SKU: 45736932175

Available Light: Awakening Spirituality Through Photography

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Available Light: Awakening Spirituality Through PhotographyThe seeds of this book began when David and Denise worked together for eight years as clergy at a middle sized church in Vancouver, Washington. David was the senior pastor, but before his call to ministry, he had been a professional photographer. Denise was an ordained deacon, working as a pastoral psychologist and spiritual director in the community. In her spare time, photography served as an artistic outlet. From the authors: We have divided the

 The seeds of this book began when David and Denise worked together for eight years as clergy at a middle-sized church in Vancouver, Washington. David was the senior pastor, but before his call to ministry, he had been a professional photographer. Denise was an ordained deacon, working as a pastoral psychologist and spiritual director in the community. In her spare time, photography served as an artistic outlet.

From the authors: “We have divided the book into ten different chapters: mindfulness, appreciating light, befriending the shadow, simplicity, rediscovering wonder, intimacy, slowing down, cropping, redemptive photography and final lessons. Each chapter includes reflection questions and photographic assignments that are designed to help you put the chapter’s spiritual discipline and theme into action. By engaging in these practices, we hope you will find yourself delving more deeply into the beauty of creation, with a heightened sense of the divine shimmering through each image you discover.”

May this book bless you on your spiritual journey.

Denise and David

Reviews

"In the last year, my spiritual journey has involved the study of different ancient practices. While I had learned of Lectio Divina (divine reading), I only recently discovered the concept of Visio Divina (divine seeing). So, I was delighted when I heard about Available Light: Awakening Spirituality Through Photography. While using religious icons or other paintings to meditate is typical, exploring the divine with photos of everyday places, people and things that anyone with a smartphone can capture, puts the Holy within reach of us all! With lots of tips for the photographers among us, Available Light also encourages the casual shutterbug to take more time and care with their smartphone/idiot camera to really SEE the wonderous creation in which we live. Revs. McGuiness and Tinney lead the reader through the practice of Visio Divina thoughtfully, intentionally. In addition to a full explanation of the practice, they have included exemplar photos of their own, questions for reflection, as well as tips and tasks for those wanting to practice Visio Divina through their own lens. A great personal resource, Available Light would make an excellent group study for a Sunday school and I plan to suggest it to mine!" - Andrea Croskery

"This beautifully organized book is a wonderful combination of spiritual practice and a 'how to' in taking photographs. I spent time basking in the beauty of each of the multiple photographs in the book and going deeper in spiritual practice through asking myself the questions supplied by the authors. I look forward to coming back to this book time and time again during my daily quiet time. I hope to use the tips given in the book to create my own photographs in the future. I highly recommend this book.” - Roberta Egli

"From Alaska to Arizona to Africa and everywhere in between, Tinney and McGuiness take us on a journey of the soul, showing us the Divine in both the extraordinary and the mundane. Their photos are windows into ourselves as well as into the heart of God, and their meditations are deeply personal and universal at the same time. I cannot say enough about this book--stunning, exquisite, heart-breaking, inspiring, startling. Anyone on a spiritual journey will love this book, whether they are photographers or not.” - Sue Magrath, author of Healing the Ravaged Soul: Tending the Spiritual Wounds of Child Sexual Abuse

"Nice Balance of beautiful photography, some technical suggestions, and great reflective questions." Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2020

"I was gifted this book by a former parishioner. I've been adopting photography as a new hobby in recent years and am always delighted by the way that photography can be an entry into new and deeper forms of communion with nature and with God. This book is full of great photographs and some handy suggestions about how to improve as a photographer, but my favorite parts are the reflection questions which invite you to do your own wondering about topics such as mindfulness, shadows, light, simplicity, Visio Divina and more." - Rev. Dr. Paul Lang

"Even if you never pick up a camera, this book pushes you to see in new ways, to look past the obvious and truly 'behold' the world. It works better, of course, if you have a camera, but David Tinney and Denise McGuiness haven’t written a book for those who obsess over megapixels and focal lengths. Instead, they want you to use a camera–and the images it produces–to better see the world and better understand your place in it. In that process, they’re betting, new revelations of the divine will emerge as you playfully ponder what’s inside the frame. There are elements of composition, such as the use of shadow and the wonder of available light, that they leverage into wonderful discussions of how to discover holiness, redemption, and intimacy in photographic images. They tell stories of how they came to learn the discipline necessary to capture good photos, in the process rediscovering wonder and better appreciating surprise. For someone wanting to take their faith journey to the next level, this is a wonderful guide to using photography as a spiritual practice." - Rev. Paul Jeffrey, Photojournalist for United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries

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SKU: 45736932175

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BF J.V.
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 5
Economical and descent for price
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Pleased with price, style, color, and the 3 sizes of these carbonized bamboo cutting boards. Based on the reviews had the expectation of the "smell", which is the oil used to seal the cutting boards. (I suspect linseed oil was used based on the lingering smell, as the off-gasing process is longer. It's also cheaper than Tung oil and food grade mineral oil.) I work with wood and various oil sealants so the smell is a non-issue. As there are natural ways to speed that process up and minimize the smell. In addition, I will be using fractionated coconut oil or food grade mineral oil to seal cutting boards on a regularly basis (monthly or more frequent). As we live in a dry climate, hard water, and frequent use. Appreciate the other reviews which lead to our purchase and reasonable expectation of these cutting boards.
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Color: Carbonized, Size: 3-piece
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Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2026
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Robert Kiehn
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
The Best Apologetics Book I've Ever Read!
This is one of the best apologetics books I've ever read!! Greg Koukl, President of Stand To Reason at str.org has written a great and informative book that is very thought provoking and often points out atheist contradictions and logical fallacies not to mention how lackluster and ignorant atheist thinking is. Here is a good review of it: [..] "Discerning Reader Editorial Review Reviewed 02/17/2009 by Tim Challies. Recommended. A valuable tool to assist Christians in sharing and defending the faith. I have a bit of an aversion to books on apologetics. I don't know exactly why this is, but it may be that many of them seem to teach methods of defending the faith that either manipulate or bludgeon. Somehow grace and apologetics do not seem to go together as they ought. So it was with perhaps just a bit of reluctance that I began reading Gregory Koukl's Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions. This is a book that promises to teach a new method, a respectful method, of defending the faith and of attempting to convince others of the truth of Christianity. This is not an apologetics 101 text, as in a book that will compare and contrast various apologetic methods; instead, it is a guide, a book that seeks to lead the reader into a new method of sharing his faith with others. "If you're like a lot of people who pick up a book like this, you would like to make a difference for the kingdom, but you are not sure how to begin. I want to give you a game plan, a strategy to get involved in a way you never thought you could, yet with a tremendous margin of safety." Here is what Koukl promises--he sets no small goal. "I am going to teach you how to navigate in conversations so that you stay in control--in a good way--even though your knowledge is limited. You may know nothing about answering challenges people raise against what you believe. You may even be a brand new Christian. It doesn't matter. I am going to introduce you to a handful of effective maneuvers--I call them tactics--that will help you stay in control." This tactical approach is a useful one, for it allows you to stay "in the driver's seat in conversations, so you can productively direct the discussion, exposing faulty thinking and suggesting more fruitful alternatives along the way." It is important to note that "tactics are not manipulative tricks or slice ruses. They are not clever ploys to embarrass other people and force them to submit to your point of view. They are not meant to belittle or humiliate those who disagree so you can gain notches in your spiritual belt." Instead, they are ways of guiding a conversation to expose poor reasoning and then use that as a bridge to the truth. Koukl begins by looking at three basics skills the Christian will need if he wishes to be an effective apologist. First, he must have knowledge, having a familiarity with the central message of the Bible; second, he must have knowledge that is tempered by wisdom that makes his message clear and persuasive; third, he must have the character of a Christian, embodying the virtues of the kingdom he serves. Then, over the course of four chapters, Koukl unveils his tactic. He calls it "The Columbo." The key to this tactic is to "go on the offensive in an inoffensive way by using carefully selected questions to productively advance the conversation." Never make a statement when a question will do the job. When you ask questions and listen carefully, you gather information that can be used to show a person where his thinking is faulty. Questions can be used to gather information, to reverse the burden of proof or to lead the conversation. Either way, the person asking the question is the person who leads the discussion. He sets a modest and realistic goal for his interactions with unbelievers. "My goal," he says, "is to find clever ways to exploit someone's bad thinking for the purpose of guiding her to truth, yet remaining gracious and charitable at the same time. My aim is to manage, not manipulate; to control, not coerce; to finesse, not fight. I want the same for you." The goal of this kind of apologetics, then, is not necessarily to win someone to Christ. That may be an ultimate goal or an ultimate hope, but the goal of an individual encounter is nothing more than, in Koukl's words, "putting a stone in someone's shoe." "I want to give him something worth thinking about, something he can't ignore because it continues to poke at him in a good way." In Part 2 of the book, Koukl offers guidance in finding flaws in the way people reason. He offers specific tactics to unveil poor reasoning and to turn it back against a person. He calls these things like Suicide, Sibling Rivalry, Taking the Roof Off. He offers advice on countering the human steamroller (you've tried to discuss issues with people like this) and the Rhodes scholar, the supposed expert. When I think of Christian apologetics, I tend to think of Evidence that Demands a Verdict or some of the classics of days gone by. But in this book Koukl offers a new approach and one that is well-suited to the times. He teaches the Christian to think well, to exemplify grace and to humbly lead a conversation to the truth. "We may spend hours helping someone carefully work through an issue without ever mentioning God, Jesus or the Bible. This does not mean we aren't advancing the kingdom. It is always a step in the right direction when he help others think more carefully. If nothing else, it gives them tools to assess the bigger questions that eventually come up." Apologetics is not always a discipline that is done with grace. But in this book Koukl shares tactics that will prove beneficial to any Christian. They may just revolutionize the way you interact with unbelievers. I highly recommend it." I give this book 5/5 stars and recommend it to both Christians and atheists alike as well as everyone in between.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2011
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Frances
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 5
Highly recommend
Format: Paperback, Format: Paperback
I just finished reading tactics; it’s a book every Christian should consider adding to their reading list. So often we either avoid hard conversations about faith or we jump into them unprepared and emotional. This book does such a good job of equipping believers to slow down, ask thoughtful questions, and engage in meaningful dialogue with people who disagree with us. It’s not about “winning arguments,” it’s about learning how to think clearly, respond graciously, and represent Christ well. What I really appreciated is how grounded it is in biblical context. It reinforces the tools we already have as disciples (wisdom, discernment, gentleness, and truth) and shows us how to actually apply them in real conversations. It encourages confidence without arrogance and boldness without hostility. If you’ve ever felt unsure about how to defend your faith or navigate tough discussions, this book is incredibly practical and encouraging.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2026
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Bartol CZ
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
Cannot recommend this book enough
Greg Koukl’s "Tactics: A game plan for discussing your Christian convictions" is an excellent tool for anyone engaged in everyday conversations with unbelievers. With a mountain of attacks coming at Christians today, it can easily become overwhelming or even defeating for someone who wants to communicate his or her faith. What Koukl sets out to do in this book is to empower his readers to not only not be afraid, but be confident in what they believe, without feeling like the worlds questions are on their shoulders. The first half of this work deals with the game plan. In every day conversations, there are often a lot of claims about the Christian faith that are unfounded, so Koukl’s tactic is primarily a shifting in the burden of proof. He uses the show Columbo as his primary example, as the main character acts like a bumbling fool, but is really a brilliant detective. He will act like a fool to put off his suspect, but then asks incriminating questions to get his suspect to confess. In the same way, when a Christian is given a claim against his or her faith, they do not need to bear the weight of the claim, but can ask for more information and then allow them to defend their conclusions. It is not confrontational and helps the conversation gain some clarity. More often than not, in those moments, the baseless claims are exposed for what they really are, and the Christian is able to deal with the weightier matters of God and the individual. The second half of his book deals with the practicalities of how this tactic can play out. It is no longer an issue of steering the conversation, but of having the practical thinking skills to be a knowledgeable ambassador. A lot of these principles take practice and immersion for it to become a habitual thing, but that’s the first thing that Koukl encourages his readers to do: Try. You will never be able to become proficient at this if you are not entering into conversation with others. The first thing that he encourages us to look out for in this section is the self-refuting questions or objections, which he calls “suicide.” These are views that are inherently contradictory. He said, “When statements fail to meet their own criteria of validity, they are self-refuting.” The concept of truth as universally relative is a good example of this, since it is making the objective truth claim that all truth is subjectively relative. So, it commits suicide by its own assertions. The following chapter shows not only the logical inconsistencies with self-refuting claims, but also the fact that it cannot play out in reality. No one can live (at least consistently) with a worldview that is inherently contradictory. When someone tells you that you cannot judge or that you should not try and change the beliefs of other people, they are in fact doing the very thing that they claim is wrong. One aspect that I particularly enjoyed was his chapter on taking the roof off. This was a deliberate exposition on Francis Schaeffer’s use of reductio ad absurdum. “Whenever someone tries to deny the truth, reality ultimately betrays them.” When a person holds to a false worldview, oftentimes the reductio can help take them to the logical ends of their view. For instance, if someone holds to monism, where all is one and differences are an illusion, then the internal human drive for justice is equally an illusion, and thus a man loving his wife and family has no moral difference in the universe than a man walking into a kindergarten classroom and shooting everyone in sight. Most do not want to deal with the reality of what their worldview allows. But sometimes people, regardless of whether they are proven wrong, will not let you get a word in. His chapter on the steamroller is particularly helpful here. The Christian wants to be the most loving that he or she can possibly be in a conversation, and the steamroller personality will use that to their advantage, as they control the conversation and avoid dealing with their own claims. So, Koukl has the Christian simply stop the conversation, shame the person for being so overbearing, and if that does not work, simply leave. It does not good to try and have a conversation with someone who is not willing to have a conversation. The three things that he ultimately wants his readers to develop are Character, knowledge, and wisdom. With these three combined, the ambassador has enough in his or her arsenal to fight for the hearts and minds of the people he or she engages. Without knowledge, the Christian is ignorant, without wisdom, he or she is without direction in the conversation, and without character, the Christian runs the risk of being a jerk. Koukl said, “My goal… is to find clever ways to exploit someone’s bad thinking for the purpose of guiding her to truth, yet remaining as gracious and charitable at the same time. My aim is to manage not manipulate; to control, not coerce; to finesse, not fight.” He wants the reader to be the best Christian that the non-Christian has ever met. When the focus is on truth and compassion for the other person, it becomes more a matter of putting a stone in their shoe, to make them think, than a series of manipulating maneuvers to get them to convert. This makes room for friendships to develop, rather than confrontations that create an us/them mentality, and, God willing, these encounters will eventually be the means that God uses to save them. While this book is not a how to guide, it does offer some quality introductions to apologetic arguments and a great framework for discussing Christian convictions with those who do not hold to their worldview. Many who are new to apologetics will find a goldmine in this book, and those who are well versed will find an equal amount of value, since he gives a framework for discussion that is winsome and gets to the root of the issues to let the gospel shine. I reference this book often, since this model is the way I try to do apologetics with both Christians and non-Christians.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2014

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