Ready for the Road Ahead ~ Photography, Faith and the Art of Seeing 17
 
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.
 
            I do not consider myself a portrait photographer but every now and then I will see a person and their face will capture my attention and I in turn capture them in my camera.  I was wandering around the farmer’s market one Saturday and discovered some young musicians playing a lovely classical piece.  While all of them were very talented one girl was fascinating to watch.  I didn’t want to be obvious but I had to get a picture of her.  While I would not put myself in the company of photographers like Steve McCurry or Dorothea Lange, I was pleased with the result of my inconspicuous attempt at portraiture.

            If photographers were around in the days of the Bible I wonder what the portraits of the people written about would look like?  While we do not have physical images to hold in our hands or view on the wall, we do have word pictures recorded for us across its pages.  I think that one of the most compelling portraits might be that of Nehemiah who served as the cupbearer in the court of King Artaxerxes I (464-424 B. C.).  Persian monarchs were known to turn a blind eye to any misery, disaster, sorrow or pain in the people surrounding them.  The first aspect of Nehemiah’s portrait that we see is his demeanor and love towards Jerusalem. News had reached Nehemiah of the poor conditions in the city.  Nehemiah was heartbroken and spent many days fasting and praying before the Lord seeking an answer to the situation (some have estimated this was a period of about four months!).  Nehemiah cannot hide his sorrow and when the king sees it, he fears he has broken protocol and will be punished for it (Neh. 2:2).

            A second aspect of Nehemiah’s portrait emerges as he begins the daunting task of rebuilding the wall.  He inspires the people with the testimony of how he came to Jerusalem (2:11-20) and to further the actual completion of the wall Nehemiah divides it into sections assigning them to the people who live closest to each part that needs repair (Neh. 3).  Nehemiah’s enemies do their best to undermine and stop the work so to further insure the wall is completed Nehemiah arms the workers with weapons so that if they are attacked they will be able to defend themselves (Neh. 4:21-23).  Nehemiah is decisive, thorough and aggressive in both the construction of the wall and spiritual reforms.   The third aspect of Nehemiah’s portrait is his devotion.  When a problem arises he is immediately in prayer (Neh. 1:5-11; 2:4; 4:4-5; 6:9, 14).  He set a personal example of the commitment he demanded (5:14-18).  When one is this devoted it is a guarantee that opposition will arise.  It did for Nehemiah in the form of three powerful men: Sanballat, the governor of Samaria, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab. They were three powerful opponents but they were no match for the devotion of one man who was intent on pleasing God (Neh. 5:19; 13:14, 22, 31).

            Nehemiah’s portrait may not have been captured on film but the words used to describe him have the same effect.  Wherever we “see” him in Scripture, whether it’s in the court of Artaxerxes or examining the progress of the wall in Jerusalem, we see the same attributes over and over again: a love for God and for Jerusalem, a passion to wholly serve a Holy God, bold and aggressive leadership that gets the job done and stares down opponents, and a solid foundation of prayer to stay the course and complete the task at hand.  After learning about Nehemiah it would be easy to think we’re exempt from living in the same fashion because we don’t find ourselves in a similar situation.  But would thinking that Nehemiah’s story is just a collection of historical facts and not applicable to us be true?  I don’t think so. 

            The Bible often reminds us that we live as aliens and sojourners in this world, that it is not our home and our citizenship is in heaven (Ps. 39:12; Jn. 18 :36; 2 Cor. 5:1; Phil. 3:20; 1 Pet. 2:11).  We are also told that Jesus, God’s Son, has sent us into this world with a message (Mt. 10:16; 28:18-20; Lk. 10:3; Jn. 20:21; Acts 1:8; 5:32; 2 Cor. 5:20; Eph. 1:13-14; 1 Jn. 1:5) but that we will be met with opposition in spite of the Good News we have to share (Mk. 10:28-30; Jn. 15:19; Eph. 6:12; 2 Tim. 3:1, 13).  Although we may face opposition and even persecution from the enemies of the Cross, God has equipped us with the Holy Spirit so that we can accomplish all the tasks He has called us to do (Jn. 14:16, 25-27; Phil. 4:11-13; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).  How we go about living for Christ and sharing the Good News is not only a testimony to Christ at work in us, but also inspirational to those who need to hear the message or be encouraged by our personal story (Eph. 2:1-10; Phil. 2:14-16; Heb. 12:1-2).  The evidence is compelling.  You and I face the same challenges as Nehemiah even though we are in a different time and place.  So, what does my portrait say about me?   What does yours say about you?
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

Ready for the Road Ahead ~ Photography, Faith and the Art of Seeing 16

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.
 
            My grandparents named the house “Pandy”.  I thought it was one of the most magical places on earth.  It was elegant, hidden behind a row of Boxwoods and Cedars, lushly green, refined and even mysterious.  On one of our visits I found myself alone upstairs staring at the attic door.  Did I dare go up the stairs?  It was a dark passageway but I could see light at the top of the stairs from an attic window.  I took a few tentative steps- just enough to get a glimpse of the room.  I never forgot how intriguing it looked but I never tried to go up there again either.  That little adventure always seemed to be indicative of my Hoster-Jones heritage.  I didn’t know much about it other than the stories I was told and even then it was hard to verify if those stories were accurate.  It wasn’t until my adulthood that I had a more concrete connection to my mother’s forbearers.  My aunt called to ask if I could come help her close up the house.  There was a massive amount of paperwork to sort through and years’ worth of “stuff” to send off to new homes.  One day my aunt sent me up into the attic with the instructions, “Go through the pictures and whatever else is up there and take what you want.  I don’t want any of it.”  When I look through those pictures now, I’m struck by the fact that they record a lineage I know very little about. 

            When your family history is disjointed like mine, there are all kinds of unanswered questions.  In the days of Ezra one’s genealogy was important in determining family lines.  Although it may not seem important to us, the detailed genealogies in the beginning of Chronicles are tied into a promise that has eternal implications and it begins all the way back in the early chapters of Genesis.  After the Fall of man God states that there will be one particular encounter where the offspring of Eve will be wounded by the serpent but that her descendant will crush the head of the serpent literally killing him (Gen. 3:15).  The promise becomes more in focus with the words spoken by Jacob to Judah on his deathbed (Gen. 49:8-12, especially v. 10).  Hidden among all those names in the second chapter of Chronicles is the descendant that fulfills Jacob’s prophecy and God’s promise- David (1 Chr. 2:13).  But the promise goes further when Nathan the prophet tells David that God has said, “Your house and your kingdom will endure before Me; your throne will be established forever.” (2 Sam. 7:16).  We all know that no person can live forever.  We all experience the death of someone we love at some point in life.  So how can this be?  Is there really a descendant of David who has done this?  We find the answer in a genealogy and specifically the genealogy of Jesus Christ.  Both Matthew (Mt. 1:1-17) and Luke (Lk. 3:23-37) note Jesus’ genetic connections to Judah and David (Mt. 1:2, 6, 16; Lk. 3:23, 31, 33).  But earthly lineage does not a fulfilled promise make.  No instead it is something that must done and witnessed.  It must be seen as clearly as a set of steps in the noon-day sun not like the black and dusty stairwell of Pandy.  And it was!

            The aftermath of the crucifixion was a terrible time for the disciples and those who loved and followed Jesus.  While they had listened to His words and believed Him they did not fully comprehend what they meant (Mt. 12:38-41; 16:1-4; Lk. 29-32) so it was with heavy hearts they went to the tomb after the holy days had passed in order to complete Jesus’ burial (Lk. 24:1-12).  But instead of seeing what they expected to see- a physical body needing its final preparations- they were greeted by “two men whose garments gleamed like lightning”.  “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” they were questioned.  “He is not here.  He is risen!”  Jesus had told Pilate His kingdom was not of this world (Jn. 18:36).  His resurrection proved He was the descendant of David and Judah who had come to reign eternally (Heb. 1:1-12- see vv. 8, 12).

            I do know some of my ancestry through my mother.  Like those first lines of Chronicles I can recite my parentage- at least for a few generations.  Judah’s ancestry was extremely accurate and thorough.  My family line is probably only important to me but the names of Judah’s offspring were written down for all eternity because all eternity rested on a future descendant promised by God through Jacob to Judah within Jacob’s deathbed blessing.   There are thousands of names written in the Bible.  They stand as a testimony that the Bible is about real people in real places but as it is with human flesh most of their lines of ancestry will come to an end.  When all is said and done only one lineage remains intact for all eternity and truly that is the only one that matters.

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

Ready for the Road Ahead ~ Photography, Faith, and the Art of Seeing 15
 
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.
 
            They say a picture’s worth a thousand words.  But the spoken words of one generation to the next were even more important in the Bible.  There are numerous records of fathers’ last words to their sons and leaders sharing their final thoughts with their people such as Jacob’s departing words to his 12 sons (Gen. 49) and Moses’ farewell speech at the border of the Promised Land (Ex. 33:1-34:8).  The Book of Proverbs also contains many admonitions to sons to continue to follow their father’s instructions and the Lord’s commands (Pr. 1:8, 10, 15; 2:1; 3:1;11:4; 4:10, 20; 5:1, 7; 6: 1, 3, 20 and more!).  If you were to survey most parents I’m sure the reason for this would be evident.  No parent wants to see their children make the same mistakes they did.  They hope that what they learned from those mistakes will be put to good use by their children.  They also want to see their children avoid the fall-out from their mistakes a sentiment expressed by the Lord Himself when He brought the Law to Moses (Ex. 34:6-7). 

            When you look at the monarchy in the Book of Kings it becomes very apparent as to how important this is and it makes the words of wisdom passed on from David to Solomon even more powerful- a picture whose thousands words are worth as many ounces of gold when it comes to passing on lessons learned from life to the next generation (Prov. 25:11).  Iain Provan said it this way, “The Book of Kings is not only a narrative about the past.  It is also a narrative that seeks to teach its readers a number of things about God and His ways.  That is, the Book of Kings tells us about Israel’s past, not so that we should become better informed about it in some abstract intellectually detached way, but so that we should learn from it (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11).”  Simply put David’s words (and many others’ as well) seem not only to be recorded for Solomon but for us too. 

            It is interesting to note that as David imparts his final words to Solomon he draws heavily upon the Lord’s admonition to Joshua when he assumes the mantle of leadership from Moses ( Be strong: 1 Kin. 2:2; Jos. 1:6-7, 9; Follow the Lord: 2 Kin. 2:3; Jos. 1:7; A total commitment: 2 Kin. 2:4; Jos. 1:3).   The reason for doing so is so that Solomon will prosper as king and the Lord will keep His promise to David (2 Kin. 2:3-4; Jos. 1:3; Dt. 9:5; 29:9; 2 Sam. 7:11-16).  In short David’s final words to Solomon can be divided into three segments:  What to do (vv. 1-3); Why you must do it (v. 4); and some personal requests concerning people who either helped David or opposed him during his tenure as king (vv. 5-9).  David’s “thousand words” are a picture of a life well-lived because it is completely lived for the Lord.

            I often think of my father in this respect.  He wasn’t one to specifically talk about living God’s way but you could see it in everything he did.  The week before my father died I was able to spend a lot of time with him.  Parkinson’s Disease had slowly taken over his earthly body but the father I knew and loved was still housed in that “war-torn” shell.  He slept a lot and speaking sapped him of strength so I let him rest.  I spent a lot of time remembering the things we had done together and many of the things he had done for me like building a doll house from a picture in a toy catalog, traveling to West Virginia to check out colleges because that’s where I wanted to go and the way he had stood by my mother when she struggled with alcoholism. There are many final addresses out there in cyber-world but most of us will not remember people by what they said, rather we will remember them by what they did.  David recognized that words only have authenticity if they are lived out in our lives.   In other words, our words must match the picture- that is they must agree with what people see.  My father’s words matched his picture.

            The questions before me today is, “How do I want to be remembered?    What do I want my picture to look like?”  I want my thousand words to be a reflection of Christ and a tribute to both Him and the earthly father who exemplified His love.  I want to take David’s admonitions to Solomon and apply them to my own life as I live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.  I want my picture to be like that of my father’s; one whose words picture humor, ingenuity, unselfish love, perseverance, grace in the midst of disappointment and struggle.  I want to walk alongside the great heroes of the Faith in Hebrews 11 when I am remembered by my family and those who follow after me.  And with the Lord’s help that is exactly what my picture will say (Rom. 8:26-29; Phil. 4:13).
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

Ready for the Road Ahead ~ Photography, Faith and the Art of Seeing 14
 
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.
 
            Genes, like history, have a fascinating way of repeating themselves.  I am often reminded of this when I comb through the pictures of my family.  I had taken a picture of my grandson Micah playing out in the yard with a soccer ball.  He loves to boot it around and run after it to kick it once again.  I caught a shot of him lined up to connect with his target and something about his posture triggered a memory.  When I got home I pulled out a picture of his father Christopher doing the same thing and (you guessed it) they looked identical!  I’ve seen this played out dozens of times and not just in regards to fathers and sons.  It happens with sisters, daughters, mothers, aunts, uncles and ancestors too.  I’m not sure how these things get recorded and codified into our genetic make-up but I know it’s there because I’ve seen it in my photos.  The Bible recognizes patterns are a part of life too (Ps. 19:1-6; Ecc. 3:1-2).  But perhaps even more important are the patterns set forth within in families.  

            As the Bible moves from the period of the Judges to the time of settlement several figures and their sons emerge in the center of the story who are the epitome of pattern makers and pattern breakers.  The first two figures are Eli the High Priest and Samuel, the last judge of Israel.  While Samuel was imposing and a force to be reckoned with Eli was a weak and ineffective High Priest but neither of them produced sons that were worthy to carry on the office of their father.  Highlights of Eli’s story can be found here: 1 Sam. 1:1-20; 2:12-36; 4:1-11 and Samuel’s can be found here: 1 Sam. 3:1-21; 8:1-5.  Two fathers, two similar patterns; sadly each ending in death.  The morally corrupt condition of Samuel’s sons actually helps to perpetuate the people’s desire for a king.  But a king is no guarantee that your leadership will be better.  In fact Saul and David prove an interesting point.  Saul was the popular choice of the people but his character traits were questionable (1 Sam. 9:1-2; 10:20-24).  David was popular as well and had a stronger moral fiber within (1 Sam. 16:12; 17:33-36;42; Ps. 108:1; 138:1).  One would think David’s children would follow a pattern of greatness like David and Saul’s children would follow the disappointing pattern of their father Saul.  If we were to apply the statistics of today, we’d be correct. But that is not what happened!  David’s children were a mess.  One of David’s sons even tried to murder his father and take the throne (2 Sam. 15:18; 16:5-12).  Somewhere in their genetic code David’s “heart” was lost on his children.  That was not the case with Saul’s son Jonathan.  If anything he is the complete opposite of his father.  He was loyal, smart and faithful not only to his friend, the future king, David (1 Sam. 18:1-5) but also to his father even when Saul was plotting to destroy David.  In the end Jonathan gave his life in service to his father, who also died in the same battle (1 Sam. 31:1-6), foreshadowing in a small way another Son who would also give His life in service to His Father (Jn. 8:28; Gal. 1:4; Phil. 2:8).

            Sometimes I look at a photo and feel the pattern is appealing, but every once and a while I see a pattern in a photo I’m creating and think, “This pattern needs to be broken”.   Breaking an artistic pattern is as simple as turning one object a different way or playing with the size, shape, color or lines of our subject.   Breaking life patterns requires us to first recognize the unhealthy pattern and then determine how to change it.  Thankfully we can look at a Biblical person like Jonathan and see that this kind of change is possible.  Perhaps even more convincing is the succession of kings in Judah.  Take a look at these 4 generations and see what you think (2 Kin. 18-21; 21:1-18, 19-26; 22:1-23:27).

            I think it’s sad that many believers never read the Old Testament.  It is filled with stories like this that offer such hope.  You may have a pattern in your life that you’re under the impression you’re destined to follow.  But Josiah would tell you that is not the case!  If we are seeing life through the viewfinder of faith, we know it is completely possible to break a pattern.  There is a Helper who has all the tools we need to do so (Jn. 14:6, 26) and thanks to Him we are a completely new person (2 Cor. 5:17).  Christ is in the business of pattern breaking.  Just ask the Samaritan woman or the woman caught in adultery how Christ can change a life sunk in an unhealthy pattern (Jn. 4:1-42; 8:1-11).  Christ completely changed their individual patterns.  He will do the same for you if you let Him (Rev. 21:5).

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