Something Grand

I received an e-mail from Jimmie in Davenport, IA last week. I asked if I could post a picture of his here and he agreed. Here's a little of his story. A year ago Jimmie and one of his children flew to Arizona to backpack the Grand Canyon. The last day they hiked 15 miles and on the climb he took out his little point and shoot camera.

This just shows that when you're photographing something "big," you don't have to have the best equipment.


When he returned, he had the photo enlarged and framed for a dying friend. At that time his friend wasn't responding much to God, the Bible, or Jesus. He added a caption that said, "On this trail, which is life, we sometimes are forced to take a path that we must hike alone. Know that in this time there are many of us with you in prayer."

That friend is losing the battle with death. But from what Jimmie says, he has now conquered it through the power of Christ. Jimmie wrote, "I listen most everyday as I go about my seemingly mindless job of painting. You are a bright spot in my afternoon. I really just wanted to show you some of the beauty that is kinda/sorta in your neck of the woods. But in light of your program on Tuesday, I thought you might enjoy my friend's story as well."

Actually, it's the other way around. Jimmie is the bright spot. I'm just tagging along for the view.