THE GIFT OF Photography

Gen 1:29-31 NKJV

 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.

Much of the nature photography at the Quickened Word comes from a fellow who loves to take 2 seasonal trips a year just to do photography.  He generously donates them to the Quickened Word for God’s use and glory. 

When on his trips, he loves the sense of adventure of finding a lovely scene to capture as a moment in history.  He may hike to find the right spot and then sit for hours on a cliff waiting for the sun to set.  What glorious sun sets God gives him!  I know God gives these to him just for us!  I have yet to ever see a live sunset like he receives. 

In opposite seasons he may hike in the cold crisp air through the snow, just to find that pure white scene that no man has touched.  The beauty of God’s creation is literally breathtaking when we soak it in and enjoy.  The Gift of Photography has the power to capture those moments and save them to enjoy later.

I especially love nature and God’s creation.  But due to my health, time, and family commitments I can’t enjoy it away from the house as I once did.  However, through the Gift of Photography I can have these amazing scenes playing on a DVD on my TV screen or computer screen.  I can have them as good morning gifts when I first turn on my computer and see God’s creation greeting me on the computer wallpaper.  I can have them as opening screens and slideshows on my ITouch, phone, Pocket PC.  They even have digital photo frames that play slideshows now. 

The Gift of Photography can be displayed as a huge mural along a wall, it can be on a coffee cup as a daily reminder of God’s love.  It can be on a magnet on the refrigerator.  They can even impose photographs onto blankets, sweatshirts and purses.  It is a good gift to use photography to remind us of God’s good message.

THE GIFT OF Videography

With increases in software engineering, more and more programs are being written to enable people to take movies of live scenes and then edit them to create visuals that communicate good messages.   These gifts of creativity can be used in churches and productions of any kind to communicate a message in a beautiful setting. 

For an even wider audience, they are being used on the internet;   Wow the possibilities are limitless in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Not only that, but the world is hungry for simple healthy stories teaching kindness and character with good endings. 

You dont need to think of creating a full feature movie.  Think about how short and powerfully effective advertisements are with just a few short minutes.  Think about the parables of Jesus and how simple there were.  These were simple teachings that presented an environment, a simple plot and a moral to the story.  Any good character story with a good moral has the power to make a difference!