Crescent City, California. Strong wind and surf. Crashing waves. Fog. Boulders littering the shore. The seals love it; they are just beyond the lighthouse, huddled together on the flat, wide rock. I could not help but notice that the western coast is so different from the eastern coast and the gulf coast. Giant surf with monster rocks.

Funny how a bad day for boats is great for photos.

The Gospel lesson for this Fourth Sunday of Advent is Luke 1:26-38. The passage tells the story of Gabriel, an angel, appearing to Mary, and telling her that she will bear a son, that she will name Jesus. The moment expands with Gabriel giving additional titles and expectations to this child. And finally promising, "Nothing will be impossible with God."

This would be pretty in our house or yours. It's Chihuly glass sculpture that hung in the lobby of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Of course, it's so big, I'm not sure it would even fit in my house. I doubt I could get it through the door. But if I could, I would sure enjoy looking at it!

Okay, I've been a photographer for a long time. And I have been using a single lens reflex camera with an interchangeable lens for a long time (decades!). And I have lost track of how many lenses I have purchased over the years for a variety of brands of cameras (Canon, Mamiya Sekor, Pentax, Minolta, and now Sony). I currently have 13 that I use on a regular basis. But I need a new one. In fact, it arrives today: 150-600 mm zoom lens. I took this photo last year of one of the hawks that inhabit our woods with my old 400mm lens. It's relatively sharp, but I'm looking for improvement. Okay, it's a "want" and not a "need". And here it is a week before Christmas and I'm buying a new lens (my family says this is one of my flaws with timing for Christmas gifts). If my subject shows up again soon, I'll post some comparison photos.

That was the words the news reports used, "a self styled cleric", when they referred to the man who took over the Lindt Chocolate shop in downtown Sydney, Australia this past week. He held more than a dozen customers hostage until police stormed the store early in the morning and he was killed, along with two of the hostages. He was also referred to as the "Fake Sheik" by the local authorities. But that phrase caught me as I pondered it for several days. Apparently, only in his mind was he clergy. I've known a few Christian clergy who could have been referred to as "a self styled cleric". No real credentials. No group that had agreed that he/she was spiritually mature and had gifts for ministry. No accountability to any agency or supervisor. Fake. Why would anyone listen to "a self styled cleric"? One's spiritual journey is important enough that a guide should be carefully chosen. There are fake ones and real ones.

No, I didn't take this photo, Judy did. This has been birthday week. Last Thursday was Michael's and today is Elke's. So I thought I 'd share a photo from us on the beach at Destin. Just guessing, I would say this is Christmas, 1980 or 1981. Where has the time gone?

Winter has not even begun. I am weary of gray skies.

I recall a winter day 20 years ago when I announced to Judy that I was going to drive south until I found sunshine. Fortunately, I didn't have to go too far that day. The sun was shining in Paducah. I had a sandwich and sat in the restaurant window and soaked in the sun.

And this photo, although it is of a sunny day, was one of the few sunny moments on a trip to the Oregon coast. Sometimes, a moment of sunshine is all that is needed.

Yesterday, we were reminded of the power of the light in the darkness. And that even a very small light can provide hope in the darkest dark.