Friday Flashback. Wedding Photography outfit.

I did wedding photography for many years. I started with film and then transitioned to Digital. I am now no longer doing weddings but occasionally get asked. Before auto focus and digital my cameras were mainly Pentax. Pentax 35mm and Pentax 645.The Pentax Super A was my favourite from those days and coupled with a Metz Flash and Quantum battery pack I was ready for anything.

James Chapter 3 from the Living Bible

Thus is number three in this series of five readings from the Book of James.Practical Christianity.

Pistol Pete Maravich christian testimony

Pistol Pete Maravich is arguably the best ever basketball player.Search on youtube for some of the documented highlights.Amazingly he quit basketball in his prime.He died when he was only 40.Not long before this his Christian testimony was recorded.This is an incredibly earnest presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.If you are not a Christian listen to this compelling story.If you listen right through you will be moved.

James Chapter 2. Practical Christian living.

Today I am reading James chapter 2. The 2nd of 5 readings in James.This will also be published on my going deeper with God blog. You can access that from the web version of this blog. There is a link in the top right hand corner. Also remember to read any version of the Bible online go to the Bible Gateway.

The Book of James. Practical Christian Living

Readings from the book of James. This book in the New Testament is a very practical guide on how we should live. There will be 5 separate readings for 5 chapters. You can access all versions of the Bible including the Living Bible from the Bible Gateway.You can see more of these videos on my going deeper with God blog. See the link at the right on the web version of this blog.

Friday Flashbacks

I have a huge collection of old photography magazines which were basically my go to learning tools as I progressed as a photographer.Here is a glimpse of what's in them and this could become a regular thing.Please note I mentioned in this video I captured an image of an Australasian Bittern. Experts have now told me it was a Juvenile Nankeen Night Heron.

From the Wayside Chapel by Jon Owen

Dear Inner Circle,

Last week I spoke about listening out for the small wisdoms coming to us as whispers during these troubled times. When the shock of all the rapid changes in our lives subside, there are many messages to be received and lessons to be learnt as we move towards a hope for a better tomorrow. A crisis like this has within it all the power we need to get our bearings, take stock, clarify the big issues and to expose the “noise of normal” as riddled with illusion.

Listen carefully and you’ll hear a whisper that we are all connected.  Truths almost unthinkable weeks ago are now revealing themselves. The health of the rich also depends upon the health of the poor. The notion of every person for themselves, has been replaced by a collective sense of responsibility. The idea that health is a commodity that can be bought, now bears no discrimination. The habit of spending our way to happiness is being exposed as hollow. Celebrities are being seen at home as regular people. And what is most important, like the hug of friends and family, and the support of loving community are glaringly obvious, only now that they have been taken away.

So too are the illusionists showing up. The leaders of the world who work for economic profit over social good are being revealed with a smile on their face, but with death in their hearts. Essential medical supplies are being shipped overseas to the highest bidder, even at the expense of local need. Funding is being withdrawn from international health organisations as a matter of pride. The familiar naysayers are being revealed as destructive and having nothing meaningful to say. Many spiritual leaders aren't praying for the people, but preying on them.

We all deserve better, and we can do so much better. The choice is ours to embrace. To make what once was impossible and continue to make new things possible. To see the huge potential of creating better communities and collectively a better world.

I give special honour to our essential Wayside frontline teams who are spending every evening now reaching out to people who need our help the most. It’s not just those who sleep on the street or who are in cramped boarding houses or garages or sleeping in cars. Our biggest worry now is for those who have no family, or pets, and who live on their own. I doubt that anyone has begun to count the cost of isolation for these people yet. Some thrive on their own, but most are being brought to the edge as mental health issues are made unmanageable by loneliness. Our teams are literally a lifeline for many people who are totally isolated, who hear the news and worry themselves into a state of anxiety that is crippling and dangerous. We will continue to deliver our care by phone, by foot and by van to driveways and through front screen doors at people's homes. We are working differently these days but as always, we direct our efforts towards the people who live at the intersection between life and death every day. My deepest respect to our outreach teams.

Thanks for being part of this Inner Circle,

Jon

Jon Owen
Pastor & CEO
Wayside Chapel

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Photowalk at the Local Wetlands

We are fortunate to live only a short drive from a local wetlands.
A few years back it was an open area where our kids and others had driving lessons.
Now it is a beautiful wetlands and park.
During the pandemic and social isolation it is ok to get out and exercise as long as we keep our distances correct.
So this afternoon I went there for a walk and took a few pics.

This is a juvenile Nankeen Night Heron seen today 15/4/20 at another local nearby wetland.

Easter Message 2020

Easter greetings to all who may visit this blog.I trust you are ok wherever you are and pray that God will comfort anyone who may be suffering the loss of a loved one.

Where does God come into it?

This is the second in my posts from Offbeat responses from the Bible by Frank Hunting. I will be posting these on a regular basis. They also appear on my youtube channel and my "Going deeper with God" blog. There are links to these on the web version of this blog. This series is especially for Christians but if you are not a Christian you may find it interesting.

Off Beat Responses to the Bible. New Devotional series

Join with me as I share a new series of devotional readings that are also on my Youtube channel.

Wanting to know how to reach out to God during the Pandemic!

In underground church Coober Pedy ,South Australia.

My blog and youtube channel is not backward in sharing the Gospel.

I do what I can to further the cause of Christ and would not know how many people are influenced by what I have shared.
Many people who might normally not be too concerned about God and Jesus and life after death have cause for a rethink at the moment because of the world crisis through the Corona Virus..
Becoming a Christian will not mean that you are immune from the virus.
But you can know God's peace and power of His Holy Spirit to comfort you and give you hope and a future.
It is likely that many will turn to God at this time and when the world recovers and time distances us from this crisis then some might desert what might be a new found faith.
Well I became a Christian in 1974 and it was a series of personal crisis that put me on a search.
I resisted God strongly but in the end I ran out of reasons and arguments about why becoming a Christian was not something I should do.
I had sat in Church for 3 years with my wife already a Christian,because I promised her I would go.
I heard the word of God,the Bible,faithfully expounded each week by Harold Long our Pastor.
Just before our first child was born I decided to take the plunge.
The Bible teaches that Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
Harold would today be called a Fundamentalist which has come to be a derogotary term for Christians.
It doesn't bother me.
God used Harold to convince me about Jesus.
I have never regretted making a decision to receive Jesus Christ as my Saviour.
It does not mean hat I have been spared more personal challenges since,but I have faced then knowing that God was in control of my life.
There is much on this blog and my youtube channel that can help you to see how, when and why you can know God, know Jesus and experience His peace.
Also note that there is a language translator on this blog if you have trouble with English.
When I went to the front of the Church in 1974 at the altar call, I went to the vestry afterwards and Harold guided me through a little booklet called the Four Spiritual Laws.
Se the link below to a pdf download.

http://www.4laws.com/laws/downloads/PolEng4pWBw05Mar.pdf

It is a simple presentation of the basics of Christianity.

It is only the beginning but a good place to start.

As you take these first few steps you will find a whole new world opens to you and you will be given a new outlook on life. a new disposition and a security you haven't known before.
Yu will know you have eternal life not based on any quality that you may have but what Jesus has done for you on the Cross.
So here are some links to various posts and youtube video/podcasts to help you take those first steps.

If you work your way through my blogs and youtube channel you may find the answers you are looking for in the various writings and youtube posts.

https://geoffthompsonsblog.blogspot.com/2017/05/whatever-happened-to-evangelism.html

https://geoffthompsonsblog.blogspot.com/2019/11/facts-that-strengthen-our-faith.html

Is there a conscious existence beyond the grave? by Harold Long 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaV6Bh1hUGc&t=101s

Here also is a link to the daily audio Bible podcast that you will find is a way of hearing the word of God on a regular basis.

https://dailyaudiobible.com/

Now is also a time to vist many churches who are doing online services.

Search for the ones in your area  where you might want to start attending in person when the Pandemic is no more.

Have a very blessed Easter.

I pray for someone venturing here it might be the first Easter where the Easter story finally makes sense.

Geoff Thompson

Back to book reading during the virus crisis

Think how life would be if the internet crashed.

What would you do?

We all, most of us, have a craving for information and intellectual stimulation,entertainment,instruction.

Many access all this from the internet.

Books have been out of fashion for a while.

Some modern homes you will hardly find any.

An occasional cook book perhaps.

Thankfully many kids still have story books read to them and they can bring them home from their school library.

I have started reading hard copy again because I have a huge eclectic home library.

In the rest of my lifetime I will not have the time to read them all.

I am currently reading "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London.

Maybe one should get some of your titles out of the attic or wherever you have them stored.

Make a decision that when the virus crisis has passed to start building up a home library of tangible, touchable resources.

Since I first  wrote this, here are some others I have been reading.
 "White Fang" by Jack London
"Journey to the Centre of the Earth" by Jules Verne
Ernest Hemingway's short stories.
"The Jungle Books" by Rudyard Kipling

Restructuring Wedding Photography after and during the Pandemic

We are living in very turbulent times amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic.
It came with little warning and has had a huge impact world wide.
Many in Photography are commenting what they can do to survive as photographers.
For many years,as you can see from this blog, I was a wedding photographer.
I never managed to see that I could do it full time, although I did a couple of times.
But I looked at the situation realistically and knew I had a mortgage and a family to support.
If was a standalone operator with none of those responsibilities then I am sure I could have succeeded.
Albeit with some lean times.
I knew the difficulties of making a career in anything to do with the arts.
That could be Photography,Theatre,Writing, Painter,Singer, Actor and the list goes on .
I used to work in the Australian Government and would interview people accessing un-employment benefits.
Sometimes I found myself interviewing people who were well known names in the arts but between gigs things got rough at times.
Now I am grateful for the decision I made to be a "weekend warrior" as a wedding photographer.
I had a job all those years and superannuation was accumulating.
The money I got from photography was a bonus.
I still had the satisfaction of producing good photography and often mixed with those who were full time.
Indeed I found also I had an ability to teach photography.
I occasionally taught courses in wedding photography and some went on to be quite successful full time photographers.
I hope they are coping now.
I got a leaflet in my letter box yesterday for the first time from a local portrait studio.
That is a sign things are tough.
So my proposition is that Photographers may need to shift the goal posts a little.
Modern technology is such now that I think the time has come for people to rethink how they operate.
It may take a lot to swallow some pride and do the unthinkable and seek an alternative employment but maybe the time has come.
You can still pursue your craft with much satisfaction and financial reward in a different way.
I am sure many of the photographers whose work and blogs and youtube channels I enjoy have transferable skills.
I hope and trust all of you out there at this time are healthy and doing all the necessary things to stay so.

Photo walking in the Pandemic

As we are in various restrictions in Adelaide and Australia because of the Coronavirus pandemic it is till possible to do some things.
I can go for a walk for exercise as long as I practice the distance restrictions when out and about.
I normally walk at least once a day.
So today, Friday 3rd April I went for a walk to and along a nearby linear park.
I took my camera as I know there are some beautiful flowering gum trees on the walk.
Various birds including the multi coloured Rainbow Lorikeet are active in these trees at present.
So here are some shots from my walk.
I also put into practice what Sean Dooley of Birdlife Australia is recommending.

https://www.networkbirdlife.org/home/2020/3/25/birdwatching-this-is-your-time-to-shine

All pics taken with a Canon 600d with a 75-300mm Canon Zoom lens.

Camp Farthest Out- Somewhere to go while Isolated

Years ago when I became a Christian both of my Ministers at times talked about attending Christian Camps conducted by an organisation called Camp Farthest Out.
Below is a statement of their faith.

Excerpted from
Our Bond of Faith
Given by Glenn Clark to the Camps Farthest Out
We take as our Source and Center the leadership of Jesus Christ.
We accept as our law of conduct and the source of
our energy the two Great Commandments that
He gave us upon which rest all the law and the prophets.
Our Constitution of Conduct shall be woven out of The Sermon on the Mount.
We recognize that this Way of Life can be learned
as a Science and practiced as an Art, but not until it is experienced in the form of Spiritual Rebirth can its full Power be released upon earth.
EVERYTHING about our union together and our basis for working together shall be as fluid as the
sea and as free as the air. Christ and all He represents is central; everything else is marginal.
With this bond of faith to unite us, one in impact but not in compact, with union in Christ and freedom in action, moving as an organism and not as an organization, we hope to unify and strengthen the deeper spiritual forces of the nation and the world that are working to save mankind in this age of crisis. 

Note that Glenn Clarke mentions "this age of crisis"

The world is always in crisis in my opinion but seemingly more so at present with the Pandemic in full swing.

I believe the organisation is till operating in Australia.
I have some tapes in my cassette collection by some of their well known speakers.
You can actually listen to many of their speakers at their Classic Library website.
See the link below.

https://www.cfoclassicslibrary.org/

There maybe recorded messages here that although many recorded  long ago can help you through and strengthen your faith.

The speakers involved were from many different Christian denominations.

I am currently listening to one of my tapes by Norman Renshaw, recorded at Nunyara Belair in January 1977.
He was a British Baptist minister.
It is my intention to digitise it and put it on my youtube channel.

Don't be deceived by the title. It is a great practical message about loving those you find difficult.

This post is also on my Going Deeper with God Blog.

Birdwatchers. Your Time to shine says Sean Dooley

Crimson Rosella

King Parrot

New Holland Honeyeater

Black Collared Dove.)( Juvenile)

Willy Wagtail

See the link below to a beautifully written piece about how we can enjoy our backyard birds in this time of isolation because of the virus pandemic.

Sean Dooley is from Birdlife Australia and author of the famous birding book, the Big Twitch.

https://www.networkbirdlife.org/home/2020/3/25/birdwatching-this-is-your-time-to-shine