"Spring has Sprung...

...da grass is riz,

I wonder where da boidies is?

'Da boid is on da wing'

But dat's obsoid,

I taut da wing was on da boid?!"



I love that rhyme!!! (Best said out loud in a broad Brooklyn accent!)



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I'm off to Spring Harvest on Saturday. Apart from joining in as much of the worship, workshops and sessions as possible I'll also be exhibiting and possibly even selling some of my work. I've had five 10x15" prints framed and will also have some greetings cards and 6x4" prints for sale.



But the real aim for me, personally, is not to sell but to praise God and share the gospel through the artworks. I'm volunteering to work with Veritasse - the Christian Arts Society - who have a stand at Springy. It was there, at Minehead, in 2002 or 2003 that I first discovered Veritasse. At that time I didn't even consider photography as a viable career move and it certainly never occurred to me that I could actually minister through the medium!



For ages I prayed and prayed that God would help me be a better Christian witness and that He would use me in the church. As ever with prayer, God answered in His own time - which is fair enough, He is God, after all! - but answered in a way I couldn't have imagined! Not only has He found a way for me to stay 'in my safe place' behind the lens and still work for the church as an events and portrait photographer, but the final images can be used to spread the Word! He's given me my own ministry!!! The work has already begun. Last year one of my 10x8" B&W prints - The Boot - was used as an A3 poster by a church in Wallington, Surrey, to promote their church and Christianity in general.







A few weeks ago I took part in 'An Audience of One' - a day of worship through creative gifts and art followed by an evening worship session. It was such an intense and amazing experience! We're planning more ways to continue creative worship. I'd love to see artistic and creative gifts used for praise in regular worship services. Somehow I know we can implement this - everyone is too passionate about it for it not to happen! The weird thing is, even though I'm sooo passionate and verbal about this, when it came to talking about my photos in church, I had a 'wobble' and couldn't do it. God knows this and has given me other ways to 'shout' about it and about Him - the final images and something else which I'm keeping under my hat for the moment in case it doesn't come off... ;-)

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Anyway, Springy 2009 is about to kick off! We thought we wouldn't be able to go this time, due to lack of finances, but where God guides, He provides and I had a little windfall in Autumn which meant we could go after all! I felt God wanted me to volunteer for Veritasse and for Healey to help out with the youthgroup -Discovery - so we put down to lead one of the chalets. As it worked out, we won't actually have any teenagers in our chalet, so William will have his own room! We are, however, sharing with a lovely girl we've both known for ages, but haven't seen since she moved away. Result!!!

I probably won't be able to post here for a few days, so I'll see you soon!
Emma x