Tuesday, May 26, 2009

5 weeks.....

This past week was my first true southern experience. I spent the first half of the week at a writer's conference in Asheville, North Carolina, and the weekend in Nashville, Tennessee (I promise the rhyming was unintentional.)

It was a good week, filled with conversations, people watching, and the phrase's ''y'all'' and "fixin''. I love seeing how other people live, and found the laid-back vibe of Nashville quite charming.

It's hard to believe, but in only five weeks I will be returning to the Africa Mercy for 6 months. I'm not sure where the time goes. But it is going.

I should probably start thinking about what I need to pack.... :)

Friday, May 15, 2009

unbranded beauty (video)

This is a part of the Unbranded Beauty project I have been working on for the past few weeks. The Crosswalk Jr. High God's Princess is this weekend (really, who doesn't want to be called a princess :), so after I sleep for a few hours, I will be heading over to church to set everything up. This is a little video montage I put together for the event.

It's been really inspiring to interview and photograph so many different women, and discover the loveliness of their hearts. And I'm sort of amazed that everything came together in only a few weeks...that's just the Lord :)


Monday, May 11, 2009

watercolor flowers




I love the abstract and the colorful. While enjoying the flowers on my patio, I tried to make these photos look like watercolors.
more here

Sunday, May 10, 2009

self interview

For the past few weeks, I have been working on a project called unbranded beauty. I have interviewed 30 women about beauty, and they have all been wonderfully honest and vulnerable. As I try to wrap things up, it was time for me to interview myself. And since I wouldn't want to ask someone to do something I wouldn't do myself, here are the answers:

Megan

What do you think beauty is?
Beauty is a glimmer of eternal perfection, woven through our fallen world, which leads us to acknowledge and glorify it’s Author and Source. When I see something beautiful, in a person, a piece of art, a conversation, or a place, it awakens a longing in my heart for heaven.

Do you think your beautiful?
When I remember I am precious to the Lord, and so loved by Him, I think I’m beautiful. Otherwise, I lose my confidence, feel insecure, and become fearful of being rejected by others. When I feel this way, I am unable to be vulnerable, with God and people, and I miss out on the intimacy and love which vulnerability creates. I am learning how to find my confidence in Christ, and realizing I can fully be myself in Him, without any fears.

When do you feel the most beautiful?
When I am driving fast down the highway with my windows down, the wind is blowing through my hair, and I am singing loudly to song on the radio. I feel free, unrestrained, and completely uninhibited to be myself.

What do you wish women knew about real beauty?
That “beautiful” and “sexy” are not the same things. Sadly, even amongst Christians, those terms are used interchangeably. The word sexy means, “intending to arouse sexual desire,” something that’s encouraged and applauded by our culture. We can be sexy through our attire, what and how we say things, our body language, and out attitudes. But beauty is much deeper and very different than that. It’s a unique expression God seen in an individual. It’s not an attitude that can be put on and off, it’s a structural component of a someone’s essence. On an given night you can walk into a club in any city in the world and find dozen’s of women who are “sexy.” But to meet a woman who is truly beautiful, is a rare encounter. And when you meet her, she is easily recognizable.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Treat your mother right

As we approach Mother's Day, don't forget to treat your mother right. Mr. T. never forgot.