Category Archives: Christianity

Day 1445 – Our Ideal Clients – Baltimore Maryland Wedding Photographers

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I mentioned a few days back that our most recent wedding was so covered in prayer and how cool we thought that was. Well, as I was editing, I realized the Ranneberger wedding (the ceremony specifically) was very similar to our wedding!!! It was so fun to relive our wedding while I was editing this one!

The first was a fun thing….the bride was barefoot! All day! I LOVE her feet jewels! Wish I had known about something like this when I was married.

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They sang It Is Well. I have a special place in my heart for this song. I have known the story behind the song for a long time and it always moves me.

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They used one of the same verses we did.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him – a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

I LOVE that they braided the cord while the verse was being read!

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Now, we didn’t skip down the aisle, but I am crazy about this picture. If you look close, you’ll notice all four feet are off the ground!

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Are YOU our ideal client? We’d love to chat with you!

Day 1408 – A Really Cool Thought About Jesus

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I read a verse in my devotions this week that really spoke to me.

“Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”
John 21:25

What an exciting thought! That we know so little of all Jesus did…and what little we do know is simply overwhelming.

I believe each of us could fill our own books of what He has done for us. I’ve filled about 10-20 myself. How many have you filled?

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Day 1395 – How We Paid Off 30K In 3.5 Years OR I Can’t Believe Bret Tweeted How Much Debt We Had!

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On May 1, my dear husband tweeted this in response to another tweeter:

I’m not going to lie, I was a little “upset” that he posted the actual amount of debt we had. I was all for saying, “yay! We’re out of debt!” But didn’t think we really needed to share HOW MUCH. But, then I thought about it some more…especially after having a few friends make comments about it…saying things like, “you want advice on getting out of debt? Ask Jen and Bret!” I realized, we do have valuable information on the topic.

Here are some of the ways we did this:

  • Trusting in God. I know it sounds like a “warm and fuzzy” thing, but it is THE ultimate reason why we are now out of debt.
  • “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” – Anonymous i.e. Making big sacrifices.
  • We didn’t buy birthday, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc. gifts. This was SUPER awkward at first!
  • We didn’t buy new clothes, unless it was absolutely necessary. I went about 5 years in between jeans. The line was when EVERY pair of jeans had a hole.
  • We moved back in with my parents.
  • We didn’t go out to eat as much as we would have liked. One of the hardest things is having to say no again and again….AND AGAIN to hanging out with friends.
  • Eating generic food.
  • Cancelling gym memberships.
  • Downgrading our insurance.
  • Checking books out of the library instead of buying them.
  • Selling things we didn’t use.
  • Saying no, even when it’s painful. i.e. Not visiting Bret’s family for Christmas last year. This was such a big deal because it’s the only time of the year we can see them.
  • Extra money went towards paying down the debt, no questions asked.

It’s painful, it’s sacrifice, but it can be done!

I thought this was an appropriate post today, because we actually had a shopping spree! It was probably the first time we went out, bought things we needed and didn’t say things like “oh, man, we can’t afford that.” A bonus for this shopping trip is that we can write off pretty much all of it! The clothes we bought can and will be worn at weddings/personal training sessions/networking/etc.

The highlight of my purchases? Oh these sparkly heels of course! I’m all about the sparkly!

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Day 1390 – 15 Years Ago Today, My Life Changed Forever

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15 years ago, I was 15 years old and working at CFA. I actually really liked the job. I met some awesome people and had fun at the job. The main reason it was such a great job was the store manager, Pyle. He was 22 and just an all around great guy.

15 years ago today, he passed away. His was the first death I experienced (minus older family members). It was a very tough thing to walk through as a 15 year old. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was just the start of many deaths over the next few years. I’ve lost several friends who were younger than me or just a little older.

You could look at this and say, man, that really sucks that you’ve had to deal with so much death! But I can look back on these things and see how God was using them in my life. Primarily, that tomorrow is NOT guaranteed. Some people wonder how I can be so happy/joyful/have a good attitude about things…it’s because of these experiences in death. I know that I may not see tomorrow…so why waste my time being mad at someone…or worrying….or not saying I love you? It also has helped me appreciate the little things.

I don’t know if I have a “message” or a “point” in today’s post, other than sharing a day that really did change my life.

Since I don’t have a picture of Pyle, this is a sunset over Hunt Valley, where we worked together.

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Day 1387 – Staycation Day 4 – Answered Prayers, In The Weirdest Ways

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In my small group at church, we’re going through a really great book, Listening for God.

Here’s a few quotes…

“Scripture repeatedly mentions that God hears our prayers (provided we are free from any known sin). He may not always answer them and, in his sovereignty, do what is best.”
Listening for God – Marilyn Hontz

“For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.”
Lamentations 3:31-33

“But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!”
Psalm 66:19-20

Last year, I was in a really dark place. I had no idea what a challenge it would be to do photography full time. How scary it would be. And honestly, how unprepared I was. I would pray every day for more weddings…for more money…to have joy again. I questioned if I was doing the right thing by quitting my job. I went about 6 months without booking anything new.

Looking back, I realize that God DID answer my prayer, just not in the way I expected. He caused me to go through a long drought of no bookings and getting down on myself to help me realize how much I didn’t know…but also how good He was. I needed to be in a place where I was able to say “I’d like this…but your will, not my own.” Once I seemed to grasp this, it was like the floodgates opened. I booked a few weddings back to back and our bills were being paid down.

I can also see how God was preparing us for when Bret lost his job. If we hadn’t gone through what we did, Bret losing his job would have been a terrible time for us. Instead, we trusted and he found work in less than a week.

So take heart, if you have been praying for something for a while and your prayer just isn’t being answered, trust that God is much wiser than you. He knows your wants, but he cares more about your needs. He loves you and that may be why he hasn’t answered your prayer yet…or in the way you want.

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget.
Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel