Photography – Page 6 – Amanda Tero Books

Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow

Published on October 10, 2014 by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

My photography project this time was fun. Spider Lilies have sprung up around our place and so I captured a few of them. As I was taking pictures, the words to the Doxology flowed through my mind. So . . .

This is not my typical style, but it was fun to experiment with. When I was taking pictures, I set the camera close to the ground and blindly pointed it up underneath the spider lily to capture it and the sky. Because of the lens and distance, it didn’t focus, but I thought the result was kinda neat (like a watercolor).

Unedited base

I took that image as my base then overlaid it with another picture at half opacity.

Unedited top layer (put it at 50% opacity)

And then, I added the words, experimenting with the “glow.” And that’s the behind-the-scenes of my picture this week. 🙂

Just as a bonus, this is the look that I usually gravitate towards:

Low saturation

“And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee:

for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”

(Psalm 9:10)

Perfect Peace

Published on October 3, 2014 by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

Continuing as two weeks ago, here is another picture verse! This time, I wasn’t playing with new layer styles. Instead, I tried my patience on erasing! 🙂 I wanted the background to be lighter and the foreground to “pop.” There is probably an easier way to do it, but I chose to erase the background (leaving only the barbed wire and grass), put a new gaussian-blurred background layer and then place a white layer on top (10% opacity). And then, one of my favorite verses.

Original

Edited

As always, C&C welcomed!

Did this picture bring a specific verse to your mind?

(the other verse I was pondering was Isaiah 40:8)

Where Faith Grows

Published on September 26, 2014 by Amanda Tero5 Comments

I shall be very bold today and share an exciting project that the Lord has allowed me to work on. As with most of the projects that God allows me to begin, I don’t know where it will end up. I shared a few weeks ago about my teenage passion (obsession) of writing and how the Lord had to take it away for a few years. This year, He has allowed me to work on my first big writing project since I was probably fourteen. This project has taken the title of Where Faith Grows. I am grateful that the Lord allowed me to finish the first very, very, very rough draft in eight months and am now waiting for about six months (trying to follow the idea from my friend) before diving in to do some editing. Some SERIOUS editing!

But for the fun part: the cover!!! I played around with designing the cover a few months ago and this is what I came up with:

I originally liked it, but after a few months of setting, thought it was too dark for what I really wanted. So I attempted a revamp and this is what I currently have:

As always, I welcome your honest opinion! I have fun getting ideas from published covers (sh! but romance books have my favorite covers! [I don’t endorse reading them]) but also realize that I’m still in the rough when it comes to learning layering, etc. So any tips are welcome!

Oh, and about the book . . .

One day, everything was going smoothly: Daddy at work, the rest enjoying their winter break. But the next day changed everything. Edith struggles to accept the adjustments she has to make, feeling the sacrifice of each day. She has to choose whether she will resist the struggles and suffer or allow God to use these struggles in her life to grow her faith in Him.

Excerpt from the rough draft:

“Yes, we must have faith the grain of a mustard seed,” Levi continued, “But where does our faith lie? ‘Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.'” Levi laughed lightly. “I guess in our case we could say, ‘Some trust in potatoes, and others in good crops.'” He glanced at Edith but she only replied with a faint smile. After a moment of silence, Levi sighed again. “Well, I’d best get a hoe to the field.” He thrust his hands in his pockets and sauntered off.

It’s not really that funny. She could not think of an argument or find fault with what Levi had said. Then, another Scripture verse came to mine: For we walk by faith, not by sight. By sight, she saw a potato crop that was not yet planted nor guaranteed to grow, her daddy who now did not know how long before he could return to work, doctor’s bills which were undoubtedly piling up every day Daddy’s hospital stay was lengthened, and certainty in nothing around her. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. By faith. What did she see by faith?

His Way is Perfect

Published on September 18, 2014 by Amanda Tero8 Comments

I enjoy playing around with photography and graphics designing, but don’t make time for it near as often as I’d like. I finally sat down to play with some Scripture Photos. This time, I was trying to learn a few things by trial and error with Photoshop’s {many} layers. Some of them gave a unique look that I’ve not used before. So, one picture, three styles (to see them full-sized, simply click on the picture).

Original

Style 1

Style 2

Style 3

Now, I’d like your opinion. Which style is your favorite?

And then, as I’m totally experimenting here, please give your input (if you are or are not a photographer)! Does anything look awkward? Any suggestions? You can be critical – I don’t mind. 😉

~*~

“As for God, His way is perfect:

the Word of the LORD is tried:

He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him.”

(Psalms 18:30)

I’ll Always Enjoy Another Sunset

Published on September 12, 2014 by Amanda Tero6 Comments

One of my friends sent me a picture of a sunset (she knows my weakness!) and the words to this post title came to my mind. I don’t know why I love sunsets so much, but I do. I could be elaborate about the beauty God paints in the sky every evening, but I think that someone else has already penned amazing words:

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Day unto day uttereth speech,

and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

There is no speech nor language,

where their voice is not heard.”

Psalm 19:1-3

As I pondered it last night, I began to think of some special things for the end of the day.

~At the end of the day,

I am assured that God’s mercies are new tomorrow.

~At the end of the day,

I can look back and see evidence of God’s hand at work in my life.

~At the end of the day,

I can pause and thank God for all He has done and will continue to do.

My photography skills do not capture the brilliance of God’s handiwork

Why is the end of the day – the sunset – special to you?

Is Your All On Which Altar?

Published on February 27, 2014 by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

“Is Your All On the Altar?” is one of my favorite hymns is It is a constant reminder to do a heart-check: What am I holding back? Yet the other day, God brought a new question to light: “Upon which altar are you laying your all?”

King Ahaz (2 Kings 16:10-16) saw the Assyrian’s pagan altar and immediately came home and patterned one identical to it. With this new altar, King Ahaz replaced the old altar that had been in the forefront of God’s house — the “old” altar being God’s altar. He never stopped sacrificing, he just replaced to whom he was sacrificing.

We might live a life of continual sacrifice, but it does not mean that we are sacrificing on God’s altar. We may have built an “altar” of the world, our dreams, or our ambitions. We may even have “good material” for our altar (family, friends, projects, gifts, talents) but instead of sacrificing this “good material” to let God use as He please, we have instead made it the altar upon which we sacrifice.

Romans 12:1 exhorts, “ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” To be a “living sacrifice” is a process of killing “self” — a willingness to change as God chooses to change us and surrendering our “right” to maintain our vision, cause and purpose to His. It is to place our all (our whole being) upon God’s altar and leave the results up to Him.

Perhaps God is calling us to sacrifice something painful or dear to us — an ambition, a dream, a lifestyle, or even our livelihood. Elisha, when the prophet Elijah anointed him to be prophet, immediately “took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.” (1 Kings 19:21) Just two verses prior, Elisha had been using those very oxen to plow his field. To follow God’s call, Elisha did not hesitate to give up his livelihood — to lay his all on the altar of God. He did not stop to ask “what-ifs.” He was willing to change directions as soon as God made it known to him which direction he should change. He gave unhesitant surrender.

Is God’s altar in the fore-front of our lives, or have we substituted it with another altar? The question is not “are you sacrificing?” but, “are you sacrificing to GOD?“

Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?
Your heart, does the Spirit control?

You can never be blessed, and have peace and sweet rest,

As you yield Him your body and soul.

Elisha A. Hoffman

Is God’s Word Profitable in Our Lives?

Published on February 24, 2014 by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

One of my favorite passages is 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” Beyond memorizing it, I decided to do a word study and was very interested in the results.

Greek Words

All – NT:3956 pas (pas); including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole:

Scripture – NT:1124 graphe (graf-ay’); a document, i.e. holy Writ (or its contents or a statement in it):

Given by inspiration of God – NT:2315 theopneustos (theh-op’-nyoo-stos); from NT:2316 and a presumed derivative of NT:4154; divinely breathed in:

Profitable – NT:5624 ophelimos (o-fel’-ee-mos); from a form of NT:3786; helpful or serviceable, i.e. advantageous:

For – NT:4314 pros (pros); a strengthened form of NT:4253; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. toward (with the genitive case the side of, i.e. pertaining to; with the dative case by the side of, i.e. near to; usually with the accusative case the place, time, occasion, or respect, which is the destination of the relation, i.e. whither or for which it is predicated):

Doctrine – NT:1319 didaskalia (did-as-kal-ee’-ah); from NT:1320; instruction (the function or the information):

Reproof – NT:1648 a elegmos (el-eng-mos’); from NT:1651; found only in 2 Tim 3:16: conviction (of a sinner), punishment, refutation of error, reproof.

Correction – NT:1882 epanorthosis (ep-an-or’-tho-sis); from a compound of NT:1909 and NT:461; a straightening up again, i.e. (figuratively) rectification (reformation):

Instruction – NT:3809 paideia (pahee-di’-ah); from NT:3811; tutorage, i.e. education or training; by implication, disciplinary correction:

Righteousness – NT:1343 dikaiosune (dik-ah-yos-oo’-nay); from NT:1342; equity (of character or act); specially (Christian) justification:

That – NT:2443 hina (hin’-ah); probably from the same as the former part of NT:1438 (through the demonstrative idea; compare NT:3588); in order that (denoting the purpose or the result):

Man – NT:444 anthropos (anth’-ro-pos); from NT:435 and ops (the countenance; from NT:3700); man-faced, i.e. a human being:

God – NT:2316 theos (theh’-os); of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with NT:3588) the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very:

Perfect – NT:739 artios (ar’-tee-os); from NT:737; fresh, i.e. (by implication) complete:

Throughly Furnished – NT:1822 exartizo (ex-ar-tid’-zo); from NT:1537 and a derivative of NT:739; to finish out (time); figuratively, to equip fully (a teacher):

All – NT:3956 pas (pas); including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole:

Good – NT:18 agathos (ag-ath-os’); a primary word; “good” (in any sense, often as noun):

Works – NT:2041 ergon (er’-gon); from a primary (but obsolete) ergo (to work); toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication, an act:

Results

From this word study, I gain that every single word contained in God’s Word is divinely breathed and given by God. It is serviceable and helpful toward and pertaining to instruction (doctrine), refutation of error and conviction (reproof), straightening up again (correction), and education/training in equity or Christian justification (instruction in righteousness). The reason and purpose God gave us His Word is so that any human being who has accepted His salvation can be complete and fully equipped for every good work/act/toil.

How good to know that I can trust God’s Word to guide me in every area of life!

All-Seeing God

Published on February 13, 2014 by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

As I read through Job, several verses of the same theme stood out to me.

Remembering Ourselves

Published on February 6, 2014 by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

Job’s friends looked on him with great judgment, trying to convince Job of ways that he had sinned and must repent. Job responded, “But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?” (Job 19:28)

There are two truths shown by that one question:

1) We are to remember that when we judge, the very same sin is most likely in our lives (perhaps manifested in different ways).

“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest; for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest does the same things.”Romans 2:1

2) The problem is not “them” but “me.” My heart and attitude is not right with God, so thus I am finding gross fault with them.

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5

Are we struggling with judging someone? Perhaps the “root of the matter” is in our own hearts (no matter how much “in the wrong” the other seems) and we must allow God to do a heart-check in us to ensure that we are in right standing before Him.