My Photoshoot With Julia

Yesterday, I shared the photoshoot I took with Julia as the subject. Today are the pictures that Julia took of me (shared with her permission). This was also great fun and I had a blast. I have wanted pictures with long, wavy grass for as long as I can remember. It wasn't until this week that I realize that our neighbor's property (which he kindly allows us to tramp in) has just what I envisioned!

Julia, thanks for giving me my first "solo" photoshoot! You're doing a great job in photography! Keep it up!

{To view the images larger, simply click on the first one and scroll through them}

And a couple of pictures with my sister, Rachel, on the recorder.

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"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands." (Psalms 100:1)

Julia | Photoshoot

Impromptu photo-shoots are great fun! This week, we had some friends over, one of which is a co-photographer (she uses Nikon, but we won't hold that against her ;)). After looking at some photography websites together, I was ready to get my hands on the camera! Julia was gracious to be my subject and we brought her ukelele along for a walk.

Some of the images will appear small to fit on the blog, so click on the first one to view the pictures larger.

I had so much fun taking pictures with you, Julia!

Stay tuned tomorrow and I'll share the photoshoot swap: Julia did a photoshoot of me.

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Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:" (1 Timothy 1:5)

For This Cause | Ephesians Study

Ephesians 5:31

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

Just like we have left the old man and have become part of Christ's body, so ought the man leave his father and mother and join himself as one to the wife.

An interesting thought: Jesus Christ left His Father, to come to earth so that He might provide all things for the body, that He might make a way to sanctify and cleanse her. Christ could have stayed in heaven with His Father to provide all of this, but instead, He chose to take the discomforts of life. Perhaps this is more of an example of how the husband ought to "leave and cleave." Christ left His Father, but still communed with Him. So the man ought to leave his parents, but not cease communing with them. Christ gave His all for His bride. So the man ought to give his all for his bride. Christ provided all that He could for the spiritual nourishment of His bride. So the man ought to provide all that he can for spiritual nourishment.

Ephesians 5:33

Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Even though we won't be able to fully understand it, the husband and wife are given instructions and rules to help them (husbands: love, wives: reverence). We don't have to fully understand the relationship between Christ and the church to follow what He has shown us; that in itself will be lessons enough for a lifetime of marriage.

Word Wednesday #31

"Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance." (2 Peter 1:15)

Peter felt a burden to help the church remember ("Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;" 2 Peter 1:12-13). He did what he could to help them remember truth while he was alive, but also thought of how to have that reminder available even after he died. He didn't care if people remembered him, but he did care if they forgot truth.

Share a verse that God has given you today or copy the button if you'd like to join in Word Wednesdays with your blog!

 

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Commands for Husbands | Ephesians Study

Ephesians 5:25

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Parallel verse: Colossians 3:19, "Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them."

Husbands are also given the example of Christ and the church. Before the church was even in being (Jesus spoke of the church in Matthew 16:18 as something yet to come: "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."), Jesus gave Himself for her. He proved His love to her by His actions. He did not simply give a bunch of commands and sit back only as commanding officer; rather, Jesus Christ gave Himself and gave His life as an example for the church to follow (Philippians 2:5-8). What would an in-depth study on Jesus Christ look like for a pattern for husbands to follow? This verse should entice the husband to study more of the person and character of Jesus Christ, so they better know how to follow Him.

Ephesians 5:28-29

(28)  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

(29)  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

We were given just a small glimpse of Christ's love and faithfulness to His bride, the church (verses 25-27). With this example in mind, husbands ought to love their wives faithfully. They are to revere them as their own body - care for, nourish, cherish it. For a husband to hate his wife is for him to hate himself. For a husband to bring pain to his wife is for him to bring pain to himself. The husband and wife are joined as one (vs. 31) and their actions towards each other are hurting or restoring themselves as an individual.

Think of how Christ nourishes and cherishes His church. "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:" (2 Peter 1:3) Jesus Christ has given us everything we need to be nourished. He has promised to love us eternally, unconditionally ("Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39). With this as a man's example, he ought to love and nourish his wife - caring for her physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Just like a wife cannot submit to her husband until she has first submitted to God and His Word, a husband cannot love his wife until he has first loved God and His Word.