was Calvin crucified for me? Was I baptized in the name of John MacArthur? Was I baptized in the name of [insert your idol here]?" I think we could even do it with denominations. "Were Baptists crucified for me? Was I baptized in the name of Presbyterians? Were Bible churches crucified for me? etc."

God's shown me that I am guilty of this in regards to people and mentors. Also, in the past, I have been so frustrated over denominational affiliation that I don't consider myself a part of a denomination. However, the Lord's also shown me that I have actually been proud that I am not part of a denomination, which is just the same as being proud of being affiliated with a denomination.

Reflections and Confession

This past weekend I attended a NANC conference with some members of my church. It is a Christian organization that promotes true Biblical counseling and trains counselors. The approach itself is Biblical. After last weekend, God's been showing me some things about myself that I'm not pleased with at all. Things that I haven't done that I should have done and/or should be doing and things that I've done that I have been proud of. Actually, it's also things God has done that I have been proud of.

I have, my whole life, immensely struggled with the fear of man. I didn't quite realize how much until I started reading a book this week that I got at the conference called, When People are Big and God is Small. I'm not even halfway through it, and it has already revealed much of the fear of man in me. Best of all, it's extremely biblical. It demolishes all the "self-esteem" talk of our culture. Everyone struggles with peer pressure, codependency, and/or the fear of man (which is the big one for me), therefore, I believe everyone should read this book. Well, that's enough for plugging the book. :)

I just wanted to confess to everyone that reads this blog that I apologize for my approach to addressing issues that I deem important. I still believe the issues I've addressed are important, but it's my approach that has been very wrong. It has had a sinful air of pride and judgmentalism. I just wanted everyone to know that God is reworking my focus on how I see people.

Again, I am deeply sorry for how I've acted in my posting. I will stive, with the Lord's help, to make my posts God-focused and not try to pin what I talk about on others, but myself instead, including myself in the human race this time.