Cumberland Island State Park - "You, O LORD are a Shield"

LORD, how they have

   increased who trouble

   me!

  Many are they who rise up

   against me,

  Many are they who say of

   me,

"There is no help for him in

    God."

But You, O LORD, are a

   shield for me,

My glory and the One who

   lifts up my head.

I cried to the LORD with my

   voice,

And He heard me from His

   holy hill.

I lay down and slept;

I awoke, for the LORD

   sustained me.

I will not be afraid of ten

   thousands of people

Who have set themselves

   against me all round.

Arise, O LORD;

Save me, O my God!

For You have struck all my

   enemies on the

   cheekbone;

You have broken the teeth

   of the ungodly.

Salvation belongs to the

   LORD.

Your blessing is upon Your

   people.                     Selah

Psalm 3 NKJV

Cumberland Island, Georgia - "Planted by the Rivers of Water"

 

Blessed is the man

Who walks not in the

   counsel of the

   ungodly,

 Nor stands in the path of

   sinners,

  Nor sits in the seat of the

   scornful;

But his delight is in the 

   law of the LORD,

  And in His law he

   mediates day and

   night.

He shall be like a tree

 Planted by the rivers of

   water,

 That bring forth its fruit

   in its season,

 Whose leaf also shall not

  wither;

And whatever he does shall

   prosper.

Psalm 1:1-3 NKJV

Jekyll Island, Georgia - "Blessed are All Those who put their Trust in Him"

Why do the nations rage,

And the people plot a vain 

   thing?

The kings of the earth set 

   themselves,

And the rulers take 

   counsel together,

Against the LORD and 

   against His Anointed,

   saying, 

"Let us break Their bonds

    in pieces

And cast away Their cords 

   from us."

He who sits in the heavens 

   shall laugh;

The LORD shall hold them 

   in derision,

Then He shall speak to

    them in His wrath,

And distress them in His 

   deep displeasure;

"Yet I have set My King 

On My holy hill of Zion."

"I will declare the decree:

The LORD has said to ME, 

You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You.  

Ask of Me, and I will give 

   You 

The nations for Your 

   inheritance,

And the ends of the earth

   for Your possession.

You shall break them with 

   a rod of iron;

You shall dash them in

   pieces like a potter's 

   vessel."

Now therefore, be wise, O

   kings;

Be instructed, you judges of

   the earth.

Serve the LORD with fear,

And rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest He be

   angry,

And you perish in the way,

When His wrath is kindled

   but a little.

Blessed are all those who

   put their trust in Him.

Psalm 2 NKJV

 

Paradise, South Island, New Zealand - "He will swallow up death forever"

 And in this mountain
The LORD of hosts will make 

for all people

A feast of choice pieces,
A feast of wines on the lees,
Of fat things full of marrow,
Of well-refined wines on the lees.

And He will destroy on this mountain

The surface of the covering

cast over all people,

And the veil that is spread

over all nations.

He will swallow up death forever,

And the Lord God will wipe

away tears from all faces;

The rebuke of His people

He will take away from all the earth;

For the LORD has spoken.

Isaiah 25:6-8

Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, Wyoming - "Who knows what will happen tomorrow?"

 There is one Lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy.  Who are you to judge another?  

Come now, you who say "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit;'"

Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

Instead you ought to ay, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that."

But now you boat in your arrogance.  All such boasting is evil.

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to  him it is sin.

James 4:12-17

Badlands National Park, South Dakota - "The Splendor of the Earthly Bodies"

 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another.  The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differ from star in splendor.  So will it be with the resurrection of the dead.  The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.  If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

1 Corinthians 15:40-45

Chugach Mountain Range, Alaska - "I Am What I Am""

 

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:  that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.  Atter that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.  For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.  No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

1 Corinthians 15:1-10

Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park - "Who fathers the Drops of Dew?"

 

Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,
to water a land where no one lives,
an uninhabited desert,
to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?
Does the rain have a father?
Who fathers the drops of dew?

Job 38:25-28

Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park - "He Covers the Sky with Clouds"

 

He covers the sky with clouds;

he supplies the earth with rain

and makes grass grow on the hills.

Psalm 147:8

Yellowstone Upper Falls, Yellowstone National Park - "If You Seek Him, you will find Him"

 

The LORD is with you when you are with him.  If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

2 Chronicles 15:2b

Denali on a Clear Day - "The Earth is Full of his Glory"

     In the year that King Uzziah died, 

I saw the LORD sitting on a throne,

high and lifted up, and the train of His

robe filled the temple.

      Above it stood seraphim; each one

had six wings:  with two he covered

his face, with two he covered his feet,

and with two he flew.

  And one cried to another and said:

     

 "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory."

  Isaiah 6:1-3

Chugach Mountains, Seward Highway, Alaska -- Green Pastures

The LORD makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. 

Psalm 23:2-3 

Sonoma Coast State Park, Bodega Bay, California - "All Scripture is God-breathed"

 

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada - "Seek him, he will be Found"

 The LORD is with you when you are with him.  If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

2 Chronicles 15:26

Wapiti Valley, Yellowstone National Park - "Here am I, here am I"

"I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me.  To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.'  All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations."

Isaiah 65:1-2

Cascade Canyon, Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado - "He Changes Times and Seasons"

 He changes times and seasons.
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.

Daniel 2:21

Cascade Falls, Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado - "The Lord Establishes their Steps"

 

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

Proverbs 16:9

Clingmans Dome Mountains, Great Smokey Mountains National Park, North Carolina - "The Heavens are higher than the Earth"

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways."  declares the Lord.  "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:8-9

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada - "God's Invisible Qualities"

 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Romans 1:18-20

Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park, Canada - "Reflect Love"

 

Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV

Thought for the Day:  I can glorify God through my actions today.

Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada - "Music to My Heart"

 

The LORD your God is in your midst -- a warrior bringing victory.  He will create calm with his love; He will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17 CEB

Bow Lake, Jasper National Park, Canada - "Not Alone"

 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff -- they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4 NRSV

Bow River, Banff National Park, Canada - Sunshine After Rain

 

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18 NIV

Rahotu Lighthouse, Opunake Surf, New Zealand - "Lights My Darkness"

 

The LORD my God

Lights my darkness.

Psalm 18:28

Bay of Plenty, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand - "Abundant Life"

 The thief comes only 

to steal and kill and destroy. 

I came that they may have life 

and have it abundantly.

John 10:10

Shores Waterfront Park, St. Augustine, Florida - "The Rising of the Sun"

 

From the rising of the sun 

to its setting
The name of the LORD
is to be praised.
Psalm 113:3

Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado - " Look Up into Heaven, Who Created the Stars?"

 

He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name.  Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.

Isaiah 40:26

Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Canada - "The One Who Gives Life to Every Heart"

 The Lord most high is the one who gives life to every heart, who gives life to the spirit!  Look, he indeed exchanged my bitterness for wholeness.  You yourself have spared my whole being from the pit of destruction, because you have cast all my sins behind your back.

Isaiah 38:16-17 

Medicine Lake, Jasper National Park, Canada - "Find Rest for Your Souls"

 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:28-29 NIV

Lone Tree of Wanaka - "Sun and Shield"

 

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; 

The Lord will give grace and glory; 

No good thing will He withhold 

for those who walk uprightly.

Psalm 84:11 NKJV

“I Have Loved You With An Everlasting Love” - Jeremiah 31:3

 

 The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

Jeremiah 31:3 

Renaissance Park Chattanooga, Tennessee - 20/20 Vision

The eye is the lamp of the body.  So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.

Matthew 6:22 NRSV

Thought for the Day:  When the way forward is unclear, God can open my eyes to hope.
 

Lookout Mountain, Tennessee River - The Road Ahead

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.

Proverbs 4:25 NIV

Thought for the Day:  God is always looking out for my best interests.
 

Covered Bridge, Princess Place Preserve - "All Play a Part"

 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we... have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us.

Romans 12:4-6 NIV

Thought for the Day:  Each person has a part to play in serving God.

Princess Place Preserve, Oak Trail - "A Grateful Heart"

I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 9:1 NRSV

 Thought for the Day:  What a difference gratitude to God can make!

Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park - “Standing Back Up”

A just man fallen seven times, and riseth up again; but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Proverbs 24:16 KJV

Thought for the Day:  God’s love, not my failure, defines me.
 

Estes Park Rocky Mountains - “Keep Looking Up”

 Come, my heart says, seek God’s face.  Lord, I do seek your face!

Psalm 27:8 CEB

Thought for the Day:  Today I will keep looking up for signs of God’s presence.

Matanzas River, Florida - Music in the Mundane

 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24 NRSV

Thought for the Day:  God can use the ordinary to reveal the extraordinary.

Vaill Point Park, Florida - Songs from the Heart

 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Colossians 3:15 NIV

Thought for the Day:  I will sign boldly with a faithful heart as an offering to God.

Parc National Jacques Cartier, Canada - "Finding Direction"

 

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105 NRSV

Big Meadows, Green Mountain - "Wherever We Go"

 Green Mountain is now covered in burned trees from last year's forest fires.   The trail is covered in burnt debris.  I was fortunate enough to have walked the trail and took many pictures.  It will be many years, decades for the mountain and forest to recover and have new growth.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation -- whom shall, I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 27:1 NIV