the world moves madly

Cars and People from wvs on Vimeo.


and you are the needle upon which it swings.

once you go mac, you can't go back.
i am ready for an iMac.


i'm so proud. i've converted my roommate. she is now a mac fanatic!

this is our home; we are home.

A photo essay for my Photovisual class final exam. Yeah, I'm liking college.

I want to be the one that holds You high
I want to be the one that gives You glory – only

I want to be the one that holds You high
I want to be the one that brings you praise



This is what our contemporary Christian world calls a worship song?

It is well

because You are better than life.

It was the look in his eyes tonight. They were so drained, so old, so dark and large. But in that moment, so enthralled.
By beauty and passion and life and God and serenity.

Lord, I don't know what it is about you, but you make everything seem worth it in the end. I feel inexperienced, inadequate, unsure, and a little bit too comfortable.
But this is the life you have for me.
I choose to put my faith in that not because of what the world has to offer, but in spite of what the world has to offer.

i'm holding your treasure.



"Who are you gonna choose to serve today?"



i'm holding your treasure
you are the only one
you are the only one
you are the holy one

recent works III

you resurrect our lives Lord.
you never let us go.

recent works II

another campaign for DFCC

recent works

I will start posting some of my recent works as I compile my portfolio.

so here's the thing...

God isn't a god of convenience.
Sorry.
You lost the game.

Because I was sitting here on my new bed, doing a sudoku, planning to read a book following so, and it hit me. Here I am in my bed, just chilling out, thinking that God time can wait until later.
Wrong.
Our lives should really spin upon those moments when we allow God to speak into our hearts. Chances are, He won't do it while I am doing a sudoku, or while I am eating, or while I am on facebook.

I don't believe that we can experience God wholly where we are right now.

God took Moses, wrapped him in a rock taco, covered him, then showed him the backside of where God's glory used to be...and Moses' face radiated light. He had to cover his face while giving teachings, and only when approaching God would he remove it.

But I do believe that we can come pretty close. Only when it is truly the desire of our hearts.
If you don't give God the time of day, what kind of relationship are you expecting to build with Him?

oh, watershed

i don't know what you are feeling, but i hope you figure it out for yourself and not for other people.

what will come of this i don't know, but i need to get this straight within myself. i'm pretty sick of the way i've been thinking lately. i overanalyze things because
a. i am a girl, and it is one of our God given gifts (or curses, whichever way you want to look at it)
b. it's just my nature. no one else around me does it so i feel it is my duty when others are completely under analyzing things. people are stupid therefore i am not. (i've analyzed this to come to such a conclusion, let me know if i need to elaborate)

again, i'm sick of the way i'm thinking. God says that He gives us treasure and we are vessels that hold this. God says that he will bring our dead bones to life and our dead spirits to breathing when we accept his covenant.

I've accepted his covenant, so what am I doing here in this rut again?
Oh Lord.
I'm ready.
Go.

Have I forgotten about my past?
No way.
Have I come to peace with it?
Pretty much.
Do I believe there's a treasure inside me building larger and larger?
With all my heart.
Do I put trust in a God that knows what's best for me when all I see is what's good for me?
haha. For some reason, yes.


I don't know where, I don't know how, I don't know why.
But your love can make these things better.


Answer me when I call to you,
O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD will hear when I call to him.
In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Offer right sacrifices
and trust in the LORD.
Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.
You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.
I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.

Sometimes David says it better.

understatement

Speak Up for Peace
Originally uploaded by * Honest *

i'm already doing too much.
so, Lord, i'm going to give it all to You. it seems that the only thing i can come up with is an understatement of who You are, Lord.
only an understatement.
i love you. but it's more than just that.
you love me. even more than words.
when i am lonely you hold me. you don't just hold me, you encompass all of who i am.
when i don't wake up with you i've lost you. i can't even live, really.

Lord give me peace. in the largest sense of that word.

your love is better than life, it's better than life
and your grace rests on my heart
let your will be my will.

the blinking line is waiting for the next word, but i just don't know what it is.

Lord, let me be a human who is, not a human who does.

You are my favorite part of me.

congratulations.

for completely over analyzing every aspect of your life.
you win the game.

it's true

that you can never tell the difference of someone laughing or crying in a photograph.

I think that's why it's such a special thing.


I don't understand how hugging upon meeting is more appropriate than kissing someone on the cheek. Hugging is actually a weird thing to do with someone you just met. Pressing your body against someone so closely instead of a peck on the cheek? Hmph. I'm flabergasted.

I'm sitting here oustide Adriana's in Five Points and it's beautiful. I can't wrap my mind around it.
Macbook, wireless internet, iced french vanilla latte, mandolin dude, and sunny.
I could get used to this.
It's a good thing considering I'll be living here for the next three years.

What is there to not be excited about? I didn't realize it until today, but I always have some design I could be working on. Right now there's four. Then, if I don't want to do any of those, I can actually come up with something on my own! I get to play guitar and design things for a living. Then I wonder why I'm still in college? I love college too! I get to take three (potential) graphic design classes next semester. My other two classes are easy ones. I have the greatest brothers and sisters in Christ, I am going to be living in my own apartment next year with a balcony. I am going to New Mexico ALL SUMMER. I am so SO SO HAPPY!!! No wonder I've been laughing so much recently!

My moods may change like the tides of the sea, but you, oh Lord, are as constant as the beating in my heart.
Thank you. I am wandering Lord, but you make my paths straight.

I'll be your hope I'll be your love
be everything that you need
I'll love you more with every breath
truly, madly, deeply do
I will be strong I will be faithful
'cause I'm counting on
a new beginning
a reason for living
a deeper meaning

and when the stars are shining
brightly in the velvet sky,
I'll make a wish send it to heaven
then make you want to cry
the tears of joy for all the
pleasure in the certainty
that we're surrounded by the
comfort and protection of the highest powers
in lonely hours
the tears devour you.


oh, savage garden. thank you for the words.

i'm laughing and i'm crying and i'm not sure what my stomach feels like. it's a mix of butterflies and rosemary roasted chicken and cheesy potatoes and rolls and chocolate covered strawberries and mint chocolate chip cookies and love and white chocolate truffles and humbleness and hope and faith and life. all inside my stomach.
i'm pretty full.
i might upchuck.
you're already a voice inside my head. Lord i keep giving my heart to others and Lord you are the only one who deserves it. tears of joy? no...those weren't tears of joy. but they were good tears. they needed me and they've missed me.

dear future husband,
life's good here while i'm waiting for you. i'm learning. God is breaking and mending and breaking my heart. i hope by the time i know who you are that i'm ready for you. i want to give you nothing less than what you deserve. i want to hear the words you aren't saying and comfort you. i want to hold you in my arms and love you like you've never been loved.
all that to say this: i'm preparing my heart for you. i am giving up the things of this world to save a piece of my heart for you. you were never real to me until tonight. i heard you through the voice of a man of God. i heard you through explosions in the sky. i heard you through laughter. i heard you through tears. i saw you through the flash of a camera that will allow me to remember this night forever.
by the way, i'm not saying this while listening to some mellow Christian emo song. i'm listening to blink 182: all the small things.
our life together is going to be great.
i can live with that hope.
in the meantime, i'll be running the race...watching the sunset...laughing...catching some rays...playing music...embracing friendships so strong...did i mention laughing? i'll be doing a lot of that. i can't believe that you will be able to deal with my laughing. i can't live without it.
i'll see you soon.
-laura mae


The current is strong, my arms are weak
But you are the branch within my reach.

this morning the window was open

Small orange-like fruit :)
Originally uploaded by Hechlok

When I wake up, without having to force myself to do it, and I say, "Lord let your thoughts be my thoughts," I know this day will be even more beautiful than what the weather channel called for it to be.

The mornings when the sun shines so so bright (waking up at 11am)
The mornings when the shower is perfect heat.
The orange is so sweet it peels in one piece.
I check my facebook not for approval by my peers, but to see the love that welcomes me into my day.
Sleeping at Last is the wake up call, not the fire alarm.

I'm looking at the peeled orange on my desk knowing exactly what awaits me.
Yuuumm...

God will give you wisdom if you ask for it.
He will give you Himself if you ask for it.

"The soul must long for God in order to be set aflame by God's love; but if the soul cannot yet feel this longing, then it must long for the longing. To long for the longing is also from God."


If you are a child, act like a child. But if you know God is maturing you, don't act like a child anymore. There is a difference between acting childlike verses acting childish.

"Before my feet can touch the ground, Lord I give this day to you."


Take a bite.
Enter your day.

our lives are weaving together like a thread...

within each other, faithfully,
sharing in our joys and miseries
and all that the world can give.



Relient K (check)
Death Cab for Cutie (check)
David Crowder Band (check)
Coldplay (check)
Sleeping at Last (CHECK!)
Cool Hand Luke
Copeland
Snow Patrol


The list is getting closer and closer.

child, I love you

I'd like to know what it is inside us that self deprecates. hate, bitterness, jealousy, anger, insecurity, self-doubt, etc. what is the root of all these? Who told us that we weren't allowed to be happy with who we are? Who pointed out all our flaws and laughed at us and told us to stare at them as if it was a car wreck on the side of the highway you can't take your eyes off of.
I like being happy. I can't relate to people who bathe in their dislike of themselves. I'm learning to like who I am. Because God made us, he said 'it was good' and good for Him is better than good for me.
I like having confidence, although it leaves me at times. God makes us, he knows every hair on our heads. He holds me when I need holding. He has promised us what we cannot give ourselves, He has given us freedom from the world different than any other 'god' can offer and we still cry when we get stressed. We still sin in our anger because we are too ashamed to admit that we are really angry at ourselves, not those that our sin is directed toward.
I'm not sure I understand the human nature.
I taught a lesson on restoration last week. I didn't realize how hard of a lesson it was for people, because I didn't realize I was really teaching a lesson on how our human nature is idiotic. You see, restoration comes from brokenness, and everyone can relate to that. people don't like hearing a lesson on restoration because we don't want to be restored. We _need_ to, but we don't want to.
I'm not sure I understand the human nature.
We bask in our brokenness. We pity ourselves and we self-deprecate instead of looking toward Heaven and finding grace and joy in the Lord who promises it to us. Are we denying the covenant God made to us?
That might be just it.
What if we focused on praising God rather than feeling jealousy and anger within ourselves?
Not just for what He's done, but for who He is.

"We slowly chip away at each other's protective coatings until one day we wake up and notice we are naked and people are pointing...Then just as I lean in to take a bite, to suck with all my might at the marrow, to breathe in with as much ferocity as I can muster, I see your eyes and hear your whispers."

"Think back. Try hard to recall what praise in its undiluted purity felt like. When you would dance with your arms fully extended rather than elbows bent, folded closely to your person in such a guarded fashion...What if this kind of praise freely leaked from us in delightful response to God?"
David Crowder, Praise Habit

feeling better, since i surrendered.
you can't climb until you're ready to fall.

wells already dug:
i get to design a website. [more on this later]

i mean, that's up there on my list of things to do before i die. i guess it's time for an update on that.



breathe in; breathe out,
running, always running back.
just remember to breathe,
this world takes me so far from that.

a thousand words, not even enough.

great smoky mountains national park

just some jimbays and crazy people

run.
always go/the pace maintains.
the space remains
in front.
in front of you/your chains behind.
eyes leaving you blind
to them/allofthem.


we are dead/we are slaves
we are jars/we carry a cross
bearing the weight of the world, taken over by someone else.
we are waiting, we are watching,
we run a race with baggage too heavy for ourselves to carry.
we are weak we are frail we are fools
there is a hole in our heart.
our bodies are temples.
we cannot give in to what we desire in the moment
we don't sleep our anger away
we don't find joy in wordly gifts
we'd choose giving over receiving any day
we confront our fears we don't leave them behind
we focus on what is not seen
we have peace when we go to bed at night

we are loved.
unconditionally.
we are held as a child is held by their father we see beauty in what we cannot see we run the race knowing we have freedom from those chains we look up into the sky in awe we gaze into the mountains everything has meaning and we have meaning and the world is going to be okay because of my Saviour. my selfish loving Saviour who uses us even though he could be completely sufficient on his own.



We are still dreamers in our dead sleep
Let the fire surround us
Let it all cave in
Let it all burn wild
We are leaving it all behind
Heaven is here

everyone needs a little banjo

"We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us. We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living. So we do not give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see."

Lord, last night I sort of felt like a jar.
Maybe more like a lamp post, though.

It feels good and it feels strange to feel that.
I think it's because I'm losing some pride.
Is it prideful to say that?
Weird.


I'm learning to be less of a scaredy-human.

"Where can I go to get away from your Spirit?
Where can I run from you?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there.
If I lie down in the grave, you are there.
If I ride in a plane 1576 miles from home.
If I rise with the sun in the east
and settle in the west beyond the sea,
and work at a camp all summer I've never been to,
even there you would guide me.
With your right hand you would hold me."

Scripture has this way to my heart that I cannot fathom.

Lord, here I am on this mountainside. Take my heart, my soul, my all. I am Yours.

this night will be forgot;

but the joy itself will go on.

teaching.
do i like teaching?
yeah!
it sure takes a lot out of me, though.



the window will be open tonight.

a teaspoon of wisdom makes the Holy Spirit go down.

Lord, I am giving today to You.

I know, I know. Everyday is yours.

But today I need to know that.
I need to know that the breath I breathe is you.
That the ground I walk on is you.
That the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart are yours.

Grant me wisdom.