{August Goals}

"There is no life like this life. There is no hope like this hope.
There is no God like our God." {Dr. Owen Strachan}

In what & in whom do I have my hope? Where am I seeking to find my life? What does God want me to be about? These are the questions I ask & want to continue to ask when thinking of each new day, week & month ahead. Fixing my eyes on the Author & Perfecter of my faith, faithfully running the straight & narrow path He has laid before me.

"Christ crucified & raised for our justification is intended to unleash us, embolden us & put us to work. Christianity is much more about serious adventure than sentimentalized safety. It is much more about faith in suffering than ease in prosperity. It is much more about death - death to sin & self - than it is about personal affirmation & precious moments."

August Goals

>> Study & journal about an attribute of God
>> Commit new verses to memory
>> Love, serve & respect Dean well
>> Enjoy a schmancy dinner date out with Dean
>> Be an intentional mama & point Madison to the Lord
>> Take a daily walk with Madison, weather permitting
>> Eat no sugar - refined or natural (For anyone interested in IQS, Sarah Wilson has great tips & recipes here)
>> Join a local MOPS group
>> Lovingly serve our LMP clients
>> Attend a coaching session with Cheyenne Schultz
>> Order new LMP equipment
>> Treat others with an abundance of kindness
>> Review our budget & plan for September

What are your goals for this month? I'd love to know what your aim & focus is set on!

Jonathan + Crissy | Folly Beach Wedding | Folly Beach Wedding Photographer

If there was one wedding I would have liked to have been both the photographer AND a guest, it would definitely be Jonathan & Crissy's! They intricately planned a gorgeous, intimate wedding ceremony with their families on the sandy shores of Folly Beach, followed by an elegant, laughter-filled reception on a beach house balcony overlooking the setting sun.

And honestly, the Etters are SUCH a divinely sweet couple, I practically did feel like a guest :) Who could have guessed that an introduction through an old coworker almost 3 years ago would lead to them meeting for the first time in a WalMart parking lot, & then into love -> engagement -> marriage?! God has such a way of bringing people together in His timing & His way.

She loves Jonathan's big heart, who so sweetly (literally!) proposed to Crissy via ring pop, which is evidence of how big Crissy's heart is. (Ring pops, of course, then made their guest appearance at the couple's glitzy reception table. Which Crissy either made/created/put together almost all you see herself! SO creative & talented! I could have photographed them & that table all night.)

Throughout their whole wedding day, she was constantly considered with her guests' needs - did they have everything they needed, how could she help them. Jonathan was right by her side - holding her dress, giving her his hand, guiding her in the small of her back. A true servant-hearted husband right from the I Do's, which were officiated by Jonathan's dad as their family gathered in a small circle around them on the beachfront.

Truly a Happy Ever Etter indeed!
 

Vendors:

Wedding dress : Mori Lee
Wedding shoes: Vince Camuto
Groom’s suit: Jos. A Banks
Florist: Whole Foods
Cake: Publix
Catering: Sticky Fingers
Favors: Ring pops

{July Goals}

'Be a branch snapper off-er in a world where people are in the thick of the woods."
Carrie Grace

Earlier this week, I read an incredible encouragement email from the wonderful creator of The Kindness Box, Carrie Grace. It's so like God to have His perfect timing, right? These past few weeks I've been struggling with feeling & showing love & kindness to others. This often-tired new mama was trying in my own strength, & on my terms, to love others...& not quite getting it right.

Then I read Carrie's email:

"Perhaps that is why we aren't called to go at this life alone. Maybe God & others who reflect Him to us are tiny branch snappers...I think we are called to make getting out of the woods easier for one another. That we are supposed to speak truth in love as a means to get others into the clear.

Talk about a change in perspective! In the midst of being in what I'll call an un-kindness rut, God met me where I was & reminded me of the bigger picture - it's not about simply doing kind things or speaking with kindness toward others, it's about snapping those little branches off for those He's put in my life. It's about being willing to walk through the woods with them. As Carrie put it, "It's about staying when the woods are dark & cold & being willing to sit in the hard waiting period with others. And it's also about refusing to let someone stay."

Snap, snap, snap.

July Goals

>> Love & respect Dean well
>> Be an intentional mama & point Madison to the Lord
>> Commit new verses to memory
>> Road trip to Nashville!!!
>> Read The Best Yes & go through the Bible study at church
>> Take a walk with Madison 1x a day
>> Review our budget & plan for August
>> Lovingly serve our LMP clients
>> Treat others with an abundance of kindness

P.S. A first family photo with our little girl Madison! Taken by Casey Edwards Photography. (See My Fairweather Baby posts for more).

August Gratefulgrams

Summer may be officially over but as a state of mind, the season is definitely still going strong :) In the same way, gratitude is definitely an intentional choice we make. Just yesterday I was fretting about life to Hubby & all the while, God has blessed us tremendously with so much. In those moments of frustration, comparison & uncertainty, it's His face I want to seek & His name I want to praise. Through it all, it is well with my soul.

1. Cozy afternoon corner in Montreal / 2. Soaking up the last water days of summer / 3. Fun with adorable cousins / 4. New dog friends / 5. A beautiful photo of love

July Gratefulgrams

"You are the Rock on which I stand.
By Your grace, it is well.
My hope is sure in Christ my Savior
It is well with my soul." {Hillsong Live}

Earlier this month, Mike Kelsey preached on idolatry at our campus & how we were created to worship our Creator, & yet we often manufacture other idols in our hearts to bow to instead. Idols that can't handle our worship or devotion.

He put it like this: When we don't believe God is truly sufficient, we try to take matters into our own hands & often times take good things & elevate them to be God things. Check out Isaiah 44 & Jeremiah 2 to read about the Israelites' problem with idolatry.

In light of our worship problem, Mike challenged our congregation to live our lives, every day, by the following truth: Everything I need for fullness of life is already available to me through Jesus Christ.

Everything! He is the Bread of Life, the Living Water & our all in all. Only Our God deserves our life-consuming devotion. He is the one we should lift up in our hearts & sing praises from our lips, from now into eternity. I don't need or deserve anything more & I'm beyond grateful that He does give good gifts to us as His children that are constant reminders of His provision.

1. Patriotic celebrating / 2. Frolicking in God's creation / 3. Outdoor summer nights / 4. Time with our adorable nieces & nephew / 5. YUM. Hubby & the ice cream / 6. Silly family photos