Author Archives: Stephen Hufman

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About Stephen Hufman

A physician in Family Medicine for the last 35 years, now concentrating on writing and photography. My intention is to encourage and strengthen people in the Lord. In all things I hope to be pleasing to Jesus who has given me so much. The photography is all taken by me. I use a Canon 5D mark 3, and Canon G10.

A Prayer and an Amazing Response

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Lost Sheep

We are like sheep who have gone astray. Isaiah 53:6

To you I call, O Lord my Rock;
do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent,
I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.
Hear my cry for mercy
as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
toward your Most Holy Place
Do not drag me away with the wicked,
With those who do evil,…
Psalm 28:1-3

This is a most amazing prayer God gives us to pray when all seems lost. Even more amazing, He gives us a wonderful answer––Jesus our shepherd, not only to save us, but to carry us forever.

Praise be to the LORD,
For he has heard my cry for mercy…
Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Psalm 28:6,9

Creation Speaks

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In the refuge of the Almighty

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
O Lord, you preserve both man and beast.
How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings.  Psalm 36:5-7

All of creation is a metaphor proclaiming the attributes of God. It is for us to see and take joy in them.

On This Brand New Day

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Brand New Day

A brand new day in the Icicle Canyon

On this brand new day what do I most need?

I need to reaffirm my hope is in the Lord and not myself. With His help I can scale the wall before me.

You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
With your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall. Psalm 18:28-29

Along with hope, I need remind myself of God’s faithfulness to His promises (His Word). I can trust in Him.

As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11

And most of all, I need to rest in His love for me.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

This is what I need. This is what we are given in Jesus. Take a long deep drink of this “Living Water” on this new day.

Hope in Midwinter

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morning mist

Morning light on a cold day

In the dead of winter, it is the hope of Spring that keeps us going. In the same way, knowing the promises of God, and leaning upon them in our struggles gives us hope, that provides strength to go on.

Remember Your word to Your servant,
for You have given me hope.
My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life. Psalm 119:49-50

The Miracle of Snowflakes

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Snowflakes

Snowflakes frozen in pond ice

Each snow flake is a unique wonder of God’s creation, no two are alike. Yet, often when we see them float down it starts us thinking about having to shovel snow, or worry about icy roads. Life is like that, we receive many blessings each day, yet our minds are preoccupied by problems and struggles. It is not to say we should not think about difficult issues, it’s just we should not let them be all we think about. For when we fail to praise God for His “snowflakes,” we miss the beauty and wonder in each day.

Praise the Lord.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him! Psalm 147:1

He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit. Psalm 147:4-5

If you like me have difficulty getting past the troubles of each day, then let Psalm 145 through Psalm 150 guide you in praise.

Shadows in the Sky

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Shadows in the Sky

Shadows light up the sky

The shadow of pine trees cast upon the clouds is fascinating to me. Who would have imagined casting shadows in the sky, yet here is this wonder, lasting but a moment then gone. God does this all the time, sometimes we see it and give Him glory, and sometimes we miss it leaving the heavens to declare the glory of God, Thankfully, He does not hold back His glory waiting for an audience.

What Does It Say?

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Icicle Creek

A cold day on Icicle Creek

What does this scene say to you?

For some it doesn’t say anything but burr.

My hope is that it speaks to your heart of God’s glory. That you hear echoes of His love for us. That it reminds you of God’s perfection that He wants to share with us.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world….
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19

Thoughts to Warm Up a Cold Day

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Oregon Coast

A cold lonely day

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I will look in triumph on my enemies. Psalm 118:6-7

The Lord is with me; I am not alone.
The Lord is with me; He knows my way.
The Lord is with me; His yoke is easy and His burden light.
The Lord is with me; He will never leave me, nor forsake me.
The Lord is with me; I shall not want.
The Lord is with me; He restores my soul.
The Lord is with me; His goodness and mercy will follow me forever.
The Lord is with me, and He is the victor over all including me.

Thank you Jesus.

Open My Eyes

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The others were hardened, as it is written:
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes so that they could not see
and ears so that they could not hear,
to this very day.” Romans 11:7-8

Lord, open the eyes of my heart.

This first picture is what came out of the camera. Pretty dull why even bother.

heavens-gate1

Snow in the Woods

This second picture is after some color processing. Brings it closer to what I saw with my eyes. A little better and more exciting.

heavens-gate2

Sunrise in the woods

The third picture is what I saw with my heart—Heaven’s gate.

heavens-gate3

Heaven’s Gate

My Plans Gone Awry

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The Cascades break through the clouds

To get the full impact of this picture you need to know how it came about. Due to weather conditions my late night flight home had been canceled. I had to wait till morning to catch the next plane. I must admit to being pretty grumpy and upset. Then on the morning flight the clouds parted and I saw this scene. One glimpse made it all worthwhile, and I started to praise God for His weather delay.

In his heart a man plans his course,
but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Thank you Lord for determining my steps.