"I look up to the mountains..."

After checking the weather forecast and learning that there would be a lot of fog early this morning, I got up at 5:30am and headed down to the Red River Gorge for a sunrise shot. It was very chilly and very dark! As I got closer to the Gorge, the fog increased and I was excited, but by the time I arrived to my destination, the fog was so heavy you could hardly see anything.

Waiting for the sun to shine through, I began to shoot some of the spider's nests that were crystallized by the frost. They were everywhere! Finally, the sun broke through and I could see that I needed to drive to another location to get a better shot. Fortunately, it was close by.

I arrived just in time! As I set up my first composition and waited for the sun to break through a little more, I heard a sound. It was the sound of the Red River below. Immediately a classic hymn came to mind and I began to sing it in my head. "When peace like a river, attendeth my way, my when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul." There is an amazing story behind this hymn written by Horatio Spafford in 1876 and I would suggest you check it out.

Still waiting for the sun to appear, I began to think about my friend Jim Foster. I had received an email from him a couple of days ago and through his struggles, he had found that Psalm 121 provided a lot of comfort. Thank God for the You version of the Bible on my iPhone! I turned to it and began to read......

1 I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there?

2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!

3 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. 4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.

5 The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. 6 The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.

7 The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. 8 The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

Finally, the timing is right to capture the image. As I started out the day with my agenda, I am thankful that things worked out just exactly as they did. Otherwise, I would have missed this shot. Funny how those “coincidences” occur, isn’t it?

My friend Jim, struggles with A.L.S., more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He and his wife, Barb, are two of the mostly godly people I have ever known. Recently, they moved to Nashville to be closer to one of their two sons as they face this challenging season. Please say a prayer for them. In addition, I pray that I will continue to be more like Jesus, and them with each passing day. “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!”