A new bag

A few weeks back, I mentioned to my husband that I had made a commitment to carry my camera everywhere this summer, and for Mother's Day, he gave me the perfect gift.

A Kelly Moore B-Hobo Camera Bag

Yes, I know... it doesn't even look like a camera bag. You'd never know that I was toting around a DSLR, a couple of lenses, extra batteries, camera cords, a wallet, other personal items, and my cell phone. Can you believe that all fits in there?

I love this bag! It came with two straps --- the "hobo" strap (pictured above) and the "messenger" strap for days when I want my hands to be free.

It's well-padded, very roomy, has a couple of movable dividers, stands up all by itself, has a lovely lavender interior, lays great up against the body when the messenger strap is on, and comes in several great colors. Mine is "Almost Black" which works for me and will hopefully not show too much of the Ugandan red dirt on the next trip this fall if I decide to bring this bag along.

I utterly love this bag, but not as much as the man who gave it to me! Thank you, B!

After the rain

Everyday grace... it's everywhere! And walking to and from school with the kids each day, I see it so clearly in the little things...

in the leaves wet with spring rain drops

in the pink flower hanging on to an ornamental tree

in the fragrance of the lilacs, perfume spilling into the fresh air

Today was another cold, wet spring day... a bit uncharacteristic for Central Ohio in mid May. It has rained so much around here lately that the ground is completely saturated and the grass is vibrantly green.

All beauty, really.

Everyday grace.

Everywhere, Everyday Grace

Truth be told, I’ve never been much of a “hobby” kind of girl. I’ve never been particularly crafty, artsy, or creative, but I’ve always loved photography.

The prospect of capturing images in beautiful, inspiring, and story-telling ways intrigues me... challenges me. There's something about the blending of art and technology that I find fascinating, I think. Who knows? Maybe I’ve found a hobby, after all...

However...

When I pick up my camera, I often feel intimidated and insecure. What exactly do all of those buttons do? And the menu list? Whoa... very intimidating! I carry my owner’s manual around with me because I can never remember which knob, button, or dial does what! Usually, I end up so frustrated that I give up and set my camera right back to the “Auto” mode. Rather than harness the power of this digital SLR, I limit this wonderful device to that of an overweight point-and-shoot!

And what will "they" think of this shot? Who are "they" any ways? And why do I worry so much about what others think of me? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things! Everything is for Him, and I am for Him.

Intimidation, insecurity, and fear are some of my greatest enemies. With very little warning, they are able to paralyze me and prevent me from doing anything. If left alone, they quickly stunt my growth, rendering me forever immature. And not just in photography but in many areas of my life.

Lately, I’ve felt God challenging me in this area... reminding me that when we are weak, He is strong... reminding me that He is the source of all of our gifts, talents, and abilities... encouraging me to lean into Him even more when I feel insecure or intimidated. I’ve sensed Him calling me to pick up that camera, take it with me, and capture the gifts --- the grace --- He has placed all around me... His every day grace!

So this summer, I’m fighting the fear and insecurity by elevating my gaze towards Him, looking for the evidence of His grace all around me. I’ve made a commitment

• to take the camera everywhere I go...
• to shoot in the P, S, A, and M modes (not in “auto” or “point-and-shoot”)...
• to aim for the best straight-out-of-the-camera shot I can make (but have a little Photoshop fun too)...
• and to capture the images that remind me of His every day grace.

His grace is everywhere, every day, and it covers our fears and failures when we are in Christ. I do not want to walk by unknowingly. I want to stop and take notice... and capture the shot!

So here goes... everyday grace, everyday photography!

Photo :: "Bee on a Blue Flower" (Munyunyo, Uganda • September 2009)

Why Paper Bead?

Don't you just love the way God takes ordinary, every day things and makes them exquisitely beautiful?

...the way He grabs hold of an ordinary person's life and transforms it in such a way that His grace is evident and His beauty is apparent

... the way He takes the hard days of life and uses them to build us up into His likeness

... the way He exchanges gladness for mourning, beauty for ashes, and praise for a faint spirit

... the way He makes all things new and beautiful just by His very presence

This photo always reminds me of the transforming power of God's grace and mercy. These beads, carefully made out of discarded strips of magazine paper, hung daintily under a wooden pavilion in a village in Northern Uganda one day as I passed by with my camera. Yards and yards of beads drying on a hot Ugandan day... waiting to be strung into necklaces, bracelets, earrings... into final works of art.

They were so beautiful, and I was struck by the way my new African friends could create such beauty out of materials so ordinary. But isn't that what He does every day?

In a single image, these paper beads tell the story of my life in Christ --- of yours too, perhaps --- and so they represent the desire of this servant photographer:

God, would you take my ordinary creations, infuse them with the beauty of your presence and purpose, and use them to tell the story of your everywhere, everyday grace?

Photo ::"Paper Beads" (Gulu, Uganda • July 2008)

Street Conversations

The summer before that life-changing trip to Mexico, I decided to attend summer school and squeeze in a few of the "electives" required for my engineering degree. Somehow, I found myself in a photography class trying to figure out how to use the brand new SLR I had just been given. This was before digital photography became mainstream, so I spent a ton of money that summer on film and a ton of time in the darkroom. I also spent hours and hours out in the hot North Louisiana heat shooting just about anything that crossed my path.

What I didn't know was that God was laying the groundwork that summer for the big changes He was about to implement in my life. That photography class was just a part of it. The hours spent alone waiting on the right shot or working in the darkroom provided such a perfect environment for quiet reflection on the convictions that come from the Holy Spirit.

Fast forward a few months... I was in Mexico, lugging around a film SLR, with still no clue how to use it and no idea what kind of photos were going to come out of that new camera once I got home... and having no idea just how God was changing me, awakening me.

One day as I walked down the street, I came across these two women deep in conversation.

Dressed in the typical style of the area, they remind me of all that happened on that trip --- the warm welcome the locals gave us, the way the women served us daily with delicious meals, the way they loved us even though we were complete strangers to them, the way they created an environment where I could sit and listen and hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

When I look back at this picture, I smile remembering that wonderful trip, that first camera, and how He who began a good work in me will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus!

Photo :: "Street Conversations" (Merida, Mexico • original February 1996, digitally edited April 2011)

Dusty Road • Transformed Life

Everybody knows that falling in love will change your life. Years ago, more than a decade actually, I fell in love, and I fell hard. I had heard about this man my entire life, but hearing about someone and getting to know someone personally are two completely different things. Completely.

On the side of a dusty road in Merida, Mexico, I met him in a very personal, intimate way, and my life forever changed. I was sitting there on the curb, the noise around me deafening, yet I heard through the power of His perfect Word a message I still think upon:

Sow righteousness for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the LORD,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness on you.

Hosea 10:12

In that verse, the words "Seek the Lord... until He rains down His righteousness upon you" gripped me, so in the months that followed, I sought Him. In the seeking, I discovered Jesus, and by grace through faith, I sensed His righteousness pouring down onto me. The lavish love, the perfect grace, and the rich mercy of my Savior began to compel me (and enable me) to change everything in my life... to begin to sow righteousness.

In the months that followed, life changed for me. There was a death. There was an awakening. And a story began...

Photo :: "Hosea 10:12" (Merida, Mexico • original February 1996, digitally edited April 2011)