Photography, Faith and the Art of Seeing 8

This year Ready for the Road Ahead is taking on a new direction.  It is one that follows the grand theme of sight in all aspects which runs throughout Scripture.  My weekly writings will be excerpts from a book of the same name which should be published (Lord willing) later this year.
 
            Photography is an art built on two main components- light and sight.  Without some form of light and its interaction with the subject pictures would not exist.  Sight involves an observant eye to notice and discern what will be worthy of someone’s attention.  Good photographers are constantly on the lookout for interesting things to photograph.  Most of the time they will take pictures of the typical things which inspire and are beautiful: a sunrise or sunset, children, majestic vistas or flowers to name a few of the more common subject matters.  But great photographers are the ones who see more than just the typical things of beauty.  Sometimes they see an object that others would not necessarily deem beautiful but thanks to their particular vision is something that is now deserving of another look.
            God is not in the business of seeing objects or people in the same way we do.  The Old Testament is replete with people chosen by God who would probably never live up to our standards for leadership.  Moses was a murderer.  Gideon was a coward.  Jacob was a liar and a cheater.  But “odd” leadership choices are not limited to the Old Testament.  Most of the disciples were not “religious” people.  Peter, Andrew, James and John were business owners in the fishing industry (Mt. 4:18-22; Lk.5:1-11; Jn. 1:35-42).  One disciple was a political activist, another a skeptic (Lk. 6:12-16; Jn. 1: 43-51), and one a despised tax collector (Mt. 2:14-17; Lk. 5:27-32).  They were not the kind of people you and I would choose to begin a ministry but they were the people Jesus called. 
            I had been leading a study series on the Tabernacle when I stumbled upon a unique passage.  What struck me about this passage was the definitive way the Lord identified a particular man to design and oversee the construction of the Tabernacle and the nature of that identification (Ex. 4:1-4 and following).  What struck me first of all was how Bezalel’s lineage was so specific.  The second aspect of this identification also impressed me.  Bezalel had been given a special infusion of “the Spirit of God”.  If Bezalel was a photographer, he would not just be taking pictures of the sunrise over Israel’s wilderness camp he’d be taking pictures of unique subject matter just like me.  The Lord is quite clear that Bezalel is more than your average artisan and just so Moses doesn’t miss it the Lord says to Moses, “SEE”.  While the verb is basically what you would expect, the literal action of seeing with the eyes, it can also include the idea of giving attention to something (Jer. 2:31) or to take heed (Ex. 10:10).  In other words the Lord was saying, “Don’t miss this!”  He was encouraging Moses to see Bezalel in the same way as the Lord saw him.
            The Bible is quite clear that the Lord sees all His children this way.  He has given each a unique personality, character, set of skills and one or more spiritual gifts.  We no longer have to be specially equipped to fulfill His calling in our lives as Bezalel was.  From the moment we trust Christ as our Savior that Spirit has taken up residence in us so that now He is an active part of all that we do.  And DOING is what He wants from us.  We may not be called to evangelize unknown territories or run ministries but each of us is called to use what we have, where we are, whenever we can.  Several passages encourage us to do everything, even the most mundane actions, for the Lord (Mt. 5:16; 1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:17, 23-24).   He may call and empower me to do something great like He did with Esther (Est. 4:13-14) or He may use me in simpler ways (Ecc. 4:9-10), but by His Spirit I am fully equipped to do anything He asks me to do.
            If I truly believe that God not only sees but knows my potential, then I must believe He sees the same in others.  But do I?  Scripture admonishes us to encourage one another (1 Thes. 5:11; Heb. 3:13) but am I doing that?  I can grab my camera and see beauty in rusty chains and dilapidated buildings.  But am I mindful that people can be the same?  Their rusty spots and peeling paint are things of beauty that the Lord is about to use to bring glory to Himself.  Like Moses, I must listen when the Lord says, “SEE, I have called (Bezalel) and put My Spirit in them” because His camera sees the greatest pictures of all.  And I should know- I’m one of them.  So, why not others too?
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, Faith, and the Art of Seeing 7

This year Ready for the Road Ahead is taking on a new direction.  It is one that follows the grand theme of sight in all aspects which runs throughout Scripture.  My weekly writings will be excerpts from a book of the same name which should be published (Lord willing) later this year.
 
            Our God is a God who takes pleasure in revealing things to His Creation.  In fact, His creation is the starting point of revelation (Rom. 1:20).  He continued revealing Himself to people and to the nation of Israel in both personal and miraculous ways (Gen. 5:21-24; Ex. 13:17-22; 33:18-23; Jos. 5:13-6:2; Is. 6:1-4 and many more!).  It is not really difficult to see God this way.  If you are a person of faith God is truly apparent in creation when you stand before something as majestic and powerful as Niagara Falls.  It is also not difficult to see God at work in history when you read the story of the Exodus and acknowledge that God is still at work in the preservation of the nation of Israel today.  It is also “easy” to see God directing the prophets or having a special relationship with a person such as Enoch.  But what about “seeing God at work” in our personal stories?  Do we readily see Him when He reveals Himself in our lives?  Most of us would be able to do so when things are going well.  It is one thing to recognize that God is at work under pleasant circumstances and happy coincidences.  It is another to see Him molding and shaping us in adversity and then to acknowledge it was all “part of the plan”.  But oftentimes those times of stress and disappointment are the times that God is most revealing.
  
          Some of my photographs have come to illustrate this quite vividly in an artistic way.  I might decide a picture is not good, but think, “What if I played with this in the computer a bit?”  And what is revealed after some twisting, cropping, color adjusting and effect applying is a hidden beauty that was always there and couldn’t be discovered without the processing it went through.  I have come to see the times when I am discouraged and disappointed in the same way.  If not for all the twisting, cropping, color adjusting and effect applying that God puts me through, I might not see Him at work in my life at all.
 
           I don’t think there was a person in the Bible who understood this lesson better than Joseph (Gen.  37:1-36; 39:1-45:8 and following).   The Bible does not tell us about all the thoughts that must have gone through Joseph’s head when he was betrayed by his brothers, falsely accused by his master’s wife or waiting for the cup-bearer to bring up his case before Pharaoh.  But I am certain that many of those thoughts questioned God as to why He was letting these things happen to Joseph!  However the years of disappointment and discouragement brought Joseph to this conclusion: “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.  Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God…” (Gen. 45:7-8) he tells his astonished family when they are reunited.  The disappointments and discouraging moments of his life have taught Joseph one unavoidable truth: God puts all these experiences in our lives and He works them accordingly to fulfill His will (Rom. 8:28).  Joseph saw God at work in his life so that he could be there at that very moment to preserve both his family and his people.
       
     Paul’s passion for spreading the Gospel hardly goes unnoticed as you read through the Book of Acts so when his efforts to travel eastward were thwarted I’m sure it was disappointing for the evangelist.  Instead of traveling beyond Bythinia into Asia Paul ends up in Troas where he sees a man from Macedonia pleading for help (Acts 16:6-10).  This causes Paul and his entourage to pack up and arrive in Philippi where his ministry flourishes.  To this day the Philippian Church is held up as one the best examples of the early Christian community and the powerful way the Gospel can change both people and the world they live in (Acts 16:11-40).  But none of this would have happened if Paul had remained discouraged and ignored what God had revealed to him in his dream.
  
          When it appears another disappointment has placed itself on my path- whether it is a bad photo or a blocked course of action- I’ve come to realize that it is a time to ask, “What if?”  What if God is trying to teach me something about Himself in this situation?  What if He has a better plan somewhere else?  What if this disappointment is actually a blessing in disguise?  What if I can serve Him more fully through this disappointment than if I had achieved success from the start?  What will your “What if?” questions be?  More importantly, when God reveals the answer, will you see it?

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, Faith, and the Art of Seeing 6
 
This year Ready for the Road Ahead is taking on a new direction.  It is one that follows the grand theme of sight in all aspects which runs throughout Scripture.  My weekly writings will be excerpts from a book of the same name which should be published (Lord willing) later this year.
 
            The church I grew up in has always been my idea of a sacred place.  As a little girl I loved sitting in the sanctuary and looking at the sunlight streaming in through the stained glass windows which cast a rainbow of colors on the floors and walls.  The wooden pews must have been polished frequently because they always had a beautiful sheen to them.  And then there was the pipe organ!  If played full-force the thundering bass notes could shake the rafters.  We were blessed with several talented organists who graced us with the music of Bach and Handel on a regular basis.  My son’s church is nothing like this.  It is more like a theater with its light show and powerhouse sound system.  The worship band is just as talented as the organists I grew up with, but I confess that when the lights go down, and the smoke machine puts a mist about the singers, I feel more as if I’m at a concert than in a worship service.  But a glance around the room tells me I’m the minority.  I might not think of it as sacred space, but some do.

            Photography has brought me to some unexpectedly sacred places as well.  One Easter Sunday morning I woke much earlier than I usually do.  The sun was just beginning to peek through the trees in my woodsy backyard and I noticed there was a mist on the ground.  It was calling for me to grab my camera and take some pictures. I stopped and took a moment to appreciate the beauty.  Suddenly a thought came to mind.  Was this the kind of morning that greeted Mary Magdalene and the other women as they walked to the tomb?  I don’t know how it did, but my backyard became a sacred space.

            Having encountered God in different places that have made me aware of His presence in my life I do not find it unusual that the likes of Jacob (Gen. 28:20), Moses (Ex. 3:1-6), a centurion at the foot of the cross (Mt. 27:45-54) and a woman named Mary Magdalene (Jn. 20:11-18) encountered God in significant locations.  What does surprise me is that the same Lord Jacob saw at the top of His staircase no longer feels obligated to “reside” in a building He now resides in me.   I don’t know how I became sacred space, but the Bible says that I did the moment I accepted Christ as my Savior (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

            Of course when I think of all those places where I have felt His presence or the stories in the Bible where men and women have seen the Lord face to face, I usually think of something beyond the confines of the human body.  Paul’s words in 2 Cor. 4:7 become more and more powerful to me as my “earthen vessel” gets closer and closer to going back to the earth.  However the Lord is never limited by my limitations and through the words of Paul He has made it known that this jar of clay still has the potential to exhibit His power which is all the more reason to make sure I take the best care of it as I can.  I don’t know why He decided to do this, but the Lord has made me a sacred space.
 
           The evening had been particularly draining.  I left the dorm room of two friends who were at odds with each other and went to pray in the sanctuary of the church.  I don’t know how much time passed before, spent and saddened I lifted up my head.  My eyes were immediately drawn to the front of the sanctuary where light which passed through a side window was falling on the cross on the altar as if I was in a theater and someone from the tech crew was aiming a spotlight on it.  No matter what happened from this point on, the Lord reassured me that I had acted as His child and suddenly the whole room seemed to change.  I knew He was there- in the sanctuary and in me.  What had started as a place of refuge had become a sacred space.  I don’t know how Jesus did it, but He did.

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, Faith and the Art of Seeing 5

This year Ready for the Road Ahead is taking on a new direction.  It is one that follows the grand theme of sight in all aspects which runs throughout Scripture.  My weekly writings will be excerpts from a book of the same name which should be published (Lord willing) later this year.
 
            One of the great aspects of photography is that it teaches you to notice things that most people consistently pass by.  Some of my fellow photographers have commented on my pictures citing that I have a knack for noticing something that most would naturally not be drawn to seeing.  A rusty latch, the pattern of a metal bench against a stone wall, a stick emerging from the snow, or a leaf stuck on top of the recycling bin- they all have the potential of becoming a piece of art when I point my camera at them.  “I just love the way you see things,” my friend Bob remarked after he watched me take a photo of a rusty chain on a fire hydrant.  I don’t know exactly how I “see” these oddities, but I do know that photography has honed this skill of mine.
            Seeing is a critical factor in the story of the sacrifice of Isaac.  You know the story.  After years of waiting and a few missteps along the way, Abraham and Sarah were finally blessed with a son.  You can imagine their shock, disappointment and fear when God says to Abraham, “Take your son, your only son, and offer him to me as a sacrifice.” (Gen. 22:2).  What kind of God goes to all the trouble of making the impossible (a child born to a couple long after childbearing years) possible and then commands that you “return” him”?  However, Scripture tells us that this incredulous request was a “test” to see the degree of Abraham’s faithfulness (Gen. 22:1).  It is one thing to pack up your household and move to unknown territory which is what Abraham did when he left Ur of the Chaldeans.  Truth be told, if that move hadn’t worked out, Abraham could have always moved back.  But from the human viewpoint, there probably was not another miraculous conception in the future for Sarah. 
            Abraham passes the test.  He never argues with God or bargains for a different way to pull the sacrifice off.  “Really Lord?   Sacrifice Issac?  Wouldn’t one of the flock be just as acceptable?  I mean, what will the neighbors think of us killing off the heir we told them that You’d promised to us?  They certainly won’t believe in You after this!”  No, instead we see Abraham resolutely and faithfully following God’s request as if he understands exactly what God is up to.  And at the moment he raises the blade to plunge into Isaac we collectively hold our breath and look the other way.  It is at this precise moment the Lord steps in and stops the action.  The Lord tells Abraham that He has seen Abraham’s faith in his willingness to sacrifice his “only son” (Gen. 22:12).  And we are informed that because of this Abraham called the place Yahweh (Yah-way) Yireh (year-ray) which translators have written as “The Lord will provide” (Gen. 22:14).  But the word yireh is based on the verb ra-ah which means “to see”.  This place is not called “The Lord will Provide” (although He did and that translation has persisted).  It actually means “The Lord will See”.  Therefore the focus in not on what God will do or even what He did.  It is about what God saw.
            God told Abraham, “Take your son and offer him to me”.   What is He asking of me?  God saw the reverence in Abraham’s faith in that he would give to God the thing that he treasured most.  I believe He asks the same of me.   “Take the vacation money you were saving and give it to this ministry.”  “Take that four day weekend and give the time to help out a widow who can’t clean her yard.”  “Take one Sunday and give it to the nursery so a young mom can hear the sermon undistracted.”  “Take…and give because I have asked you to and I want to SEE just how much you believe that I AM the Lord of your life.”  If we truly believe that God is Who He says He is, how does the way we live show that?  When God looks at you and me, what does He SEE?  Does He see our faith in action as He did with Abraham?

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