This is my belated response to the challenge earlier this week....photos that tell our stories.

I was raised by very fine godly parents. My dad especially had a special place in his heart for the church. I wanted very much to be an artist, but felt called into the gospel ministry. The last congregation we served before I retired had a very picturesque sanctuary set on a hill, seen in the first shot. I took lots of pictures of it in all seasons, but this is my favorite. It reminds me of the hymn phrase, "hold thou the cross before my closing eyes, shine through the gloom and point me to the skies."

I never lost my love of art, and I have tried over the years to integrate love of beauty into my ministry, and photography has been one way to do that in the last years. I made several series of PowerPoint presentations, usually seasonal, which were projected during our offerings. I always felt that my photos were an offering too.

From time to time, I like to arrange still lifes to make photos of. My wife is an avid gardener, and the second shot is a tribute to her efforts.

My wife planted vegetables, I planted flowers. The third photo is a still life of a sunflower I grew a few years back. I got my love of flowers from my mother.