Issue 1,145 – Black and White – May 2, 2023
I converted this colour photo of an eastern pine tree to black and white. It was a simple conversion using basic photo editing software.
With the help of some YouTube videos and lots of practice, I have been attempting to learn to sketch. One of the video suggestions was to convert your reference photos to black and white. That removes the distraction from the colour and allows you to see the dark and light values more clearly. In theory, that makes them easier to sketch.
I have done a few trees, and they are slowly beginning to resemble trees, although I still have a long way to go. I hope to soon have a go at sketching this one.
Black and white can simplify things. Colour allows for more variance. In a sense, the bible was written in both black and white and colour.
Some areas of the Scripture are so abundantly clear that we cannot allow for differences. Some examples include the incarnation of Christ, His sinless life and death, burial, resurrection and ascension.
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ Romans 1:1-6
Salvation by grace through faith is another.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
I am sure you can make your own list without much thought.
Other parts of Scripture are less clear. For example, should women wear head coverings or pants? Does every born-again believer speak in tongues? Does that gift even still exist today? Are we elected by God, or do we make our own decision, or is it some combination of both?
Some bible passages are not clear at all. For example, 1 Corinthians 15:29 speaks of the baptism of the dead, but the language is so obscure that scholars are really uncertain as to what it means. The Latter Day Saints Church hold the practice as important (one of many areas they differ from Christianity). Still, in truth, we can only ponder the meaning.
Our doctrine is very important, but we must realize that Christians can disagree in some areas. We must learn to handle those differences with love, patience and forgiveness. Not every difference is a salvation issue, and not everyone who thinks differently is a heretic.
The church has long held to the motto, “In essentials Unity, in non-essentials liberty and in all things Charity (or love).” That phrase isn’t found in the Bible, but it makes a valid point about how Christians are to live. Sometimes we haven’t lived that axiom out particularly well.
There are a few hills worth dying on, many worth discussing and agreeing to disagree and more yet relatively unimportant. We need to learn the difference.
Differences are a reality. Let us learn to deal with them in love.
Be Blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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