We should remember our Creator, looking to Him for grace and strength. Not just in time of need, but we should see it as always a time of need, especially for Him and the things of Him and for Him, through the good and through the sad. Daily seeking Him for His will in our lives, with our whole heart and all that is within us, to make His desires become ours. We are not our own, we have no right to ourselves. God made you and I; He is our Creator. He made us that we may be happy, but we can be happy only in him. And as He created us, so Jesus preserves you and I. The Lord feeds, clothes, upholds us. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find… read more
Inspiks Market Blog
Never forget who you are or what you’re called to. We are saved to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Think on this! Its stunning and terrifying! We are lights in a dark world. We are going to be offensive; seen as evildoers. Our actions may look awkward and silly, yet we are not called to popularity or to a better life here on earth. Indeed, we are called to suffer and we must fulfill our calling, though it brings pain from people, it reaps rewards from the Almighty, all knowing, awesome God. Live not as the world does, following their way of life and passions of the flesh, but rather living as honorable children of the King, ransomed and forgiven from all your sins, living as a sacrifice to show to the world how glorious God is. But you are… read more
We’re going to have to take this section slow, one awesome statement at a time. After Jesus had confronted the devil coming from the mouth of Peter he speaks these words in regard to setting our minds on the things of God. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.†Wow, and ouch and YES! I so want to come after Jesus, I want to share in his power, in his life, in his glory, but to do so I must die. I must be sacrificed, brutally, for the cross is no symbol at this point, it is a guillotine, a gallows, an axe used to whop off criminals heads. “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will… read more
We have a great line-up of tutorials this month, that will satisfy your artistic thirst! These tutorials range from cool photo manipulations, abstract illustrations, cool typography effects and much more. Check them out, you may find something that you like! Extremely Glossy and Shiny Text Effect In this Photoshop tutorial, we’re going to see how to create extremely glossy and shiny text effect with glitter texture. We will use simple techniques blending and layer style effects.. View Tutorial Undress a Giraffe in Photoshop Have you ever wanted to know what a Giraffe looks like without its spots? If so, this tutorial is for you. This tut we will demonstrate how to undress a giraffe by removing its spots. View Tutorial Honey Bubbles Text Effect In this very easy Photoshop tutorial, we’re going to see how to create warm honey text effect with bubbles texture. We will use simple techniques such… read more
Today I wish to talk to you about something that I think that we all struggle with in life, and that is being content. I am going to start out by saying that I have been a horrible example as one who is content in my past. I have been driving for 5 years and I have had 5 different vehicles, none of them have been totaled. Arguable, my first few cars were not so great, but my fourth was a ’99 Honda Civic with relatively low kilometers. It was a great car that would have lasted me a long time but I had always wanted a Honda Prelude. So I sold my Civic and went a few months without a car so that I could save to get a Prelude. I ended up with exactly what I was looking for, a well-maintained, low kilometer, eucalyptus green pearl Prelude. So… read more
In this world you will have tribulation, take it seriously. For just one second take only that. Jesus just promised all of His followers tribulation. That means we are going to get hurt, in our heart and in our life, that hurts. So back to the point, what is it that will bring peace? Why would Jesus promise tribulation? He says first that He has said these things.. what things? He has said that he will leave, die, and they will lament. Yet, he will return in a little while and they will rejoice and no one will be able to take away their joy. Even though they have trial and tribulation, their joy will be indestructible. Wow, is my joy like that? “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome… read more
Adding Drama to Your Images: Today we’re going to cover the process I use to add drama to an image. By combining HDR, RAW, and Black and White images together in Photoshop we can achieve some very unique and stunning effects. While not applicable to all instances this technique is a great way to really set your work apart. Final Image
This is without a doubt, one of the the most stunning sunsets I have ever had the chance to photograph. It only lasted about 5 minutes and if my brother Sam hadn’t grabbed me I never would have shot it. It was a great reminder to me of the shortness of the life and the great need to make the most of it, not living for myself in the futility of my mind, making idols of my possessions, but rather to prepare for an eternity in heaven. Our condition and status in heaven is greatly measured by what we do here on earth and it is worth it to lose this short life of fleeting pleasure in order that I might gain a better resurrection and standing in heaven. We are not saved by what we do, nor is anyone more saved by any works we can do, but there… read more
Facing hard times is something that most people around the world can easily relate with today, gas price is sky high, major companies and banks are failing, the world economy is on a downhill slide and the ripple effects go on and on. How will we respond when problems come to our doorstep? Our response can either be a way to grow in a positive direction or cause us to crumble. Depending on how hard you fall, it may be harder for you to look up; some may go to the extreme response of cursing God! We can take a tip from Job, he was a righteous man, but he had the worst economic crisis in his life, he lost it all, land, house, health, family and friends, basically he lost everything. In Job 23:2-12, Job hoped that he would see God working out his circumstances, but God seemed to… read more
Our driveway is a piece of art. At the top, it’s all concrete, which then switches over to chip’n seal. Next comes a run of very beat up blacktop before finishing off with a final cracked section of concrete. The changes are abrupt and shocking and to ride your smooth bike tires down it can be an adventure at times. Yet, it seemed a fitting subject for the life changes that are taking place with me these days. I just finished up my last day at the farm where I’ve been working for the past three years of my life. I’ve already been offered two new job positions in the past week, yet I am so sad to leave and feel unprepared to step out once again into the unknown. But, God has my steps all laid out, one right after the other, just out of my sight and I… read more
If I could tell you one last thing before I died…, I would tell you about how I live life to the fullest. I would tell you about the great joy I have in my heart. I would tell you about a man who came from Heaven to earth, named Jesus. He came to give us life to the fullest. He told of two paths, one path is wide and there are many people on it. The other is narrow and few travel on it, yet it leads to life in the fullest. The wide path is easy to travel on; it is the path we are on from birth, our default path. The narrow path is a path that you have to choose to walk, it is not always easy, but it is the most rewarding. There is no middle path and each path leads to different places. The… read more
I want to explain a portion of scripture that some may find confusing. I had a friend (who isn’t a Christian) ask me about the Bible talking about it being wrong to have wealth. Jesus does mention that the poor are blessed and that the kingdom of Heaven is theirs. What we must understand is that religious people at that time thought that if you had wealth then you were blessed by God. That meant that anyone who did not have wealth would have been considered unholy and not someone who would be likely going to Heaven. We must also understand that when Jesus came, He really shook up the apple cart. He did not come to hang out with religious people and promote what they were doing. He came to show them how they should be truly living their lives, He came to reach out to those in need…. read more
Jesus said, I came to give life, not death, a life in Him. When we get our eyes off the flaws and set them on the real, true beauty, the face of Jesus, we begin to see in a whole new light. When we read His word, we begin to see another image, a reflection of Jesus- his precious Word begins to shine in our hearts. New life begins anew and a seed is planted, and another…. I can see beauty in a stick, yes… in the simplest of things. My mind and thoughts have been renewed, changed, because the word of God has renewed my wrong/dark thinking into a right/light/godly thinking…. I don’t see all the flaws in self, others, and things in this life as I once did. We know this world is passing away and will, however the Lord said, HIS Word shall never pass away!!! For… read more
This is a passion flower and quite frankly, it’s probably the most amazing flower I have ever seen. However, why add another flower picture to the plethora of  flower pictures out their? Because, this flower has a little story to tell. He knows he won’t last long, his time is short, so he was made bright and beautiful, so that he might catch my attention; which he obviously did, in order that I might preserve its story for all to read and learn from, as I have. The story he told was this. “Don’t waste your life!” Our life, though prolonged a bit longer then this flower, will eventually waste away like a vapor, and what will be left? Money? Photos? Friends? Broken dreams? Unconfessed sin? Time isn’t free, it will cost you your life, therefore spend every second wisely. Blow yourself out doing your very best, smile often, laugh… read more
Amazing! Think on these concepts, on these fantastic truths. Our days are like grass, we flourish like a flower of the field and then are gone. We flourish! We were meant to flourish, to grow, to enjoy life, to enjoy the glory of God, however short our lives may be, we were meant for so much more then we are led to believe. Yet, we do pass away, we die and our place remembers us no more and life goes on for those we leave behind. “But…” O for the many wonderful things that come after the “buts” of the Bible, it is a study I highly recommend doing sometime. “The steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting for those who fear him.” Wow, that’s an awfully long time, way longer than my life, or your life, or all of everyone’s lives added together end to end…. read more
Some people say that it is contradictory that Christians claim to be free, Â when they are required to follow the guidelines in the Bible. What you need to understand is that we are all slaves to sin when we enter this world. It use to be perfect, our relationship with God, but when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, sin entered and we lost that perfect relationship with God. Having a relationship with Jesus frees us from the slavery to sin that we are born into and opens up a means of connection with God. Whether you like it or not, we are all born sinful and the only way to be free is to accept the one who defeated sin, Jesus. If you don’t believe me, that we are all naturally sinful, look at children; they naturally do things that are wrong and… read more
Jesus was being drawn by the Father to depart from the crowds, to go away and to pray and to be with the Father, God. I’ve often pondered about this, how Jesus had to refresh himself at the feet of His Father. He had to be strengthened to receive from the Heavenly Father so that He could continue onward. We, God’s people need to do the same, for Jesus set the example for all of us. We too, also need to go to the feet of Jesus and to receive from him and to be still as even Mary was still. She partook of the good and received from Jesus. Their truly are too many people laboring by their own works (of the flesh) and we all have been guilty of this. When we cease from our own labors and allow the Lord to lead, guide and speak we truly walk… read more
Woodpeckers are one of Gods amazing creatures, they are a very special family of birds found worldwide, except for Australia and New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known to live in treeless areas such as rocky hillsides and deserts. The diet of woodpeckers consists mainly of insects and their grubs taken from living and dead trees, along with fruit, nuts and sap from live trees. Their role ecologically is geared towards keeping trees healthy by keeping them from suffering mass infestations. The family is noted for its ability to acquire wood-boring grubs using their bills for hammering, but overall the family is characterized by its dietary flexibility, with many species being both highly omnivorous and opportunistic. What’s so special about the Woodpecker? Many of the foraging, breeding and signaling behaviors of woodpeckers involve drumming and… read more
So this was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Unfortunately it was also one of the most unpleasant places I have ever been, there were thousands upon thousands of mosquito’s. We stayed there for enough time to snap a few shots and then go. We were up there no longer than 10 minutes and my girlfriend had 39 mosquito bites on one leg! It was a great hike though and I would love to go back with some bug spray. My friend asked me the other day who some of my favorite men of the Bible were. That got me thinking and I think that my favorite is Solomon, here was a man who had experienced all the world had to offer and he was not satisfied with any of it. We have been reading through Ecclesiastes in Bible Study and that is where I discovered… read more
How to Shoot Star Trails: In this tutorial we’ll leave the computer and head out into the wild. I’ll be explaining the processes I use to shoot star trails images. So what is a star trails image? A star trails image is created by setting a camera on a tripod and opening its shutter for at least an hour. The rotation of the Earth makes the stars appear to travel in circles, and how do you shoot it exactly? Well, that’s just what this tutorial is going to explain to us, so lets get out there! [sociallocker] Examples Star Trails Photography [/sociallocker]
The Lord fills us with His word, the more we drink of the Living waters and eat of His word, the more in the likeness of His image we become…. for it is written to all who would hear and are thirsty and do hunger after Christ Jesus: Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. – Isaiah 55:1 You see, the invitation here is made to all. ‘Everyone’ is entreated to come. It is not offered to the elect only, or to the rich, the great, the noble; but it is made to all. He came for us, the sinner. Our best is filthy rags. It is impossible to conceive of language more universal in its nature than this, and while this stands in the Word of… read more
Went back to a favorite spot to re-take a shot I had done earlier and get a wider angle. I kinda miss shooting waterfalls and I think I need to do some more exploring. I have been thinking lately about how much we are missing out on what God really has to offer. We rarely seem to make sacrifices to God. It seems like things such as all-night prayers and fasting are rarely done. We get so busy with things that we think we have to do, and we don’t take the time to properly honour God. I can’t help but think that if Jesus came back today, the excuses we would have for not fully devoting ourselves to God would seem so pitiful. I don’t mean this to be a bummer message but it is so frustrating, because I think that all Christian can agree, that God is capable… read more
The impact of Facebook is far reaching, even surpassing the developers expectations, it has infiltrated the social media scene like a storm. When Facebook launched in 2004 it was strictly for college students to connect with each other and share information with friends. Facebook went public, but hardly anyone knew about it and it was competing heavily with other social networks like Myspace, today many people are connecting and meeting up with friends and family. Businesses are now using Facebook as a means to increase exposure with target advertising, increase traffic to their websites and develop credibility between customers and their brands. So how has Facebook impacted the Church? First we must clarify what “the Church” is. Most people understand the Church as a building but, the word “Church†comes from the Greek word ekklesia which is defined as “an assembly†or “called-out ones.†The root meaning of “Church†is… read more
Fracture mechanics is the science of studying sudden-failure phenomenon. Materials have a yield strength (the stress under which they will yield) but in many cases materials fail at applied stresses below their yield strength. We Christians have also a spiritual yield strength—a spiritual potential–but in many cases fail to reach that potential because we fail at spiritual levels way below what we are capable of. The Bible is full of such examples, such as: the sin of King David with Bathsheba; King Saul; and of course Samson. Why do structures fail at applied stresses lower than the known yield strength of their material? That’s because all structures contain small flaws (cracks) determined by their material and processing. We, Christians, all have small flaws determined by two things. First, our natural spiritual strengths and weakness. It is a fact that some people are naturally servants, or preachers, etc; and others naturally… read more