happy birthday julie party.

happy birthday to you.
happy birthday to you.
happy birthday dearest julie.
happy birthday to you.

double-double digits for jules tomorrow.
so we celebrated with the pups!
take a look....

happy birthday julie. party.

downtown. rivercats game!!

it's been SO long since i got to upload pics, but i finally got time!!

on sunday my family went to a rivercats game with our church, and had lots of fun with the hawkins family. :) we are not baseball people, sorry bry i hardly watched any of it....

al and i went downtown on the light rail early and were "urban." we walked and shopped and talked. it was fun!




want bigger pics? or the whole album?... click on the slideshow!!
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church on sunday was really good. a guy named chuck neighbor did a drama skit and the message was "In His Steps- What Would Jesus Do?" it was very powerful for me, but after it was over i got sad because there were so many people who did not seem to agree. so many seemed apathetic to the horrendous lives others face around us everyday. his message was about the poor and hungry around us. and a challenge not to ignore it or turn our backs to it, but to do as Jesus would do
and help them,
feed them,
love them.

that is so my heart.

as i work in juvenile hall more i see (again, after ukraine), the evil of this world and how much they need Jesus. and His love. but how are they ever going to see it if we as Christians never show them a physical example of His love?!

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Matt 22:36-39

I know God can work in powerful ways without our help, but He has still called us to be His vessels of light and show others love. so the challenge was to do nothing without first asking what Jesus would do in the situation. i am trying to remember to ask Him before i act; i am not perfect, but He is.

God, You keep putting the needy people in front of my face. and breaking my heart. i keep working with the "hard" kids and i love it. it breaks my heart, but i still absolutely love it. why do You keep putting these kids into my life (i mean how cool is it that i got to work in lock down juvenile hall?!)?? not many people get these opportunities. nor do they enjoy it! what is Your purpose in all this? please show me Your will for my life!!!!

keep breaking my heart for the lost, and remind me to pray.
show me who You are more everyday. please. sometimes i am just confused and unsure... make Your reality clearer to me everyday and don't let my mind be muddled by the enemy.

thank You so much!

aj.

"many people don't do anything, because they can't do everything"
-BUT we can never do it all and only God can. the poor will always be with us the Bible says...

"There will always be poor people in the land.
Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers
and toward the poor and needy in your land"
Deut 15:11

car washing!!

the rain totally dirtied our cars, so we got to have a car wash last night . . . me. my mom. and my dad.
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like usual dad always does the most work, thanks daddy!!! :)
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oh yah, ps. my parents took the pics of me! (good job parents!)

jules. jump. click. click. click.

color. bright. bold. contrast. my favs.

God is SO creative!!

as i took pictures yesterday and walked around in God's beautiful creation, i realized:

how creative God must be if He created such creative people.

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and because i recognized the individuality of all people!

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especially as i walked around sausalito (which is an adorable town with a great view of sf and tons of galleries and artsy shops), i realized how creative people are... which made me realize how creative God is!! :)

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as julie and i drove ... she sang and i listened

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everyone is trying to be individualistic, but they are already completely individual.

it seems that as people try to be individuals these days, they conform to the same image of "individualism". . . and i fall into that too . . . the dress or clothes or hairstlye that supposedly tells the world that you are an individual . . . :)

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me myself have recognized that desire in my own heart to be "cool" or "a cool individualistic person" . . . which seems to defeat the purpose of individualism . . . and i pray that i can be exactly who God has created me to be. in how i take pictures. in how i dress. to be so comfortable in who He has created me that i stop comparing and conforming to "individualism".

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i also pray that God would show me how i can use photography to glorify Him and give me purpose in something i absolutely LOVE to do.

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i praise You, Jesus, because you are creative and you have created me in your image!! and because of that i am confident that you are glorified when i use the passions You gave me and when i am creative . . . thank you!

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So God created man in His own image, in the image of God

He created him;

male and female

He created them.

Genesis 1:27

road trip with jules to the beach and other places

road trip with jules to the beach and places

here are my photos from day 2!!