"Praise the Lord from the earth, sea monsters and all deeps; Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word; Mountains and all hills; Fruit trees and all cedars; Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and winged fowl; Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth; Both young men and virgins; Old men and children." -Ps. 148:7-12

Saturday Walk

New Mercies with the Morning

"The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."
-Lamentations 3:22-23

I steady my feet
on that which will not slip. 
You guide each step-
each breath; Why do I fear?
He who orchestrates creation's symphony
is the Guardian of my soul
And when all is said and done-
this life is lived... You are good to me. 
You always have been and You always will be.
Guide my feet from temptation, 
my mouth from speaking unkind words, 
my mind from dreaming that which
You have not ordained.
Protect my soul from selfish sorrows.
When distractions beg from every which way
for my love, my heart, my eyes... 
Let not those distractions have the final say. 
Return my heart to Your promises. That which is true.
I steady my feet
on that which will not slip. 
The one who makes the Lord his Refuge
will not be disappointed. 

Crave Giveaway :)

http://cravemyphotography.com/blog/lens-giveaway-2/

This would be a great win! :) 

Petersen {family portrait session}

 I so enjoyed spending the afternoon with this beautiful family.

 You can see a bit of this guy's uncanny ability to make himself laugh. ;)

It's really been something to watch Will grow up over the last 8+ years.

 Cole has such a sweet spirit.

 Seth taught me a bit about sushi while we did our shoot. :)

  These are the moments that give me the most joy-- when love is visible through the lens.

The Handsome Hayden

The lighting was not conducive for this mini shoot tonight, but we made due, and he was a good sport. :)

Rike {family portrait session}

It was a true pleasure to capture this sweet family's love through the lens of the camera.

 He was pleased to tell her his secrets... :)

  It was obvious that he felt truly safe in his daddy's arms.

Restore

Presence

"Some Christians very seldom enjoy their Savior's presence. How is this? Surely it must be an affliction for a tender child to be separated from his father. Art thou a child of God, and yet satisfied to go on without seeing thy Father's face?" -Charles Spurgeon

The Living Word

"... Where reading is a game, people get hurt, and Jesus isn't heard. For Christians, we don't merely live among a world of words, but under the Word made flesh- who speaks with ultimate authority. What Jesus has to say isn't stuck in the realm of His lessons, but in the rights of His Lordship. The biblical canon is where He speaks. How we read it is emphatically a lordship issue." -Jonathan Parnell

Grow Up

Do you ever return to old writings of your own to be inspired? I find myself revisiting journal entries of the 18 year old version of myself just to try and remember where my vigor came from. I had a love for writing... a desire to study Scripture past what was obvious. I freely acknowledged my Father and gave Him thanks for things I now take for granted.

My prayer is that I didn't decline as I so often think... but instead, that my relationship with my Lord has grown beyond words and how "good" I can make myself sound on paper.

He is molding this heart of mine and His grace is indescribable. He's willing to teach and guide even when my heart is prone to wander. I don't deserve a Love to be forever faithful to me... but the amazing thing about Jesus is that His love is not based on what I deserve.

Tonight, with striking clarity, He said, "Daughter of Mine, I want you to GROW UP. Stop chasing those things that you chased in your youth. Pursue Me... hunger for righteousness!" Yet, another lesson from my blessed Savior to hear and practice. It's not an easy thing to hear the words, "grow up". I'm still trying to figure out what all that entails. What I do know is that there is not time to waste. Being a faithful disciple of Christ is not "part time".

"As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ..." -Eph. 4:14-15

A lot to pray and think about this week. 

Fear

     I wonder if you ever fear as I do. The next moment... future conversations... who will be that long-awaited "other half", etc. What do you do with that fear? Sit on it? Pray about it? Quietly allow it to continue, refusing to recognize that it's something you've become quite comfortable with?

  "Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." -Isaiah 41:10

I say, "I am weak." 
He says, "In your weakness, I will show My strength."

I say, "Lord, I am not enough."He says, "Rest in who I am. Stop trying to 'be something' on your own. Trust Me to lead."

I say, "I can't wait anymore."He says, "Think of all the times I've been so patient with you."

I say, "My Father, I'm SO scared."
He says, "Daughter, I have promised and will remind you again: You are Mine and I will never leave you."

He has to still my heart so many times. Minute by minute, even. He's teaching me to wait without fear, cry out without doubting, walk without constantly looking back and love without selfish ambition. "DO NOT FEAR" is easier said than done... but I serve a faithful, steadfast, loving Lord. Even when I'm shaking as an autumn leaf shakes in the winds of a storm, His grasp is unfailing and He is lovingly guiding each step. 

Cling

"And Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers, and warming himself at the fire." -Mark 14:54

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you..." James 4:8

     Peter followed Christ at a distance. He did not cling to the life-giving Son of God. Do you realize what happens when you do as Peter did? What does it mean to follow Him at a distance?

     We only know as much about Him as we want to know. My Lord reveals Himself fully... entirely. Yet, I step away and cling to anything and everything other than Him. When there is space between me and the heart of my Savior, there is room for the enemy to inflict pain... to distract... to bring doubt.

     On the contrary, when I am right there next to the Lord... there is rest. Peace. Contentment. Steadfastness of heart. Reason to continue and something- or better yet SOMEONE- to hold onto. 

There is no pain too great for Your hand, O Lord-
Won't You be near to me?
Not a temptation You don't understand, O Lord-
Will You come near to me?
If I don't cling to You, I don't live, O Lord-
Please, always be near to me. 

Wait

Yes, it looks long... and yes, I believe I've posted this here before. I urge you to read it anyway. You will not be disappointed, I promise.

The hardest lesson to learn is to wait.

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .
And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? You say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is Your hand shortened? Or have You not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming Your Word.

"My future and all to which I relate
Hangs in the balance, and You tell me to wait?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .
and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love
When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, My child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know Me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."
-Wait by Russell Kelfer

Eternal Weight of Glory

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you." -2 Corinthians 4:7-12


How easily we forget. There is a PURPOSE to persecution. A PURPOSE to affliction. Not to bring about strength in our mortal bodies... not to buffet our ever decaying flesh- but to manifest the life and power of CHRIST! How easily we are overtaken by the simple occurrences that we "do not deserve". Who am I to turn away the opportunity to shine in the strength of my Lord? Who am I to decline a more intimate relationship with Him for the purpose of my COMFORT?!


I forgot this week. I became discouraged. I was weighed down by "momentary light affliction" that I could have embraced for the purpose of an ETERNAL weight of glory. Do not find yourself in the same position. You will miss out on the ultimate PRIZE. 


Have a blessed Saturday, beloved friends. 

To Write

Why did I ever stop writing? There is freedom and release at the tip of the pen. How easily I forget what is important to chase after those things that will soon fade. Technology wraps me in it’s tight hold and begs to become my all… my savior. It’s ever-growing and takes a constant effort to keep up… but the simple miracle of a pen and paper is an ageless commodity.

Perhaps, I will start again. Rebirth. Rejuvenation.
Take that journal everywhere with you, dear girl… and don’t lose sight of the gift of expression. Your thoughts are a treasure that will come and go as does the summer wind… seize the opportunity to pour out pieces of yourself and fill the pages with wonder. Someday, tomorrow even, you will be someone different. Everyday evokes a change… and you will not remember who you were just 24 hours ago. But… you can capture that person on paper. Speak of inspiration… love… the simple devotion of following the Savior… even the hearts deepest cries. That voice will mature, and the young girl that once was will grow into something new. She will be lost forever if not for the life on paper.

Renewed Gratitude

"Yesterday was glorious. To some, it would seem like just another Wednesday... but when you're attending a church where there's no doubt of what you're called to do, it's like an adventure everytime. The Lord has brought 15+ teenagers into my life that have changed my world in so many ways. To be able to stand behind a microphone and hear their voices singing to the Lord is... incredible. They are gifts... truly. To be able to walk beside them and be a part of their lives is so far beyond what I deserve."

I wrote this in October, 2006. I think about this post from time to time and remember exactly where I was and how I felt when I wrote it. My heart was filled with intense gratitude. Now, five and a half years later, I am once again filled with gratitude. Not a moment spent with them is ordinary. The Lord, because of His awesome grace, has granted the opportunity to be a part of the lives of these teenagers, and it leaves my heart in complete awe.

Morning View

I open my back door in the fall, and the sky is bursting with color.
 

"It was very good..."

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

He understands the cry of my spirit. The longing that I reveal to so few. Each fiber of my being absolutely yearns to get out- to experience. How much of that adventure can I desire before it becomes coveting what I do not have? Should I simply settle within the season in which I find myself, and not "explore... dream... discover"?

I went with family to watch Avatar yesterday, and it ignited the fire in me all the more to see worlds that I have yet to see. Pandora, for some, stoked depression. "Our world will never be that good. That perfect. That beautiful." I'm sorry but... are you blind? My Father is not captured within human limitations as is James Cameron. Just imagine what He is capable of creating. It didn't bring me down in the least bit. Instead of watching creativity across the big screen, I want to view it at it's peak.

Sit under a sky delicately painted with His stars. Watch a blazing sun rise out of the early morning sky. Stand so close to the edge of a cliff that I can feel my heart beating in my throat. Feel the rush of water below my feet and know... my God created this. My passionate God was inspired by a black void to create something so spectacular that it steals my breath. Not simply in Ohio. There's an entire world out there that my God made beautiful with a word.

"God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day." -Gen. 1:31