bobmielke Loc: Portland, OR

I literally was booted from another forum for just commenting that my two friends were Christian. That's not going to stop me.

roger allen Loc: another planet

you wont be sorry you did order it - i think it will make you a better artist and a better more fullfilled christian
let me know what you think about it as you read it - i couldnt put it down and in fact i re-read it twice
roger

Sandy W. Loc: NW Indiana

I am new to this site and I really enjoy all of the posts and photographs that are on this forum. posted here.

I saw your post regarding God's hand in photography and I felt compelled to share my picture. There is a story behind this photograph. My husband and I lost our oldest son to pancreatic cancer 2 years ago, and shortly after his death we were at his home in Brown County, Indiana, removing some of his belongings. We had spent the night and it had rained all night. By morning, the rain had ended and the sun was shining. My husband went outside and then called for me to hurry up and come outside. I went out and what I saw was like nothing I had ever seen in my life. There were sunbeams everywhere shining through the trees on my son's property. My husband and I were both so overwhelmed. I ran in the house and grabbed my little Fuji point-and-shoot camera and took several shots. We both felt as if God was giving us a gift that day and I will never forget that moment and how I felt. A feeling of wonder and of peace came over me. It was if He was saying that everything would be all right. I have had the photograph enlarged to 16x20 and it now hangs on the wall in our sunroom. I see it every day, think positive thoughts about my son, and thank God for the opportunity to witness such a beautiful moment.

dasboat Loc: Vernonia,Ore.(Vernowhere)

You are not alone Rodger,For if no one was to call out His name,even the rocks would sing praise's to Him !

kgschoening

Wow! Such a wonderful shot, and I'm so glad you and your husband were able to see God's hand in it! Thanks for sharing the photo and the comment.

T-Ray Loc: Tennessee

Members of this country died so that I could worship without fear...I intend to use it. I'm so glad that everyone who has posted feels that freedom! I really love this forum and value everyone's input! Thank you for sharing!

JimH Loc: Western South Jersey, USA

Sandy, far be it from me to in anyway lessen your loss. I too have suffered similar losses, as I'm sure many here have.

But I have to question a God who takes your son and leaves you a photo op in return.

Sorry, just my feelings on it.

georgeedwards Loc: Essex, Md.

I love studying detail. Are you being philosophical? I just googled some images of that famous Iwo Jimo photo, and I could not find 13 hands. 4 figures are plainly visible, 2 are mostly hidden, I count 10 or 11 hands. I would like to see a print with all 13 hands indicated. We could say we finally found scientific evidence for the existence of God!

georgeedwards Loc: Essex, Md.

So you do believe in God, anyone with true faith would know that an afterlife awaits us all, in a better place. Why no one should kill a person even in self defense, you will have a spot in heaven if you are killed, if you kill in defense you will not, is that not how it is supposed to work?

JimH Loc: Western South Jersey, USA

Sorry, George, I don't understand the question.

gessman Loc: Colorado

As you folks may or may not have noticed, I'm getting mixed reactions from the residents of this forum partly for my sense of humor, partly due to my raising provocative questions, initiating evocative subject matter and a little bit for the images I've submitted with mixed reviews.

My dad was a Baptist Minister so I was raised in the environment that most of you would seem to fit into and I think I understand where you're coming from but I want to raise a question or so, some serious questions, pertaining to your own words that I think deserves answers from each of you if you're going to pursue your line of reasoning and make such a public issue of it on this forum.

If you give credit to God for your abilities, talent, and minute details, who do you thank for all those shots that go into the trash bin and why do you think they happened since you're under the direction of a superior ensuring that you can do no wrong, "God's hand?" Are you having moments when you forget who's guiding you and leaving God out of the equation, hence you are rewarded with a momentary loss of your God given talent, or what?

Please explain it to me, how that works. It looks to me like if it's out of your hands then there can't be any bad shots. If it's all up to you then why do you get those bad shots and how do you get the excellent ones? It looks to me also that if you're not in control and some superior force is guiding you then are you accusing that force as being lazy or vindictive and letting you down when you get bad shots or are you being ignored because of some assumption of momentary self-glory or are you letting your force down with your actions? Or, are you saying that you don't get any bad shots? Please - I'm serious.

roger allen Loc: another planet

well i will go first since i posed the question- it isnt about the prints i delete it is about the relationship one has with a most high God - that is the long and short of it - i feel you have to look a little deeper or farther into the overall scope of what God is to each person. He is every breath i take personally - have you checked out the new black and whites i posted -
roger

sinatraman Loc: Vero Beach Florida, Earth,alpha quaudrant

Guys we are getting close tto the line here as long as we are praing God for the beauty of the subject matter and granting us of talent with photography we are all right, but we need to stay away from out and out theological issues as in why does God let bad things to good people? even g mans question is coming close to the line. Having unintentionaly been partialy the cause of two threads that flamed like gasoline poured on a texas wildfire i dont want this to be a third. cant take the meaness and confrontation.Jim H if you are serious about your question send me a private message and ill try to respond but I am no pastor. or send a pm to the ones who are. Now G man God gives us talents what we do with them is our choice. There is that free will thang again. God inspired Michalengelo to paint and sculpt, shakesphere to write plays, Louie L'amour to write westerns, John Wayne to act, Barry sanders to run a ball like no other.(I'm still not convinced Barry Sanders wasn't JESUS come down to play a little football.) We aren't the writers of the old and new testament where God is dictating and they are accurately copying everything He says. God lets you learn, part of learning is making mistakes, he understands that since he came down in human form and lived as a human for 33 years. There are talents inside me given by God that I don't know I have since I've never explored them. God could have granted me the talent to be the greatest polka band member ever, but i wont know that unless I decide to take up the accordian or clairinet. ( If I do someone please shoot me I hate polka.)

gessman Loc: Colorado

Well, that sort of fits into my concept of the intent we've been told about. We are given the talents and it's what we do with them, whether we use them for good or bury them or whatever. I don't agree for one second that God's hand in on mine when I mash the shutter button. I'm hoping he has better things to do with his time and that I'm trusted to do what I sat out to do with the talent I have been given. I was given organs like the heart and others, it was set it up so they'd work involuntarily, and I was patted on the butt and sent on my way with an opportunity to flourish or wither. I think I would be letting down a creator who got me all set up and then have to follow me around to make sure I was functioning correctly. I'm not meaning to say that I'm taking credit for everything I am by any stretch but I was also given the talent to dig in and "get 'er done" and am proud of how I've done my job, as well as how and and why I got the opportunity. But, it remains, if you're going to give credit for success I feel you are obligated to explain failure.

RockinRobinG Loc: The Middle of Nowhere, Nebraska

AMEN!

(No comment needed)