day 9

Proverbs in the hammock time

day 8

So honestly I took no pictures today and did a quick crop, vignette, cross process, color temperature adjust and text edit of a team picture.  BUT. I was reminded so much today of the friends I am blessed to have all over the world, all over the USofA, and all over Wethersfield.  I got a sweet as text from a friend that legit made my day. I went to the band concert at my high school and got to see all my fellow percussion kids, all the kids that I was section leader over that were 'my' pit, all the underclassmen I love and *sniff* they're growing up so fast! Seriously though, I felt kinda old.  Then I got ice cream with an awesome girl from high school and we talked forever and we talked about boys, which I haven't done in a really long time and it made me laugh for so many reasons I could write a novel. AND we walked about how I can't get a twitter because I would hate the fact that I would be one of those people who posts witty, funny, sarcastic tweets every 5 minutes so I would be hilarious, but addicted.  No bueno. So yea.  No picture takin' today, but plenty of reminders of my brothers and sisters and friends around the world.  Plus I really love these kids and I miss them so much.  Heaps, as they say in New Zealand.

day 7

So I have to be a bit honest.  Sometimes I look for God in cheesy things, and He speaks to my heart in cheesy ways but He speaks in ways that I understand.  Which in this case is why my walk with Him is like ripping up the brick patio in our backyard.  It's also like the run I went on yesterday, but that's different.

My job this week before I start my job (!!!!) next week is to rip out the bricks in our patio and pile them according to awesome bricks, bricks that are alright and we'll probably use, and bricks that just suck.  May I mention that Connecticut decided that it's time to have weather like Thailand?  This means high temperatures and higher humidity levels.  This means I'm sweating.  Like a dude. So I'm ripping out bricks, my hands are covered in dirt and I have salty water dripping down my face, my back and the backs of my knees, among other places.  There was one spot today where ants kept insisting on boycotting my removing the bricks and were crawling everywhere which occasionally also meant on my hands.  Or my feet.  No me gusta.  At one point a bead of sweat dripped off my nose.  It was like in those movies where big guys play football in the rain and the rain drips off their noses all cool and everything, except I was gross.  And I'm not even a third of the way done.

What does this have to do with following Jesus?  I follow Him because I know that in the end, it's going to be beautiful and there will be a much better brick patio to hang out on.  The process may be messy and I don't necessarily know which pile the brick should go in.  Correction, the process is messy.  I don't always know what I'm doing as a lover of Jesus.  I get a lot of dirt on my hands because you have to get dirty to do a good job, and occasionally I'll wash my hands but usually they'll be dirty.  I sweat, a lot. I sweat like a guy. For real.  But it shows that I'm working, I'm trying, and even though the weather feels like Thailand, which is hot and humid, it's not going to stop me from getting my job done and getting it done well.  Whatever the environment, the work needs to be done so I'll do it.  Sometimes those stupid ants are everywhere and I hate them and they're crawling on me and why are they crawling on me when they can crawl on the ground and I really hate dealing with them and other bugs because I just don't want them to touch me but I'm ok, right? I survived.  Then there's the bricks along the edge that don't come out. And you spend 10 minutes on 1 brick feeling like an idiot that it won't come out and there's a slug 2 inches from my fingers and it finally comes out!  But then the next one won't come out.  But then they're all out and it wasn't too bad and I didn't actually touch the slug and it's done!  Until I get to the other side where there's more side bricks to take dig out.

Then in the afternoon I take a water bottle and my bible and lay in the hammock in the shade and read me some Psalms and Proverbs.  And I laugh about how God speaks to me when I'm ripping up our brick patio.

Following Christ means getting dirty, doing what I don't want to do, not always being pretty, and sometimes just pushing through because you know it can be done (these, among other things of course).  But following Christ means pushing towards the prize, knowing that there is a Savior's love and redemption that some of the world doesn't know about and you know what?  Everyone needs to be loved.

And the goal of a nice patio to hang out on, isn't going to just happen on it's own.

I don't make much sense do I? Good thing God speaks simply, like through a brick patio.

day 6

You're getting a photo spread today because we made pizza on the grill. I can't even begin to tell you how unbelievably delicious this is, oh my word.  We got some onion and bacon pizza, and good ol' pesto and shrimp. Hollllaaa

day 5

lacking inspiration, hey? at least it was sunny! super hot today, chillin on the porch

day 4

2 today because I couldn't choose

day 3

day 2

day 1

One foot in the sea

I used to have a lot of passion for photography, every aspect of it. I loved the artsiness of it, composition, colors, textures, patterns. I loved the technicalities of it, lighting, aperture, shutter speed, iso, depth of field. I loved spending hours wandering and taking pictures and then going through them over and over. Then I got busy and didn't have time to just have fun with it anymore. I also realized I needed to get out from behind a camera and experience things first hand. So it was a good thing that I sort of put it aside.

I've been needing something active, something to do and something that brings me closer to God other than just reading the bible and praying.  I wanted something that would challenge me and would frustrate me sometimes, but that I would find so much joy in.  A couple summers ago I did a photo a day kind of thing, but I started missing days in the last 2 weeks of summer so it was cool, but didn't quite work out.  Plus it was just for myself, so it was nice, but it got boring. 

I guess my purpose for this is to experience God in the beauty of life around me everyday, and even if I can't take a photo everyday, to seek His beauty in images I already have. Knowing God is like sticking your foot in the ocean; we're so small compared to His greatness and there will always be so much more to learn about Him.  This is me intentionally seeking to get to know Him every day, and having something sweet to show from it.  There's been a part of me wanting to create for a while now and this is me dedicating part of my time everyday to creating something beautiful.

I hope this makes sense. 

Serve God, love and mend

This is not the end

Live unbruised, we are friends

I'm sorry

Sigh no more, no more

One foot in sea and one on shore

My heart was never pure

You know me

But man is a giddy thing

Oh man is a giddy thing

Love it will not betray you

Dismay or enslave you, it will set you free

Be more like the man you were made to be

There is a design, an alignment, a cry

Of my heart to see

The beauty of love as it was made to be