Practicing Thankfulness Through My Lens...

    For a while now, I have been wanting to start a list of things I am thankful for.  I was inspired by

Ann Voskamp and her book "One Thousand Gifts - A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are." Her  testimony in the book is that she practiced gratitude by making a list of one thousand things she was thankful for…and as she began thanking God for even the small things in life, she realized that her heart was filled with joy.  And that practicing thankfulness had helped her to live fully right where God had placed her… 

    I love going to her blog (www.aholyexperience.com) and reading what the Lord puts on her heart.  But, probably more than that, I love her photography.  Ann has a gift for capturing the small, everyday details of life in a way that makes me want to grab my camera and capture the every day things that I am thankful for.  She is an inspiration to me, not only in her habit of thankfulness, but also in her photography.  

    As most of you know, photography is my passion.  I can't get enough of it!  However, with my life lately, I have hardly picked up my camera at all.  *insert guilty face*  But, I still love it!  So, in hopes of furthering my photography skills - and simply not wanting to loose the things I have learned - and wanting to practice being grateful for the everyday details in life, I have decided to start a project here on my blog! 

    My desire is that everyday I would pull out my camera and take a picture of something I am thankful for, and then post it here on my blog.  I'm hoping it will be a challenge, and a good habit for me, to practice thankfulness and take better pictures. 

    So, without further ado...

|| thankfulness through my lens || 

// playing board games with my family //

// this crazy, adorable, snuggly kitten //

happenings as of late

So….I realize that I haven't updated my blog in a while (and I feel like I say that everytime I update hmm..I'm noticing a pattern…) 

Anyways, I was tired of looking at the same picture every time I looked at my blog.  Henceforth, I am showing some pictures that I just took of my sister today.  *insert proud-goofy-grin* 

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I am really hoping to come over here and write more often, but life has been a little crazy as of late.  

Anyhoo….off to grab some coffee and play a game with the fam!  'Night! 

Nothing Will Ever Seem Enough

     
     "… This I know: you will regret nothing when you look back, except lack of faith or fortitude or love. You will never regret having thrown all to the winds in order to follow your Master and Lord. Nothing will seem too much to have done or suffered, when, in the end, we see Him and the marks of His wounds; nothing will ever seem enough.

- Amy Carmichael - 

"She is a joy and delight..."

Just wanted to share some pictures of this little woman =)  (p.s.  I didn't touch her eyes - yes, I did edit the pics, but I didn't specifically edit her eyes.  I think they're stunning! God is so amazing!) 

What Now, God?

    I'm in "that" season of life where I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing - I graduated, I went to my photography school and I don't have plans to go to college...so, what now?!

I want to be open to where God leads and what He might have for me.  And I only want to be in the center of His will for me - I'm experiencing living out a situation that didn't have His seal of peace stamped upon it, and I don't like the results.  I don't want to do that any more.

So, I'm not looking for anyone to tell me what to do, or give me suggestions...But, I'm curious:  when you've been in this situation, seeking God for the "next step" in your life," what helped you?  What did you do?  What were some verses you cling-ed to ? 

"Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds."  Psalm 36

Looking to Him who never fails,
Bailey

What He Chooses

“For consider your calling brothers: not many of you were wise according
to worldy standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 
BUT, God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is
weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even the things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so
that no human being might boast in the presence of God.  And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom, sanctification and
redemption, so that as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’ “

-1 Corinthians 1:26-30-

God chooses:

the foolish
the weak
the low
the despised

    So that our boasting may be of HIM, not of ourselves, ‘cause we have nothing good to bring to Him.  It’s only because of His love and mercy.

    I don’t have to look smart in the world’s eyes.  I don’t have to prove that “I know some stuff.”  I only have to know Him.

    I don’t have to look strong or capable in the world’s eyes.  I don’t have to go to college, or get some great degree.  He will give me the strength and equipment that I need.

    I don’t have to have some high-standing or have achieved a lot.  The world isn’t my standard – Jesus is. 

    And I don’t have to be accepted.  I won’t be – plain and simple; if I’m following Jesus, that is.  He is the only audience that matters and the only approval I need. 

I’m not meant to fit in, but to glorify Him.

“I must decrease and He must increase.”

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The Brave Friendship of God

He took the twelve aside . . . —Luke 18:31

Oh, the bravery of God in trusting us! Do you say, “But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing good in me and I have no value”? That is exactly why He chose you. As long as you think that you are of value to Him He cannot choose you, because you have purposes of your own to serve. But if you will allow Him to take you to the end of your own self-sufficiency, then He can choose you to go with Him “to Jerusalem” (Luke 18:31). And that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you.

We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern. The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of God and being made His friends (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31). God’s friendship is with people who know their poverty. He can accomplish nothing with the person who thinks that he is of use to God. As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. 

We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack.

(From ¨My Utmost for His Highest, August 4)

Sunset, Flowers and Whimsical Girls

The other evening I had a hankering to go take pictures of the sunset - I could tell it was gonna be a pretty one.  So, I grabbed my sister, and she grabbed her dog, and we went down to the lake...

Pretty soon it turned into taking picture of flowers, and Opie and each other.  Needless to say, I've been having fun with my 50 mm, and also enjoying messing with some more editing stuff...

And here are a couple pics from that night. =)

 

 

 

I'm really loving black and white these days.  This is my favorite.