The Year In Pictures

Five more days until 2019! This is from 12/28/14.

I'm still in Wichita for two more days. It's December 28th and my brother Scott's birthday! Our sermon this morning, wonderfully delivered by John Langley, had to do with time, based on Ecclesiastes 3. I always have a bit of a let down after Christmas but we wipe the slate clean only a week later. It's been a rough year worldwide but optimism tends to reignite when the calendar turns over to January 1.

Several days ago. I noticed that Facebook started a feature called Year In Review. It was a series of pictures as far as I can tell in roughly chronological order. I looked at mine but did not post it until this afternoon. As far as I know, there is no stated formula on how the various photos are selected. It was fascinating to me to look at the shots chosen for my year. For example, I was in only five of the eighteen shots and only ten of the eighteen were taken this year. And ten of the eighteen were taken in Vietnam even though I was only in Can Tho for three weeks. I'm not arguing with the picks- I'm just not sure what criteria I would have used in picking my own for display.

Not everyone was happy with the latest Facebook feature. A guy named Daniel Woodrow put it like this:
"Your Year In Review On Facebook" Aka All the remaining pictures of your Ex"
Then there was the case of Erik Myer who discovered the picture of his six year old daughter who died on her birthday this past summer. Myer took Facebook to task in his syndicated blog and immediately received a very public apology from the social media giant. A gimmick which brings back happy memories to some re-opens painful wounds for others. 

What will the next year bring to myself and my Facebook family? I hope I do a better job of following the Lord's nudges and directives. Some days I do and some days not so much. I love the words from one of my favorite hymns penned in 1833 by John Henry Newman. Here is verse 1:
"Lead, Kindly Light, amidst the encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.
One step at a time. One day at a time. One picture at a time. One year at a time. One life at a time. 

Applicable quote of the day:

"Whenever I think of the past, it brings back so many memories."

Steven Wright

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

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E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com