13 Hours of Rain

My burden was once again punctuated by a moment where I witnessed you kids singing Vacation Bible School songs at a church near our home. I teared up as I took in the sight and sounds of 100+ kids praising Jesus. In that space, I prayed that the seeds of faith would be planted deep in your hearts. And that your faith and the faith of the ones surrounding you would grow and mature and survive the transition from home to adulthood. Because so many young adults these days are packing their bags, moving away, and saying goodbye to church. I believe the North American church does a reasonable job of introducing our children to Jesus. We have our Sunday School programs, mid-week Kids' Clubs, Bible camps, and Vacation Bible Schools. And as our children transition from childhood to the teenage years, Youth Groups take over with their mix of Bible Studies, pizza parties, and community service. It is often the hope and prayer of Children Ministers and Youth Pastors that these experiences...

Yesterday, I found myself in the stationary store, filling my cart with school supplies while methodically checking items off a list. You two kids were exploring the surrounding treasures or accompanying your Dad as he picked up items from obscure aisles. Part of me was giddy, as I soaked in the aroma of new wax crayons and the sight of fan-dangled binders. I loved school as a kid and purchasing school supplies brought back happy memories of learning. The other part of me was sad at the end of two very quick months of random schedules and flexible timelines. I have enjoyed viewing more cork board than paper on our family's bulletin board. I have thrived in a more relaxed environment, where we awoke when we wanted to (well, you kids anyway) and enjoyed quieter weekdays. Plus, it was been great to have your Daddy home. Soon, the schedules will begin, the alarms will sound, the school newsletters will arrive. And we will rush off to catch the big yellowish-orange bus for another 1...

Your Grandpa & Grandma's backyard is a gold mine for a photographer's eye. The entire yard is filled with a variety of foliage, texture and ambience that transforms a run-of-the-mill portrait to something deserving a second glance. I had a blast clicking and experimenting away on you two! Here are some of my favorites pictures taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T5 and a 75 - 300 mm zoom lens: Settings: Creative Auto , 1/200, 5.0, ISO 100   Settings: Portrait , 1/200, 4.5, ISO 100, Light/Scene: Shade Settings: Portrait , 1/250, 4.0, ISO 100, Light/Scene: Shade For all of the above pictures, my camera automatically set the shutter speed, the aperture opening and ISO rating based on the subject and background lighting. However, for the last two shots, I selected the Light/Scene setting as "Shade" before I took the picture, which gave the picture a warmer tone than under the default setting. For comparison, check out the next picture which was taken ...