In the Beginning

Mankato photographer uses liver donation as inspiration for new product

PicODday, a daily meditation on God’s word in creation using scripture and photography, was born out of trying circumstances

It was Good Friday, March 21, 2008, and Shannon Black watched with tears in her eyes as nurses wheeled her husband Bayard to the operating room for liver transplant surgery. “They were taking three-fourths of my husband’s liver to put in his friend Jeremy. We were all scared,” Shannon said. Jeremy’s body was rejecting his own liver and he needed a new one or he would die.

After a long procedure, Bayard began recovering in a cold and sterile hospital room. Shannon did everything she could to make him comfortable, including bringing a series of photo cards with Bible verses on them. Each day Shannon would randomly select a photo card to read to Bayard. “Every verse she picked out related to what we were going through that day. They became a real source of inspiration and a reminder of who is in control,” Bayard said.

“Months after the surgery I began venturing out with my camera more around Mankato. I feel like I had a renewed appreciation for God’s word and beautiful creation. I thought of the photo cards and what an encouragement they were to me in my trials. I started matching my photos with related Bible verses and emailing them to my friends five days a week.”

Thus was born Praisepics: a daily meditation on God’s word in creation using scripture and photography. Over time hundreds of people asked to be added to the Praisepics email list. After five years of faithfully sending Praisepics to the growing list of subscribers, Black was encouraged by friends and family to turn his passion into a subscription product that can be given as a gift and cultivates a large audience.

Subscribing and giving a gift subscription to Praisepics is simple: just visit picodday.com and click subscribe. A year-long subscription is only $12.00 and $2.00 of each subscription is donated to Samaritan Ministries International to help those who are in need. Subscribers receive a daily email that includes a Bible verse and one of Black’s photographs Monday – Friday each week.

“My prayer is that God would use my gifts to spread the good news, and that Praisepics might be daily source of encouragement for all of us who need it,” Bayard said.

Many people have shared with Bayard that Praisepics has been a great encouragement to them, here are just a few:

“Bayard’s images absolutely take my breath away! Or perhaps I should say, give me my breath back...Inspiration!” - Carrie Rice

“Bayard’s images and scriptures have been more than an inspiration.” - Dave Bassey

“Makes my day, every day!” - Jo Amiot

“What a great way to start my morning.” - Brooke Hacker

Subscribe at picodday.com