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ANGELIC NOVEMBER 201 6
ANGELIC NOVEMBER 2ù16
JESUS. MUSIC. FASHION.
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OUR STORY MAGAZINE IS A MONTHLY PRINT AND DIGITAL PUBLICATION THAT BLENDS MUSIC, FASHION AND THE REAL STORIES OF PEOPLE SEEKING TO LIVE FOR JESUS. WE BEGAN IN SEPTEMBER OF 2013 FEATURING CONTENT SOLEY FROM THE SOUTHWEST OF THE UNITED STATES AND SINCE OUR BEGINNING, WE'VE SPREAD TO NOW FEATURE EDITORIAL CONTENT FROM THE PACIFIC TO THE ATLANTIC, AND BEYOND. WE HAVE READERS ABROAD COMING FROM PARTS OF EUROPE, SOUTH AMERICA, ASIA AND AUSTRALIA. ANGELIC HAS A MAGAZINE NAME BUT WE ARE A MINISTRY FOCUSED ON FEARLESSLY PROCLAIMING JESUS. WE SPOTLIGHT MUSICIANS AND BANDS WHO HEARTS STRIVE TO BEAT WITH HIS. WE FEATURE FASHION PHOTO-SHOOTS WITH PHOTOGRAPHER'S, STYLISTS AND MODELS WHO DESIRE TO PROFRESS THEIR FAITH IN HIM. OUR ARTICLES ARE GUIDED BY THE BIBLE. WE HIGHLIGHT ORGANIZATIONS AND MINISTRIES WHO FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH. THE TESTIMONIES WRITTEN ARE FILLED WITH WORDS OF REDEMPTION AND GRACE. WE DESIRE TO STEP INTO THE WORLD AND BRING THE WORLD BACK TO JESUS. WE ARE NOT A RELIGIOUS MAGAZINE. WE STAND FOR JESUS.
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“Kaytie…” I hear my name being called. I h are bigger than myself. Bigger than anything myself silencing that voice. Hearing Him cal dipping my toe in, getting my feet wet, and y Just as Jesus called his disciples onto the Calling us to walk with Him, to trust Him and being bold and unafraid while trusting him, but once doubt and disbelief break into my he surface. Time and time again, Jesus is there, catchin Jesus is there, ready to meet us right wher majesty and everything He could do with trusting Him! Whatever is pulling you under today, know holding you back on the boat and not letting of those chains, and go out onto the water. waves.
Read and reflect on Matthew 14:22-33. • What is something holding yo • What things could you accomp • What is Jesus calling you to do • Knowing you could not sink, w
tional E GAUS
hear my name being called to do things that my little mind could imagine, and yet, I find ll me to walk with Him, on the waters. I start yet retracting myself, allowing fear to set in. water, He is calling you and I out there too. d to take a risk to be with Him. I find myself getting further into the waters step by step, eart, I feel myself sinking deeper beneath the
ng my hand before I slip too far. re we are. Ready to show us his mystery and us and through us, just by believing and
w that He will pull you right out. Whatever is g you take a risk to be with Jesus, break free Jesus is ready to walk with us through the
ou back on the shore? plish by trusting God? o on the waters? what would you accomplish to glorify God?
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MINISTRIES, CHURCHES & ORGANIZATIONS PARTICIPATING IN UNITE PHOENIX: RENEW PHX INTEGRITY WORSHIP NETWORK CITY VIEW CHURCH PINK LIPSTICK FOUNDATION THE SOTERIA INITIATIVE CALVARY COMMUNITY CHURCH - YOUNG ADULTS STRENGTH & COURAGE PROJECT RED LIGHT REBELLION KAYTIE MAY MINISTRIES MAKING ME NEW MINISTRY YOUNG LIFE - ASU MAIN CAMPUS NEUE THING HOPE4ASU CHURCH SUN COAST BIBLE MINISTRY PRISM WOMEN SGR Media S PECIAL T HANK YOU TO B RUCE B ARONE FOR HIS S UPPORT AND B ELIEF IN THIS CONCERT
Sav
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY GOMEZ MODELS
:
LINDSAY AND ALEX
LOCATION
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NEW ALBANY
,
INDIANA
PHOTOGRAPHE R INTE RVIE W
ANGELIC: How does Jesus inspire you as a photographer? Gomez: My Christianity informs my photography in that I strive to see every person with whom I interact as a living, breathing piece of art made in the image of God. I try to approach my clients holistically, considering mind, body and soul, in order to best capture this beauty in one snapshot and show them a glimpse of what I see. Whether I’m photographing joy or grief, the most beautiful photos to me are the ones that capture humans as fathomless souls, not just pretty faces. ANGELIC: What is the best part about being a new mom? Gomez: The nicest parts about being a new mom are the baby smiles when my son wakes up, and the feeling of his breath on my neck when I hold him as he falls asleep at night. The best part about being a new mom is also the hardest part. I could not have comprehended depending on Jesus as I do now without the insane vulnerability that exists when my entire heart feels like it dwells within this tiny person outside my body. I have learned to trust, cry, and be thankful to God in a way that I have never thought possible. Being a new mom is growing me, albeit painfully, closer to my Savior and that is the best thing I could ask. ANGELIC: If you could photograph anyone past or present, what 1 person would you photograph and why? Gomez: I’m cheating a little on the quantity, but I would photograph my grandparents (all four of them, because I could never choose just one). They were each so vibrant, so full of stories and wisdom and quirks. I was too young to value them as much as I would now if I could sit with them again. I would photograph my MeeMee arranging her flowers in the light of their screened-in porch while my Poppy pretends to scowl at me, eventually cracking with a smirk and an eye twinkle. I would photograph my Grandpa in his workshop, and the warmth of his gaze amidst the sunlit particles of floating sawdust. I would photograph my Grandma - an avid hiker and world traveler – free of pain and full of life, pausing for a rare water break as she surveys the blue mountains she loves. Their faces and voices in the detail that I recall them are fading from my memory and it breaks my heart. ANGELIC: What is the best part about being a wife? Gomez: The best part about being a wife is growing closer to my husband, despite life. Marriage is overwhelmingly difficult, but by the grace of God we grow more seriously and richly together with each hardship, rather than breaking apart. I used to think that it was so unromantic that love be considered a choice. Now I know that it is the greatest romance to choose each other
KELL Y GOMEZ P H O T O G R A P H E R // A B I L E N E , T X
over and over again, and to stay even when the honeymoon ends and the real journey begins. ANGELIC: If you could ask Jesus one question and He had to give you the answer to it, what one question would you ask and why? Gomez: I’m an RN as well as a photographer, and I have seen suffering beyond that which has touched my own life. The only question I was asked over and over again was, “Why?” Why now? Why the way their loved one was ripped so sharply from them and this life? Why the false hope or the missed goodbye? There was nothing that I could ever say to my patients who asked this question that was an answer, nor should I have. I know that it’s not for us to know in this life, but I look forward to Heaven and seeing the missing parts of our stories that make sense of that question. ANGELIC: Why are you passionate about photography? Gomez: I am passionate about photography because I am passionate about storytelling. I love people and life is short, so I find incredible joy and purpose in helping my subjects to embrace their raw beauty and emotion in a way that, when captured, will bring to mind exactly how that moment felt in vivid detail. I encourage everyone to put the front-facing camera away and to take more genuine photos intentionally with the people you love, to capture the way it feels when you hold them tight. Do not wait for the right hair/makeup/weight/timing. Years from now, when you look back at your new baby’s wrinkly face, your mom’s laughter, your dad’s bear hug…it will be everything and more. Good photography gives the incredible gift of the hint of a pause in this whirlwind of life. It’s such a crazy responsibility and wondrous thing.
NAN SYLVE PHOENIX, AZ
I
’m an Arizona native, desert rat.... I like beautiful blue, clear , calm, refreshing pool water. I like to see where my feet are touching, and what they’re touching, so it won’t surprise you that as a young girl I was so frightened by the ocean. Was it the uncertainty, the roar of the crashing waves, the danger it represents, the scary creatures we can’t see, or its sheer immense? I don’t know, but whenever we vacationed there as children, I held tight to my daddy’s hand. Fast forward several years -- life happens. Like the ocean it crashes with depression and anxiety. It’s dangerous, deployments to warring places. Its scary creatures become diseases that aren’t easy for myself and others. Life becomes so vast, a sea of moves, decisions, life changes, loneliness. But whose hand am I holding now? As a younger “Christian” woman did I truly know my daddy, my Abba Father , the Creator, the Holy God? Or perhaps the truer story is, I really didn’t. I sat in church, hearing the words, singing the hymns, basically out of obedience to my parents. No relationship with Jesus. Not trusting Him with my life, yet. Like Peter, Mathew 14:22-33, I doubted, didn’t trust the Lord to be in control of my life. He’d ask me to take a step and “Come”. So I stepped just a little, but kept firm control of my feet. So many times Jesus, would say, “Come” through depression, moving, uncertainty and again I would step a little further, a little more faith and trust in Him, but not total surrender. A rogue wave will come out of nowhere. Life will hit you out of nowhere. In a matter of a couple of years my dad passed away, two of my kids married, husband started traveling for work, breast cancer gene diagnosis, an unwed pregnancy for one daughter, and terrible loneliness. Depression and anxiety set in with a vengeance. Life became mundane, sleepless nights, and a lot of just plain worrying about “me”. But God........But God in his most loving and caring way was there whispering, “trust me.” The song, “Just Be Held” by Casting Crowns was His gift. One verse goes: And when you’re tired of fighting, Chained by your control, There’s freedom in surrender, Lay it down and let it go. That’s what I did. One foot at a time, one step at a time I walked toward Jesus, trusting Him with my life. His Word kept revealing His promises to me. Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declared the Lord, “plans to
ESTER "I HAVE LEARNED TO LOOK FOR JESUS BETWEEN THE WAVES AND TRUST HIS PLAN FOR MY LIFE. " prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Every one of God’s promises of His love and faithfulness are there, right in His Word. Was this digging out of depression easy? “No!” But God never promises our lives would be easy. There’s going to be rough water. But, ”Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” While this bout of depression and anxiety didn’t come in one day, it didn’t go away in a day either. God led me to caring doctors and counselors. The right medications and counseling helped, but I also got to share with them where my hope was truly found. Hebrews 6:19. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” I was starting to see how the Lord was using these trials for His glory! The other “setbacks” that had caused me to go into this downward spiral were also causes for praise. My husband’s continuous travel, has afforded me with frequent flyer miles to take trips I could only dream about. That little baby that wasn’t planned -- was planned by God. She and two more little cousins give Grammy such unconditional love. Life doesn’t get much better than one of their bear hugs! The breast cancer gene I carried wasn’t a death sentence. It was just a part of me that needed to be routinely checked several times a year. The gift in that is that I am privileged to encourage women to be proactive in their health care. Instead of looking for the “curses” in the trials, I saw blessings! Now, every day is not easy, this storm called life still produces some treacherous waters. Even so, I have learned to look for Jesus between the waves and trust His plan for my life. As this desert native has found out, walking a beach after a hurricane or squall reveals many treasures from the depths of the ocean. Just as Jesus promises, we will find our blessings after trusting Him through the major storms of our life.
Sing to God PHOTOGRAPHY BY BREE COTA MODEL LOCATION
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:
MOLLY
PHOENIX
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AZ
DATING RULES B Y ANDREA MARLOWE
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex. Your workmanship is marvelous- how well I know it. - Psalms 139:14
I’ve read this verse so many times, taking in the truth of how complex we are as humans, as children of God, and as individuals. But lately this verse has taken on an entirely new meaning. I often credit God for how beautifully unique He has made me, and even how complex He has made others, but rarely do I take into account what that actually might mean for relationships. Two complex beings coming together to form a new complex dynamic is not at all simple. But I always expected it to be so easy, without complication. If you are in Christian circles, you’ve probably heard that when God is in the center of your relationship everything flows, works, and moves forward with ease. But how can this be true? By nature, the relationships we create, build and maintain are just as unique and wonderfully complex as we are individually. They are wonderfully made, but never wonderfully as simple or easy as many would like us to think. I spent six years of my life in ridiculously disgusting, abusive and destructive relationships, ironically thinking they could fulfill me. I came back to Christ knowing my perception and understanding of relationships, especially romantic ones, was something I had to redefine completely. I spent almost five years working on myself. I poured myself into scripture, serving and dedication to anything I felt was God’s call on my life. During this time, I felt my faith was maturing as well as my newfound ideals of how to define a healthy, godly relationship. So in the waiting for Mr. Man (that was his name when I prayed for him), I developed a list of deal breakers; things I knew could not provide a successful relationship for me. I developed a list of must haves; things I knew I needed in a relationship. It seemed so simple. It was so cut and dry. I felt so sure God was going to provide a man who fit the mold of both lists I had created. I had finally determined what standard and caliber of a man I deserved to be with as a daughter of God; and what kind of woman I should be in order to find Him. This whole relationship should be a piece of cake, right? (Wrong)
HAVE STANDARDS. HAVE EXPECTATIONS. BUT FRIENDS, DON’T HAVE HARD AND FAST RULES THAT ARE UNBREAKABLE. GOD WILL TURN THEM OVER, FLIP THEM INSIDE OUT AND BREAK EACH ONE. Recently, I began dating someone and it wasn’t long before I had to rip up both of those very list I had been so determined to follow. We each brought our own history and life stories to the table and these presented challenging ideas of love, relationships, and even God to the mix. Our foundations aligned so well. We both wanted to follow God and were determined to follow Him together, but the details and paths we took to reach Him appeared so different. Neither completely wrong nor right; just different. But God used these differences to force both of us to humble ourselves enough to acknowledge that just because something didn’t fit our prior perception, didn’t mean it wasn’t true. We had to be open to learning about one another, and from one another. God has created each of us uniquely, and given us each completely different paths to walk in life. If we want to join paths with another person who is just as complex as we are, we have to be ready for the challenge of what that looks like. Humility becomes the new standard. The caliber in which we choose to define our relationship goes beyond what now appears to be the simplistic factors of financial decisions, vocations, marriage; it goes deeper to the complexity of whether our hearts can align with one another enough to say ‘I’m choosing to see it your way, even though I’ve never considered that before. I’m choosing to see what God has shown you, that perhaps He has not yet shown me.’ Have standards. Have expectations. But friends, don’t have hard and fast rules that are unbreakable. God will turn them over, flip them inside out and break each one. As strong as these rules appear, they can be detrimental to allowing your heart to be open and flexible to the unity a relationship should express. God is a god of complexity beyond us. We are even more complex than we realize. So expect that when you build a godly relationship, it will resemble the one who created it. It will have its complexities, along with its humbling challenges. It will have such a uniqueness all its own, but that’s when you know it too, was wonderfully made.
The Journey
T
"A DVENTURE, IN THE THICK OF IT, LOOKS LIKE MISSED FLIGHTS AND REJECTED PROPOSALS, LATE NIGHTS AND NEVER ENOUGH COFFEE. BUT RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, THIS JOURNEY CALLS OUT TO BE FULLY EXPERIENCED, BOTH THE JOY AND THE PAIN OF IT. " BY E M I L Y S E N F F
o the one who wishes life would slow down and speed up all at the same time. The journey is a beautiful place to be. It doesn’t always feel like it, that’s certain. In the midst of it all, notice the process for what it is: a collision of growth and grace. His desire for you is a life so full of adventure that will have you saying, “God is so good”. Adventure, in the thick of it, looks like missed flights and rejected proposals, late nights and never enough coffee. But right here, right now, this journey calls out to be fully experienced, both the joy and the pain of it. This moment is not for nothing. You become who you are because of the what God brings you through. This life is our greatest adventure. It can be so easy to focus on perfection instead of progress, that’s certain. In the midst of it all, notice the pauses. See how the sun lights up the sky every morning and the crisp autumn air brings life into your bones. This challenge isn’t new for God. He isn’t afraid of our questions and our fears and our dreams. When we press in, He shows us what it looks like to live fully, with every fiber of our being and every inch of our heart. Even the broken parts. Especially the broken parts. To the one who wishes life would slow down and speed up all at the same time, You are right where you need to be. Take hold of the courage, and do the thing you have to do to get to the tomorrows and the somedays. They’re not as far away as you might think. God is walking with you, giving you peace for the path you’re walking down and passion for the road ahead. We’re rooting for you, too.
Cho
sen
Set free PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELISSA SOULE LOCATION
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SOCAL
MELISSA S OULE PHOTOGRAPHER
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S OCAL
"THE TRUEST FREEDOM YOU COULD EVER EXPERIENCE IS WHEN YOU LAY IT ALL DOWN, AND BEGIN TO LIVE A LIFE FREE FROM SIN. "
In March of 1990, my seventeen-year-old mother found out she
was pregnant. Although I was not planned, God had a plan for my life. Going against many different peoples advice to abort me, she chose that my existence was worth it. At five years old my mom asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I told her “I want to serve God.” Coming from a little girl that hardly ever was in church (except the Mormon church we went to on Christmas), this was a very odd thing for me to say. You know, as an adult, that’s still exactly all I want to do as I grow up. When I was ten-years-old, we visited a non-denominational Christian church for the first time. I remember someone asking me if I wanted to have a relationship with Jesus. To my knowledge, I had never been asked that before, but I knew there was nothing more that I wanted. I asked Jesus to be the Lord over my life and to be in my heart. My life was forever changed at that moment. I followed Jesus with everything I had and preached/spoke about Him whenever I could until I was seventeen. The Summer of my Junior year while on vacation, I was raped. Although I had been molested as a child, I still held on so strongly to my virginity. Losing my virginity (although not by choice), made me feel completely inadequate ever to speak about Jesus or purity again. I felt dirty and ashamed, I felt so far from God. In my mind, I thought “I choose to drink alcohol,” “I choose to go to that party,” so I “deserved” what had happened to me. For six months I kept that inside of myself without telling a soul. I cut off my relationship with most of my friends, I started partying, and I turned to pot and alcohol to try to help mask what I was actually going through. This lifestyle lasted years. Every few months I would “come back to God” and try to live the straight and narrow life. Sometimes this would last a year, sometimes only a month, but somehow sin just kept pulling me back into that bondage. It wasn't until about two years ago that I laid my whole life down to God and gave up absolutely everything. I had heard about an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico where a friend had some contacts. A few days later I was driven across the border by myself with a man that didn't speak English. Although logically this was completely idiotic, I had this insanely crazy peace about it all.
The trip was only supposed to be four days, but I knew the day I arrived that this was the only place I wanted to be. I went back over the border, got my car and some belongings, and headed back down for what I thought was going to be an indefinite move. I had the privilege of becoming an instant mother to 6 little girls. Durning my time there, I gave up my photography business, I gave up my comforts of America (like speaking the same language as anyone around me), I gave up my own living space for sharing a bedroom with 6 girls (and sleeping on a bunk bed), I gave up my health (sick for 3 straight months, while having head lice as well), and I gave up my desire for a relationship. For the first time I had absolutely nothing I was holding onto, I gave everything to the Lord. Four months into living in Tijuana, I started realizing there were some sketchy things happening within the organization, and I no longer felt that it was wise (or safe) for me to stay there any longer. Although I was heartbroken to leave (and confused), God started showing me that I wasn't meant to stay there forever, but that there were some very important things that I needed to learn in that time. Since I laid everything down and came back to America, God gave me back every single thing I had laid down and MORE. My business increased, I have a beautiful place I call home, I’ve been healthier than ever, I have the greatest relationships I’ve ever had, and God brought a man into my life that became my husband. It’s amazing what can happen when you choose to lay down your desires for your life and let God lead you. Many people think that freedom is being able to do whatever you want, but living for yourself creates the greatest bondage you could ever be in. The truest freedom you could ever experience is when you lay it ALL down, and begin to live a life free from sin.
GOOD HAIR DAYS DON'T JUST H A P P E N , B@YT LH AE SUTRYELNI SPTRL AA TU HR EE NR THEY'RE SCHEDULED Good Hair Days A bad haircut, a horrible color, or better yet: both. Everyone has had it happen to them. You have a vision of what you want and you end up with something horrific that makes you feel like your hair isn’t even a part of you anymore. Just some unwanted foreign object on your head. Bad technique is not always to blame. More often than not it is a failure in communication that causes a horrible hair outcome. As a stylist I wanted to share a few basic tips that might help you avoid a bad experience. Don’t surprise your stylist. Want to do a major color transformation? Great! Don’t wait until your appointment time to surprise your stylist with this news. If we have done your hair before we generally know how long it will take to complete your usual hair service. If you come in wanting a total transformation, we may not have time to do everything that needs to be done to achieve the look you are going for. By giving your stylist a heads up we can book enough time to make sure you get the best results. Pictures are great! Sometimes you can have a very detailed conversation, and completely feel like you are on the same page, but in fact be in completely different novels. Pictures are a great way to communicate what you want without having to try and learn a bunch of hairdresser lingo. I love it when clients have previously picked out pictures of what they have been thinking about doing. That being said, it’s best to limit it to three pictures. More than that generally tends to bring vast differences in what you are trying to communicate. Book a Consultation. Most salons and independent stylists have no problem booking a consultation before committing to a hair appointment. If you are in the market for a new hairdresser it is really hard to find someone you like. Booking a consultation will allow you to meet your potential stylist, ask any questions you may have, and get an accurate quote on pricing. It’s very difficult to
"I HAD A GIRL IN MY CHAIR TELL ME SHE WANTED MORE LAYERS. THE GIRL HAD MORE LAYERS THAN BON JOVI, AND I HONESTLY DIDN’T KNOW HOW ADDING ANY MORE WOULD BE POSSIBLE. " give accurate pricing over the phone having never seen the person or clearly know what they want/need. A consultation usually takes around 10 minutes, and it alleviates the anxiety of taking a chance on someone new. Be Honest! Have you box dyed your hair in the past?? That’s ok, just let us know. Even if you feel like it has completely faded out, that doesn’t mean it’s not still in your hair. Knowing what your hair has previously been through is important. In the spirit of being honest, if you really want to try something, tell us! Sometimes I feel like clients are too timid to tell me what they really want done with their hair and they are secretly hoping that by saying “I don’t know do what you want” I will figure it out. I would love to make your hair dreams come true! Be Direct. I had a girl in my chair tell me she wanted more layers. The girl had more layers than Bon Jovi, and I honestly didn’t know how adding any more would be possible. After further discussion, she told me that she thought more layers would add more volume. The Bon Jovi haircut was a result of her telling her previous stylist that she wanted more and more layers when she wasn’t getting the volume she desired. It is an amazing feeling to find a hairdresser who gets you. From a hairdresser’s point of view, we cherish the relationships we have with our clients. We love to get to know you throughout the years, hear about your life experiences, and watch you and your family grow. Hopefully these tips will help you find your perfect hairdresser or communicate with your current one with ease. I wish you many good hair days to come!
DIANA PERDE S OUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Choldingonstantthe most cries filled the room as I stood there beautiful brown haired, black eyed
baby. Cold concrete walls and floors caving in around me. My heart ached as I realized the pain that plagued the rooms of the orphanage I stood in. Many of the children too young to even comprehend the reality surrounding them, while others knew exactly that the classification of “abandoned and orphaned� would forever identify them. So many innocent lives desperate for someone to call them their own, yet no one willing or available to do so. It was that weekend, those children, that moment that forever changed how I would live my life. I had vowed then and there that I would stand in the gap for those broken, hurting, and forgotten. I didn't know it then but it would be that experience that would launch me into social justice advocacy. Fast forward fourteen years later, the desire and longing burns even greater than it did as a sixteen year old girl holding the sweetest baby girl in a lonely orphanage in Mexico. For the last eleven years, God has called me to serve in and lead short term missions in Honduras. My heart feels something deeper than what my eyes can see; I feel the pain. I feel the hurt. I feel the brokenness. No child, no human, no one should ever be subjected to such poverty and injustices. Not in Honduras. Not in America. Not anywhere. Year after year, I step foot on the soil of the country known as 'The Murder Capital of the World.' Often times I'm questioned why I go. "But if not me, then who?" I respond. Sometimes confidently. Sometimes weary, worried, and questioning as well. But who will go if I am not willing to? Over the years, God has shown me that the greatest thing we can do for mankind is to do something. Anything. He is calling us to go. Even in moments of doubt, fear, and worry, He says 'Go.' People need us to go because people need Jesus. This burning to share His love with the people and children of Honduras has also been coupled with the desire to share the message of sexual integrity with young girls overseas and at home.
Seeing so many 'something teen' girls trapped in sexual impurity is heartbreaking. Their view of 'true love' has been undeniably twisted by a culture driven by immediate gratification, sensuality, male dominance, and a constant searching for self-worth in another human. I've spoken to countless adolescent girls whose lives have been scarred by a skewed mentality of love. Each of them searching for something they think can be fulfilled by someone else. But the truth is, what they're searching for can only be found in Christ. This message is fueled by a longing to see young woman live out their calling fully as they walk with Jesus. I have made this my lifelong covenant to love, give, and reach out. I can't forget the despair that has stared me in the face through the eyes of a six year old living in the city dump. I can't forget the warm embrace of a pregnant thirteen year old deeply longing to be loved by a Greater Love than the fleeting lust of an unfaithful human. I can't forget the pain I saw in the raw and calloused hands of a ten year old boy working to make ends meet for his family's survival. It is because of these people that I go. My heart can't rest knowing people are perishing not knowing Jesus, that innocent children are suffering a myriad of injustices, and that poverty is claiming innumerable lives as its own. I choose to fight on behalf of the broken-hearted, giving voice to their silent cries. I pray that I can continue to be the person who invades city dumps and dilapidated villages offering everlasting Hope and Love. I must charge forward because the world needs Jesus. I must go because if not me, then who?
Trust
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MADELINE MULLENBACH MODEL LOCATION
:
:
LEXINGTON
,
KY
HE IS NOT MEANT TO BE FULLY UNDERSTOOD, BUT FULLY LOVED AND TRUSTED. WE HAVE THE TENDENCY TO FOCUS TOO MUCH ON
TRYING TO BRING GOD DOWN TO OUR LEVEL, AND IT’ S NOT POSSIBLE. PHOTOGRAPHED AND WRITTEN B Y MADELINE MULLENB ACH
W e have the tendency to focus too much on trying to bring God down to our level, and it’s not possible. He is literally the Creator of all: He is the one that formed the skies and put every
star in its specific place. He is the one who has the ability and creativity to craft things as big as mountains and as vast as oceans, but also to create human beings in all of their complexity. And He did. Trying to fully comprehend God is impossible; He is not meant to be fully understood, but fully loved and trusted. Why is it that we feel this need to fully understand God? No doubt it stems from our selfish desire to know all, to rely on ourselves. But there is beauty in the curiousity and in the unknown. If we were created to be all-knowing, our relationship with Christ would not be dependent on our faith in Him. Because of our faith in Him, we can be confident in the present, even if the answers we crave are not always present. We like answers. We like to know what we need to do for tomorrow, and the next day and for the next week. We like to be the ones in control. But what if we could confide in our faith in Him? We could do away with the worry and the stress of the unknown, and instead recognize the beauty in it. There is so much beauty in living in the moment, in living with complete and total faith that He is in control and we will never be. I may not completely understand my season, or the struggle with creativity, but I do know in full that God is in it all, so it has purpose. And He will never fail to reveal His beauty in photographs, in people or in where we have been placed. We have the opportunity to be confident in our faith and in God’s love and provision over us. Why are we trying to grab the reigns from the reigning King? I don’t want to know everything, and I don’t need to. But I do know that He is here now, and that’s all I need.
Lov
ved
Hope PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY GOMEZ MODEL
:
SARA WILLIAMS
LOCATION
:
ABILENE
,
TX
Purpose PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRITTANY WILSON MODEL LOCATION
:
:
OLIVIA WESTERFIELD COLORADO SPRINGS
,
CO
Brittany Wilson COLORADO S PRINGS , CO
"IF GOD CAN USE ME TO BRING EVEN ONE PERSON TO HIS KINGDOM THEN THIS DISEASE WILL BE WORTH IT."
For as long as I can remember I have loved photography. I used to make my five siblings model for me at the park down the street. And in those days I got to develop my own images in the darkroom. It was like magic watching my images appear before my eyes in the trays of chemicals. As I got older, I embraced digital (even though I still have a deep love for film). I took photography classes in school and loved every minute. The day I decided I wanted photography to be my career is very clear in my mind. My little sister had passed away suddenly in a car accident and the last time I saw her was at my wedding. The day she died my wedding pictured came in the mail. The last picture in my gallery was her kissing me goodbye. That was it. I knew I needed to capture these priceless cherished memories for others. So began my career. I love every single shoot. Even the hard ones…because I know that this is a priceless heirloom, and it makes my heart happy. Fast forward a few years to this past summer. I had started slurring my words. What started as a night I was having difficulty getting my words out which I attributed to being exhausted turned in full all slurring. This scared me. It scared me enough to lay my toddler down for her nap and let my husband know I was heading to the emergency room. I did not know why I was slurring, but I knew something big was wrong. On my drive to the emergency room I had a conversation with God. Through my tears I begged him to be with me through whatever this was. I told Him how scared I was and that I needed Him. I firmly believe God brought nurses into my life that night that were patient, kind and very understanding of my irrational fear of all things having to do with needles. I had a ton of tests run, and during each one I felt His hand on me. While in that tiny MRI machine when I had a moment of feeling completely and utterly overwhelmed and alone He sent me a song. Danny Gokey sang what God needed me to hear:
“Beginning. Just let that word wash over you. It's alright now. Love's healing hands have pulled you through. So get back up, take step one. Leave the darkness, feel the sun. Cause your story's far from over. And your journey's just begun” Que the tears. I have never felt so convinced that God was holding me in the palm of His hand. Amidst the chaos and uncertainty I knew that whatever the diagnosis was, He would use me for His glory. A half hour later the Emergency room doctor came in and calm sat next to me. He opened my scans and turned to me and said “So, you have MS”. BAM! There it was. The sentence that seemed to float on the air between us. I don’t know how long it lingered there before the conversation continued. The conversation that consisted of what specialists I would see next and what this meant for me. I have been asked so many questions. “Are you scared?”, Have you cried and grieved yet?”, “Why does this kind of stuff happen to you?”. I can honestly say that I have felt a sense of peace. Is this disease scary? Yes, very much so. Have I cried? Yes, I have wept so loud that sounds unfamiliar to me were erupting from my tear soaked face. Why does this happen? Well, I don’t have the answers for that. I know that God isn’t standing around in heaven deciding who to dole out diseases to. I know we are are a fallen people and that sin and disease are aftermath of that day in the Garden when we chose to disobey God and therefore separated ourselves from Him. Am I angry? No. I know this is bigger than me. I know God is the one that created me and loves me more that I can fathom. Good things will come from this. If God can use me to bring even one person to His kingdom then this disease will be worth it.