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Green Shutter Studios, 727 S. Davis Street, Nashville, GA (2026)

06/06/2026

Week 20: Meditate On The Word

Well, summertime is officially here in South Georgia. It’s hot. The bugs are back in full force. So much so that it’s almost like being in a scary movie. Instead of being attacked by birds, its bugs the size of birds.

With the heat comes the growing grass. As you know, that means it needs to be mowed on consistent basis. Depending on how much rain you get, it can range from biweekly to twice in a week. You just never know. This week’s picture was taken as the yard was being mowed. The dust was floating up, and the sun was shining through the trees. I thought it was a cool sight.

While some people may dread being in the heat, dealing with the bugs, dodging limbs, and in some cases dodging snakes, I kind of enjoy being out there in the solitude of the yard. Believe it or not, it’s a great way to just meditate on things. There’s nothing but you, the mower, and the thoughts in your head to keep you company.

I often times find myself thinking about things that have either happened to me recently, or something I’ve learned from my reading or Bible study. Sometimes I think about questions I would have for God if I could sit Him down and just ask Him things. Not like a judgmental questioning of things, but an inquisitive way. I believe He wants us to ask. To inquire. To seek Him.

What really happens a lot of times is I get a chance to not only ask, but I also get to meditate on what He’s already revealed to me through His Word. When some people hear the word meditate, they often picture sitting on the floor with their legs cris cross applesauce and their eyes closed, holding up their hands and humming. That’s not the connotation here. This isn’t about clearing your mind of all thought, this is about filling your mind with the truth and word of God.

There main Hebrew word that deals with meditation is “hagah.” Hebrew is such a beautiful language to hear. The literal translation is speak quietly under your breath or to mutter or whisper to yourself. It’s really kind of a word picture of letting something roll around in your mind and mentally chewing on it, and then trying to digest it, and just repeating that process over and over throughout the day. Basically, you’re wrestling with it mentally and verbally. Being on the lawnmower allows you the solitude to do just that. We have a sizable yard, so plenty of time to meditate.

I wanted to share this passage in closing.

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭77‬:‭11‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Meditate on His word this week. Make it a point to think it, speak it, and live it.

05/26/2026

Week 19: Camouflage

Recently I went over to my mom’s house to take her something and check on her and I saw this little guy hiding in a pipe in one of the bushes. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the pipe and saw a little face looking back at me. My initial thought was, “Hey, that’s a bold move!” My next thought was, “That’s probably not the best place for you to be.” Seeing that really sent me down a rabbit hole of different thoughts.

My first thought was, “Just because it makes you comfortable doesn’t mean it’s exactly where you belong.” Comfort in itself is not a bad thing, but it really does a number on us sometimes. It becomes our excuse for not doing what God has called us to do. We just get too comfortable. It turns into, “I’m good right here, God. I don’t need or want any more responsibilities than what I already have. This is safe, and you know I don’t do anything that requires getting out of my comfort zone.”

My second thought was, “He was able to almost completely blend in with his surroundings.” From an animal’s point of view, it’s probably a matter of survival. For me and you, it can be detrimental in some ways. Are you different than others? I don’t mean weird, I mean set apart. God calls us to be unlike the world at large. Do you dare to be different or do you change your appearance to fit in to whichever environment you’re in at the time? Hopefully you choose to be different.

This week’s scripture:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Have a great week!

05/14/2026

Week 18: The Breakthrough

One of the perks of working from home is the ability to go walking during my lunch break. I have just enough time to get to the track, walk my two miles, and get back home. The key is keeping a good pace and not giving up in the heat.

As I was walking, I noticed this little patch of grass that appears to have punched its way up through the pavement. It look like it happened so fast that the pavement was left with a permanent exit wound. That seems weird, right? Grass breaking through the pavement. Doesn’t seem like something that could happen. The grass is soft, and the pavement is pretty hard. So how could grass break through? It probably took time, and the grass didn’t give up.

How many times have we gone through something hard and given up? How many things have we let become excuses as to why we didn’t finish what we set out to do? Would we be so quick to give up if we knew that just on the other side of this struggle is sunlight? Since I was at a track, it really made me think about finishing the race.

Hebrews 12: 1-2 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

You know what sticks out when I read that? The power of choice. It’s on us. What weighs, or worries, do we need to lay down? Anxiety. Stress. Deadlines. Bills. All of those things seem to be commonplace for most of us. The problem is not the presence of these things in our lives, the problem often stems from our response to said things. We give up. We fold. We take our eyes off Jesus. What happens when we do this? We miss opportunities and blessings, either for ourselves or for others.

As you go through this week, focus on your eyes on Jesus and run with endurance. Lean on Him when it gets tough. Choose to be the grass that doesn’t give up, but punches through the pavement to get the prize on the other side.

05/08/2026

Week 17: Passing The Eye Test

As we did our bible study tonight, we were reading in Genesis about Jacob and his father in law Laban. Jacob was ready to leave with his wives and kids and go to his own place in his own country. I get it. There’s no place like home.

Laban, being the manipulative, shrewd individual he was, asked Jacob what it would take for him to stay. You see, Laban knew he was prospering because of Jacob, and he didn’t want that gravy train to end. Jacob said, “I’ll tell you what, let me take all of the spotted, speckled, and black lambs from your flock. They’ll be mine, and you can keep all of the pretty, good looking white ones.” Laban agreed to this.

It got me to thinking, just looking g at them, they weren’t the desirable lambs. There was a spot here, or a blemish there, or maybe it wasn’t quite the right color. Maybe it had stripes. Maybe they were weaker than the others. They just didn’t fit in with the rest of the flock. The problem is, they didn’t pass the eye test. They weren’t perfect, but they were still chosen.

That should bring us comfort if nothing else. Sometimes we don’t look the part. Others may look at us and wonder exactly what God sees in us. We might even wonder what He sees in us. We have spots on us because we continue to struggle with things. We have stripes from the battles we’ve been in. We have blemishes because we just can’t seem to get it right, no matter how bad we want to. The fact is that sanctification is a process. It takes time. There will be mistakes and there will be times where you don’t live up to the expectations put on us. We’re. Not. Perfect. But we are still chosen.

Here are some examples of imperfection:

Moses was stutterer who doubted himself and doubted God. He even killed a man out of anger. What did he do? He led God’s chosen people out of Egypt.

Peter denied Jesus three times after he swore he was ride or die for Jesus. That fiasco broke his heart after it came to pass. What did he do? Jesus used him to build The Church.

Jacob was a cheater. He not only bought Esau’s birthright with a bowl of soup, but he tricked Isaac into giving him Esau’s blessing by dressing up as his brother. What happened to him? Well, God changed his name to Israel and he happened to have twelve sons. They later became the twelve tribes of Israel.

Rahab was a pr******te. What impact did she have? Oh, she was just a part of the lineage of a guy named Jesus. No biggie.

Lastly, there was David He was an adulterer and murderer. In fact he tried to use the mixer to cover up the adultery. That’s pretty bad. What did he do? He slayed a giant by being an instrument of God. He gathered the materials to build the temple in Jerusalem. He was even later described as a man after God's heart.

None of these people would’ve passed the eye test. God used them anyway. Don’t worry about how you look, worry about who you are in Christ. You’ll never be perfect. That’s why we need Him. We can’t do it on our own. I’m going to leave you with this passage from 1 Corinthians.

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.””
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭26‬-‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

05/04/2026

Week 16: Talking To God

We often times think of prayer as a time to make requests. That’s not a bad thing. We approach Him because there is an expectation that He can do what we ask.

It could be to meet a need you have. It could be for something you really want. It could be to meet a need for someone else. Maybe you just have a question that you really would love to have an answer to. However, prayer begins with one simple thing: talking to God. How often do you talk to Him?

My wife recommended this audiobook, and so far it’s been really good. It’s called “Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools” by Tyler Staton. It’s been interesting to hear his story, and in turn, refreshing to hear his perspective on things associated with the use of prayer in our everyday lives.

One area he brings up is about being still. What does that mean? In today’s terms, it simply means get rid of one of the biggest enemies of spiritual life today: “hurry.” How often do we get caught up in what we have to do next? Not that those things are all bad, but are we letting “busyness” take over all aspects of our lives? How likely is it that if you are concentrating on your next task that you’ll be able to effectively spend time talking to God? If you’re like me, I’m horrible at multitasking with things that require deep attention. I can admit that. Ask my wife for verification, she’ll be glad to confirm. The point is, you can’t just shove worship into an opening on your daily calendar and expect it to be fulfilling for you or God. It doesn’t really work that way.

Here’s the challenge for this week: set aside time to talk to God. No interruptions. No distractions. Just you and Him. In that time, talk to Him about any and everything. What’s on your mind? What do you need to ask Him? Leave room to listen while you’re there. Don’t let “hurry” turn it into a spiritual dine and dash where we drop off our requests and then leave a dust trail behind us on the way to the next thing. Take your relationship deeper. Be still. Ask. Listen.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭46‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

04/27/2026

Week 15: In The Mighty Name of Jesus

Over the last few months, my wife has been dealing with some health issues. Sometime back before the end of the year, we had different little things start to happen. It was all quite mysterious at first.

It started off with swollen feet. Well, any teacher on their feet all day can tell you that’s normal, just depends on what the day held. Completely random and no method to the madness. Then there was the hurting ankles. Same as the swollen feet. No biggie, right? Then there was the sore wrists. The sore fingers. The sore knees. Then the achy back. Suddenly, she was completely unable to get out of the bed some days. The pain was unbearable.

It was hard to watch her go through this. She couldn’t stand up or sit down on her own. She struggled to brush her hair. It was impossible for her to get ready for work on her own. She needed help at the end of the day to get up or down the stairs, whether that be to get inside the house, or in and out of our bedroom. It’s been tough.

Throughout this time, we’ve remained optimistic about her healing. After a long wait to see a specialist, we were able to get in and get the answers we needed, and the process has begun. She is making a little progress each week.

As you can imagine, we’ve done a little bit of praying. There are several different names for The Lord all throughout the Bible. I’ve mentioned them in a previous post. The one that has always been in our mind is Jehovah Rapha, which means “The Lord Our Healer.” That’s where this week’s picture comes in. We get to call on the mighty name of Jesus.

During His ministry on Earth, there’s not one person presented to Him seeking healing that didn’t leave without what they were looking for. He changed them all. The physical, for sure, but there was also spiritual healing going on. Listen, we need the physical healing sometimes, but the spiritual healing is a must. He gave my wife some physical relief with her issues, but more importantly, He gave her spiritual healing that will never go away. The body is temporal. The spirit is not.

The scripture for the week:
“When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

He’s still healing people today. As you go through the week, don’t be afraid to call on Him.

04/17/2026

Week 14: Our Story

What’s your story? What has your journey been like? How far have you come? Are we there yet?

This past Sunday, I was playing the service at TruthPoint, and Austin was laying out the vision given to him by God. He gave some background on the history of the church, along with his personal life. It was a stark reminder that you don’t always see the big moments for what they are at the time, but you can only understand that when looking back on it. These things become a part of your history. It made me realize that you can’t spell “history” without “story.” We all have one.

When you get to being my age, you start to reflect on where you’ve been. If you’re like me, you’ve probably encountered far more winding roads than straight ones. If we’re being honest, they are probably more bumpy than smooth, and that is generally a result of our own making.

The truth is, each road had its own unique purpose and meaning in our lives. God doesn’t always take us straight there. Sometimes He does. Not all the time. We don’t always learn that way. Sometimes the trip is meant to take you out of the way. Look at the children of Israel. Their path while rambling in the wilderness was a big continuous trip around Spaghetti Junction. God tried to take them on a straighter route, but they refused to obey Him. They wanted to do it their way. Could you imagine the people keeping their journal and realizing they just passed the same rock for the fourth time? “Hey, God! It’s Ebenezer! I think we’ve been here before!” Yeah… you have. Make better choices. Learn from them.

We’re not any different. Each decision, each experience, each circumstance, they all contribute to our story. The question is: What is your story? What is it that God is doing in you? What is God doing through you? What is God doing for you? Are you sharing those things with others? What’s your story?

As you go through this next week, go back and take a look at where you’ve been and how far you’ve come with the grace of God. Share it with others. They could probably use the encouragement, because they may be right where you used to be. Sometimes it helps to know you’re not alone and there is a reward yet to come if we can just endure. They need hope.

“But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭32‬-‭36‬ ‭ESV‬‬

04/06/2026

Week 13: Paid In Full

This is Easter Week. It’s been extremely busy. It seems to be the new normal. I don’t have a personal life story for you today, but I wanted to share the good news.

Jesus Christ loves you. He died a death on the cross to pay a debt He didn’t owe. It was our debt. My debt. He had to do it because our very best of what we would’ve been able to offer is insufficient at best.

The Greek word you see in John 19:30 is Tetelestai. Translation: paid in full. It. Is. Finished. That’s the story of the cross. The debt is forgiven. Wiped out.

It doesn’t end there. He was placed in a borrowed tomb. He wouldn’t need it long. Just three days. He left it. An empty grave is left to prove my Savior lives.

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.”
‭‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬-‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Happy Easter!

03/27/2026

Week 12: Who Am I?

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize more and more that the world is a big place. I sometimes sit back and I think about where we are, and the wonders of creation. One of my favorite things to do is try to photograph a sunset if I can. I try to find one with interesting clouds and colors, because it shows off God’s handiwork. I was trying to get the sun going down here coming back from Lakeland. I had just finished up a photo shoot for a couple that got engaged. It was such an amazing sunset, but literally by the time I could pull over on the side of the road and grab the camera, the sun had just ducked behind the trees. It made me think of our studies this week.

We were in Job for part of the week. Job is interesting for a few reasons, but one of them has to do with the questions God asked Job in chapter 38. Specifically, it had to do directly with His creation. His BIG and MARVELOUS creation. It really helps you to see just how small we are, and how big and all knowing He is. I mean, check these verses out!

““Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? “Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb; When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band; When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors; When I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!’ “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused the dawn to know its place, That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?” Job‬ ‭38‬:‭4‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The questions themselves were not something Job could really give an answer to, not that he was supposed to, but they made their point. We are finite. Limited. We don’t really control a lot of things. Control is just an illusion we hold onto. In the grand scheme of things, it is laughable to think we are in charge of hardly anything.

It really got me to thinking: Who am I that I get to have a personal relationship with the Creator of Heaven and Earth? I’m not worthy. I’m not special. There’s nothing I could do to buy some sort of influence to merit such a thing. Why? Who am I to Him that He would take the time to speak to me, listen to me, take care of me, love me? Outside of Christ, I am nothing. All I know is when He looks at me, He sees Christ’s righteousness in me. That’s it. That’s all I got.

You can’t earn it. You can’t buy it. You can’t just go pick it up off a shelf. It’s His love for us, that gift of salvation that makes the difference.

As you go through this week, remember who He is, and His love for you. Don’t lose sight of the fact that the Creator of the Universe wants to know you and have a relationship with you.

03/21/2026

Week 11: Don’t Forget

Have you ever walked into a room and forgot why you went in there? It was a short trip there, but somehow we can’t remember what prompted the trip. What about where you put your keys? Your glasses? Your debit cards? Sometimes you just get busy, or distracted with what’s going on around you and you forget these things.

This week, I observed a pattern when God was talking to Moses: “I’m going to have to remind you, because it seems you’ve forgotten some things.” If I’m being completely honest, I’m just as guilty. Time after time, there was a reminder, a “Hey, don’t forget.” Three things stuck out to me.

Firstly, God reminded Moses of just who He (God) is. He is The Most High. Eric, why do you say that? Well, He spoke to Moses in the midst of a flame, a flame that didn’t consume the bush it was in. He also did a little thing called parting the Red Sea. Then He followed that up by coming down on top of Mount Sinai and His sheer presence burned the top of the mountain. “Hey, don’t forget who I am.”

Secondly, God constantly reminded Moses of where he used to be. We have to go all the way back ti the beginning of Moses’s life. He was found in a basket in the river. Life was already a challenge for him. He was supposed to be killed, but Pharaoh’s daughter found him. He later fled to Midian because of some bad choices, and probably felt pretty forgotten about by most people. He encountered hard times. We’re not so different. We all run away. We all go through those times of wondering in the wilderness. “Hey, don’t forget where you’ve come from.”

Thirdly, God constantly reminded Moses of His covenant with His people. A covenant is different than a contract. A contract can be broken between two parties if one of those parties does not fulfill the agreement made between them. There were “opt outs,” if you will. Not with God. God said, “My Word is binding.” What does that mean for us? Well, He’s never going to abandon us. He’s not going to change His mind. He’s committed to us. In Deuteronomy 7, He flat out said, “It’s not because of how many of you there are that you were chosen, because you are the fewest in number. It’s because The Lord set His love on you, His people.” It’s based on His love for us. what a reminder! “Hey, don’t forget my love for you.”

This week’s passage:

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭7‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

As you go through your journey this week, don’t forget.

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