I don’t even know where to start….
Let me start with saying that last week was incredible! It was far greater than I could’ve EVER imagined. My biggest prayer was that everyone who attended would experience God’s peace and love like they’ve never experienced it before. I wanted everyone who was a part of this workshop to leave with new dreams and renewed vision…a passion to seek God over their businesses and include Him in every aspect of their life. Boy…we got a lot more than that!
I knew that last week was going to be life-changing from the moment we arrived at the cabin. My family (and Lauren) spent the night before everyone arrived in prayer and worship. We gathered in the theater room to pray over the upcoming week. As we were worshiping, Walt saw a vision. He said that it wasn’t a coincidence that this workshop was held at the top of a mountain. He said he saw us going to the top of the mountain to seek God’s face like Moses did. When Moses came down from the mountain, his face radiated God’s glory. I was really excited about that vision. I didn’t foresee that we would literally be stuck at the top of the mountain (snowed in) to spend time with the Lord and draw close to each other as community of photographers who were hungry for God…but I was happy for it!
The next night (the first night of the workshop) Erik had a vision as we were worshiping. He saw that nearly everyone’s faces were heavy with burdens, anxieties, fears, and unanswered questions. He said that he saw all of our faces reflecting the joy of the Father by the end of the wekk. He saw us nearly floating out of the cabins on the last day because our hearts were so light and happy. This was yet another answered vision. The transformation in the attendee’s and leader’s countenance was astounding.
That night, Lauren, Erik, and I met in my room to discuss weather concerns and plans for the week. What seemed like a simple, logistical meeting turned into a 2 hour prayer and worship gathering in my bedroom. We laughed, we cried, we sang to the Lord, we poured out our hearts before the Father….I knew that we were on the verge of something HUGE. God loves when we draw away from the crowds to seek His face. (Matthew 11)
The next morning, everyone seemed to have already clicked! The cabin was buzzing with excited photographers who were thrilled to connect with one another. It was incredible to step back and watch as the attendees bonded.
We flowed easily into classes. Erik and Lauren did an awesome job talking about how they do things. I was so thankful for the relaxed environment. Everyone was spread out in the theater room in t-shirts, pajama pants, and socks! (That’s my kind of learning environment!) There was no pressure to “perform”. It was all “real”. The teaching was structured more like a conversation. Seriously…it was the coolest learning environment I’ve ever been in.
My original plan was to have an adventure in the Smokey Mountains every morning after worship. I guess God had a different idea, because after the first day, we were snowed in until the last day! Instead of sulking around the cabin, Lauren Clark found a few cardboard boxes and trash bags and we went sledding. That girl knows how to have fun! Every day we had free time to rest, relax, play…whatever anyone wanted. It was a nice vacation!
Worship continued to get better and better. The first night, nearly everyone was sitting down and watching Walt and I sing. (From a worship leading stand point, that was a little awkward. On the other hand, I’m sure the attendees were taken aback by our style.) By the end of the week, everyone’s eyes were turned away from us and up towards heaven. Tears were not an uncommon factor during worship. I watched as hands were raised towards heaven. The term “breakthrough” is an understatement if I’ve ever heard one. By Wednesday night, we were praying for one another and crying as we experienced God’s love. We began to feel their heart again. What used to be a heart of stone was being transformed to a heart of flesh. We began to trust God again. Where we were once disappointed by different circumstances that we couldn’t explain, we were now full of hope, faith, and joy! This had to be the glory that Moses felt on top of that mountain.
By the last night, just as Erik saw, our faces were reflecting joy. Our countenances had changed. We were truly happy, relieved, refreshed, rejuvenated, and restored. We knew that “if God is for us, who can be against us”. We knew that being called to this business, wasn’t nearly as heavy as we had let it become. We felt “light”…almost like we could float off of the mountain (exactly as Erik had forseen).
Even though it has been several days that I have been back, I can still feel God’s glory radiating off of me. I certainly miss my new friends, but I’m even more excited about what’s to come. I’m already in the works of planning another For the Love Workshop in November. We have more industry-leading photographers on board, who are hungry to see God move in a miraculous way. I encourage you to keep in touch (RSS feed) and possibly attend one of the future For the Love Workshops. I am going to work on a “first to know” newsletter list. We have decided to keep it small, so stay tuned for the news.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy some pics from the workshop.
I can’t believe how goofy my “goofy face” is! …I’m so embarrassed!
The picture of the 1800s school house is one of my favorites! I think I’m going to print a copy for my house.
Check out our meals! My mom, Aunt Ann, and Betty Jo served night and day in the kitchen. This workshop would not have been the same without them!
This was my favorite night! Even after worship ended, Glendon, Chris, Erik, Kimberly, Megan and several others continued to worship for hours. I was speechless!
The top left is my assistant, Allison. She was a life-saver to say the least!
I love Erik’s facial expressions in these next photos. We had so much fun!
Thanks again for reading. Connect with For the Love on our fan page on facebook or on twitter. There are several Christian photographers who are needing support from people like you.
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