“"History will record that 2009/2010 was the year of the demise of Christianity because it snowed every weekend and all the churches went broke." — Rev.  Dean Snyder, via my friend Chris Owen’s Facebook page

That’s very funny.

The weekend’s storm was incredible. Well, at least for this area. It was beautiful and annoying all at the same time. I’ve been lucky enough not to be stuck in the snow at all while I’m driving. Though in the passenger’s seat of my brother-in-law’s 4WD F150 we spent nearly 30 minutes driving back and forth attempting to escape an off-ramp after helping a stuck driver. We succeeded in escaping, but unfortunately the driver eventually had to ride away without his car.

The photo at the top of this page is a close up of the little stick poking out of the table on the image on the left here. It’s a measuring stick. The photograph was taken before the snow ended at about 28 inches.

And, with all the snow, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make it the subject of this week’s video blog. Enjoy.

On the way in from an outing this evening, I came across this guy making a web in the walkway up to my house. A pretty heavy storm had just passed through. I was surprised that his habitat wasn’t destroyed.

I don’t usually shoot nature stuff, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

As I was setting up the shot, I gently sent a mist over the web to rewet the parts that were probably going to be invisible to the camera. When I did that, the spider curled up in a ball and wasn’t looking so photogenic. So, for some reason I thought it might help to gently blow on he web from a few feet away.

This didn’t work. I don’t know why I thought it would. Instead, the spider bolted for the outer edge of the web, then eventually out towards a tree.

Frustrated, I covered my gear with plastic to keep it from getting wet and went inside hoping the spider would get comfortable and return. Obviously, it did. But while I was inside waiting, it occurred to me that one of the elements of photography that I love is the ability to control nearly every aspect of a photograph.

If I don’t like where light is coming from, then put it somewhere else. If I don’t like who I’m shooting, find someone else. Props, scenery, colors? With studio style photography, it’s all up to me. The unpredictable element of nature photography only took a matter of minutes to frustrate me.

See, unfortunately, I’m a person who tends to thrive on the ability to control the circumstances around me. Although sometimes it’s a good thing, other times It gets me in trouble—usually in the form of losing sight of the big picture.

As I was thinking about the spider and how there was really nothing I could do to get it to come back and sit where I wanted it to, it reminded me of my overall discomfort in life—the day in and day out joys and frustrations of running a business and being uncertain what the next month is really going to look like.

But really, I need to remember to take a cue from the spider on a day to day basis. Be grateful and worship, cause my life is still standing in and out of stormy weather—and that’s not something I’m really in control of.

I’ve written about how much I like storms before.

But today’s was different. I had gone outside to spend some time in scripture. I thought that the gentle rain and faint thunder would add a nice ambiance to the experience. For several minutes I read quietly and listened to the rain. Then, it seemed like out of nowhere, there was a flash of light and crack of thunder so intense that I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anything like it.

I’m a grown man and it sent my heart racing—not just because it was startling either. It was the kind of sound you could feel in your chest and joints and bones and you just knew there was real danger associated with it.

Within seconds the the rain became a downpour and I was no longer being kept dry under the porch overhang.

My heart was still pounding and I was still left anxious from the now much more aggressive storm. Then, as quickly as it came, it silent. No rain, no thunder. And I started thinking, as cliché as it might be, this phenomenon really does just scream, “God is here”. It’s no wonder whatsoever that so many of the Psalms use the imagery of storms and thunder and lightning to illustrate God and his movements.

I think for that flash, I got a small taste of what it means to ‘fear the Lord’.

He loads the thick cloud with moisture;
   the clouds scatter his lightning.
They turn around and around by his guidance,
    to accomplish all that he commands them
    on the face of the habitable world.

(Job 37:11-12)

The Washington D.C. area doesn’t usually see too many aggressive snow storms. People usually start getting nervous about driving once we get around 2 inches of snow. This seasons, for the most part, hasn’t bee any different. At least not until last night.

In the last few breaths of the winter season we finally got something worth calling a snow storm. Since about 2:00pm yesterday, we’ve had snow coming and going in varying intensities which has now resulted in around 8 inches of snow. Of course, that’s not much compared to our friends up north, but it’s substantial for us.

Anyways, while doing a bit of late night sledding with some family, I spotted a fantastic photograph. A few hours later, these results emerged.

There’s something I really love about thunder storms. One of my favorite things to do is to sit on my front porch during a really active, noisy thunderstorm. I always seem to forget ho much I love it until the opportunity arises and I’m reminded. I could sit out there for hours if the storm would permit. I think it’s got something to do with a sense of totally detached chaos. I have absolutely no control over a storm. It will happen regardless of what I do or do not do. That is fascinating to me.

Tonight was a storm, right in the vein that I love. The lightening was almost continuous and the thunder was that kind that you’re uncertain of which direction it’s coming from. The kind that has not so many cracks, but far more rumblings that you can feel in your chest. I imagine it was like Moses in the cleft of the rock. Just beautiful.

Grant me fear that I should be
Humble before such as thee.
Thee complete, I cannot see,
But in thy works, behold, majesty.

Make for me a heart of flesh
And place it here inside mine breast
Ever more to know mine Lord
For upon the cross I hath been blessed.