Ah a good desert book...
Well we were not in Lake Havasu for more than a day when Grandma loaded up the two big kids and took them to someplace they find better than Disney World...a Library. Out they went, and back they came with one and three books respectfully. When not engaged with board games and outdoor fun their noses are buried deep in their books.
Simple things we need to remember are all part of Capturing His Glory in our daily lives. I'm glad I get to see it!
-ehw
The path to Anna Ruby Falls
As three of us (Carrie, John Paul and I) walked up the trail to Anna Ruby Falls I could not help but think of my son Kevin. Almost every time we are out in the woods he says,"God made nature, and I like it." Kevin, at the tender age of nine, recognizes God imprinted his law on us through natural law. He "gets it" better than most of us much older folks. I just wish the politicians would go back and read the Declaration of Independence, and learn the founders state all laws must conform to natural law (or nature's God) to be just.
Many people today, afraid to be labeled religious or tied to a group, call themselves "spiritual." They find their way on their own through the forrest of life. If they are attentive to natural law, and heed it, they have great potential to make good choices in their moral lives. The problem with just finding your "own way" though the forrest, is your experiences are very narrow. So the chance for misinterpreting a sign is higher than if you had advice on reading the signs as you approach a rattlesnake habitat. If you stumble and the snake strikes, no one will be there to hear your cry. There is also nothing supernatural to sustain your body and soul in this earthly journey if you go it alone.
In this photo I purposefully left the trail in the shot. I did this because as I thought of Kevin's statement, I was also thinking of the peace which comes from growing ever more into a Catholic life. The trail stood out in my viewfinder. With each glance I found a reminder of how God also gave us so much more than natural law. He gave us a path of safety through the dangerous forrest of life, and a means to walk it. All we need to do is use the path and his grace to avoid the greatest dangers of the forrest.
I revel in the knowledge I do not have to be Solomon, Thomas Aquinas, Teresa of Avila or John Paul II to survive in the forrest. I just have to turn to the collective wisdom imparted over almost 6,000 years through revelation and illumination of God's laws to my church and the world! Being the thinker I am, I fall more in love with the Catholic magisterium as each new lesson clicks into place like custom made Lego blocks in a slick design. I know this magisterium is stronger than the efforts of fallible men who may try to twist it to their own political designs.
Not only do we Catholics have the lessons, but we can receive supernatural graces pouring forth from sacraments. God cleanses in baptism, restores with mercy in confession, nourishes at communion, sanctifies matrimony and holy orders, and comforts in anointing of the sick. So not only do I get a path to follow, but a complete pit crew as well for my life journey using supernatural grace. This allows God to be with me in every place, in my body, and in my most important earthly relationships.
So God's path through the forrest is the one I chose. I pray after reflection, you may chose to investigate the strongest and safest path through the woods to heaven.
Rocky Mountain Sunset
Do not let fear of God make you tremble like a child who touched the cookie jar, or the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai. Such fear keeps you from internalizing a healthy Fear of God. We should dread disappointing both God and ourselves by not keeping his law close to our hearts, and expressing it in our every thought and deed.
This healthy Fear of God is what moves families by generation to generation to know and love the Lord. It is this Fear of God which builds Faith, gives Hope and binds us through Charity to other God Fearing people and families. Together we must build an earthly Body of Christ outsiders will recognize as a Catholic (I.e. universal) sign of God's glory visible in the world. We can do no less in our pursuit of the prize of heaven for ourselves and posterity.
-ehw
Dad I was this small?
Kevin: "Dad was I this small?"
Dad: "Yes son you were once that small"
The joy of teaching a culture of life to your children is that even when the baby gives a yelp, the older kids know this is part of respecting life from conception to death. You know you succeed in reaching their souls with with this understanding when they have such great awe for the new members of the domestic church...and all people created in the image of God around them.
My older children saw the trials Mom went through for nine months to get John Paul to birth. They understand more than ever the depths of love she had for each of them before they were born. Each of our children, at the age of reason, now understands this baby was their baby brother from the moment of conception in the womb (even if they haven't had "the talk.").
The big kids will soon will associate what Mom suffered as part of her agape love for each of them, when only our God knew their name and destiny. The older kids now also understand in a larger sense why abortion is decidedly agains the commandments of God. John Paul was never a bunch of harvestable organs and stem cells. John Paul was John Paul when two halves became one whole.
As crazy as the calendar is now these are the good times. As crazy as life will get it the coming days, months and years if we get the concept of agape in their heads and hearts I think we have a good chance of succeeding as parents. I hope we raise children who fulfill the Lord's two great commandments: To love the Lord with all your heart mind and soul. To love your neighbor as yourself.
I pray to God we, and parents everywhere, achieve this noble goal as well. For there is no other option than this if we are to form a civil society where peace can reign.
-ehw
Happy Easter!
The title of this post comes from an ancient Christian tradition that during the Easter season you should greet on another with the words: "He is Risen!" and the receiver will reply: "He is Risen Indeed!"
So with that simple, glorious thought I leave you to enjoy your day with family and fellow Christians around the world!
HE IS RISEN!
-ehw
St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Thomas Aquinas wrote millions of words in his lifetime. Today was St. Thomas Aquinas' feast day. So my picture tonight is of his last work, the Shorter Summa. I must say it is a masterpiece. It says more in a paragraph than I can muster with a novel. I am slowly working my way through it. I can handle one chapter at a time. Then I have to really meditate on what he said, because see I am just an old infantryman not used to such big thoughts. Once I get it though, I am inspired for weeks.
Been working the real job a total of 15 out of 16 days straight....so I'm a little tired but also creatively needy. So when my patron saint's day came up today, I just had to take a few minutes to enjoy it in my own special ways. First I got to be with my kids, watch a few minutes of a movie, say a rosary with my daughter, and then grab the camera of course to remember the man for what he was most famous! No I will be off to bed for a long winter's nap!
-ehw
PS To get the effects I experimented with gels on my flash. It was quite fun! Processed in Capture One 8, my current favorite editing suite.
Queen for a day
When a child turns three it is a magical day...a day to play with new toys, enjoy your new clothes, take a nap, eat your spagetti, and enjoy your cake. It is quite a fun moment in time for Dads too...
-ehw
I'm on a trip to D.C. and I really wanted to walk the city a bit...well at 7 degrees this morning and 15 this evening walking around town was not an option. It was to work, to a meal along the way back and to bed. I just don't have the right hot gear to have photography fun today. I'm also really tired after a long day of work. I think I walked an easy six to seven miles today between meetings and around the city. I should be in better shape...
Today out of the blue a friend of mine called to tell me he had joined the Knights of Columbus this year...always wanted to, and finally did it this year. I was overjoyed to hear the news. See my favorite memories from my last stint here in Virginia came mostly from my work with the Knights.
Instead of a current memory I thought back to my favorite memories of my previous years here in the region. An this image taken last year about this time was one bringing back good times with my friends helping others, caring for our families or being the visible arm of the order!
Vivat Jesus!
-ehw
Through the storms of life he saves
The four hour trip, planned afternoon meetings, getting a work out....the plans of man.
The morning storm in the nation's capital...three inches of snow...two cancelled flights (one after I was on board!), the broken luggage carousel adding over an hour to bag recovery, cancelled meetings and arriving after thirteen hours in the dark on a cold blustery night revealed the plans of nature.
I kept my calm...almost completely...read two good books by Scott Hahn and most importantly when I thought I was just going to be beyond frustrated for the day found the place to say my rosary. See I needed calm, and the big glass windows overlooking the tarmac and runways called me. There I stood in the long Atlanta winter sun, the warmth making me relax, and my rosary called.
Today I said the Sorrowful Mysteries (Agony in the Garden, Scourging at the Pillar, Crown of Thorns, Carrying the Cross, and Death on the Cross) and it put me right into my place. I thought I had a bad day? That was a bad day!
Suddenly tonight as I was preparing for bed I knew Christ had provided my daily photography inspiration. I could not pass it up, or fail to share right away. It was the what the spirit wished me to do to give back some glory to the Lord for my safe travels.
Vivat Jesus!
-ehw
Kevin wipes down the trays...
I have to say my boys did well today. Up at 0615 and out the door by 0640 to bus tables for the Knights of Columbus (KofC) Pancake Breakfast at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church here in Alpharetta, Georgia. After a quick wake up call I found them highly motivated all morning, and they never stopped moving. They were great Blue Knights! I think the key motivator was all you can eat pancakes....Kalen (11 years old) served 0730 mass..and Kevin (7 years old) and I sat in the pews. Then it was right back to work.
A great thing about helping out the KofC is that these events are pretty well run for years. So putting a new body into the system at an entry point job, like the three of us busing tables, is easy as cake. If you attend enough times, I promise you'll get promoted to kitchen duty. Money raised goes to charitable works in our local community, to disaster sites, local food anks, parish members in need of assistance, special family focused events, ultrasound devices for children and their mothers; and even abroad.
Working with my boys at an event like this, also gives me a chance to see them growing up. See Kalen blended right in, ready to be with the adults (and learn the skills needed to work with them). Kevin was a cute second grader, but totally focused on doing a good job with a smile. I kept hearing from my brother Knights about how well they were doing. No goofin off, just Both are better customer service people than their Dad. They each consumed and sold the hot chocolate at every opportunity. I was glad when they did not break the bank on refills.
Oh it was a wonderful time to be with my sons! Made a me a happy Dad!
-ehw
P.S. This is why I love my style of photography...I get a chance to capture a moment when His Glory Shines through a person and makes the world a better place.
Kalen buses up the table before the big rush
My ever growing boys
Bigger than who?
The greatest challenge in life is fitting everything you have AND want to do inside the few minutes we get each a day. It is just not possible to do everything. So this little blog suffers from time to time. This is one of those stretches in time where the blog suffers for many good reasons.
This past month we've had a few challenges at the house. First it was crunch time for the Darebots, the Regina Caeli First Lego League team. Four seventh graders and one fifth grader (my boy Kalen) make up the team. I'm an assistant coach. I don't know much about the whole process, I just take my cues from my good friend and head coach, Les Levergood. My job is to back him up. He did a great job with the kids by mentoring them along the way. They won the programming award at the qualifier round. This got us invited to super regionals on January 17th in Athens, GA. You are invited to see their blog (which I administer for the kids who provide most of the entries using this link: Regina Caeli Darebots
So what do they do at practices? Build a robot, program the robot and then prepare what amount to basically sales presentations to judges on a special project they had to research. In their briefings they must demonstrate cooperation, teamwork, workflows, cost estimates, and a dozen other items. There is also a wildcard game the kids must work on, to which they must demonstrate their teamwork to solve a complex problem under some sort of constraint (Like giving directions with your back to your partner!) Practices run two to three hours each, and the kids will tell you we still need more time!
But that is not all! I continue to help with youth and parent evangelization at church. So we continue on with Blue Knights, when I am the lead parent for right now. I handle the scheduling and planning. Other Dad's pitch in to get the work done. Since I am working, very little time for photographs there!
Then there is the matter of chaperoning my daughter's first upper class dance at school....oh talk about a heart attack moment! Yep after I swapped out with a family friend as chaperone...three boys asked her to dance. I had to hear about it after the fact.
13 and beautiful! Hanging with the upper schoolers at a sock hop!
Then there was the other work I did, like photograph our first mass in the new St Michael the Archangel Chapel at our school...
The Choir
And of course finishing the Shelby Cobra Project!
Throw in a few family moments at Thanksgiving and Christmas, taking two weeks to clear the flu bug from the family, fixing computers, learning new lessons to get software working right for you in this ever changing world and I am whooped! You heard me right! I said I am whooped!
Some would think that I should slow down...well I will in some ways in the coming year. In other ways I need to keep living and enjoying the moments I get. Life is precious. Caring for others through coaching, evangelization, praying for them, expanding your personal relationship with Christ, defending the country, and being a better Dad/Husband all make life worth living. I still have a long way to go in all those areas. When I get all those things figured out, I think it will be time to rest with the Lord. Until then...I'll try keeping Proverbs and the Sermon on the Mount in my actions a little better everyday.
An one personal request from me to you (if you made it this far). Please keep both the unborn and those wanting children but not so blessed in your prayers. In our journey through the year we had two miscarriages. We met families enduring three, four, five miscarriages on the road to making their family and understood their pain and joys. When you are done praying for those two groups...please pray for people to embrace their role as parents to raise their children in the light of the Word made Man Jesus Christ.
This is a little personal because see we are praying hard that we get to meet a little someone in about 30 weeks...and this is one of the award winning photos of the year right here that I did not even take!
God Bless and Happy New Year!
-ehw
I'll confess this little one is a sweetheart, and I'm partial to her since her parents are good friends of ours. However I think those eyes make the shot, and capture your heart. Her eyes will captivate you in person, and I hope I put such a feeling in this photo.
To accomplish this little shot I was playing with my favorite little lens, the Fujinon 23mm F1.4. In this photo I experimented with an extremely shallow depth of field, opening the aperture all the way just to see what it will do. Because I was using a mirrorless camera, my Fuji XE-1, I was able to see the DOF in the screen as I composed the image in real time.
I know some purists out there will be screaming that professionals use a viewfinder, and that I am violating some law of photography since I did not have my eye up to the viewfinder. Heck I might as well have used a cell phone right? Well probably yes and definitely no.
See part of the reason I switched from traditional DSLRs to this mirrorless design was I got comfortable keeping eye contact with my subjects during composition. An instructor told us how vital was, and at first I was like yah right...but then I tried it. Eye contact helped me take a great group photo of 64 VIPs. Why? Because by looking at my subjects I kept control over them. It then helped me take individual subjects mind off the camera and kept it focused on our conversation. With younger kids it became much less about the camera, and more about the game we were playing. I found more candid moments caught, and fewer cheesy smiles that look like the child in under duress.
Well...the journey is still moving forward as I learn more about my little craft...and I hope to share more of these lessons as I go forward with you!
-ehw
Our first President, and the Congress of the United States, dedicated this day to praying and giving thanks to God. In the final paragraph we see him calling all public and private people to do our duties faithfully. He also asks us to "promote the knowledge and and practice of true religion and virtue." As you can see there is no separation of church and state. To George Washington our bounty comes from God, and our personal duty is to live in accordance with Nature's Law. To Christians this means we must live inside God's design for the world in all that we do.
In fact, to achieve personal and national civility we must receive adhere to this guidance. The result of dismissing this call to Nature's Law is chaos.
We need to look no further than the debates on Furgeson to recognize this. Rioters in the streets don't care that the man killed willfully beat a man to rob his store moments before his encoutner with Police. They do not want to recognize that the man was high on illegal drugs, something that would impair his judgement even more. Obtaining supplies for this habit was the reason he robbed the store, and was wanted by police. The natural effect of giving into vices such as these is a bad conflict with those entrusted by the citizens to protect them from such abusive behavior.
The solution to this type of problem is simple. It is to live inside natural law. To Christians this means simply to live out the Golden Rule...and your relations with others in your community will start off on good footing. To solve many other problems we face, there is a good book that is our family instruction manual I can recommend: The Bible. Start with Poverbs and Wisdom...then move up to read of the word made man in the Gospel and natural law will unfold before your eyes.
So make today something more than turkey and football. Make today a moment that changes your life, and that of your family. Give thanks to God Almighty, and point your family to the eternal wisdom of his word. The greatest thanks you can offer God, is to deliver your house to stand with him.
-ehw
The theme for the day is to honor veterans for their service, both those who died and those who continue to serve. In its original form, Armistice Day recognized the War to End All Wars. Americans and Europeans moved into isolationism, turned inward and also sowed the seeds for the next war. Free nations cast down their arms, and allowed others to prepare the engines of war to enslave them until it was almost too late. Today we see the same problem around the world. Engines of tyranny now spin up and prepare to pounce when weakness reaches its most critical point.
As a historian, and man of Christian faith, I cannot in good conscience follow that example today. I know there are good people in this world. I also know there are those who give into evil. Those people seek to either turn me to sin as an accomplice or make me their slave. The enemies of freedom will never rest. The enemies of building the Kingdom of God will never cease adapting to our transient strengths in their attempts to tear it down.
In a nation of almost 350 million we have only about 1.5 million under arms today. The nation's recruiters cannot get enough young men to join the service due to lack on interest, poor fitness, and (frankly) intellectual incapacity. Many men get rejected due to gang affiliation and drug use. So the administration is actually trying to bring foreigners (legal and illegal) into the ranks to defend this country. As a reminder of history....when every great nation began to commission others to defend their statehood they fell. Just look at the history of Rome. Republic to tyranny. Native sons to mercenaries.
So today please consider something a little different for Veteran's Day. Don't just thank a veteran, raise a veteran.
As a parent myself I can now feel the fear and angst felt when the child raises their hands to say, "This I will defend." Despite the angst I know my life is but a transient one. My days of quality service as a front line fighter now extend far into my past. If my children want to be free, and give that gift to their children, they must one day put veteran somewhere on their resume.
It is time we all realize it is not enough to just thank someone else for the gift of freedom. It is time for each man to serve where able. Service in the active duty military, guard, and police, fire and rescue all keep us safe. It does not have to be a career...just a portion of life holding the line against the terrors of the night makes you a worthy veteran in my eyes.
So today do more than thank a veteran. Raise a veteran. Your grandchildren will thank you one day for giving them the gift of liberty.
-ehw.
As a high schooler I so longed to escape the drama and pressures to simply conform to popular culture. I had no desire to participate in underage drinking, running the edge of the law, or disrespecting my parents. I had no real love for the show described as funniest of the times...the Simpson's. Here we see the prototypical popular culture Hollywood wants us to accept: A dunce Dad who worships beer and donuts, the Mom who is good hearted, the girl who always knows best, and the little boy who is a bratty idiot bumbling through life. Any number of shows continue this tradition today.
I thought then being an adult would allow me to just be...me! Then came college and adulthood. That pressure to conform to popular culture just nevers stops. I was watching football one Sunday last year, and noticed the commercials were just a rehash of everything of those years but even worse. Dumb men, women on display, worship of bear and stupid stunts by young boys.
I finally realized the reason I kept being targeted like this was I refused to come inside the "normal" range of tolerance for this behavior. Where most say that this is simply harmless, silliness I could not in good conscience allow my children to see it, before they had the Armor of God to fend off the vices.
So I've been supporting this little boys club at church, called Blue Knights ( www.beholdpublications.com). In fact a friend and I founded the parish club for our boys. Since then the group remained small, not for lack of marketing...simply because it competes with so many other things out there. I pulled my eldest from the last part of two baseball practices last year to attend these meetings...yep we're not the norm. We shut off broadcast TV, and screen what we see on Netflix. Radical? To most yes. However only the beginning of what I must do as a parent.
My wife in her spiritual journey learned the thing we will each be judged on by Christ will be how we did my our children in terms of bringing the faith to them. I learned contemplative faith is a gift of God given to some, but not all. As a result, whatever we do for our children to raise them as children of God requires us to provide each child the unique skills and rules necessary for them to traverse life's turbulent seas.
My Father repeatedly said the same as I grew up, "I love you the same. I just love you differently." As a child I did not understand it as well as I do now. Of course I also wish the English language would use the proper words for types of love more freely. What he said really echoes the bible parable about the workers coming in at different times...or being given different amounts of talents. To each God loved them the same (unconditionally). However God gave of himself to each differently based on the man before him.
Some children will never pass the stage of the Fear of God (doing what is right as to not disappoint God). This is fine, because if they keep the Fear in their hearts, they will always live inside the boundaries of natural law. This takes them towards God's Kingdom with their fellow men. Other's given the contemplative gift, well maybe they will be quiet enough to listen and heed God's word. From that personal message I pray they develop a Love of God, where they make God's ways their own freely without reservation. Either way, as a Father I would be happy to one day have them beside me worshipping God in heaven for all eternity.
Society has no interest in you making it to heaven. The world we see on TV wants you to buy this good, pull the election lever for their candidate, or pull you from others and focus on your personal pleasure. So to each of you out there contemplating the road you will travel with your family, don't be afraid to step outside the norm. Homeschooling, one parent employment, staying up every night working late in charity for your public school child, finding the right worship methods for you, finding the right role models in faith....each journey is custom built for you.
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."
-Robert Frost
Happy praise God Sunday!
-ehw
P.S. These photos are what you can do if you turn the norm on its head....Halloween should be looked at for a Christian as the eve before All Souls Day when we praise those of virtuous living! We should pray for our family, friends and selves to be on the same road to heaven!
Who's Hand is in the sand?
On this Sunday morning, with the two youngest kiddos on my lap, I read the Divine Office of Readings for today. The reading was about Ester. Here she was a young woman being rounded up, just because of her beauty and taken into the harem of the king.
I cannot imagine the thoughts and fears she had on that fateful day. She was nothing more than a pawn, in fact she was less than a pawn at that moment. She was a grain of sand in a vast desert. However, inside that grain of sand we know as Ester something stronger and more significant was ready to bloom through the grace of God.
See Ester had the seeds of faith planted inside that grain of sand through the gift of faith. Through the events unfolding around her she would receive the choice to stand fast with her faith or cover her face in fear. Her free choice to sacrifice herself for her people is a foreshadowing (one of many) of the type of life Christ led on his way to the cross.
As a parent Ester's story only tells part of the story's lesson. Her foster father Mordecai fulfilled his parental and priestly duties towards Ester by first forming her in faith, and then continually reminding her of God's covenant through to her people. A covenant which only survives if each generation embraces it freely in their hearts and deeds. That is why Mordecai continued to remind his adopted daughter of God's commandments and covenant until the crisis peaked.
The challenges we face in this world today are no different than those Mordecai and Ester faced. The way to overcome those challenges are also no different than their responses. Parents and children must respond to the hand in the sand, the love and wisdom of the Holy Spirit in all that we do.
Parents and clergy must form their children with wisdom and the fear of God (that is the desire not to disappoint God) so they can evolve their faith into Love of God (where we make his will our own). We parents can never stop living our lives calling out both ourselves and our children to holiness. We must never stop praying the gift of faith is given to our children.
Children must understand as early as possible, they have a great inheritance. The covenant of God passed down and expanded from God through Abraham, through David, through Christ to each of us. Through this covenant we bind ourselves to follow his law, and obtain the rewards of eternal unity with him in heaven. Their basic choice in life is to chose virtue over vice each day of their lives. Whether they choose to do it from fear or love will be their own, and a decision they must understand accountability falls on them alone.
Have a blessed Sunday while remembering how Ester and Mordecai listened to the hand in the sand.
-ehw
Fingers in the Sand
Today someone drew in the sand a little story. The lines left behind still drew me into an enchanting world of mystery. I may understand parts of the story, but I will never grasp the whole story! I am sure of this since it was not my hand drawing out the tale. It immediately made me think of God's handiwork I see around me, and the mysteries of God I will never comprehend.
Did you have an adventure from fingers in the sand today yourself?
-ehw
The Silver Bullet leaves homeport....
A different type of day today. It is a Federal holiday, so I had the day off and wrote up a busy schedule for myself. However it was a still a school day for Regina Caeli Academy so the four kiddos with the momma got up and at it in the early morning light.
Nine days out of ten...well 95 out of 100...I am the guy up first and out the door while they enjoy their warm blankets for another hour or so. So to be roused by my wife's alarm, and the sound of lots of other feet is a game changer.
Today you can see the Silver Bullet headed out the door on its mission. As it left I found myself reading the news alone with my coffee. I found myself experiencing the same fears I had in my bed last night at 2 and 3 and 4....Ebola, TB outbreak, Flu type 68, ISIS, Russia on the move worldwide, China on the move in the South China Sea, a disarming US, Bishops in the middle east and Africa reminding their people they need to defend themselves, and a blatant turning away from natural law this country was founded on on every page.
Now fear is not a good state to live in, instead it is an emotion that should push us to new work to right the situation. So I made my list for the day, heard the divine office, read the morning prayer, and moved out to 9Am mass. During mass I listened and fell deep into thought. I wanted to ask God where he was. I wanted to ask him to do something about this madness around me, to help my family survive the coming turbulence. In the silence of post communion I my head rang with words from so many other sources me like a piece of lead dropped from the roof.
"Son I did do something about all this. I made you."
With that I got myself into motion working on preparation for Blue Knights tomorrow night (6 new boys coming in for the first time making their shields), meeting with a friend, and saying a few prayers along the way. I guess the big guy reminded me, to do what I can, where I can to build his kingdom. So I better get a little busier!
-ehw
Sometimes the words and deeds get a little mixed up
This week's readings and homily at church brought to light a concept of our faith as Christians. It was that God's ways rule, not ours. Simple concept, making perfect sense, if you accept that God is perfection in every way.
In our lives, however, the natural cycle of things is we are born narcissistic looking out for ourselves. As such it would be only natural for us to think that whatever we need, want or think gets our desires covered is the correct course of action. Good parenting knocks that silliness out of us young. We can start seeing how selfishness actually causes separation from our brothers and sisters. Only by working with others, and caring for them as much as ourselves do we build the friendships needed to survive in this world. This basic understanding of friendship is the antidote to narcissism. Friendships allow us to succeed as a husband, father, coach, soldier, businessman, farmer, or priest.
The Gospel (Matthew 21:28-32) today told us the story of the two brothers. One brother said no to his father's commands, but went out to follow them anyway. The other brother said yes to his father's commands, but did not heed the instruction. One was in the right, and one was in the wrong at the end of the day. For the man who repented and did the right thing, salvation awaited him. For the man who talked the talk, but walked away life would end.
Obviously we would rather say and do the right thing all the time! This would surely be the easiest way to unity with Christ in word and deed! We are however fallen creatures, made with weakness and stubborness. As such we are very capable of failing in word, deed or both!
Thankfully our perfect God knew this, and provided us many paths towards redemption from our birth until the very end of our earthly lives. It is truly the only way we could be saved given our original state of mind. I guess it is just one more way to understand why God's ways rule, not ours.
-ehw
Original Savannah stairs at the docks
Life poses challenge after challenge. It is sort of like this rocky stairway. You get there, but steps can be unevenly staggered, too smooth, worn, overgrown...and downright dangerous.
God never promised us an easy life...he just gave us life. As our license plate says, "Your Life does have an instruction manual"...The Bible.
I am sure you too can find many a good example of people who live it out with love, compassion and toughness allowing them to climb the rocky stairs of life honorably before God and man. Those good people are the ones to emulate, be mentored by and befriend. The company you keep pulls you up or drags you down.
-ehw
P.S. Fujifilm X-E1, Velvia simulation, 23mm lens..Savannah waterfront district