Bless the Lord O My Soul

"Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me. Bless His holy name"

I was driving up Hwy 3 toward Yazoo City, Mississippi just enjoying a beautiful morning. I wasn't looking for a "quantity" of photos, but I was looking for a few "quality" shots. This cross was on the side of the road, kinda deep in the woods. It caught my eye as I was driving about 35! It was the shot I was looking for.

Tallahatchie Flats

A while back my wife surprised me with a weekend getaway. I didn't know where we would end up, but when she told me to grab my camera and she turned up 61 North highway, I knew it was going to be good. We ended up at a place called Tallahatchie Flats (www.tallahatchieflats.com). I had been to the Shack Up Inn a few times, so I was curious to experience this new place.

Right on the banks of the Tallahatchie River, these small rural homes give you the experience that the old blues families might have had back in the day! Here are some photos from the journey as well as the destination!

Church Pulpits

The pulpit is a furniture fixture you'll find in most if not all churches.  A two-sided communication bridge between God and the congregation looking for Gods wisdom and inspiration.  One one side of the pulpit stands the spiritual leader of the church.  When the leader steps up to their side of the pulpit it is a time of reverence.

The words that are about to be spoken from that side of the pulpit are supposed to be words that have been inspired by God himself and presented to the church body using the leader as a channel.  That presents a great responsibility for the leader because they must be sure that before they step up to the pulpit, that what they have to say truly is the message that God wants them to present. This usually involves the leader spending time with God in prayer and study of the bible before ever walking up.

On the other side of the pulpit is the church body. People of the community that walk in the church doors to hear a message of hope. To sit and face the pulpit just as Moses faced the burning bush to hear a message of what they should do with their lives.

Many traditional churches consider the pulpit itself holy and sacred, not to be moved at any time.  Other more contemporary churches will move the pulpit on and off the stage at the appropriate times of the service. These pictures were taken from churches around the state of Mississippi and when I'm taking the pictures I want to be reverent and respectful of the place I'm in. Praise God!

For more photos of southern faith click here

My Home Town - Vicksburg, Mississippi

I've lived in Vicksburg, Mississippi my entire 41 years, but only in the last few months have a ever really experienced it. I'm like so many other Vicksburgers that drive by the Mississippi River, the bridges, the Military park, and so many other scenes of Vicksburg everyday and not give them a second thought. But no more. Lately I've been into photography and have been using my home town as a backdrop for many of my pictures. There is so much of God's beauty within a 10 mile radius of my home that in my 41 years of living here I'm only now seeing for the very first time. Here are a few of those shots.




Mint Springs waterfall! A WATERFALL! Here in Vicksburg. It's off in the woods off of 61 north! Never knew it was there. It is so beautiful and this cool morning was a perfect backdrop for my camera.


This was taken Oct 17th in Ceder Hill Cemetery. The clouds were rolling in that morning and provided an almost divine backdrop for this silhouette of Christ.



The sun was setting on this barge as it headed South down the Mississippi. The reflection is what caught my eye as it pushed along.



Another barge in a BEAUTIFUL sunset that was just full of pinks and blues as the storm had just left that evening.



The old courthouse museum in downtown Vicksburg. To this day, I've never been inside. But this day was the downtown flea market and I caught the old courthouse in this sunrise.



Old Constitution Firehouse. I was driving by before sunset one morning and the lights lit up the front of the building and brought it to life.



Downtown bricks lit up by the sunset. The gas lamps and the pristine city landscaping really shows off the beautification of our city.




The same pink and blue sunset as it takes over the courthouse.