Artist Statement
I do not take photographs.
When I go out into the wilderness with my camera, I am seeking God.
He has not hidden Himself. Everything in creation gives evidence of God’s existence and glory. (Psalm 19:1-4) “Ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature, namely His eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20). Best of all, God is knowable, yet He remains incomprehensible. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
This is not meant to discourage us. One mark of a saint is that he or she is continually growing in the knowledge of God.
My photography trips are a uniquely dedicated time to cultivating my relationship with the Lord. I spend my time surrounded by creation, alone with the Creator. These are times I spend in dialogue with God. I speak to Him in rote and meditative prayer. I thank Him for the many graces and blessings in my life. I share my fears, confess my anger, frustrations and sadness. I speak the truth of things I cannot admit even to myself, because I cannot lie to God. I ask for His guidance, counsel, and comfort. I seek His mercy, forgiveness, and grace as a sinful and fallen man.
Then, as the waves crash ashore or the wind moves through the trees, resting in the Lord in contemplative prayer, I listen, sometimes for many hours. I listen to what the Lord may say.
If it is His will, a gift of the glory of the Lord, reflected in creation, is unfurled before me for precious few seconds. The gift is for me; no one else is present to bear witness to this singular miracle but my camera and me. Our pursuit of Him must be marked by humility. I cannot keep the gift for myself. We work for God’s kingdom, not our own.
I graciously receive. I do not take photographs.
In all things, we do what the Lord has done. We follow the Lord’s way of life. He spread the kingdom, and so we are called to spread the kingdom. As disciples of the Lord, we are called by God to participate in salvation; to say “yes” to God’s will, even if we do not understand it. (Luke 1:38)
In our lives, do we realize the role we are called to play in spreading His kingdom of truth, beauty, and light?