Frosted Clarity- Look, See, Pray

Frost has outlined these little beauties. Rims and veins have attracted icy crystals which accentuate the shapes and forms of flower, berry and leaf. It makes for a nice picture!

You may be surprised to know it can help us do theology too.

Theology is “God Knowledge/Thinking.” The information we have, the principles we hold to, and the interpretation of God’s revelation enable us to begin to comprehend God. We debate, discuss, argue, theorise, and write BIG books! (Wouldn’t it be helpful sometimes to have a simpler explanation, a short book or cartoon instead? If so, read on about the frosty rose!)

Christians have prepared summaries of what we believe: we call them Creeds. “I believe in God the Father…” is the beginning of the Apostles’ Creed (one of the mainstream standards). These Creeds have been agreed by many believers over many years, and are often familiar to most churchgoers.

Each Creed sets out statements of faith; the things we agree on as “standard” for Christianity. They set out a “map” of faith, rather like the frost on the rose petals. We see where each one fits, what’s “in” as a part of normal faith. (There are, of course, differences of emphasis and nuance between the churches! But bear with me on the main principle.)

We cannot fully comprehend God- but one central Christian belief is that God has been and is self-revealing. We can see the Divine in Creation itself- through beauty and awe. The Bible is a written collection of the history of God’s interaction with humanity, inspired by God and amazingly effective at teaching us about God and His Ways.

I suppose we could write different doctrines on every petal to make it even clearer. For example: the nature of God; Creation; Salvation; Bible; Ethics, etc., etc.

Theology is the whole rose- but the parts can be looked at separately. We can always discover and experience more of God; so our study is open-ended, and there are “mysteries” as well as plain and obvious truths. But even if the rose is a symbol for theology, God is above and beyond it- the Gardener who is greater than the rose (or the whole garden).

Do you get the idea? Just as the frost has highlighted nature’s beauty, so choosing particular aspects of faith to study helps to make sense of the bigger picture.

The best starting place?

The life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus. As set out in the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we are introduced to the best self-revelation of God.

As Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” (John 14 v9)

Start here: GO.

Time to Breathe- Look, See, Pray

Living in a seaside town means the pace slows down when the holiday makers go home at the end of summer.

Traffic levels drop off a bit, and the seafront changes character. The kid’s playgrounds shuts down, the crazy golf closes, and the pier goes quiet. I remember a time when the pier was longer, and speedboats offered high-speed rides- such a thrill. The more sedate could take a donkey ride, or hire a deckchair.

It’s as if the town takes a breath before next year’s visitors.

That’s a good thing for the town: and it is a good thing for people to do the same. Early morning at low tide, a huge expanse of wet sand is exposed, with scattered soft rocky boulders ruling over little briny lakes. The sand is patterned with ripples by the receding water. A few crabs, some seaweed, worm casts, not much else to take the eye.

Early low sun-rays turn the sand into a glaring bright mirror. Locals take the opportunity to walk the sands, exercise the dog, breathe deeply of the salt-tanged air. Precious time to breathe; solitary if you like, or friendly passing chats with the dogs (and sometimes the owners!).

How wonderful to set mind and spirit at rest.

Praying whilst walking can be helpful practice. Sharing your thoughts with God, acknowledging His Presence with praise, and even working through doubts, fears, or troubles.

Meditating on a few verse from the Bible (or one of the great themes of faith or theology) can be a real blessing. Take a breath- and inhale the gracious Love of God with every step. Imagine walking alongside Jesus beside the sea and share a conversation…

Here is one passage to meditate on to seek deeper Wisdom:

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity.”
Proverbs 2:6-7

Take a breath. It will bless you- and bring you closer to Jesus.

Becoming Aware- Look, See, Pray

Cooler moist air, early angled sunshine, and a spider’s web becomes an artwork: its fragility set off beautifully by the smooth solid rose-hips adding hints of colourful, warm, apricot.

Eureka! The kind of web that when not lit up can be walked into by us as well as bugs which then enlivens mornings with an impromptu outburst of spluttering interpretative dance.

Suddenly all the delicate structure of the engineering of a web is plain to see. How did spiders ever learn to do that?

The complexity of a garden eco-system is astonishing. So many creatures taking part in the interweaving dynamic of Life. Then the plants that provide beauty, food, cover and more. From ant to tree, there is a place for everything. Most of the events in our gardens happen without our awareness. Life and death conflicts go on in the grasses, the soil, and the air. Hidden birds burst into song (which we sometimes fail to notice- that is surely a crime!).

Becoming aware of the life around us is important. It sets us in the proper context as part of our home, our community, our world.

We will see, hear and smell things that lift our consciousness, and even open us on a spiritual level. Respect for creation often leads to a deeper respect, a reverence, towards God. Theologians talk about God being “immanent” – being present in and sustaining life- and this means God can be encountered in and through the stream of life we are part of. Grace roosts in our treetop, waiting to fly down to our shoulder.

As we step into our home, into our garden, onto our day’s journey, we are on holy ground. God is present, and through encountering His Presence we participate in holiness. We are “set aside” for a holy purpose which can be worked out wherever our day takes us.

My day started with a spider’s web. And I sensed the pleasure of Jesus as I photographed it, and as I started to write about the experience. God is here, as He always has been. Now, I am aware.

Psalm 113:4-6

The Lord is high above all nations;
His glory is above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God,
Who is enthroned on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and in the earth?

Beauty as a Key- Look, See, Pray.

Beauty in Nature is evident to most people, whether the colours of a flower or the song of a blackbird. A raspberry picked and eaten fresh is an exquisite experience; the gentleness of new beech leaves is like stroking satin. To be deprived of one or more of our five senses is rightly considered to be a great loss.

I have discovered that enjoying beauty in nature is a key that unlocks my spiritual senses. Finding the “fingerprint” of the Creator excites my spirit as well as emotions. So I use photography as a means to “record” God’s creative thought; it allows me to use Nature as a staircase to climb nearer to God.

Beauty is, for me at least, part of a three-pronged strategy for worshipping and knowing God. Becoming sensitive to the Presence and action of the Holy Spirit is the second “prong” – this is the hardest to explain as it is a “knowing” that is partly revelation of God and partly my attuned intuition. Third, but by no means least, is the role of Scripture. This is the written form of the Lord’s revealing grace through history, poetry, narrative, and prophecy- it is VITAL.

Bible “reading” by itself is good: then the effort that goes into truly comprehending the Books so they can inform and guide is considerable. Four years at Bible College was only the beginning of the beginning of me discovering Truth, paradox, mystery, and divine grace.

Learning to “do the Bible” is truly praiseworthy; the reading must affect our hearts as well as our mind. If not, we may become well-educated pieces of dead wood! Knowledge about God cannot take the place of KNOWING God.

Sometimes we struggle for closeness to God, and beat ourselves up about not reading the Bible enough (and/or not praying enough).

So if you find yourself “running rough” (or failing to connect through what we might call “religious acts”), try this approach route:

Go and FIND something absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Contemplate your “find” and ask questions of yourself (and of God).

1. Why does this move me?
2. How have I experienced God through beauty in the past?
3. What is it about this particular “beauty” that impacts my spirit?
4. Lord God, what are YOU saying to me in this?
5. Lord, please will you help me to draw closer through this beauty, and remind me of Scriptures that speak further of Your Love; then allow Your Spirit to breathe life, fire or living water in to my soul.

By the way, aren’t Foxgloves pretty?
Enjoy the photo- and seek Jesus through it!

Ways to the Way- Look, See, Pray

Do you have a favourite “method” of approaching God?

As groups/churches, we do things together: we typically sing praise and worship, we pray, we study Scripture and listen to our pastors/teachers, and we use rituals/symbolic actions like baptism and Communion. All these are wonderful ways to open ourselves to God, and bring our offering of worship. We learn about God’s ways AND we learn to love God for Himself.

Probably we “do” some of these things in personal devotions too.

Some find God seems closer when they are doing practical things – cooking, or building, serving others by showing compassionate Love. There are indeed many routes by which we approach.

It may well be that some of those “doings” DON’T help you- I have a friend who is not musical and endures the songs! Or the prospect of praying out loud scares you.

Finding out the most helpful approach for ourselves is a life-changer.

This page, “Look, See, Pray” exists because I find observing and enjoying nature in Creation really acts as a highway to heaven! Combined with my love of photography, the sights and sounds of our wonderful planet inspire me with awe of the Creator and Saviour- and I offer my pictures as an offering to the Lord- a child’s attempt to mimic and appreciate what Father has done.

Take a look at the astounding dragonfly in today’s photo. This beauty flew into the garden, and spent a while posing (resting) on the roses and the sun-warmed brick walls.

Quite content to pose, this gorgeous creature allowed me to admire and record moments in its existence. For me, the photo is a PRAYER of thanksgiving to the Creator. And I hope it may inspire you as well.

I have discovered that my spiritual health NEEDS exposure to nature. Fresh air, wonderful light, the wind and waves, the swish of plants in the breeze: the graceful swan, the hilarious-looking camel, a sunset or a dragonfly… These all point me God-wards. Contemplating such beauty brings me face-to-face with the One who spoke Creation into being. Then I am more likely to benefit from the words, music and habits of a “Christian life.”

So then… Do YOU have a favourite “method” of approaching God?
How would you explain it to someone who enquired about your living faith and your trust in Christ?

Be blessed as you give the question some deep thought!

Splintered Light- Look, See, Pray

“Stand with the Sun behind you and you’ll get a nice photograph.” Safe advice, often given to new photographers… I think that film manufacturers wrote something similar in with the rolls of film (I’m assuming some of you remember “film” for prints or slides). It was not cheap, and developing costs for prints were quite high. In the Era B.D. (Before Digital) poor hobbyists had to work hard, and not take too many chances. Playing safe saved money! Quite often the results were predictable, and frankly often boring.

Taking a photo like the one above was a big “no-no”. Risky! Measuring the light (or guessing the exposure) was an arcane exercise. Although, from the 1970s onwards technology was progressing and in-camera light meters reduced the odds of failure.

Experience gained (often from making mistakes) helped; and whole books were penned about “correct exposure” and effective composition. A steep learning curve and an expensive hobby!

Today’s photo is of frosted grasses and weeds, just beginning to thaw in early morning sunshine. The sunlight was at 45⁰towards the lens, backlighting the droplets and splintering the light. I used a low crouching position to shield the lens from direct sunlight, preventing flare and sunspots. Clever stuff! (I won’t spoil the effect by telling you how many other attempts of scenes like this were failures.)

Taking risks and seeking out “learning moments” will shape us into better photographers. Capturing light and interpreting it is the very heart of photography. Funnily enough, the principle is very similar to good theology! Looking at the Light of revelation, and trying understand and apply it to life- what we know about God, and what difference it makes.

We can “play safe” with faith, carefully colouring in between the lines and avoiding tricky questions. Predictable, satisfying, unobjectionable. We can learn “our” party line, listen to “safe” speakers, and hide safely in the crowd. For a while at least, that can be good enough.

But when BIG questions come up, when tragedy rocks our foundations, when moral and theological issues impact “our” small world, we have to go looking for insights from a fresh angle. We look into the Light, squinting and blinking, and discover that splintered Light illuminates in a newly beautiful way. In taking a risk, we are stretching out in our faith- and always seeking to draw closer to God Himself. The essential “Good News” (the Light itself) is unchanged; but moving our viewpoint helps us see MORE.

Perhaps learning more about the Bible itself from scholars and mature believers; or opening ourselves to “Go on going on being filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5 v18). The great Reformers and Puritans had a saying “The Lord has yet more Light to break forth from His Word.” When we stop learning, we stop growing.

Jesus took his Twelve disciples on a three-year journey of discovery. They learned about God, about the Scriptures, about themselves- and a whole load of experiences and puzzles that stretched their minds and spirits until they became more and more like Jesus. They took risks, faced impossible odds, saw God at work in unthinkable ways: they wept at the crucifixion and were astounded at Resurrection. They then received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost… and their story journeys through the centuries to join our own.

Faith and photography are simply “learning to see Light.” Then the Light reveals Life, and drives out the darkness. “Faith” and “photo” can both be spelled R-I-S-K.

Frost-Art… Look, See, Pray

This a frost picture from 2015… we haven’t had a frost yet in 2024. Though I fear it won’t be long!

Heavy frosts have a funny effect on fallen leaves: they cover and conceal, but at the same time they also reveal the structure of each leaf. Edges are outlined; the ribs and veins are highlighted. Every leaf is enriched by its icy shroud.

Let’s face it, these leaves photographed as soggy wet sludge wouldn’t be very attractive! But here we see a “sculpture” crafted by Nature. It is fleeting art, quickly melted, and and truly ephemeral. None the less, its beauty deserves to be enjoyed, to be appreciated and admired.

It has no financial value. It cannot be “collected” other than via a camera. Some may say “What is the point?”

These leaves are BEAUTIFUL. That’s the point. Appreciating beauty is one of the things that makes humans more than “just” apes. Life needs more than wealth, more than “success” and fame. Real vibrant living appreciates marvels, mysteries, and moments.

I may have been the only sentient being that witnessed this little miracle ice-sculpture which was tucked away a few yards from the paths at Whipsnade. I chose to walk through long grass and brambles to a tiny glade on the edge of a wood- curious to see if there was anything worth photographing. In between the bears and the penguins, the scrubland concealed a treasure: and I have shared it with you.

Has it changed your life? Or mine? I doubt it. But it has enriched life and caused me to wonder at such hidden beauty. Wonder turns very easily into worship. Consider how generously, almost profligately, beauty is dropped behind every bush, on every leaf, making art for free- and much of it will remain unseen and unknown. It’s still good, and is a grace-gift, undeserved and unobserved.

Will you take a wander to look for wonder? On the first frosty morning, go round the garden or local forest. Look for beauty, off the beaten track, and take a pic on your phone. Then you can have your own unique masterpiece to gaze at in wonder.

If you look with the eyes of your soul, you may discern the signature of the Creator-Artist whose Love brings forth fresh beauty…

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”
Genesis 1:31

Purple Prayers- Look, See, Pray

The glossy purple crocus- a royal flower, complete with orangey-gold centre. These three responded to a couple of days of sunshine, and now grace my front garden. So beautiful to see.

It’s important to be grateful for such beauty: and to say “thank you” promptly. By their fragile nature, these pretty blooms will fade fairly quickly. Frost/rain/slugs could make off with them by the morning… Though others will take their place and, in turn, will bring me again to a moment of joyous celebration!

So, thank You, Father God.

The wonder of Your creation

never ceases to thrill me.

So, for the intense colour,

the glossy petals

and the bright contrast,

a thousand thank yous

are not enough.

Everything You have made

leads me to celebrate

Your goodness,

Your imagination,

Your sense of style.

Thank you for making me happy!

Thank you for consolation

when happiness has fled.

Thank you for colourful hope,

and the succession of beauty

that fills the garden.

Lord, may I be as good a witness

as one small crocus-

that in seeing me,

someone else may give thanks

for an act of kindness or grace.

May Jesus embrace me in love,

so Light may embrace another.

Amen!
18th March 2024, Richard Starling.

Why “Art”? Look, See, Pray

Some pictures move me on a mental, emotional and spiritual level. Wondering why this is so, I looked up a definition of art and found several. Like this one:

“Art is an expression of yourself, so create a mood with your description. Describe it as if the person were in pitch black and could not see it. Think about the feeling you want to express through your piece. What did you feel when you made this?”

I was experimenting with some old photos, and found some of Pagham Harbour nature reserve. The original photo was a bit dull- the ground was dark and featureless, the sky rather bland. A bit of tweaking made it better. Then I applied a “texture” filter, and suddenly the picture spoke. It became like an oils-on-canvas painting, and came alive.

What did I feel when I made this? Excellent question! It made me remember what I felt when I took the photograph. Quietness is a feature of the Reserve. The most noticeable noises are natural ones; the sound of waterfowl, the gentle lapping of the water. Cool gentle air moved enough to make me shiver. Curlews whistled nearby, and that always sounds mournful- or perhaps “plaintive” is the word I’m looking for.

Natural sounds too often get masked by “progress.” Engines, planes, radios, shouting and bustle. It’s almost as though we are afraid of silence, of any quietness, so that we have to go looking for it and leave our civilised mod-cons behind.

Why do I love the open air so much? Because I can slow down and listen, look round and take in the “art” that God made. It is a meeting-place free of distractions. An art gallery of beauty signed with the Creator’s mark- and He said of the world “It is good.”

I can’t know YOUR reaction to this picture. Does it make you feel something, make you take a second look? ! wonder… (Try opening the photo to full screen for more impact.)

God is present at all times and places… our problem is one of being un-receptive, or impatient, or preoccupied. We need to find the art, the places, and the open heart that allows us to encounter Love. After all, God has said that we WILL find Him, when we seek with all our heart…

Infinite- Look, See, Pray

Whenever I am tempted to think I have everything sorted out, God has a way of reminding me that I’m not that amazing. Sunsets, sea, sand, sky… too vast and marvellous for me to calculate or control. My response is personal, but cannot be separated from the union of worshipping Church through all ages.

So then, Lord God,
this interaction of matter, light, and wonder
humbles my heart before the infinite glory, 
telling me there is a Glory beyond Glory.
Infinite Love and Infinite Grace,
Absolute Holiness and Divine Majesty,
You alone are God.
I thank You for the gift of another day,
and praise You for revealing Love 
that covers my sins
as the sea scrubs the sand.
Far above the golden air
energised by the Sun
Lifts my soul to contemplate infinity-
yet infinity is wrapped in your Hand
and stars and galaxies beyond sight 
glow in the Presence 
that has come to Earth
and will reconcile all things to Yourself.

Lord, I am too small
too limited
and too flawed
to offer perfect praise-
all I have I give You,
a prodigal son
in a prodigal world,
hardly daring to believe
my Father runs to greet me:
my crucified Christ Rose for me,
Holy Spirit Presence fills me-
For I was lost, and am now found;
I was dead, and am alive in You.

Such Infinite Mercy,
such mystery of grace.
In Christ alone mystery is unfurled
as the Banner over me is Love.
Amen.

(c) Richard Starling, 2021