Seeing double...

A couple weeks ago I was sitting on my bed editing some photos not doing anything super important when one of my past interns, Laura Dart called me up to tell me she had just gotten a HUGE job with a new entertainment company here in Nashville and that she had to shoot about 15 full artist shoots in the next two weeks! I was bouncing off the walls excited for her!!! Like insanely excited...I can't even explain how excited! After getting off the phone...I realized I have been down here for 6 months and somewhat trying to get into shooting more artists and have done 4 so far... But you know what?? One of my favorite parts of the bible is when Jesus said to His disciples, "you will do the works that I do and even greater!"
How great is that! He duplicated Himself and when He did they were able to build on top of His success and then make their own!
I think that is what is most fulfilling in what I do... seeing my interns and people I mentor surpass me, winning huge awards, shooting more than double the amount of weddings that I ever shot in one year, getting published, traveling the world...everything.
I realized that I can be sitting here editing and doing little office work stuff and now that I have duplicated myself about 15 times each success that they make they are all my successes too! NOTHING brings me greater joy!

Who are you investing in today? Are you duplicating yourself or just keeping your precious giftings pent up?? Think TODAY who you can pour into and invest in and it will pay you back TWOFOLD!!!

BTW...check out Laura's pics on the sweeeet NEW entertainment site that was just launched on Sunday!! BRITE REVOLUTION.
(most of the pics are hers....you'll be able to tell which ones;)

La Tavola

Back before I moved into my new place I wasn't sure what style furniture I was going for... what type of couch I would buy, or bed... the only thing I DID know was the table I wanted.... I had it fixed in my head and nothing would change it...the only problem is nothing seemed to match up with it! Antique store after antique store I went without any success... apparently everyone else had my same vision too... or the store seemed to like the table so much that they would mark it up to exorbitant amounts of money... probably just so they could stare at the loveliness all day! Beginning of last week I was sitting in a coffee shop when it hit me...I MUST get my table today... after the earlier discouragement in not finding what I wanted anywhere I waited a while...but the strong urge wouldn't leave...finally I left the coffee shop and headed over to the antique distract yet again. I spotted a store that was going out of business and it was the last day...they didn't have what I was looking for but told me of a great place that may.. unfortunately it was a little ways away so I just went to all the other stores around there...with no luck whatsoever. Finally, I was about to head home when I thought of going to Goodwill...maybe they would have what I wanted! After not being able to find the Goodwill anywhere..I suddenly ended up right at the Antique store that the first place told me about! I headed inside to find JUST what I wanted but WAY to big! The lady showed me all that she had, some too big, some too small, some just plain ugly. Yet again, I felt discouraged and was about to leave but I felt like I was supposed to walk around the store one last time.
I rounded a corner and there low and behold...was THE table...it was it!! The one I had dreamed about! The size, color, just everything...plus it was about $100 which right before I left out shopping I prayed that I would find one for $100 as all the others were going for $800+!!! HA! God is so faithful!!
Today I finally was able to pick up the table and my friends Laura and Jill are staying here so we had an INCREDIBLE first dinner on the table that Jill made of pasta and vodka sauce with spinach, sparkling lime water, and dark chocolate to wash it down. I seriously feel like I'm in Italy which is where my cousins and I are heading within the next year!! AHH! Life is good.

Happy New Day!

We go out and buy food, cool new outfits, fireworks and write crazy resolutions to ring in the new year every year...sometimes we get away for a retreat every couple months to get away and get direction for life...sometimes even at the beginning of the week we take a couple hours with some coffee and map out the week...and where we want it to go.
BUT...how often at the beginning of each day do we have a vision or wish for the day?? Someone that we want to help? Something to give away? A new hill climbed? I LOVE making those big grand goals for the year, month, week...but NONE of those can truly be accomplished to the full until we break them up into the day sized steps! How in the world do you want your day to go?? Take some quiet time each morning to seek God out for HIS plan for the day and to also write down all that you would like to see happen in the day! Praying over it too is AMAZING what that can do! Each day is such a treasure and can not be wasted if you realized that you could actually change one persons life in one day...or MANY! Think of how many LIVES have been changed in 1 day from September 11th from 1 persons vision how much devastation that caused...think how much IMPACT you could have in 1 day too! But like reverse devastation!;) Understand that YOU are carrying someone's miracle! Remember the verse... without a vision people run wild- Proverbs 29:18... that's exactly how a lot of our days look if we don't have that daily vision reigning us in and keeping us focused on our calling for each day! Let's not waste one opportunity!

How bad do you want it??

I've had some pretty amazing conversations this week, that for me is probably one of my most favorite things about life...long DEEP conversations about just everything! There's just something about it.
Yesterday, my incredible friend, Amy and I got together for lunch to catch up...after talking for awhile we realized that one of the things that BOTH of us were majorly dealing with was passivity... knowing exactly what we are supposed to do but just NOT wanting to do it!
I've come to realize that I have chosen where I am today...I could if I wanted to... have been a multi-millionaire with a huge business, giving millions into the gospel by now and saving kids over in Africa. It's truly been my choice... I feel like I've been putting out about 30% of my potential into what I undertake...which I've accomplished a lot so far... but...that's right there's been sooo many buts!
I spend the day on Facebook instead of getting what I need to do done. I watch that movie rather than working out. I go hang out with friends instead of spending time with God. And I go shopping instead of doing my taxes. Not that ANY of these are wrong..if you aren't doing these then there is something wrong there too...but it's doing these things mainly and the other things when I muster up the feeling to do it!
Really what I've realized is it's the flesh and right now it is MUCH stronger than my conscience... denying yourself things in fasting is a WONDERFUL way of putting that flesh under and rising above it! I've realized that the times that I've gotten THE most done is when I've lived a fasted lifestyle...one that doesn't constantly succumb to every whim that my flesh wants! It's saying no FIERCELY to those things for awhile and realizing how much time we are wasting just sitting around waiting for something amazing to happen! We are the amazing thing that is about to happen to this world but only if we get off our buts-butts and GET MOVING! I think we will be surprised in heaven when God shows us HOW MUCH we were able to accomplish compared to what we actually did because of us letting that flesh get in the way! As my desktop background says...THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR YOU!!! Let's PRESS IN! Not lean back!!

Colours Magazine...

Several months back Colours Magazine emailed asking for an interview for their sweet new photography website!! I've been featured in other magazines before but this one is actually an interview about me which is a nice little departure from just my work! :)
If you would like to check it out and see how I got started in this crazy life and tons of other little things... **CLICK HERE**
I have SOOOO much to post about it's not even funny... would anyone like to be hired JUST to do blog posts for me?? ;)