Having trouble viewing the survey? Click here.

Possible Names:

Here Am I Ministries

About a year ago I posted a video on my blog that does a great job illustrating why I think this name carries power and relevance. If you have a few minutes click here to watch it. Basically the idea behind the name is this. God has begun his redemptive work through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. He then put forth a call for us to carry forward that redemption until Christ’s second coming at which point he will complete the renewal of all things. In this is a call for us to show up, to respond to God’s call.

In the Old Testiment you see God calling other servants, other men, to respond to him. You see it with Abraham in Genesis 22:1, with Jacob in Genesis 46:2, and then again with Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:4. Each time these men responded to God saying, “Here Am I.”

I believe that is where it starts with us. Before anything can happen. Before we can serve locally or abroad. We have to show up before God, we have to respond to his call for our lives and say, “Lord, here am I, use me.” This name reflects our desire to aid this generation in both acknowledging and responding to God’s call.

Love Walks

The idea behind this name is that we as Christians need to continue to move from just talking about God’s love and redemption, to actually living it out in our lives, and thus serving as a light in the lives of others as well. To use the cliche, we need to walk the walk. Implicit in the word walk is an idea of movement, and more, movement in a specific direction. Love is the direction.

The past four years our ministry has grown and we have worked with five different churches and over 300 volunteers. We have served in Rocky Point, Mexico on a monthly basis for over three years and are now in the works of establishing a training and equiping program to continue to develop and equip youth and young adults to better understand our call to love and serve others.

At this point in our journey we are undergoing some pretty big transformations, one of which is a process of re-branding. Recently we came to find out that a ministry in the mid-west owns the trade name for ‘Love God Love People,’ because of this we need to change our organizations name. While we are sorry to no longer carry Love God Love People as our name, it continues to be the foundational part of our mission as we now seek to establish a name that helps us communicate that as well as this one did.

At the bottom of this post you will find a  survey of names we are considering. The survey is only one question and we would greately appreciate your feedback and voice in helping us choice a new name. Also, below I have elaborated a bit on each name and the meaning behind it. Feel free to read through that prior to the survey.

Thanks so much for your help!

Possible Names:

Here Am I Ministries
About a year ago I posted a video on my blog that does a great job illustrating why I think this name carries power and relevance. If you have a few minutes click here to watch it. Basically the idea behind the name is this. God has begun his redemptive work through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. He then put forth a call for us to carry forward that redemption until Christ’s second coming at which point he will complete the renewal of all things. In this is a call for us to show up, to respond to God’s call.

In the Old Testiment you see God calling other servants, other men, to respond to him. You see it with Abraham in Genesis 22:1, with Jacob in Genesis 46:2, and then again with Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:4. Each time these men responded to God saying, “Here Am I.”

I believe that is where it starts with us. Before anything can happen. Before we can serve locally or abroad. We have to show up before God, we have to respond to his call for our lives and say, “Lord, here am I, use me.” This name reflects our desire to aid this generation in both acknowledging and responding to God’s call.

The Matthew 22 Project
This name requires very little explanation. Matthew 22 is the passage of scripture where we find Jesus responding that the greatest commandments are to ‘Love God and Love People.’ This name would be the closest thing to keeping the same name we currently have.

Love Walks
The idea behind this name is that we as Christians need to continue to move from just talking about God’s love and redemption, to actually living it out in our lives, and thus serving as a light in the lives of others as well. To use the cliche, we need to walk the walk. Implicit in the word walk is an idea of movement, and more, movement in a specific direction. Love is the direction.

Other Names
These are just three options, but we would also love to have your input on other suggestions. On the survey is a blank spot where you can suggest other names that you think might be approptiate and fit the vision of our organziation.

Thank you again for your participation. If you can’t view the survey below try clicking here!

During my time at ASU I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah. Last week I also had the pleasure of shooting Sarah’s wedding with another classmate, Megan Pfleiger. It’s always fun to shoot a wedding for someone you know, this was no different. Megan and I had a blast traveling to Sedona for the day and capturing moments for Sarah, and her now husband Bobby. The day couldn’t have been much better for a wedding. It wasn’t too cold, we had beautiful sunlight through most of the day, and evaded the slight chance of rain which had been looming leading up to the wedding. Sarah and Bobby met while at ASU and volunteering for the ministry Campus Crusade. They are both kind and passionate people, who are a great fit for one and other.

The following are pictures from their wedding day. To see more and/or order prints click here!

Prior to the ceremony we took Bobby and Sarah to Red Rock Crossing where they saw each other for the first time that day. It was a great moment, Sarah came around the corner of a secluded path which wound through the trees and around the near bye creek and gently turned Bobby with a light tap to the shoulder. He was speechless for a few moments as he took in the sight of his bride.
After a few moments we moved further down the path to the creek and took a few more pictures before heading back to the ceremony sight.

The wedding ceremony took place at the Sedona Golf Resort. With the sun setting and redrocks all around it was a gorgeous setting. The wedding was officiated by a friend and leader from campus crusade, Bobby’s groomsmen had all flown in from Hawaii (where he is from), Sarah was surrounded by her family and friends, and background harp music was played throughout, all adding up to create exactly the ceremony they wanted.

This next series of pictures highlights a great moment during the ceremony. Sarah surprised bobby by having leis incorporated into the ceremony, a Hawaiian tradition. Bobby knew exactly what to do and after placing the lei around Sarah’s neck he gave her a kiss, which would have been exactly what you’re supposed to do…except during the ceremony when you are waiting for those words, ‘you may now kiss the bride!’ Woops! Sarah immediately realized the slip up and Bobby protested that it was part of the tradition. It was just a brief light hearted moment but a great one that I’m sure they’ll remember.

This shot below was captured just following the ceremony when Bobby and Sarah ducked behind a corner and got to celebrate their new marriage alone for the first time.

The reception was also held at the  Sedona Golf Resort. It was a great celebration which was capped with three hours of dancing without a lull, something I seldom see at receptions. The guests just kept on dancing through the night and D.J. Bobby Russell kept the tunes coming. It was a lot of fun to watch everyone enjoying themselves, and of course to get some photos of some creative dance moves!

Megan it was a blast shooting another wedding with you. Bobby and Sarah, thanks for letting me be a part of your day. Best of luck settling in Hawaii and with everything that is to come!

Meet Rich and Lila, two of the warmest and kindest people you will ever meet. Over the past three years of ministry in Mexico with Love God Love People, I have had the privilege of getting to know them and their ministry the Nuestro Camino Food Bank. Rich and Lila have family back in the States who they love and care about deeply, and yet the have made their home in Puerto Penasco. They feel called to the community there and so that is where they have decided to be, living in the very community they minister to. A few years back, in partnership with a local church, they opened up a food bank which catters to the needs of the families living in poverty. With the recent downturn of the economy in the U.S. the circumstances in Puerto Penasco have drastically worsened. Missionaries like Rich and Lila face the dauting task of trying to provide for even more people who are in need while doing so with even fewer resources.

I am writting this post because the Nuestro Camino Food Bank has been and will continue to be a valuable ministry partner for Love God Love People as they live on the front lines of the battle of poverty. I am asking you to see if you can join this battle to help end hunger for families in Puerto Penasco through any of the following ways:

1. Donating Food
2. Donating Financially
3. Speaking to your Church about supporting the food bank
4. Contacting local grocers or other avenues to find continual sources of food
5. Get creative! We are looking for people to partner and walk alongside this ministry.

Any donation is helpful but if you can committ to walking with the food bank on a monthly basis that goes a long way.

If you would like further information about the food bank, like to contact Rich and Lila directly, or have any questions please contact me by leaving a comment on this blog or e-mailing me at chris.lglp@gmail.com

Thanks and God Bless!

So…

I am curious. What comes to mind when you look at the image above? Does it invoke any emotions, or can you relate to the expressions on the faces of the two people above? For those of you who know the people above, are these familiar expressions? Perhaps it would help to build context around the image so that you can better understand the joy and satisfaction that this image seems to be soaked in. I’ll start with their names.

Meet David and Brittani. I did that very thing this past year when I interned with Food for the Hungry. David and Brittani are part of the City Initiatives team of Food for the Hungry and spend a great deal of their time focusing on gospel driven issues of injustice and human poverty. They are very good at what they do, and above that, they are very good and including other people in what they do. Something that continues to build up the body of Christ in Phoenix and beyond. They are both incredibly gracious and fun loving people, the kind of folks who you just want to be around. So, all that to say these are two awesome people.

About a week and a half ago I got an e-mail from David sharing that he was ready to pop the question! He asked if I would be willing to photograph the proposal, of course I was. We met soon after to strategize, find the location, and set into place a sneaky plan that I’m confident would rival most military operations. So once we had poured over the detials it was just a matter of waiting. Eventually they day came.

The Day Of 12/15/2009:

2:08pm
David calls to make sure everything is a go. I barely recognize his voice as the excitment and anticipation are at their highest point yet!

4:00
I arrive to the top of South Mountain and place an empty bottle of coke as a marker to signal David where to stand.

4:09
David sends me a text asking how Mexico was (I was there the previous weekend). This is code for: We are now leaving Food for the Hungry)
I reply with a code meaning that everything is good to go.

4:46
David texts me  ”Glad you had fun.” Translation…we are here!

I stayed hidden and out of sight waiting for them to approach. I soon saw David walking towards the coke bottle, a big smile on his face. Right behind him is Brittani, still not knowing what is about to happen. As they reach the spot they stand next to each other and talk for a moment. David takes her hand and they look out from South Mountain towards the city. It was then that I remembered why this is where David wanted to propose.  ”South Mountain,” David had said, “is a special place for us. Our time there has always been meaningful. If there was any place in Phoenix that is our place it is South Mountain.” I smiled, and began to snap away. As I did the moment arrived and David took one knee.

After what was only moments, but I expect felt like ages, David finished his proposal. And guess what, she said YES!!! They caught their breath and hugged as the excitement was obviously overwhelming. After a moment David revealed another secret…”Say cheese Brittani!”

After giving Brittani some time to process everything that was happening we took the opportunity to snap some more pictures in the beautiful light being cast by the setting sun.

There are good days and there are great days. This was a great day. And, I suspect one that neither David or Brittani will soon forget. Again, congratulations to you both. It was a privilege to share that time with you! I’m so excited to see what’s next to come for the two of you, thanks for letting me be a small part of your journey together!

2010

January 8-10th

February 19-21st

March 19-21st

April 16-18th

May 14-16th

June 18-20th FATHERS DAY

July 16-18th

August 20-22nd

September 17-19th

October 15th-17th

November 19-21st

December 17-19th

To see more pictures from the trip click here.

]]> http://chrismaddoxblog.com/2009/12/love-god-love-people-december-mexico-trip-2009/feed/ 0 http://chrismaddoxblog.com/2009/12/tyler-krista-wedding/ http://chrismaddoxblog.com/2009/12/tyler-krista-wedding/#comments Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:42:12 +0000 chris http://chrismaddoxblog.com/?p=1278

I love shooting with other photographers. A camera in a good photographers hands is the equivalent of a paint brush in the hands of Picasso or a piano before Beethoven, and to watch a talented photographer at work is to be a part of a spectacle of creation. Because of this I try to take every opportunity I can to shoot with other photographers and learn what makes them- “them”. Each time I do this I learn a new trick, or am challenged to see things just a little bit differently. So, when Christine Kay asked me if I wanted to shoot with her recently at a wedding for Tyler and Krista at the  beautiful Boojum Tree Hidden Garden I didn’t hesitate to say yes. If you haven’t seen Christine’s work check out her site by clicking here. She has managed to build a great portfolio very quickly. You can see her pictured above reacting to a guest at the wedding who was, to say the least, quite a character.

The location of the wedding was fantastic. There where so many great details everywhere you looked. That paired with the venue = a fun day for a photographer!

Krista, the beautiful bride getting her first couple shots taken. Just two of many though. Between Christine and I clicking away we gave her face muscles a thorough workout! Luckily for us she was a great sport. And below you can see Tyler with his groomsmen. A laid back and fun group to say the least!

Tyler and Krista had agreed to see each other prior to the ceremony. In my opinion a great decision for a lot of reasons. But if you don’t believe me maybe you’ll believe one of the top wedding photographers in the industry, check out her post on December 7th.

Tyler and Krista congratulations! You had a beautiful wedding! It was a pleasure to be there documenting it, and I wish you both the best of luck. And Christine, it was a blast shooting with you! To check out Christine’s images from the day click here.