Phlint

A week ago Sunday I did my first ever photo shoot!! I was pretty excited about it!  Starting out I was pretty nervous and didnt really know what the crap I was doing...not much had changed by the end but I felt like we got a few good pictures! The pictures were for my good friends Brent and Phillip Hall's band named Phlint.  Im always up for critiquing so you photographers out there please let me know whatcha think!  (after uploading the pics I didnt realize that I had gotten my shadow in a few of the pictures, but oh well.. lesson learned!) 

Phlint

 Another one of the band

 some sepia tone!

 samore sepia!

 Jordan..

 Jarrod

 Brent

 Phillip

So there they are.. let me know whatcha think.

sg

Do We Take Sin Seriously??

I started a reading plan back in January where I will be reading the whole bible Old and New Testaments together over a year period.  I have gone through the books of Genesis and Exodus and am currently reading in the Gospel of Matthew and Leviticus.  One thing that has been so evident to me especially in the reading of the Old Testament (OT) books, and what will be clear when I get to Christ's crucifixion, is that sacrifice that atones for our sin is extremely messy!  With this, a question has surfaced in my heart.  It's not a new question, it's not a ground breaking question, it's an old question that I pray is life shaking.  Do we take our sin seriously?  In the OT the price/cost of sin was very close to the hearts and minds of the people and on top of that it was very messy process of atoning for their sin.  The price/cost was the life of one of their choice animals usually a goat, a lamb, or a bull.  This was no easy price to pay.  This was their livelihood it was a great price to pay for them.  Not only that, but it was crazy messy!  I don't know if any of you have watched the slaughter of any animal but saying that it is messy might possibly be an understatement.  During OT times the sacrifice of these animals took place in a very public place in view of the people.  It was a reminder of the cost and price of sin as well as just how messy things can become when sin reigns in our lives.  Later in the New Testament when Christ was sent to be the one time sacrifice for all times the requirements for sacrifice were forever met and satisfied.  I am forever grateful for His sacrifice and in my recent reading I am reminded of what it truly cost for my salvation and atonement!  It was the life of the Lamb of God it was the blood of a Choice Lamb!  A spotless Lamb, one without blemish!  But as soon as I say that, I find myself wondering if I truly take the sin of my life seriously?  Is the reality of the cost of my sin close enough to my life and heart where I am fully aware of it?  Do I see the messiness of what my sin has caused?  Do I realize that it truly was my sin that nailed my Savior to the cross?  Do I stand in the presence of my Lord in complete humility knowing that is only by His Grace that I have been saved.  Do I admit my sin and guilt before God or do I live a life as if God owed my salvation to me?  One of my favorite verses is Psalm 139:23-24 it says "Search me God and know my heart.  Test me and know my thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you God, and lead me on the path of everlasting life."  Is this the prayer of my life??  Is this the prayer of our lives?  Are we taking our sin seriously?  If our answer to these questions is no, I think we need to spend some time at the foot of the cross realizing the high cost of our sin and the great True Love that was poured out over us there.

crying out at the foot of the cross cause I know it is my sin that put Christ there,
sg

Some Pictures from Ignite

Here are some pictures from Ignite Student Conference 2010 in Lubbock, Texas.  The pictures are of The Afters and The Justin Coefield Band. (Thanks Penny for letting me borrow a couple of your lenses for this pictures!)

Lead singer of the afters.

 I just happened to be at the right place at the right time, probably one of my most favorite pics i have taken! Complete accident!

 love the spotlight coming across the picture!

 A pretty cool moment!!

I haven't posted pictures in a while.. Part of it is because the last few months have been crazy busy so my picture editing came to a stand still.  The sudden urge to edit some came from shooting the pictures last weekend and then also getting the Beta version of Adobe Lightroom, which I am learning and enjoying!! 
Blessings.
sg

New Life Resolution

Every year at this time I am sure we all get the same question about a million times! “So, what is your New Year’s Resolution?” Why do we feel the need to make New Year’s Resolution? What drives us to try and make a change for our lives for the better at the start of each year? Maybe because each of us when we look at our lives we can look and see a thing or two that could definitely use improvement or maybe there are certain areas that we aren’t confident in and if we made a few changes we would have more confidence? I have never really gotten into the whole New Years resolution thing and I’m not really sure why. It definitely isn’t because I have it all together or feel that nothing in my life could use improvement, I just have never really gotten into them. I have nothing against them at all and think they are a good way to make short term improvements in the way we live our lives. My question to us all, is what good is change if it is only intended to be for a short time? If I plan to resolve to work out more for the next year, what happens next year or next month when that resolve goes away? If I plan to eat healthier or avoid certain foods, what happens when I start back eating unhealthy foods and start indulging in those foods I was avoiding? What happens when I resolve to set time aside for God in my daily life, but then after a while I slowly move away from God and stop giving of my time to him? In any of these situations when I choose to change something for a short time I am left again needing to change that very same thing again in a short time. So how about this idea? (and I am sure I am not breaking any new ground) Why don’t we change our New Years resolutions into New Life resolutions? Isn’t that what Christ is calling us to when He calls us to follow Him? When Christ called His disciples He didn’t say come follow me and if you want to you can continue living the way you live. Is Christ not calling us to set aside the things and ways we used to live for a new life?? In the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 5 the apostle Paul says it like this in verse 17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”. Or as in one of my new favorite songs by Shane & Shane called Everything Is Different the last line of the chorus goes like this “This revelation makes me wanna shout, that Jesus has been sent, and everything is different!”. The old has gone and the new has come! Jesus has been sent and EVERYTHING is different! These are absolute statements!! So I challenge us all to resolve to make New Life resolutions. Because a Savior came and died for us. He took away our old sinful selves and has made us a new creation in Him! He has been sent and because of that everything in our lives should be different!!
desiring for things to be different
sg