With God All Things Are Possible

"Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” he inquired.  Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself." “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

This weeks photo was a little less subtle. Driving down Hwy 80 toward Edwards, Mississippi I came up on a church van with this message, "With God All Things Are Possible".  I've always heard this line quoted out of scripture in reference to so many small things in our small human lives. Life events such as people looking to change careers, "With God all things are possible", or reconciliations, "With God all things are possible".

The fact is that this quote out of the bible was meant for so much more. In the scripture above, Jesus is telling us that we can't save ourselves. It is impossible. We can't be good enough nor can we do enough things to impress God into giving us eternal life. Heaven can not be earned, it is a free gift. Only Jesus makes it possible for us to have eternal life. So my challenge for you today it to quit thinking that you're not good enough, or that you could never do enough to earn a trip to heaven. The truth is it doesn't matter about your past or what you've done, the only way to salvation and eternal life is through our Father Jesus Christ. With God, all things are possible.

Good Morning God, We Are Never Alone

Re-discovered this photo the other day when I was going through some of my older collections. Sometimes it's the photo that you glanced over the first time that grabs your eye with a new meaning when you revisit it later. I figure it's because when we first capture it that maybe we aren't in a position in life that resonates with the soul of the picture, but when we revisit it later our life circumstances are different somehow, that makes us now connect with the photo in a different way. Something about this picture when I first took it reminded me that as I start losing my older generation family members and as my children are heading off to college that sometimes we can feel like this tree. Once surrounded by all of its other family of trees and probably an old homestead that once rang out with kids laughing and playing now stands alone in the middle of the field. But today when I pulled out this photo, I didn't see the negative. As I now stare at this photo I notice that the tree is not drooping or sad, I see a tree that is standing tall and proud. I see a tree that still serves a mighty purpose as it gives shade to the farmer that plows every spring. And most importantly I see a tree that gets to see the glory of God every morning rise over the horizon to remind it that He is still in control and radiant in a supernatural way that shines light into our lives more that we could ever know. Good morning God, no matter what we are never alone.

A Lazy Saturday! - More Delta Faces

This past Saturday Marty Kittrell and I went on one of the longest photo excursions we've done in quite a while. It was such a beautiful day! Marty will tell you, while I love to capture old buildings and wildlife, nothing warms my heart more than capturing the faces of the Mississippi Delta. Here is my new friend "JC". I saw him going down the road in Rolling Fork about a year ago, and I missed the chance to get his photo. Saturday when I saw him again, I told Marty to whip around and let me talk to him. When I asked if I could take his picture, he said "sure".

Here are some delta fishermen that were fishing on the side of the road down highway 465. This young man had a smile that I'll never forget. Such a sweet spirit and loved telling me about the one that got away!

The sombrero made this gentleman a true character! A quiet man but in the few minutes they let me spend with them he caught two fish!

You could almost see the relief on their faces knowing that supper was caught and the pressure was off!

Thanks guys for letting me spend some time with you guys!

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!

Vicksburg Structures - Kuhn Memorial Hospital and Carr Central High School

Sorry for the long delay in blogging. Life gets in the way of activities that we cherish the most. Photography went second fiddle to house remodeling and sending a kid off to college. On top of that, winter colors (or lack there of) never draw my camera's attention. But, Spring is in the air and the colors are coming back, house is finished and the kids adjusting to college life just fine! So what did I do for my first adventures back into photography? I went and shot two old structures around my home town of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

I vaguely remember Kuhn Memorial Hospital growing up.  It was a charity hospital, so I don't think I went there for any medical attention, but I lived on Jackson St as a small child and drove by it everyday on my way to elementary school. Here are a few of the photos of Kuhn I shot a few days ago. For the full gallery of photos see here.

 

Now moving on to Carr Central. I was one of the last classes to attend Carr Central. I believe is was 4th or 5th grade math. I had Mrs. Morris. I remember Clarence Dunmore chasing me around the room, so I grabbed his markers and threw them out the window. Here are a few photos from my recent shoot. For the full gallery see here.

Hope you guys enjoyed my first adventure back in a while! More to come soon. Be sure to check out the full galleries if you want more at www.gritsphotography.com!

Port Gibson, Mississippi - Southern Photography

So many of us walk around day after day living our life the same way under the same circumstances, yet we expect somehow for this day to be different. We wake up saying "Today may be better", yet we ourselves do nothing to help steer the day in a different direction. We wake up with the same attitude each day. We expect to get cut off in traffic, we expect to get skipped in line at Walmart, we expect to have customers at our job that aren't happy. Then we expect that these things will once again ruin our day.

Well take a look at this picture taken this past Saturday in Port Gibson's Lake Hamilton. Here is a lake full of despair, yet this flower decided to be different. This flower lives in the same circumstances that all the other flowers live in, yet it is full of life and reaching for the sky!

That is the lesson that God wanted me to see this weekend. He wanted me to know and to share with you guys, that we control our own attitudes. We control our own reactions. Even when we are living in a world of ugliness, a world of rudeness, we control how that affects us.

Next time you are cut off in traffic, next time someone jumps in front of you in line, next time that customer is rude, say to yourself "You will not bring me down today." No matter what this world throws at you, you have a God who loves you and his attitude toward you will never change. Now go and have a joyful day!

My Salvation Story Through My Photos - Mississippi Photography

Once upon a time I was on a very lonely road. Going through life, going through the motions but always feeling an emptiness inside. Something was missing. I had money, a college degree, and a great family, but it never was enough and I never felt complete. Then one day it all came crashing down. But that's not the end of the story. So let me start at the beginning...

Joyless Life

Growing up my life was kinda like this picture. No color, no joy. The people around me were like these trees. Just as weak as I was and feeling like they could break at any minute. Potholes and broken roads were at every turn. I burned a lot of bridges with people that I held resentment with. For the first 30 years of my life I was living this Hwy 80 life, when there was an entire Interstate 20 right next to me. 

The Crash

Then one day it all came crashing down. I was working three jobs. My regular job and also trying to run two small businesses of my own. You see, I wanted to be rich. To have power and notoriety. I lost my businesses and almost lost my family. My beautiful wife and two kids were ready to walk out the door. I deserved it. I was a terrible husband and father that only thought of himself. I was "doing all this for them" to give them money and "things". But that's not what they wanted. My pride and desire to have worldly things had consumed me like the vines on this building until one day my legs literally collapsed from underneath me. 

The Rebound

Some of my friends had been trying to tell me about this "other life". This "I-20" life that was focused on others and not myself. That was focused on happiness and a contentment that didn't involve power and money. They told me that Jesus loved me and that he could help me.

Baby Steps

They invited me to church and welcomed me and my family with open arms. I took baby steps at first. I just committed to going on Sunday's at first. I didn't make any major decisions or become this Jesus freak. It just felt right and it felt like I was finally on the right track and the darkness I felt for so long finally started seeing light again. Those dead trees that had been all around me starting growing vibrant leaves and the new life of green surrounded me.

Salvation Is Here

Then one day it happened. I had just left church and it started to sink in. I heard a message that Jesus had died on the cross for me. I never really knew what that meant until that night. It meant that before Jesus there was no way for a sinner like me to get to heaven.  But because Jesus died on the cross I had a way to get to heaven. I prayed to Jesus and told Him that I know that I am a bad person, that I had done a lot of sins in my life. I told God through many tears that I was sorry and that I needed him to come into my life. 

Joyful Life

It was just that simple, and suddenly that emptiness and void that I had felt for years was overflowing with joy and peace. I was a new man at 30 years old. I felt like a kid again. A kid not afraid to look silly. To raise my hands in praise. I felt clean and like I had a new start as a new child. I felt like God had taken away all my guilt, my shame, my sin. He let me start over again, and even though I still fail sometimes, he is faithful to forgive me and now I know he will always love me.

Amazing Grace

It's been over 12 years since that day. I'm still not rich monetarily, but I am rich in so many other ways! I thank God everyday for rescuing me. I thank Him for saving my marriage, and for teaching me how to raise my kids. I love him and talk to Him everyday. I call on Him when I'm tired, when my daughter takes off down the highway on her way back to college, and when the sunrise comes over the horizon and I start snapping pictures. My life today is kinda like this picture. With Jesus up high in the sky, I am below trying to be a reflection of Him.