So, how can I stay up to date with so many new people who begin to follow this blog every day? Well, let me tell you how I got a few of these wrinkles I sport and all this grey hair.
I was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in July 1958. My parents dropped me a lot as a baby.
My mother & father moved to Chicago, IL to attend the Moody Bible Institute when I was about a year old. After graduation in Chicago our family moved to Dallas, Texas so that my father could continue his education at the Dallas Theological Seminary. After graduation in Dallas, when I was approximately ten years old, we moved back to Chicago where my father became a teacher at the Moody Bible Institute.
When I was almost 15, we moved back to Canada where my father accepted a position as senior pastor for Calvary Baptist Church in Oakville, Ontario. I finished high school in Oakville and began training in Mechanical Drafting in a four year apprenticeship program with Demag Material Handling and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto.
Shortly after this time, my wife Susan and I were married and had our oldest daughter and oldest son born to us in Oakville, Ontario. I began to work with youth ministry in the Calvary Baptist Church during the early years of our marriage and we later decided to immigrate to the United States as a family of four so I that I could attend Moody Bible Institute and continue employment in Mechanical Engineering in the Chicagoland area.
After three tough years of school and work, we decided to continue down the engineering vocational path. We continued to be active in youth ministry during these years in our church in Wheaton, IL. Several years and another daughter later, we decided to pack up and head North to a town called Woodstock, IL. We found a local church and continued to work in youth ministry for a few years. We moved to Woodstock as a result of an employment opportunity with Web Printing Controls that became available in 1987. We have lived in the same house and worked in the same office for all of those years to this day.
We rounded out our family of five with another son and another daughter. Each of our kids were born with about 33 months between them in age. It went girl, boy, girl, boy, girl. Doesn’t that sound orderly? Well, it was both orderly and a three ring circus. We have been witnesses to God’s faithful hand of provision throughout all these years … even when our needs were great. My wife and I experienced 17 consecutive years of high school parenting. THAT’s totally NUTS!
Our oldest daughter is now married with five darling little girls. She and her husband live a few miles from here.
Our oldest son is also married. His wife just had a beautiful little girl. They also live a few miles from us.
Our middle kid is a Combat Field Medic in the US Army. She is our first-born American and is stationed in South Korea.
Our youngest son is now a senior studying Engineering at Northern Illinois University. He will continue next year in a Masters Degree program at NIU.
Our youngest of five is now 19 and still with us. She is now in her first year in college. She is very unique and special. In many ways, she is the focus of our day to day life. She has severe Narcolepsy and through this difficult experience she has been a champion. We have learned so much from her as we have continued to see God’s caring hand help her cope with the struggle.
When I speak of God on this blog … I don’t want you to think I am so heavenly minded that flies don’t land on me. I have had many trials. I don’t know your pain or your struggle … but I know pain and struggle. I am not religious in the sense that I am trying to do something in order to get to heaven. However, I DO know I am going to heaven! Not because of anything I have ever done … but because I accept what Christ has done for me already. I pray that message softly speaks to you through the words shared on this blog.
I have never really grown up. I have only learned how to pretend that I have in public. I often disregard any need to pretend. This gives me GREAT joy!
My love for photography began when our oldest child was born. I need photography because I can really get alone with God in my thoughts. Sometimes, I see things that are so beautiful … a camera can’t even do it justice. Oh, I continue to shoot in order to get something … but then I can set it down and just watch. These are often moments when I feel the deepest form of worship. I hope you enjoy what you see and are challenged to dig out your camera and take it with you. Only you can photograph your world for those who will follow you years later.
My life dream would be to be able to somehow work teaching others about photography and growing together with them in our love for God! Is that kind of living even possible? Nothing in my life comes close to Jesus. I can say that I have been able to live a bit of a photographers dream ... BUT knowing the Creator is WAY more important than anything I have experienced. I know this sounds strange to many of you. Sorry! But ... I can only tell you what I know from experience. There is a God. He cares for you! He sent His Son, Jesus. Believe in Him.
This is a general background that I bring to everything I touch.
Thanks for dropping in. Come again!
NikonSniper Steve
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