This black friday I decided to join REI in their #OptOutside alternative. Despite the rain and ice, I chose to hike along the Line Creek trail that goes through northern Kansas City. It was a peaceful & wonderful way to spend my day. Nature is always better 🙂
“On prend l’essence de la vie dans la ville.” “One captures the essence of life in the city,” the French said. To be in Paris was to have the world at one’s feet—“le monde à ses pieds.”  ― David McCullough, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris
To think of someone harming this beautiful city and its lovely people, makes me furious. And yet, again, it has happened. I am so tired of people ruining the lives of so many people for their own selfish causes. And so once again, I find myself praying for Paris. Praying for peace in this world. 
My job allows me to travel quite a bit. One of the things I really appreciate about traveling, in addition to meeting new people and seeing new places, is the ability to spend time in my own head. Every time I travel I try to look for places to photograph in my down time. I don’t always find good views, but I always find time to be in my own head while photographing.
This time in my own head is essential to my sanity. If I don’t create time to process life’s ups and downs, I quickly find myself overwhelmed. Â I’ve noticed that the more time I spend in my own head, the clearer my thoughts become.
In photography, a longer exposure time can produce better reflections. In this image below, my settings were ISO 800, f/2.8, for one second. This resulted in nice reflections, but I didn’t like how the ripples and waves were visible. So I made a few adjustments.
In the next image, I dropped the ISO to 50, closed the aperture down to f/8, and exposed for just over three minutes. This resulted in some very nice reflections for the fixed light points. The waves disappeared.
Sometimes all that’s needed in life is to slow down. Spending time in my own head helps the waves of life to disappear, and helps me to focus on the fixed points that are really important in my life. Â Here’s to wishing you good reflections!
Fall has got to be my favorite time of the year. The days are fresh and cool, the nights are crisp and jackets can be worn without being too uncomfortable.  Rain, colorful leaves, no humidity. Who wouldn’t love that?? So in honor of this change in season, go for a hike, ride a bike, or fall into a pile of leaves. 
The Church is a shelter when the storms of life confront us?
I would argue both true and false. First the false.
Too often when we think of “church” we think of a building. Pews. Stained glass windows. A pulpit. However, buildings are cold. In fact I have yet to be in a church that doesn’t feel sterile. As far as churches go, they are often empty most of the week, but become filled with life on the weekend. But when it comes down to it, a church is the same as any other building. It has walls, a roof, plumbing, and electricity. It protects those inside from the elements and gives an alternate atmosphere when conditions outside are unfavorable. As you can tell, there are definite possibilities for symbolic life lessons. But a church is still just a building. The only reason a church is special is that it has been “set aside” for a special purpose. Church buildings are often prayed over and consecrated for sacred purposes, and thereby considered “sanctuaries” or “sacred spaces.” The stained glass windows are meant to inspire the viewers into the impression that God has joined them in this place. But can a church building comfort us when the storms of life confront us? Not at all. The only comfort that can be gained would have to come from something else.
The truth is, church is people. It always has been. Anytime people talk about “the church,” they’re really talking about people who have a shared vision, belief, and purpose. This shared togetherness is supposed to be called community. Sadly too many churches are just buildings with people and not a strong sense of community. When the storms of life hit, is the church (people) really there for the people (church)? In his book Connecting, Larry Crabb says “I have come to believe that the root of all our personal and emotional difficulties is a lack of togetherness… tears without an audience, without someone to hear and care, leave the wounds unhealed. When someone listens to our groanings and stays there, we feel something change inside us. Despair seems less necessary; hope begins to stir where before there was only pain.” This authentic community is difficult to make a reality. It takes time, trust, and togetherness. Three “T’s” that are difficult to come by in the modern world. We have become fiercely individualistic and sort of like it that way.
So back to the question, “True or False: The church is a shelter when the storms of life confront us?” The answer depends on what you make of your own church. You are the church, so you get to decide what the church is in your own community. You choose your own priorities. You choose your own goals. You choose what to focus on in your own life. This will spill over to the company you keep, choose those wisely too. If you want the church to be a shelter when the storms of life confront others, you have to be a shelter yourself first.
Choose to be a shelter to those you can protect and encourage. Be that safe place to those in need.
Life Aperture 