As of Saturday morning at 8:30am, we've raised a total of $450.50 for Haiti!

(I honestly had no idea there was even $450.50 worth of inventory in the store!)

God is so good.

I know the shop is dwindling right now, but I'll be adding some new items later this afternoon. It would be incredible to make it past $500, and we're still a couple days away!

Thank you again for your giving spirits.

Let's keep going!

What we can do.

UPDATE (6:30am on Thursday morning): You guys are amazing. I had no idea the response would be this great, but in less than 12 hours, we've raised $267.75 for Haiti!!! To God be the glory, GREAT things He has done! I am so excited to package these pieces up and send them off to you. Thank you for inspiring me with your giving hearts!

I'm sure we've all seen the images by now.

My heart is so heavy for Haiti today, and I've been praying about what I can do. We can all do something, right? Here's what I've come up with...

From now until Monday, January 19, 100% of the proceeds from BrighterDay will go directly to World Vision toward their relief efforts in Haiti.

World Vision staff is already on the ground in Haiti, assessing the situation, and preparing an emergency response.

So go shopping and make a difference all at once!

Buy some earrings or a ring or a hair pin and know that your entire purchase will be a donation that will go to our friends in Haiti.

And maybe when you wear your new jewelry, you'll think to pray.

Our pastor sent us some ideas of how we can pray:

- Haiti, as a country, pledged its loyalty to cultic practice and voodoo. It has long been a country that has ignored the Gospel and the God of the scriptures. Pray for spiritual awakening.

- There are many missionaries who have served this country faithfully for years. Pray that God would use this event to cause Haitians to question who God is. Pray that these missionaries would be able to leverage their love and service to reveal the truths of Jesus more directly than ever before.

- Haiti has been a disaster economically. Let's pray that God would use this tragic event to cause other nations to get involved in eliminating corruption and providing economic redevelopment and that children, especially, would no longer have to live in neglect.

To God be the glory in the midst of this unbelievable tragedy.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy, happy birthday, Mom!

Can you believe this woman is 50 today?!

(I hope I get her unbelievable non-aging genes!)

Mom,

I am so thankful for you.

I'm thankful for the wife you are to Dad, loving and serving him so well for 29 years. You work and travel and minister alongside him with complete joy and it's incredible to watch.

I'm thankful for the mom you are to me, constantly blessing me with your friendship, your deep wisdom, and lavish love. Thank you for loving Shawn as your own son, too. It means so much to see you accept him into our family with open arms.

I'm thankful for the daughter you have been to Grams and Grandaddy. I know you must miss Grams terribly today, and it's not easy being away from Grandaddy today either. You have been such a faithful, loyal daughter to them, truly honoring them at every turn.

I'm thankful for the humble servant you are to your hospice patients who undoubtedly love every time you visit.

You are the role model the Lord knew I needed, and I am so proud to call you my mom! I am celebrating your life today.

I love you so much,

Whit

For anyone reading this, I know Mom would be so thankful on her birthday if you would say a prayer for her dad, Broadman. He is undergoing rigorous treatment for esophageal cancer and just this morning had a seizure and is back in the hospital. He is fighting courageously against the cancer that is trying to destroy his body, but if you would, please pray for peace and comfort for him today. Thanks.

Remembering the Sabbath

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy."
Exodus 20:8


If I had to give myself a rating on how well I have kept this commandment, I'd give myself a 3 out of 10. I don't know about you, but by the time Sunday evening rolls around, I'm exhausted. We go to church in the morning, cook lunch at home, hang out in the afternoon, then go to our village meeting (small group) for a few hours in the evening. I love each part of our day, but honestly, it just doesn't seem to be much different than the other days of the week in how my heart and time are focused.

Some dear family friends of ours have modeled this principle well, and even their 3-year-old understands that there's no Wii or playing with dad's iPhone on Sundays. The Sabbath is to be set apart from every other day of the week.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "holy" can be defined as "exalted or worthy of complete devotion."

That definition brought tears to my eyes. I have not been demonstrating to the Lord on the Sabbath that He is worthy of my complete devotion.

And so in an effort to keep the Sabbath holy, I have chosen - beginning tomorrow - to abstain from the following on Sundays:

• Internet surfing. Whether browsing through blogs or on Facebook, it has the potential of being a distraction for me. In Leviticus 16:31, it says, "It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance." In giving up the internet for an entire 24 hour period, as silly as it sounds, I am denying myself of a habit in order to focus more fully on the Lord. I know that as soon as I pull out my iPhone to check Facebook, I'll be quickly reminded that the Sabbath is to be holy and set apart. I think it will be an encouragement more than anything.

• TV. This is not a difficult one as we don't watch much television at all, but I'll go ahead and include DVDs in there, too. I think reading would be more restful and enriching.

• Email. Oftentimes, it's work. Most of the time, it can wait. If anyone has a pressing need, they can give me a call.

• Cooking, for the most part. I am hoping to stay on top of preparing meals in the evenings so they can be quickly heated on Sundays to free up some of my time. There's even a verse for this one! Exodus 16:23 says, "Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning." I can't say I believe that cooking is biblically prohibited on the Sabbath, but for me, it's a large chunk of time that I could be spending doing other things if I would simply plan ahead.

What I hope to do more of on the Sabbath:

• Rest. How often do we set aside time to rest?
Exodus 35:2 says, "For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord." I think purposefully resting my mind, body, and spirit will be even more healing and rejuvenating than I think.
• Spend concentrated time with my husband. We used to have our date nights on Sunday nights and I really loved that. It was a time that we were able to begin our week on the same page.
• Spend time in prayer for the upcoming week and catch up in Bible reading on my daily reading plan (if need be).

I hope you see these things as I do - as an encouragement to devote ourselves more fully to the Lord and not as deprivations or rigid rules. And I hope you'll join me in this. Obviously, you may decide to give up different things or spend your time in other ways.

Ultimately, the Sabbath is a gift from God to us. He didn't have to command us to rest, but He knew we would be better for it. In Mark 2:27, Jesus proclaimed, "The Sabbath was made for mankind and not mankind for the Sabbath." The Lord extends the invitation to us on the Sabbath to rest and take joy in it, just as God Himself rested on the seventh day and took joy in all that He had created.

I hope that each of us will find that on Monday morning, we feel rested and ready for the week ahead because we have made the choice to keep the Sabbath holy... to deny ourselves in some way... to devote ourselves to the One whom our souls love... and to find joy in the midst of it.

He is truly worthy of our complete devotion.

My camera.

Probably the most frequent question I've received since starting this blog is,

"What kind of camera do you use?"

Let me just preface this by saying that I am no expert. So for all of you camera gurus out there, I'm sorry if the language I use isn't very technical. I'll just try to explain it all in a way that amateurs like myself understand, and hopefully inspire you in the process!

I use a Canon Rebel XTi that Shawn bought me for a Christmas gift a couple years ago (one of my favorite Christmas gifts ever!). I don't think either one of us really knew how much I would love this camera.

I recommend everything in the Canon Rebel series because the photo quality is excellent, but it's also a very user friendly camera. There are now newer, improved models out there and I can say as a first-time photographer, this was the perfect camera to start out with and grow. Shawn has taught me quite a bit, but I have also learned a lot myself by just adjusting the settings and learning what I like. One thing you have to love about digital is that you get automatic feedback! No need to wait for film to develop and try to remember how you had the settings.

I will say that lenses make a world of difference. My camera came with the lens shown in the photo above - a versatile 18-55mm lens that zooms and takes pretty good photos. It's a good lens for outdoor shots that you need a wide angle.

But my favorite lens - and the one that stays on my camera about 90% of the time - is my Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens. It lets a lot of light in, so the depth of field is amazing and it's easy to take great photos even in low-light situations. I use it almost exclusively for the pictures on my blog. It doesn't zoom (which takes a bit of getting used to) but it's great for people shots, food shots, and most other still life.

Later on, you may want to invest in a telephoto lens to capture more from a distance, such as action shots during a football game or a bird in a distant tree. Also, I love using my macro lens for photos in my Etsy shop.

Last but not least, we started using Lightroom as editing software in the past few months and we LOVE it! It is extremely easy to use and has great results! I have also recently learned to use Photoshop and I love that for graphic design purposes, but if you're looking for a software that edits photos (and you don't need graphic design features), go with Lightroom!

I hope that answers some of your questions. Let me know if you have any more and I'll try to answer them (or have my photographer husband answer them).

Most importantly, have fun!