Photography Part 2

Something I forgot add...

Starting in August of this year, I will be moving to Americus, Georgia. It is simply an hour south of central Georgia, give or take a few minutes. I hope to continue providing shoots for those in the Warner Robins/Perry/Macon area often. However, I look forward to the many opportunities living in Americus will bring!

Those of you in the Sumter County region, please feel free to contact me! As for now, I am still offering FREE shoots. I do not have the experience (I feel) to ask much of anyone except for their time and patience (with me, of course). I am simply learning and I would be HONORED to capture YOU.

Thank you for your support!

Photography

Hair & Make-Up by Stacy Gillespie

Thanks to my parents, my siblings and my friends I have been able to practice photography. I love photography and all the beautiful artwork it brings to the table. I would LOVE to be able to capture the beauty of all people. Capture their smiles, laughter, creativity, and the love they have for others around them. I would LOVE to be able to capture the wonderful life changing moments of the lives of others: a new baby, a marriage, an engagement and so much else! I long to show women how stunning they are and men, their strength.

I am not the most creative and not the most talented photographer, but I would love to learn SO much more concerning photography. I would love to be able to gain the experience.

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family that allow me to take pictures of them. They are so good to me!

Wedding

As is stated in my profile, I am engaged. Well, my fiance and I picked a date in May...AUGUST 6TH, 2011!! I am SUPER excited! It has been a long wait, and I still cannot grasp the idea of becoming his wife!

What we have accomplished so far:

Booked ceremony venue

Booked reception venue
Booked photographer
Booked caterer
Bought/Received wedding gown & accessories


We have many things to finish! As of right now, we have to pick an invitation design, finish the guest list, buy decorations, order bridesmaid dresses, order groomsmen vests, order materials to make invitations, and other items necessary for the details of the wedding.

The wedding ceremony and reception are both going to be held in a barn right outside of town. :) Chris and I are both ecstatic about the location! I visited the first time, then brought him the second time and he loved it! The venue is a very cozy environment. It is a ten a.m. wedding, so it will be fairly nice weather. I can't say enough about the venue! I love love love it!

Our youth pastor from our senior year in high school is going to be our officiant. We are SO blessed to have such a wonderful man marry us! He has been a HUGE part in our growth as children of God. God used this man to make us soldiers that KNOW where we stand. God used this man to teach us to be warriors for Christ. Therefore, his position as our officiant is a MAJOR blessing and excitement!

Chris and I are growing every day...duh! :) We have our ups and downs but that is a result of being together for so long. We are learning more and more that we don't understand each other like we thought we did. ...haha! Some of you may understand that! We are still crazy about each other! We cannot wait to get married! We are excited about the journey God has for us once we are married! He has many many plans for us and he is constantly giving us more confidence in Him, praise Jesus!!

Anywho...I certainly hope that each of you are doing well! May the grace of God fill your days!!

In Christ.

Esther

So, some really exciting things...I don't know where to start.

You're the Living God, You're my Saving Grace, You will reign forever, You are Ancient of Days, You are Alpha, Omega, Beginning and End, You're my Savior, Messiah, Redeemer and Friend!...So I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned in awe of the One who gave it all, I'll stand my soul, Lord, to you surrendered all, all I am is Yours!! so come and take Your place in the center of our hearts! Come and take Your place, I need You God, to come and take Your place in the center of my heart!

So I haven't read much lately, but what I have read has been so encouraging. Jeremiah 23:16-17 talks about false prophets. "Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they will fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord." They tell us lies that we tend to believe as humans. I'm pretty sure I didn't read in context, but what God showed me through this is how easily it can be for me to believe the lies that I hear everyday. I have prayed a lot lately that God would help me to see HIS TRUTH and not the lies that I hear about more often. He has blessed me so much in answering my prayer! I don't know how (and I don't need to) but God has helped me to see only HIS TRUTH! Praise Jesus!!

Just a few minutes ago I was reading some old Bible notes and I was reminded of the Scripture, Hosea 2:14-23. God reminded me of His love and passion for me. :) :) :) :) Which makes me happy!! Super happy! He reminded me of His promise to restore me, revive me! :) :) :) :) !!!!!! ...He is restoring me right now! This week has been so beautiful, and only because Christ has taken every step with me...holding my hand. I have been reading in Jeremiah this week and chapter 24 verse 7 has been encouraging as well. "I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart." :D :D :D :D I can't explain how exciting that is to hear!! ...but hopefully you who are reading this...understand my excitement!

Haha... I have been spending more time with my Father this week and when I got sick, I had to laugh. For those of you who don't know, every Thursday during the week I get to sing at Harvest, I get sick...some way, some how...whether it's emotions, anger, a cold...I get sick. I laughed when I realized that I am singing this week at Harvest and I'M SICK! My throat hurts and my nose is stuffed. ...but all thanks be to Christ for He heals me EVERY time, JUST IN TIME!!! My mom and I came to the realization my freshman year in college that I get physically ill on days I get involved in ministry. It used to be Mondays, now it's Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Praise be to Jesus!!! What a mighty God we have! He has made me a threat to the devil! Rejoice in trials and temptations, for it is a chance to grow. James 1:2-4 "consider it pure joy, brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds..." THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!!! YOU ARE MY LOVE!!!!!!!

I can't wait for the summer to start and we can have worship at my house on the weekends :) parrrrtaaayyyy...wit Jesus!!! :) I can't wait to worship with my brothers and sisters again...singing at the top of our lungs to our King!!!! The love of my life!!! So if any of my siblings through Christ read this...know that I will be planning some Saturday nights as a time of worship!...and hopefully I can help with music...I'll keep working on the keys. I want to grow closer to God with you guys even MORE! :) :) :)

I love and miss my friends from home, terribly. I remember youth in high school...I am so grateful for their friendship and love. I am so grateful for the respect that is shown! I am so grateful for their encouragement! Thank you guys! ...and thank you Jesus for sending me so much love!!!!

Forbidden Fruit

So, this is personal.

I really wish that I would start making the wise choice instead of picking the wrong ones. It's like, I see the wise choice, the choice that could change my whole life for the better,...but then I choose the forbidden fruit. I don't know what is in me to choose the wrong choice,...I know what I am supposed to do and I know what can happen if I choose what's right, but I still pick the wrong choice.

Since February, I have felt a heart for God but then my actions show none of it. Goodness!...this year is all about self-discipline! I need to strive towards that lesson...self-discipline...just DO what's right.

Hmm...This blog is no where near prepared. All of this is just what's popping out of my head.

I am longing for God and the glory of the Lord...I know that there is so much more!! ...but it's like Paul said...I want to do what's right but then I don't. I don't want to do what's wrong...but I do it anyways. ...sometimes I hate being human.

My fiance told me today about a dream he had last night...A woman and her husband had a daughter who was later kidnapped. The mother freaked and replaced her daughter with an inanimate object, in which she took care of just like she would her daughter. She bathed it, talked to it and everything! What do YOU think this means? I think of joy taken from me and how I panicked without it...so I replaced it with a fake love. This fake love was definitely not the same. ....

Hmm...let's see...what else is on my mind....

I am learning piano right now and the other day I was practicing a song...and the Holy Spirit was just like... POW!!! ...yayness! It excites me to see God's glory!...why don't I pursue it more? ...I don't know.

God is FAITHFUL

Jesus is so POWERFUL!! I cannot begin to describe to you how joyful He has made me!

As of right now, my family is undergoing some major house renovation and I have had to stay at my best friend's house because of it. All thanks be to Jesus, we have dove into the Word every night together and Christ has increased our love for Him immensely!

I have no words to give to you except for pure Scripture, so I will simply give you some references that really stuck out to me today and in this past week! (and there's a long list!)

If anything,...copying these references and keep them in your Bible, in your notebook or somewhere you will see them eventually. There are always those days where you have NO IDEA what you want to read, this list will come in HANDY. :) God's Word never returns void! Praise the Lord!!

Hosea 2:14-23
2 Timothy 2:1
2 Timothy 1:7
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Hebrews 2:1
2 Timothy 4:5
Hebrews 2:18
2 Corinthians 6:2
2 Corinthians 5:13-21
JOHN 4:14
John 1:46
1 Timothy 4:13-16
John 12:26
Romans 10:13
Galations 5:22-25
Galations 5:14
Galations 6:10
Romans 8:38-39
1 Peter2:11-12
1 Peter 3:15
1 Peter 3:8-9
1 Peter 3:12
Psalm 119:45
Psalm 119:65-66
1 Peter 5:7
Psalm 119:73
Psalm 119:75-77
Psalm 119:105
Psalm 119:110-113
Psalm 119:162
Psalm 119:168
Luke 11:28
Psalm 119:18
Psalm 119:36-38, 40
Psalm 119:29

May God's Word excite you in the name of Jesus Christ!

In Him.

Learning How to Ride vs. The Walk

So, this past weekend I was reading a children's book called Annie Learns How To Ride A Horse. I used to read it all the time as a kid. I decided to search for a relationship between the story and my relationship with Christ.

See, in the story Annie was crazy in love with horses. She wanted so badly to learn how to ride. Well, when she finally got started on her lessons her guide continuously told her what to do and how to do it. A lot of times she just sat there at a loss for words because she had NO IDEA what her guide was saying. "Whaaaat?" She tried to do what her guide told her to do several times and several times failed. So many times she fell off the horse or got tangled in the reins. As time went by she started to have a little more confidence in herself, even though she might have looked silly in the process. Annie still had many days where she sat puzzled at what her guide was telling her to do. Considering all the practice she was getting, she would come home sooo sore every single day. She would wake up and could hardly walk, and yet, she was still excited about her next lesson. After all these challenging lessons, she still hadn't perfected it. She still needed more practice, but she kept falling more and more in love with horses.

As I read the beginning of the book and read about her passion for horses, I thought of our desire and passion for God when we first accept Him. When we first start to really dig into the Word, whether it's our first time or our first time in a long time, we get stuck a lot. We sit there without words because we don't really know what we are supposed to be learning. We struggle to understand...but we try. When we try to do what God is leading us to do, we make a lot of mistakes. I thought of how many times she fell off the horse because she just couldn't get the hang of it yet. That happens to us all the time! We haven't gotten the hang of it yet, so we trip or make a mistake. Eventually we gain a lot more confidence in ourselves, but then again...we still have our downs. We're not perfect, and we fall all the time, no matter how much practice we've had. ...but yet, the more practice, the better we get. Growing in Christ means growing pains. The process hurts. Discipline is painful, but it is necessary. We go through so many challenging situations in our lives that are meant to bring us ever closer to Christ. They can be so painful, but they certainly give us tons of practice. We still haven't perfected it, we need a lot more practice. We need many more challenges. Yet, those challenges make us fall even more in love with our Creator! How cool is that?

So, even though I have not given the greatest nor clearest explanation of this, you can relate learning to ride horses with our relationships with Christ.
I thought it was cool. :)