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Dr. Del Tackett is the author, architect and teacher for Focus on the Family's The Truth Project, a nationwide initiative designed to bring the Christian worldview to the body of Christ.
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When God Steals the Fireworks Show
Posted on July 5, 2010
Filed Under Personal, Theology | 69 Comments
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psalm 19:1
I hope you all had a very wonderful 4th of July and celebrated the privilege we have to live in this wonderful country. With all of her faults and current travails, she is still awesome to me.
We gathered most of our local family and headed to the Air Force Academy last night to watch the fireworks.
They, too, were awesome.
I never tire of this.
Especially at the Academy.
For me, there is something very special about celebrating this day on a military post…with the bands and the patriotic music and military marches playing in the background.
I admit it…I am a patriot, through and through!
But something different happened last night.
The crowd gave its usual “ooooh’s” and “aaaah’s” during some of the more furious moments of the show when the “bombs” were bursting in air with the reds and whites and blues…and greens and oranges and yellows.
But then something happened that got the biggest roar.
Spectacular lightning bolts flashed in the background…lighting up the sky.
Not once, not twice, but throughout the night.
And we all loved it.
It was like God was stealing the show!
And He did.
There was one particular moment when the lightning actually seemed to reach out and intersect the fireworks in the air!
“Awesome” isn’t sufficient to describe it.
Anyway, it was quite a night…quite a show.
I left thinking that no matter how good we get in creating things, God’s stuff is always better.
Ain’t that the truth!
[These were taken with my Canon 5D Mark II. The shot below is just a split second later than the one above. Doesn't it look like the bolts go right through and around the fireworks? Tinker Bell would have loved it! You should have been there!]
Comments
69 Responses to “When God Steals the Fireworks Show”
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Thanks for sharing your insights and photos. Digital has certainly changed how we photograph. I can remember shooting fireworks years ago, then waiting a week to get the slides back, hoping I had pressed the button at the right moment!It is so much fun to emulate the Creator, as we seek to create and capture beautiful images of his handiwork. How fun that God collaborated with you this July 4th.
That is absolutely amazing. I often look up at the sky and marvel at His creation; these photos here definitely declare His greatness. You are definitely right though; He stole the show! God is good.
Wow, Del – I believe your pictures of God’s work surpassed the fireworks themselves – they’re spectacular! Thank you for once again allowing us to view God’s splendor vicariously through your eyes.
Wow!!!! Amazing photos!
It makes me want to jump up and cheer….for God!
Are you going to sell these photos? You ought to!
WOW!! What magnificent pictures you have!
Your pictures sure humbled me. I just sent some pictures to our kids of fireworks we saw last night.
I guess your Canon 5D Mark II is a little better camera than my little Canon Power Shot SD 1200.
The heavens truly declared the glory of God and the skies proclaimed the work of his hands in your pictures.
God does not want to be left out of any of our activities. Those were amazing pictures–really awesome. God has a lot to do with the fireworks too–he is the source of all energy; fire is His department. and explosions. Anyway–this makes me look forward to seeing His glory and His nature and attributes are clearly seen!
Awesome! Thank you for sharing! God and man working together to light up the sky and our lives!
Del,
Thanks for the pictures. My wife and family are in Colorado visiting and they were also at the Academy. She described to me how amazing the sight was with the lightning and the fireworks being intertwined. God’s revelation to us and reminder He is still here and with us often comes at a time when we least expect it. I wish I could have seen His show on the 4th. Thanks again for the pictures.
Amazing! Thank you. I marvel at the diversity of God’s vast imagination.
“Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised!”
These are wonderful pictures, perfect reminders of how awesome and mighty God is!
Thanks for sharing.
God bless.
Thank you for this inspiring reminder of God’s presence! Raleigh, NC
I also want to thank you for sharing your photos and discriptions of the photos. They were awesome and very spectacular. We senior folks living in a apartment complex sure were thrilled to be able to sit outside and really enjoy the beautiful show that God and the people put on for us, not knowing we were even watching. Started at 10: P.M. and ended at Midnight, What a showing. All I can say is Praise the Lord.
What a wonderful photo album you have shared with us. Makes me want to get out of my “technologically illiterate” state and join the crowd. God’s splendor can be seen in every single snapshot you gave us. Praise the Lord!
I love God’s artistry! What majesty. Spectacular!!
And your photos did a good job of capturing the wonder. Care to share your settings? Were you shooting w/ a tripod? Slow shutter speed? ISO? High aperature?
Always looking to others for photo mentoring!
Del, I’m setting one of these pictures as the background on my computer. what a great way be reminded of His awesome wonder.
Thank you Del, for reminding us that God is great and greatly to be praised. As flawed as our nation is becoming – I continue to praise God for the United States of America. Ever since I attended the truth project at Calvary Chapel, Santa Cruz, CA, I am praying more for our nation. I am praying in particular for a revival of God’s people and for God to heal our land. Thank you my brother for your contribution toward getting us back on the right track – God’ track.
God continually shows His presence, if we but open our eyes and ears. Your patriotic messages are very special to those who are fortunate enough to have come in contact with your work. Your blog and Dr. Stanley’s message of July 4, 2010 have made this a VERY special 4th of July.
This truly beautiful and you are right, what GOD
creats is so much more precious and beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Wow! As awesome as these pictures look on screen, I can only imagine how magnificent and breath-taking it must have been in real life! To be there in person must have been an awesome blessing! Thank you for sharing these beautiful pics and praiseworthy words to the Lord! God bless!
You are right! God’s show is the biggest on earth and rightly so! To Him always be the honor and glory and power! Thanks for sharing these pictures with us.
What an awesome experience and just the right timing on God’s part! He is marvelous, isn’t He? His creation is what points me to him every day and I am thankful. I’m sharing these pictures with some friends and family. Thank you!
Very cool Del, thanks for sharing. God Bless!
Once again, God’s Truth is better than man’s fiction.
Some really super shots you captured with your 5D! Now, please finish it with the revealing of your settings when you squeezed the shutter on these masterpieces… (tripod – right?) Blessings, and thanks for sharing God’s artwork, and your talent.
The heavens declares the glory of the Lord. Great shots Del and certainly it reflects “How Great Thou Art” – nothing surpasses the beauty of our Lord God
Fireworks are such an interesting thing. They are such fleetingly beautiful displays of light and sound, and there is just something in the way that it fills one’s heart with wonder. It is probably best described as “Novelty”, derived from the Latin word “Novus” which means “something new or unusual”.
As we grow older, those things that fill one’s heart with wonder change. Those things that once delivered Novelty, no longer do. Eccl. 1:9 rings true! There is nothing new under the sun.
So then, is there anything that can deliver novelty without fail? I heard Ravi Zacharias describe Christ as the “Perpetual Novelty”. He alone that is able to deliver that sense of newness and wonder, only because he alone is transcendent over time, only he is holy, only he is unchanging, only he is eternal.
I am finding this to be true in my own life, without fail!
Thank you so much for the Truth Project! Keep up the good work.
Absolutely spectacular…and America is STILL the greatest place on earth….thanks for sharing!!!! .
What a delight knowing that our GOD celebrates freedom, “you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” AMEN!
Hi…absolutely spectacular…and America IS the greatest country on earth!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!
AWESOME GoDS Fireworks are amazingly beautiful Thanks so much
Awe inspiring. God has a playful nature too,and demonstrates his oneness with His human creation in play that expresses His power
Our Creator and Heavenly Father is always with us and wanting to interact with us, his precious children. He wants us to remember although He gives us gifts,talents and creative expression, He is the one who knew what would delight us. We should be awed to know He puts beautiful light displays in the sky EVERY NIGHT! Our moon is a dependable, comforting and perfect nightlight to all his children throughout the world, the beauty of the sunset and stars, the wind,rain, thunder, breezes and rainbows only HE can provide us. How we should adore our Father and Savior Jesus!
actually, I don’t begin to have the eloquent speech to compliment the spectacular content of those photos!and GREAT photography, too! Thanks SO much for sharing those pictures!
What an awesome God we serve. May America always be indeed and action One Nation Under God!
Awesome pictures! And I agree, God’s handiwork is always better than mans. He is amazingly awesome! Thanks for having your camera and sharing.
Del, sometimes when these awesome things happen right in front of me, I think God did it just for me. As if to say I am with you always, I see you, I know you by name, I delight in you and desire to show you who I Am so you will know, without a doubt, that I am the God of the universe!! I think He lit up the sky just for you and you, in turn, have shown Him to many many others with your pictures. Thank you, also, for The Truth Project which I’ve led three times and still can’t get enough!
My self and many others love to watch lightning. My daughter and I are accustom to calling it God’s Fireworks. But these pictures awesome. Thanks for the photos. God Bless
Del
The pictures we’re wonderful! Our grandson, Stewart, just started BCT at USAFA. We’ve been following his progress via the AOG WebGuy. It was great to realize he was there watching God’s handiwork!
Thanks, Dan
The fog and smoke with a temperature inversion and
heavy humidity shrouded the fireworks in a silk veil here in Omaha. Didn’t have my camera and tripod available. Great Photos. I am wondering if
my brother and sister in law in Colo. Spgs. saw this, too?
God upstaged the opening night fireworks at the College World Series, too. His fireworks went across the horizon!
That is spectacular! I believe he may be trying to tell some of us to believe and the rest of us to continue believing. Please, lets stand together and take Dr. Charles Stanley’s prayer challenge and pray for our country for 140 days and ask for God’s amazing healing of our land.
On Sunday evening, we were helping run the Chapel Youth Group here on Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. Our speaker, Chaplain Jeremy Mount, Captain, USArmy, had just challenged the young people to read the Harris Twin’s Book for high schoolers, and then to pray and DO something out of their comfort zone for the Kingdom this summer. At 9:00 the fireworks began on our beautiful US Air Force Base on the beautiful tropical island of Okinawa. Many of our kids have done The Truth Project and Lord willing, will do it again or True U during the upcoming school year. Keep on doing what you do for His glory and thank you!
The awesomeness of God is seen in your pictures. I just went to my niece’s graduation at USAFA and the air show was amazing but this is spectacular. May God Bless America and our military.
Del, I believe you just had a visitation from the Sovereign Lord. I personally have not seen it because I am in Melbourne, Australia but the Word of God clearly tells us in different passages of the Bible. Rev. 14:2 ” And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound…” Psalm 81:7 “You called in trouble, and I rescued you; I answered you in the hiding place of thunder…”
Indescribable, uncontainable, He is Amazing God!
As I am a huge fan of fireworks; I really enjoyed the pictures. God is so great.
This year as I watched the fireworks going off around me my thoughts were on my grandson who was lighting them with his buddies. He just recently finished basic training and is going to be deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan by early fall. He is only 21 and just starting out in life….as I watched him I prayed to God for his protection and safe return. I am so proud of him but as a grandmother I worry and then I go to God …..I pray for all the young men and their grandmothers who were looking at the sky and know God is awesome in all he creates….these young men and women who make it possible for me to live in such a great country even with its faults. The lightning reminded me that God is certainly there and watching over his creation. Please pray for my grandson….he does not know our Lord and this is my sorrow.
DEL
GREAT PICTURES OF GODS UNSURPASSWED GLORY. NOTHING MAN CAN COME UP WITH COMPARES.
I WAS REMINDED OF THE TIME WE WERE IN ISREAL IN 2000. OUR TOUR GUIDE AND LONG TIME FRIEND AND TEACHER STARTED OUR FIRST TOUR DAY BY PRAYING THAT ISREAL NEEDED RAIN BUT COULD HE RAIN AT NIGHT INSTEAD OF THE DAY. WELL WE DID SEE RAIN DURING THE DAY BUT JUST ABOUT THE TIME WE WOULD GET TO A SITE THE RAIN WOULD QUIT AND WE WERE ABLE TO TROUR THE SITE. BACK IN THE BUS AND THE RAIN THEN CONTINUED. THIS WAS A GREAT DISPLAY OF HIS CARE OVER US.
BUT HE HAD ONE MORE SURPRISE FOR US TO DISPLAY HIS LOVE FOR US. WHEN WE GOT TO THE DEAD SEA THE SKY TURNED SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COLORS AND THE HILLSIDE AROUND JUST CAME ALIVE WITH HIS BEAUTY. THEN THE MOST GLORIOUS THING HAPPENED A RAINBOW THAT WENT FROM ONE END OF THE DEAD SEA TO THE OTHER IN THE MOST VIVID COLOR. IT WAS ONE OF THOSE GOD THINGS THAT REMINDS YOU OF HIS LOVE FOR US. I WAS REMINDED OF OUR PRAYER ON THE FIRST DAY
ABOUT THE RAIN AND HOW APPROPRIATE THIS SIGN WAS.
GREAT IS OUR SAVIOR AND LORD.
Wow, Wow and WOW!!!! how right you are that God’s work was greater!!!! Each night I look out of my window on the fifth floor, which looks out to the west, and when the sun is setting I marvel at how EACH night God presents a “different” design with “different” and vibrant colors in both the back and foreground that just tell ME each and every time how GREAT and MIRACULOUS HE “TRULY”
IS, INDEED!!!!! love your story, Del.
How awesome is our God! How blessed and privileged I am that you were there to take those marvelous photos! Thanks for sharing.
May God bless you and the ministry your perform.
Del,
When I was a cadet back in the 60′s, I never tired of the Rocky Mountain storms. They were a reminder that no matter how life was treating me, He was always in control. What wonderful photos; just another glimps back in time.
I find it truly amazing that you were privileged to see His Hand at work! I, too, think God was stealing the show! GO GOD!!!!! Thank you for sharing these photos.
simpy amazing what God will do to marvel us.
Thanks for sharing
This happened to our family several years ago when we were watched the fireworks display on a nearby military base. The lightning display trumped the fireworks display by far. So glad you were able to capture the awesomeness of God in photos. All we have are our memories.
Wow! These are amazing pictures! What a spectacular light show you watched! It must have been breathtaking to hear and see the thunder and lightning along with the fireworks! We have an awesome God! Thanks for sharing!
Wish I could have been there–thanks for sharing. I’ve never watched the fireworks at the Academy; but I miss July 4th at Memorial Park with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra: Fireworks, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, and a Ft. Carson howitzer battery of the 3rd Inf. Div.–only God’s intervention could improve on that!
Life is simmple. Just believe in GOD to the fullest.
I have studied your work. What a great teacher you are. Thanks.
Dear Dale, I loved the way you expressed yourself. There is a big smile on my face. God is grand. Thanks for those awesome photos.
Thanks for the awesome photos. I love the way you express yourself. I smile with you.
Lighting is definitely my favorite part of creation! Absolutely breathtaking indeed!
wow is right and nothing like God’s amazing power and glory to put things into perspective…send those photos to the white house!
Del:
I want to thank you for sharing the great photos you’ve taken of the fireworks display with the lightning background. What I wanted to pass on is that great photography can be done with a modest camera. The camera would need to be set to the proper setting for the subject being photographed instead of leaving it on “auto”. For example, when taking photos of fireworks this past July 4th, I used the fireworks setting on my Fuji Finepix camera. This resulted in some really great photos. There are other settings available on modest cameras that will set the camera for various subjects and situations.
Del
Thanks for the wonderful pictures. God is SO good. Thanks you so much for your work on The Truth Project. It’s the best. God has done a wonderful work in it. What’s next??
Blessings to you and yours…in Jesus Name.
If God, in His glory shows us this type of display, think how much better heaven is going to be. I can’t wait!
We have been hearing about the truth project from some members of our church (First Presbyterian of Branson MO). Del, these pictures are wonderful! Have you thought of the many people who will experience those moments only through the pictures you present? You have done a great service! Thanks!
Our Father does awesome work! I never tire of sunrises, sunsets, clouds with color behind, in, and through them; what my then small daughter called “smeared clouds”…those clouds where rain is falling from them giving the impression of a painting where the artist swept across the wet paint with a brush or other object…birds and bird songs, flowers, butterflies, a baby’s smile…my wife’s smile…the choir singing…on and on…God is soooooo good!!! (And having fully recovered from a stroke that occurred two and a half weeks ago…I am go very grateful!!
I truly love the way you express yourself and loved your July Fourth story. Beautiful pictures, too. My husband and I are facilitating The Truth Project in Mason, Texas. It’s our third tour and first time to be factilitators. We thoroughly enjoy it. You have a magnificent way of expressing your love for God. We love him, too. Thank you for sharing your wonderful world view of our creator.
Wow nice, pictures as well:-) My brother Steve and i just did an array of fireworks shots as well. It is really amazing for sure:-0 God is good, we have also done this video series at our church!!!
For another of God’s shows go to link below for pictures of lighting from static charges at the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull, which closed down British airports due to ash.
http://www.swisseduc.ch/stromboli/perm/iceland/eyafallajokull_20100416-en.html
Hi Del,
I am late in reading about the spectacular show you saw on the military base. I not only love the 4th of July for what it stands for, but my older independent son was born on the 4th. This 4th my husband and I were on the “Disney Magic” (curise ship) on the North Sea heading back to Dover after spending two weeks in the Baltics. Disney put on the most beautiful show for the 4th. Not only all the patriotc music but also Christian songs about our freedom and when we sang God Bless America there wasn’t a dry eye on the deck. They also mentioned that our forefathers built this Nation on the foundation God. We could hardly believe what we heard, in a day when people are saying there is no God. God stole the show in another spectacular way. It felt like a lightening bolt hit us as we sang along with the Disney staff. It is a comfort knowing the Lord is still in control as we witness a world in chaos.
Blessed assurance Jesus is mine and yours.
Elaine
[I, too, am shocked by this. Three cheers for Disney! Thanks for sharing it. dt]