Month: March 2016

Photo Inspired by Numbers 32:13-15

Bus stop

This is again Lent, and I was pleased three years ago to try photographing shopping carts, at the side of a street. In the photo, few people, even no one, are on hand who need them. The shopping carts speak to an absence.

The Bible in Numbers 32 details how the Israelites were lost, for so long, that they were reduced an entire generation.

Reminders that The Lord is a vengeful deity are important. In Numbers 32:13-15 The Lord feels burning anger at Israel. It is important that we remain optimistic, but pragmatic, about future generations prospering.

In the photo I took, shopping carts have been abandoned by the shoppers. Likewise in Numbers 32:13-15, Israel lost an entire generation by resisting the influence upon them, of The Lord.

The passing sight of lined-up shopping carts reminds an onlooker that there was a human presence, but it has dispersed.  Whoever was responsible for the decision to make a spectacle of wayward shopping carts is gone now. Perhaps this is common in every community, but something is incorrect about the moment.

I found these verses from the Book of Numbers to suggest what I am showing.

For what reason was Israel reviled with forty years to meander?

13 The LORD’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the desert forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.

14 “And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the LORD even more angry with Israel. 15 If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the desert, and you will be the cause of their destruction.”

Numbers 32:13-15

Despite all this, Lent remains for me in middle age a challenge to observe.

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Blog Challenge Manifesto: For the Reader and the Writer

The mainstream has heralded the rise of self-publishing to such an extent that I wouldn’t be surprised if your mom was planning on writing a book.

–3 Reasons Why The E-Book Money Train May Be Over

ROK January 6, 2013

http://www.returnofkings.com/2029/3-reasons-why-the-e-book-money-train-may-be-over#!

Unfortunately, there is said to be an excess of self-published books, which means that there aren’t enough buyers to do the purchasing, and it is all the harder for people trying to break into the business of writing. It means that even for talented, hardworking people, decisions how to promote and market one’s material aren’t easy to make. There is no assurance of success.

If you are a writer with a book ready, and you are self-publishing it, evidently you may have some success, but not nearly as potentially lucrative a success as you could have had a few years ago. You can’t count on people to be interested in what you are publishing. There are so many books already in self-published eBook format, and buyers are wary that they may not be getting a quality product if they are buying from you.

“Traditional publishers aim to publish hundreds of thousands of copies of a few books, self-publishing companies make money by publishing 100 copies of hundreds of thousands of books.”

–Self Publish Often, And Short

Just Publishing Advice

http://www.justpublishingadvice.com/self-publish-often-and-short/

It is up to you to prevail in the face of unfavourable odds. It doesn’t mean you can’t get anywhere as a writer, and it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t spend your hard-earned dollars on eBooks in the year 2016. It is up to you to choose what to read and what to write. In terms of the bigger picture, it may be that the best of eBooks from the years in which they were at their strongest could be rivalled by the eBooks in the market today.

You certainly do have the luxury to read and to write as you please. If you are an avid reader, exploring blogs and settling in with good eBooks, you know already exactly what and who is good and you are confident you are right about it. The times have again become uncertain. What worked in the past is no longer working as it once did. It simply means if you are a writer, you have to learn again. If you are a reader, the possibilites which are unfolding are very exciting.

As a reader, or a writer, or likely both, you need to stay on trends that go with eBooks in the year 2016. If you are content with reading eBooks, weigh carefully which purchases to make when you are bringing eBooks along as your companions. If you are writing, it is imperative that you understand what changes in the eBook market mean for you, so that you have a chance of winning success.

Photographer: Aliis Sinisalu

State of Mind–Observing Nature #LeapDay

The WordPress photo challenge this week asked us about how a photo could reflect your state of mind.  This is to say, your state of mind is the same as an object evokes.  With this in mind, I took a photo.  The WordPress challenge is open to all.

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The changes occurring in a puddle of water on a windy day are a little like my state of mind. When I see it, I feel happiness, and I know it is only temporary, that the wind will quiet and the puddle will evaporate or be drained.
I feel reality is a little like the puddle. When it is dominating, it ripples and it changes. Although reality as its most apparent is a static, understandable thing, the puddle in the wind doesn’t immediately race away from you, nor does it sit idle. It shifts and moves, but stays in one spot, visible to the eye. This is how I feel reality appears, and when I see a puddle in the wind, I feel gifted with a little more happiness, and reality is similarly favourable.
Many times a puddle in the wind is rare here; it takes a substantial rainfall and mysterious conditions from the heavens. When I saw this, I thought that I could make it into a photo because of the effect it was having on me, and perhaps it will have an effect on you. You may even enter into a similar state of mind as me.
If your state of mind is moved by my photo, perhaps you will “like” or “follow” my blog. Thank you for viewing my photo. Thank you to WordPress for suggesting such a nice photo prompt for the WordPress weekly photo challenge.