God's Handiwork...

God is such an amazing artist!  The beauty and intricacy of His creation never ceases to astound and delight me!  As a photographer, I find such joy in being able to capture such loveliness, while simultaneously creating beauty in another art form - a well-composed photograph!  He created beauty, and in capturing that beauty, I am creating another thing of beauty...  Isn't it amazing?

I LOVE...

The delicate petals and vibrant colors of a rose...

The tiny, intricate design of a dragonfly's wings...

The bright colors and graceful flutterings of a butterfly...

   

Job 12:7-10

"But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
   the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;
or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you;
   and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Who among all these does not know
   that the hand of the LORD has done this?
In his hand is the life of every living thing
   and the breath of all mankind.

Psalm 92:1-4

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,

to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High;

to declare Your steadfast love in the morning,

and Your faithfulness by night,

to the music of the lute and the harp,

to the melody of the lyre.

For You, O LORD, have made me glad by Your work;

at the works of Your hands I sing for joy.

     

Writers' Block

Hey, everybody!  I have great news!  God answered my prayers and worked it all out so that I could work on BOTH film projects that I was afraid of having to choose between!  "The Eleventh Hour" was pushed back to Spring, so that leaves me free to work on "Writers' Block" this October.  I have been put in charge of wardrobe, which is really exciting because it is set in the 1940's, and that is my favorite time period!

Here is a description of the story from the website:

We're going to be filming a full-length feature film in the space of two weeks!  That's pretty intensive, but with the way the script is written, we should be able to get through more scenes in a shorter amount of time.  Having professional actors should help, too.  Speaking of actors, please be praying for Peter, Rebekah, and whoever else is working on casting the film this week.  They will need wisdom to choose just the right actors from all the auditions that have been sent in.

With "Writers' Block" and the newly begun Advent Associates Program, we are trying a formula that I don't think has ever been attempted before.  I don't have the time right now to try and explain all of it, but be sure to check out the website for more information: http://www.writersblockmovie.com!

Right now, I'm having a great time looking up men's and women's fashions from the 1940's.  I'm already very familiar with it, but now I'm pulling together lots of pictures from which to choose my "concept art" for each character.  That is really fun!  I've never done anything like that before.  I've been looking at pictures taken in the 1940's, pictures of Hollywood actors and actresses from that era, vintage dress patterns, and vintage clothing for sale online.

I'm hoping to find as much as possible in thrift stores, since I'll only have a month or less to gather the wardrobe for 9 actors once the cast has been picked.  I won't have a lot of time for making costumes from scratch.  That's another thing to be praying about if you think of it.  :-)

Another tremendous blessing is that the tiny crew is made up of some of my best friends that I grew so close to while working on other Advent projects!  I can't wait to spend two or more weeks with people from around the world that I love so dearly!  (I started to say "from around the country," but then I remembered that Christy is coming all the way from Spain!)

Well, that's all I have time for right now!  It was high time I updated everybody on what was going on.  Things have been so busy around here lately!  I hope everybody is doing well and having a great week.  God bless!

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." ~ Jeremiah 29:11
   

Stephen's New Bass

If there is one happy boy in the world, it's my brother!  Stephen is so excited about his new bass.  He started taking guitar lessons last September, and has picked up on it VERY quickly.  He is definitely a natural.  His teacher is the leader of a bluegrass band, so it's little wonder that Stephen has fallen in love with bluegrass music.  He learned a lot of the songs that the band plays, and he was doing so well that his teacher even made him an associate member of their band so he can come play with them at all their practices!  Stephen goes to every jam session he can, and he has performed two or three times with his teacher at an open mic event at the outdoor theater downtown.

Mr. Garner has also started teaching Stephen how to pluck away at the upright bass.  Stephen loved that, too, and soon wanted a bass of his own!  Mom found one on Craig's list for a very reasonable price, so a few weeks ago, Stephen, Dad, and Mr. Garner drove more than 8-9 hours round-trip to look at it.  Fortunately, it was in great condition, so they bought it and Stephen became the proud new owner of a beautiful new instrument!  Now he's trying to raise over $900 to go to fiddling camp in Tennessee with Mr. Garner next summer to take classes for the bass.  

Anyhow, we had a little photo shoot out in the front yard last week, and here are some of my favorite pictures...

I have such a cute little brother!!!  (Just don't tell him I said so!)  He is growing up so fast, and I am very proud of him.  He will always be my little buddy.  :-)

Here's a video I uploaded of him playing the bass on the stage at the outdoor theater at the last open mic, with his teacher - Mr. Garner - singing and playing guitar, Waverly on fiddle, and Mr. Green contributing some vocals.  Enjoy!

  

The Cat's Meow...

Dear World,

This is Bonnie.  She was born in our shed, her parents were strays, she loves ice cream, she prefers to drink water from a running faucet, she talks incessantly, she is not easily intimidated, she has never met a stranger, and she thinks she rules the universe.  We love her anyway.  :-)

Sometimes, though, she does get a little out of control.  If her endless communication could be translated to English, I have a feeling she'd be swearing like a sailor.  At the very least, we would discover her to be a chronic complainer.  

But as I said...we love her anyway.  :-)

Very sincerely,

The humble photographer in the service of her Highness, Queen Bonnie

   

Lessons From a Hummingbird

I've been kind of stressing lately about some big decisions it looked like I might have to make about what I am going to do this Fall.  There are two potential job options (working on films), and both seem like such good choices!  It would take too long to go into detail, but I'll just say that weighing the pros and cons isn't much help.  I've been praying and praying for God to make His will clearly known to me, but I haven't felt any closer to an answer.  I just keep hoping (selfishly) that one of the projects might get pushed back so I can work on both.  

Meanwhile, I'm running out of time to accept or decline one of the jobs, and I still haven't heard back about the other one to know if it's a certainty and if they would want to hire me.  Funding is such a tricky thing in filmmaking, and one of my concerns is that I will accept one job, and then it will end up getting delayed, but by then I will have lost my chance to work on the other one...and then I'd be left with nothing.  (I'm sorry I'm having to keep this so general.  I hope it's not too confusing.)

Whenever those worries crowd my mind, I keep reminding myself that God is in full control and He can work everything out.  But the conflict and the confusion I've been feeling in my mind hasn't made it easy to feel any peace about it.  I've been afraid of making the wrong decision...of not being able to clearly discern God's will.  He has always been faithful to lead me in the past, but it has always been by shutting one door and opening another...  I've never had to make a decision between two big things before, so this new territory has been making me nervous.  In short, I guess I've been afraid of making the wrong decision and missing out on big and wonderful things that God might have had in store for me on the project I *didn't* choose...

First of all, how silly of me to think that God isn't BIG enough to overcome any weaknesses or discrepancies on my part in order to take me where He wants me to be!  He knows who He's dealing with here.  He knows me infinitely better than I know myself...and there's nothing He hasn't taken into account.  He is sovereign and all-powerful!

Okay, so by now you're probably wondering what in the world this has to do with a hummingbird!  Well, I'll tell you.  As an amateur photographer...and a lover of beauty...and an ardent admirer of God's creation and the wildlife therein - I have always wanted to capture a beautiful picture of a hummingbird.  (There are other critters on my bucket list...like deer and so forth...but a hummingbird has been way up there for years.)  However, those little rascals move around too fast, and as soon as I see one, they're gone!  I've never even come close to getting a picture.  Until yesterday.  Here's the story...

I went outside to get some exercise (running up and down the deck steps), and I noticed a beautiful butterfly on the butterfly bush right next to the steps!  So, I ran back inside and fetched my new [amazing] camera!  While I was focusing on the butterfly, a HUMMINGBIRD swooped in and chased it away!  My heart caught in my throat, and I'm pretty sure I froze and stopped breathing there for a minute!  I could hardly believe my eyes!  Then I got ahold of my senses and starting snapping away.  The result...some lovely pictures of a hummingbird.  A dream come true!

Now here comes the connection.  It wasn't until later that I stopped and realized that the hummingbird was God's gift of love to me.  It wasn't *chance* that I was in the right place at the right time with my camera in my hand.  God gave me that opportunity.  He gave me my love for photography, my love of beautiful, my love for His creation, and my desire to capture a hummingbird...and He also provided a way to make it happen.

In the same way, He has given me my passions and dreams and aspirations for the future...and He will provide a way to make it happen.  There were three or four very specific ways He encouraged me yesterday, and I realized that the hummingbird was another way of giving me assurance that I can trust Him fully with this situation.  His purpose is NOT to leave me confused or uncertain.  He loves me, and He is not trying to hide His will from me.  This is a time of testing...a time to strengthen my faith as I lean on Him and wait patiently.  

I kept wondering if I was supposed to be waiting patiently, or if that was just my excuse for not taking responsibility and making a decision.  But I think God is telling me to wait.  I have at least until the end of this week, and from what I've recently heard, I should have more information by then (which will hopefully result in me not having to choose between two very good projects!).

Here are some verses I looked up today that have been extremely helpful and encouraging...

Psalm 27:23 ~ "The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way."

Proverbs 16:9 ~ "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."

Proverbs 20:24 ~ "A man’s steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?"

Psalm 9:10 ~ "And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you."

Psalm 143:8 ~ "Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.  Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul."

Proverbs 3:5-6 ~ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Proverbs 28:26 ~ "Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered."

Phil. 4:5b-7 ~ "The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Isaiah 26:3-4 ~ "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock."

  

My New Camera!!!

Ladies and Gentleman, I am now the proud new owner of a Canon 60D!!!  I cannot tell you how excited I am!  I have wanted a nice DSLR camera for years and have been saving up for quite a long time.  I kept stashing away money from sewing jobs and babysitting, and when my grandparents would ask me what I wanted for the last few Christmases and birthdays, I promptly replied, "money for my camera!"  They contributed generous amounts to the cause, and this summer I finally had enough saved up to make the big purchase!  It was a long, arduous journey to figure out which camera I should buy, and what lenses I should get, and where I should buy it from, and what accessories were essential...etc...  Whew, I'm so glad all of that is over!

Yesterday morning was quite a circus, actually!  Daniel is leading worship team this Sunday, so he had scheduled a practice session at our house at 10:30 (which only consisted of my two brothers and I, plus a girl from church who was going to play the piano).  Meanwhile, the men showed up at 10:00 to deliver Mom's new refrigerator (our old one had decided it was time to retire after 19 years of service).  So they're coming in and out of the house and trying to communicate through the floor to each other as they're getting it installed, while we're in the next room making all sorts of racket singing and playing on the piano and guitar (we closed the french doors between the kitchen and family room to try and reduce the noise factor for them).  Mom and Mrs. Moser (the pianists' mom) were also in the family room, talking.

Sooooooo, when the UPS man arrived to deliver the big box containing my camera and all of its accessories, he sized up the situation and just walked right in the front door and came into the kitchen.  Stephen noticed him standing there, so he told Mom, who went to meet him and sign for the package.  That was the end of practice for me!  I had to tear into the box and look at everything!

Here are some pictures of the camera and some things that came in the kit:

My very first picture with my new camera was of my precious little Buttercup:

Doesn't it look like she's smiling?  :-)

And then Daisy:

And Buttercup again, with her pretty new collar.  :-)

I can't wait to keep playing around with it and read the manual so I can learn how to make the most of all its features!