[Decompartmentalizing....]

So, God is Good.

Despite how CRAZY this week has been....God is good, and He has used it all for my good.

This last week when I felt the sickest with my cold/horrible sinus pressure/upset stomach... I couldn't find anyone to sub for me and had to get through an 8hr. shift at work. The funny part is what Ben had challenged me with that morning before he left...

He told me not to think of my days as getting from one thing to the next, one task to the next, or one job finished to the next.... Instead of dreading the 8 hours of have to stand on my feet, he wanted me to look at it as just a part of my whole entire day, as just one big continuum. He said that we in America think too much in compartments. Not willing to just look at every part of our day as another second to rejoice in the Lord. And so, he of course brought up Phil. 4:4. "Rejoice in the Lord", (when?)..."ALWAYS!! " ( I don't know how much I've quoted that verse on here....haha!)

I think....well, scratch that... I know that God allowed me to work that shift despite feeling so gross that day. As I worked and as we got busier into the night, I had so much to do that my mind seemed to get off of how miserable I felt and wondering whether or not I was going to keep that food in my stomach or not. Not everything you want goes your way.
Not everyday will you feel your best, but God still wants us to glorify Him in our words, actions, and deeds.
I did learn to invest my time into those around me: my coworkers, my customers, my job and how well I did it...
I did learn that God doesn't always answer your prayers the way you want them, and that we must trust that He knows what is best for us, after all...He is our creator, and our Father, and He knows. Ben always encourages me with that thought as well. (also Ps. 139).

I am so thankful for my husband. He is such an encourager to me, spiritually and emotionally... and he always takes such good care of me, especially when I'm feeling sick. :)

Here's a picture from our 1yr. anniversary trip to Devils Den State Park, in Fayetteville Ar. I have had so much picture editing to do for my photo business I haven't had time to post any of these on facebook or anything like that, but this is probably my favorite shot from the whole vacation on our hike :

Until next time,
Much love from the Jung house :)

BAH!


Why do I feel like I can't connect with anyone outside my family!!!
Why do I feel like no one even wants to do the same with me??

Am I just a scary/un-happy/un-inviting looking kind of girl?? I don't bite! I promise!

Why can't I have an deep, intelligible conversations?
Why can't I talk about anything more than, "hi, how ya doing? Great! Cool me too!" kinda conversations??

Am I tired right now? Yes.
Stressed about the stupid test this tuesday in a class I JUST had a test in last week? Yes.

So you'd probably do well to just ignore this post anyway.
*sigh*
I'm just

Until next time--
LJ

[Seeing in a New Light]

Wow.
The theme of the past few days would have to be "constructive criticisms".
And after today, I think God allowed two different circumstances, involving 2 different sets of people in 2 different spectrums of my life come together in sort of "one theme".
I think God had to use some serious things in my life to get me to see clearly, and to understand what He's probably been trying to communicate to me for a long time.
*gulp*

That I'm really...really...prideful.

I have had to swallow it down lately, and suck it up, and realize it was for my own good.
But its like, suddenly, yesterday, the light bulb went on!!! I was failing to realize that God CAN use other people outside of my church to teach me something HE wants me to LEARN!!! *DUUUHHH!*

Okay, so I get it Lord, I know. You got me.
I'm proud.

Maybe it's been whats blocking my mind from opening up and getting to know people at work?
I don't know...but after a good 30 day review with Beth, (our owner), and Amber, our manager, it was kind of like the last thing I needed to hear to get me to click stufff over in my brain. Basically, I just felt like hugging everyone. haha!

So, I decided in my mind to "do everything as unto the Lord, and not unto men" (Col. 3:17) to "rejoice always" (Phil. 4:4) and "I can do all things through him who strengthens me. "
(Philippians 4:13)
I CAN make certain choices to not let my mind think things that aren't any of those qualifications in
1 Cor. 13. 
So I did. And you know what? It was amazing!!! All I had to do, was take my thoughts captive to obey Christ. (1 Cor. 10:5)


Anyway. I just read a bunch of Colossians, which is probably my next fav. book of the bible right after Philippians. :)

For now though, its time to get some photo research done in preparation for the wedding coming up on Sunday!
Then off to work, and then, a date night!!!
Can you tell I'm excited?? ;)

Soli Deo Gloria,
Leah

[tired eyes.]

...When it rains, it pours.

Lord, I need your help!! I'm not strong enough to handle any of this on my own. I need you, and I yet I feel so far from you.
I've got to figure out how to manage a crazy schedule so devotions keep getting pushed aside! 4hrs. of sleep for half a week doesn't do much help either :/

Prayers!!!

[Africa?]

So....what if we went to Africa? In as quickly as 3 semesters are over?

Ben said today, something about finishing up school and stuff "for when we go to Africa..." :D

What if we really do get to go? What if God really does work it out? What if I could even use my love/passion for photography in missions?
I don't think some things are "coincidence". (Deb, communicating with you (someone I've never met before) about Africa has NOT been a coincidence...) I think it's the fact that God knows the TRUE desires of our hearts, and I think that if that desire is to serve Him, He'll answer that desire.

Part of me wonders if I could EVER be ready to do missions? I don't consider myself very knowledgeable biblicly speaking, I don't read the Word as much as I should, I have so many areas to GROW--in my marriage, spiritually, overcoming the sins that have prevailed in my life...how could I ever be used by Him??

Some who may read this may have no idea Ben and I have considered missions before---but now that he is 3 semesters away from completing his degree @ WSU, we've all of  a sudden realized we can DO something, GO somewhere, anything! I've always had a desire to be involved in missions, and came to find out the same goes for Ben. I even tried to get involved in a missions organization before I married Ben, but well...the proposal kind of changed the course of things ;)
Besides, I couldn't imagine anything better than doing that kind of work with my best friend anyway! :)

My mind is just overwhelmed with those amazing thoughts! I think I'll go ride my bike in the beautiful weather we have today and do some more thinking/meditating! I'm so excited for what He has in store for us....even if it were right here in Wichita.

For fun, here's some pictures I took of flowers at the outdoor wedding I recently shot :) 

 

  

  

  

 

Soli Deo Gloria!!

[much needed rant flowing from probably too much emotion...]

I am so sick of this world. I hate it. The sinful world that is....
We're called not to fall into its ways, to hate the sin in it, yet to love the people and have compassion just like Jesus did. My music appreciation teacher decided to show a movie that had "greaaat" music in it (it was a type of musical), but was FULL of half...no...barely dressed, provocative looking women....during the WHOLE half of the movie. Not only was I embarrassed, but I felt incredibly sorry for the men in that room. If my husband were in that room I would have escorted him out immediately!!!
I'm tired of the lust, and relationships-gone-wrong, failing marriages, hate, envy, pride, and everything else that goes along with the sinful nature, and this ever dying earth we're on.
I find getting along with/loving people hard sometimes. Very hard. I've let so many things clog my mind lately. Probably mostly my own useless worries and insecurity with all these new surroundings (work, school, etc.)
I'm not like any of the other girls at work, or at least, that's the way I see it, (Is it bad that I'm not a super social butterfly??) and I'm trying to find ways to connect, have conversations, etc., but my efforts haven't seemed to do any good. I'm not good at this whole, "let's be best friends because we work together" thing, yet. In fact, I feel like things have been going backwards so far.
I love my job, but I'm still getting accustomed to what I have to do there/the expectations. It's been a challenge, it is definately much different than my old job, and much more demanding.
Basically, just recently I've had a couple occasions I could have just thrown down the towel and burst into tears....not to mention I missed church last week because of a work meeting, which, I think has thrown my whole entire week off. Not good. I need more time, especially with the Lord, and since school has started, I feel like that time has evaporated into thin air. I feel like I go to work and school and work and school and that's the end of it.
I also miss bike rides, quality time with my husband (which I finally got some tonight!!!), and a whole lotta other things.
I'm working, (and failing so far) at fixing my schedule to be a morning person and rise early to get some of that important stuff accomplished in the morning (aka...devo's) yet, staying up till 1 am to finish homework or editing pictures has sent my body into "pass-out-until-i-HAVE-to-get-up mode. "
Also not good.

I don't know how to fix all this right now, and my heart is heavy for no good reason, just SO much going on in life at the moment! I'm trying to swallow it all at once, but I had a good talk with my hubby, (aka, personal pastor!) tonight at a quick meet-up for dinner in between work and class, and he, as always, put some good truth into my heart. Mainly Romans 8:28.
Anyway, I better get some cleaning done before a certain someone gets home!

Until next time,
:LJ:

[Take my life, and let it be!...]

Just got back from the women's retreat at the church in Hutchinson. They do such a wonderful job of putting it on every year, and Susan Heck, my favorite speaker in the world at the moment, was back!!! She lives a life that convicts me to live the same! Her example is one that I want to follow! If only I lived in Tulsa, so I could follow her around!
Oh well...it was a great experience though! I'm so thankful she comes back to speak to us in Wichita all the time!

This will just be a short entry, but I'm so excited I just want to write something...I think I might write later on about the specifics that God is teaching me :)

My head is exploding with thoughts and ideas and realizations. This last week was rough. Very rough; and my husband can attest. I knew I was going to NEED every single word spoken and sung today. Every single one of the songs we sang at the retreat put me in tears, I just didn't let them slip out of my eyeballs. haha!!
I think through the "pastoring" of my husband, and the hard things God put me through this week prepared me to listen to what was said at the retreat today; in so many ways. The music, the 3 lessons that Susan taught, the love shared with fellow Christian women....ahhh. So refreshing, so spiritually uplifting! I needed that boost!! I needed some conviction, a kick in the pants, SOMEthing. And that was it. Just what I needed. It was also encouraging to know that I'm not the only one who gets "dry" in their spiritual walk sometimes. I have felt that way lately, and so hearing the music leader talk about her own struggles with it was so encouraging! She even had a song to sing that was written during that period in her life.
I am excited to keep thinking on all that I've learned, and to finish some old bible study stuff that I bought from Susan, and to start some new material I bought from the pastors wife at that church! 

One of Susan Heck's favorite hymns was sung today, and I relfected very deeply on the words as they were sung. I hope they can become my true prayer in life, every day!! ......

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

 Until next time!

[Hard lessons...]

*AAAHHHHHGGGG!!!* I think I'll go find a wall to bang my head on today. Hard.

Sometimes, I don't like doing my devotions, or reading certain books because it makes me realize how much of a failure I am at doing things right!!! .....
Speaking mainly about being a good wife.
I've been reading "A Woman After God's Own Heart," thanks to Debbie :) and we're also going through the book once a month with the highschool girls bible study! That means, I have to teach every other chapter, which means...I probably get more out of it then they do, haha, but its good for me!

Just like today's reading!

I am by no means a naturally humble, serving spirit. Well, actually its worse than that, I'm willing to help people at my church with whatever their needs may be, but I'm NEGLECTING the one thing I AM supposed to be good at doing--serving my HUSBAND!

Elizabeth George puts it this way in her book...after reading Genesis 2:18 for the first time in her Christian life, she realized she "was on assignment from God to be her husbands helper." HE was her priority over family and all else, (not including the Lord of course...)
Yikes! I'm only 9 months into my marriage and I can't even count how many times I have failed to be his helper, supporter, how many times I've nagged, whined, complained, ignored, and been selfish.

I'm not saying our marriage is going down the tubes, it's wonderful actually. We grow to love each other more and more each day! The fire hasn't diminished by any means, so don't be confused by what I'm saying.
I'm just severely convicted. I wondered today if the fact that I've been so excited and consumed by the amazing business I've been getting with my photography has taken my focus off of my husband! He's been supporting ME in all of it, rather than me continuing to find ways to serve him amongst all of life's excitements and what his schedule is like each day!

Good grief, how can we even think about being parents someday down the road, if I can't even serve my husband properly yet?
E. George also mentions in this chapter on serving the verses in Philippians that talk about Christ's example of humility; yet for some reason, I had not really applied that idea to my marriage specifically. So, I've come up with a new way to personalize my reading lately. Here's how I read Philippians 2:3-11 this morning.
I put my own words in brackets...

    [3] [Wives,] Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count [your husband] more significant than [yourself]. [4] Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of [your husband's].  [5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but made himself nothing, taking the form of a (*slave,) being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:3-11 ESV)
*This is what the penned word means in Greek...



*whew*
I could probably write a lot more, but....I'll leave it short today.
I can say I have so much room to improve. I think I let myself slip into the idea that my marriage is going great, and we're perfect together!! Rather than thinking, look at all the ways you could improve it, self. You have much more to give than you are giving right now.

I can't do this without the Lord, which is another area of perseverance I must not lag in...I pray I'll continue to realize this much much more as we continue on our journey together :)

[still learning....]

What's been going on lately?

Over the past couple days I've begun to realize how much more different I am than Ben...Not that its a bad thing or something, but rather a thing we are learning to embrace and to shape each other in areas that we see better than the other :)


We're both really emotional people, but in different ways than each other. When I'm emotional or passionate about something, it is really hard to get my mind off of that current thing or emotion I am thinking about. If that thing makes me upset, or sad, or whatever emotion I am feeling, it is difficult to make myself focus on the truth that God gives us in His word. In my mind I know it is true, but it is hard for my mind to transfer that to my heart so that I will listen and heed to that truth.

Ben is very emotional about things too sometimes, yet he is able to tell himself things that are true (phil. 4) and listen to himself! At times it is so good that he can do that, because he helps me overcome my own problems. It really has been a struggle to take my own thoughts captive to His truths.
God is working sllloooowly on my stubborn self though. And in the mean time I am more and more thankful for the wise husband that the Lord has given to me. :)


That was a small tangent, but something that is very important in our lives at the moment. :)

On another random note, I went to my first every yoga class with my cousin yesterday, annnndd lets just just say I'm flexible in some ways, but not in all of yoga's ways...I found a picture of the pose that was hardest for me....

 You start standing with your foot resting on your thigh, THEN you sit down like this....
Needless to say my thighs are not that strong or flexible. HA!

Maybe after a couple sessions I can manage it. I felt GREAT after our session though because the whole thing was in a heated room so you sweat a TON. Its kinda like a full body detox, so by the time you're done, you feel better all over. I think I worked out muscles I didn't know existed... I actually slept a lot better last night then I've been sleeping in awhile, not to mention I woke up not feeling any back or neck pain! :)


Anyway, got errands and shopping, cleaning and working to do today, so I'm off.
Until next time!

Soli Deo Gloria!


----EDIT-----

Later today I heard for the first time the song called "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real.

Look up the lyrics, I nearly cried.

Go here: http://sanctusreal.com/
and watch the video about the story behind the song, and then listen to the song. Also on that page there is a section called "READ". Read it :) At least the part that is relevant to you!

Okay, that is all :D

[transparency]

*ahem*
 This is going to be difficult to admit, but I'm going to share some of my downfalls lately...

I had a lightbulb moment last night/this morning after a few rough days with my self-pity and pride.

I am beginning to realize what true submission in my marriage is all about, and that, my husband is usually right about things, and I just need to back down, and trust him, and just be submissive.

This morning, I read Eph. 5 in a different way:
"Leah, submit to your own husband, as to the Lord. For Ben is the head of you even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so you, Leah, should submit to your husband, Ben, in everything. "

I almost cried after reading it this way....

And then I look up a couple paragraphs to read this... "let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk, nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving..."
I had just the other day made a joke I thought was funny, that he didn't think was funny, which caused me and my prideful self to be upset at the fact that he was offended, and that he should "loosen up"....when in fact, I was, and am wrong. We are supposed to give up that kind of thing and instead be filled with thanksgiving.  The problem is, I've found lots of little things like this to get upset about lately...

I've been emotionally up and down with my husband these past few days, and I know why now. I'm struggling with my sin of selfishness, wanting to do things my way, and prideful.

I realized the other day that I had been basically living on my own, and doing whatever I wanted for about 3 or 3.5 years before I got married, and now, I can't do that anymore. I have to be submissive, my husband's will comes first! How hard this has been for me-- to conquer my self desires and the way I've always done it... because now, that doesn't matter...I am called to be submissive to my husband in everything so that the Word of God may not be reviled. I've read that passage in Titus 2 maaaanny times...but why is it taking so long to actually take effect in my life??

I really need accountability...I need the Word more, I need to pray more, I need my Savior's help more, because nothing is going to get me over this hurdle other than Him.
Yet, I am sooo thankful for such a forgiving and patient husband. One that more often looks for his own faults first before he looks for mine. (Believe it or not, that is more convicting to me honey...)
I know God's been testing me/our marriage, because we haven't had to get into the real nitty gritty of life being less than a year married...He's blessed us with so many blessings its hard to keep track of them all....so I know He is refining us yet. We have so much to learn, and so much to understand about what marriage really is, so I hope and pray we continue to learn with open hearts and minds for what He is teaching us.
I am thankful too, for the great church family, and parents we have, to follow after their examples and to be encouraged, what would we do without them!?

Soli Deo Gloria

[Do not take one single moment for granted...]

*This is bit long, but worth it, I think--Props to those who actually read it and finish...*

This last 5 days or so in Wisconsin have been full of so many amazing experiences and feelings I have to share them.

Most of you know, we went there for Ben's uncle Jim's funeral. It was a sad reason to go, but we wanted to be there for the family. I wasn't expecting the amount of encouragement WE got just by being there and seeing all the ways God was working though.

We got in on Friday night, and the funeral was Saturday. During the funeral, I don't know why, but I cried silently practically the whole service... why? I don't know. I didn't really get the chance to know Uncle Jim as much, but I now know Aunt Julie and her three kids much better, and seeing them go through this broke my heart. I thought of Romans 12:15: "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."
I think the Lord gave me an ability to weep with them,  to feel some of the burden, and just to have understanding of all the emotions on that day.

Two things greatly impacted me during this service.
1) We have hope of a risen Savior, and hope of seeing those who were redeemed through Him again in heaven someday!
If you read anything at all in this post, read this!-->
Uncle Jim, in his last few days, wrote a 4 page letter that he intended to have read at his funeral, and it was.
I can't do a very good job of summarizing it, but it said something to the effect that, he was so blessed to have such an amazing wife, and three beautiful children. He didn't know what God's purpose was for creating this illness in his body, but the Lord must have a reason for it, because they had done every physical possible thing to try to save him. He talked about how he was blessed and happy to have lived his life this long, and that it WAS a good life, and it WAS a long life. The Lord gave it to him, and Jim was happy to have lived it. Though it was painful for his family, he could not argue against the will of his Savior.

The thing Uncle Jim talked about most in his letter however, is that he KNEW where he was going after he would die, he was secure in his salvation with the Lord. Yet, in his letter which was read to every single person in that church--he admonished them to be saved. To be reconciled to the Lord, and to not wait one single breathe more to do so, because the Lord could take any of them, just as quickly as he took uncle Jim to heaven. It was amazing to hear all these words written by a man who we all knew was standing in the courts of the Lord worshiping Him at that exact moment. I was weeping, and I think almost every other person in that room was too.

The second thing that hit me so hard that day is my Aunt Julie's response to the Lord's will, and to Jim's wishes after he passed on. We had a time of worship during the service, and she was standing there, holding her hands open, singing, and smiling...not just smiling, rejoicing in her Savior! Her strength and trust in the Lord for every thing was so obvious that day/week we were with her. Of COURSE there were tears, but she had a rested, and trusting countenance that said "The Lord is my Father and Comforter, I will trust in Him, His will, and His way, and I know that He will always be with me!!"

It was the most beautiful example of trusting in Him I have ever seen, and  that alone brought me to tears, realizing that I don't know if I myself would be that strong should I lose my own husband someday....
I realized that day that I needed a lot of help from my Savior to be completely dependent on Him and Him alone.

One other AMAZING thing about that letter that was read at the funeral was the fact that Uncle Jim and Aunt Julie had been praying for a man who was an unbeliever, and had experienced some hard things in life. Uncle Jim had sort of been a mentor to him, and wanted nothing more than for him to trust in the Lord.
That man was there at the service and heard the letter read. After the service, he told Julie that it had impacted him greatly, and that he wanted to talk to her. The next day, the guy came to Julies church and was talking to the Sunday school teachers and asking questions about this "salvation" that Jim had talked about in his letter. Julie was in tears with joy when she heard this....
Can you imagine?? Even through her husbands funeral, Julie (and us too!) was rejoicing that people were impacted by Jim's life and words!
Another thing is (and this impacted me as a wife)....even after Jim's death, Julie was still being submissive to him, in that she said things like, "I think Jim would've preferred this" or "No, Jim wanted such and such...not that..."
People were always giving her suggestions and trying to help Julie and the kids, but she always considered what her husband would have wanted first. I call that the most beautiful form of submission around.

After the funeral and for the couple extra days we could spend with Julie and the kids, we had a great time as a family, a mixture of tears, joy, laughter, and fun--times that will never be replaced.
I'll post some pictures later, once they're uploaded, of some of the silly things we did.

One thing Julie told us several times is, not to take one single moment for granted with each other. We don't know what the Lord's will is for our lives, or how long He will let us stay here on the earth, so in the mean time cherish every second you spend with each other. My life being married to Benjamin Jung has only begun, I hope I have learned this lesson quickly, and I thank my Aunt Julie for her faithfulness and encouragement that she was to us and the others who were around her.

We love you Julie, Ryan, Andrew, and Kayla!

[time flies]

Recently Ben and I celebrated our official "half a year" anniversary! It really was exciting, because half a year together has gone by in no time at all!
I'm so excited to reach the 1 year mark :) I know I sound cheesy, but, its true :)

In the mean time, we're struggling to find time together! Or...maybe its just me.

Ben has so much school work on top of his work at the bikeshop; so it always feel like he goes to work comes home, eats, does homework for the rest of the night and then its time to get to bed. Repeat....*ugh*
He's probably a looot more stressed out than I am with all these crazy engineering classses, but goodness, this is teaching this new wife a lot about patience and just trying to help him as much as I can while he finishes his classes (which are almost done!!!)

I suppose it is a good thing, I am learning, and it makes the time we get to sit and talk or play a quick round of monopoly deal ever more sweeter :)

Ps-monopoly deal is amazing and oh so addicting...haha! You must get it! :)

Anyway,
I'm excited for spring/summer to be here, and for the pool at our apartment to open!

I'm currently working on finishing up the last two shoots I did for some families, and have an engagement, family session, and wedding booked so far. I need to finish my website and business cards too! Leah Jung photography I think will be the official name. I thought about LKJ, but my full name just works better. Although my logo will have only the "lj" in it :) And here is the first official viewing of it! Consider yourself lucky:

I reallly like how it has come out! As a designer though, I'll probably end up tweeking it here and there once I stare at it long enough, but I need to get started with something! :)


Oh, I'm working on a brochure for our church....even if they don't use it, it's fun to work on some design again. Good for my brain. :)
Nope, no pictures of that yet :)

Spring has sprung and I'm excited!! I planted a garden! Er...a potted garden?
Here's some more pictures...because everybody likes em...

I looove this daisy, the center of them is sooo colorful! :)

This stuff is called fiber optic grass...isn't awesome??? ^

My favorite birdy :)  Just because. Her favorite new perch is a hanger :P



Okay, enough pictures for today. Takes up too much time...haha!

Enjoy :)

Super Blessings :)

Can I just say that God is amazing??????


Ever since I got my camera, people, out of nowhere have immediately begun to call/email/ask me to come do shoots for them!!! Oh, and may I say--I had done no advertising yet??
I officially have two (maybe 3!) weddings booked, an engagement session, and I've already done a family session, an event, and a shoot for a business. (In less than a month of having my new camera!!!!!)

Coincidence?

I think not.

I am completely overwhelmed every time I think about it. God is SOOO good!!! He knows the desires of my heart, and He is fulfilling them! (Ps. 37)
I can't believe how blessed I am. There is nothing I did to deserve this, nothing at all.

He takes my breathe away! He makes my heart jump! Jesus is mine, and I am His. All glory and honor goes to Him!

Now....If I could just get a logo for myself finished...who knows what'll happen then! ;)

Adventures in this temporary life!

I'm tired, and work is in about 1hr45min. or so...and while my rice is steaming on the oven, thought I'd jot down a few thoughts since I promised I'd write more :)

This weekend is gonna be busy-ish. My Friday night consists of working and maybe cleaning up the house a bit with my hubby, Saturday I go to my old church and clean, (brings us some extra income!) and then Saturday evening I have my first ever photo shoot/hire out with my new camera!! Its from 7-11pm or so, and since we have to get up early for church the next morning I'll be tiiiired. Sundays we don't usually get a break to relax either. This Sunday is the 4th Sunday of the month, and the REAL college group always goes over to a retirement center to do a mini-service for the elderly/shut ins over there. Its such a blessing to have so many regulars every time we come, and to hear them say they really appreciate us coming out to do that for them. Ben and I aren't sure yet on what we're doing Sunday night yet either, we have an invitation to hang out with my best girl friend that night, so we'll see.
Its a good thing I don't work Monday....haha! I'll have lots of photo editing to do, and papers to finish for school!

I'm soo excited to start more photography projects! If you know someone who needs a photographer for anything refer 'em here! I'd love to do it all!!!! I wasn't able to advertise myself much for the longest time because, well, duuurrr!-- I didn't have a camera of my OWN yet. I'm working on my logo/bus. card/other advertising projects that probably will get put off till papers for school are done :P

Here's a few of my fav. photo's from our trip to Galveston Beach for Sp. Break :)

I want to start posting some more photos, I figure a blog is pretty boring without em'....and since I want to be a pro-photographer well, I suppose I should :)

Until next time--
LKJ

God works in crazy ways...

You know when you get those chances to try and share the gospel with a lost person you'll probably never see again?
That happened to Ben and I last night, except, it was crazy after the whole thing, to ponder how God worked in it....I don't believe in just "coincidence" ..God has planned every second of our lives for a reason.

[Insert funny thing that just happened-- my cockatiel just climbed down my arm and onto the keyboard and is right next to my fingers demanding my attention...she likes to be scratched behind her ears....lol! Okay...on to what I was saying....]

Let me start with this (planned out) meeting of the girl walking down the street in front of our apartment building.
Ben and I had just gotten home from my cousin's senior recital, and it was about 10pm. We were both kind of tired and had some stuff to unload out of the car. As we were pulling into our parking space, I noticed a girl walking down the street in flip flops, a long blue dress, and a coat she was pulling close to try to keep warm. She was a very petite girl, and was clutching a whole box of cigarettes. I had never seen her before, and by the way she was dressed, I thought she had just run down a few apartments to visit someone in the other complex and was just walking back.

However, as we got out of our car, she turned back and started walking towards us, and she looked at me and said "Hey..."

I wasn't sure if she was talking to me at first, but she was, so I asked what was up?
She began explaining she needed to get home, but didnt have a car, and her phone was dead so she couldn't call anyone to come and get her. She told us she had been wandering around in the cold for about a mile looking for someone to take her.
I wasn't sure what Ben was thinking, and I really wanted to help, but I didn't want to make the call and usurp his authority.
We kinda looked at each other for a minute though, and then accepted, but she lived way across town, so Ben had to pull out a map to find the route.
She sat kinda of hunched over in the back of our car, probably half frozen and who knows what else.

As we pulled away, I knew exactly the reason God had us in that situation, and that she was another opportunity to share the love of God with her, and to ask her what her eternal future held.
Ben struck up that conversation a few minutes into the drive after some vague conversation, and to my surprise, she didn't shoot down the topic or refuse to answer any of our questions-- but I always think it so sad all the excuses that people make up these days.
She kept saying she would never die, and that she didn't have to worry about heaven or hell.

We obviously explained the opposite the entire car ride to her duplex, and I'm hoping she was receptive enough last night to remember everything we told her.

We left her with a promise to pray for her, though she told us she didn't want a bible upon our offer.
I don't know why, but my heart always goes out to people I meet like this.
I always wonder how someone's life like Renay's would change if only they accepted Jesus and lived with a different purpose.

We did pray for her, and I prayed some for her on my own at home too.

Ben and I talked about the whole situation on the way home and have wondered whether God sent us that girl for the benefit of her, or for ours. We were sobered in remembrance of our most important task on this earth, and reminded of what it was that God saved us from!

After we left too, we realized what had happened in order for us to be at the apartment the exact time that girl showed up.

That night we had been at my cousin's senior recital, and for some reason, we milled around and were the last ones with her and her family.
We ended up taking her back to her apartment on campus, and I decided to run in and get some stuff I had left there.
After we left her apartment, I had a bit of a queasy stomach, so I asked Ben if we could stop and grab some 7up or something from the gas station. We did stop, and it wasn't until we were done there that we pulled into our apartment complex.

Think of all the things God allowed to happen so we could meet that girl and share the gospel with her!!
God works in such amazing, mysterious ways, and I am continually astounded at how He works in our lives. Though we may not understand His purposes, we can still praise Him for how He works in our hearts and lives to make us and sanctify us to be more like His Son!!
Praise God!
Eph. 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen!

[My dress named "precious"]

There's this thing thats been hanging in the back of my closet for the past 4 and a half months. It taunts me everytime I see it all wrapped in its special bag-- but I usually ignore it. Don't have the time or reason for it.
But, today I couldn't ignore it any longer, especially on a day off....not something with so much memory in it.

So.

I'm sitting in my wedding dress.  :)

And a thought ran across my head-- for all you married people-- why does life get crazy or different than it was the second your wedding attire is hung in the storage room?
I mean, if you saw your loved one every day, in that beautiful tux or gown, wouldn't you treat each other completely different? Wouldn't you love like you loved each other the day you said "I do?"
And to expand that thought towards Christ--
Why don't we don't worship the same way at home like we when we're in church?
Why don't we act like we do when we're around friends vs. when we're in our homes?

I think we should think of ourselves as brides all the time. Brides of Christ. We should be always dressed in our beautiful garb waiting for His return to call us to be with Him forever! I don't want to be caught in my dirty worn out clothes, with no thought or anxious desire for Him! What if Ben came home and I told him I didn't want to be his bride anymore?? Crazy thought eh?

Wow. Didn't know putting on a silly dress would conjure up all these emotions and questions in my head.....I should stop now before I go on a tangent or something.

Anyhow...

It is raining outside...probably the first and longest gorgeous rain this spring, and I looove it. Nothing more soothing to my ears. I just wish it didn't make me so sleepy!

On another random note---

I love it when God brings you what you need when you need it!! He's so loving and cares for us, more than we can fathom!
I was struggling with something in my mind last week, and didn't know how to handle it or what I should do about it, or how to even think about it properly.
But randomly I stumbled on a passage one morning that opened my eyes so I could see! I could understand what it was I needed deal with!!
He knows the desires of our hearts, and if He desires, He will give them to us! I was so excited the more I reflected on this. I don't think anything is just "happenstance" ...God knows what we need, when we need it, so I give Him thanks!
Oh, and you should go read Esther! I read it in one sitting....just an amazing book of God's sovereignty and provision for his people through a young and willing heart.

Okay, I'm done for now, I gotta keep up with this writing thing though, I think its good for me to think more often. :)

LKJ


ps-- My first DSLR camera is on its WAYYY!!!!! Should be here on wed. the 10th, SOOOO excited!! I'll try to post pics! :D :D :D

It's been one of those days...

It's a GORGEOUS day outside, definitely a beautiful break with even the sun making his appearance today. I can't wait for old man winter to leave for good!

I wish I felt as good on the inside though.

I got a 79 on my West Civ. history test :( I was hoping for MUCH better, despite the difficulty of the test. Overall I still have a high B in the class, hopefully that will become an A in the near future.

And on another note, an instructor has accused me of something that I don't believe I committed at school, I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. It would result with an academic warning on my part if I just comply and sign papers, but it really bothers my conscience to just do that because I believe I'm being wrongly accused.
My instructor isn't answering some of my questions, and it's equally upsetting because she waited so long to accuse me of such a thing anyway.

I'm not sure why the Lord is letting this happen, because it is definately making me frustrated....I have no CLUE what do do. And in turn, I find this difficult to communicate to my husband or anyone else with, because I don't think anyone really understands how I feel about this!
*sigh*

Anyway, I should go clean up my kitchen.

Until next time...

Life with a young newly married woman

I really wish I could better at this blogging thing, there are so many awesome people out there with really awesome blogs, and are really good at writing ...(Shannon, you're amazing, and I don't know HOW you do it...)

Suppose I can't keep complaining about it, I have to start somewhere right?

I've been married for a little over four months now, and I still am figuring out MANY things about my husband, me, and how I'm supposed to ditch my "independent-self" and support and take care of my husband and our little apartment, and school, work, and church responsibilities. 

Quite frankly, the first month or two after being married, I fought exhaustion a lot because I wasn't used to having someone else to take care of, to do things for, and to cook for...(When I was single, I ate salads for dinner...my husband is a meat lover...haha!)  I will say though, that this has definately  been one amazing adventure for both of us. I think we learn something new each day, and God is continually humbling us both to admit our sins, failures, and troubles to each other, as well as just communicating with each other. The night we shared our testimonies with our church, we went home and had more a long, deeper talk than we've had before, and it was all because of the Lord, and I am SOO grateful for that. 

I'm so blessed to have so many wonderful, godly women in my life who have taught me a lot, and shared a lot with me, to encourage me to be a good wife, but a godly woman more importantly. 

Recently though, however, I've realized I see myself as "too good of a person", you know what I mean? 

I need to realize more each day how much I need Christ in my life to continually sanctify and renew me. I will never reach a point of perfection here on this earth. I hope and pray I can find new things to improve on each day. (Having a husband helps sooo much!!! I need to hurry up and get the book "When Sinners Say I Do", I think it will be a great read for us...) 

Anyway, because God has blessed me with a husband in this point in my life, I'm so eager to be a good wife for him, not only because of my love for him, but my love for my Savior as well!!

This week is going to be a tough one for my sweetie. He's teaching the college group this Tues. night because the normal teacher is gone for the Shepherds conference, and he's been quite busy and has had little time to study for it, not to mention he has classes all day today...

The rest of the week, during the times he's not at school, he'll be running the bikeshop as his dad is gone to the shepherds conference as well. I hope to stop in often (like usual) to say hi and to check on his sanity... lol. 

Thank the Lord, I only got scheduled three days at work this week, so I'll be around more often for whatever he needs.  

I do have a lot to get done this week, last week was crazy busy, and I'm sure this one will be filled too. 

Oh, random question, I'm STILL working on wedding thank-you's ...is it too late? I heard once that brides get a year to write all their thankyou's out. I'm about done writing them out, the problem now is finding those addresses!!!! *Ugh *  What is really embarrassing is when someone actually has the nerve to ask if I have them done yet....I'm trying, really I am!!! I don't have kids yet, but work/school/beingthere4husband/cleaning/cooking/laundry/church is keeping me occupied! 

*deep breath*

Well, they'll get done. They will, I promise. I'll be working on them today hopefully. I have to get groceries too, so my poor hubby has something to eat while I'm working the dinner/night shift at Byblos. 

By the way, everyone needs to come eat at Byblos if you like REAL authentic lebanese/Mediterranean food. Its on 13th street, in between mclean and west :) 

That is, as long as you live here in wichita...haha!

Well, here's to more blogging in my life. I'm not sure how this one went, but hopefully I didn't bore many of you that actually did bother to read it through!

Much love from the Jung apartment!

My Testimony

Well,

It HAS been a long time for me to post something, I guess life has been hard to stay caught up with, and getting adjusted to having a husband and a household to care for has been a little difficult for the "independent" self I had become during school.

Anyway, the real reason I was posting was to put up the testimony I wrote out and shared with my wonderful church congregation last Sunday night.
At first I was really nervous, and I was even while I was speaking, I think I probably talked too fast, but it was really good to be able to share-- and to be open and vulnerable about my life, my sin, and yet the glorious work of my Redeemer on the Cross, when He took all of that on Himself for me!

I had a couple good cry's yesterday, once during that night while I was trying to talk, haha, and then when I got home-- my husband and I continued on the conversation of sin and forgiveness in our lives, and well, the tears kept on coming. Even now as I think about all this again it makes me tear up! *ah!!*

Ok, so on with my testimony...Its really quite long, so I'll be surprised if anyone actually reads this through, but I know its been so encouraging to read others' testimonies in the past, so I hope I can turn around and do the same!


With every day that I live, I have become more and more aware of how much of a sinner I am!! (Especially now that I am married!) The Lord continues to humble me the more that I think about my past and how much He’s brought me out of the darkness of the life of a lost sinner.
To begin with the basics of my testimony…I am the eldest of four kids, and we were all blessed to be raised in a wonderful Christian home with my mom and dad. I was saved at the age of 4 at Calvary bible Church, in Sunday school class in which my mom was leading. She was able to pray with me, and we talked to Pastor Taylor afterwards, but as you know, 4 is quite a young age, and though I remember that day, I think the only thing I understood spiritually was the concept of heaven and hell, and that I certainly didn’t want to go to hell when I died.

From that point on, life was a blur, and being raised in a Christian home didn’t help—what I mean is, it felt like I always followed through “the motions” in my spiritual life. I understood what it meant to be a sinner, that to be saved was through grace and grace alone, not of my actions, but that it was a gift of God. I knew about John 3:16, Ephesians 2, and I had all the verses to memorize associated with bible impact ministries. In terms of the Word and what it said of salvation I knew it, and I believed it. We went to church every Sunday morning, evening, and Wednesday night too. The problem was, I didn’t really develop my personal relationship with the Lord during this time. I talked the talk, and knew all the answers to the questions in Sunday School—but my heart wasn’t pursuing Christ, to be like Him, or a deeper understanding of the gospel. On our own, our human nature does NOT seek to be like Him or to know Him more, Paul knew of this struggle too.. I related much to Romans 7:15 when I read it later--

15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
And then on to vs. 19.—
19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

As I became older and entered into the world of a public high school, I am ashamed to say I lived the “mediocre Christian life,” and that sin that so prevails in our flesh had its hold on me. I had no desire to daily read the Word, and I sure wasn’t bold enough as to tell the other unbelieving classmates about my faith for fear of losing my friends--instead we had a bible study with other friends we knew were already saved!!

How horrible it is now to look back at that point in my life and realize how many people I let slip through my fingers if only I had been so bold as to tell them about Christ! I believe that this pointed to a horrible lack of my OWN faith. I think now, that if I only I could go back to those years, and live with the lessons God has taught me now, it would be much different.

I explain all this to show you that I do not know at what point in my life I was really saved and really understood the gospel. It was late in my high school years when God brought two very important things in my little world crashing down on me. The first thing that impacted my life, was the split of the church that I held so dearly in my heart (which was the problem! It was the people I held close in my heart, not the reason I should have been going there) I remember crying hard for a long time because of this, I knew God had a reason. The Lord taught me to stop putting people in my congregation on a pedestal and to put Him on the pedestal of my heart instead. I learned to love church for a different reason—the worship and adoration of my Savior, the preaching of the Word, and the encouragement we could be to each other as fellow believers.

God wasn’t finished with me yet though, during this same period of difficulty with our church, God chose to give my mom breast cancer. This is where God really began to strip me of all that I help close in life for that feeling of security. I had been there for my grandmothers same diagnosis, but my mom’s diagnosis hit home much harder. Living with her, and seeing her endure that pain challenged my way of thinking in so many ways—not to mention my mom was the greatest example of how a godly woman should handle trial during that time. Through the pain and tears, and much heartache, these events were part God’s will for my life-- the process of pulling a luke-warm Christian back to Himself. Because I had begun to realize by now that God wanted to teach me and build me up through these trials—I began to get more into the Word. I read a lot of the book of Job, and I wanted to follow his righteous example, the book of James was encouraging to read during this time as well. I learned that I can only trust God and God alone in the uncertainty of our days here on earth.

James 1:2 says:
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
On in vs. 12 it says:
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

These times did pass, and God had His way in my heart. We began going to a new church for awhile, and after being there some time, we began a new study in our Sunday school that covered many basics of the gospel, and much to my surprise I had a lot to learn yet, and my eyes began to be opened again. Memorizing the word was encouraged there as well and molded into the lessons, and that helped me tremendously. Not that I hadn’t memorized God’s Word before, in fact, I memorized a lot of verses to “get to camp” through the BIM program at the first church we attended, but this time, I memorized God’s word with my WHOLE heart. I memorized with a purpose, and it stuck with me. Being able to recall those verses at certain times during the day was so much more encouraging to me.

God also used a certain new boyfriend(--now my husband!!) in my life shortly after we started dating. Even before we were dating however, Ben encouraged me to study the Word more and more, and gave me a book that turned my view of my salvation upside down! “Living the Cross Centered Life” by Cj Mahaney, put the cross, God’s wrath that SHOULD have been poured on me but instead was poured on His Son, and the perfect humble attitude of Christ into words that I needed to hear. My desire for seeing others come to Christ, my hunger for the Word, and my love for my Savior grew, and through accountability, a new discipleship partner and the fellow believers in the body of Christ, I continued to feel a more renewed spirit and an overwhelming thankfulness to God my Savior for taking a hopeless sinner like me out of the darkness and into the light!! What joy and peace I have! What blessings He has given me that I do not deserve!

After I started regularly attending REAL group I was even more challenged through the genuine love from that group, and the encouragement and accountability they gave me!

It was so good to be with other fellow believers who wanted to pursue godliness and challenge one another as well. This is what really influenced me to come to Beth Eden on Sunday mornings, and the expositional preaching of the word was sweet to my ears!

You all know that through all this my “boyfriend” eventually proposed, and since our wedding, he has been such a wonderful encouragement to me-- my personal pastor and best friend!

I look back now and I am sooo thankful for the entirety of God’s working in each step of my life until now.

I am aware now that my resulting action is to share the good news to everyone I know, especially to those whom I am with at my work or at school! Psalm 19:14 says, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer!”
A verse I read later in my favorite book of the bible, which has become a life pursuit for me, is this: “As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Phil. 1:20 –21

To God be the Glory!