Chicory Revisited

While taking a walk with 'Sally' the other day, I took my camera along just in case. I took pictures of some dried flowers in the morning sun, and since I had already taken some of chicory days earlier and because the wind was blowing intermittently, I almost dismissed chicory as a subject. I'm so glad I didn't, because this is one of the best shots I've ever taken. Although it looks similar to an HDR, it isn't. The lighting, settings, and timing were just perfect despite the breeze.  I love my son's 60mm macro!

Soft Batch Cookies

My daughter made a batch of her own soft batch chocolate chip cookies... lightly crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Yum!

Chicory

“Blue thou art, intensely blue; Flower, whence came thy dazzling hue?”  --James Montgomery

Oregano in Bloom

His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers...  --Song of Solomon 5:13a

I Heart You

My oldest son, Chris, came across this heart in a piece of lumber as he was working today. As I came out of my room after taking a nap, he said, "Mom, I have a present for you," and he proceeded to pull it out of his pocket.

Awww... wasn't it sweet of him to think of me?  I heart you, too, Chris.  :)

Wedding: Ethan & Laura

I just did a wedding shoot for a young couple from church. They both went to school for dairy farming, so they wanted a simple, country wedding. A call was put out to the groom's small community, and many friends and neighbors contributed beautiful flowers from their own gardens for the wedding and reception. Everything looked wonderful and had the fresh, beautiful scent of nature's bloom!





The groom's mother prepared small bouquets to adorn the ends of the church pews.









The wedding rings were forged by the groom's aunt, herself a goldsmith; made from his father's broken wedding band.



A glass commemorating the occasion was given to each guest attending the reception; the antique, glass milk bottles once belonged to the groom's great-grandfather.









The church's neighbor was kind enough to allow us the use of his barn as a backdrop.



The groom's mother loves taking photos and had many wonderful suggestions regarding both location and pose; such as this field with mountains along the horizon as well as having the bride hold out her skirt. It made my job easier. :)

Happy All the Time?

There's a children's church song that is high energy and fun to sing because of the hand motions and increasing speed, but it hit me one day that it can also be very confusing and deceiving.   Why?  Well, it goes like this:

I'm inright, outright, upright, downright happy all the time.
I'm inright, outright, upright, downright happy all the time.
Since Jesus Christ came in and cleansed my heart from sin,
I'm inright, outright, upright, downright happy all the time!

Are Christians happy all the time?  We might pretend to be, but no, we're not. We have some of the same struggles as everyone else.  I recently read an article by Russell Moore entitled Why Facebook (and Your Church) Might Be Making You Sad.  One of the things he says is, "By not speaking, where the Bible speaks, to the full range of human emotion—including loneliness, guilt, desolation, anger, fear, desperation—we only leave our people there, wondering why they just can’t be “Christian” enough to smile through it all."  Have you ever felt that way?  I have.

I think there are at least two reasons we tend to put on a façade:  1) It makes us feel more religious/spiritual, and/or  2) We sincerely have a desire to glorify God and show that He is real and trustworthy.  But can we truly reflect what's real, if we ourselves are not?

I confess I am really struggling with something right now... and I am very discouraged... but it doesn't make me any less a Christian, and it doesn't make God any less real, powerful, or trustworthy.

If you happen to think of it when you go before the throne of God, would you mind saying a little prayer for me, too?  Thanks...