CROP IT & STOP IT!!

Lately I have embarked on a new project. It has been quite fun, and educational.  I have begun to take family pictures to help us raise funds for our adoption. (We are adopting a little one from China.) I have some basic knowledge of taking pictures...and a pretty good eye for what looks good.  But I am NO WHERE NEAR a professional! The finished products of my first few projects have been really good. I have been pretty pleased with them!!! 


I have learned something REALLY COOL though!! What makes a photo really good is something I have heard someone refer to as "The Art of Subtraction." What do I mean by that? Well....when you take a picture or you're doing a photo shoot....you are just snapping away at the camera trying to get the best shot possible.  You take pictures zoomed in, you take pictures zoomed out, vertical, horizontal or any other way you can think of to take them!! Once the photos are done....its time for "The Art of Subtraction" to take place.  What do I mean "Art of Subtraction." Well....related to pictures....it means CROPPING!!


I have been AMAZED at some of the pictures in their original state versus their final state.  What makes one different from the other? It is that I have accessed the whole view...decided what adds to the beauty and value of the picture and what takes away from it.  Then....I crop the picture to take away what does not add to the beauty of that view.  It is AMAZING what you get once you take out, or cut away the parts that hinder the true beauty of that image. It is the most fun part of doing the pictures for me!!


As I was working on a set of shots this last weekend...It occurred to me that there is a very applicable spiritual principle here...we can find it in scripture in Philippians. 


Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.


Ok....I'm sure you're wondering...how in the WORLD is that the same thing? But I promise...It really is!!! 


Everyone of us have filters...lenses that we look at life, relationships, situations through.  What we see comes through our filters.  Depending on where you are in life....what you have walked through....healing you have or have not received from the past....or even just how you woke up that morning will determine how we view a certain situation, or day.  


If I happen to wake up "on the wrong side of the bed" on a particular day....I'm gonna have stinkin' thinkin' toward everything that day.  Every view I have that day is going to clutter out the true beauty.  The filter of my attitude that day prevents me from seeing that perfect snap shot of my day.  What do I need to do?!?! CROP IT!!


Crop what?!? I need to crop out of my view the things that take away from the beauty of my picture of that day or situation.  Make sense? What I SEE is what I GET. So I need to take out of view the thing I'm seeing that doesn't make for a beautiful view!!


Lets look at another situation.  Say I've lived a life of hurt, or rejection, or insecurity and haven't received the full healing from my past regarding these things.  That would cause my view of every person and every situation to be filtered through this hurt, rejection or insecurity. Make sense?


So when I'm walking through something and I'm feeling insecure about it....Maybe my view is that someone is thinking something negative about me or they're not acting toward me the way I think they should be.  Those feelings and that view is not good!!! It's not beautiful!! What do I need to do?!? CROP IT!!


I need to do what Philippians is telling me to do....and that is to think on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 


In other words...I need to CROP IT and STOP IT!!! Crop out what I am seeing that is making me view this person or situation in a negative way and STOP allowing myself to press the "undo" button once I crop it out!!! 


I need to view that person and their heart and their motives in the best way possible!! I need to crop out what is preventing me from seeing the beauty!!! 


THAT my friend is what makes a beautiful view!! The art of subtraction.  Take away in your thoughts/your view the things that are destroying the part of beauty that God has placed before you.  CHOOSE to see what makes your view (what you are walking through) the most beautiful and CROP OUT what is distorting that beautiful view!!! 


I am learning this myself on a personal level....another pearl of purpose...a point of weakness that I am finding my strength in HIM on!!! Now go take some AWESOME pictures of your day and choose to  CROP them till they are beautiful!!! 

The Beauty of Seasons

On MANY occasions over the last few months...I have sat down to pray and the Lord has brought to me the word "Seasons".  It seems that is a consistent theme with many people that I speak to as well. God always uses nature to speak to me.  There is SO MUCH wisdom in the way He has created and ordered nature.  We can learn a lot from it.

I ran across the story below this week. I have no clue who wrote it or where it's from...but its a a true depiction of life. I'd like to share this story...and then briefly share a couple of thoughts! Here is it:

"There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no--it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but ONLY one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are--and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life--can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later."

I LOVE that last paragraph.  "If you give up when it's winter...you will miss the promise of spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfillment of your fall."   Obviously, Galatians 6:9 applies here..."Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due season you will reap what you sow if you do not faint." - but I would like to look at this from a different angle.

As a Christian...sometimes I feel the pressure to always be in a Spring or Summer state in my life.  Always in bloom or always full of fruit for others to reap.  I have felt guilty at times for those fall or winter seasons when certain things in my life may be falling off and dying preparing me for another season.

You see...In the winter the trees go into a dormant like stage with no growth or very little, that is seen, in order to store the energy for the start of spring and growth of new leaves and seeds.

You know when God is stirring new things inside you....it is to absorb and process what He is speaking to your heart.  Sometimes then all the productive fruit and blooms that everyone usually sees...begin to disappear. It appears that nothing is going on and others are not SEEING what is going on inside...but does it mean that you're stagnant...and nothing is going on? Does it mean that you've given up and not pressing on? Of course not!! Its just a season.  You are poised and positioned to focus on the stirring of the deep waters inside.  God is preparing you for NEW GROWTH and a NEW SPRING with NEW FRUIT!!

I'm not sure if anyone is with me and identifies...but I was encouraged at what God was speaking to my heart.  He has set me free from the thought that I ALWAYS have to be producing visible fruit and beautiful blooms.  But I do have to be aware that scripture does say:


“be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine…2 Tim. 4:2-4

In other words...don't WAIT for the "right season" to do the works of the Lord. Be ready to move when you hear Him speak! Don't say..."Oh...I'm in a fall/winter season (a season of non production)" - Be sensitive and open and don't use the season in your life to be lazy in your walk with the Lord.  Even though there is little or no growth in a tree during winter...that tree is still storing up energy for the start of spring.  It is still alive and working toward its next season.  The winter is to prepare and sometimes during that season of preparing...God has us do things to help us grow and prepare!! So...keep that word in mind as you meditate on the winter season you may be in.

But I exhort you...take heart...even though those beautiful blooms and valuable fruit isn't so evident in your life right now...they will be!! You are growing internally and being prepared for an amazing season of beauty and production.

This is something I am learning in my life...another pearl of purpose God so faithfully teaches me. Thank you Lord for life lessons!! They are so beautiful and priceless to me!!  

Simplify and Focus

Just last night...I sat in the den with my family hanging out.  Some of us were reading...some were playing games....and others were watching television.  I happened to be one that was watching television.  I was focusing intently on getting information from the news of the day. I didn't have the volume too loud...because I didn't want to disturb everyone else in the room from what they were doing.  So I was doing my best to push out the noise from everyone else and intently focus on what was being reported on the news.

The more I would try and listen closely the louder my kids got.  They were oblivious to anyone else in the room.  They weren't being disrespectful at all...they were just doing what they were doing.  But the louder they got in the room the less I could hear the message from the news.  No matter how hard I was focusing and pressing into what was coming out of the television...I missed the message.

Now my question is...did I miss the message because I wasn't listening? OR...did I miss the message because I had too many distractions that were keeping me from hearing what I was listening to?

SO many times...the latter is the case.  Life has a way of filling up our schedules and consuming our day.  Before we know it...we have ZERO time left and we are exhausted and frustrated because of how exhausted and busy we are.  Most everything we are doing are GOOD things.  It is so difficult to distinguish between the GOOD things and the GOD things in our lives.  There are so many good things to be doing.

But as I have experienced...doing good things and allowing them to swallow up our time....distracts us sometimes from even HEARING the God things.  Remember Martha in scripture?

Luke 10:38-40 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”

Was Martha doing something that was BAD?  Of course not!! She was serving her Lord, her Master! She was doing good things...to bless Him and meet His needs! But what did Jesus say when she came to him frustrated that her sister wasn't SERVING with her?!?  In verses 41 and 42 he said:

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Mary has chosen what is better! She put aside EVERYTHING that was distracting her and focused all her attention on hearing HIS voice!

When we stop being SO BUSY and allow ourselves to SIMPLIFY and FOCUS on what HE is saying...then we will know what to be busy about.  We will know what to say yes to and what to say no too instead of running around doing EVERYTHING frazzled!!! I saw this quote this morning that I thought was great!

"It's not so much how busy you are, but WHY you are busy.  The bee is praised; the mosquito is swatted." - Marie O'Conner

Isn't it true?!? When we are SO distracted from our priorities and what we need to be focusing on...we can become annoying and frustrating to others.  I know that I have been in that place with my family and others in the past.  I don't WANT to be that way though.  I WANT to be a blessing.  

Laying aside all the distractions that cause us to "buzz around frantically" and focus on hearing HIS voice will allow us in all areas of our lives become focused and in turn capable of carrying out what HE is trying to tell us to do.  Then we can carry out what He is saying with obedient hearts and we WILL be a blessing!!  

My prayer today is that you will stop....ask Him what are the distractions in your life that prevent you from being able to hear HIS voice clearly.  And ask HIM to show you how to put aside those distractions - no matter how good of a thing it is you are doing.   In doing that...you will simplify your life...and you will be more focused on what you are SUPPOSED to be focused on.  As Jesus eluded to Martha....Choose what is better!! 

Once again...another pearl of purpose God is teaching me!! Have a wonderful week! Blessings! 

Car Wash Season

So today...I HAD to do it. I had put up with our messy vehicle for as long as I could. It honestly looked like we live on a dirt road in the back woods. It was terrible. Its usually my hubby that does this...but today, it got the best of me!

I paid the machine, the barrier raised so I could move forward then I come to this track that I have to align the vehicle in, which I did. THEN....flashing at me are these lights that say,

- "put your car in neutral"
- "take your foot off of brake",

- "hands off of steering wheel."

Now I have been in a car wash before...but today...it really struck me. First of all, practically speaking, we are told to put the car in neutral, keep our feet off the break and hands off the steering wheel, cause this track is going to be leading us and pulling our vehicle thru the wash. Besides...once you get in there...there is so much going on around you you cannot see in front of you, to the sides or to the back. You wouldn't be able to do anything yourself if you WANTED to, cause you can't see!!

This was a wonderful word picture that the Lord spoke to me this morning. I've been in an interesting season and don't really understand all He is doing. Its difficult for a Type A, driven and "in control" person to not be in control and to not be moving herself somewhere. It is a little dis-orienting.

My husband and I have had MULTIPLE conversations of what God is doing...it's difficult not to know. It really is. But I trust Him. Just like I got into that car wash tunnel...I didn't worry about what all was going on around me, or where it was leading me...I knew I was going to come out on the other side and see even more clearly than I did when I went in. It was making things better!!

Proverbs 19:21 says "Many are the plans of man, but the Lord directs his steps". Or if you look at it in The Message it says "We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God's purposes prevails".

LOVE The Message. It is a blessing to know that GOD's purposes are going to prevail. As long as we continue to put our lives in neutral, take our feet off the break, and hands off the steering wheel...and let HIM lead or "drive us" so to speak.

We may not know where in the WORLD we're going or what in the world we are doing...but we trust him. We know HE knows what's going on.

I want to end this post with the words of a song by Jenn Johnson and Ian Mcintosh. It has really ministered to me today...and I pray it does you as well. When we can't see anything else...God is who we look to!!

God I Look to You
God I look to You, I won't be overwhelmed,
Give me vision, to see things like You do
God I look to You,You're where my help comes from,
Give me wisdom, You know just what to do

I will love you Lord my strength, I will love you Lord my shield
I will love you Lord my rock, forever all my days I will love you God!

Let HIM be who you look to today. May we all have the wisdom to trust Him and the vision to see our circumstances thru His eyes!!! Another pearl of purpose God is creating in me!! :)

What Do You Crave?

As I searched online this morning for the word "cravings", Its no surprise to see that SO MANY people crave sweets. It was sort of funny to see all the pictures of people doing all they could to resist that sweet temptation. But the sweet temptation wasn't what I was looking to expound on. I have craved something pretty consistently for over 13 years especially at bedtime. Never realized it was really a craving...just thought it was normal...that everyone loved it as much as I did. Funny thought now, hindsight.

What craving am I talking about? ICE!! For years...I have had pretty much an uncontrollable desire for ice. I have ALWAYS ordered a drink with extra ice and couldn't wait to finish my drink so I could chomp on it. Popping the cup up to my mouth, tapping the bottom to pour a few pieces into my mouth, and AHHHH......there it was!! The cold sensation of the frozen water, and the awesome feeling I got to chomp away at it. (Always chewing it at the same rhythm according to my oldest daughter! LOL) Then, to swallow...LOVED how it felt to swallow the cold crushed ice and feel it travel down into my warm body. Did I tell you how much I LOVED THIS??!!? LOL

Guess you could tell I got a little too much joy out of this. I truly thought NOTHING of it, at all. I have just always loved it (at least to the best of my memory). I honestly just thought all southerners liked ice as much as I did. Until recently.

I had been having some health difficulties that forced me to go to the doctor. (I really DO NOT like to go to the doctor). But...I had to, I was miserable. Thank goodness...the doctor helped me for the reason I was there. He also wanted to run some bloodwork to make sure there wasn't anything else wrong with my blood count. I was glad he was doing that...just so I knew.

I waited a few days for the report, a little nervous. I had no clue what would come back. To my surprise, only one thing came back low... it was my iron. WHAT?!? I'm anemic?!?! REALLY?!?

Well...I guess that would explain some over-tiredness, some crankiness, some hairloss, etc. Makes sense. So the doctor put me on iron supplements for 3 months and I have to go back to be checked again. (Stay with me...there is a point to this story)

So...I began to take the supplements regularly. I started to feel less tired and sluggish after a while...which is a GREAT thing. But you know what I noticed more than ANYTHING?!? I didn't want to eat my regular glass of ice at bedtime. I would fill my glass up and couldn't wait to eat it...but after one or two bites...I didn't want it.

That was odd to me. No longer when I'd go out to eat would I want to hurry and eat my ice. I didn't crave it anymore. WILD!!! After craving something for SO LONG and to no longer really desire it, out of the blue seemed unbelievable to me.

You have probably already put the pieces together. It was the LOW IRON that was causing my craving for ice. AH HA! THAT was the reason for years that I had desired something I thought was so good. It really wasn't that it was so good, or good for me, it was that my body was deficient and it caused a craving in me for something that really wasn't so good.

Which brings me to my point... how many times in our lives...do we crave - long for something, not necessarily something physical, like ice? It may be a dream, a desire in our hearts that we have. It may be a childhood fantasy, it may be expectations of a spouse or family member, it may be unhealthy addictions.

I have come to the realization that sometimes...we CRAVE things because our spirits are deficient. There is an underlying need that our spirit man craves, yet our soulish man interprets it in a soulish way. Things we can't let go of, things that are unbalanced, mindsets that seem unrealistic. These things, and many other things can truly be signals that we are deficient of the REAL ingredient, the real "mineral", so to speak, in our life.

Once we grab hold of what our spirit is really craving, we will no longer desire things of the flesh.

Galatians 5:16 (NLT) So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves.

Yea...I know...that word "sinful" there makes it seem terrible. But I found this third definition of sinful online. Its a different look at the word.

sinful - far more than usual or expected; "an extraordinary desire for approval"; "it was an over-the-top experience"over-the-top, extraordinary immoderate - beyond reasonable limits; "immoderate laughter"; "immoderate spending"

My craving for ice was to say the least, OVER THE TOP, beyond reasonable limits. Sometimes...the things we desire aren't necessarily BAD things...they just control our lives...our thoughts...our actions. THAT is where it becomes unhealthy. And sometimes...that craving is just a symptom of a lack of the real thing we are missing.

For me, it was the mineral iron. What is it for you? What do you crave that is over the top? What do you desire so much that it seems to control your thoughts and actions. Have you ever thought that it may not be what you really NEED?

I encourage you today, examine your life. Ask God to do a little testing to see if you're out of balance or deficient in any area. If you are...ask Him to show you what you are REALLY needing. When we do that...our unhealthy cravings will no longer be, and we will be filled with what we were MEANT to be filled with.

What do YOU crave today? I would LOVE to hear from anyone on what God shows them!! He is so faithful to show us when we ask!! Have a WONDERFUL day! Blessings!

A Walk With My Master

Today I went on a walk...a walk with my dog. She needs to get out more and it was a beautiful day for a walk for us both, and a good time for me to begin prayer walking. (Something God has put on my heart to do.) As always...when I take "Pretzel" (my dog) out for a walk...she is over zealous and cannot stay at my pace. She races ahead of me with all her excitement. Its obvious she cannot WAIT for this walk that is ahead of us.

As we continued to walk...the more she would get ahead of me...the more I would run out of leash and it would tug at her neck. I KNEW it had to be extremely uncomfortable for her. I kept encouraging her to stay at my pace and not get ahead of me, her master. She tried...but was quite tempted to get ahead of me.

Along the walk...I think she stopped every minute or so...jerking my side of the leash. Causing me to stop and postponing our journey. She was sniffing at every little scent she smelled...making her mark...and distracted by every sound and smell. She couldn't focus on following me and staying with me along the path. I know it is her NATURE as a dog to sniff everything and stop and bark at everything...but it would have made the journey SO MUCH easier and pleasant if she would have just chilled out and followed me! :)

I couldn't help but think about my daily walk with MY master, Christ Jesus. I know there is a journey He, my Heavenly Father, is taking me on. It is beyond what I could ever think or imagine.

1 Corinthians 2:9 says "No one's ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it— What God has arranged for those who love him." (The Message)

That makes me excited to walk with him daily for what He has for me...cause I KNOW its going to be awesome. But like my sweet little dog "Pretzel" I don't always make the journey easier and as pleasant as it should be. I learned some lessons from her.

1. Remember to not get ahead of what God is doing, be sensitive to his pace even if it is slower than what you would like. Getting ahead of him places us in a situation where we could be hanging out on our own, and that could get quite painful not walking in HIS timing and in HIS way. Walk at HIS pace and be content with his timing. Its really the best and quickest way to your destination.

2. Don't get distracted by every little thing that comes your way while you're on your journey. I know it is our nature to get distracted (worry, become fearful, get side tracked, try to fix things ourselves, etc)...just like it was my dogs nature to be distracted by all the scents she was smelling. BUT...sometimes...in order for my journey to be more pleasant and the way the Lord intends...I have to lay aside my "natural tendencies" and just walk straight with him...trusting HIM. No need for me to figure things out...just trust and walk with Him. Its a very difficult thing to do...especially when we are dealing with our "flesh" our natural tendencies. But we can depend on the Holy Spirit to help us daily as we walk on this journey. He will give us the strength and grace to stay focused.

3. When you're tired and don't feel like you can push on...keep on pushing. Sometimes that walk, that journey, is a little longer that you had counted on. You pushed so much up front to make things happen. You got tired quicker than you were counting on. But don't give up...keep on keeping on. Galatians 6:9 says not to grow weary in doing good...for you will reap what you sow if you do not faint!!" Hang in there and keep walking with your Master on the journey He has for you. Refreshment will be at the journeys end.

I promise....the destination He has for us is so much more than we could ever imagine...but its the journey that prepares us to be fruitful and content when we get there.

My walk with my master today was indeed a pearl of purpose. Blessings on you!! Have a wonderful weekend!!

Letting Go

Letting go seems to be something SO HARD to do for this organized...in control girl. I have spent my life setting goals...dreaming dreams...and expecting if I'm prepared and pull my weight...it will all work out as I have planned.

LOL....I can't help but laugh a little....and maybe even see God chuckle with love at me. He in all his creativity made me to be the planner, to be the responsible, get things done and accomplished kind of girl...He knows how I feel most comfortable working. But he ALSO tells me in His Word in Proverbs 16:9 "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps" (NLT).

This is a confusing concept for me. I have grappled with it quite a bit over the years. IF...we make our plans...(which is ok to do...) but the Lord determines our steps...then is it even important to set goals...to dream dreams? Am I wasting time and energy on things I THINK are God's will?

I personally STILL don't know this answer. I do know to seek HIM in all I do...and that would include seeking HIS heart and will in my goal planning and dreaming. But at some point...I have begun to look at myself being 40 years old now...and I'm not seeing things that I feel like God placed in me and on my heart come to fruition. I'm not even seeing it GROW for that matter. Is it still there...is it dormant and waiting for the right season still? I don't know.

This I DO KNOW....Scripture tells us in Luke 9:24 "For whoever has a desire to keep his life will have it taken from him, but whoever gives up his life because of me, will keep it." (Basic English Bible).

This can mean so much in a ton of situations. But for this situation....I hear that if I will allow my life to be lost for seeking HIM...it's ok...cause in that loosing of my life and letting go of my life (my goals and dreams)...I will find my life.

It almost doesn't make sense. How in the world can you just let go of things that are so important to you? Its hard....but I am always reminded...unless a seed falls to the ground and dies...it CANNOT bring forth fruit. That seed has to be buried...it has to crack open and allow whats inside to come out. I'm sure that is a painful process. As a matter of fact...I KNOW its a painful process. But....its a PROMISING PROCESS!!! It means when I LET GO OF, BURY, LET DIE the goals and dreams I have in my heart in order to just submit myself to HIM...I will produce fruit and harvest as he promised.

But if I do not let go and try to hold onto my life...I will loose it and in turn will not produce fruit and be fulfilled. It's the way God's economy works. You give in order to receive....you let go in order to keep....you DIE in order to LIVE!

Crazy, I know. I'm learning and doing my best to let go. Its ok for me to dream and goal plan...as long as I lay them at HIS feet. What are you holding onto today? Have you thought about letting it go for HIS sake? After all...it is in loosing ourselves that we will find ourselves. I pray we can all live lives that are full of hope and dreams that are planted deeply in the soil of GOD's heart and plans - ready to bring forth a productive and fulfilling fruit!!