I’m not sure I touched base on this part of my note full of stuff I gathered on the wayside last month.. but we’ll go through it again, because it’s serving as a reminder for me – especially that first part.
The first time I was ever in Colorado was the final week of August, 2008. In the little time that we had there, my Dad, Mom, and brother took in the views, particularly those of Red Rocks, and then Mount Evans – the latter of which I could describe as the closest thing I’ve had to a nature-induced religious experience. It was the first time I saw and experienced snow, and my heart (and camera) was full; I believe all of us present were blessed to the hilt.
Fast forward to December 2011. My Dad passed away a couple of months before, and my brothers insisted that my Mom and I spend the holidays with them. The first leg of the trip would be spent in Colorado, and you could just imagine how, at the time, I was plenty excited, based on the bar that was set the first time we were there – and this time, it was in December – more snow!
To that note I started watching video after video of how to maintain cameras in colder climates, how to do winter photography, even talking to some of my other less pretentious photography friends about their experiences – In short, I wanted to make sure I did everything I could in order to take the best pictures.
We arrive there, and yes, I shoot picture after picture, and they did turn out okay, but I found myself disappointed in general… and I thought about it, and figured it out: I was more fixated on my camera than I was with my brother and my Mom. I was more focused on taking the best shots to post and share on social media, than I was being present in Colorado. I was thinking more about the photos, instead of enjoying the chance to be a tropical boy in a land of ice.
In this particular season, this final quarter of 2024, where I’m thinking a lot, and a lot more is happening, I’ve warned myself beforehand – don’t be so focused on what you don’t have, and what you want. Be thankful, instead, for what you DO have. Be aware, and do your homework, sure – but be PRESENT, here and now.
As I told some folks in a second-floor classroom, who were gathered together to listen to me talk to photography: Enjoy the moment, and the photos will follow.
Enjoy the season, I tell myself now – Enjoy with Christ, with my family, with my friends, with all who I have in spite of all that I don’t have, and who I don’t have – and the photos will follow. The revelations will follow.
And so I am thankful. For the family I was born into, for my great parents – the tough love and the patience of my mother, and the wisdom and strength of my father who passed on more than 10 years ago. I am thankful, for my strong eldest brother, and my cool second eldest brother – and their influences on my own behavior today.
In spite of all the money I’ve lost, I say thank You to our God, our Provider, for all that I still have: A roof over my head, comfortable clothes, a very well maintained vehicle, finances for the bills, a gracious mother who takes care of the house – accounts established, travel opportunities taken, photos and videos, experiences, and so on. I thank God, not only for these things that remain, but for the wisdom He gives me – I have the mind of Christ to be a good steward for these things.
In spite of all whom I’ve lost, and through all the ‘what-ifs’ and the ‘if-onlys’, I am thankful – first, for all who remain – family, and extended family; brothers and sisters in Christ, and the opportunities and connections I’ve made and maintained particularly since the transition between Q3-Q4 this year.
And, second, lest I forget – I am truly thankful to the Lord for those who came, stayed, and left – I’m not sad that these connections ended, more than I am thankful because they happened. Dare I make mention of them here?
I thank God, not only for these things, but for the wisdom He gives me – I have the mind of Christ to be a good steward of memories and experiences, in spite of the relentless temptation to regress into regret. And in His wisdom, I am just so humbled, so thankful right now – for all that I’ve had, for who I’ve had in my life.
Yeah, you read the other stuff I took note of – and do consider it. Christ was born at a time when the Roman empire was still over all, and her roads made their way to the ends of the known world; perfect for the Gospel to spread…
…and now that I think about it, with the Gospel already so readily available to the people of the ancient world at the time, its had plenty of time to take root and stick to a level of sophistication.
What I mean is that I believe the roads were perfect mediums for us to see the Parable of the Sower at work, for that time and age. Everyone travelled through the roads – rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, friends and enemies of the Republic, heroes, villains, soldiers, criminals, en masse or one at a time, by foot, carriage or horseback (elephants?)… and as everyone used the roads, the Gospel also did its own travelling, being shared at origin, in transit, or at destinations.
Seeds were planted, and we saw how they were stolen and eaten by birds, how they fell upon rocks and never fully grew, how they were choked by cares of this world and by deceitfulness of riches, and how they found good soil and yielded as much as a hundredfold.
I believe it was by the grace of God, the finished work of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit that, indeed, the Gospel flourished… but lest we ignore it, we’ve also seen other details:
There was (1) the means of how the Gospel was shared was also clarified for the time, (2) how the Gospel ministered to the needs of the people no matter where they were in the Roman Empire, and so on.
I propose that with the existence of the Roman roads, the Gospel did not only ‘grow’ in quantity, but also in quality… if that makes any sense.
With that said, I suppose we should give some thought to how the God’s Gospel grows in this day and age, considering the continued existence of roads (no longer Roman, but certainly covering much more of the entire world); But, here and now, we really shouldn’t be ignoring the existence of another ‘road’, another avenue for travel – The Internet, which is known among other things as an information road superhighway.
I think, before we go ahead and make our own proposals and plans, we probably should also look at the state of God’s Gospel here and now. I have NO doubt, the Gospel has grown – but HOW did it grow in quality, and in quantity, with the presence of the internet?
The speed of transmission of information has increased so exponentially. Once, as in any other good or service, we transported information; now, it’s so fast that information is literally teleported to our screens.
Logistical considerations have changed. Are we doing the utmost to ensure we make the most use of these roads, and these new roads?
I thank God, not only for these things that remain, but for the wisdom He gives me – I have the mind of Christ to be a good steward for these things.
That’s an ending that happened a whole lot more organic that I’ve been used to observing in the past days. Really good stuff.
May our good Father, in His wisdom, truly assist us in making proper consolidation, and, as mentioned in His word, may we test all things – even those we create – and may we hold fast to all that is good.
…and praise God, for all that is good is God.
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