Guest post by Joe Gish – Sandpoint, Idaho. A lesson on sincerity and being real.
Posing For Pictures
And I arose, me and my wife, and gat us to a place of great beauty that God refers to as His footstool, and men refer to as Banff. And we have went there betimes, for the grandeur of the mountains, and the color of the water seem to be the finishing touches on Gods footstool.
Now it is so that we be not the only ones that have found this place of repose, for there be others who bear witness to the greatness of our God, and behold, how great a cloud of witnesses!
Now this place lieth in Alberta, westward and southward, and the men who first came here were FOR REAL, for the rugged rocky cliffs and harsh weather are not for the faint of heart if they were to possess the land. But that was many years ago, and man hath sought out many inventions and clever artifices that have softened his daily struggles, notwithstanding they still lay claim to the honor.
When, therefore, we had found a park bench a short distance from The Falls, we sat ourselves down and beheld humanity, and the amount of cameras was only exceeded by the photos taken. For they captured one this way, and then that way, and then together, and then selfies, and always beheld the photo for judging at the finish. While they were yet posing there came others. And I beheld a dignity from Beijing, I suppose, with a rugged western garment and a cowboy hat, and while he was yet posing there came another from Tokyo, I suppose, and asked a boy on the shore to lend her his fishing pole, and she bent this way and that in various acts of frozen movement for the working camera, while the bait, free from viewpoint of the lens, hung lifeless above the water. While she was yet posing, there came three men with great speed, posed briefly for the nature photo, and sped away, and as they went, I heard them say, “That done, now let us go golfing.”
And when the fullness of time was come, we climbed into our chariot and headed back to daily life. And I pondered many curious mysteries, and facades, and also pictures of frozen movement that we pose for, to post in God’s albums.
And the Word of the Lord came unto me and said, “Whom shall I send, and Who will go for us? For I have here pictures of vessels posing with this Bible verse, and that church activity, and these clothes, and I fear that they be selfies. And I would that ye be Fishers of Men with live bait, and in the current, who feel the tug for souls. I would also that ye be men of strength and courage, and not as those who pose in humility clad in their best garments for duty’s sake on Sunday. For I have need of men who are FOR REAL, and these are they who own not cameras.”
And I was moved with conviction, and went my way to possess the land.
We believe in the inerrancy and sufficiency of the Scriptures. Jesus said, “Thy Word is truth.” And so we not only believe it, we also base our worldview upon it.