One look at the data this evening, and I knew I had to get out with my camera for once. I’ve done the responsible grownup thing over and over again when these things happen on a weeknight, but I’d actually taken a bit of a dad nap this evening so I felt fresh. Out we went, my youngest boy joining me.
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I haven’t posted in a long time, but I have had plenty of photos to share. One batch is of this boat, just hanging out in the middle of a field along Interstate 94.
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I spotted this sign along I-94 a few weeks ago and stopped to take a photo. It’s warning about a curve in a frontage road near an on-ramp, but it doesn’t look like either the sign nor the road itself will be seeing much use for a while.
Certainly by now anyone who’d planned on using this road (yes, there is a road under there) has found an alternate route. I was going to add that Spring is right around the corner, but now certain computer models are forecasting a “Biblical” amount of snow for our area next week! Time to hunker down and see what happens…
I know…I haven’t posted in a month. Been busy. But I’ve also been taking pictures, just not posting them. Like this one: the original handwritten draft of the state’s constitution!
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This photo blog just turned sixteen seventeen years old. It’s hard to believe, but here we are! In keeping with tradition, I figured I had better head out to the capitol for a photo of the year’s digits in the windows.
This is how deep the snow was at the Fort Lincoln visitors’ center on New Year’s Eve day. I went out to get in my final hike for the 12 Months-12 Hikes Challenge hosted by North Dakota Parks & Recreation, and I picked a fantastic day for it. Not only did I get to make some sort of statement by doing my final hike on the last possible day (one of procrastination, no doubt), but I also got to enjoy the last beautiful winter day of 2022.
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“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:13-14)
That peace and good will didn’t transmit from man to man; it came from God to all men. Since the fall of Adam, that peace between God and men did not exist. By giving the gift of His son, however, God was offering that peace and good will to men once again:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
There’s your peace…
“Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” (Romans 5:18)
Repeatedly in the Old and New Testaments, the Bible reminds us that “there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Romans 3:23 points out that “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” We need as Savior, one whose birth we celebrate each Christmas. As the angel told Joseph:
“Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20)
This was the Savior foretold by the prophets. For example:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
God’s desire is to restore that fellowship and peace, reconciling (see those four important words once again) us to Him through his Son:
“For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled…”
If you’ve read this blog for a while, you know that I believe what Jesus says in the Bible: “you must be born again.” He means that in order to be forgiven and assured a place in heaven, you must put your faith and trust in Him. We can not do anything to assuage the sin that we carry in our lives; only He can.
By placing your belief and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive your sins, acknowledging that He made the only sufficient sacrifice for them on the cross, you can be saved. Only then will you be able to truly partake in that “peace on earth” that the angel of the Lord spoke of when declaring good news to those shepherds.
I love the spirit of Christmas as much as, if not more than, the next guy… but the joy, the spirit, the family time, the celebrations, the lights, the gifts… those are all simply a by-product and a shadow of the joy that God extends to each and every person through His son, the one through whom we enjoy unspeakable joy and peace each Christmas and throughout the year.
Although born a North Dakotan, I grew up in the Rocky Mountains. I love snow as much as I love the mountains themselves. So when I found a couple little pockets of snow at over 10,000 feet elevation this summer, I was delighted. And yeah, I made snowballs. It was a blast.
Like I said, I had to hike quite a ways and to quite an altitude to find snow that late in the year, even in the mountains, due to the past couple of dry years…but it was definitely a mission accomplished.
Now? I’ve actually had enough snow for a while. It’s piled high and deep on all sides of my driveway, and I have some pretty good drifting across my property. I spent plenty of time staying ahead of this week’s storms, clearing the areas I need to clear in between waves of snow so it’s more manageable. But yeah, I’ve had enough fun for now. A White Christmas is guaranteed. Hopefully we can save any future significant snowfall for my next snowboarding trip!
This is – for now – the rest of the photos I’ve brought back from this glorious little church. I got a few autumn shots out there, although I’d like another crack at it…but I doubt I own anything capable of actually getting out to the church now, after our blizzard! Anyone got a tracked snow-cat I can borrow?
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This little church was so picturesque, in such nice condition, and so full of photo opportunities that I simply had to do a second post of photos from it. In this angle you can actually see the “rear office.”
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