Through the Lens of Worship

I'm so excited to finally be sharing this with you. And if you love taking pictures and love God, I'm inviting you to join me. (I know this is the photo blog and this post won't have many photos, but please bear with me. I need words to explain what I'm asking you to join me in.)

Sometime during last summer, I got this crazy idea to start a photo group with a few girls from Epic that love photography as much as I do. It wasn't going to be a typical photo group though, where a bunch of photographers go take some pictures together (although we would definitely do that), or learn from each other (although we would definitely do that too), or even grow as a community of people who share a passion for photography (I'm thinking that is going to happen too!) No, this photo group was going to be focused on worship.

Or more precisely, it was going to focus on using our photography as an act of worship.

So towards the end of summer I approached the girls (who were just as excited about the idea as I was.) We met over some yummy Panera. I shared my vision for the group.

They shared things that made my vision grow, and so it began.

We called ourselves the "photo worship group" (although we knew we had to get a better name than that!)

Here's how our group works:

We get together on the first and third Saturday of every month for an appointment with our Bibles, cameras and most importantly, God. (And we have an assignment to have alone time with God with our cameras in hand too.)

Once, a month we meet early, grab some coffee, have some shared devotional time and then venture out together with our cameras.

And the other time of the month that we get together, we settle in with at least one print that came from our alone time with God. And we share how God met us - maybe what He taught us, or how He revealed His glory to us. We have a shared worship experience.

This group has been amazing for us in more ways than I can explain in this post.

But our vision isn't to keep it under lock and key. It's about inviting you to join us via the web (or if you're in Hanford, maybe on a Saturday morning?)

Here's how we thought it could work:

You start having an appointment with God with your camera in hand at least twice a month.

On the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month I will put up a Mr. Linky right here on my blog, where you can link to a post on your blog, displaying one of the images that you took during your quiet time and explaining how God met you. You might have a lot to share or maybe just a scripture. Then on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month, I will highlight one of the posts that was linked the week before.

This has been so very rewarding for me (I know it's going to be for you too) and I am so excited to read your posts about how God meets you and your camera.

I love Colossians 3:12-17.
It's all about how God wants us to behave as Christians in everyday life.
Here's the summation of the passage in verse 17:

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

Let's build an online community that does photography in the name of the Lord Jesus!

I'll share more of my vision for this group in another post.

(I think this post has enough words already)

Oh and we have a new name now too:

Through the Lens of Worship