“The finest men in all the world are not to be found in the warm, genial climates, where the earth has only to be tickled with a hoe, and it laughs with plenty; but the strongest and the most enterprising spirits have been found at the back of the north wind, where there are frosts and ice, and long, dreary winters, and men have a hard struggle for a livelihood. They become really men under that stern training. Now, if there were no thorns and thistles, no struggles and no trials, should we have any brave Christians? Should we have any great and noble souls at all? When did the Church yield her best men for her Lord’s service? It was in the persecuting times, when they had to swim through seas of blood to hold fast the truth of Christ. These are silken days, and we have wretched specimens of Christians everywhere; but if the times of persecution were to come once more, with the rough winds blowing, and the whole sea of the world tossed in tempest, we should then find brave sailors who would put the ship’s head to the wind, and ride safely over the stormy billows in the name of the Eternal God.” Spurgeon, C. H.
From the Thorns and Thistles Sermon, Vol 39.
Sunday, December 10, 2017
A slice of life on a Christmas season Saturday
Here's a photo of my wife Jenn and daughter Calire this Christmas season on a both leisurely and busy Saturday. Claire is enjoying a grilled cheese, prepared by my my wife Jenn, who is in the background preparing hers. The Christmas tree is framed by the doorway into our living room and you can also see other significant bits of our life: the dogs bowls in the bottom left, the espresso machine which jumpstarts every day with espresso, the outdated and cluttered kitchen, which works just fine, the photo board to the right, which is reguarly updated with prints.
I've never enjoyed taking photos more than with my latest camera, a Leica M10. Looking through that optical rangefinder is wonderful. It allows me to see real life rather than looking at the electronic version on an iPhone screen or the electric viewfinder of so many of the latest cameras. Framing can sometimes be challenging, as I've always had a zoom lens with a wide angle, but now I look for ways to layer elements, and include portions of objects instead of the entire object. In some ways my photography has taken a step back (such as quickness and nailing focus), but in other ways it's taking a stride forward. And I'm capturing bits of life that normally don't get captured or appreciated.
Saturday, December 09, 2017
The Costplus World Market has been in the same location, by Toys R Us, for as long as I can remember. It's one of the few niche stores that has not been replaced by something newer. I'm so glad that they continue to survive. Now my own children love to browse and find things.
Jenn, holding a gather sign. Given that this is so close to Thanksgiving, she thinks perhaps people have replaced "give thanks", with gather.
We love this mirror hung on the wall, but have no clue if it's for sale. It was the only one we found.
Do you know what sitcom this product can be found in?
