Filed under: advent
today marks the third sunday of advent.
“but the angel said to them, “do not be afraid. i bring you good news of great JOY that will be for all the people.”
advent (latin for “coming”) is the first season in the christian liturgical calendar, and takes place the four weeks prior to christmas. each week, a different theme is honored, in our symbolic preparation for the birth of Christ: hope, peace, joy and love. it is a time where we symbolically prepare for the arrival of baby Jesus. of course this translates into our faith today, as a time of reflection in preparing for the second coming of Christ while also remembering the day our gracious God sent his Son to give life.
as we get ready to talk about joy today at church, i am spending some time in the bible, asking God to show my community joy.
“stir up your power, o Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever. amen.”
the book of common prayer, p 212
“third sunday of advent”
Filed under: photography
over thanksgiving, i took pictures of my old high school pals russell and lisa’s little boy. he was so cute! unfortunatley, it was sooo cold we didn’t have a long time to shoot. here are a couple of favorites!
no i’m not talking about the liquor, i mean the BAND.
tonight i was driving back to the ATX, when everclear’s, “everything is wonderful” came on the radio. it’s one of those songs that has a thousand memories attached to it and when i heard it, i instantly longed for my friends now to experience what the song means to me.
i used to be a tennis pro at john newcombe’s tennis ranch in new braunfels, tx. specifically i coached juniors at camp during the summer and christmas breaks. it was a blast–one of the most genuine times of my life. what i mean by genuine, is that we all were just who we are. my experiences there, my relationships and lessons learned greatly shaped and formed me. those years were some of the best and worst times, but all in all…it was one of the greatest, most tightly-knit groups of people i have ever had the pleasure of working alongside.
imagine, you and 49 other early 20-somethings, making next to nothing 14 weeks out of the year. floating the river and doing laundry on the weekends, sharing almost every meal together, every sunrise and every sunset. we were all best friends. every thursday was camp dance, every friday was awards and pictures. we’d say goodbye to our favorite campers and say hello to new faces.
“everything is wonderful now.”
this song would play on our camp video that was aired at the end of each session. and in that moment, everything was always wonderful. we were a team-family-family team. we laughed together, cried together, struggled together, made mistakes together…made lots of mistakes together. but at the end of the day, at the end of the summer, we cared for each other deeply.
and…i don’t know if my friends now would mesh with my friends then. or if they’d even like being at a tennis ranch. but i just think cool people ought to meet each other.
thanks for sharing this moment with me.
so…i dabble in the liturgy and readings of the episcopal (holy catholic) church a bit. i find a lot of God’s power and beauty in words that have been spoken to Him for hundreds of years. as we approach our holiday of thanks, i give you the thanksgiving blessing, found on page 837 of the common book of prayer. may the Spirit move you and bring you joy.
Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us.
For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea.
We thank you, Lord.
For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.
For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,
We thank you, Lord.
For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.
For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,
We thank you, Lord.
For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.
For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.
For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.
Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;
To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen
Filed under: general goods
today, i am tired.
today, i ache to be still.
today, i feel the cost.
today, i beg for healing.
today, i hide in I AM.
Filed under: general goods
make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
know that the Lord is God.
it is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
give thanks to him, bless his name.
for the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Filed under: photography
i had an absolute BLAST working with this family! they were creative and fun, and just a joy to shoot. here are some black and white favs.
