Last Fall, as I planned the second leg of my exploration of Highway 89 and the National Parks close to it, I made a decision to buy a new camera. My old Nikon D70s developed an intolerable malfunction. It would only take pictures in the “Auto” mode. At first, I thought that would be ok, but I soon learned that I wanted to do more than take “snapshots.” I have a phone that is excellent for that purpose. For me, there is a difference between creating a photograph and taking a picture.
In consultation with a friend who is an expert landscape photographer, I decided to upgrade to a Nikon Z6 III. That may not mean much to you, but it means a great deal to me, both financially and in terms of the skills required. While it is a big deal to me, it is only an entry-level camera for professionals. The camera was above my self-imposed budget. But then, my “self” has a rebellious streak over which I often lack influence.
Stan, my friend, agreed to get me started with the new tool. He insisted that I begin shooting in “Manual” mode and use “RAW” format. And that is another story for another day. Stan was able to cram enough information on the use of the Z to get me started, and off I went to the wild, beautiful West.
During my seven-day solo trip, I took a bunch of pictures. A Lot! When I got home, I loaded my pictures into the photo program that came with my laptop. That program was unable to translate the RAW files into images. Every picture was scrambled into colorful streaks across the screen. That’s when I found another boundary line in my knowledge of photography and computing. Immediately, I ran to Stan, who graciously, and with a chuckle of foreknowledge, agreed to help me.
Again, Stan, my friend (I hope my need does not downgrade me into an acquaintance), suggested that I purchase a subscription to Adobe Lightroom Classic (LrC). He clarified that I should not get Lightroom (Lr). Lightroom is a newer version. That seemed odd to me, and it is an important fact to remember in this story.
I went online and began researching the aforementioned photo processing program. I discovered I could download a free trial of Lr to test drive for seven days. So that’s what I did, just before my bedtime. The Lr icon popped up on my desktop. Success! Another important fact in this story.
The next morning, after a night of nocturnal evaluation, I bit the bullet and subscribed to LrC. Again, success!
I impatiently watched several hours of YouTube video tutorials. I felt insecure about it, but the frothy impatience to see my pictures called me to jump into the cold reality of the next level of photo processing. It was sort of like standing on the edge of the swimming pool, knowing the water is cold, but the desire to swim so very strong.
Three days later, I was totally frustrated! LrC did nothing right. More accurately, I was unable to get the program to do anything beyond displaying my photographs.
Finally, I gave up and called Stan again. We met at Legacy Coffee with my laptop. He couldn’t figure it out either! But then, (don’t you just love “but then” moments.) he discovered that both the newer Lr and LrC were on my laptop. The introductory trial icon was on the desktop. The icon for LrC, Lightroom Classic, was hidden in the program files.
There was no malfunction in the program; I was trying to make a partial program to do the work of the real program. We, by “we” I mean Stan, deleted the Lr program and moved the LrC icon to the desktop menu. Instantly, the problem went away. (Notice that Stan’s name is in the middle of instantly. He is THE man! When I grow up, I want to be just like him.)
While Stan was pecking away on my keyboard, it occurred to me that most, if not all, of the frustrations I have experienced in life as a Christian came into my life because my mind was trying to live the Christian life with my old, partially deleted, and carnal mindset. I kept the worldly icon on my cognitive desktop.
Dueling life values always create conflict and confusion between us and within us.
I can only wish my contaminated worldview would completely disappear and the “mind of Christ” miraculously appear as the primary operating system. Alas, taking on the Mind of Christ does not happen by God putting His finger to the side of His nose and doing a quick nod of the head. It is true, He does all the transformative work. And it is equally true that the only thing I can do to enhance that work is to learn to identify my wrong way of thinking and surrender to Him. This is what facilitates the transplant of the “new life”.
The bottom line is that I cannot be both my own man and God’s adopted son at the same time. When you realize a knot of frustration in your life, consider stopping a moment and asking the Holy Spirit to show you which program your mind is running on.
Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,… (Philippians 2:5, CSB)
Photo – Taken in the early morning in Arches National Park, 2025.
Baldwin Heirlooms 