Anyone can tell you that a good relationship is built on consistent communication.  Maybe you've experienced this yourself.  Communication does not always involve words, but words can certainly determine the emotional outcome of a conversation.  Proverbs 25:11 says that "words spoken in the right circumstance are like apples of gold in settings of silver".  Even the description of well-spoken words sounds appealing!

            Good communication also involves listening.  In fact, listening is perhaps the more important part of a conversation.  I've often encouraged people through the years to develop the art of listening when they've sought to improve a relationship with someone.  It's tempting to begin formulating a response to someone before they've finished speaking.  But a good listener will wait and then respond.

            Prayer is one of the most intimate ways we can communicate with our Heavenly Father.  A pitfall for many of us is that we tend to make it a laundry list of requests rather than the dialogue it is meant to be.  In Matthew 6, Jesus contrasted some of the more ritualistic forms of prayer practiced in His day with the type of heartfelt prayer that Lord desires from His children.  The culmination of Jesus' teaching is the prayer we call "The Lord's Prayer", but it has been rightly suggested that this simple and beautiful prayer is "The Disciple's Prayer".

            I’ve been in several churches now where the “need for prayer” is often emphasized but corporate prayer is never put into practice.  Oh, there may be one or two cursory prayers said to start off the morning or just before the preacher gives the sermon, but the prayers we said in the kind of church services I grew up in are gone.  I’m not sure why this is so.  If we believe prayer is necessary why aren’t we doing more of it?  I understand that sometimes corporate prayer can be viewed as a ritual, but quite frankly I find the ritual of singing for 40 or so minutes before the sermon just as rigid.  I miss praying as a congregation for persecuted Christians, the needs of the congregation and the world at large.  I don’t believe any of those reasons to pray have ceased, so why aren’t we communicating our concern over them to the One who can truly answer them?  If we believe that God still speaks to us through prayer today, why aren’t we giving Him a platform to do it?  Many a great revival has taken place when the Church Universal (that is believers around the globe) has recognized the importance of both personal and corporate prayer.  Is it time for your church to give prayer a larger role in your time of worship?  The Lord told Solomon that the Temple would be a place where He and His people would converse in prayer (2 Chron. 7:11-18, specifically vv. 14-15).  I believe the same is true of our churches.

            Think about your prayer life this week.  How often to you converse with God?  How deeply?  Do you listen for His response?  Is your prayer life composed of a list of requests or do you include other aspects, such as praise and confession, into your prayers?  One of the beautiful things about prayer is that it is profoundly individual on the personal level.  There is no "one size fits all" formula that everyone must do in order for it to be done right.  I know people who have a quiet time every morning and pray for an hour straight.  I also know others who pray while they commute, clean the house, or take a walk.  It does not have to be flowery or eloquent.  It just has to be heartfelt.  But it must always include listening.  After you pray, don’t just get up and go.  Sit and take some time to listen.  However, or wherever, you pray, take time this week to listen to God's response.  He hears and He answers.
 
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; Olivetreeann@mail.com; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre

            Photography as an artistic genre has a history replete with great photographers.  Henri Cartier-Bresson was one of them. Cartier-Bresson’s contribution to photographic history became apparent in 1952 when he published his book The Decisive Moment.  The book contained 126 of his photos and in the preface he took note of its inspiration; a quote from Cardinal de Retz, “There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment”.  "Photography is not like painting," Cartier-Bresson told the Washington Post in 1957. "There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative," he said, "That is The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever."  Although my candids are not the caliber of Cartier-Bresson, I do have some of those “decisive moments” among my collection of photographs.  One of my favorites comes from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.  It pictures a statue of a dancer by Degas in a relaxed pose, waiting her next turn on the dance floor.  Beyond her and across the hall a man stands in the same way viewing one of the paintings on the wall.  I saw it and took the picture quickly.  Like Cartier-Bresson predicted a moment later he moved on and the scene would have disappeared forever if I had not taken the shot.

            Great leaders have the ability to see and seize the moment like great photographers.  They sense anticipation or need among the people they lead and are able to translate it into action.  That would certainly be the case for Nehemiah.  Nehemiah had three decisive moments recorded in the Biblical book that bears his name.  The first was in response to the report that the walls of Jerusalem were still in ruins (Neh. 1:1-2:8).  The second decisive moment comes after he inspects the wall.  Nehemiah rallies the people and enlists their help by assigning them sections which relate to their specific welfare (Neh. 2:11-4:23).  Even though the people face opposition the wall is finished in a record amount of time (Neh. 6:15).   Nehemiah’s third decisive moment involves rebuilding the people.   It is one thing to make your home secure but a relationship with the Lord has to be the most important part of daily living (8-13).  But Nehemiah is not the first person in Scripture to recognize a decisive moment.  Paul was a man who never missed a decisive moment.  Whether he was speaking before the elite of Athens or a lowly slave girl in Philippi, he took those moments to declare Truth as those people had never heard it before (Acts 16:16-18; 17:16-34).

            I must confess that I am much better at capturing a decisive moment with my camera than I am at capturing moments for the Lord.  But I do have them!  One of those moments occurred while I was on a trip to Greece with my Greek class following the footsteps of Paul.  There is definitely something special about standing in a spot where you know Paul has been.  The Aeropagus (or Mars Hill) is one of those places.  Although it is now only a mound which gives you a spectacular view of the Parthenon, my creative mind was able to picture a gathering of prestigious Greco-Roman leaders debating and discussing the latest philosophies in that beautiful setting.  Enter Paul, the outspoken itinerant preacher to tickle their ears with his take on the beauty of Athens with its shrines and temples to every god in the heavenly realm.  Only to their surprise he focused on a small snippet of history tied into an even smaller altar dedicated to an unknown god!  But even more surprisingly his opinion was that this Unknown God was the ONLY God (Acts 17:23).  Most of them rejected this preposterous idea, but some embraced it and the Gospel moved forward.  After we descended Mars Hill a fellow student and I remained at the foot of the hill for a moment talking about Roman roads and other aspects of the Roman Empire which actually helped the Gospel spread even further.  We were engrossed in our discussion when a young woman approached us.  “Excuse me,” she said with a European accent, “I was listening to some of your conversation and it is really interesting to me. Could you say that again?” 

            Cartier-Bresson promoted the thought that when the camera is raised to your eye and your finger pushes the shutter you have captured a decisive moment- one fleeting second of life that now is frozen permanently in picture form.  Scripture teaches us that decisive moments are presented by God Himself.  It offers us examples in people like Nehemiah and Paul who recognized what God was presenting to them.  When they were offered that decisive moment these men rose to the occasion.  I firmly believe that we too are offered decisive moments throughout our lifetime, both as photographers and as believers.  Am I on the lookout for them?  Are you?  Will I grasp that moment when it comes or let it slip away?  How about you?  Thankfully for me on that sunny day in Athens I followed in the footsteps of Paul.

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; Olivetreeann@mail.com; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre

             Suzi and I sat across from one another in the cozy living room.  While we talked she kept her latest crocheting project in her lap and deftly wove the yarn into the beginnings of a baby blanket.  My grandson Isaac was there too, assembling his latest Lego toy; a two-tiered storage station that converted to some sort of robot called a Mek.  Suzi and I just happened to be discussing the creativity of children and how much they have to teach us if we take the time to listen to their insights.  The conversation moved on to how from the moment we’re born each one of us has something inside, a piece of who we are, that is there to be shared with others.  I could tell Isaac was listening even though he seemed focused on his Lego construction.  Then all of a sudden he stood up, Legos partially assembled in his hands, and said, “Hey!  That’s like when you crochet.  God takes the strings and puts them together and the needles are the Holy Spirit and He makes us into a blanket!”  Yes, I know what you’re thinking; my grandson is brilliant! 

            The human body is an amazing “blanket”.  It is made up of 12 “systems” that work together in order for us to live from day to day.  There are also 5 essential organs which we need for survival: the brain, heart, kidneys, liver and lungs.  Our bodily systems and organs are interesting enough but scientists have also determined several amazing facts about the human body as well: there are nearly 100 TRILLION cells in our body, we have almost 10 times the amount of bacteria in our body as we do cells, and the human brain contains about 100 BILLION nerve cells to name a few.  When all this amazing information is taken into account it’s no wonder the psalmist exclaimed to the “Blanket Maker”, “I will give thanks to You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14).

            I usually find myself concurring with the psalmist when I think about the components that make up humans.  Psalm 139 is perhaps the most quoted Scripture when it comes to the amazing human body with its immaterial center.  The psalmist proclaims the Lord has “formed” his “inward parts” in verse 13.    He declares that the Lord wove him together in his mother’s womb.  The image of Suzi’s crocheted blanket fits well here.  Like Suzi and her expert handling of those slender needles and yarn, the Lord has interlocked the very fibers of a person’s being in the safe and sacred place of a mother’s womb (Jb. 10:8, 11).  The Psalmist also declares that the Lord’s approach to the creation of the innermost part of a person is one of reverence (v.14) by proclaiming he is “fearfully” and “wonderfully” made.  The psalmist recognizes his unique journey into existence not from empirical observations but through his “soul”.  This means the psalmist is not acknowledging the Lord’s hand in his creation by what he has seen, it is what he knows in the deepest part of his being- the very part the Lord formed in his mother’s womb.  There is an intrinsic connection in the soul between the created and the Creator, that is, between the blanket and his/her Maker (Prov. 20:27).

            The ancients viewed the inner parts of people as being associated with the essence of who a person was but if you were to write out a word for word translation of several key passages which illustrate this you’d be either confused or amused.  For instance the neck which can be associated with the part of our skeleton which holds up our head and brings air into our lungs as well as food to our stomach thus connecting it to our very ability to live, can also be associated with bringing negative attributes into our character.  It can be deceitful (Ps. 5:9), display arrogance (Is. 3:16), and on the positive side praise God (Ps. 149:6).  Therefore it is important to keep those inner-workings in tip-top shape, i. e. connected to the One who wove them together in the first place.  Paul wrote to the beleaguered Corinthian church that although the outward man might be as slip-shod as an imitation Rolex, the inner man is “renewed by the Spirit”.  He prayed that the believers in Ephesus would be strengthened by the same Spirit in their inner man so that they would understand in the deepest way possible the Lord who loved them (Eph. 3:14-19).  And when Jesus was asked how one could attain eternal life by a man who had been a “Law-abiding citizen” all his life He answered by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5; a passage from that very Law which illustrated that a relationship with our “Blanket Maker” involves total commitment from every part of our being (Lk. 10:25-28).  Most of us have probably met someone who is as phony as a knock-off Rolex, but more importantly it is up to us to make sure we’re not living the same way.  Only the Spirit (the “needles” according to Isaac) can make sure we are woven properly.  The question is, “Are we willing to let Him do that?” (Eph. 4:17-24).

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; Olivetreeann@mail.com; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre

            I was about to attend my first photo club meeting and I was a bit nervous.  When I’d gone to the website to find out when and where they met, I learned that this meeting would involve a professional photographer who would look at members’ photos and then offer a critique on how to improve the shot.  I did not have much confidence in myself as a photograph so this was going to be a little rough on the ego. As per the instructions on the website, I sent an email with several images in ahead of time but I purposely sent in pictures I knew were not that good that way I wouldn’t be surprised when the pro pointed out all the things that were wrong with them!  The first photo of mine to appear was one I’d taken of my grandson Micah’s tiny little newborn head cradled in his parents’ hands.  I didn’t like the focus on it but was surprised by the reaction of both the photographer and the audience.  “Wow,” the man said, “That is a powerful picture”.  Murmurs around the room proved most agreed with him.  What should I do now?!  Finally someone in the front row said, “Who took that?!”  Heads started turning around to see who would claim authorship.  “Well, you sure know how to make an entrance!” I thought to myself as I raised my hand and said, “I did”.

            No one likes to have their work critiqued.  It is sometimes tough to hear somewhat negative things about your work.  But the difference between a critique and out-right criticism is that a critique is designed to improve you or your work.  The picture of Micah was not perfect and the pro did have some suggestions on how to improve the contrast which would build on the strength of the picture.  I learned a valuable lesson in that meeting.  The critique might be a little nerve-wracking, but the uneasy feeling of putting your work out on the table is worth it when you learn and grow from it.  I have one photographer friend who likes to enter some of the more competitive competitions in our general area for the same reason.  He never expects his work to receive any of the prizes, but he feels he learns so much from the critiques the judges give as they go through the entries.  I’m not as brave or bold as he is, but I admire his desire to grow and improve as a photographer.

            The process of a critique is not an easy one.  It involves both scrutiny and discernment.  It is not something that comes easily nor is it something that involves little time and effort.  It’s work.  Therefore, if we know our work might be critiqued it’s important we put the research behind it so that it stands up to the test.  As Christians move more and more into the “experiential” realm of their faith, this idea of examining what we see and what we read is less and less popular and because of that there is less and less scholarship in the material that is produced and digested by Christians at large.  The trouble with this trend is that it removes us from any form of critique.  And without critique we might be missing something very important.

            Jesus told a story illustrating one very important moment of critique.  It takes place before the throne of God where all humankind has been gathered to be assessed- the Final Critique.  The Son of Man is the judge and He separates those gathered into two groups.  Some are designated as sheep and others goats.  The detail which divides them is how they recognized and responded to the less fortunate in life.  Did they help those in need, feed those who were hungry, assist the downtrodden?  All of these actions were rooted in the commands of the Law and discussed by the prophets (Lev. 19:10; Dt. 15:11; Jer. 22:16; Mic. 6:6-8).  The sheep have done all of these things as second nature.  They never really analyzed why they did these good deeds, they just knew they needed to be done and did them.  Their response to the forthcoming eternal blessing is one of surprise.  The goats however feel compelled to argue their case.  They did not think that anything needed to be done for “those people” and are surprised that they will not enter the eternal kingdom with the others.  But it’s too late.  They should have known better (Mt. 25:31-46).

            The art of seeing how to improve your photography, whether it is on the technical or the artistic side, involves looking at your work with a discerning eye, understanding the nuances of composition or editing skills that will improve the overall look of your photo, and putting them into practice.  The art of seeing how to improve your walk of faith involves looking at the measuring stick of God's Word and seeing how we stand up to it- not how you’ve experienced it. I have come to understand that although I may not like the process of a critique or even the assessment, I do like the growth it causes in me.  Whether the critique is applied to my art or my heart, the process is a necessary one if I wish to be the best that I can be.

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; Olivetreeann@mail.com; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre