A little boy stoops beside a waterspout on the side of a building peering into the hole to see what is there.  A Red-Shouldered Hawk sits on top of the neighbor’s shed with his “catch of the day” clasped lifeless between his talons.  A father cradles his newborn son in his hands and lovingly gazes at his face.  A vibrant green leaf cradles a small collection of pine needles in its crevice where the stem meets the leaf itself.  Each picture is different from the other.  One is sweet, one is heart-breaking but honest, one is tender, and one is eye-catching.  But they all have one thing in common.  All of these images tell a story in visual form.

            Seeing the picture is only a part of being a photographer.  Good photographers recognize they are more than just “picture takers”.  They are also storytellers.  However storytelling is the less thought-of component in photography.  After you have seen the story the next step is deciding how you want to tell the story.  Writers would call this developing the story.  It is the part of your creative process that determines how your picture will convey the story.  Some of the greatest visual storytellers convey the story without words but there have also been some great verbal storytellers who have the ability to paint pictures with their words so that every reader “sees” exactly what they are writing about.

            Jesus was a masterful story teller.  He told His stories in parables based on scenes from everyday life- planting gardens, working in vineyards, baking bread, commerce and trades, and the way nature works.  Some of Jesus’ greatest stories came from the Galilee region as He traveled around teaching and preaching in its villages and towns.  Like the itinerant teachers of His day, Jesus traveled around the Galilee region and wherever He went, He attracted quite a crowd.  In fact Luke tells us that if the people heard Jesus was in the area they would travel to see Him.  But Jesus understood His followers.  He knew that many of them enjoyed listening to Him but they didn’t HEAR Him, that is, they did not truly understand what He was talking about.  So Luke takes note that Jesus “spoke in parables”.      
    
            Parables are short, pithy stories that convey a spiritual truth usually by way of an illustration.  In Luke 8:1-15 Jesus draws His story out of the scenery surrounding his audience.  He tells the story of a sower who has stepped into his garden to plant some seeds.  When we read these well-known verses we tend to picture the kind of garden we are familiar with but those images, although they may seem to fit the bill, are not correct.  The garden in Jesus’ story would have looked more like this.  Imagine a property that is set on a hillside and you now have a good idea of the land in the Galilee region.  As a gardener the difficulty of balancing yourself on the side of a hill to grow and harvest your crop would compel you to come up with a better, less slanted way to garden.  Enter the process of terrace gardening.  Tiers are carved into the hillside with a path along the edge of each tier enabling you to walk along the path to sow your seeds- easy breezy!  Now you get the “picture” of the sower in Jesus’ parable.  He is walking along the path of his terrace garden tossing the seeds to the left and right.  We have to imagine it in our minds what this looked like but Jesus’ audience could see it right before their eyes.  They couldn’t miss the picture in the parable, but only the spiritually attentive would be able to understand its application (Lk. 8:8-10).

            As it is with parables and faith, seeing is an integral part of a picture’s story.  With parables it is the art of seeing the spiritual truth embedded in the illustration.  With faith it is the art of seeing beyond the physical world and understanding the spiritual world behind it (Mt. 13:16; Heb. 11:1).  In photography the art of seeing involves first seeing what the photographer saw and then seeing it for yourself as you look at his/her picture.  If you’re in a gallery and looking at pictures by briskly walking past them you will never see the story or the mindset of the photographer who took it.  You will be just like the crowds who came to listen to Jesus but never really heard Him.  But if you stand in front of the picture and look carefully at how the storyteller took it, you will gain understanding of both your world and the world of the artist.  You will see their compassion, their interest, their humor, their attention to detail, and the things that move them.  Seeing and understanding the story of a picture is the same as having “ears to hear” the truth of Jesus’ parables.  So, how is your eyesight?

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

            When my boys were younger one of the ways I kept them occupied in the car was to make them keep track of the state license plates that we saw.  While watching to see what state the cars were from, we'd learn the state’s nickname too.  It's fun to learn how those nicknames came about.  Take my state for example.  Do you know that besides "The Keystone State" which alludes to Pennsylvania's role in Early American History, that Pennsylvania has four other nicknames?  The Quaker State refers to the early settlers here.  The Oil State represents one of Pennsylvania's three greatest industries.  Quaker State Oil is a well-known brand which originated here in Pennsylvania.  The Coal State and The Steel State represent the other two industries for which Pennsylvania is known, coal mining and steel manufacturing.

            The land of Israel also has a "nickname" which is derived from Exodus 3:8.  It is called "The Land of Milk and Honey".  We often associate the phrase milk and honey with the things that are familiar to us.  We hear the word milk and think of cows.  We hear the word honey and think of the sweet bounty of bees.  But if you were to travel about Israel in the days when God spoke these words to the people of Israel (Dt. 11:8-9; 26: 9, 15), you would have a hard time finding cow farms and bee keepers.  Goats were (and in many cases still are) the primary source of milk in Israel and the word most of our translations call honey was a sweet syrupy liquid made from dates.  These two words poetically describe the two general environments in Israel.  The Land of Milk describes the way of life in the southern and eastern regions, and the Land of Honey describes the way of life in the north and west. 

            There are three main characteristics of the Land of Milk: shepherds and herds; wide open space with plenty of room for herds to roam; and desert areas such as the Negev (Gen. 13:1), the Wilderness of Paran (Num. 12:16), and the Wilderness of Zin (Num. 27:12-14).  There are three main characteristics of the Land of Honey as well:  farmers, less or no space to roam, and mountains with lots of water.  Life in the Land of Milk is unpredictable because of its low rainfall and sparse population.  It is a silent and lonely place.  Life there is demanding and exhausting.  It drives home the need for community.  Life in the Land of Honey though is quite different.  It is very predictable with its cycles of seasons and years.  Because there are many villages and cities in this area, it is noisy and congested.  Life here is manageable and busy.

            When you are reading the Bible stories, it is always a good idea to keep in mind whether it takes place in the Land of Milk or the Land of Honey.  Putting these stories within their regional context helps to drive home their meaning.  When you read about the Red Sea, wadiis and cisterns (Gen. 37:18-24), Abraham, Isaac, Jacob or Moses and Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:1-2), think about the Land of Milk.  When you read about The Sea of Galilee (Mt. 4:18), mountains, terrace gardens (Lk. 8:5), the prophets and Jesus, or Mount Zion (1 Ki. 8:1), think of the Land of Honey.

            It is still possible to see all the attributes of the Land of Milk and Honey today and if you are blessed to be able to visit the land, these regions still bring the Bible to life.  Bedouin still roam with their herds in the Land of Milk.  The Negev is thriving, but there is still a vast amount of land that is undeveloped and breath-taking.  The Land of Honey is still bustling with lots of people in the cities of Tiberias, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem.  Israel’s most ancient history is mixed with its recent past everywhere you look.  Not only are the Biblical holy days observed there (Lev. 23) but so are significant days such as May 14th which celebrates the day in 1948 when Israel declared that in spite of pogroms, dispersions and the Holocaust, the land of Israel was the natural and historic home of the Jewish people.  Therefore God's command to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (as well as the whole land) should not be taken lightly or ignored (Ps. 122:6).  Pray for the peace of Israel.  Keep in mind our understanding of land and diplomacy are not the way people think in the Middle East.  The root of their different perspectives on this issue goes back thousands of years.  There is much to be hopeful about as the leaders of these nations meet and work out their plans.  Pray for God’s wisdom to be with them as they make these decisions.  The people of the land, or common folk, as we might say, truly desire to live in peaceful coexistence.  Pray that extremists will not inhibit the prospect of peace but that all hearts will be turned toward the Messiah (Rom. 11:25-27) and waiting for His return.

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

            Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink!  That little ditty ran through my head several times during the first full week of March 2011.   Not only did we see record rainfall here in the Northeast, but an earthquake in Japan set off a tsunami which destroyed property and beaches in the Northwest.  The rainfall coupled with melting snow caused rivers and creeks to overflow their banks and commuters to detour around the more troublesome areas of flooding.  At the opposite end of the spectrum was the run on bottled water when our area was forced to go into “lockdown”.  One day the shelves were lined with it; the next day they were empty.  Many of us know how important water is for survival and when we feel that life is tenuous it’s one of the first things we stock up on.

            Sometimes I marvel at people who build houses along the coast or next to a river.  They must know about the risks, but the setting is so appealing, it's worth the risk I suppose.  I have to confess I've daydreamed about living near the ocean.  I love the vast horizon, the sound of the waves, and the shells!  There are appealing places like this in Israel too.   One such place is mentioned in Psalm 23:2.  We often translate the word in this passage as "green pastures", but this Hebrew word actually relates to the well-watered and green area at the bottom of a wadi (wah-dee).  "What's a wadi?" you ask.  Wadiis are like canyons, but not as wide.  They are carved out of the limestone rock found in the wilderness area of Israel in the same way the Colorado River carved out the Grand Canyon in the United States.   One Israel’s more beautiful wadiis is the Wadi Avdaht.  The entrance to Avdat (Ahv-daht) is misleading.  It is wide and semi-barren with high limestone walls flanking either side.  The greenery there is due to a small stream found near the center of the gorge.  As you walk alongside the stream heading deeper into the wadi, its width grows until you reach a silvery thin waterfall cascading over the upper rim at the end.  A large pool of water collects there and it is absolutely beautiful!  As nice as a wadi can be, the comfort they offer is tenuous.  Shepherds who raised their flocks in this area knew the layout of a wadi inside and out, and the wisest shepherds knew it was best to get your water and leave, rather than make yourself comfortable and stay.

            Jesus had this geographical characteristic in mind when He told the parable of the two builders in Luke 6:46-49.  It's not necessarily convenient to build on the top of those tall rock walls.   It’s so much easier when you don't have to lug those big water urns up and down the path.  It's not so stressful and much more comfortable.  But, Jesus warns, building in the sand, is unsafe!  Wadiis are notorious for flash floods that often come without warning.  Rain from miles above them can come rushing through the gorge like the way rainwater pours through a broken gutter.  When the rain comes down through a wadi (and it will), if you’ve built your house in the bottom of a wadi, it will most certainly wash away. 

            Wadis hold a great spiritual lesson for us (which is why Jesus used them as an example!).  It's tempting for us to "build our lives" in the conveniences of the world.  We have come to believe that life should be easy and comfortable, so we put all our energy into accomplishing that. We’ll finance, work overtime, get the best education for a better paying job, and do whatever it takes to achieve the “Dream”.  The trouble is, putting trust in the comforts of this world, and doing whatever it takes to get them, is like building a house in the bottom of a wadi.   Our life may look good, but it’s dangerous because when storms come rushing in, the sandy foundation upon which we’ve built dissolves in those rushing torrents of water.  And in this day and age people are facing more and more uncertainty about what the future may hold proving there are no guarantees that anything will last.  Still, many of us continue to build in the bottom of a wadi.

            If the bottom of a wadi is not where a believer should build, then where should we build?  Jesus says in verse 47 that those who come to Him, hear His words, and act on them have built their life on the rock- those tall sides of the wadi that are flood-free.  Jesus tells us in this parable that the rock is God’s Word.  If we are letting the Bible guide us in the way we live and what we believe, when the storms of life come (and they will come), we will be able to withstand the tempest.  It is certainly more popular to build on worldly things.  It's easier, more comfortable.  But it's unstable.  Today's fads are tomorrow's history lessons.  The latest trends are forgotten tomorrow when the "next big thing" becomes news.  So, why build on this shifting sand?  Build your life on God's Word so that you will stand firm when storms come your way (Proverbs 3:1-8; Colossians 3:2).

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

            Our church has been studying the book of Jonah this Spring and the book’s central figure has brought to mind the old Sesame Street song that stated, “One of these things is not like the other; one of these things just doesn’t belong”.  Children were then asked to identify the object that did not match.  For the adults in the room the answer was usually quite obvious, but for the children it was a fun way to figure out (usually by the process of elimination) which object was out of place.  Jonah is the odd man out among the prophets.  Lined up against Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea and the rest, he would easily stand out as “not like the others”.  His book is not a collection of oracles or symbolic actions; it is a didactic narrative.  It is not a sympathetic portrayal either.  Instead the book of Jonah is a satire about a man who was neither an obedient nor a compassionate prophet.  Unlike the others who carried out some of the unusual commands of the Lord (see: Jer. 27:1-3; Eze. 5:1-4; Hos. 1:1-3) he was disobedient, judgmental, biased, and sour.  In fact, unlike his peers he was not only sent to Israel, he was also sent to Nineveh the persecuting pagans of his day.

            The reference to Jonah in 2 Kin. 14:25 gives us some insight as to the messages he brought to Israel while Jeroboam II was on the throne.  But the message God gave Jonah to bring to the great pagan city of Ninevah caused Jonah to do something we have no record of any other prophet doing- disobey!  Instead of heading southeast to Ninevah, Jonah boards a ship and heads in the opposite direction to Tarshish (Jon. 1:3).  Some have speculated that Jonah had a good reason to fear going to Ninevah.  The Assyrians had quite a reputation!  They were powerful and aggressive, showing no mercy to their captives or nations who rose up against them.  It appears that Jonah had also succumbed to the general mindset that God’s only concern was toward Israel.  It was hard for him to understand that God’s mercy could be extended to anyone outside the Covenant community.  But as Jonah learned, you can’t run from God, nor can you change the recipients of His message.  When He says, “Go to Ninevah!” it’s best to go!

            Many have portrayed Jonah as a whimpering and distraught man as he spends three (most likely gruesome) days and nights in the stomach of the fish.  But a careful reading of chapter 2 shows that Jonah understood exactly why he was there and that it was God’s way of saving him.  The situation seemed hopeless, but Jonah’s prayer is full of hope and he is resolved to follow through with the mission God has set before him (Jon. 2:1-9).  God calls Jonah a second time to go to Ninevah and Jonah obeys (Jon. 3:1-3).  Jonah is shocked to see the Ninevites respond to his message.  Some historical factors may have attributed to this.  A series of weak and ineffective kings had removed some of Assyria’s glory and might, a serious plague swept through the land in 765 B.C. killing many, and a total eclipse of the sun occurred on June 15, 763 B. C. causing more fear and panic.  In ancient times all these components would have been considered to be connected to the spiritual world.  Jonah’s appearance and message made sense in light of all these factors and the people responded.  True to human nature and still clinging to the last of his narrow way of thinking about God’s compassion, Jonah is bothered that the Ninevites actually repent (Jon. 3:4-4:1) and God forgives them!  Once again, God teaches Jonah about Himself through the natural world using a plant (Jon. 4:5-11) and the story of Jonah comes to a quick and unexpected end.

            We know that Jonah must have been a gifted speaker to have had such a powerful impact on that great city.  But we do not have a record of anything else that he said.  However, Jesus makes mention of Jonah in reference to Himself (Matt. 12:39-41) and confirms that Jonah’s preaching did indeed have a tremendous impact on the people of Ninevah.  And while it’s easy to see the parallel between Jonah’s days inside the fish to Jesus’ days “in the grave”, other comparisons and contrasts between the two can also be made.  Jonah is “sacrificed” by being cast into the sea in order to save the others on the boat.  Jesus was sacrificed to save all humans from the bondage of sin (Heb. 7:26-27; 9:11-14; 1 Pet. 3:18).  Jonah was not obedient to God’s call at first and somewhat reluctantly fulfilled his mission later, but Jesus never wavered in doing God’s will and was obedient at all times (Jn. 14:31; Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 4:14-15). 

            How well do we listen to God’s call?  How well do we obey His commandments?  Personally, I don’t think I fare any better than Jonah!  But oh how I would love to be like Paul, who when given a vision by God to go in a different direction than the one he had planned, listened and obeyed (Ac. 16:5-12).  Jonah is a great encouragement to me.  I know I don’t always listen to God.  I know I often limit Him and the way He works in people’s lives.  But Jonah’s story demonstrates to me that God loves me enough to get me back on track when I’m not listening to Him and He can use me to proclaim His message even when I make mistakes.  I hope Jonah’s story encourages you in that way too!  Now, it’s time to go to Ninevah!

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