grace again...

i love to hang out with people who are more knowledgable than i am, on different topics...like literature, movies, politics, photography, design, cooking, etc...i just love to soak up info. i asked my friend tammy, who happens to be a journalist, and has written for the local paper for many years, and knows good writing, about books and authors. she talked about max lucado, and how she loved his writings. when i was at goodwill, after that conversation, i found a yearly devotion book by lucado and picked it up. it is so rich. at first i was a bit indifferent to his writing style, but after almost a year, i must say that he has grown on me. in my readings today, i think i reread this paragraph 5 times:

"let me be clear. hatred will sour your outlook and break your back. the load of bitterness is simply too heavy. your knees will buckle under the strain, and your heart will break beneath the weight. the mountain before you is steep enough without the heaviness of hatred on your back. the wisest choice-the only choice- is for you to drop the anger. you will never be called upon to give anyone more grace than God has already given you."

is that not powerful? the thing is, i don't think i'm a hateful person-BUT, i recognize how insidious anger, bitterness and hatred are. being aware of how hanging on to that destroys a person. i don't want to even let a tiny bit of it in. i've seen the effect of bitterness on too many good people. reading this, made it so much more clear to me. i think it's because he writes in a way that i can visualize. when i see a spirit of hate in anyone, it breaks my heart. hate destroys. whenever i think about this world and all the hate, i think about billy graham. he seems to always rise above the hate, and is ruled by love. and if you read the Bible and read of Jesus' life, it's all about love...not this ugly self-justifying hate, that so many well meaning people have going on. i pray that i can live with that kind of attitude. recognizing that i will never be asked to show more grace than God has given me.

yesterday, i posted about how i really enjoy meeting with people i'm going to be photographing, and trying to get into who they really are, before i shoot. when i sat down with bekah and keri, before shooting bekah's senior photos, i immediately got the vibe that she was a classic kind of girl...the kind of girl who could fit right in, in the 40s, or 50s, as well as being totally hip now. very fun girl. smiley, quick to laugh, complex, well adjusted attitude, pretty much an all around great girl-

oh and she's gorgeous too!

classic beauty, right?

i am really behind on my family photo editing. i haven't even edited harper's 2 year photos from july 15. wish tara lived closer. i was looking through some shots i took one day recently when brooke stopped by with the kids. i love them.

this is him. his temperament is just like this. calm, content, sweet.

if you don't insist on having them all in one shot, they'll usually all join in on their own.

and i need to get some recent shots of miss addison may edited-

she thought it was fun to throw the chalk.

so every day this week, i've been a shopping enabler-but today, i'm just going to share something that might inspire you creatively. check out the fiskars project calendar for september. a new project every day...and i think there are some really great projects! here's mine from september 17:

i'm still lovin' my canvases! so free and fun to make.

the week is flying by! i hope you're having a good one! God bless!

Comments

[kara]

It was fun seeing you at Scrapfest. I hope your voice is recovering. I wish we lived closure. I need some camera 101 from you. You are gifted. Hugs-Kara

[er]

i love this canvas!
you give out such cool ideas, thank you!!
i agree with your devo share today. very powerful...squeeze from me, luv u,er

[Gina]

Oh, I have that devotional book by Max Lucado. I love it. I listened to a series by Beth Moore recently on Wednesdays with Beth on Life Today called "Living Forgiving." She talked about "gracing" (forgiving) others. If we get in the habit of gracing others for just a small hurtful comment they may make, then when the big issues come up it will be much easier to forgive. It's a concious decision, you know? Even the little things can make us become bitter if we allow them to build up so I've really been aware of it so much more and have been "living forgiving."
The photos are beautiful and the canvas is so cute. I really want to try one! Thanks for the constant inspiration from your blog...creatively and spiritually! :)

[Tina]

Love the new pictures :) The project looks fun! I think that it would be very easy to replace hatred with any vice that is bringing you down. I know there are times I struggle with...well, you name it, I probably struggle :) It's really important that all of us take an accounting of our lives and realize where we are and where we are going and figure out how to gte there. Love it when you include these excerpts that touch you!

[Kristy]

Love this:
"you will never be called upon to give anyone more grace than God has already given you."

It actually made me sit up a little straighter, then I had to re-read it. Not that I'm currently struggling with anger and/or hate, but wow, what a powerful thing to remember.

[Amber]

Hey Becky! Love the photos!! Quesiton (if you're willing to answer it) - did you use a phtoshop action on her eyes in the first photo? My boys both have the bluest eyes, but this is the look I WANT in photos!! Can you help me out?? Thanks a million, girl!!

[ReneeRenee]

That's one of my favorite devotional bibles as well. Is the cream hard cover one? I bought mine at a garage sale, too...how funny. LOVE mine, though...very insightful and inspiring.

[Chris Dodaj]

I recently purchased two canvases, now once again I'm inspired by yours.

Love all the varios pictures in this post, Becky! The baby is getting big!

And, love the passage about anger. this so speaks to me right now. thank you for sharing that!

Chris

[tara pollard pakosta]

i wish i lived there too, so we could edit together! i could totally help you out!
tara