{not just photos}

So don't be too shocked that you are seeing an entry with no photos, and lots of words. I tend to do posts that are about pictures. I usually feel that pictures say much more than I can say with my words. 

Today, I have no pictures, just words.

My heart is heavy. 

My mind is racing. 

My spirit is awakened.

A purpose feels so clear.

This has been one amazing weekend. It started off Friday night with our 2nd Annual AWAKE Women's Conference at our church, OCC. I have been so encouraged, challenged, blessed and entertained by the amazing women of God at the conference this weekend.

My heart is heavy...

This morning in our EWOP (Eastside Women of Purpose) meeting we had the privilege of meeting and hearing from Leah Cypert. She is one amazing, strong, smart, compassionate, hard-working woman of God (and that does not even begin to do this woman justice). Leah shared with us the heart and purpose behind a current project that she is working on called Freedom Stones. It is difficult to put what she does in a nutshell so here is my weak attempt: She is out to change the world, one necklace at a time. Her focus is the fight of Human Trafficking. After hearing more about this horrible injustice that is happening all around the word called Human Trafficking, my heart is so very heavy.

My mind is racing...

This is very hard for me to say: "God has blessed me with a newly found gift and passion of photography." Why is that hard to say? It is hard for me to say "I have a gift", to me it feels so selfish. Yet this weekend, I found a new way to look at it that makes so much more sense. 

GOD has blessed me with that gift. It feels so much better to point the finger up to my Creator. That makes sense to me. God has brought me to a place where I CAN'T NOT give that back to Him and glorify Him with that gift He has so graciously given to and revealed to me. 

My mind starts racing at this very statement: 

"How can I start to use this gift He has blessed me with for His glory!?!?!" 

Oh my goodness, I CAN'T WAIT to start!

My spirit is awakened...

It is one thing to find the gift that God has given you that you want to use for Him, but it is an even more amazing thing to find what you are to use that gift FOR. When the gift and the purpose are revealed to you, your spirit is awakened! My spirit is awakened!

A purpose feels so clear...

I was excited about starting my photography business before, but there is no comparison as to how excited I am to get it going and thriving now! Why? ...Purpose... My purpose and motivation behind my business now is to be able to be self employed and through being self employed, I want to support Leah in her work with Freedom Stones with 20% of the income from my business. I want to give back to God through the gift He has given me. I can't imagine it any other way.

There is much more to come as I being this newly found motivation behind my business. It may also include a trip to Thailand this May to see the injustice of Human Trafficking first hand.

Please pray for me.

I truly want God to be glorified, and lives to be changed through my business, not just great photos to be taken.