Monday, July 25, 2011

july 24th, 2011

today i reflected on
lessons learned:

Hebrews 12:11
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."


1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

it seems no matter how old we get, we will always be faced with issues, trials, sinful wrongdoings.  it is a constant reminder that we are only human.  and a constant reminder of such a faithful, loving God, that cares enough to be there for us, in good times and bad..in good choices and bad choices.

as i was doing my devotion yesterday, these verses just struck a chord.  i really felt God speaking to me.  i feel like the past couple of weeks, it has really been put on my heart to make things right.  be it the way i live, the example i set, my relationships, forgiveness, showing love, and just trying to be a better person.  i feel like i have really gotten off track and have hit some major bumps and setbacks along the way.  i feel like i was turning into a person i wasn't proud to be, be it through thoughts, words and actions.  i am so grateful that no matter how horrible i can be, God is always there to correct me.  always there with open arms.  always ready to give me a second chance. always loving me, even though i feel so undeserving of it. underserving of His sweet mercy and grace.  being human can just plain be a struggle at times.  i have so many shortcomings.  but, i know with each new day comes a new start.  i want to live so that others may come to Jesus through the example i set.  actions can speak so much louder than words.

love. forgiveness. second chances...what great gifts they are.


Saturday, July 16, 2011

the beginning.

i love everything about the sky. the clouds. the sun. the weather.
it has always intrigued me.  
i love sunrises, sunsets, puffy clouds, clear skies and storms.
i feel like when i look up, i am the closest to God.
i have such an appreciation for the beauty that lies in the sky.
it is an inspiration to me.
and i feel like He speaks to me through this.

i have always loved taking pictures.  capturing moments in time and saving memories.  but, my love for photography has grown more so over the past couple of years.  more than just capturing moments, but, truly appreciating it for the art that it is.  and with this i am enjoying developing myself and who i am as the person behind the camera. my style. discovering my loves. developing my eye for things. and always searching for a uniqueness.

this was my first task in a recent photography workshop i took...i took it from my other blog, photo love, and thought i would share it here as well.  it sort of sums things up for me.


this week we were told to capture our soulhappy.

"A something that you only need to look at, remember, or imagine that instantly comforts, or delights you?" 

here is what i came up with:




soulhappy.  just the mere sound of it made me immediately think of my family..my husband and 3 children.  but, as i began pondering more, it felt like that was the obvious. i wanted to capture something that encompassed everything that makes me soulhappy.

i absolutely love the many ways God speaks to us.  the settle and not so settle ways, His word, the world around us.  everyday God speaks to us.  i can’t help but find myself looking up.  the sky.  so majestic.  showing so many different facets of Him.  from a powerful storm to a beautiful sunset.  there are so many times i just sit in wonder and awe.  a reminder of God’s constant presence..knowing He is always with me.  and i can’t help but feel so grateful for the endless blessings in my life.  my family, health, home..His love, mercy and endless grace. it’s the simple joys around us that are so easily taken for granted, but truly are a gift from our wonderful Creator.


it has been stormy here the past few days.  i was hoping there would be a break in the clouds to capture what i was envisioning.  close enough. ;)  i love how the sun illuminates the clouds as if to symbolize Him.  my soulhappy. 


i feel like recently i have really been pondering...i want to capture this inspiration and i want to journal it.  so, i thought, "what if i capture the sky everyday for 365 days?"  i have continued to think about it for a couple of weeks now.  i've even bounced the idea off of a few people.  i am falling more in love with this idea the more i think about it.  i'm excited to see what i will capture and eventually make it into a book, but, more than that, to see how HE will speak to me through this journey.  

and what better way to journal than to start a blog? want to follow along? ;)