Even though this is a podcast I made and posted on my photography website, I feel it's highly relevant to Christian life. God is the greatest artist ever and there is a reason He gave us a passion for it. Art is the only subject in life that we can't fail. Without it, we and our children lose roots that flourish into success, in any part of life. Thanks for listening :) I spend a lot of late nights and challenging moments working hard. All content is done by me... the writing, recording, editing, web design and setup, photography and publishing content. If you find value in it, please consider any of the following: Supporting my work, Passing it on, subscribing for free updates.

I do not use stock images. While this one is not publicly available, you can still see lots more in my personal photography portfolio here. A childhood that taught me early on to protect myself against harm... An adulthood that became confused by those unfortunate lessons... At one point in my life, I couldn't forgive myself and I couldn't forgive others. I thought I needed those walls for my own protection; so, for much of my life, forgiveness felt next to impossible. And yet, through stubborn progress and a bold leap of faith, I learned the how and why of tearing those walls down. It not only freed me from self-ruin, it enabled me, emboldened me and set me free from one of the enemy's most carefully laid plans. And now, I reveal what I've learned on that path about the sometimes hidden workings of forgiveness. Forgiveness - a podcast series by Shawn Patrick Keenan. Thanks for listening :) I spend a lot of late nights and challenging moments working hard. All content is done by me... the writing, recording, editing, web design and setup, photography and publishing content. If you find value in it, please consider any of the following: Supporting my work, Passing it on, subscribing for free updates.

When you think that maybe the devil, evil and their war on the human mind are questionable things, just conspiracy theory; think about some of the facts for a moment: 1. Society functions like a machine. The human mind actually finctions just like a computer. Just like any other machine/computer, they have modules and parts that are all synced up and all function together. Just like any other machine, for anyone who understands the system, those parts and modules can be manipulated (as I've been doing this with electronics and mechanics almost my whole life). 2. There is nothing in existence that evil hasn't tried to use for its own purposes AND, it spends far more time than the rest of us trying to figure it all out. Whatever one of us can dream as a form of control, it's already been done and then some. When you and I are experts on something, we've had years or decades to learn it. Imagine how intricate someone's skills can become when they've had thousands of years to hone their craft. The time and budget spent on evil acts are virtually endless (for now). The equation should speak for itself. Thanks for reading :) I spend a lot of late nights and challenging moments working hard. All content is done by me... the writing, recording, editing, web design and setup, photography and publishing content. If you find value in it, please consider any of the following: Supporting my work, Passing it on, subscribing for free updates.

No stock images here. This can be seen in my personal photography portfolio. Just about the time when I think I know something, I'm reminded that I know so little. I often think I know the people I love, but then I remember that God knows every fiber of their being and every millisecond of their past, present and future. I used to think people belong to me, but now I realize they only belong with me, and only for as long as God sees fit. My knowledge, my stuff, my human relationships; all of it can leave my life as easily as it came. All of my worldly attempts to keep hold of what I want have failed. All of my Godly attempts to keep hold of what I need have succeeded. I've found my constant. All I had to do was stop worrying about how I'd look in the mirror or in the window and just, look up, ask and be open for an answer. It's not subjective. It's not opinion. It's something each and every one of us can verify. God is real. The King James Bible is the manual to life and Christ is the path home.

I once attended a sermon where the pastor talked about a former church member. The former member was a FBI agent who said, when most people couldn't, he could spot a fake dollar bill in no time. It's because he studied the real ones and the fake ones in so much detail that he could no longer be fooled. Spiritual discernment is like this. The enemy will consistently and constantly try to fool us into thinking God is telling us something He's not (to harm, to kill, to harass, to slander, to take spiritual war into our own hands, etc.) Read the KJV (King James Bible) or the NKJV (New Kin James, for cross reference until you understand the KJV) every day. This is the manual to life. Once you know it well enough, you can spot a fake from a mile away. No stock images here. See this image in my personal fine-art portfolio. Also, any time I was engaged in any kind of drinking, porn, etc; it cluttered my communications with God by opening doors to the enemy. One of the benefits of dropping those things, and ANY sin, addiction or habit that controls you more than you control it, is clearer communication and discernment. I have an entire section on my website dedicated to this area: https://www.gettingtogod.com/cleaner-spiritual-living

A message inspired by depression, anxiety and a sunset; when you let God overwhelm you, nothing else can. Thanks for watching :) I spend a lot of late nights and challenging moments working hard. All content is done by me... the writing, recording, editing, web design and setup, photography and publishing content. If you find value in it, please consider any of the following: Supporting my work, Passing it on, subscribing for free updates.

It was a while back now, mid 90’s; but, along with some family, I stood by my grandpa’s side and held his hand as he left this world. Photo by Shawn Keenan. No stock images here. See/ purchase similar images in writer's photography portfolio. I loved that man, one of my all time favorite people. I think my favorite part of him was the honesty he showed. It was the honesty of living an incredibly hard life, not caring what others thought and yet somehow pulling genuine love for his family out of his badly bruised heart. To me, he was a great man. As he drifted out of this world, I held his hand. And the first time I ever heard someone say something like: “that must have been awful”, I struggled to answer. That was a long time ago. These days it’s easy to describe the experience; a blessing, and it’s something I’d have done every time out of the many times I’ve lost people, if I could have. Those moments like the one my family and I had with my Grandfather; they don’t become that powerful without a mind and heart that binds us all together, God’s. Anything you might lose by trying to know Him is something you never needed. Is God Real?

A subjective argument cannot stand against an objective one. So what gives me the right to say that an argument against the existence of God is subjective? Proof. Did you know that enough of the Bible can be backed by historical and archeological evidence that it literally can't be disproven? No other religion or version of disbelief can claim this. I know. I've tried. Did you know that the instructions for life and spirituality, found in the Bible, can be verified, validated and objectively proven? Were you aware that Christ had laid out the instructions that can actually bring joy, hope and peace in spite of a world that can only offer imitations? So now tell me which is more dangerous: Building and sharing faith in something known and provable, or, Ignoring something that can greatly enrich life and justify death. Asking for a friend, a family member, a neighbor, an acquaintance and some people I've never met... ___________________________________________________ Thanks for reading :) I spend a lot of late nights and challenging moments working hard. All content is done by me... the writing, recording, editing, web design and setup, photography and publishing content. If you find value in it, please consider any of the following: Supporting my work, Passing it on, subscribing for free updates.

Having been an electronics engineer, a father, a teacher and a minister; I can tell you that screens carry an inherent danger. It doesn’t mean you or your kids should never use them, it just means you should use extreme caution when using, presenting and lending them to younger folks. I didn’t just say “caution”, I said “extreme caution”. I do not use stock images. Click to view/purchase this image in my photography portfolio. From a technical, electronics standpoint; every screen in existence emits radiation. And even though that radiation is intended to be in the form of light, it’s never just light. Without getting too “geek” on you, I’ll say this; screens give off all sorts of different types of electromagnetic frequencies and other energies. They HAVE BEEN PROVEN in verifiable studies to cause sleep loss, fight-or-flight response and to work strongly and directly against our social intelligence. Most of them were never investigated or intended before being cast onto the human body. Quite simply put; they are as unnatural as the oddball chemicals that go into our junk foods and they cause physical, psychological and spiritual damage. While continuing efforts are being made to keep the side effects to a minimum, those who engineer the devices and apps that run them have not been able to do more than slap on a few bandaids. While things like night shades and time reports now exist, they don’t address the overall physics of what leaves the screen and literally touches our bodies. We saw the possibility of creating shiny things that do cool stuff, but no one ever made safety nearly as much of a priority as getting them out, getting them in use and, all too often, collecting the cash. We are nowhere near understanding and controlling the effects of our technology to the point of considerable safety. In fact, IF that ever happens, IF the devices we use in every day life ever become that safe, that time is so far off that you, I and at least the next few generations will never see it. This leaves us with just a few safety nets; careful introduction of devices, a brave new form of moderation and the ability to balance them with much more natural, God-given activities. ________________________________________________________ Thanks for reading :) I spend a lot of late nights and challenging moments working hard. All content is done by me... the writing, recording, editing, web design and setup, photography and publishing content. If you find value in it, please consider any of the following: Supporting my work, Passing it on, subscribing for free updates.

A loving message for those in doubt. How do you not know me when I’m in the wind that wraps around your skin? How do you not feel me when I’ve been with you at every turn? How do you not hear me when I tap on your window as the water falls from the clouds? My heart breaks when I reach out and your arms lay still. I feel every measure of your pain. I know your loss even when you don’t, and I suffer at the thought of your life passing by. You think I don’t know you or how hard it’s been. You think I don’t sense you or the strain of your deepest breaths. But as time goes away and you wrestle your fear, I stand by whispering at the thoughts of a better life for you. You don’t hear me, but somewhere inside beats the heart and soul you once let me hold, even if it was just for a brief moment before the world crept in. If my words are not clear then look up and ask me why. If you’re not stunned by the wind and the stars then spend more time amongst them. It will come, that time when you see me; better late than never, but better now than then. If it comes by choice, then it came by strength. Stop worrying about them. Turn away from the mirror and the camera. Shut off the screen, the worldly comforts and the heavy thoughts. You’re never gonna find me in there. You don’t need the preacher, the prophet or the pride. Just look up. I’m reaching, and I’m ready to celebrate when you reach back. ______________________________________________________ Thanks for reading :) I spend a lot of late nights and challenging moments working hard. All content is done by me... the writing, recording, editing, web design and setup, photography and publishing content. If you find value in it, please consider any of the following: Supporting my work, Passing it on, subscribing for free updates.

One of the many reasons I have no right to judge someone who’s chosen abortion, is that I’ve done a lot of things in my own life that can be judged. As I said in the following podcast, this doesn’t mean I stand against the mother who is in so much distress that she may decide to abort a child. And, FYI, if you do the research and talk to medical professionals like we did, you’ll find two things: 1. Many babies who are not supposed to survive birth, do. 2. The instances where a mother’s life is threatened by pregnancy and birth are much more rare than people know. And, many of the mothers who decide to risk it anyway survive. See the story: But the day I wrote this article, I pondered an internet image search titled: "abortion photos"; and once I had the courage to look at them and see the tiny hands formed at even six weeks, left dead by a machine; not by their choice, but by someone else’s; I saw the same hands I see on my own child at age 4. I could not see the difference between those children and my own. When we learned that Grace was pregnant; my health was not good, we were poor, we lived in a home that was not suitable for a child, I had long decided against having children and we were in our early 40’s which carries a lot more risk in pregnancy and puts us in our 60’s when she will be just becoming an adult. And yet we simply decided it wasn’t our choice because it wasn’t Jewel’s. At best, we’d find a way to keep her. At worst we would go through what would be a major inconvenience, then adopt her out, then move on. We all have issues in our lives we get judged for. And we all have to live with the feeling of knowing that, if the people that judge us would spend one moment in our shoes, we wouldn’t have to live with any more threatening opinions. We would simply have enough support to make it through our challenge. Potentially aborted children face the same moment. Do we form opinions while ignoring their struggle, or do we find some way to support them? If you canlook up those photos, look for the stories like people who survived their own abortion, or listen to the following podcast, and then drop the arguments and spend that energy finding a way to support those children… congratulations; you just took a step that’s worth writing an article about. So here it is, our and our child’s personal story… For more options, visit the podcast on it's own page at: https://www.gettingtogod.com/podcasts/The-Unborn-Child-(Abortion) To see the images of aborted babies I saw myself (not for children!): Looking Abortion in the Eye: https://www.priestsforlife.org/images/abortion-images-galleries.aspx Shareable meme about abortion: ________________________________________________________ Thanks for reading :) I spend a lot of late nights and challenging moments working hard. All content is done by me... the writing, recording, editing, web design and setup, photography and publishing content. If you find value in it, please consider any of the following: Supporting my work, Passing it on, subscribing for free updates.

Click image to see/purchase in writer's photography portfolio Every time you touch a raindrop you defy the world. Today my little girl, Jewel, and I were in the middle of getting ready for breakfast when it began to rain. I had the thought; “man does not live by bread alone”. The land we sleep and stand on is in a drought right now, and in a way, so are we. So when those raindrops started announcing themselves on our windows, I saw a healing moment coming. Jewel and I stopped everything, grabbed our shoes, went outside, sat on the porch and read scripture near the rain. It was a step, and the next thing we knew we were walking under the clouds as our clothes became more and more soaked. We… didn’t… care. Fifteen minutes later, we were wearing the rain like an all-over badge of courage. Our hair was wrecked and our clothes were dripping, but we had laughter and joy under our skin, all the way down to our souls. We ran, we jumped, we laughed and we bonded. I didn’t post this for approval. I posted it to plant a mustard seed. Defying the world and its “comforts” is a good thing. What’s tapping on your windows? ________________________________________________________ Thanks for reading :) I spend a lot of late nights and challenging moments working hard. All content is done by me... the writing, recording, editing, web design and setup, photography and publishing content. If you find value in it, please consider any of the following: Supporting my work, Passing it on, subscribing for free updates.