If I could tell you one last thing before I died…, I would tell you about how I live life to the fullest. I would tell you about the great joy I have in my heart. I would tell you about a man who came from Heaven to earth, named Jesus. He came to give us life to the fullest. He told of two paths, one path is wide and there are many people on it. The other is narrow and few travel on it, yet it leads to life in the fullest. The wide path is easy to travel on; it is the path we are on from birth, our default path. The narrow path is a path that you have to choose to walk, it is not always easy, but it is the most rewarding. There is no middle path and each path leads to different places. The… read more
Inspiks Market Blog
I want to explain a portion of scripture that some may find confusing. I had a friend (who isn’t a Christian) ask me about the Bible talking about it being wrong to have wealth. Jesus does mention that the poor are blessed and that the kingdom of Heaven is theirs. What we must understand is that religious people at that time thought that if you had wealth then you were blessed by God. That meant that anyone who did not have wealth would have been considered unholy and not someone who would be likely going to Heaven. We must also understand that when Jesus came, He really shook up the apple cart. He did not come to hang out with religious people and promote what they were doing. He came to show them how they should be truly living their lives, He came to reach out to those in need…. read more
Jesus said, I came to give life, not death, a life in Him. When we get our eyes off the flaws and set them on the real, true beauty, the face of Jesus, we begin to see in a whole new light. When we read His word, we begin to see another image, a reflection of Jesus- his precious Word begins to shine in our hearts. New life begins anew and a seed is planted, and another…. I can see beauty in a stick, yes… in the simplest of things. My mind and thoughts have been renewed, changed, because the word of God has renewed my wrong/dark thinking into a right/light/godly thinking…. I don’t see all the flaws in self, others, and things in this life as I once did. We know this world is passing away and will, however the Lord said, HIS Word shall never pass away!!! For… read more
This is a passion flower and quite frankly, it’s probably the most amazing flower I have ever seen. However, why add another flower picture to the plethora of  flower pictures out their? Because, this flower has a little story to tell. He knows he won’t last long, his time is short, so he was made bright and beautiful, so that he might catch my attention; which he obviously did, in order that I might preserve its story for all to read and learn from, as I have. The story he told was this. “Don’t waste your life!” Our life, though prolonged a bit longer then this flower, will eventually waste away like a vapor, and what will be left? Money? Photos? Friends? Broken dreams? Unconfessed sin? Time isn’t free, it will cost you your life, therefore spend every second wisely. Blow yourself out doing your very best, smile often, laugh… read more
Amazing! Think on these concepts, on these fantastic truths. Our days are like grass, we flourish like a flower of the field and then are gone. We flourish! We were meant to flourish, to grow, to enjoy life, to enjoy the glory of God, however short our lives may be, we were meant for so much more then we are led to believe. Yet, we do pass away, we die and our place remembers us no more and life goes on for those we leave behind. “But…” O for the many wonderful things that come after the “buts” of the Bible, it is a study I highly recommend doing sometime. “The steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting for those who fear him.” Wow, that’s an awfully long time, way longer than my life, or your life, or all of everyone’s lives added together end to end…. read more
Some people say that it is contradictory that Christians claim to be free, Â when they are required to follow the guidelines in the Bible. What you need to understand is that we are all slaves to sin when we enter this world. It use to be perfect, our relationship with God, but when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, sin entered and we lost that perfect relationship with God. Having a relationship with Jesus frees us from the slavery to sin that we are born into and opens up a means of connection with God. Whether you like it or not, we are all born sinful and the only way to be free is to accept the one who defeated sin, Jesus. If you don’t believe me, that we are all naturally sinful, look at children; they naturally do things that are wrong and… read more
Jesus was being drawn by the Father to depart from the crowds, to go away and to pray and to be with the Father, God. I’ve often pondered about this, how Jesus had to refresh himself at the feet of His Father. He had to be strengthened to receive from the Heavenly Father so that He could continue onward. We, God’s people need to do the same, for Jesus set the example for all of us. We too, also need to go to the feet of Jesus and to receive from him and to be still as even Mary was still. She partook of the good and received from Jesus. Their truly are too many people laboring by their own works (of the flesh) and we all have been guilty of this. When we cease from our own labors and allow the Lord to lead, guide and speak we truly walk… read more
Woodpeckers are one of Gods amazing creatures, they are a very special family of birds found worldwide, except for Australia and New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known to live in treeless areas such as rocky hillsides and deserts. The diet of woodpeckers consists mainly of insects and their grubs taken from living and dead trees, along with fruit, nuts and sap from live trees. Their role ecologically is geared towards keeping trees healthy by keeping them from suffering mass infestations. The family is noted for its ability to acquire wood-boring grubs using their bills for hammering, but overall the family is characterized by its dietary flexibility, with many species being both highly omnivorous and opportunistic. What’s so special about the Woodpecker? Many of the foraging, breeding and signaling behaviors of woodpeckers involve drumming and… read more
So this was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Unfortunately it was also one of the most unpleasant places I have ever been, there were thousands upon thousands of mosquito’s. We stayed there for enough time to snap a few shots and then go. We were up there no longer than 10 minutes and my girlfriend had 39 mosquito bites on one leg! It was a great hike though and I would love to go back with some bug spray. My friend asked me the other day who some of my favorite men of the Bible were. That got me thinking and I think that my favorite is Solomon, here was a man who had experienced all the world had to offer and he was not satisfied with any of it. We have been reading through Ecclesiastes in Bible Study and that is where I discovered… read more
How to Shoot Star Trails: In this tutorial we’ll leave the computer and head out into the wild. I’ll be explaining the processes I use to shoot star trails images. So what is a star trails image? A star trails image is created by setting a camera on a tripod and opening its shutter for at least an hour. The rotation of the Earth makes the stars appear to travel in circles, and how do you shoot it exactly? Well, that’s just what this tutorial is going to explain to us, so lets get out there! [sociallocker] Examples Star Trails Photography [/sociallocker]
The Lord fills us with His word, the more we drink of the Living waters and eat of His word, the more in the likeness of His image we become…. for it is written to all who would hear and are thirsty and do hunger after Christ Jesus: Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. – Isaiah 55:1 You see, the invitation here is made to all. ‘Everyone’ is entreated to come. It is not offered to the elect only, or to the rich, the great, the noble; but it is made to all. He came for us, the sinner. Our best is filthy rags. It is impossible to conceive of language more universal in its nature than this, and while this stands in the Word of… read more
Went back to a favorite spot to re-take a shot I had done earlier and get a wider angle. I kinda miss shooting waterfalls and I think I need to do some more exploring. I have been thinking lately about how much we are missing out on what God really has to offer. We rarely seem to make sacrifices to God. It seems like things such as all-night prayers and fasting are rarely done. We get so busy with things that we think we have to do, and we don’t take the time to properly honour God. I can’t help but think that if Jesus came back today, the excuses we would have for not fully devoting ourselves to God would seem so pitiful. I don’t mean this to be a bummer message but it is so frustrating, because I think that all Christian can agree, that God is capable… read more
The impact of Facebook is far reaching, even surpassing the developers expectations, it has infiltrated the social media scene like a storm. When Facebook launched in 2004 it was strictly for college students to connect with each other and share information with friends. Facebook went public, but hardly anyone knew about it and it was competing heavily with other social networks like Myspace, today many people are connecting and meeting up with friends and family. Businesses are now using Facebook as a means to increase exposure with target advertising, increase traffic to their websites and develop credibility between customers and their brands. So how has Facebook impacted the Church? First we must clarify what “the Church” is. Most people understand the Church as a building but, the word “Church†comes from the Greek word ekklesia which is defined as “an assembly†or “called-out ones.†The root meaning of “Church†is… read more
Fracture mechanics is the science of studying sudden-failure phenomenon. Materials have a yield strength (the stress under which they will yield) but in many cases materials fail at applied stresses below their yield strength. We Christians have also a spiritual yield strength—a spiritual potential–but in many cases fail to reach that potential because we fail at spiritual levels way below what we are capable of. The Bible is full of such examples, such as: the sin of King David with Bathsheba; King Saul; and of course Samson. Why do structures fail at applied stresses lower than the known yield strength of their material? That’s because all structures contain small flaws (cracks) determined by their material and processing. We, Christians, all have small flaws determined by two things. First, our natural spiritual strengths and weakness. It is a fact that some people are naturally servants, or preachers, etc; and others naturally… read more
Each month we feature some of the best Photoshop tutorials and this month is no exception! These tutorials range from cool photo typography effect, abstract mosaics, elegant website layouts and a cool grungy photo manipulation project. Check them out, you may find something that you like! Create Beautiful Abstract Mosaics In this tutorial, Fabio from Abduzeedo will show you how to create a deconstructed image using a pattern made out of cubes. The idea is try to simulate a mosaic but with a more abstract and up-to-date interpretation. View Tutorial Create a 3D Industrial-style Download Icon in Photoshop This tutorial teaches you how to create a unique 3D download folder icon with textures. Learn some useful techniques for creating more visually impressive 3D icons. View Tutorial Modern 3D Text Effect In this Photoshop tutorial we’re going to step outside my usual Photoshop Only philosophy and use the 3D rendering power… read more
Growing up, in my own strength, tall and high, fighting, struggling, wanting. Then cut down, short and flat, just like all the others around me. What am I to do? I want to be tall, like those trees. How’d they do it? So I grow again, taking in my nutrients from the world, taking it all in, just like everybody else. So we grow, big and tall, and I begin to think, “maybe, this time, I will grow tall like those trees”. Then, from behind, comes the sound, the whir, the growl, the blade, cutting all my competition down flat. It passes by, and still I stand, tall and proud. But O, horror, here it comes again, cutting, biting, throwing a cloud of my neighbors to the left of me. I am short and squat once again, and so I fall in despair I crumble, for I will never be… read more
The Bread of Life is the spiritual food needed by man. Without the bread of life man cannot live spiritually. Just as physically man needs to eat in order to live, the bread of life gives nourishment for the soul. Unless one eats from the bread of life we face eternal death. Jesus said in John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John 6:35 In the Old Testament God provided the Israelite with manna from heaven. They were told only to take what was required for a one day supply and they had to trust that God would send more the next day. The manna served as salvation for the Israelite physical needs on a daily basis. God, however knew of a greater need for the salvation… read more
The other day I was talking to a co-worker about faith and she asked the question what if nothing of what I believe is real? And to be honest, if that were the case, I would have no regrets. I lived an awesome, healthy life doing my best to make the world around me a better place. I think the question that people should really be worried about is what if Christianity is true? What if there is a God who is going to judge us when we die? It says in the Bible that our time on earth will seem like a blink of an eye compared to eternity. Is it really worth living life exactly how we want to for maybe 80 years or so and then spend the rest of eternity paying for it? However, it is so much more than a get out of jail free… read more
I was reading this scripture passage from Psalms 41:9 this morning. This verse just stuck out to me as never before. It reminded me of Jesus and Judas, the one who clearly betrayed Jesus, who supped with the Lord at His table. Jesus knew the thoughts and intents of his heart, for the Lord knows what is in the heart of all men and women. Judas supped with Jesus, he was right there with the other disciples, why such betrayal? Do we know why? The Bible tells us such. Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. Psalm 41:9 As I pondered on the verse, It remind me of how the Lord reveals to us, His children, when we wholeheartedly seek His face for guidance, for His truth in all matters, all areas of our lives. Including when we pray… read more
HDR Image from One Photo in Photoshop: Last month we learned how to create a High Dynamic Range Image (HDR) from three different exposures ranging from light to dark, this tutorial will bring us through the steps in creating the HDR look from a single image in Photoshop, it takes just a few minutes to complete. Lets get started! [sociallocker] Resource: Homeless Portraiture by Stock.xchng Final Image Step 1 You should start out with a high quality photo that has good lighting and obvious highlights. I choose the following photo because it has a lot of details I wanted to bring out in the face. Step 2 Open the Homeless Portraiture by Stock.sxchng. Make sure the levels and colors are fixed on the original before you start. Duplicate the Layer, then go Filter > Other > High Pass. Set the Radius to 4.0 and then set the Blending Mode… read more
About a year ago as I got off the bus, two Mormon missionaries standing at the intersection started talking to me. They offered me some reading materials but I refused them and told them that I was a Christian. We spent few minutes discussing our different beliefs. They said, “Just like in the Old Testament times there were prophecies, God sent prophecies to speak again to us about 200 years ago.†I asked them, “Why did God decide not to talk to us through prophecies in those 1,800 years between the ministry of Christ on earth and 200 years ago?†There were no answers. In the summer (I think) of 2006 a friend in Windsor, Ontario took me and my uncle and his wife to her church. It was a small church and I had never been there before. As soon as the service ended this old woman came directly… read more
The gap is massive, the fall horrendous. We stand here, He stands there. We need to cross. We stand alone, about to fall. He stands there, tall and sure on the mountain. We need to cross. We are rooted, drinking up a dying stream. He needs no sustenance for He Himself is Life. We need to cross. How shall we cross, and where is the bridge for such a chasm? We cannot jump for we would fall. we cannot swim for we would drown. We cannot fly for we have no wings. We need to cross but we are rooted, dead and dying with no hope inside and no hope around. We need to cross but we are darkness and He is light so how could we cross? He must come and take us there, yet He must take us on a cross, He must pay the price for such… read more
I was raised in what I would call a semi-Christian home. I was never taught about having a personal relationship with Jesus, but I was taught the real significance behind Christian holidays and I was taught many of the same basic principles of the Bible for living my life. When I was 10 years old, we moved to a new city and some neighbors invited us to attend AWANAS. We began to attend church and by the end of my first year of AWANAS I had given my life to Christ. During my school years I had a great group of Christian friends and as a result I never got into alcohol or drugs or anything like that. It was really easy in my group to stay on the straight and narrow, which was really cool, but I never felt like I made a difference for Christ while at… read more
There is arguably no greater ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ evidence for the existence of a personal intelligent God than the presence and pervasiveness of biological information in all living things. Ponder the testimony of atheistic Biologist Richard Dawkins on the nature of biological information. “…at the molecular genetic level, every single one of more than a trillion cells in the body contains about a thousand times as much precisely-coded digital information as my entire computer…†(The Blind Watchmaker, 1986, xiii). What Dawkins is getting at here is the stubborn fact that DNA, the molecule of heredity, is information rich. “In order for any organism to be whatever it is, its genetic program (DNA) must specify what sort of organism it will be and, within surprisingly narrow limits, what specific characteristics it will assume…The DNA must be faithfully copied to every single cell of an organism that will eventually consist of billions… read more
