I also three weeks ago told the Florence UMC (the sponsoring church of Th3 Waters with the KY Conference) that I would no longer be the Cultural Architect of Th3 Waters as of June and will be up for another appointment. So, that most likely means that Tiffany and I will be moving in June. This is sad, but understandable, and we are working though it all transitioning Th3 Waters away from being lead by a full-time pastor. Tons of prayer needed for this.

I am also leaving tomorrow morning for Pasadena California to look into the PhD programs at Fuller Seminary ( School of Theology and School of Intercultural Studies). The more and more we pray about the PhD stuff, I think we would be best not to start a PhD program the same year that we might be getting a brand new baby in the Hollums family! But, I still think that God might be calling me to get a PhD and possibly teach at a Seminary level to encourage young clergy to remember how to dream with God, an area I think the church has forgotten how to do effectively! It would be a huge sacrifice, but if that is what God desires, then if you know me at all, I will go where He leads. period.

We had a great Christmas and New Year even though I was sick most of the time. heh heh…

And lastly, I am mildly addicted to foursquare a unique social media check-in system you can use via phone or computer. It basically brings the idea of Microsoft gamer points of PS3 trophies (a reward system) for visiting real life locations! I am finding that it is a great way to make getting out to meet with other people fun and rewarding. It is a great way to get geeks out into the world and adds a competitive fun aspect of going to places. And I think for Christians it is a great fun way to get out of our comfort zones, try new things, and meet new people….IN REAL LIFE!!! Tons of fun. Try it out.

Well, I guess I will type on here next year….if I’m lucky, heh.. in the mean time, please follow (and feel free to support) our adoption anyway you can by heading over to our adoption website.. It is updated much more often! heh. Thanks for staying with me here on this blog. Bless yall!

And as always, if you get bored, please check out my Flickr website and look at my photography. And remember if you would like a print or a few 100 prints of my photography, that I will print them for you send them to you and I will let you know the cost it will be to ship and print and anything over that amount I will put towards the adoption. So tell your friends and family! Bless yall!

Well, it sure has been a long time since I posted and I’m not sure if I am going to get back in the saddle here on the blog, but I am going through tons of wrestling right now, and while I can’t get into it yet, please know I am doing just fine, but I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers! Thanks for that!

So I’ve got some good news… I made it in the Capture Cincinnati Photography Book! I submitted about 10 photos and 3 of them made the book! I am thrilled. For a link to all of the photos that made the book go here, and for a link to purchase the book go here.

Also, I officially have entered the http://photofocus.com emerging photographer of the year award. I seriously doubt that I will even be considered, but I really do love taking classic Black and White Landscape and Travel photography. I realize that classic Black and White Landscape is not as popular in the world today (most want color), but I love the simplicity and contemplative aspects that it brings. And that brings me to the post that inspired this blog post.

Please visit my flickr photo page and look through my photos, I’d love to have some feedback!

Over at photofocus.com there was a blog post talking about art and spirituality and a few quotes from the Pope. Now, this subject of the arts in faith has been intriguing me as of late and I must say that there is a book in me somewhere to help others to see how art (especially photography) can be used to deepen not only a photographer’s spirituality, but could be used to bring about faith discussions with in communities. Anyway, I just wanted to give yall a sample from the Photofocus blog and since they do not allow comments over there at the blog I invite anyone to leave some here.

Here are a few quotes from the blog post by Scott Bourne:

“Recently, the Pope held a meeting with hundreds of artists. Discussing beauty and art, the Pope said, “Beauty … can become a path toward the transcendent, toward the ultimate mystery, toward God,”….I’ve always believed that the artistic expression available through photography reaches higher than most would immediately think.

The Pope went on to say, “In a world lacking in hope, with increasing signs of aggression and despair, there is an ever greater need for a return to spirituality in art.”

I think you can substitute any number of words for spirituality that mean something similar. The Pope believes that faith can nourish art. And perhaps it can. It can’t hurt.” -Scott Bourne

And why can’t art nourish faith? – D.G. Hollums (ha ha ha) Bless yall, and KUTPs!!!

I read the blog post of a friend (Chris Marshall) And wanted to post the same kind of memory and understanding of this day. So, here is his blog post with my own names entered:

On this day the Celts believed the veil between this world and the next was so thin that it was almost permeable. It was thought to be a day of transition, from summer to winter, where the dead from the year previous would passover to the eternal realm. I do not worship my ancestors and friends who have gone before me, but I do honor them.

So today I honor the lives that touched mine but have moved on either to the realm where God is or are asleep awaiting the final Resurrection (depending on your theology). These are the people that led me in my faith.

Rest and Reign well my beloved:
-Jay
-Nanaw
-Grandad
-Grannie
-Grandad

Hebrews 12 (The Message)

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

Have a happy hallows!

Oh and pumpkin pictures from this years Geek Halloween Pumpkins are below:

Daylight version

lit up on the porch, with the candy bowl lighted from under the candy…looked very cool.

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OK, on to the main topic I wanted tolet everyone know about. I have teamed up with a local internet start-up called photrade here in Cincy, that allows me to upload my photos, keep them safe (by putting a copyright watermark on them), and they even seel my photos for me!!! any photo that is a part of my photos on the site is available to purchase. And, you can buy just the photos (at practically ANY size!) but you can buy the photo to be on mugs, hats, shirts, etc… even to buy an electronic version of it, as well. Anyway, I just wanted to make evryone aware of the fact that now you can view the photos at very large sizes on my Flickr page as always, but now you can also purchase them for yourself, friends, or family! I just wanted to make everyone aware of the possibility. oh and the website shares the ad revenue from the site, so if your viewing my photo nd then click on the ads, I might get to see a few pennies from your clicking. anyway here is the link to my Photrade site:

Thanks and have a wonderful day! oh and I guess if you want to see a few of my latest photos. Tiffany and I just got back from our 10 year wedding anniversary and we went to Pipestem State Park Resort in West Viginia. I fo course took photos and so, here you go:

Yep there it is. on my right forearm. I know that several people love it and several people hate that I got a tattoo, but I just wanted to share why I did and the reason for where I did. So,

1. The tattoo is of a window in a church that my brother and his wife attend before he passed away. My brother told me he felt called into ministry at his annual conference, and right before he could get started on track to actually be a minister in the UMC he came down with cancer. So, I felt this was a wonderful reminder for me of how much I loved Jay, how much he loved me, and to allow him to be with me as I follow Christ in the ministry.

2.  The window its self is a Trinity Window. It represents the Trinity (Father, son, and Holy Spirit) I have always been a huge Trinity kind of guy, and love the understanding of relationship, and mystery found in the understanding of the Trinity! So, this Tattoo represents God in all the forms that God has chosen to reveal himself to his creation.

3. The Tattoo is on my right arm. In the Old and New Testaments, the right hand has always had the imagery of someone’s actions the “doing” of someone. (hence Christ sits at the right hand of God the Father because he was the ultimate actions of God) And we are to keep the ways of God on our right hands and on our foreheads) to remember that our being/thoughts and actions are to be those of God’s in the world. I desire to be the hands and feet of God in all that I do, so every time I look down an see this tattoo I pray that it reminds me to attempt to live out this passionate desire in my life and in the lives of those around me. I actualy wanted the tattoo to be on my hand, but Craig would not do it because we use our hands so much that it would eventualy just fade away and i would have to get the same tattoo over and over again.

4. When I went to Guatemala on the mission trip one of the things I noticed when we were doing prison ministry to the gang members, was their respect and immediate connection to anyone in our group that had a tattoo. I did not think about this until afterwards, but I also pray that through this Tattoo I may be able to develope relationships with others that I might not have normally been able to by finding some common ground of a Tattoo and possibly being able to have a chance to exaplain the meaning and purpose behind my tattoo and maybe have the honor of finding out about the same meaning and purpose behind thier tattoos.

Well, I am blown away by the responses I am getting from the Tattoo, and surprised that my Father and Mother got over the shock fast. (only 2 small moments of awquard silence over the phone. ha ha ha ha) I am sure that many others will be shocked, and mad over time, but all the more reason to be able to develop relationships and get to love others. If anyone is interested I got my Tatto from a good friend that I went with to Guatemala named Craig. (In Guatemala he was doing tattoo cover ups for gang membersthat wanted out of the gangs and covered up their gang tattoos with Christian art…amazing) Anyway Craig owns two Tattoo shops here in northern KY called:

<–click picture for the link

Craig is now actually going through a 3 year process to go into the ministry as well in his own church, so ministry all the way around, heh.

Here are a picture Tiffany took on her iPhones of the work getting done:

Last year the Cincinnati Enquirer asked local photographers to submit their favorite photos of anything and everything in Cincinnati and the best of the best would be voted by people who visited the website and the top photos would be printed in a book. Well, I thought there was no way that I could ever have a photo in the book, and then I opened up the book to see three really good friends got their photos in the book, and so this year I thought, “Hey, why not?”… so, I would be honored if any of you who read this blog to please to go their website (sign-up…yeah I know that is the painful boring part), find my photos, and vote for them. Thanks and please get others to do the same if you or they have time! I would love to be able to have a photo liked enough to be printed in a book. Thanks and here is the webpage to vote for the photos I have posted…

http://www.capturecincinnati.com/people/Argon52

Thanks again! And God bless ya!

D.G.’s Flickr Photos

go to my flickr (<–click there) to check out a few of the stations from Via Crucis.. oh and happy Easter!!! Here is a picture of the sunrise this Easter Sunday from the parking lot of Florence UMC:

and one of my favs from Via Crucis that I took:

God bless yall!

My Flickr webpage