I am not a professional photographer. I do take a lot of photographs and have been blessed with a DSLR. I spent all of last week in Asheville documenting my sister’s wedding.
I took around 4,000 photographs. I’ve whittled it down to just under 1,000. I’m still whittling.
I’m post-processing now and narrowing it down even more. Cropping, coloring, resizing. You know the drill.
Go here to see the photos on which I’m working.
In Memphis.
It’s not often I get the opportunity to spend a full week with my mom, dad, sister, and brother.
We spent the past week in the mountains of Asheville celebrating (and preparing for) the marriage of my little sister to Jason Sumner.
I’m thankful for the good things God gives to us.
I’m thankful for my new brother-in-law. I couldn’t have hand-picked a person better suited for my little sister.
I’m thankful God is gracious (even when I mess up big time and leave my DSLR camera at a public park).
I’m thankful for Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.
Now, I’m in class. Talking about JEDP.
I’m also sorting and processing the thousands of photographs I made in Asheville. You can look at them here.
It’s good to be back.
One of the best things about our time at the Promise House was working with Keri. She was the relief houseparent and our friend. Keri left the Promise House just before we did to begin graduate school. She got married last Sunday. Guess who was the flower girl!
[Keri is the one holding Sophia in the birthday picture two posts down.]
Marriage creates a situation in which our desire to be served and coddled can be replaced with a more noble desire to serve others — even sacrifice for others. This is a call for both husbands and wives.
The beauty of marriage is that it confronts our selfishness and demands our service twenty-four hours a day. When we’re most tired, most worn down, and feeling more sorry for ourselves than we ever have before, we have the opportunity to confront feelings of self-pity by getting up and serving our mate.
Gary Thomas, Sacred Marriage, 186.
Honor isn’t passive, it’s active. We honor our wives by demonstrating our esteem and respect: complimenting them in public; affirming their gifts, abilities, and accomplishments; and declaring our appreciation for all they do. Honor not expressed is not honor.
Gary Thomas, Sacred Marriage, 63.
It was a great two days. Lots of laughter. Lots of friends. Little sleep.
The ceremony was full of interestingness as well. The two most notable moments: (1) Todd “The Bod” Calloway, a groomsmen, turned into a zombie and stumbled his way off the stage to the first pew where he collapsed. I never missed a beat. (2) After the wedding party and family had been escorted out of the sanctuary I stepped up center stage and said, “Thank you for coming, Daniel and Laura would like to invite you to the . . . ” I couldn’t remember the word ‘reception’. “to the . . . ” Awkward silence. I finally just told them I couldn’t remember the word and told them they were invited to the “after-the-wedding-party”. Go here for more pictures.
God redeems. He brings beauty out of dirty, messy, broken places. It doesn’t get much more broken than Cindy Beall’s marriage. Cindy’s courage alone to share her story is amazing.
The story is shattering. That’s really the best word I can think of for it, because it shattered some things in me: my heart, some stereotypes, notions of forgiveness and grace, and my weak understanding of God’s redemptive beauty. Read it for yourself:
She posted it on her blog over a six day period. You can click on each of the links of the story above to read it day by day. Or you can just go to her blog.
X sleep is short for no sleep. I’m so tired, I can’t even type the word ‘no’.
Oh yeah, today is our wedding anniversary! That’s pretty cool.
But, back to the no sleep thing. I realize how spoiled we have been. Sophia started sleeping through the night at two months. Now, because of teething and being a little sick, Sophia has had two sleepless nights. How do people do this for years!?!?
Anyway, it’s all good. Life is good. Jesus has given us so much. A little sleep is nothing compared to what some people are deprived of. But, I think I might try to take a nap today.
Carlos is one of our oldest translators. He has been married for just over two years. He runs his own adventure sports business. He is often out of Lima leading groups up the Andean mountains.
Carlos started coming to English Fellowship to better his English. Through the example of U.S. volunteer teams, Carlos fell in love with Jesus.
Now, Carlos is praying for his wife. She’s not a believer yet. Carlos is also learning the guitar. He bring his guitar to our meetings to learn the worship songs.