Jesus's mortal life was relatively short; his ministry was but forty-two months. During that significant period He spent a good portion of His time in the Galilee, a region of Israel that is mostly below sea level.****

These bright red poppies were photographed in the Galilee in the heart of the places Jesus knew so well. Their vibrant color always reminds me of the blood of Christ and Him crucified.****

They bring to mind one of my favorite passages from Isaiah: ®For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.****

®Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.®