Looking For Light

Posted byGary FultzPosted inabundant life, accountability, Build Faith, communion with God, deception, devotional, dreamer, eternal, Gary Fultz, GaryFultz Blog, God in Nature, Inner Peace, Jesus Christ, Know God, knowing God, most imortant relationship, Nature, Nature and Inner Peace, nature pictures, outdoor scenery, outdoor spiritual truths, Peace, perspective, Photography, picture truths, purpose in life, quality of life, relationship with God, spiritual concepts, Spiritual Perspective, Sunset picturesTags:, , , , , , , , ,

Sun. It came up again this morning. I don’t always get to see it lately between clouds and wild fire smoke. I had an inkling last night when the rain clouds allowed an evening of fire in the sky. I took some pictures in low light between wind gasps, hoping to catch some leaves being still. I did, but as always the issue is finding light. Light is good when you have a camera and an itchy finger with a posed tree and the leaves are behaving.

I noticed a climbing vine on a spruce tree turning red but it’s always in the shadows. As the sun set the leaves began to show their colors in the fiery sky. I caught them hugging the rough bark and brittle dead mossy bottom limbs that die from lack of sunlight.

I positioned myself to capture the sunset. It’s full of fire and taints everything a bit red. Filtered light has it’s own influence. I take a couple pictures and just watch. I love light. I need light. We all do. Everything we want to see needs light.

Compared to the sun, all else looks dark unless the sun shines on or through it.

Early this morning, before the sunrise, I found myself in 40 degree weather sitting on the deck, reading and praying. I watched the big burr oak in front of me find some sun first. I wanted to share some of my first light with a picture. What I saw is way more than I can show you in a photo but the light allowed this much.

My sky view from the back deck

The sun striking the branch tops have come alive. The presence of sun is life. I can take a picture, the squirrels suddenly explode in and out of the woods, birds are singing, Light shafts appear through the tree branches to the forest floor.

I take a few pictures of the light rays in the nearby woods and walk through the shadows and light shafts. I find what I am seeking as a couple of maple trees have begun to turn traitor to summer. Their green leaves are turning red and yellow. I pause under a branch of leaves fully exposed to the morning sun.

I love sunlight. All is exposed in the light. This is why evil loves darkness and hates the light. I’m remembering some of my morning reading. I go in search of a yellow ash tree which should be fully exposed to the sun by now. I am in search of light. The suns light causes such contrast. The golden glow is mesmerizing. I love light. I love the Sun. I will always be in search of it’s light.

I read recently that one of the most internet searches in our day is “Finding God” I thought back to my teen years when I found God. I found a relationship through Jesus Christ. I found life. I wonder how much Gods son reflects from me? His Love, joy, peace, patience, and his light. Do I glow? I don’t get to evaluate myself.

This yellow ash tree glowing in the sun is like someone who has found God. They are in the light, they receive the light gladly, they glow, they reflect God’s light. They are full of life.

As the tree seeks the sun from God, so we seek the Son of God

It was said of Jesus when He began to minister “the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”(Matthew 4:16)

Someone told me awhile ago they would find God on their own. I told them that the Book of John in the Bible had quite a good map in case they got lost.

Gary

It’s uncanny how much nature reflects truths of it’s creator. It’s common sense. Should we even be surprised?

Published by Gary Fultz

Outdoors Man, Hunter, Fisherman, Guide, Writer / Author, Photographer, Public Speaker, Musician, Song Writer, Story Teller, Follower Of Jesus. Love God and family and total strangers

54 thoughts on “Looking For Light”

  2. This yellow ash tree glowing in the sun is like someone who has found God. They are in the light, they receive the light gladly, they glow, they reflect God’s light. They are full of life.……a good map in case they get lost……..terrific Gary

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      1. Thanks You Sara. I am always surprised, thrilled, perplexed and sometimes wonder how many people see something that sticks out to them and not other things. In this post I felt good there is so much agreement from the readers with what my actual thought process was in writing it.

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    1. Thank you Suzette. If you could sit on our back deck in the morning, your creative brain would go wild on the sights and sounds. My neighbor often visits me there just to have a morning talk in the middle of his walk. Good times.
      I have a ritual. Every fall I walk up to the first tree I see leaves turning and whisper “Traitor”

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    1. My pleasure Wayne. On the subject of light to photography and life, and God is light, I was hoping to cut a small piece of that cake and get readers to take a taste of that flavor (so to speak). Our world needs Gods light so desperately.

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  5. I’m singing as I read your post 🎶 “Great Are You Lord” by All Sons and Daughters🎵

    “You give life, You are love
    You bring light to the darkness
    You give hope, You restore
    Every heart that is broken
    And great are You, Lord”

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  6. I am ashamed that I did not even know MN was dealing with wildfires. The media only shows the big ones in CA and NY, and the wildfire map for MN only shows small ones, but they’re all over the map! Here in Kentucky we are getting so much rain, it’s hard to even light a grill on the deck.
    Praying for you, my friend. c.a.

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  8. Your writing and magnificent pics brought to mind a favourite hymn of mine by George Robinson, 1838-77 (he obviously didn’t live very long): ‘Loved with everlasting love, led by grace that love to know.’ Verse 2 reads, ‘Heaven above is softer blue, Earth around is sweeter green; Something lives in every hue Christless eyes have never seen; Birds with gladder songs o’erflow, Flowers with deeper beauties shine, Since I know as now I know, I am His and He is mine!’ [IF I remember correctly, it was Dr. Billy Graham who described his conversion to Christ in terms of these words]

    Thanks so much, Gary.

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  11. Ahhhh, thank you for the light tour. My soul is refreshed.
    I am reminded of Isaiah 8.19 – Is 9.2, comparing the light and darkness (Jesus quoted Is 9.2). I printed this passage for when I pray for my brother and his family, who are Muslim.

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    1. you are welcome Kathy.
      The comparisons of light and dark are quite blunt with very stark contrasts. Psalm 1 and the comparison of a strong tree bearing fruit or chaff. It would be a good exercise to list all the ways the people right with God are compared to those who are not..

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    1. I’m glad jon. Someday we might have 3D technology for bloggers for viewing some real walkabouts. That would be something. Ironically nothing helps worship so much as a close walk everyday with Jesus to really see the connections he has for us in creation and nature around us.

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  16. Sunlight is special (sacred, even) to me also.  Especially when transmitted thru colorful leaves, as in this post’s delightful “traitor to summer” image.  While fall is the best season for such sights, it does not have a monopoly:

            *Stained Glass in Spring*
                    Leaves and seeds glow as
                    sunlight nourishes new life.
                    Cathedral window.

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  17. Gary, your words were as picturesque as your photographs. Your words about the ash tree were especially meaningful- “This yellow ash tree glowing in the sun is like someone who has found God. They are in the light, they receive the light gladly, they glow, they reflect God’s light. They are full of life.” A large, full ash was the centerpiece of our backyard for many years. I loved how brilliant it was in the fall. All other trees, even the sweet gum, paled in comparison. It was our girls’ playground with limbs to climb and a tire for swinging. Sadly, it fell prey to the ash borer and died (reminds me of the warning in 1 Timothy 4:1). So, thank you for seeking out your ash and sharing a picture of it in its brilliant fall foliage.

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    1. Thanks Beth. It seems each fall the trees line up and have a beauty pageant. This year the ash is beating out the maples who are used to wining. I have noticed that apart from people being more mobile, they are a lot like trees in so many ways. From being rooted and grounded to abiding and bearing fruit, even in response to seasons and storms we are alike.

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    1. Thanks David. you are good at catching the little things. As you know, many of our readers are speeding through the blogsphere giving out “likes” as if it’s Halloween candy. I want to write for those who engage, think, use their imagination to shove my insight boat further down the river of thought and feel invited to paddle along for awhile.

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  19. Gary, thanks so much for the photos (I especially liked the maple in the first picture) and your thoughts. Your blog does indeed invite us to slow down, see the sights, and ponder God’s messages. There is so much God has available for those who slow down into nature’s rhythm. The words to “This Is My Father’s World” came to mind as I read your post.

    I spent some time this afternoon taking pictures of the sunlight/shadows on the trees around our house. I want to practice sketching using the pictures as models/inspiration. I found out if I take my time, I can sketch something that comes (somewhat) close to what it’s supposed to be. The trees are good models, and the play of sunlight and shadows fascinates me.

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    1. Thank you so much.
      Slowing down to feeling natures rhythm is quite a discipline as well as gleaning insights of life and God’s ways.
      We have “This is my Fathers world’ in common. When I walk through the woods or see a beautiful shoreline from the boat or try to capture and frame one of natures details, I have that old hymn on my mind often. We get accustomed to the sun and the trees so much that we miss the details of the rough bark, coloration changes, light, shadow, branch angles and how many species we see at a time.
      Sketching sunlight and shadow sounds like quite an undertaking. Your approach to be slow and careful is wise.
      If we could stand in one spot in nature all day we would begin to see and hear the oracles throughout time and perhaps the Spirits whisper separate from the breezes.

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    1. Thanks Hamish. All light comes from God. We see only becase there is light. Just as seeing with the eyes of our heart..enlightened
      Understanding and knowing him intimately. Our light source. So a sunrise to me is a physical representation of saving us because the Son Rose. May we all see and know the Son rise in our hearts.

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    1. Thanks so much Mike. I know I am fortunate to live where I do. I had a black bear on my deck looking through the patio door (missed photo op) this morning, then a turtle scampered up our handicapped ramp on the other deck. A young doe brought her fawn and we watched her feed. Grass was higher than the fawn so we only saw it’s tail wagging in the air, but it was fun. most days are not as eventful but sometimes it’s crazy.

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