Memorial Day Perspective

Recently, very dear friends of mine, actually - my mentors in wedding photography - have experienced two sons being deployed...one to Iraq and the other to Afghanistan. As we pray for Jim and Diane to have peace concerning what missions God has called their sons to accomplish, we also pray for Rick and Paul as they follow through!

So, on Monday and again on the 30th of May, despite how so many of the liberal celebs try to undermine the war effort, I tried/will try to focus on the true significance of the Memorial holiday that most celebrated on Monday but in tradition was historically-speaking Wednesday's date! I am disturbed as the national news media continues attempting to skew our perception of our nation's attempt to resolve the issues that were indeed precursors to our trip to enact war on those who harbored terrorists! In respect to the personal freedoms we enjoy, but so often take for granted...we should at very least render honor to all those who have, do and will serve in our military and to those of our allies.

We should strive to pray for, and be an encouragement to those who put there lives on the line everyday! A few years back we helped out in a ministry to the military on our local Army base. The church, where we were members, coordinated rides for the enlisted to and from the Sunday morning services. We had extra seats in our SUV so we volunteered and made new acquaintances in the process. Our kids adopted some Army friends and a few we kept tabs on, went overseas to serve. We have had relatives and special friends, who (like Ms. Holly) have served in the Middle East. We enjoy sharing homemade stuff...greeting cards, cookies and such...so I guess care packages should become a way of life for such a time as this! I understand that even the smallest tokens of appreciation are great morale boosters among the deployed.

Since the tragic loss of our second cousin, Staff Sgt. Keith Bennett, while serving in Iraq, on December 12, 2005, we are made keenly aware of the reality of the danger each military person faces each and every day. So we entrust them to God's keeping and must be at peace about their part in the bigger picture which we do not yet see!

http://www.legacy.com/Soldier/Story.aspx?personid=15978970


Even with the loss of Keith, we have only some idea of the selfless sacrifice that families are making everyday in the vital stand and fight against terrorism. Today, I have a heart of tremendous compassion toward anyone who is grieving the loss of one they loved so dearly.

Sadly, many of our service men and women who are serving right now may feel that a vast number of Americans are against them and the mission they are now on to promote freedom in place where hostility is as common as the daily news! I want to share a point from my Praying God's Day by Day devotional dated May 28th (by Beth Moore). It was about feeling forsaken or hated. I never noticed the referenced verse from quite this perspective...but our Heavenly Father is with us when NO ONE ELSE seems to care.

Psalm 27:10

(KJV)
When my father and my mother forsake me,
then the LORD will take me up.

(NKJV)
When my father and my mother forsake me,
then the Lord will take care of me.

(AMP)
Although my father and my mother have forsaken me,
yet the Lord will take me up [adopt me as His child].

Lastly, another scripture, John 15:13,
speaks to the heart of the subject
of a love that sacrifices...
Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends.

To think...
the day that so many Americans just look at as
...a means to a three day weekend,
...the day the pool is opened,
...a morning to catch a good early bird sale at the mall
or...
the first big BBQ of the summer season!

WOW...it now means so much more!

Tis the season...

It's that time of year folks....wedding season!

Last Saturday I photographed the nuptials of a happy, young couple as the sun streamed through the stained glass windows of the Union Chapel UMC in Joppa, MD. The daughter of some dear family friends, was blessed with gorgeous weather for her big day. Julie and Jason will have over 500 sunny memories to look back on as they walk through life and together weather their less than sunny days!

Shooting a wedding always takes me back to the day I got married. The weather was partly sunny and partly cloudy for my big day! As a matter of fact, as we took our marriage vows the community around us was cleaning up the aftermath of a storm which spawned small tornadoes and wreaked havoc in the country community where I grew up. It involved no death or dismemberment but it leveled barns, uprooted mature trees and took down power lines. We lost electricity and thus running water was not! So for 12 of the 15 hours before my limo was to arrive and take me to my awaiting groom I was in great distress! Little did I know then that my wedding pictures would serve to remind me in an almost tangible way that life storms will certainly come and surely go. (I will share more on that in a future post!)

Today, I photographed another wedding, this one in the beautiful Rocks State Park, under God's magnificent canopy of creation. Our sweet neighbor of six years has taken the plunge after nearly nine years of young widowhood and single-handedly raised her precious daughter from six months of age! As the reception commenced I rejoiced with such a heartfelt joy for Michelle and her new husband, Patrick. God had turned her mourning into dancing!

I share these wedding memories to bring the realities of life to my blog. We all have times in our lives where our joy can barely be contained within our being and we shudder to think about the fact that we will indeed experience treacherous life storms. Thankfully a weather-beaten life has the hope that the clouds will clear and the sun will shine on our souls again.

God said in Ecclesiastes 3:1-22...there’s a time and a season for everything. Each day we face our custom-made life. Certainly, both good and bad seasons will come our way because that is what life is comprised of and we know this full well. The providence of the all powerful God meets up with our will and the choice we make to accept or reject the reality of our life experiences. We can choose to ride out the storms with or without a faith in God to sustain us. Certainly it is far better to trust Him and be peace-filled knowing that He is at work in us, seeing and many times carrying us through the tough times. Man-made resolve and/or vices only bring a temporary peace.

Every season has its place in the time line of your life. Be blessed in this and each and every day, in every life experience and each season, be it good or bad. If you are trusting in Jesus, you have the hope from the scripture, Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
God has plans for you in whatever season of your life you are in!

The most amazing ten minutes

My cousin, Lindsey, posted a link on her blog to this "you tube" video. To say that it is moving would be a huge understatement! I can say, without any reservation, that it is among the most amazing 10 minutes I have spent on the computer -ever!

I have added a sidebar from YOUTUBE...
so if you click on the third window pane you can watch this

So, remove any distractions, turn on your speakers, sit back and receive this piece of peace into your spirit!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYTIWcXbYfY



Matthew 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Psalm 34:18
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

AMEN!

A phone call 6 weeks ago today...

At 6:42 a.m. on Thursday, April 12, 2007 I got a phone call that would change my earthly life forever. The strings ~life strings~ holding, tethering my sister, Greta Andrea Jones Willis to this world were being cut by God Himself.

It was the call I never wanted to receive; one of my greatest fears. I remember saying, "Oh God help me - this can't really be happening. She has been here most all of my life. Please intervene, be her Peace, Lord...I need a word from You...I canNOT do this myself!"

I picked up the March 2007 issue of Decision magazine from my bathroom floor as I fumbled to face the "sucker punch" I had just received. "God please show me something profound!" The water-damaged periodical fell open to an article by Tommy Walker, "The Breakthrough Power of Worship". My eyes fell on the final two paragraphs...as I soaked it in.

"Worship is a declaration of our weakness and God's strength. I challenge you in your next point of need to make that hard choice to be a worshiper and let the breakthrough God fight your battle for you."
"When we worship, the invisible God is at work doing invisible and powerful things. We get realigned, refreshed and refueled; we find unspeakable joy and indescribable peace. We discover the breakthrough strength of God, which enables us to walk in the truth, live in His presence and see Him fight our battles for us. It is how we can put the beauty of the Gospel on display, receive His many blessings and at the same time be a blessing to the world."

I stood on these writings and God empowered me to go forth with a heart of worship! And that I can say without reservation! Thank you Jesus!

So proud of Josh...

The boy born in 1989, who first gave me the title "Aunt" Terri, just keeps making me proud! Last evening, I ventured to Fawn Grove, PA to the attend awards assembly of the North Harford High School Class of 2007, of which my nephew Joshua is a member. The event had to be held across the PA line at Kennard Dale High School because N.H.H.S. is undergoing construction for much-needed renovations. I am so glad I made the trip.

Josh received an award bestowed upon him by some faculty members. I can't recall the exact title but it had to do with making a special contribution to school life while enduring challenges. Losing his mother, less than a month after we celebrated his rite of passage into adulthood (yes he is 18!), was/is a major trauma for this young man. Now 6 weeks out from our loss, with the Lord's help, we are chugging along a moment at a time. I have to say, Joshua Kemp Jones, "You sure are gifted with your mother's perseverance!" I am looking forward to you receiving your diploma the end of the month!

One of the challenges that Josh had to face upon Greta's passing was to finish his senior year project -a custom wooden nightstand. I cannot imagine trying "to get back to the grind after such" but he sure did! He, with tenacity, finished one fabulously beautiful piece of furniture! This "Auntie" is so impressed with his work...I am thinking "nephew" might be my answer to reasonably priced finer furnishings I desire for our Lord-willing, soon-coming new log home! I must mention here that I helped feed, change, babysit, rock and sing to him during his first 15 months of life!!! This must count for some preferential treatment!

Our family is very grateful to a church friend of Dad's, a dear man, Mr. Thompson. This gifted gentleman mentored Josh throughout this project. He is a precious saint of God who would take no compensation for his time, even though he has had serious health challenges of late! We are praying for him and ask you to join us as we ask the Lord to bless him and protect him as he undergoes a pace-maker procedure this week. Amen!

In a time when our world is such a mess; hatred, rage and selfishness reign on every newscast! It is good to know that the Lord still has his godly servants, extraordinary hearts willing to sacrifice to make a difference in the life of a young person! Mr. Thompson is so generous and I know my nephew will never forget the contribution that this man of God made to his project and life. His time was an eternal investment that I know the Lord will not leave as unrewarded. Praise be to Jesus, AMEN and AMEN!

An Opening Point

Today (now yesterday) was a particularly bright and beautiful May Monday day but inside my head it was anything but sunny! God has blessed me with a sanguine personality (optimistic, very outgoing & talkative). I can honestly say that even though things in my life are never perfect, I can recall only a few times, since I surrendered my life to Christ, that I have not been able to rise to the occasion and see the glass as at least half-full! Yes, it was yet another weepy day for me (the likes thereof have become more frequent as I mourn) and this was not even the typical "offbeat day or two" that we females experience monthly. Today, I really wanted to run away from my life and my reality!

Since my sister, Greta, moved to her eternal home (almost 6 weeks ago) I have felt a wide range of emotion. I have tried to see the spiritual significance in each day and each person I have the privilege to meet or share time with on the phone. But I have to say that with each stage of grief -my emotions have spun both beautiful tapestries of hope and some serious cobwebs of doubt about my spiritual and mental state(s).

After dinner tonight, I sat down and was searching for some comfort "personal words" of encouragement from God's word. Okay, now have you ever done this? Just opened the Bible in a random fashion...as if some message will magically jump off the page at you? Well be warned that the Bible has many "not so pleasant verses" so you may struggle to find the significance of "just any old verse". I am blessed to own several Bibles and the one I picked up tonight was my Women of Faith Devotional Bible. The page I opened to -seemed to be nothing very profound - at least not at first. I just skimmed the blip called Hope which referenced Galatians 6:9 and then pressed on to read the related devotional by some woman of a faith who wrote....

Hope is a word I love. Hope keeps you going when things don't look so good. Hope is the only thing left at times, I love it that God tells us not to lose hope. If we keep hope alive in our souls, we shall reap in due season. When we can't see past the darkness we can always have hope. Isn't it great to know there are seasons to our lives? My season of life right now is raising....precious children...-a great season, but a challenge every minute as well. I need hope that tomorrow may be easier or sweeter."Thank you, Lord, for the hope., You give me minute by minute."

It touched me and then I read the author's name...it was signed...Terry Jones...Point of Grace

You may ask, "So what's the big deal?" Well I will tell you...my maiden name was Terri Jones! I was so surprised - I know this passage and devotion were meant for me for a time such as this! I say that to share this....you can rest-assured that God is a very personal God! He is the ever faithful friend and He never ceases to amaze me. Unlike our "supposed friends and loved ones" who (for diverse reasons may) tend to distance themselves when we need them the most! It is comforting to know that when we sincerely seek His face, He does not run and hide! He meets us at the point of our genuine need!!! PRAISE HIS HIGH AND HOLY NAME AMEN!