From Jesus this morning

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
John 14:27

Getting crafty

I have a blog!

Anyway, yesterday some lovely ladies hosted a baby shower for me, and it was such a blessing. But I want to share my "thank you" gift to these women. Coasters. The idea came from a picture on Pinterest, which of course I repinned, thinking, "I'd like to try that someday." That was just a couple days ago. :) Here are some pictures... First, the fall themed coasters for the ladies.Here are the coasters I made first (gotta do a test run, right?) for our home.

Yes, I was so excited to use these that I took a posed picture of an empty mug with this coaster (and my matching blanket (my favorite)). I'm actually using the coaster right now. :)

Here are the tutorials I used as a guide.

Hostess with the Mostess

Style Me Pretty

3rd trimester

Just took a minute to upload a pic of the bump. Third trimester, here I come!

Missed the moment

Tonight I found myself spending a bit too much time on facebook, so I decided to spend some time in a devotional book instead. :)

This is part of what I read from a book called "Jesus Calling" (thanks Jess)...

I speak to you continually. My nature is to communicate, though not always in words...I caress you with a gentle breeze that refreshes and delights you.

My heart sank as I read this line about the breeze. Not long after I had accepted the sweet Savior, Jesus, as my Lord (years ago), I found myself "seeing" God in places I had never seen Him before. There is a state park about a half hour south of where I grew up that I would go to with my parents (usually in the fall). We went for a hike and made it to one of my favorite points where I was standing on the edge of a bluff, looking over corn fields of Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri. I felt the wind hit me from the direction I was facing, and in that moment, it felt like I was being hugged by God. There were other times I would feel this way, and I would acknowledge the Lord.

It was chilly, a bit rainy, and windy most of the day today. While I did acknowledge the Lord in other ways today, during the many moments I was outside (even thinking the wind was a bit annoying at times), I failed to remember His presence was caressing me "with a gentle breeze". They were missed moments. However, I'm thankful for this one. And I'm thankful for the Lord.

Hope

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
-Psalm 130:5

The land of foxes and irises

On Luke's second birthday (May 26th), we moved. We bought a house across the park from the house we were renting, but it has twice the space (and a dishwasher, thankfully!). We love being on Glenmere Park...we enjoy the view from our front window (a friend named Phil called it "epic"), and we enjoy looking out the sliding dining room door to our backyard too. We have recently seen foxes running around our neighborhood, and I even saw one run through our backyard a few days ago! It makes me want to decorate a room with a fox theme. :)

This morning, I woke up before the boys (not unusual when it comes to Brett, but unusual when it comes to Luke). I took my camera to the backyard and took some pictures of the irises. The purple and yellow were the first to bloom. But this morning, I noticed some deep, dark purple ones and a single white iris (it's my favorite right now). I then toasted a plain bagel and topped it with cream cheese and strawberry preserves. I poured a glass of grape juice and grabbed my Bible, devotional book, and journal. I then sat in the rocking adironback chair Brett bought me back in April of '07 (I think that's the right year), read, prayed, and ate. It was delightful. What a sweet morning.

So many questions and fears

A lot has been going on recently...the school year at UNC came to an end, we're buying a house, I took pictures for our next-door neighbors, and I started another class with Illuminate Workshops. On top of all that, Luke (and eventually the rest of us) got sick this past week (thankfully, we are all recovering without any visits to the doctor), and we also cancelled a road trip we (mostly me) had planned.

Anyway, I came home last night from my "Passion + Profits" class ready to take steps to start a photography business. When I think about it, there seem to be several reasons to do it, and the top one is the fact that people are pursuing me to take their pictures or pictures of their loved ones. I don't charge anything, but Brett & even those I have taken pictures of tell me I should.

So, what is holding me back?

With my ministry/job with Crusade, I've thought that you can not have another job, with the exception of when you are first raising support. It turns out, this isn't completely true, but I need to talk to those "above" me about what this could look like for me.

Another fear that holds me back...lack of "education". In college, I studied education, not photography. How can I make a profession out of something I didn't go to school for? My neighbor tells me it doesn't matter...it's a craft. And like I've said, others have encouraged me to get paid! I also fear I have a lack of equipment...basic Canon Rebel dslr, one good lens, and photoshop elements for me. Can I really ask people to pay for my services when I feel like I should have "better stuff"?

Ah fear. I know you all too well. And Jesus (along with angels) tell me not to fear. So why can't I help but do it? Am I sinning? Am I not trusting God? Am I just not wanting to make decisions for myself?

These are just a few of my questions and fears for now. I'd appreciate prayer.