Zoom in ....Zoom out

In photograph, zooming in brings a distant object closer to view while zooming out provides a broader perspective. Looking through the lens of a camera provides a whole new perspective in looking at things. I guess that’s why someone once said “a picture paints a thousand words”. Although it referred to paintings, it is so much truer with photography. I have been photographing birds for two years now. For all my adult life, I had never paid any attention to birds, not until one day when I decided I'd try photographing birds. The moment I started, I got hooked. I am amazed at the details, the portraits! I never knew (apart from sparrows, crows, and pigeons) there are so many different kinds of birds not only in our backyards and gardens but also our very own forests. Looking through a different lens, I discovered a different world! Or shall I say, I discovered one of many of God’s playgrounds?

My interest in bird photography had caused me to upgrade my camera and equipment (a necessary evil). Having a good zoom lens is paramount. It still amazes me how I can see in details what I could not until I see it through my zoom lens. You will never appreciate the beauty of birds until you can see them up close, and I mean really close. And this brings me to my point today. I am seeing church in a different perspective now that I have learned to ZOOM in.

When MCO started, churches went ONLINE. A new word immediately emerged … ZOOM. We Zoom in for our church services. We zoom in for our prayer meetings. We zoom in for cell meetings and workshops. After more than three months of Zooming IN, I wonder if members are prepared to Zoom OUT and get back into regular church. We took a survey just this week. Out of 76 pollsters, 45% said they are ready to rejoin church while 21% are not and the rest of the 34% are unsure. In our previous poll, 36% of pollsters said they will return to church when a vaccine is found. This is a whole new paradigm shift! I mean, church has evolved! This Covid may have been a temporary disruption but it has permanently redefined church. So I am now looking at a new normal. This (as I foresaw in my Acts 29 program years ago) will be a combination of church being a “home base church” + “regular church”. Churches will have to maintain an ONLINE PRESENCE even after Covid. We are living in a digital world. Instead of just asking people to come into our church building; we have to bring church to them! Staying analog in a digital world will not work well with the church. People may not come into our church building for the gospel, but we can bring gospel to them. This is the new normal. This is a whole new paradigm shift! Once there were cassettes and CDs, now we have VOD (Video on Demand). In this digital world people are too preoccupied to tune in at a fix time for a fixed program. They rather have Netflix (VOD). If we don’t change our methods, people will not listen to our message. The true COMMUNITY is a digital community. We have evolved.

Change in inevitable. I am excited for what is ahead, for what church will be like in the near future. What is to be in years from now has been hastened to TODAY because of this pandemic. Most of us were not prepared but we now know we have to adapt and evolve. Unless we look at church now through different lenses, we will be limping behind. This pandemic has quantum leaped us years into the future. What is supposed to be five, ten years from now is happening today. Zooming has helped me to see more in details. Even as church is preparing to reopen soonest, I hope you see what I am seeing through my “zoom lens”. Many of us will be “zooming out” soon but always keep the zoom lens at hand. There are moments you will have need to Zoom in so you can bring into view that which you cannot “see”. I will be doing a Acts 29 in mid July where members can zoom in for a time of Bible study. I will be teaching on the subject on "Why Israel". If you are willing to take out your "zoom lens", why not zoom in and take a look? You'll be surprised at what you may see. God bless.

Twinkle, twinkle little stars.

"Twinkle, twinkle little star. How I wonder what  you are. Up above the world so high. Like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle littler star. How I wonder what you are".  Everyone knows this nursery rhyme.  

I am writing today with a dear friend in mind who is going through a tough patch at this present time, health wise. Her husband made mention of a period of darkness and that got me thinking. I pray this little write up will bring some light in this time of "darkness".

Stars don't appear during day time. The only time you can visibly see stars with the naked eyes is when the skies turn into night. The darker the night, the brighter the stars. I was amazed at the sight of the clusters of stars while photographing the milky way at about 3 -5 am in the morning at a remote site with no artificial light pollution. I had never seen so many stars in my lifetime! Let me draw lessons from this.

1. Don't be afraid of the dark. Stars won't come out unless it is dark. Once your eyes are accustomed to the darkness, you will begin to see even into the darkness. In the night skies, the twinkling stars are a sight to behold. Some stars are bigger and brighter than others and they are there to shed some light in the midst of darkness. 

2.  In the olden days, skippers had to look out for the North Star to navigate their boats. Stars don't just brighten up the night skies but also shed light in terms of direction. In times of darkness, we have to train ourselves to look out for these stars. They are always there and I am talking about people who are willing to stand with you in times of darkness. While some stars (friends) are there just to cheer you on, there too are some that can do more than just shine. They are like symbols in a map. Like the North Star, they are there to help you find your way and figure your direction. So don't be afraid of the dark. Close your eyes but a while. Then gaze into the darkness and gaze into the stars. God had prepared them for you.

3. No matter how dark the night, you're just a little way from daybreak. Nights don't last forever. Darkness can never overcome light. So to my dear friend, hang in there by all means. Look up. Draw your strength from the maker of stars. God had prepared the stars for you for such a time as this. Like the Corona, IT WILL PASS. Thank you today  for allowing me to be a "star", to be able to shine just for you. You will remain in my thoughts and my prayers until you see the sun again. God bless you my dear friend. Jesus loves you too. 😊