Greetings, my friends; here we are into the fall of 2024 already, when our landscapes go through their colorful transition into winter, birds migrate to warmer climates, animals prepare for winter hibernation, and the days get shorter and colder. Children are back in school, football rules and basketballs will soon be swishing through nets, fall festivals consume weekends, and hunting season and Christmas shopping will soon be in full swing as we approach Thanksgiving. This year, it all takes place around an election that is full of vitriol, discord, lies, anxiety, and even violence.
Through Him…
“Through him all things were made: without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:3 (NIV)
The Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
One could easily get caught up in the ugliness of the election. Some do the very things they lecture their friends about, along with their perceived evilness of the opposing party or, if not the party, their hatred towards a particular person and those who support him or her. I understand that elections are important, and I will cast my vote and then focus my time on loving and serving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving my neighbors (Mark 12:30-31). I always hope and pray that my Glory testimonies reflect my love for God and my neighbors and encourage someone to get closer to God, including maybe a Christian or two, to become more Barnabas-like (read my last testimony to understand what that means).
I previously mentioned that Thanksgiving is approaching. It is the time for the traditional family turkey dinner, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, traditional college and professional football games, Black Friday shopping, and various family traditions. It wasn’t always that way, though. While it often involved a family feast, Thanksgiving was primarily intended to be a special time for praising God for His blessings, such as harvests, freedom, and security. Early Virginia settlers in 1619 decreed it to be a holy day. The Pilgrims celebrated it as a three-day harvest festival. Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, proclaimed it as a National Day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” Over time, Thanksgiving has become primarily secular, with religious services on the day almost non-existent in today’s modern world. Even though it is the middle of September as I write this article, our commercial Thanksgiving and Christmas world is already in full swing in our stores and in online and TV promotions.
As Christians, we shouldn’t wait until a National Holiday to give thanks. The Apostle Paul encourages us to “give thanks for everything to God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I try to do that daily. You may remember my “Praise God from whom all blessings flow!” (Ephesians 5:20) testimony in my spring article. Once I started trying to praise God daily, it became easier and easier as I realized I encountered so many blessings each day. I like singing the refrain frequently as I see and experience the many things for which I am grateful. I have found that giving thanks and praising Him is a great way to take the focus off me and put it on God.
When thinking about this testimony, I thought for a while about what blessing from God I am most grateful for as we approach fall. Initially, the colors and the boundless opportunities for photography, one last chance for gardening, the freshness of the air, the excitement of fall activities, etc., all came to mind. And then it hit me; it was nature! God blessed me with a tremendous life-long love affair with nature. I was meant to be outdoors, meandering through a field of flowers with my camera, wading in a stream, boating on a lake, hiking in the mountains, or strolling through the woods. What a joy it is to feel sunshine on my face, to hear the songbirds, the breeze rustling through the trees, and the gentle ripples of a stream, to smell the sweet aromas of the seasons, and to view God’s artistry up close and personal. I wasn’t made for the city; I need God’s natural surroundings to nourish my soul and to fill me with peace.
Much of my formative life was spent in two of God’s most beautiful places on earth. I was born in Devon, England, which is known as “Glorious Devon,” and eventually, I would settle in West Virginia, known as “Almost Heaven.” When not living in West Virginia, my wife and I traveled the world, living in beautiful places across the US and overseas, with Germany and Thailand being the most diverse countryside I’ve experienced. When I retired, we knew we would return to our beautiful state of our youth to live out our remaining years.
Almost Heaven, WV
Dolly Sods Wilderness in the Monongahela National Forest
Around the time I was saved about 14 years ago, God introduced me to photography. I was struggling at that time with life in general, and I found myself at the foot of the cross, which changed my life forever. God knew I loved this earth that He created. Whether gardening, fishing, hiking, or just driving backroads, He planted that love of nature in me long ago, first as a little boy playing on Dartmoor, England, and then as a teenager exploring the hills and valleys along the majestic Ohio River. Fast forward to the fall of 2011, I was at a photography workshop on WV’s Highland Scenic Highway. I had been dabbling in photography for three years and was making little progress. I even bought an expensive new camera, thinking that would help. It was too complicated. To say that I was a novice photographer would be an understatement. Early the first morning of the workshop, Linda, my instructor, and I were on our knees on the Cranberry Glades boardwalk. She was showing me how to shoot close-ups of cobwebs and wildflowers. After some lessons, she watched me as I did some shooting. Once I had taken a few shots, she reviewed them, looked at me, and said something like, “You have a good eye.” Not knowing what she meant, I must have asked, “What’s that?” and she replied, “You see things that most beginners don’t. Once you learn your camera, you will be taking nice photos.” I now know that’s a gift from God and another reason for praising Him from whom all blessings flow. Since that initial workshop, I have taken more lessons and traveled extensively, trying to capture nature’s beauty, which I call God’s Glory. I began sharing my photos with others via Facebook, photo exhibits, and an annual calendar. People seemed to enjoy them, and my Revealing God’s Glory ministry came out of that. I give God all the credit. He created the amazing beauty of our planet, He taught me how to see it and when to capture it, He blessed me financially to afford nice equipment and to travel around, and He led me to share His Glory as often as I can. It is a joy to do so. I find something to praise God with every day, not just on some national holiday called Thanksgiving.
My intent with this testimony is to briefly describe how God created nature and how I use my photos to reveal His Glory as we see in our surroundings today. We are so blessed in that God is not only the amazing creator but also the caring sustainer. Nature is so orderly and intertwined that if properly cared for by man, it will remain as designed and created since the beginning. I will rely heavily on Genesis chapter 1 (you may want to read it before or after finishing my article) as it tells how He “created the heavens and earth.” There is no videotape, no hard drives, no online media, and nothing available that we can see–for ourselves–exactly how He created nature. But there is truth, His Word, that describes that He spoke it into existence. It’s not my intent to explain how He did it. You will have to go elsewhere for that conjecture. I’m like Billy Graham in that regard, “if God said He did, I believe Him.” My goal is to focus on the glory He has revealed to me through nature photography. I have been blessed to see His Glory in so many large and small settings that it often overwhelms me. Let’s get started and get a glimpse of this amazing gift God created for us in the form of us.
Genesis chapter 1 describes how God created the Earth. John 1:3 (NIV) tells us that Jesus was involved in the creation of everything. “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Jesus, the light of the world, was intimately involved with all aspects of God’s creation. It all began on day one when God spoke, “Let there be light.” Without light, nothing exists. The same goes for photography. One must understand the nuances of light to become a photographer capable enough to capture the beauty of God’s creation. For Christians, too, it is all about the light, the light of Jesus that is: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s Glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Nature didn’t happen by chance or in a vacuum. These above verses are followed by those describing the creation of plants, trees, fishes and sea creatures, birds, livestock, wild animals, and all living creatures, i.e., how God created nature in an orderly and interconnected design as I show in this pictorial. He even arrayed the stars and established the sun and the moon to mark the seasons all for mankind. Such magnitude, order, and intricacy could not just suddenly appear on its own. It gives evidence to God’s limitless power to create and sustain life and His boundless love for mankind to create this wonderful environment we get to enjoy every day of our lives. Then, when man was lost to sin, He sent His son to die for our sins and rose from the dead to give us eternal life, the greatest gift of all. From the very beginning of time, God has continually been in the gift-giving business. David long ago praised God for His power and majesty: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky displays his handiwork” (see Psalm 19:1). That is why I never stop praising Him for His ongoing blessings. The following photos depict some of that marvelous handiwork. It is only a small selection by category of creation. It would take volumes upon volumes to reveal the entirety of His creative power and genius. I hope the photos will cause you to stop and think about this marvelous gift nature is and that you might not wait until Thanksgiving to praise Him for His love. Make it a daily habit. He would be so pleased, and you’ll be spiritually more prosperous from it.
Nature Pictorial
It is my hope that this photo essay fills you with an appreciation for not only the vast expanse of God’s creation but also His great love for us, whom He created in His image. If you read the entire initial chapter of Genesis, as I recommended, you will see that God considers each of us highly valuable. So much so that He created nature for all of us. I also hope my photos will inspire you to take more time to appreciate the amazing beauty that surrounds you every day. With this fall season upon us, there is no better time to start noticing the stunning evidence of God’s handiwork that He placed there just for you. If you do, you may come to agree with King David’s words so beautifully written thousands of years ago (Psalm 8:3-9 NIV):
Finally, if you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to invite Him into your heart now and ask Him to forgive you of your sins. Then, seek out a pastor or a Christian friend you know and ask for his or her guidance. If you do that, praising God from whom all blessings flow will become natural for you, and your life will be richer and so much more meaningful, as it did for me.
Until next time, Godspeed. Al
Main Feature Image: Sunset at Dolly Sods Wilderness, WV © Alan Tucker; Article photos: © Alan Tucker; Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
