truly my soul finds rest in god alone

my salvation comes from him.
{psalm 62:1}

:: photo courtesy of lynsey tedesco photography

HE is our refuge and strength.

I cannot begin to describe how much these words have comforted and brought me peace in my times of heartache as well as times of deep joy. Just ran into a friend's facebook status and wanted to click LOVE not like, and just had to re-post and share these words and was so grateful I ran into them.

For He alone is my refuge and my strength. I do not know where I would be without Him. And there is never a moment when I don't need Him. He has filled my heart with His song; His hands restore and make whole, give me life anew every morning. He is the One who is there when everything feels it is falling apart, He is the One who alone holds every tear, every heartache, every victory and joy, every hope and defeat. Yes, You are my Jehovah Jireh, my God who sees, my God who is with me, my God who IS fighting for me. My God who will never leave my side.

My hope is YOU.

in hope against hope, abraham in hope believed...

...for he who has promised IS faithful.

- psalm 46:1, romans 4:18, hebrews 10:23;
photo courtesy of lynsey tedesco photography

..my soul finds rest in god alone..

Truly my soul finds rest in God alone,
                   my salvation comes from Him.

                             He alone is my rock and my salvation,
                                                                             my fortress, I will never be shaken.

[ psalm of the night; photos courtesy of lynsey tedesco photography ]

{ beauty will save the world }

photos i just ran into while i found myself randomly catching up on some of my favorite photographer's blogs i love to stalk. these first few photos took my breath away. holy cow, absolutely gorgeous.

--


EDIT: so i am breaking my rule again and wasn't planning on writing anything (my rule of "i don't feel like sharing much right now, but i will post a few quotes or verses on my heart with some photos") and had posted these photos and few sentences above, but after stumbling upon the blog of one of my blog buddies and beauty that ALSO struck me, i am left with these words:

you don't have to agree with me, but i am a firm believer in the notion that "beauty speaks." i believe along with the writers of captivating, (though there are many critics and naysayers who have challenged some of the notions of that book that i find myself agreeing with on particular points, all of which we ain't got the time to go into now), i cannot help but say i do overwhelmingly agree with their assertion that beauty DOES matter. that beauty is powerful. and most of all, that beauty speaks.

for i was reminded this morning and have said it time and time again, but will continue to be a broken record because i truly believe "our hearts need what beauty speaks."

i am grateful for the beauty he has shown all around me. the beauty that life, in its most simple and most ordinary of ways, displays. the beauty that touches our hearts and restores something deep within. reminds me of what is good. what is true. and what really matters. a beauty that fills my heart with hope. yes, i am grateful for a beauty that truly does save the world.

one that has at least saved my heart and pointed me toward and reminded me of the beauty and goodness of the one who alone makes everything beautiful. my loving god, my savior, who alone makes beautiful things.

--

:: title quote by dostoevsky
:: photos courtesy of lynsey tedesco photography

- all my fountains -

... are in you ::.
{ psalm 87:7 }

A flood for my soul
A well that never will run dry
I've rambled on my own
Never believing I would find
An everlasting stream
Your river carries me home
Let it flow, let it flow

(One of my) jams of the day. Cannot get this verse or this song out of my mind and it's funny that words I wrote the last time I posted this song several months ago capture all I that I feel right now and have wanted to express tonight, so I'll "borrow" words from what I wrote last time!

Written September 16, 2011:

"Cannot even put into words all that I am feeling. This verse below, as well as this one above I ran into earlier that reminded me of this song I heard at a service at Woodcrest this summer, capture it more perfectly than I ever could.

The cry of my heart today. The cry of my heart of praise. A heart held safe in the hands of my loving God and Savior. A cry whether in my heartache and despair or in my abounding with joy and hope and feeling more loved, seen, known, valued, taken care of, fought for than ever that I feel now, yet a cry and a heart that is nevertheless, always received.

"For, you, O God, are my fortress,

my God on whom I can rely."

{ psalm 59:17 }

"All my fountains, Lord... are in You."{ psalm 87:7 }

{ photo courtesy of lynsey tedesco photography }

abide in me :: now remain in my love

abide in me, and i in you
now remain in my love.

 
{jesus of nazareth, the book of john 15:4, 9}

- photo courtesy of lynsey tedesco photography

{ psalm 86 } the god who sees

"For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God."

:: psalm 86:10

The words of this psalm just one by one kept literally flying off the page when I read them earlier this afternoon. Words that captured the cry of my heart that I have not been able to give voice to or articulate or identify with in any other way.

Words that captured the full spectrum of the journey and way of the heart as He continues to lead me down the healing path. Mending, restoring, touching, healing, and transforming my feeble, weak and broken heart. 

A heart that has cried out to Him in the pit of despair, a heart that has cried out to Him in my moments of abounding joy and ceaseless praise and thanksgiving. A heart that has found a home in no other than our God who is a God who provides. Our God who is good. Who is faithful. Who will never leave our side.

The One who has been my Hope against hope.
The One whose promise alone gives me life.

You are my Jehovah Jireh,

my God of great faithfulness,

my God of unfailing love.

My God, who is a God who provides.

My God who sees, my God who hears,
my God, my God who is here.

I will praise your name forever.

For You alone are God.

You alone are good.

::

The words of psalm 86 were like water to my soul today. One by one, as I my eyes continued to land on them, something began happening in my heart.

I found they captured the full spectrum of all the places, hills and valleys my heart has been daily, monthly, over the course of the last year and a half, the times my heart in utter despair, hopelessness, and desperation, the cry of my heart in times where I am bursting with life, joy, hope, and ceaseless praise.

As I can still resonate and hear words Joni spoke earlier today, words that resonated deeply within,

"Our God is a personal God."

He has met me and heard my every cry out to Him. Met me in ways I could never explain. How amazing is your grace. Your grace that saves. That carries, sustains us. Brings us through hills and valleys and twists and turns, deserts, storms, and fires we should have never made it out of alive.

Yet, you save us.

You save and carry Your people farther than their feet could ever travel on their own. You sustain, lead, and guide, provide for your people in the wilderness, lead us to streams, life in abundance in a dry and weary land.

Our God who alone can turn our darkness into light, cause waters to gush forth in the desert, and provide sweet honey from a rock.

I praise you and I thank you and I thank you, Father.

For who you are. For all you have done. For all you are doing and have yet to do.

May Your wonders never cease.

::

"Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.

Preserve my life,
save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.

Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.

In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.

For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.

Teach me your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.

I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.

For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to your servant,

Show me a sign of your favor,
that those who hate me may see and be put to shame
because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me."

 { psalm 86 }

- photo courtesy of lynsey tedesco photography

Look Up

"Therefore, keep your eyes on Jesus,
who both began and finished the race set before us."

:: Hebrews 12:2

Take T.W.O. starts this morning, cannot WAIT!!! Was hoping to get a chance to post the pages upon pages I read yesterday from things that have been speaking to me like crazy, the Lord is really ridiculous I cannot even begin to explain, as well as I was hoping to catch up before the fall officially began on all the worlds and the roads that have been traveled this summer, the last month, the last few weeks, the last few DAYS... alas, perhaps Labor Day weekend will afford me some blog catch up time, but for now, excited about another new beginning. Let us look up and fix our eyes on Him, the author and perfecter of our faith.

"For He who has promised is faithful."

:: Hebrews 10:23

- photo courtesy of lynsey tedesco photography

photo love(s) of the day

Recent engagement photos from one of my new favorite photogs, (new to me), Lynsey Tedesco... love this shoot, love this couple, this girl who is just absolutely gorgeous... there is something too about the content, peace, and the warmth in her eyes, love the colors/textures/settings... Shoot, I just love it ALL, enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

  

:: Photos by Lynsey Tedesco Photography

How Deep the Father's Love

I don't even know what just happened. The battle that was just raging all around and within me.
I hear the sound and recognize His touch. Someone's setting my soul free.

Saved me again from the pit of despair.
Consoled and met me in my anguish;
comforted and relieved my grief.

Someone came and rescued me.

Someone called
my Savior.

Yes,

"Your love sets me free"

- photos courtesy of lynsey tedesco photography

{ Oh, How He Loves Us }

CONTINUED FROM... {He Loves Us}

But, before coming to uncover the deepest and most true, most real parts of ourselves, we have to travel through even the emotions we want desperately for anything but to feel, yet He has a place He is taking us through experiencing the various capacities to feel that He has placed within us. He has a purpose, a desire to meet us there.

The place where we find Someone is setting us free.

He knows and even says it is okay for us to be or feel weak. To need help. To need Him.

He knows that we're human and He lives that we may know we don't have to have it all together, we don't have to have it all figured out.

That there is another way and that way is Him.

And I was finding myself trying to tell myself I shouldn't be feeling all of those feelings. That the little thing that I did did not at all seem to warrant all of this emotion. I knew there was more.

As they like to say in a lot of the Woodcrest or recovery environments I've been in, and something Ben and I have adopted as well any time we are discussing something, we'll often start by saying, "I mean this at a '3,' but right now it might come out like or sound like a '10' " a communication tool they teach that is really practical and helpful for listening skills, understanding, and working through conflict, and communicating and identifying where you are at, but also other factors that can make it seem more intense at the moment or that you are experiencing other emotions related to other things at the time, or simply that it is something that easily triggers you and what you are saying could come across stronger or sharper or more rude simply because of other things going on within.

Yesterday I knew that what had happened was like a "2," but I was feeling it like at a "12" (on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the least intense, 10 being the most intense, a tool they use in various communication techniques for marriage classes, small groups, recovery as a tool to help communicate something you are feeling or would like to share.)

I knew there was something huge underneath it all driving it, but honestly, I didn't want to go there. I just didn't want to deal with the pain and I woke up and felt like I was drowning literally in emotion. Crushed by all that I felt and mad about it.

Yet, by allowing me to face the reality of the pain again, there were huge discoveries lying there buried in the deep.

Huge roots and events and emotions lodged so far deep in there, in untapped regions of my heart and my past that were the driving force behind a seemingly insignificant event.

Because it's not insignificant to Him. With God, heart matters.

What is within or what has happened to our hearts is of major concern to Him. Not because He condemns us for what is there or what or how we are feeling or responding to it, but that God, in his INFINITE mercy and grace, came and has come to set our hearts FREE.

And let me tell you, as soon as I came out of that funk and when God again, by His grace, met me in the depths of my pain and lifted me out of the pit yesterday, I was just like, this is crazy. That was no coincidence at all that this happened, of all times, right now.

Because, as I wrote about on Tuesday and Wednesday and plan to share soon, the last two to three weeks, God has been moving mountains in my life and in our lives.

Huge boulders, obstacles in the way of my heart and huge mountains that God, through a bunch of situations, people, and places, is moving; throwing into the very heart of the sea.

And, after coming out of those hard places and being upset that I was excited to see and hang out with Kate, one of my best friends, that day and see her precious little girl, and see them in a time where even though there's still a lot going on, things felt lighter, I had been super encouraged lately, I was excited to go see them and feel normal and do normal things, and then of course, the couple days I get to see them, I was having one of my hardest days in a while and in a hard place. And I just hate being messy and letting my friends in when things are messy.

But again, even after I canceled and then re-made plans with her, and even after feeling bad and apologizing a million times to one of my best friends who lives here, that I was going to hang out with earlier that morning,

I was reminded again that I am accepted and I am loved and I wanted – unconditionally.

That my friends, people like Kate who have known me since I was 12, to others like, Kat who have known me for 6 months... love me, period. They still want me around, even on the bad days. This isn't too much for them, I am not a burden, I am not too much. Like Kat even reminded me yesterday, I am in this with you for the long haul.

And since I saw/talked with my friends AFTER I had had plenty of time where me and God where duking it out and I had finally come to the bottom of it all and experienced one of the most intense attacks, yet powerful breakthrough...

I had come to a place again where I could hear my Father whisper to me gently,

"I love you and I am here.

You are special, so special to me my child...”

And the three words that came to my of all places when I was reading through list after list and account after account in Numbers, where my One Year Bible has me in the Old Testament right now, and this is the funny thing about all of this.

So, I was finding myself just kinda skipping over all the “and then there were this many men in the tribe of Judah... and then they counted and there were this many in the House of Levi... etc, etc," when my eyes caught sight of these words, in Numbers 3:12-13, (bear with me, I promise I'm getting somewhere folks),

11 The Lord also said to Moses,12 "I am choosing the Levites from all the Israelites to take the place of all the firstborn children of Israel.

The Levites will be mine,13 because the firstborn are mine. When you were in Egypt, I killed all the firstborn children of the Egyptians and took all the firstborn of Israel to be mine, both animals and children. They are mine. I am the Lord."

I had to go back as I just began to feel this strange warm feeling and peace wash over me, wait, what did I miss, what just happened...

And I re-read those lines again and it was then when I realized how God had just spoken to me through words that I was just planning on glossing over, words that I thought were just like the other two chapters of lists and details that I know have a purpose and fit into the larger context of the community of the people of God that the Lord was building and establishing through Moses at that time, but then something within those words jumped out and grabbed me.

It was then as my eyes settled on one word, “mine,” that I heard Him say, with all of the comfort and restoration and relief that comes when the skies begin to part and we find ourselves basking and slowly letting out our break as the sun peaks out and we find ourselves still shaken, but experiencing the calm after the storm, when I felt Him holding me, rocking me gently like a little child enveloped in their parent's love, as I heard Him say the words my heart desperately needed to hear,

“You are special;

You are mine.”

God can use anything, right?! I mean, the book of Numbers, seriously?!? If you would've asked me yesterday and I still am reeling from the fact that I even ended going through my readings for the day in the One Year, since I had already been reading a lot of other places that God was using to lift my heart and speak to me, but something drew me again to His Word.

Something called His grace. Which I cannot even if I tried, cannot take credit for any of this or anything He has done in this season as anything I have done for myself.

I come to Him, period. He does the rest. But even in that coming is in and of itself His grace. His grace and His love and His mercy at work in my life, reaching out to me, pursuing me, drawing me to come closer... to just come, sit and be with Him, each and every day and trust and know that He will lead me.

Be glorified, O Lord. Be glorified.

Seriously, I do not know how He does it. All the time. His mystery and the wonders of His love never cease to amaze me.

Lord, I am amazed by You...

and how You love me.

- photo courtesy of lynsey tedesco photography

{ He Loves Us }

He has flooded my heart and my soul again with peace.

His peace. Given me peace, strength, life, hope again.

Filled me with reminders of His love and brought me back to the place where I have been the last two weeks, a time where I have felt more encouraged than ever, given me life and energy that I have not had or felt in a really long time. Brought me back to that place after a difficult night and a rough morning yesterday.

A time of deep discouragement that came on the heels of all of this victory and a time where the Lord is truly moving mountains. An attack reminding me of the ruthless and viscous nature of the one who lives up to his name as the “Enemy of our Souls,” the Destroyer and thief who comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.

I realized when I woke up yesterday that my joy had been stolen. What happened? How could this all change so fast? I was doing and feel so well (emotionally speaking). What is going on here? Someone has stolen my hope. Someone has killed my joy. Someone has seemingly destroyed and taken away all of the life, hope, strength, and encouragement I have been feeling.

Someone who wants anything but for you and I to be free.

Free from all the yuck. All the junk, all the sin and brokenness that can so easily entangle, hinder and choke out the life of God within us or keep us in chains. Shackled and enslaved and blind us from the truth of God all around and within us.

The Truth that came to set us free.

Oh, how you love me...

::

Those five words were some of the first words I remember thinking and feeling when I woke up this morning and could not get this song out of my head.

(And, actually, this post was originally going to be called "How You Love Me" but after I finished typing it and as another song came to mind that has also been on my heart this morning, I just had to also include this fave from Crowder).

How You love me and how good You are to me and to think, I do not even deserve it. I did NOTHING to earn it; Your grace is simply amazing. This gift that is freely, freely given.

So, the crazy thing is, I came home from a recovery class on Tuesday and time talking with several of the women in group during our small group time or after, just feeling so so cared for, known, fought for, and blessed.

In fact, that was the title of the 19, yes I did say 19 pages that I came home and wrote that afternoon that I just had to get out of me or I was going to burst. I was planning on posting them that afternoon, but then was running out of time before more appointments that afternoon and then was busy that evening.

Got up early Wednesday to finish writing and again was planning on posting then the day got away from me again so I planned on doing it later that night after getting home from girls' nite at Stevi's, our bi-weekly gathering to watch “So You Think You Can Dance.”

Then, came something that even in retrospect now and after an eventual breakthrough yesterday, a situation that in and of itself was not a huge deal and something small and insignificant that happened that should not have mattered or affected me as much as it did, ignited a whole onset of feelings and beliefs that sent me into a tailspin of some of the strongest feelings of discouragement, depression, inadequacy, insecurity, and shame that I have felt in a long, long time.

Now I say in retrospect, that I think that this is all funny now because NOW I can see how “non-coincidental” the timing of all of this was... (and especially when I get a chance later to post about some of the victory, encouragement and hope and life the Lord has been giving me through all of the work He is doing in my heart and my life right now and what He is opening my eyes to see that I wrote about till my fingers were blue earlier this week ;)

That it was NO coincidence at all that this would come on the heels of so much profound and deep healing.

As I was angry more than anything yesterday that I was feeling and experiencing pain and so many difficult emotions and was discouraged when the last two weeks I have felt more encouraged than ever and have never felt more free... I found myself just saying over and over, this is stupid, why is this little thing bothering me so much, why am I feeling this way again, I do NOT WANT TO DEAL WITH THIS, LORD.

And especially not today.

Don't You know that I have plans?!?

No, I don't want to deal with this today, I'm tired of things being hard, I was enjoying some relief. And not that just because we are in a relationship with God that things are all going to automatically go our way all the time or we are never going to experience any of those hard feelings I mentioned above...

But, I was most frustrated because more than anything, I crave to be/feel "normal."

I constantly fear being a burden to my friends and everyone around me, even though I was finally getting over that and they and my husband constantly reassure me I am not, but also as many of my friends know, I just want to talk about and do “normal” things when I see them or talk with or am with them, not that we don't talk about the hard things going on in either of our lives, but because I am dealing with and working through and walking through the hard with them and others in my support system, there are times I just want/need to just go have fun.

Talk about light, surfacey, other things. Do light, surfacey or fun things, and especially, I love NOT feeling like I am going through a lot, or feeling encouraged that day so I can just be with them and not have to talk or need to talk or deal with any of the hard.

It has felt great to just feel okay (emotionally speaking), and knowing that God is working and doing so much and taking care of me, I love when things just feel lighter and I can just go hang out and see friends and not have a heavy heart.

And God knows that and He cares about that, He cares about me experiencing those pockets of relief when they come and He knows that we need that as humans.

Each day and each new week I feel I am constantly learning and re-learning how to face and fight this battle.

Ways to cope. Things to do in order to live fully with my heart alive and open in this season. Things that are life-giving to me. Times to get out of the house. Time to spend with people and many of the tools my recovery class and continuing to process with my counselor are equipping me with and giving me ways to engage and continue to fight the battle each day.

And God cares about that. He knows that we need those things.

That our hearts need to be comforted and that our hearts need rest, recovery, relief, especially when in the midst of a season that is a marathon, not a sprint.

He knows it is those little things, those moments or times with others or by ourselves that are of the simple and ordinary and everyday, but that those moments with others and times alone are not small at all.

I'm reminded that sometimes the most simple that is the most profound. The smallest of things that really do make a huge difference.

And it is those very things, whether it is crafting, or going to Hobby Lobby or Michael's just to look around and get inspired by a new project I then throw myself into, going to the pool with my friends and their kids, watching So You Think You Can Dance with a bunch of girls, hanging out or talking with my husband or my friends, having the opportunity to have extended time with God, reading/writing, receiving life/hope/strength and encouragement from His word, the grace that I need each day, watching favorite dances online, stumbling upon and discovering a photographer and spending hours just pouring into photo over photo...

Those very things, the simple yet beautiful parts of life, the very things that fill and lift up and encourage my heart and that keep me going.

For my heart needs what beauty speaks. And God is so faithful. So good. I am constantly amazed time and time again by how much He cares about the little things because they are not little to Him at all.

He always, always provides.

And it is the little things that remind me and make me feel overwhelmed at times with gratitude, because it is those little things that I am reminded that YES... You are here.

He knows and He cares and He is always wanting to restore, refresh, renew, comfort, strengthen and encourage our hearts. For He is FOR us. Always. And never has our hearts out of sight or out of mind.

And He knows that we're weak.

“He knows how hard it is to be us.”

Those words from one of Beth Moore's books have stuck with me and are so comforting, He sees and He knows the hardship and the daily challenges you and I share, big or small. And He cares about them because He cares about US.

And we do not have One who cannot relate, understand, sympathize or empathize with our weakness.

Anything we have felt, we never need to be ashamed of, even yesterday when I was like, I feel defeated, crushed, depressed, discouraged, stupid, inadequate, not enough, etc etc... (for those familiar with the feelings chart, just about every range of emotion from everything to the right of the “happy” column lol, I as there yesterday,) but every single one of those emotions, He has felt.

He has been there. And He isn't mad or upset or wondering why we are there.

He knows that are frail and we are broken.
He knows our limitations.


Our emotions are not the Enemy, they are simply a vehicle into the dynamics and what is really at play deep within our souls shaping how we view, perceive, and respond to things.

And there deep within, once we have gone through and identified and acknowledged all that we were feeling, then and only then can we see, hear, and acknowledge the truth. Our emotions are the window into our souls, all that is unseen, but known, experienced and felt there within that place where He dwells within us.

There is great capacities stored deep within our souls.
Our souls, the place where we meet God.

CONTINUED IN... {Oh, How He Loves Us}

- photos courtesy of lynsey tedesco photography

[ breaking the silence :: He reigns ]

Oh goodness GRACIOUS! Song upon my heart the last couple of days, I just cannot stop singing it. A long-time favorite of mine that after hearing yesterday on my way home, these words captured and filled my heart and my mouth with praise. Those moments where the world just seems to stop. Where you are just taken to that place where you get a taste, a glimpse, of how incredible it will be when we are finally Home, when we will be filled and seized with that same indescribable joy, laughing, dancing, singing and shouting for joy. That day when we will all just join in as one chorus and never want to stop singing His praises...

WHEN ALL GOD’S CHILDREN SING OUT
GLORY, GLORY, HALLELUJAH
HE REIGNS, HE REIGNS

So if I could break the "period of silence," my undetermined amount of time detaching from the world a bit and have some much needed, desired, and refreshing time away from my blog, (which ended up being 10 days), with just two words... there is no question that these words alone could encompass the myriad of experiences, places, and moments of the last two weeks alone as well as in just two words capture the heart of it all and the One who has been with me and with us through it all. He has been flooding my heart with this indescribable peace. He has brought me to a place of awe and adoration of the power of His love, the depths of His Majesty, and the wonders of all that He alone is. My heart can simply think of no other words to say, but yes, Amen, Hallelujah...

He reigns.

IT’S THE SONG OF THE REDEEMED
RISING FROM THE AFRICAN PLAIN
IT’S THE SONG OF THE FORGIVEN
DROWNING OUT THE AMAZON RAIN

THE SONG OF ASIAN BELIEVERS
FILLED WITH GOD’S HOLY FIRE
IT’S EVERY TRIBE, EVERY TONGUE, EVERY NATION
A LOVE SONG BORN OF A GRATEFUL CHOIR

IT’S ALL GOD’S CHILDREN SINGING
GLORY, GLORY, HALLELUJAH
HE REIGNS, HE REIGNS
IT’S ALL GOD’S CHILDREN SINGING
GLORY, GLORY, HALLELUJAH
HE REIGNS, HE REIGNS

LET IT RISE ABOUT THE FOUR WINDS
CAUGHT UP IN THE HEAVENLY SOUND
LET PRAISES ECHO FROM THE TOWERS OF CATHEDRALS
TO THE FAITHFUL GATHERED UNDERGROUND

OF ALL THE SONGS SUNG FROM THE DAWN OF CREATION
SOME WERE MEANT TO PERSIST
OF ALL THE BELLS RUNG FROM A THOUSAND STEEPLES
NONE RINGS TRUER THAN THIS

AND ALL THE POWERS OF DARKNESS
TREMBLE AT WHAT THEY’VE JUST HEARD
‘CAUSE ALL THE POWERS OF DARKNESS
CAN’T DROWN OUT A SINGLE WORD

WHEN ALL GOD’S CHILDREN SING OUT
GLORY, GLORY, HALLELUJAH
HE REIGNS, HE REIGNS
ALL GOD’S PEOPLE SINGING
GLORY, GLORY, HALLELUJAH
HE REIGNS, HE REIGNS

- photo courtesy of lynsey tedesco photography and omg... could this little guy BE any cuter?!?

{ now remain in my love }

 

Now remain in my love.

:: John 15:9

--

A sampling of some of my most recent photographers whose work I have fallen in love with and while this post began with the verse and simply ONE picture, there were so many others I could not choose between that speak more than any words I could try to muster up here... images that capture the beauty of love this side of Heaven. Crazy to believe, it is true, as good as it is, it is but a SHADOW of a love that is so much greater. Of the One who tenderly speaks to my heart and whispers, "Now remain, my sweet child, in my love..." Where I can find peace. Life again. Rest. My refuge and my strength; where I can hide there safe in the shelter of Your wings.

 

- Photos courtesy of Prokopets Studio; Only Imagine Photography; Lynsey Tedesco Photography