“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” Genesis 1:3 From the very first passage the Bible talks about light and how light overcomes darkness. Light transforms darkness. Where light exists darkness cannot. Darkness can only come if light goes away. That’s how it is at sunset. The darkness doesn’t come, the sun light goes away until the morning. God created the light for the Earth in Genesis and in the New Testament God brought spiritual light through Christ. When we keep Christ in our hearts darkness can not exist there. And when we bring Christ to the world around us, the darkness hates it. Dear Lord, in this dark world we live in, may we shine your light and drive out the darkness. Read all of Genesis 1. Want to draw closer to God? Click the link. In my last newsletter, I wrote about seeing God’s peace in our photographs. In this post, I want to look at seeing God’s Majesty in our photographs. Imagery of God’s majesty can bring peace and rest to our hearts when the concerns of life distract us from God. How can we see God’s Majesty in a photograph? Where do I begin to start? The great beauty of a sunset photo is minor compared to the beauty of God, yet each sunset reveals a touch of God’s royal majesty. In a photograph of fall foliage, I see God’s glorious splendor and majesty displayed in the colors. And what about a photograph of a bald eagle in flight? It gives us a strong image of majesty and serves as a reflection of the majesty of God, the creator of the eagle. I see God’s Majesty in all these photographs, but the photographs of the mountains reveal God’s majesty to my heart like no others. I love taking such photos. One morning when we were visiting Rocky Mountain National Park in the Fall, I got up out of our tent long before the rest of my family. I quietly grabbed my camera gear, jumped into our SUV and headed out under the predawn sky. Even though I was enjoying a camping trip with my family and some friends, I had some concerns in my heart that troubled me. These concerns were a distraction and I needed to relieve my mind of them. As I drove along, I prayed, asking God to take me to a great spot to photograph. After praying, I found myself heading up to Bear Lake. Bear Lake is normally a very busy spot in the park, but on cool Fall mornings, one can find restful solitude there. The road to Bear Lake is quite phenomenal. During the drive, the majesty of God began to strike my heart, and all my concerns slowly faded away. Being caught up in the majesty of God can do that to someone. When I got to the lake I spent some time taking photographs the trees that lined the shore. The still water and the blazing aspens along the slopes kindled a peaceful fire in my own heart. All this created a beautiful opportunity to have a special morning with God. After photographing from the shore, I headed up a steep trail that granted me even greater glimpses into the majesty of God. The many photographs I took that morning created a visual journal helping me to remember my moments with God that day. They were moments that I really needed. The mountains, the lake, the colors of Fall, and the photographs I took, spoke to me about the majesty of God and His goodness. When we see God’s Majesty in His creation, we often want to photograph it, but we need to remember to take it all into our hearts too. Our photographic experience is so much better when we allow that majesty speak to us about the greatness of our God, and what that means to our everyday lives. When we take picture just to capture what we see, we miss out on moments with God. Far better is our experience when we not only take pictures, but when we also let the majesty around us resonate in our hearts and draw us near to God. The more we take it in, the deeper our time with God. Let your time photographing bring you peace and not just a pretty photograph. Let those moments give you a deeper connection with God and not just photographs to show on social media. And let those photographs and the majesty of God you see in them, be to you a visual journal of your moments with Him, and how He spoke to you on the day you took them. Doing these things will help you find peace and rest in the majesty of God. To see more posts like this, sign up for my Drawing Near to God Through Photography newsletter. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” Matthew 7:13 In the Bible, Jesus warns us that the road to death is wide. Many people walk the road to death by following the ways of the world. That road, like a path that leads to the edge of a cliff, leads to destruction. If you’re following the road of the world, Jesus calls you away from it. He encourage us to follow His way and enter by the narrow gate. When we do, we find that God’s road leads to life! Read more of Christ’s teaching in Matthew 7. The Light Overcomes the Darkness
Genesis 1:3 and the Pacific Coast, Olympic National Park, Washington State.
Light Overcomes all Darkness
Seeing God’s Majesty in Our Photographs
God’s Majesty in Our Photographs
A Mountain Morning Photo Shoot
Seeing God’s Majesty in Our Photographs and Remembering the Moment
Broad is the Road
Matthew 7:13 and a Cliff, Badlands National Park, South Dakota.
Psalm 89:5, 6 and Pre-sunrise Sky above the Saint Louis River, Jay Cooke State Park, Minnesota. “The heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of … Continue reading → Psalm 104:24 and a Pronghorn, Custer State Park, South Dakota. “O Lord, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all” Psalm 104:24 In Wisdom God Created God … Continue reading → God’s Greatness in the Sky
Created In Wisdom
A Different Kind of Bible Verse of the Day
Welcome to the Visual Bible Verse of the Day. My name is Pasquale Mingarelli. Six days a week I post a Scripture verse or passage along with a picture of nature. The two together work to encourage people through God’s Word and God’s creation. I desire to reach people around the world with this daily Bible verse and creation photo so they may know the greatness and goodness of God.
As an outdoor photographer I spend a lot of time outside. I enjoy spending time in nature even when I’m not taking pictures. My family and I like to go for walks or hikes to enjoy the beauty of just being outside. Often, I bring along my Bible and a journal to reflect about God during a hike or walk. As a result, I have learned that God speaks to us through His creation and the creation speaks to us about God.
The Bible tells us that creation reveals many of God’s attributes (Romans 1:20 and Psalm 19). Through nature we see God’s power, transcendence, majesty, glory, beauty, provision and so much more. May these pictures and daily Bible devotional help you to see these qualities of God reveled through His creation.
Ways to receive The Visual Bible Verse of the Day
The Visual Bible Verse of the Day comes to you free of charge. You can visit this site daily or sign up to receive the Scripture verses and pictures by email. What’s nice is that you can control how often you receive The Visual Bible Verse of the Day. When you visit the free subscription you’ll see several options. The first one allows people to receive the Scripture verse and picture daily. But for those who want to limit the quantity of emails I offer a three day a week option and a two day a week option.
A little Bit About Me
Before jumping into nature photography I worked as a newspaper photographer and then joined the missionary organization Campus Crusade for Christ (now called Cru). I worked as a photojournalist with Campus Crusade’s magazine,Worldwide Challenge. While working with the magazine, I had photo assignments in seven different countries and 24 different states. Traveling and photographing in the U.S. and internationally, gave me a wealth of knowledge and experience about life, people, and culture.
Today, I work as full-time freelance photographer, teach photography part-time and work as creation speaker. But as a result of my days with Campus Crusade, I still have a heart and passion for ministry. I want to bless people through my photography and Bible verse of the day. I hope you enjoy this site! Finally, I encourage you to get outside to enjoy God’s creation and dig into God’s Word daily. Blessings!