Moments

Moments I'm thankful for...

“What if we really figured it out - the gratitude for the seemingly small and insignificant?
This is the seed that plants the giant miracle in the midst of it all.
So count the ways that He loves, a thousand more.
Never stop.
So that when you wake in the morning you can't help unfold your hands to the heavens.
And though you grieve and though you wonder, though the world is ugly - it is beautiful.
And though time moves on, its moments are holy.
And though the planet spins - a blur, you can slow and you can wake.
You can trust and you can pay attention to the moment with this offering of thanks.
Because this is how you spend your one life well,
receiving each moment for what it really is -
holy, ordinary, amazing grace, a gift."


~ Ann Voskamp

Today's Through The Lens of Worship post was inspired by Ann Voskamp and this video...




Head on over to Through The Lens of Worship to read more and share your moments.

Psalm 29:2

A few more images from the redwoods for Through the Lens of Worship.

How Great Is Our God!

Share your worship experience through photography at Through The Lens of Worship.

Friends

Do your friendships cause you to give God praise?
Read more on this week's Through The Lens of Worship post.

How is your perspective?

Check out Through the Lens of Worship to see where my perspective is this week and maybe even share yours.

I Love Spring!!!

Evidence

If you live in the Central Valley, then this is probably a familiar site to you...



It's a beautiful gift every Spring that doesn't last very long.
Soon those trees won't even have a hint that they were covered with flowers.
They will be completely covered with green leaves.
But sometime from June - September (depending on the type of tree), they will be full of delicious fruit.
This beautiful gift is just evidence



of the real gift that is coming.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.

I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:19-23

 

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness and self-control

EVIDENCE



of the real gift that is coming.
 

The one who sows to please the Spirit,

from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Galatians 6:8

See more posts like this at Through The Lens of Worship

Simplicity

I have been thinking and praying about more simplicity in our lives.

And in doing so I came across Luke 18:16-17

“Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them!

For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.

I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive

the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

Have you ever considered how a child receives the Kingdom of God?

Simply.

Bruce and I took Molly out to get some pictures in the wild flowers last week, before they were cut down.

She had so much fun just noticing the flowers.

You can't really tell in these pictures, but there were little pink flowers mixed in with the yellow flowers.

She ran and spun and picked flowers - lots of flowers.

And she cried when it was time to go home.

She has asked me twice in the past week if we can go to the flowers again.

Simplicity lives in the wonder of a child.

Another post for Through The Lens of Worship.

Reflection on a Worship Wednesday

About a month ago, the girls and I got together to take some pictures and worship God.
It had been a foggy week around here so the dew was heavy.
(Walking across the fields meant getting wet pant legs.)

We went to a particular field to photograph the beautiful oak trees there, but what caught my eye (and how God spoke to my heart that day) was the dew.

As the dew reflected the sun, it sparkled like hundreds of diamonds, like stars shining in the universe.
And God spoke to my heart.

That's what its like when you reflect my glory

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his 

likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 

2 Cor 3:18

Lord, I want to reflect your glory more!

Later that week, this was brought back to me again by an episode of 3-2-1 penguins.
(Gotta love those kid's shows!)
This was the verse that the episode was teaching:

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 

children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, 

in which you shine like stars in the universe. 

Philippians 2: 14-15

Let's shine like stars in the universe!

Check out more posts from Through the Lens of Worship or add your own post here 

Doing the Deeper Work on a worship Wednesday

For Soar, our first photography exercise was about capturing the essence of ourselves - where we are now.
We had to capture two images
One of ourself and the other of an obect that represents who we are.

Wow was this difficult, but rewarding all at the same time.
It was difficult to put all of that into one image.
And I didn't anticipate it becoming such a time of worship for me, but it did.
To help me, I followed MeRa's example and wrote 3 I am statements

I am tired and worn down - running on empty

I am leaning on my only source of strength - Christ

Though many things may try to tear me down and get in my way, I will stand strong in Christ.

I am standing on the promises of Isaiah 40:28-31:

Have you never heard? Have you never understood?

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.

He never grows weak or weary.

No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.

They will soar high on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Here are my images...

The day I was out taking these I couldn't stop singing this song:

With mercy You've shown me Your unfailing love

Your holiness purges my sin

Your blood has redeemed me, I'm washed in Your grace

With patience You cleanse me within

Make me like You - Take the pieces of my life and make it new

Make me like You - Make me wholly completely brand new

To love the unloved ones To count all but loss

I'll take up my cross for You

To picture You broken To see You as King

For You anything I will do

Make me like You - Take the pieces of my life and make it new

Make me like You - Make me wholly completely brand new

(Make Me Like You by Mike Busbee)

Worship Wednesday

Today is the launch of Through the Lens of Worship.

I had initially intended to launch it right here on Exposing Grace, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I should just start it off on its own.

So go here to post your link in the Mr. Linky.

Wednesdays are going to be focused on worship around here from now on.

Here is my personal worship experience to share for the first week of Through the Lens of Worship...

Remember this tree?

Or maybe you remember it better like this?

Well this is what it looks like now.

When I first heard they had burned it down I was so sad.
I loved that old tree.
But as I pondered it some more, I was reminded of Matthew Chapter 6.
Here is a little of what it says...

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also...
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

That tree has been standing, lifeless in the same place since we moved to Hanford.
I don't know how long it has been dead, but I've never seen life on it.
And as beautiful as I thougth it was, there was nothing heavenly about it. It was death.

And now it is nothing more than a pile of firewood.

"Store up treasures in heaven where moth and rust (and fire) do NOT destroy."
What are you storing up?

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

1 Peter 1:24-25

This is part of a new project I'm working on that I'm really excited about.
I'm so excited to tell you all about it, but that will have to wait until after the holidays.

Psalm 100

Shout praises to the LORD, everyone on this earth.
Be joyful and sing as you come in to worship the LORD!
You know the LORD is God!

He created us, and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep in his pasture.

Be thankful and praise the LORD as you enter his temple.
The LORD is good! His love and faithfulness will last forever.

Not small in God's eyes

You can't exactly tell from this picture, but this flower is incredibly small.
If you walked by it, you probably wouldn't notice it.
But, look at it. It is beautiful...



It struck me the other day as I was editing this image, and noticing the beautiful details of the flower that - God designed it. And that no matter how insignificant it may seem to us as we walk by it, it is still a beautiful creation of God and therefore, not insignificant at all.

Do you feel insignificant and unnoticed? Well you aren't. You are a beautiful creation of God too and He cares way more about you than He cared about this little flower.

I hope you always remember that your NOT insignificant to God - you NEVER will be!
What you will ALWAYS be is His beautiful creation (regardless of what the world may say or think.)

Happy Easter

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT