My Camera and I

• Oct. 13, 2009
How cool!!

Note: All photos, posts and stories on this blog are my sole property and copyrighted to myself and My Camera and I unless otherwise noted. They may not be copied for any reason without written permission from me. If you would like to copy something, please ask me first. Thanks!

The other night Mom found a really neat site- with a symbol I had never seen before. It is called "The Grafted In Symbol". It was found on a cave wall years ago, and symbolizes how we, as Christians, are joined together with God's chosen people- the Jews, and how we become one with Israel.

I liked it so much that I made this icon, and thought I would post it here for fun.

I found the symbol itself online, and then merged it with a background that I created. I then added the Hebrew text, which simply says "Grafted In"

Another reason I really liked the symbol is because recently I have had a growing interest in the Hebrew language and Jewish history.

4Him,

~Hannah

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• Jul. 22, 2009
Your Help is Needed!

Posted in 4Him (For Christ)

Thanks!

For the past several months, I have been following a website via update emails. This website, hosted by China Aid and Voice of the Martyrs, is doing everthing they can to help free a human rights lawyer in China. Gao Zhisheng was kidnapped by Chinese police and is being held and tourtured somewhere in China.

Gao is a Christian and has undergone several kidnappings before. He has been missing for 148 days.

A petition has been written and over 105,124 signatures have been collected, asking that the Chinese government disclose Gao's location and release him. Recently the petition was delivered after 100,000 names had been signed. The Chinese government refused it, but the man delivering it left it at the door anyway. In China, leaving it there signified that it had been legally served to the government.

How you can help:

If you are interested in helping this persecuted brother in Christ, go here. You can sign the petition (I have signed it three times!), get names and numbers to call/email members of the Chinese government, read the complete story, or make a donation to help China Aid and VOM do their best to free him.

You can also get names/numbers to call/email our own Congressmen, several of whom are taking a stand against what is happening to Gao.

Please help!! If the Church doesn't stand up to help, who will?

4Him,

~Hannah

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• Jul. 5, 2009
declaration.

Posted in 4Him (For Christ)

Thanks!

'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among there are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'

Most people know this quote from the Declaration of Independence, but I don't think quite as many know what is in the rest of the paragraph:

'That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes...But when a long train of abuses and usurpatations...it is their rights, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.'

That's something to chew on, isn't it?

I am just as patriotic as the next person, and I think that after all our relatively young country has been through, it is definitely worth saving. And I also don't think that we should completely change our government. I think democracy is a good thing.

But I also think that We the People can't ignore the fact that our Government is supporting the murder of millions of children every year; putting their fingers into too many pies; leaning towards socialism; being tolerant of every religion but Christianity; hugely in debt to China; and no longer the Government For the People By the People.

Something has to change. I listened online to part of a talk given by Ken Ham at the Creation Museum. In his talk, he said that one of the problems with churches in America today is that they try to solve problems (i.e. abortion, gay marriage, etc) politically instead of spiritually and politically. What he said made a lot of sense. It is a Worldview problem in our country, not just political. If you believe you evolved from scum and apes and that you have no purpose, how are you going to believe that abortion is wrong? If you believe in evolution and thus the fact that we are animals and there is no right and wrong, how are you going to stand against gay marriage?

Instead, Christians need to not only try to change the course of politics, but go out and spread the Gospel and change peoples' hearts for God.

To me, that made so much sense. I hope it catches on and more and more people will put it into application.

A month or so ago, I read an article in WORLD Magazine about then anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and how China is denying it ever happened.

One of the people they interviewed was a Chinese man who was there, but now lives in the States. He said he had studied democracy and came to the conclusion that without God, democracy will not work.

No wonder our government is having major problems. They are trying to take God out of everything. And where is it leaving them? With a crumbling core, corruption, scams, and ungodly leaders.

As a nation America seriously needs to get down on our knees and ask God to help us get out of this mess we have allowed others to create.

Just some of my thoughts...

4Him,

~Hannah

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• Jun. 1, 2009
Looking Up

Posted in 4Him (For Christ)

Thanks!

I just lost everything I had already written. Great.

Anyway, I recently (like 15 minutes ago) found a blog by KneelingAtHisFeet , and the blog author is proposing that teens across the nation make July 3rd a day of prayer for our country. I love the idea, you should go check it out!!!

Back to what I was going to write about...

Lately we have had two thunderstorms and over the weekend we have had the most amazing clouds in our area. During the storms and other times when I'm just standing outside and looking up into the sky I have been reminded of just how amazing God's creation is. That He would put so many beautiful colors and intricate details into something so temporary that it's made out of water vapor...anyway, let's just say I have been awestruck by the beauty of it all.

Literally three seconds ago I was flipping through my Bible looking for a certain verse, the only problem being that I couldn't remember where it was, or exactly what it was. You know what I mean?

Well, this one wasn't what I was looking for, but it was highlighted and it jumped out at me as I was flipping randomly with only a slight idea as of where to look for that other verse...

"I know that You can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted..."

Job 42:2 (NIV)

That is Job talking to the Lord, and it's a good thing to remember. No plan can be thwarted. Zilch, nada. Nothing God plans can go askew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now it's shortly after nine, and I can finish my post (minus the photos, which I'll get ready tomorrow, they are still on the camera.)!

Back to what I was saying earlier- sometimes I forget that God already knows what's going to happen- every war, every crime, every mistake I make; every time someone makes peace with an enemy, every baby born, every person born again, every time my actions and yours, please Him.

But when I just stop for a second and really see, not just look, I again realize that God's in control. Always has been, always will be. And that means I don't have to worry. Doesn't mean I don't, because I do, but it's not going to make my life better by worrying about what could happen.

4Him,

~Hannah

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• Apr. 12, 2009
We didn't know...

Posted in 4Him (For Christ)

"We didn't know what love was till He came...We were looking for heros, He came looking for the lost. We were searching for glory and He showed us the Cross. Now we know what love is cause He loves us...All the way to Kingdom come...Life is a mystery, it's a mystery we're all a part of...Life is so fragile, we're so frail, so frail. But the sweet Lord Jesus is a miricale Man. He's got holes in His side, in His feet, in His hands...if He let go of us, we'd all fall apart, but He holds on tight, His love don't fail..."

No, I didn't write that myself. Those are some of the lyrics to a song written by Rich Mullins. I think it is a great song because I like songs that say something, not ones with empty words.

I was going to post this for Easter, but life kind of got in the way. There are more important things in life than blogging...so this got pushed back onto the back burner.

I don't really have an Easter-ish photo loaded up onto my private Photobucket (that's where I store the photos I wanna post-and it's free!), so I'm just grabbing a random one...then I gotta run, I have two letters to write!! Pen-pals are so fun...

Make that two random photos.

I seriously need to go through and delete off of Photobucket the photos I've already posted...that way I know what ones I've used and what ones I can post on here. A job for another day...

Oh! And last night, Dad and I found on Amazon a Macro lens thingy with several filters for $24.95!!! It screws on to my current lens for the Canon Rebel XTi I got last month. Oh, by the way, the Rebel XTi is a really nice camera!!! I was so happy, I got it used for a great deal-i.e. affordable!!!

So all you Macro fanatics out there who want to do more Macro without spending $300-$500 dollars that you don't have, this might be a good way to find out if you wanna save up for years to get a nice Macro, or if you should use that money instead for a telephoto or something.

Honestly, you can't beat $24.95 to try something. It had pretty good product reveiws too.

Off to my letter writing...

4Him,

~Hannah

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