Shattered, Crushed, Broken

"I was at ease, but He shattered me,

And He has grasped me by the neck

and shaken me to pieces;

He has also set me up as His target."

Job 16:12

This Scripture doesn't simply illuminate my life; it is my life. On Sunday, Pastor preached a sermon about hypocrisy. Play-acting. Doing the right things for the wrong reasons. Being fake, false, and altogether insincere. Then I considered some recent testimonies about true repentance. Then circumstances combined to form one huge, monumental weight that seemed to crush my heart. Then I finally listened to the voice of the Spirit convicting.

And this verse brought it all home. Everything that has happened, been preached or said, circumstances, people, my own frustration---everything--is God's way of breaking this stubborn soul, my self-will and self-sufficiancy.

I thought everything was okay--great, even--but then the Lord shattered me, demolished me, pulverized me. Yes, He took me by the neck and shook me into a billion pieces. I am His target for brokenness. Surrender. He wants total mastery over me.

Weddings

I (heart) weddings. Most girls do. Weddings are so romantic and beautiful and *sigh* I'm getting a little happy just thinking about them...

And I am so excited to be testing the waters of wedding photography. If you want to see my first and only wedding so far, check out the photography blog.
http://www.surrealityphotography.blogspot.com

YAY for weddings! And photography!

Water & Fire

To sum up my weekend in two words, it would be "water" and "fire." (and maybe some pretty summer clouds, too, but that can be a bonus!).

Friday. An afternoon at the lake. The Little Bro fished. I read and hid under the bridge as a thunderstorm passed over us. I wasn't hiding because of fear--I LOVE summer rainstorms!--but rather because I don't like getting books and expensive cameras and food to be wet. That would be icky. Fishing wasn't too successful... even with this nifty little bait thing... If I was a fish, I would definitely bite that! Or wear it as an accessary.

Afternoon turns to evening. Semi-solitary existence turns to socializing. The Parents returned from vacation to a full house of picnicing guests. Sizzling burgers and their delicious grilling aromas. Tables groaning from lovely (patriotic) food.
And me wandering around the party with a camera. Because that's what I do. Still loving the silhouette pics. In case you are wondering, I try to avoid posting pictures of people unless they are silhouetted or darkened. Maybe I'm paranoid. Or protective of my friends. But it helps that I love the dusky evening light...
And then darkness fell and the REAL fun began. Gathering around the bonfire for warmth, smoke in our eyes, throwing marshmallows and making s'mores. And the brilliant contribution from The Butterfly Girl---Glowsticks! Yes, we are easily amused!
And more fire... the more dangerous kind! Pushed into the ground, and lit with a blow torch.
And the evening just kept going and going. With some time with our feet in the hot tub. Talking about what we are believing God for. Then spontaneous prayer and worship. What a sweet sound of praise. The Church is not a meeting! It is a Body of people who love Jesus!

Saturday dawned bright and waaaay too early. My family and some friends headed out to Ricketts Glen State Park for hiking (yes!), waterfalls (YES!!) and picnicking..

The first waterfall. The Little Bro stated that he loves hiking with me now, because I stop so often to take pictures...

And this just intrigued me. It's like modern nature art.

Onward to central Pennsylvania's fabulous 4th Fest. Carnival food--which is awesome. Gathering on blankets awaiting the fireworks. And this is when I felt the most patriotic. There's just something about standing in a multitude of people, with a hand over my heart, singing the words of the "Star Spangled Banner" while the summer breezes blow. And then the mournful notes of "Taps" play and I consider many who have lost their lives for MY freedom. For the independence of the United States of America. In that moment, I am most proud to be an American.

And the end. Alot of BOOM! and BANG! and ridiculous amounts of light!


Happy 4th of July, everyone!!!