Better to Give than to Receive
It's Saturday!!!! I've done the grocery shopping and such and now I get to sit down for a long session with my blog. I love it. Of course not before I picked up my camera after an idea from Tanna. The work boots and the Bible:
I love this idea. Especially since the two are so intertwined in my life. As a believer you take your ministry wherever you are. At work, the grocery store, at home. It's not just Saturday or Sunday church service then put the Bible on the shelf for the next week. It is a lifestyle. Just because I'm not involved with an official ministry right now, having taken a break, doesn't mean that I don't have a ministry. That smile you give the cashier asking how her day is going or that coworker who is having a hard time and giving them encouragement. Do those things seem small? Maybe to you, but to them, well, it may be just what they need that day. We never know. Do we work hard at the small things? There is no working our way to heaven in my eyes. I'm talking an outflowing of your heart. I learned from my father to work hard at everything I do for the satisfaction of a job well done. In the same respect, I've learned from my Father to live and be an encouragement and to help those around me. Not for glory, or pride, or to say hey look what I did, but for kindness and love. Ministry is more than just working for an organization, in fact it may not even be working for one. It may be a loving husband, a hard working employee or boss, a family person. Be a light wherever and whoever you are.
I bet you thought I was done. Nah. I have one more story to tell. And now that all the pieces are in place I can tell it. It has to do with a camera. As those reading this blog know, I got a new camera around Christmas. I've loved it. It opened up a new avenue of creativity with me. Back around Christmas someone happened to move a chair that my camera was in, in the bag, and it fell. Everything seemed fine but the autofocus seemed a little off at times. Nothing huge and for a while I forgot about it. Then I was getting home from work around 3 weeks ago having worked till 8 pm trying to get a job at work done. I was exhausted. I pulled my camera bag out and dropped it. It was in my camera bag so I thought nothing of it. When I got it up to the apartment and looked through the viewfinder everything was blurry. It wouldn't autofocus hardly at all. I could still see it on the LCD screen, however the camera was broke. I was sick. Ginger had gone out that night so when she got back I was just ill telling her what happened. She told me, baby don't worry, you can get a new one. I hadn't gotten insurance on it so I was stuck. Well, everywhere I turned I was told I couldn't repair it. I heard blown circuit board, autofocus sensor's ruined, etc. and that it was better to buy a new one, repairing it would cost just as much. It could be used but crippled.
So I bought a new one, with insurance, 3 year insurance with an accident drop plan. I learned. Then came February 20th. President's Day, a Monday that I had off. Nothing really scheduled for the day, I looked at the camera and went, well, I wonder if I can fix it. So I got on the internet and found a youtube video that showed how to take a Digital Rebel apart. Not my exact kind, but enough to show me the in's and out's. Take a look at my camera taken apart:
I found early on I needed a special screwdriver and since Home Depot is 3 miles away, well, I went and got my tool. I got everything opened up and found that one of the lens in the viewfinder had broken off. I found a loose wire as well. So another trip to Walgreens for super glue, and I set about fixing the camera. I got everything put back together, turned it on and it wouldn't vary the shutter speed and no display in the viewfinder. Yikes! Took it back apart and noticed a wire I missed. Got it back together, turned it on, and wouldn't you know it, I fixed it. I think I was surprised I did. I mean the autofocus was spot on, I tried it out with my three lens and it worked like a champ. So I texted Ginger. Hey I fixed my camera!
Then came the discussion. Do I take the new camera back (I had 4 days left to do so)? So I wrote on a piece of paper the pro's and con's of keeping and returning it. Still have the paper. I mean the selfish side of me was like I could return it and get that flash gun, or the new computer I can do RAW files on, etc. And yet on the pro side was giving the camera away. So Ginger got home from work and we began discussing it and I began reading my list. I got to giving it away and Ginger stopped me. That resonates with my spirit she said, wait, do you have someone in mind? Wait, don't tell me. She thought a sec and said, it isn't Jenny is it? She pegged it. We both felt it in our heart.
Jenny is Ginger's sister and an artist like me (though she's got ALOT more experience and schooling than I do) and loves photography as well. So I took the camera apart again (I needed to clean a few of the lens parts), and we packaged it up and sent it. I'd tested it extensively. I didn't want her to get it and it not work. She has three kids in sports, so now she can take pictures of the kids!
Needless to say, it was received well. God had provided the extra money for us to do this, almost down to the penny. We saw the hand prints of God all over the situation, knowing that He used it all for His purpose. Not that He caused the camera to be dropped, He didn't, but out of all this He provided a lesson in giving and trusting in Him. Now we both have a camera and I imagine she's taking pics of the kids as we speak.
Truly is better to give than to receive.
Baa
I love this idea. Especially since the two are so intertwined in my life. As a believer you take your ministry wherever you are. At work, the grocery store, at home. It's not just Saturday or Sunday church service then put the Bible on the shelf for the next week. It is a lifestyle. Just because I'm not involved with an official ministry right now, having taken a break, doesn't mean that I don't have a ministry. That smile you give the cashier asking how her day is going or that coworker who is having a hard time and giving them encouragement. Do those things seem small? Maybe to you, but to them, well, it may be just what they need that day. We never know. Do we work hard at the small things? There is no working our way to heaven in my eyes. I'm talking an outflowing of your heart. I learned from my father to work hard at everything I do for the satisfaction of a job well done. In the same respect, I've learned from my Father to live and be an encouragement and to help those around me. Not for glory, or pride, or to say hey look what I did, but for kindness and love. Ministry is more than just working for an organization, in fact it may not even be working for one. It may be a loving husband, a hard working employee or boss, a family person. Be a light wherever and whoever you are.
I bet you thought I was done. Nah. I have one more story to tell. And now that all the pieces are in place I can tell it. It has to do with a camera. As those reading this blog know, I got a new camera around Christmas. I've loved it. It opened up a new avenue of creativity with me. Back around Christmas someone happened to move a chair that my camera was in, in the bag, and it fell. Everything seemed fine but the autofocus seemed a little off at times. Nothing huge and for a while I forgot about it. Then I was getting home from work around 3 weeks ago having worked till 8 pm trying to get a job at work done. I was exhausted. I pulled my camera bag out and dropped it. It was in my camera bag so I thought nothing of it. When I got it up to the apartment and looked through the viewfinder everything was blurry. It wouldn't autofocus hardly at all. I could still see it on the LCD screen, however the camera was broke. I was sick. Ginger had gone out that night so when she got back I was just ill telling her what happened. She told me, baby don't worry, you can get a new one. I hadn't gotten insurance on it so I was stuck. Well, everywhere I turned I was told I couldn't repair it. I heard blown circuit board, autofocus sensor's ruined, etc. and that it was better to buy a new one, repairing it would cost just as much. It could be used but crippled.
So I bought a new one, with insurance, 3 year insurance with an accident drop plan. I learned. Then came February 20th. President's Day, a Monday that I had off. Nothing really scheduled for the day, I looked at the camera and went, well, I wonder if I can fix it. So I got on the internet and found a youtube video that showed how to take a Digital Rebel apart. Not my exact kind, but enough to show me the in's and out's. Take a look at my camera taken apart:
I found early on I needed a special screwdriver and since Home Depot is 3 miles away, well, I went and got my tool. I got everything opened up and found that one of the lens in the viewfinder had broken off. I found a loose wire as well. So another trip to Walgreens for super glue, and I set about fixing the camera. I got everything put back together, turned it on and it wouldn't vary the shutter speed and no display in the viewfinder. Yikes! Took it back apart and noticed a wire I missed. Got it back together, turned it on, and wouldn't you know it, I fixed it. I think I was surprised I did. I mean the autofocus was spot on, I tried it out with my three lens and it worked like a champ. So I texted Ginger. Hey I fixed my camera!
Then came the discussion. Do I take the new camera back (I had 4 days left to do so)? So I wrote on a piece of paper the pro's and con's of keeping and returning it. Still have the paper. I mean the selfish side of me was like I could return it and get that flash gun, or the new computer I can do RAW files on, etc. And yet on the pro side was giving the camera away. So Ginger got home from work and we began discussing it and I began reading my list. I got to giving it away and Ginger stopped me. That resonates with my spirit she said, wait, do you have someone in mind? Wait, don't tell me. She thought a sec and said, it isn't Jenny is it? She pegged it. We both felt it in our heart.
Jenny is Ginger's sister and an artist like me (though she's got ALOT more experience and schooling than I do) and loves photography as well. So I took the camera apart again (I needed to clean a few of the lens parts), and we packaged it up and sent it. I'd tested it extensively. I didn't want her to get it and it not work. She has three kids in sports, so now she can take pictures of the kids!
Needless to say, it was received well. God had provided the extra money for us to do this, almost down to the penny. We saw the hand prints of God all over the situation, knowing that He used it all for His purpose. Not that He caused the camera to be dropped, He didn't, but out of all this He provided a lesson in giving and trusting in Him. Now we both have a camera and I imagine she's taking pics of the kids as we speak.
Truly is better to give than to receive.
Baa
Oh, I love the tale of two cameras!! God can use ANYTHING or any situation. Now, back to the Bible and the boots... LOVE it! And, about the ministry in every day life... there is no possible way that I could agree more. BAAAAAA.... :)
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