Confessions of a Single Photographer

August 8, 2015 / Psal121 / Leave a comment

Over the past weeks I have had the privilege of photographing couples. I have met young couples and old couples. Some married a few years, while others have been together for decades. Some with children, many without. Their children were grown and gone.

I learned a lot about the condition of their couplehood by the way they looked at each other. While many would have us believe that marriage is something that is on the way out, I have seen something that disagrees with that stance. When people get an idea of what it is really all about, they will embrace the idea.

As a professional photographer, I meet a lot of people. I can snap hundreds of shots in a day. Many people put on their “taking a picture” mask. It is my goal to crack that mask and get to the real person underneath. Some days I am successful, some days not. While trying to crack the mask on folks, I learned something with couples.

After having couples do a few tradition poses for their portraits, I ask them to look at each other. This moment tells me what these two people think about each other. They can hide everything from me and the camera, but when they look into the eyes of their love, truth comes forth. In most cases this is where the giggling starts. He giggles. She giggles. We all laugh. The photo shoot is pretty fun after that.

Now there were some couples who looked at each other and nothing happened. (I am single so it did take a few times for it to register that there was something going on in that marriage.) I just smiled and moved on. I felt sorry for them because they were missing out on what the others had.

The only thing better than taking the photo was watching the couples look at the photos of themselves. I remember one woman repeated over and over “Look at me and (his name).” The sight of their love for each other surprised her. She was overwhelmed by the sight of it.

I don’t get tired of men telling their wives they are beautiful. I do get tired of women blowing it off. I watched a man badger his wife because he thought she was beautiful, but she didn’t value his opinion. Yet, I love watching the love stories play out.

The Lord has allowed me to see all types of stories played out. I have watched a curmudgeon turn to jelly at a glance from his sweetheart and a wife who was ill, reach up and kiss her husband out of love. They all had their role to play in the relationship. The ones that were most secure where the ones that knew what role they played in the relationship.

Moments like these make me wait with anticipation for the man God has for me. I want to giggle at the sight of the man who loves me.

Each Moment is Precious

July 24, 2015 / Psal121 / Leave a comment

If I had known it was the last time I was going to hug her, I would have hugged her a little longer. I would have said a few other things. I remember wrapping my arm around her and greeting her. I remember she said some words to me, but seemed preoccupied. We were on our way to somewhere, so I didn’t investigate.

That is the great adventure of this life, not knowing if you will ever see someone again. Every encounter we have with each other should be treated as a moment we might not get to repeat. The headlines of the news are filled with instances of people who never got to say goodbye.

We feel entitled to the privilege of saying goodbye to the people we love. God did not promise us that. (John 16:33)

He promised we could live forever with Him in eternity if we accepted Jesus as our savior. When he planted the tree in the garden, He knew what kind of world this would become. As we are stunned each day by the atrocities, He whispers I have a plan in place for this. (John 1: 1-5)

He loved us so much that He sent the most precious thing He had, his Son. (John 3:16) He said if you believe in Him and accept Him as savior, you can join Him in heaven where you will not experience this type of misery ever again. As sad as I am to lose a love one, I hang on to the promise that it won’t be the last time I see them. I know we will meet again in heaven and finish the conversation we didn’t have here.

Every year at the end of BSF we sing a song. We hold hands, hug and sing this song. Many of us know it by heart because we have sang it so many times. It reminds us that we are parting, but this is not the end. I sing this song every year, but I never think that I won’t see my sisters in Christ again.

We memorize the verses. We sing the hymns. We do the church thing and all the other feel good stuff. Some days life calls us to live those words out. That is when it gets hard, but He promised He would guide us through it. He didn’t say it would be easy, or we would like it or we would even understand it. He asked us to trust Him. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Hold on to that. If you are in Christ Jesus, this is not the end. And you are not alone. He is with you. He has promised never to leave you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

UPP Creative Publishing

July 20, 2015 / Psal121 / Leave a comment

Privateers is available on Nook Press.

A single young woman is tricked by modern day pirates losing everything she owned. As she tries to figure out what happened to her belongings, her world crashes around her as government and private agencies treat her as a suspect. Determined to find the man who did this to her, she stumbles onto a government top secret. Finding this modern day pirate turns into a race against lethal forces.

Dancing During The Storm

It is the last day to get a free Amazon Kindle copy of Dancing During the Storm. We will be making the book available on other platforms, so no more free Kindle copies. You can order paperback versions from Createspace or by email uppcreative@yahoo.com

Dancing During the Storm is a collection of stories from projects that I have written over the years. They represent a desire to praise God despite the storms in my life. As the saying goes, you are going into a storm, in the middle of a storm or coming out of a storm. All of these stories tell of people who enjoy the life that God has given them and live it to the fullest. Each character has a storm in their life which they are going into, in the midst of, or coming out of.
The first story is about the first man to ever encounter a storm and the impact on his life.
The second story is about an African American book editor on her first date with her boss and allows him to see more of her life than she wanted revealed. She is heading into a storm over which she has no control.
The third story is a science fiction tale of the journey of a young woman who is searching for peace and quiet after spending the last two years on a planet that had to resemble hell. As she emerges from the storms of her life, she sees that things are not a easy as she thought they would be.
Enjoy these fun, light hearted stories, but hear the underlying intent. All of the main characters know that God is in control.

When You Forget Your Phone

This book too will be heading for other ebook platforms, so watch for it’s last free date. It will be coming soon. You can also order this paperback at Createspace or by email uppcreative@yahoo.com.

In my phone are hundreds of names and numbers. Without my phone, I only remember two phone numbers. I don’t even know my daughter’s phone number. When you have you bible with you, or access to it, you are probably pretty confident. But when you are in the midst of a trial and your bible and the app are not available, what do you rely on? When You Forget Your Phone is a devotional that challenges you to memorize God’s word. If you know God’s word, it is easier to stand on His promises when your world is turbulent.
The fifteen verses included in this devotional are verses that God has spoken in the life of the author over the last year. This book will give some insight into her journey with the Lord.

God’s Plans

July 18, 2015 / Psal121 / Leave a comment

Many many years ago, I took a class. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Some of it stuck. One of the rituals I do every years is make goals for the year. Physical. Emotional. Spiritual, Etc. If you don’t have goals then it is difficult to tell if you are making progress or being static. I try to plan out my year. Review quarterly to see what is working and what is not.

Sometimes the things that I want are not in line with what God has planned. I am learning to trust God. If something doesn’t work, don’t push it. I go back to Him and ask what He wants me to do. Most of the time He says “Be still.”

I set goals with long term planning in mind. I understand that I have plans but God’s plans trump mine. Normally I try to plan according to the guidance God has already given me. If He hasn’t told me to change, I keep doing what He has told me to do.

One of my goals this year was to lose weight and get off my blood pressure medication. I attacked this goal with the intention of it being a long term goal, taking 3 to four years. I increased my exercise and worked on my diet (but I do love fried chicken.)

Roughly three or four months into this year, I lost about 10 pounds. When I went to my doctor, I asked her if I could stop taking one of the medications I had been taking. She said,”Sure, lets try it.” She was very helpful and encouraging. I was so excited. I had reached a goal for the year. Yay me!

This year has been one of the hardest years I have ever lived physically, emotionally and mentally. My mom passed in December. One of my aunts got sick in April and I spent many a days by her beside until the Lord took her home. I have found myself challenged at all points to where some days I was ready to fight anyone who got in my face.

But God blessed me.

He gave me the funnest job I have ever had, but it has come with challenges. When you face challenge after challenge it is easy to get discouraged, but my God always has something in the wings. I sprained my ankle on vacation and had to go back to the doctor.

Routine blood pressure found my BP so low, I could get rid of another medication and in addition to that I lost 5 more pounds. Praise the LORD! If my ankle wasn’t sore, I would have danced out of there.

Some areas of my life, God is moving like an out of control freight train going down hill on a track. Some areas are at a complete stand still. I am learning to find my contentedness in whatever my circumstance. He is so good to me!

This year He is teaching me to live Philippians 4:11-12.

Destiny’s Dilemma is available on Amazon Kindle

July 15, 2015 / Psal121 / Leave a comment

You can get the Kindle version of Destiny’s Dilemma on Amazon. The paperback will be available by July 31. You can order online or by email.

An African American woman moved home to take care of her dying mother giving up the opportunity to experience a world beyond segregation. Zoraida Hughes Williams finds that some things have changed about her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas while some have stayed the same, like Hell’s Half Acre, an area where saloons, prostitution and gambling runs wild. Like most of the residents, she wants to keep her head down and stay away from trouble, but it comes in the unlikely form of an Anglo Baptist preacher. He messes up everything and almost gets them killed.

Destiny’s Dilemma on Amazon

Purpose and Passion

July 11, 2015 / Psal121 / Leave a comment

Lately, I get to meet some of God’s people and photograph them. It has been the kind of blessing your really can’t describe because you need to experience it yourself.

I have met a woman drowning in grief because her fiance was murder. I met another woman who survived stage three colon cancer. In spite of their circumstances, these people have continued to trust God. I appreciate being able to contribute to their lives.

God has placed people in our path for a purpose. Every time you think your story has reached its worst possible conclusion, God introduces you to someone who has it worse than you. If you are feeling down, look up. There is someone who needs your encouragement.

Every day of my life I get to remind people that there is beauty in this life God has created, whether in photos or videos or books.

God has called you to something. What passion has He ignited in your soul?

Half Way Through 50

June 24, 2015 / Psal121 / Leave a comment

I knew my 50th year of life would be monumental, I just had no idea of what God had planned. He did right by not telling me His plan because I would have tried to help Him.

This year He has taught me about love and loss. He has taught me how fragile our hearts and lives are. He showed me good friends will hold your hand at your death bed and pray you into heaven. He showed me strength in the Godly women I worship with. He has shown me Himself in a new and brilliant way that I have never seen before.

I have finished projects that I did not think were possible. I have written stories, I didn’t know where in me. I have honed my craft as a photographer by the sheer numbers of portraits I have taken this year.

When life got crazy, I always remembered my passion. When it has not reflected my dream, I remember His promise. My greatest reward is in heaven. My number one passion is Jesus Christ. He is my source, everything else is a resource. When I didn’t have the strength, He had the strength. When I didn’t have the inspiration, He was the inspiration.

Here is what I have for you:

The other night in bible study (I am attending a group that is studying Beth Moore’s Daniel) the story was told of the Israelite building the temple. Because they could not cut the stone onsite, it was done somewhere else and sent to the site of the new temple to be put into place. One stone arrived that was too big and did not fit. They rejected it and put this stone to the side.

When they were finishing the building and needed the capstone, they sent word to the stone cutters that they needed the capstone to finish the building. They sent word back that they had already had it. It was the stone that they had rejected earlier. It was now the stone that was needed to hold the whole thing together.

Even though some of the things in your life don’t fit right now, rest assured that it will all come together just as He has planned. Remind yourself of your true passion and hold on to it. Jesus is my center.

Destiny’s Dilemma

May 22, 2015 / Psal121 / Leave a comment

This is one of my favorite stories. You can check out the first six chapters of this story for .99 cents on Amazon Kindle. I know you will find it to be fun. You can order it on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VN1JOHA

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An Intimate Look

May 14, 2015May 14, 2015 / Psal121 / Leave a comment

Allow God to lead your day.

My day started when I got up and prayed. I made my to-do list for the day. Lord bless this list. Change it where you need to.

One of the stops on my list that I thought would take hours took about 15 minutes. Praise God.

I went and walked afterwards. As I was heading to my car at the end of my walk, I ran into my cousin. (the one that is 30 years my senior and I can’t keep up with.)

I decided to do another lap with her.

My bible study time:

It made me wonder how many of you will I see in heaven. And I also thought about what it would be like when you first see Jesus ( Rev 4, Isaiah 6)

As I was knocking other things off my list, I got a call that interrupted my progress. I tossed everything to the side and went to the call.

I spent the afternoon with my aunt who is fading fast. She had on an oxygen mask, so we couldn’t talk like we have been the last month. We watched the Rangers lose. Sad I know.

A few hours later, other family members poured in. We sat, talked and waited.

I decided to leave. I needed to go home and check on my family.

But in the parking lot, a few of us started talking again.

I went back in.

This time it was my aunt who is fading fast, her best friend and me.

(This was one of those life changing moments so I don’t want you to miss it. Cause I almost missed it, but I listened to God and went back in.)

My Aunt’s best friend took her hand and began to pray. She prayed a prayer the reminded my aunt of all the things God has done in her life. Reminded her of all the amazing moments in life they had experienced. Reminded her of God’s faithfulness, mercy and His grace.

At the end of this woman’s prayer I heard the struggle of wanting your friend healed and wanting your friend to see Jesus.

When she finished, I prayed Lord, I want a friend like that. Someone who will remind me of your faithfulness.

After the prayer, my aunt kept looking up. See, she is looking for Jesus.

Like he said in the video, I know it is going to be an amazing experience.

He knows what’s coming. Allow Him to order your day.

Whom Shall I Fear?

May 8, 2015 / Psal121 / Leave a comment

In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah got the opportunity to see God in a whole new light. The fact that Isaiah hung on to the death of something in his life showed he had experienced great loss. There was something valuable to him that was there no longer. But what he gained was bigger and better than he ever thought possible. God gave Isaiah a glimpse of who He really is. Once you get a glimpse of who God really is, nothing else matters.

Isaiah needed that moment with God to fill his emptiness.

Once God filled it, Isaiah was ready to minister again. “Here I am. Send me.”

Like Isaiah, I have experienced great loss. I have nothing left to give. God has emptied my coffers so that all there is is me. But all the takers in my life are still trying to take. They are frustrated when there is nothing there to take. They want more of what they were used to getting, but there is nothing. He brought me to this season for a reason. God is my only source, and I have learned contentment. (Philippians 4:11-13)

In my 50th year of life, the Lord is teaching me how to fear Him. It is the beginning of wisdom. Once you get a good picture of who you serve, it puts everything in perspective. I don’t think that it is a coincidence that there are lots of thunderstorms and earthquakes in this area. God shakes our foundations to show us we don’t control anything.

The same God who loved us so much He sent his Son, is also the same God who turns up the earth in quakes and sends us running for cover in tornados. I serve a mighty God and trust Him with all areas of my life. He shut the mouths of lions for Daniel. He kept the fire from the 3 Hebrew boys. Ain’t nothing out there can touch me, less it go through Him first. If He brings me too it, then He will bring me through it.

If Noah had brought other people on the boat, they probably would have jumped off after 20 days because they didn’t trust what God was doing with Noah. He got to experience God as a destroyer of mankind and as a provider for his family. I know that when this season of life is over for me, I will be like Isaiah wanting to share all that He has done for me.

God is in control. He knows what He is doing. I believe that His children will not be forsaken.

UPP Creative Media

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