a boy and his dog.

A BOY AND HIS DOG
by Edgar Guest

A boy and his dog make a glorious pair:
No better friendship is found anywhere,
For they talk and they walk and they run and they play,
And they have their deep secrets for many a day;
And that boy has a comrade who thinks and who feels,
Who walks down the road with a dog at his heels.

He may go where he will and his dog will be there,
May revel in mud and his dog will not care;
Faithful he’ll stay for the slightest command
And bark with delight at the touch of his hand;
Oh, he owns a treasure which nobody steals,
Who walks down the road with a dog at his heels.

No other can lure him away from his side
He’s proof against riches and station and pride
Fine dress does not charm him, and flattery’s breath
Is lost on the dog, for he’s faithful to death
He sees the great soul which the body conceals
Oh, it’s great to be young with a dog at your heels!

ABOUT THE PHOTOS…

Lately, I’ve been doing a few photo sessions for friends — newborns, families, children, etc.  And this past weekend, we introduced a dog into the shoot.  She certainly added an entirely different level of complexity than I’m used to, but I enjoyed this shoot very much.  It was a beautiful early fall afternoon here in Central Ohio.  The light was a bit too bright for my liking, but we found some pockets of shade and enough filtered light to make it work.

I am completely enjoying these opportunities that God has been giving me… they stretch my skills, cause me to learn how to improve, and force me to broaden my interests.  Grace from him… always.  Gifts for Him!

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.  Colossians 1:16

birthdays and storytellers.

Last week I celebrated my birthday.  The entire day was simple yet so perfectly delightful.  Just the way I like it.  My family treated me to dinner and lavished me with kind words and fun renditions of the birthday song.   There were handwritten cards in the mailbox and dozens of Facebook messages.  There were a few phone calls and a delicious apple cinnamon muffin topped with a brightly lit candle at morning bible study.

Birthdays always have a way of bringing Psalm 139 into focus for me.  I am immensely humbled when I think about the way the Universe Maker had a plan to redeem my life even though He knew just how grossly I would divert from His perfect ways…

… the way the Life Breather sustains my daily & eternal breath even though death is all that I’ve ever earned

… the way the Grace Giver rescued me from the pits of despair and put a new song in my heart

… the way the Highest One gives me the chance to be one of his storytellers through words, pictures, and life as I declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples

So, today I leave you with a few verses from Psalm 139 and a few images from His littlest storytellers.  Without even uttering a word, these little ones are dramatically declaring the glory of the Saviour King, Jesus Christ!

May God grant you eyes to see and a heart that believes that you were made FOR HIM!

PSALM 139:13-18, 23-24

F

or you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,God! How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.

²³ Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

the best camera.

I broke my commitment to carry my camera everywhere… I had to.

Nearly everyday for the past two weeks I have been sitting on the side of the community swimming pool watching my kids learn to swim and getting splashed repeatedly by toddlers discovering the joys of playing in a 2-foot baby pool.

Cute, but catastrophic for a camera.  So I quickly decided to leave the camera at home.

When a huge blimp passed directly over the pool, the only camera I had with me was the one on my iPhone.  Armed with the Photoshop app and the now tremendously popular instagr.am app, I snagged this shot.  Puny though it is, this image will always remind me of the pure delight on the faces of my children when such an unusual aircraft passed over head.

I’ve heard it said before that “the best camera is the one you’ve got with you”… On this particular day, I would wholeheartedly agree!

caught up in grace.

Isn’t life made up of a million little moments? A million every day graces? Moment after moment after moment… all strung together like precious pearls… or maybe paper beads?

Some moments are tiny, fleeting. Others bigger, noticeable, lingering. But some are so monumental they are permanently fixed upon our hearts… memories we return to time and time again.

I’ve had many of those. I know you have too. I had another one last night.

Hillsong United at the Alive Festival

We bought the tickets knowing that we were taking a risk — an outdoor concert in one of the wettest years Ohio has ever seen. But these aren’t just concerts and we are not just spectators. We are worshipers of the One True God, and we go to meet with Him there. And over familiar songs, familiar words, He speaks into our hearts, and we are caught up in His grace.

So we pressed purchase. Expectations high. Anticipation building.

The day came and the excitement was palpable. The band said it was their first time to be in Ohio, and it was a warm, muggy night. The first day of summer. The longest day of the year. The grassy lawn gently rolled toward the stage. The word “Aftermath” flashed on the side screens. We set up lawn chairs, picnic blankets. Brought bubbles for the kids to play with in the waiting. Drank lukewarm water to stay hydrated while the sun blazed down on us. We waited…

When the first beat rang, the sun had not quite set. The band led out with “Go” and we sang “We’ve come alive in you, Set free to show the truth, Our lives will never be the same.” A reality, indeed.

The set continued… powerful, worshipful, fun! Then one of the lead worshipers spoke up — the Gospel message — and he called on us to be present in that moment, not dwelling on what happened earlier in the day or what may happen over the course of the next few days because God had something for us in that very moment. And they began to lead us in singing “Aftermath”. And God did have something for us in that moment.

We sang Aftermath, and as we sang, the night sky began to darken even further. Ominous clouds began to move in. The sky looked threatening. And we kept singing:

The skies lay low where You are
On the earth You rest Your feet
Yet the hands that cradle the stars
Are the hands that bled for me

The weather was quickly changing, and His power and presence was surely felt. The storm was very near. Yet we kept singing:

And in that moment You opened up the heavens
To the broken, the beggar, and the thief
Lifted out of the wreckage
I found hope in the aftermath

And the clouds got even darker… the temperature fell quickly… and the wind began to swirl around us. And we sang on:

And I know that You’re with me
Yes I know that You’re with me here
And I know that Your love will light the way

And the dark sky began to brighten with bursts of lightening… the wind whipped strong in the trees… and the night air grew cool. And we kept singing:

Yes I know that You’re with me here

And the cool wind felt like His breath… and the knowledge of His presence was felt by our hearts and by our skin. And in the storm, we felt His strength.

The song ended, and the storm rolled in strong, fierce, brilliant. We sought cover, hundreds of us huddled in the tent called Prayer. Some sang. Some talked. Most wondered. Everyone waited on Him. The rain pelted the tent, the bright lightening lit up the night sky, and the thunder rolled louder than any bass drum on stage. My two children huddled under a blanket their little hands covering their ears… the littlest one eventually climbed up into Daddy’s arms.

And we waited on Him.

And when the storm had passed, we emerged uncertain. There was movement on the stage. Was it possible to go on? We waited. We watched. Then the screens began to lift and the lights began to come back on, but not all of them. The band came back out, and we kept singing:

I’m not shaken
I’m not letting go

And everything comes alive
In my life as we lift You higher
Let Your freedom arise
In our lives as we lift You up

And everyone came alive! It was as if the wind of His presence had breathed life into our praise that evening. Those who stayed continued to worship long into the night, humbled by the magnificence of His presence, thankful for the grace that we had been caught up in.

We made the long drive back, arriving home in the wee hours of the morning. The little ones made their way to bed. When the sun rose this morning, they did too. I asked them what they thought of their first Hillsong United concert, and littlest one answered. She said nothing about the band or the storm or even the bubbles she’d had so much fun with. She simply said “I saw that God is really powerful!” Yes, baby girl, He is!

days that flee.

School is out.  The sun lingers long in the Midwestern sky.  Children play outside until darkness forces them in.  The windows are open, fresh air spilling into the little Cape Cod that we dwell in.  The camera stands ready, preserving the days that flee too fast.

There are so many things to be thankful for today… so many things that tell of His grace, His mercy, His love for us.

• Like the beautiful… amazingly cool… invigorating weather!  It’s my favorite kind, and at this time of the year, it’s a gift!

• Like catching up with a good friend… rekindling a friendship that we’d both inadvertently let slip into mere acquaintance… asking for His grace to be more intentional as days move on.

• Like finally being able to order that lens that I’ve had my eye on for quite some time… It should be arriving today, and I’m ready to play with it!

• Like picking berries in bright green fields and turning them into sweet homemade jam.

• Like talking the little ones into shaking jars of cream so that the homemade jam can be paired with homemade butter on fresh baked bread.

• Like leaving the city, driving long into the countryside to play… to explore the state we now call home

Here’s to Him for giving such a lovely week… to happiness in the details… to extravagant grace in the ordinary days of life…

declaration in blue.

We went to see the butterflies.  We saw the blue instead.

The day was nearing its end, but the sun refused to go.  It lingered long into the evening, spilling warmth and light onto gardens full of blooms.  There were tadpoles turning into frogs.  Caterpillars changing into butterflies.  Buds into roses.

Changing.

And the daily grind of life shifted and morphed into a quiet, pleasant evening of discovery.

We walked shoeless in the soft, green grass.  Spread out a blanket and ate dinner among the blooms.  Drank lemonade from our tiny cups.  Giggled the way 5 year olds and 7 year olds do when they are freed from doing and allowed to simply be.

The earth was truly beautiful, but it was the sky that caught my eye.

At the man-made metal statue in the middle of the garden, we looked up, and the heavens were declaring His glory as they always do.  But today the declaration was blue.  Blue like I’ve never seen.  Blue like I’ve never captured on pixels.  Straight out of the camera.  A gift.

Glorious.

His gifts are so numerous.  The story of His grace never gets old to me.  There are always new discoveries, new ways to see.  It’s about the past… the present… and the future.  So I continue clicking… and I ask Him to continue giving.

the soccer game

When you are deliberately on the lookout for everyday grace, you can’t let anything slip your notice!

Every Saturday morning for the past 6 weeks, my husband and I have loaded up our two kids into the mini-van and headed off to watch them play soccer.  Am I a total cliche or what?  A mini-van driving soccer mom… hey, that’s life!  What can I say?

Nearly without fail, each Saturday morning it has been cold and rainy, and we’ve sloshed our way onto fields soaked by the unrelenting central Ohio rains.  We’ve shivered and cheered and cleaned up mud-stained clothes week after week.

And while my heart has sometimes wanted to complain about all that dirty laundry and those muddy shoes, I am really so thankful that my two kids can run… run… run… run!  His grace makes the moment when they dump their muddy cleats, shin guards, and wet socks in the house each Saturday morning a joyous one!

It’s everyday grace…