Shotover River, South Island - "The Eye is the Lamp of the Body"

The eye is the lamp of the body.  If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If then the light within your is darkness, how great is that darkness?

No one can serve two masters.  Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:22-24

South Island, New Zealand - "We Fix Our Eyes Not on What is Seen"

 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far out weights them all  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Sunrise - “Above All Wonders the World has ever Known”

 

“Above all powers above all kings

Above all nature and all created things

Above all wisdom and all the ways of man

You were here before the world began.”

By Lenny LeBlanc and Paul Baloche

He Soared on the Wings of the Wind

 

He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.

2 Samuel 22:10-11

Pictured Rocks National Seashore - "He Drew Me Out of Deep Waters"

 

I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,

and I have been saved from my enemies.

The cords of death entangled me;

the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

The cords of the grave coiled around me;

the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called to the Lord;

I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coasts blazed out of it.
He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering his canopy around him--
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Psalm 18:3-19

Rapture in the Lonely Shore

There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more.

George Gordon Byron

Chena River Cruise - Casting Nets

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."   Simon answered, "Master, we're worked hard all night and haven't caught anything.  But because you say so, I will let down the nets."  When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.  So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.  When Simon Peter saw this  he fell at Jesus' knees and said,  "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"  For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.  Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people."  So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Luke 5:4-11 NIV

Chena River Alaska - Through the Waves

 

These are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.

Luke 8:15 NRSV

The Valley of Dry Bones - Book of Ezekiel

The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.  He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.  He asked me, "Son of man can these bones live?'

I said, "Sovereign Lord, you alone know."

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord?  This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones:  I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.  I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life.  then you will know that I am the Lord."

So I prophesied as I was commanded.  And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.  I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, This is what the Sovereign Lord says:  Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live."  So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army.

Then he said to me:  "Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel.  They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'  Therefore prophesy and say to them:  This is what the Sovereign Lord says:  My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.  Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.  I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land.  then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord."

Ezekiel 37:1-14 

 Nothing is impossible for God!

Turnagain Arm Shoreline - "The Salt of the Earth"

 

"You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.  You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Matthew 5:13-16 

Denali, Alaska - "The Year of the Lord's Favor"

 

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn and provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:1-3

Vaill Point Park - “Power Perfected in Weakness”

 And He said to me, “My Grace is Sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”  Most gladly therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

2 Corinthians 12:9 NASB

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia - "A Contrite Spirit"

 

"Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?"  declares the Lord.  These are the ones I look on with favor:  those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.

Isaiah 66:2

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia - "Let Your Light Shine"

 

"You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Matthew 5:14-16 

Poppy's In Bloom - Milo, Michigan

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Lake Huron, Port Austin - "The Earth is the Lord's"

 The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.  Th world and all its people belong to him.  For he laid the earth's foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.

Psalm 24:1-2

Pacific Coast Highway - "Who Else has held the Oceans in His Hand?"

 "Who else has held the oceans in his hand?  Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?  Who else know the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?"

Proverbs 40:12 NLT

Smokey Mountains - “Search With All Your Heart”

 And you will seek me and find me

when you search for me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13  NKJV

Raquette Lake, New York - Living Waters

 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea.  It shall continue in summer as winter.  And the Lord will be king over all the earth.  On that day the Lord will be one and his name one. 

Zechariah 14:8-9 ESV

Raquette River - Adirondack Mountains

“Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?”  Declares the Lord.  “ These are the ones I look on with favor:  those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and tremble at my word.”

Isaiah 66:2 

Yosemite Falls - Rivers of Living Water

 

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as scriptures has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them."

John 7:37-38

Olmsted Point Yosemite

 

God doesn’t look at things like humans do.  Humans see only what is visible to the eyes; but the Lord sees into the heart .

1 Samuel 16:7 CEB

Little River - Smokey Mountains

 

So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he

neither ate bread nor drank water.  And He wrote on the

tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 34:28 NKJV

Matanzas River - Breaking Light

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,

and your healing will quickly appear;

Then your righteousness will go before you,

and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard,

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; 

you will cry for help, and He will say:  Here am I.

Isaiah 58:8-9

Fort Matanzas Beach - “A Light has Dawned”

 The people walking in darknesses have seen a great light;

On those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

Isaiah 5:2

Sierra Nevada Mountains - “The Sleepless Guardian”

“He is an almighty Watcher, a sleepless Guardian, a faithful Friend.”

C.H. Spurgeon 

You will not fear the terror of night,
Nor the pestilence that stalks on the darkness,
Nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
Ten thousand at your right hand,

But it will not come near you.

Psalm 91:8-7 NIV

Yosemite - “ I am the Door”

 I am the Door.

If anyone enters by me,

He will be saved.

And will go in and out

And find pasture.

John 10:9

Matanzas River - “Believe in Him”

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and  only Son. 

John 3:16-18 NIV

California Coast - “Blessings and Woes”

 

Looking at his disciples, he said:

"Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now,

for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when men hate you,

when they exclude you and insult you

and reject your name as evil,

because of the Son of Man.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy,

because great is your reward in heaven. 

For that is how their fathers treated the

prophets.

But woe to you who are rich,

for you have already received 

your comfort.

Woe to you who are well fed now,

for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now,

for you will mourn and weep.

Woe to you when all men speak

well of you,

for that is how their fathers treated

the false prophets."

Luke 6:20-26 NIV

Cades Cove - "I am the Way and the Truth"

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

Philip said, "Lord show us the Father and that will be enough for us."

Jesus answered:  "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?  Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.  How can you say, 'Show us the Father?'  Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?  The words I say to you are not just my own.  Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.  Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.  I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.   You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

John 14:9-13 NIV

Smokey Mountains - "Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled"

 

"Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God' trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going."

John 14:1-4 NIV

Little River Road - “Let the Rivers Clap their Hands”

 

Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
Let them sing before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.

PSALM 95:7-9 NIV