The Lord is My Shepherd

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. – Thomas Merton

The Lord is my Shepherd Who guides me-Psalm 23

January 18, 2008January 18, 2008 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Church, Encouragement, Jesus, Photography, Psalms, Quotations, Scritpure Leave a comment

Uniqueness of Christianity

Christianity with its doctrines of humility, of forgiveness, of love, is incompatible with the State, with its haughtiness, its violence, its punishment, its wars.-Leo Tolstoy 

Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I myself have founded empires, but upon what do these creations of our genius depend?  Upon force.  Jesus alone founded his empire upon love, and to this very day millions would die for him.-Napoleon Bonaparte 

The cross of Christ is the still-point in a turning world.  Everything before leads up to it, everything that follows flows from it.  It is the climax of the story the center-piece of the whole drama-T.S. Elliot 

The essential fact of Christianity is that God thought all men worth the sacrifice of his son.-William Barclay

January 16, 2008January 16, 2008 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Christianity, devotion, Jesus, love, Photography, Quotations Leave a comment

By His Wounds We Are Healed

But He was pierced for our transgressions.He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishmentthat brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.—Isaiah 53:5  

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered
Was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Yours the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior,
It is I who deserve Your place;
Look on me with Your favor,
Promise to me Your grace.
-from O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, written by Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)

January 9, 2008October 13, 2008 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Canaan in the Desert, Christianity, Church, Encouragement, Healing, Jesus, Life, love, Photography, Religion, Scritpure, songs, spiritual, suffering, Thoughts Leave a comment

Write Me Into Your Story

 

Jesus,
They say You walked upon the water once
When you lived as all men do
Please teach me how to walk the way You did
Because I want to walk with You

Jesus,
They say you taught a lame man how to dance
When he had never stood without a crutch
Well, here am I Lord, holding out my withered hands
And I’m just waiting to be touched

Jesus,
Write me into Your story
Whisper it to me
And let me know I’m Yours

Jesus,
They say You spoke and calmed an angry wave
That was tossed across a stormy sea
Please teach me how to listen, how to obey
‘Cause there’s a storm inside of me

 

Jesus,
Write me into Your story
Whisper it to me
And let me know I’m Yours

Jesus,
They drove the cold nails through Your tired hands
And rolled a stone to seal Your grave
Feels like the devil’s rolled a stone onto my heart
Can You roll that stone away?
-(song lyrics from Rich Mullins’ Jesus)

January 7, 2008October 13, 2008 by ryanmthurman Categories: Christianity, Inspiration, Jesus, Photography, Religion, songs, spiritual 3 Comments

Many Hearts Will Be Revealed

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
      you now dismiss your servant in peace.
 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
    which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
      and for glory to your people Israel.”

Then Simeon said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

January 4, 2008January 4, 2008 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Jesus, Life, People, Photography, Scritpure, Thoughts Leave a comment

Christ Holds It All Together

 We look at Jesus and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at Jesus and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.  

He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end.  Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross. –Colossians 1:18-20 The MSG

Not only do we not know God save through Jesus Christ, but we do not know ourselves save through Jesus Christ.  Apart from Jesus Christ we know not what our life is, nor our death, nor God, nor ourselves. –Blaise Pascal

December 28, 2007December 28, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Christianity, Church, Encouragement, Jesus, Life, Photography, Quotations, spiritual 1 Comment

Like Treasure Hidden In A Field

 “The kingdom of God is like a treasure

hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again;

and from joy over it he goes and sells all

that he has and buys that field.” –Matthew 13:44 

“Jesus’ good news, then, was that the Kingdom of God

had come, and that he, Jesus, was its herald

and expounder to men.  More than that, in some special,

mysterious way, he was the kingdom.” –Malcolm Muggeridge

December 22, 2007December 22, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Jesus, Kingdom of God, People, Photography, Quotations, Thoughts Leave a comment

Advent: He Will Come And Save You

Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come…
He will come and save you!—Isaiah 35:4 

Lord, help me to prepare for the coming of your Son.  May he find me waiting and watching in joyful anticipation.Through Christ, I pray.—Robert Webber  

Lord Jesus Christ, as I await your coming show me your ways,Teach me your paths.  For you are the God of my salvation.On you I wait all the day.—adapted from Psalm 25:4-5

December 4, 2007December 4, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Advent, Art Photography, Encouragement, God's Beauty, Inspiration, Jesus, Photography, Quotations Leave a comment

The Divine Embrace

The Divine Embrace

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might comeWithin reach of your saving embrace:  So clothe us inYour Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, mayBring those who do not know you to the knowledge and Love of you; for the honor of your Name.  Amen-The Book of Common Prayer, 101 

Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name!
      Tell everyone you meet what he has done!
   Sing him songs, belt out hymns,
      translate his wonders into music!
   Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs,
      you who seek God. Live a happy life!
   Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works;
      be alert for signs of his presence.
   Remember the world of wonders he has made-Psalm 105(MSG)

November 15, 2007November 15, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Encouragement, Jesus, Life, Photography, Quotations Leave a comment

Our Prison Door is Open

“If you abide in my word,

you are truly my disciples,

and you will know the truth,

and the truth will set you free.”

Look once again to Jesus Christ in his death upon the cross.  Look and try to understand that what he did and suffered he did and suffered for you, for me, for us all.  He carried our sin, our captivity and our suffering, and did not carry it in vain.  He carried it away.  He acted as the captain of us all.  He broke through the ranks of our enemies.  He has already won the battle, our battle.  All we have to do is to follow him, to be victorious with him.  Through him, in him we are saved.  Our sin no longer has any power over us.  Our prison door is open…when he, the Son of God, sets us free, we are truly free.-Karl Barth

November 11, 2007 by ryanmthurman Categories: Art Photography, Encouragement, Jesus, Photography, Quotations Leave a comment