The 40 day photo challenge: Day 15

i couldnt decide which photo to use, so i broke the rules and put up two.

Photo 15:

Food and Fellowship

i love cutting cilantro! i think i have a slight obsession with it, really im not joking.

melissa and i kind of went overboard with the potatos, she just kept giving them to me and i just kept cutting them...she wouldnt stop, what was i to do?

Random Thought

If you watch anything long enough, you're bound to eventually see it in a different light, and ultimately get a better picture. Its kind of the same with Jesus. If you sit in his presence long enough, you can't help but be changed...it just happens. There's hope for me yet. On that note, I'm going to bed...and I look forward to taking a picture when the sun comes up. :)

The 40 day photo challenge: Day 14

This might be my favorite picture so far...

Photo 14: Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder

Jillian and I went out to shaker village to watch the sunset, and we found some horses.

The 40 day photo challenge: Day 13

Photo 13:

The City Sleeps...

This is what my street looks like at about 1am in the morning (ok so technically this was not taken on the 4th). Everything is still and silent, except for the crickets...its weird, I like it.

The 40 day photo challenge: Day 12

Photo 12:

Melissa

Melissa is my lovely roomate,

I took a few pictures of her before she went out with Justin

and a few friends for dinner. This is one of my favorites.

The 40 day photo challenge: Day 11

Photo 11:

sometimes you see dimly as in a mirror

I was out at figg yesterday, just thinking about some stuff. I'm an external processor, so I was just kind of thinking aloud, pretty sure I looked like an idiot. I always sort of thought that when Jesus sent revival, a great moving of his spirit, it would effect all flesh. I'm realizing this isn't neccesarily so. Yes, there are instances when ppl are just blown over by the power of God when they're not even expecting it, but theres also this resistance to the spirit...something I've never really thought about. It's sort of like an element of control, of unbelieving...I'm not really sure. Maybe of thinking to highly of ourselves, of thinking that the move of the spirit somehow revolves around us, that its based on our emotion or something we did or didnt do. Yeah, but Gods not like us, he doesnt change like the shifting shadows, like he lets us take part...he even lets us pray things into being, but if we didnt pray that doesn't effect if God is or isnt or does or doesnt. He isnt intimidated by us. Oh man, I think to highly of myself...I need to become less so he can manifest himself more in me. I see things so dimly, I need clarity.

The 40 day photo challenge: Day 10

Photo 10:

At Sunset

I was walking the cross country trails behind the luce tonight, and the light rays hitting the top of the long grass all around me was really a sight to be seen. The light was soft and it illuminated the small whisps of grass perfectly. It was really beautiful. I took Lexie (The puppy of the house) out for a walk, and it was a really sweet time of soaking and listening and waiting on the lord. I also ran into Paul, a friend and prayer warrior from the college (he now goes to uk) as he was walking their family puppy. Lexie and Sophia (I think that was her name) weren't really sure what to think of each other, but it was such an encouragement to see Paul -he has such a heart for prayer and he's one of those people that you can just see the anointing of God upon. I was just reminded of how blessed I am to still reside in Wilmore. There's so many people here who just love Jesus and it really is a blessing to live here and be a part of such a beautiful community.

The 40 day photo challenge: Day 9

Photo 9:

Jillian

Jillian and I went to the ol' mansion that the President of the seminary is supposed to live in (when there is one) and took some photos. It was a lovely day, a taste of fall, and we pretty much filled up the 4GBs of space on my memory card.

Jillian is a counseling student at the seminary and has a beautiful heart for prayer.

Shes also does these amazing prophetic paintings... I love her.

The 40 day photo challenge: Day 8

Photo 8:
If Only I had a Green Thumb

Justin is growing things in our kitchen. It's really nice to have someone around that can identify just about any stick or leaf or flower that you hand him. AND my roomate and I don't really need to worry about our plants ever dying. Its really quite convenient. And it also adds aesthetic appeal to our kitchen.

The 40 day photo challenge: Day 7

Photo 7:

A New Thing

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up;

do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert

and streams in the wasteland...." Isaiah 43

I took this today up by the baseball fields behind the Luce at Asbury. The old building is rotted and torn apart. The grass around it is dry, the fields look like a wasteland. I walked out there and found myself mumbling "wow, theres no life out here." Instantly afterwards I saw a small butterfly on a flowering plant, it forced me to look closer. He's causing life to spring up in the wilderness, he's making a way when there is none. The mountains melt like wax before him. Watch out Wilmore, Revival is coming.

The 40 day photo challenge: Day 6

Photo 6:

Are You in the Game?

"For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." Rom 8

He's equipped us with his spirit, he said we could do greater works than these (John 14) - because he's [Jesus] is going to the father -and he's left his spirit as a guarentee. He's given us authority and dominion over darkness, because of the death we died in Christ, because of the life we live in Christ. Will we receive his power and authority? Its time to stop sitting on the fence (I speak this over myself). We're either for him or against him, in or out of the game. His spirit is here, empowerment is here, freedom is here -waiting, ready for the taking. Are we in the game?

The 40 day photo challenge: Day 5

I misplaced my battery charger, so I didnt get to take a photograph today with my nikon. However, tonight at starbucks as we were shutting our little kiosk down, I accidentally spilled about 20 some Ibs of espresso beans on the floor (after we had already mopped it). It wasnt one of those "the bag falls over and they all spill out" accidents either. It was a "I knocked one container over and then all the other containers kept falling like dominos and I just couldnt stop them" accident. Picture me aimlessly flailing at the espresso beans trying to keep them up -because thats what happened. To make matters worse, the vacuum cleaner needed to be emptied, so I attempted to take it a part and broke it also spilling its entire content on the freshly mopped floor. Bekah and I just had a good laugh though -at that point it was either that or crying. I took various photographs of the mess with my little 2px camera phone. It kind of looks like a billion little ants all over the floor and Bekah very much enjoying the experience of vacuuming them up. Most of the beans are hidden from site behind her though, so the photograph doesnt really give the full effect of the mess I made. Gotta love the pixelation too.

Photo 5:

Espresso Beans

The 40 day photo challenge: Day 4

Photo 4:

If I were a Painter

.

"...and I'm dreaming of a place

where I can see your face

and I think my brush could take me there

but only...if I were a painter

and could paint a memory

I'd climb inside the swirling skies

to be with you..."

-Norah Jones

.

.

I've been painting a lot more lately. (as well as photographing) When I paint, I get lost in the process of creating whatever it is I am creating and it is almost as Norah Jones puts it, "[climbing] inside the swirling skies." I hear Gods voice intimately when I'm in this place of deep contemplation and joyful worship. Its beautiful.

The 40 day photo challenge: Day 3

Photo 3:

The Everyday Ordinary

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."

Psalm 91:1

Recently my roomate and I decided we needed a chalkboard on our wall to write messages to each other. This week she wrote psalm 91:1 across the top of the board. I took this picture, not because I intended to use it as my "photograph of the day" but because I have a little bit of a fetish with photographing words. I assumed that the photograph was black and white (being the colors of the board and chalk) but after uploading it to my computer I realized that the sun glaring on the board added a strange green tint. Earlier today Bethany encouraged me with an email in which she quoted a recent conversation with a photography friend of hers..."you stated that you have to look for beauty because of your unchanging environment and im saying you dont have to look very far." After reading this, it was like a lightbulb went off in my brain (if someone had been photographing me at that moment I am positive a glowing orb of light around by head would have been captured on the film). What is this strange feeling of satisfaction and deep joy that is increasing inside of me? Could photographing my everyday mundane environment really be growing my appreciation and love for life itself? Never have I been so excited to step out in tomorrow and discover what new revelation awaits me. Never have I been so excited to live in THIS window of time, here in Wilmore, Ky. Never has God spoken so clearly in the everyday, unchanging environment I find myself in. Or maybe I just never stopped visualizing the future, to hear him in the present. I often think I need to some how lift myself up to meet with God, that I have to try and take myself to his level. Theres such joy in letting go and letting him meet me at mine. (cause my finite mind cant understand an infinite God anyway) Truth is, I dont have to look very far to find God, he's already found me and he's gracious enough to give my little mind glimpses into his unending uncomprehendable one. Whats even crazier than that is that I can actually understand his mind, because I now have the mind of Christ. I really dont have to look very far to find beauty, its all around me. Even what appeared to be a simple black and white photograph of a chalkboard contained a beautiful arrangement of colors. Why? Because light was cast on it. Okay, thats another really cool concept that I'll have to externally process later.

The 40 day photo challenge: Day 2

Photo 2:

Figg Lane

I often venture out to Figg Lane. Whether its to soak up the silence, spend some good time in the word, or to wade through muddy water with a friend, its never failed to consist of a good time. Today after work, Samantha and I decided we needed some sunshine and we went and visited ol' figg. The water was freezing, but we braved the frigid temperature and went wading anyway. (mainly because samantha lost her shoe and we were forced to retrieve it)

The 40 day photo challenge: Day 1

The 40 day photo challenge:
The great day has dawned (today) and although seperated by the state of Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia find a way to unite through the photographic journey of Bethany and Amy. Bethany (one of my favorite people on the entire earth) and I have long discussed the idea of a 40 day photo challenge. A few years back we took part in a similar assignment in our photography II class at Asbury, which required we take a photograph a day for a week in order to visually describe our life in a greater way. And so here we are, greatly inspired and immensely excited about our creative adventure. We're going to take a photograph a day, and post it on our blogs, possibly writing a little something about each photograph. Check out B's blog here: http://www.xanga.com/sundowner83 (and if the link for some reason doesnt work, its linked on the right from my blog.)

Photo 1:

Magic Shoes

This year I've had the opportunity to volunteer as a youth leader at my church - gcf (great commission fellowship). It has been an amazing experience and is truely a blessing to be able to take part in the lives of these beautiful kids. One of the youth and I happen to have matching shoes. She excitedly claims they're "magic shoes" and insisted we both wear them for youth meeting. We rocked them out playing kickball and soccer the other night and well okay, we pretty much rock them out whenever we wear them cause we're cool like that.

lomography

i figured out how to do the fake lomo effect in photoshop today. itll have to do until i can buy a real lomographic camera. ive decided i think lomography is pretty darned sweet.

the greatest reality is this...

so we do not lose heart. though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. for this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen but the things that are unseen. for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 cor 4:16

my dirty secret exposed

i have a love affair with the taylor 12 string....

sowing to the spirit or sowing to the flesh

indwelling spirit
i am not alone

indwelling spirit

i am not my own

you have not left me here alone

but what you've done

what you've done

is given me the dignity to choose you

the dignity to choose you

its life or death

sowing to the spirit

or sowing to the flesh

come and strengthen

with righteousness

come and strengthen

with christ within

(justin rizzo)

come unlock my heart
awaken love
set me free
come speak life
for you're alive
i shall live and not die
cause you're alive

i need your presence god.
keep me, lest i die.

august fifteen

i want the essence, not the eminence.
i need reality, god in his proper place, me in mine.

...more on wisdom and the fear of the lord

"there is this point of reality where we begin our fellowship, our friendship, our communion with God. when we come into this sweet relationship, we begin to learn astonished reverance, breathless adoration, awesome fascination, lofty admiration...of the attributes of God and something of the breathless silence that we know when God is near. all these things, coming from the divine presence add up to what the bible refers to as the "fear of the lord." the fear of God is that "astonished reverence" it comes any where from -the terror of a guilty soul before a holy God -to the fascinated "rapture" of the worshipping soul. the reverential fear of God mixed with love and fascination and astonishment and devotion is the most enjoyable state the human soul can know. This fear isnt of the earthly kind -fear of invasion, terrorism, fear of the collapse of civilization...men think they know what fear is, this fear is an awe and reverance of a loving and holy God. that kind of fear of God is a spiritual thing and can only be brought by the presence of God. when the Holy Spirit came at pentecost, there was a great fear upon all the people, yet they weren't afraid of anything. a child of God made perfect in love, has no fear because perfect love casts out fear (1 john 4). yet he or she is a person of all persons who most fears God. the presence of God in our midst -bringing a sense of Godly fear and reverance -this is largely missing today. it is someting that cannot be induced it cannot be compared to a superstitious dread. the true fear of God is a beautiful thing, for it is worship, it is love, it is veneration. it is a high moral happiness because God is. it is a delight so great that if God were not, the worshiper would not want to be, either. he or she could easily pray "my God, continue to be as thou art, or let me die! i cannot think of any other God but thee!" true worship is to be so personally and hopelessly in love with God that the idea of transfer of affection never even remotely exists. that is the meaning of the the fear of God.

-AW Tozer, Whatever Happened to Worship?

On wisdom...

"for Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. for the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. for it is written, 'i will destroy the widom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning i will thwart.' where is the one who is wise? where is the scribe? where is the debater of this age? has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? for since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. for Jews demand signs and Greeks seek widsom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. for the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. for consider your calling brothers, not many of you were wise according to worldy standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, 'let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.' And i, when i came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. for i decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. and i was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. " 1 cor. 1:17-31 & 2:1-5

im sick of hearing words, words, words. and talk of this and rumor of that, and this ministry and that ministry and this idea and God is telling me this and he's telling me that. i want to see the demonstration of the Spirit of the Lord in our midst. its time that our faith rests in this, in power, not in lofty speech and "great wisdom" of the world, which is really foolishness. empty speech must end. our own words must end. its time for the words of the living God, cause they are not empty, they contain power and the demonstration of the Spirit!! and we want to know what the burden of the lord is? its this, jeremiah 23. its every mans own word. and we pervert the word of the living god. (36)

the adventure

life is way to exciting to just sit back and watch from a distance. i never thought spending my entire summer in wilmore could be so wonderful. but literally, i cannot even express how much God has taught me these last few weeks. in some ways i feel like its been the summer from hell, summers in the past usually consist of making a butt-load of money and traveling. this summer hasn't been either but the sustaining presence of the lord has been more than enough to satisfy me redefine me purify me...set my heart on fire all over again. i feel like the lord is so re-shaping me that im losing myself entirely. which is good! because im getting so lost in him that im losing all my identity and self "inward" focus, which is forcing me to look to him for everything. my identity is found in him. he is surely teaching me john 3:30 and is increasing in me as im letting go of everything and letting that refining fire just burn. cause its not about me, its not about anything i can or cant do, its about him. and his spirit dwells inside me, and well, thats just very cool. lifes an adventure thats for sure. one minute im down and the next im up and running. its just like this wonderful unfolding of his beauty on me. and its all around. and he doesn't change like the shifting shadows of a cloud formation. he the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. haha!

what i learned by almost being mauled by a massive dog by the baseball field

lately ive been watching the sunsette (sunsets are so beautiful that i think they deserve a much better spelling) up by the baseball field. its really an awesome time of revelation and hearing from the lord. and so, naturally its the end of the day normally im frusterated and hate everything and everybody after working at starbucks and im ready for some real one on one with God. today wasn't a whole lot different, though i didnt bring my bible or anything to write on, so i just leaned up against the shed and started talking out loud. there are these pieces of grass, i dont know what they're called but they have like a bud on the end and a long pretty sturdy stalk. i grew up learning how to bend the stalk and shoot them like a grenade/missile type thing at my siblings. and so i just sat there, talking out loud, shooting these pieces of grass across the field. and then i heard this dog howling. i really dont like big dogs all the much. ive been chased by a lot of them growing up, granted most situations deserved it, but a few instances -like with the neighbors boxers -were completely unmerited. i like labradors and other big dogs that just dont randomly chase and bark at any and every human being that isn't their owner....but other dogs (especially boxers) i pretty much hate. okay so basically i just hate boxers. anyway, i thought to myself that i really didnt have anything to defend myself with and i half-jokingly stated out loud that i could shoot them with my grass-hand-missiles but or throw a flip-flop but that was about it. and then the lord speaks to me about david and goliath. and how david had nothing against the massive giant goliath, he didnt even have a sword. (i didnt even have mase which i sometimes have on my keychain) and that it wasnt even neccesarily the stone that killed goliath, it wasn't david's great aim or luck...it was by god's strength alone. yeah so literally the stone killed goliath, but what if david had screwed up the shot? david didnt have anything in himself to lean on. it says in john 3, that a person can't even receive one thing, unless its given to him from heaven. and again the lord speaks to me "i must increase you must decrease" (again john 3). so i sit there contemplating this, how weak and lowly i am, how utterly poor and wretched, how completely loss and horrible i am...when i look up and see this dog walking next to a guy coming towards me. this dog is massive right. its like part mastiff, part wolf, part pitbull and part BOXER. and it totally sees me and the guy doesnt yell a hello or anything, just keeps walking straight while his dog is running towards me. i hate boxers, i hate them. my heart just sorta did summersalts in my chest and i prayed a silent "oh lord, oh lord, dont let that dog attack me. oh lord dont let it kill me." (or something to that extent) and so i yell out a "hey" to the guy to let him know that im there and that his dog might kill me if he doesnt get it to stop, and he just knodded in my direction. then the dog starts running towards me again and then stops suddenly like 2 feet in front of me, just staring...while his owner continues to walk past me a few yards not looking or saying anything. and i didnt move, i just stared right back at that massive boxer-like dog. and i yell out a timid "hey is your dog nice?" the guy chuckles and keeps walking. i was kinda pissed at this point and then the dog like darts towards me and makes a quick turn so it just barely passed me without hitting me. then it comes running towards me from the back and does the same thing, then stops and just stares at me again. and i just stared back until the thing turned around and ran away. it wasnt until after it left that i started shaking. but in that, the lord just showed me again how weak i was. but that he loves that. he desires for me to give him everything, to have nothing, so he can give me everything. its so strange really, how simple it is, but how hard it is to get. i dont even realize how much i rely on my own strength, for everything. but its christ in us that makes us strong. like healing for instance. there isnt a formula for healing, thank god! its not based on our faith, its not based on us doing anything, but being nothing so christ can be everything. its his power that heals, not ours. its his power that casts out demons, not ours. like in acts 19 with the sons of sceva. they think that they have all this power cause they know the name of jesus. and they try to cast out this demon and the demons like "dude, who the heck do you think you are?" "i know jesus, and ive heard of this peter guy, but who are you?" sees thats the whole point. THEY KNOW JESUS. they know his power. sickness cant come up against him, demons cant come up against him, even death itself is swollowed up in his victory. its not us that the demons know and bow to, its christ in us. its not us that sickness flees from, its christ in us. we could lose the whole world but gain everything, because we have christ in us and he's our hope of victory our hope of glory. man if i could really get this. if i really could just look and see how little i am, and how great jesus is. and that he's in me. like dude, i was reading the other day in james 4 and it talks about how God himself "yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us" like i cant even grasp the full meaning of that. like for real, as christians, god's spirit dwells in us. the spirit of the LIVING GOD. now thats radical. so long story short, i wasnt mauled by the dog, but im realizing how great the power of the living God is. and that its a live inside me.

funny thing ... he just wont stop pursuing me. he pursues me like its his job. i just can't get away from his love.

"I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them...." Hos 11

art

im really frustrated. i want to give up and i cant even do that.

i created some art.

...and then there are days that suck

i am going nuts. i need out of this place. i need out of my skin. ill never learn to wait. i am so broken. i have nothing to offer anyone. i hate explaining myself. i want to give up and go home.
i need some open highway, some azure ray, and 50 bucks for a full tank of gas.

and that sums up my last three days. peace out.