lord undo me.

Tags

Blake Williams, faith, JD Chandler, k-love, K-love radio, postaweek2011, prayer

I heard this prayer on k-love radio this morning.. and I really felt compelled to share it. You can either listen to the prayer said by JD Chandler- one of the k-love radio DJs.. here or you can read it below. Whatever you choose to do.. make sure you let each word sink in. Turn off any music playing..or the TV.. shut the door of your office or your bedroom.. remove all distractions and really let these words resonate in your heart. May this not only be the prayer you say today.. but the prayer you say everyday for the rest of your life.

“Lord Undo Me” By: Blake Williams

I don’t really worship these day
I don’t really stand up to praise you with songs
Or prayers or actions
or with anything
I am full of all the right moves
I am full of all the right words
I am full of all the right religion
But it is all just illusion
I am really
Lonely
Lost
Calloused
Jaded
Cynical
Too religious
Too realistic
and well really just to lazy
to worship you anymore
I have lost my first love
I have lost the joy of your presence
But most of all I have lost the fear of your glory

Father I need to see you again
Like Isaiah I want to stand in awe of your glory
To fall down at your feet
To come face to face with your
Perfection,
Radiance,
Goodness,
Holiness,
Awesomeness
I want to stand before you and see you for who you are
and me for who I am
I want to be undone

I want to know me for who I really am
I want to see the depths of my heart
And know that you are the only way
You are the only truth
You are the only life
I want to see me and understand
What it really must have taken for you to
Love me
Care for me
See me
Speak to me
Want me
Communicate with me
Die for me
Die for me
Die for me

Lord, I want to stand in that place where all I can see is your glory
And my sin
Because in that place I can’t help but worship you.
Lord let me come undone
Undo my heart
Lord, undo my heart
break down these walls that I love so much
No, wait don’t,
I’m scared I don’t know if I can handle this
don’t
But I can’t live this way anymore
I can’t stand here in this half-life
this going through the motions life
this not really alive life
Father, I need you so come in and do what you must
Cut out the tumor on my heart
Break down the walls that I love
Lord let me come undone
Undo my heart
let me worship you again

Amen…

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a hesitation to share.

So without going into too much detail… I have a friend (yes, I actually do have real life friends that aren’t furry creatures).. that is going through a pretty difficult time. His marriage is on the rocks and he’s struggling to find any hope. Without prying too much, I asked him how he was doing and talked with him briefly about the entire situation. And at the end of the conversation, I wanted to be able to offer him some kind of hope.. some way for him to see even the teensy amount of light at the end of the tunnel. Well, no such luck. Dont’cha hate that? You want to offer the person some kind of uplifting advice and you go blank, you ain’t got nothing.. nada. zip. xelch. You get the idea.

So, before getting off the phone with him, I simply said… “well, is there anything I can do?” (As if I could wave some magical wand and make everything better..) He politely declined (because after all, he knew my magical tank of power was empty). And so I said something to the effect of.. “Well, I’ll be praying for you and everything.” Yeah.. and everything. That’s pretty much what I said. It’s only because I felt awkward saying it. I mean.. I’ve said it before- like a zillion times, but I’m not sure I’ve ever said it to someone without knowing whether they even believed in God. It was kinda one of those- “oh crap, I hope he’s not buddhist or atheist.. well, even they need praying so.. well, crap…either way, it’s too late now” moments. Ever had one of those? Yeah, probably not.. I’m sure I’m the only crazy person who thinks like that.

Anywhooo…

So, after I said that. He was like..”uhh, thanks.” And then the conversation ended. I wondered what he thought at that exact moment. I hoped he was comforted by it because I really was going to pray for him… but then I thought maybe he thought I was weird and was going to shun me from his life. Yes, I take life to the extreme.

what to wear.

Tags

clothing, family photos, photography, photoshoots, what to wear for family photos

A lot of clients are clueless about what to wear for family portraits. So if you’re one of those people, you’re not alone. Here is a little bit of insight on what I think works for family photos.

Gone are the days of wearing black and khaki or white t-shirts and jeans. While they are a classic look, they also remind me of photo sessions from J.C. Penney. We’ve all been guilty of doing it, but let’s not make the same mistake again. The only time I’d recommend black and khaki is for newborn shots. Nothing looks better than a cute little bundle of joy up next to black shirts. The contrast is beautiful. However, with family photos- times are changing and it’s time to have fun with your clothing. While we want everyone to complement each other, being too “matchy-matchy” is a bit extreme.

Layer, layer, layer. Not only do layers and texture look great in a photo, but that gives you options to differentiate photos. Adding a blazer or a scarf to an outfit makes it look more complete and helps you pop out from your backgrounds. By the end of the shoot, you can take off some of the layers and you’ll end up looking like you have on a completely new outfit!

Accessorize, but don’t over do it! Add a broach to sweater or wear a fun necklace with a dress. Adding accessories not only incorporate your personality into the photo, but like I said earlier- will help complete your outfit. However, adding too many accessories will only make the photo look disorganized and like a jumbled mess. One tip I always go by is accessorize with what you want to wear and then take off one thing. That one thing usually will put you over the edge.

a way to give back to our military.

2011 Military Family Photography Contest
(courtesy of Kristina Kerns Photography)

If you haven’t noticed all of the decorations being hung in local department stores, I am here to tell you Christmas is right around the corner!! Believe it or not, as I type this there are less than 80 days until Christmas! So, because it’s my favorite holiday, I am giving a “gift” to a deserving military family. Here’s how it works…

The winning family will receive a photography package valued at over $250!

Here’s what’s included:

• I, Kristina Kerns, will serve as your photographer for up to 3 hours at one or two locations of your choice.
• A Disc of 100+ fully edited High Resolution Images and the shared right to print release form.
• An Online Gallery that you can share with friends and order prints, wrapped canvases and photo albums.

Who is Eligible?

• Any family with a member in the military (husband, wife, or child needs to be an active member of the military or part of the military reserve), of any branch of service.

How do you enter?

• Contestants should submit 1-3 photographs of themselves along with a brief description (limit of fifty words) of your family to photography@kristinakerns.com
• Please do not compromise any security concerns by disclosing specific deployment locations/missions.
• Please submit all entries for consideration by Friday, October 21st.

Contest Details:

• Eligibility is based on my availability. Photoshoot needs to take place within six months in the Richmond/Virginia Beach/Charlottesville area. If you have a question regarding a specific location, please email photography@kristinakerns.com
• All valid submissions of eligible families will be posted in an album on the Kristina Kerns Photography facebook page with the post titled “2011 Military Family Submissions.” It’s going to be up to you to vote for the winner!
• The submission with the most “likes” will win the contest! You may vote for more than one family, but only one vote per submission. So, spread the word to all your family and friends to get more votes! (You must “like” the Kristina Kerns Photography facebook page in order “like” the photo submissions.)
• Voting will begin Wednesday, October 26th
• Voting will close Thursday, November 3rd
• The winning couple will be announced on Friday, November 4th

Are you or your spouse in the military and wants some family photos? Please send your photos & paragraph to photography@kristinakerns.com

Do you know a military family that deserves a free photoshoot? Please share this link with them!

I wish I could give free photoshoots to all the families out there serving our country, but obviously I can’t. However, I hope this inspires all of you to give back in some way (big or small) to say thank to all those who are fighting for our freedom and to give back during this upcoming holiday season.

a new direction.

Tags

blogging, business, faith, opening a new business, photography, photography business

If you don’t know already, I’m a photographer. It’s my passion and when I’m behind the lens, I find the most joy. I’ve been taking photos for years.. from when I shot film back in high school (and probably even before that..) to now. However, I’ve recently started my own business – a leap of faith to say the least. And you can learn more about my business and see some of my recent work at www.kristinakerns.com.

And this brings me to another point… I’ve decided to tie my blog to my business and I’ve done this for one main reason. I have nothing to hide about my faith. It’s who I am and it seems obvious to me that I should tie my passion with my faith. Many people will say this is a huge business mistake, but if incorporating my faith into my business will turn off some clients- then those are probably not the clients I want to be serving.

So on my blog- I’ll be mixing up my posts. Some will be about my faith, my family and scripture I’ve found interesting and others will be about photography – tips of the trade and ideas for photoshoots. I’m definitely no expert about any of the things I write, but I want to be able to share about the things that are most important in my life.

Maybe you’ll learn something new.. or maybe you’ll just learn a little more about me. Either way, this is my new direction (yes, I totally stole that from Glee) and I hope you’ll like it.