Bad blogger

I haven't been a very good blogger lately. I've really been busy with so many changes in life. New job, new pregnancy, and lots of interesting challenges. But I have been missing my little outlet. I don't often get to say exactly what I think, and so I really like having a place to write down all the randomness that passes through my brain and the few helpful tidbits I might have picked up along the way.

So, I've missed you sweet online outlet and I'm looking forward to our happy reunion :)

Beauty Vs. Sexuality- a female response

This is a response to this article from relevant : "Beauty vs. sexuality". Read it and this post will make more sense :)

This week Relevant Magazine's most popular online article is "Beauty vs. Sexuality". It's a great article outlining the the christian discussion surrounding beauty, lust, and our responsibilities.

As a woman in ministry the balance between modesty and the desire to look good is a constant battle. Often times I have felt shame and pressure over this issue and I'm sure many other women have too. The concept of modesty doesn't bother me but the definition of modesty is constantly changing based on who you're talking to. I like that the article points out that the strong focus on this shames both men and women. Being that ministry is largely male dominated, there is little thought given by most pastors on how these discussion affect the women they serve with.

An inside joke amongst me and my close friends is my scarf collection. I have a ridiculous amount of scarves. I love my collection but it didn't start out of an obscene love of scarves. It started out of shame and self-conscious. I wasn't raised in church, so I had no real concept of this discussion of modesty before I started leading worship many years ago. I just showed up in average girl clothes- ya know jeans, flowy shirts, tank tops (non spaghetti strap, of course), skirts, whatever. I gave very little thought to my clothing because for me, it just wasn't about that. It was about worship and I wanted to look like me. Not long into things, a male friend of mine in ministry sat me down and made a short but clear comment about the inappropriateness of a shirt I was wearing. I don't really remember the shirt but it wasn't anything crazy low cut or belly-bearing. I just stood there with my mouth gaping open, because I had no idea how to respond. This was a person I respected very much, so I politely nodded and went home to cry.

I didn't understand why it hurt me so much. I mean, it's just a shirt, right? Well, from that point on I began to examine my wardrobe very closely and I carefully mulled over what was acceptable for me to wear around the church. That's where the scarves started. How can I put this delicately.....hmmmm.... OK, I am not a small woman on top. I've really always been self conscious about it, but this incident really pushed me over the edge. It's difficult when a woman is "blessed" in that way to find shirts that fit properly, thus the scarf obsession. I learned that I could where almost anything, throw a scarf on and be good to go.

Over the years that level of worry and feeling like I'm responsible if a man lusts after me has mostly left because I began to realize the idiocy of the concept. (however, my massive scarf collection remains) As the article points out, we really are putting guys down by believing that they can't appreciate a woman's beauty without wanting to jump her bones. Furthermore, if we believe that only men are prone to lusting after the opposite sex, we are all kidding ourselves. Example: If you go to any youth retreat, the rules will typically dictate that appropriate swimwear for girls is a one-piece bathing suit. I have no problem with that rule, because. let's face it, teenage boys are, well teenage boys. The hypocrisy s that the boys can walk around in nothing more than shorts, because the concept is that girls are unaffected by that kind of visual stimulation. Well, as a former teenage girl, as a woman, and as someone who has had many discussions with women about lust, let me tell you that concept is crap. Women have to work just as hard to keep lustful thoughts away as the guys do. Maybe we are less prone to acting on them, but we fight the battle too.

So what's the answer? I would say grace and understanding. We all struggle with many things. It's part of living in a broken world. Lust is just one of those things and yet we bring it front and center like it's the cause of all our problems. The solution to lust, like many solutions to our sin issues, begins with us. Before we go pointing fingers or placing blame on one gender or another, we should do some careful self-examination. The more we allow God to work on our hearts, the less our hearts are prone to wander.

Why it matters: Graphics and logos

I would wear this... if I lost a bet

I am blessed to get to interact with and design for a wide variety of churches on a regular basis. When it comes to graphics, I can pretty divide them into two categories: Churches who know what's hot and what people relate to and churches who knew what was hot 10 years ago and think people still relate to it. The earlier group is a breeze to work for; they're hip, they know what they want, and they don't mind being adventurous. The latter group however, is always very challenging. There is usually a lot of resistance and these are the reasons I've found:

1. Entrenchment: There is usually and individual or group that has 'always' done the graphics and they are usually a sweet, well-meaning person with good skills but zero creativity. If that person is blissfully stuck in 1995 serif fonts with embossing and drop shadows, it can be very hard to move forward visually because nobody wants to risk offending somebody that's been there serving for a long time.

2. Change is Scary: Nobody realizes how much changing their logo(s) scares them until the process starts moving. Suddenly they have to deal with people asking why; signs have to be redone; other logos and graphics have to be upgraded for continuity, and in general, people resist change because we crave sameness even when it leads to lameness.

3. That looks like "Youth Group" stuff: NEWS FLASH- we are a youth driven culture. If you look at fashion, music, movies, it all is geared towards youth culture because for he first time in history middle-aged folks take cues for what is cool from people under 30. If you appeal to that crown visually, than you automatically will appeal to most people under 65 as well. If you really want a shakedown on the visual appeal of your church; ask a blunt 23 year old.

OK, so why doesn't any of this matter to you church? Well, what are here to do? Reach people for Christ- right? The idea behind having any graphics, video, lighting, drama, etc is to create a relevant and relatable environment for people to come learn about Jesus so they can become full, devoted followers. Of course all of this is just a minor precursor to the Gospel, but my argument is that if you're going to do it- do it well! Do it with excellence! Don't make graphics that appeal only to you but that will appeal to the culture to be inviting and comfortable for people who don't know Christ.

Don't underestimate the power of good graphics in your church. Find a good, visual, creative person- don't just settle. I promise you it makes a huge difference!

It's the difference between this:

AND WHAT EVER THIS STUFF IS:

I lack the words to describe how antiquated these logos are









I know I seem picky and critical and it's true that many people don't even notice these things but
most of the younger demographic does, especially if what your using is lame or overly churchy. So just try and look at your own church's graphics from a fresh perspective- ask people. Don't allow things like this to become sacred cows. Change can be a great thing if it's done intentionally and for good reason!

:)

Church Music Fail

He says this has made him famous..... what he doesn't understand is that he's famous for all the wrong reasons. Sadly, this is not the worst church singer I've ever heard. Even Jesus is shaking his head and giving him a "bless your heart"

(thanks Chris Cahall for the heads up)

Ouch!

For reasons I cannot explain, every year, January kinda sucks for me. I get all fired up for the start of a new year, get my list of things I want to change, and BOOM! By January 10th, I'm wishing I had a time travel device so I could go back to a more hopeful, simpler time before all the New Year's crappola began.

2012 has been no exception to my New Year's Curse. The year started off with my mom breaking her hip at my house while I was away in Atlanta. Then all kinds of ministry changes and movement without a lot of explanation, and then my car breaks down- all of this before January 8th! So I'm sitting around my house this week feeling pretty blue and fearful of what else is gonna happen, and the Holy Spirit brings me a vision of soil in a field that has been freshly tilled. Now, I don't know a lot about farming........ actually, I don't really know anything about farming! However, I do remember how farms looked in Indiana (where I once lived) right before they were getting ready to plant things. They were muddy, overgrown with weeds, and just plain inhabitable. Every year, they would have to be tilled before farmers cold grow anything. Being that I'm not a farmer, I found it interesting that God would bring me such an image but the more I think about the more it makes sense.

Maybe January is the time of year when God has to prep me so he can plant things and they can take root. Why? Heck, I don't know!

He digs deep to remove all the hurts and baggage of the year before so he can cultivate something new. It feels painful and makes me feel dry and barren but it's really good for me in the end.

So, today I feel hopeful and welcoming of this time refurbishment. I look barren on the outside but it's just because I'm waiting for God to plant something new in me!

So I encourage you not to run away from God in those times when you feel turned inside-out, but run to Him and be encouraged that he won't abandon you. Trust him that he always has a plan to bring blessings and good things to your life!

"If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there;
   if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath."

Psalm 34:18 MSG

I'm Sorry, Did I Offend You?

Very recently I made the choice to start a blog (which you are reading!) I didn't know if anyone would ever read it, but it sounded like a fun way to pass the time. Shortly after I started, I began my 'Marketing Fails of the Day' which are geared to improve the quality and relevancy of Church media. The blog's popularity began to rise rapidly as did my understanding of humanity. I have been blessed to receive a lot of feedback over these pieces, some good, some bad, and some very, very ugly. This last week as I was being chastised for my colorful, yet generationally appropriate language, I began to wonder.....

Why are we (Christians) so very sensitive? I mean seemingly so much more sensitive than the rest of the world?

Emily's long overdue, all-inclusive list of church resources (mostly FREE!)

         I am forever getting emails asking me for my resources on art and media. Mostly it's churches and people I know that work for churches. After a couple of years of doing this, I thought to myself "Duh, do a post about".
         So, here it is. Emily's long overdue, all-inclusive list of resources. I created/recycled a TON of media over the years and 80% of it started with these amazing sites.

Adventures in Obedience

This month marks my 10 year anniversary of becoming a follower of Christ. You'd think that after you've been doing something for 10 years, you'd be really good at it, but it never ceases to amaze me how God continues to challenge me and take me deeper all the time. I've accepted the fact that I'll never really be 'good' at being a Christian but I'll always be pursuing God's best in my life, fully knowing that I can't reach that goal in my time on Earth.

Recently, our church did a series called "How to Be Rich". It was an amazing series and I encourage you to listen to the messages here. However, there was one week that really stood out for my husband and myself. It was the week when we talked about tithing. It's funny, because I rarely get to listen to our messages live because of my position at the church, but I actually caught this one.

I've always been a giver. I am in ministry so I feel like I give everything I have; my whole life really, and of course, I toss some $ in the baskets like everyone else. In the last 10 years I've heard many, many messages on money; some good and some bad, but this one was different. I'm no theologian, so I can retell it the way Pastor Tim said it, but basically he talked about Biblical obedience in tithing- meaning giving 10%, off the top and directly to the church. He outlined many great facts backing this up, but they allude me now :)

While listening I thought about all the giving I do. I give my time, energy, resources, I give money to missions, people in need, etc. but it was here that God stopped me and caused me to listen. I had to ask myself; how much do I actually tithe? The truth is I have no idea! I felt God challenge me with being intentionally obedient to His Word and always give 10% directly to the church and let everything else I give be out of the other 90%.

This is where the internal argument began. I said "Well, God, Chris and I give you everything, don't we? We give here, and here, and here, and......" And God said this "I know you trust me with 100% of your lives but do you trust me with 100% of your money- be obedient to my Word"

Well.... there's really no arguing with that statement. God's Word is it and God made it impossible for us to gloss over that part any longer. So my husband and I talked and we decided to say ok. So we immediately started being intentional with our giving and really making sure that we gave 10% to the church before anything else. This was hard for us because we are very poor right now. My husband has been out of work and I've been struggling with finding consistent business AND we didn't curb our giving from the missions and things we already gave to- we just started taking that out of the 90% God let us keep.

So how is it going? Are we broke yet? Well......

It's been two weeks since we started this experiment and God has worked some amazing miracles:

1. My husband who's been out of work since August was offered a great job
2. My income from my own business (I do photography and creative services) has increased 450%
3. We somehow have managed to catch up on nearly every bill we have
4. Our stress level has gone from 100 to -50 because we are no longer fighting about money
5. Our faith has increased and we want to give more than ever before!

I'm not going to say that things work this quickly for everyone, but this is our experience. God has always taken care of us, but when we are intentionally obedient to His Word, his blessings grow even more.

At the end of the message, Pastor Tim challenged everyone to a 3 month tithe challenge. Basically, tithe 10% intentionally for 3 months and see what God does. I encourage anyone that reads this to watch that message and take the challenge- you won't be sorry! God never fails.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21 ESV

 

 

Go ahead and jump

It's no secret that I love photography. Ever since I first stepped into a dark room in high school I have been in love with the entire art form. (yes as in a real dark room where we developed real film- gosh I'm getting old!)

I always dreamt of doing something more with my passion but it never felt like the right time until now. You see I never found my niche in photography until I had kids. It's having kids and photographing them throughout the years that made me realize where my real passion lies. Capturing families and children has become something that I truly love to do, so I've decided to take the leap and begin my own photography business. I've decided to call it Upward Photography (yes totally jacking the name of this blog) and I will focus on providing creative, modern and affordable family and lifestyle photography.

If you know me personally, this is not a shock. I have been bouncing this around for years and if you have kids I've probably taken pictures of them but it wasn't until recently that I finally had the confidence to make the leap. I have no clue where this will lead me but I know it's what I need to be doing.

So be on the lookout in the next week as I launch my website, FB page, and start marketing, and by all means, help me spread the word!

Take It All

Well these last few months have been crazy to say the least. Year after year I'm learning that the only thing I can depend on is God and as soon as I begin to depend on anything else, He has no problem turning my world on end to remind me of that.

Yes, life has been very hard over the last few months but this blog isn't to drone on about what's been going wrong- it's to celebrate what has come out of it all. Years ago I was listening to someone read a little devotional book. To this day I don't remember which one but I do remember what he said.