The LORD'S Lens

Maybe you came across our site after being recommended to check it out by a friend. Perhaps you were one of the countless photographers Rick and I sent our heart out to asking them to be involved. It may have even been that late night Google search on ‘how to glorify God with photography’ that led you to our page. As Christians, we know better… If you are here it is because God Himself is calling. Making the decision to answer His call is the easy part right? The harder part is knowing HOW to answer His call.

If you have signed up to be a part of our growing directory, that is a great first step and we appreciate you more than you know. With word spreading about The Lord’s Lens, hopefully we will hear that you’ve been contacted to donate your time and services to the most amazing cause. When this happens we would love to hear all about it and of course share your images and God’s glory with the world. I am here to ask you however, what are you going to do UNTIL then? There is where the real power lies. Seek out God at work, find those that are in despair or need help, find a need and be the Lord’s solution. Pray to our mighty God to use you, then wait to see what unfolds…

I think as photographers we always like to the think about the story. The GRAND, once in a lifetime miracle, happening in that exotic place. Wouldn’t  we would all love to be there to document that?  Many of us WILL be contacted for missions, for miracles and to document amazing stories. You should know though that you have an amazing opportunity to begin serving right here and now, in your own neighborhood, in your own church. Let me ask you this: Does your Pastor know you are a professional photographer? Does your church staff know that you can help them with their photographic needs? More importantly does your church FAMILY know that when in need they can call on you at no cost? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then I think we just found your next step…

We challenge you to get involved on your local level ASAP. Think about big picture ideas, brainstorm things your church may need done everyday, anything that will bring God glory! Need some ideas? Here are just a small sampling of things Lord’s Lens photographers around the world are shooting:

Baby Dedications - Get in touch with whoever is in charge of scheduling baby dedications for your congregation. This is an awesome way to document such an important part of each child’s life. Through your photos you can really highlight the parent’s passion for Jesus Christ, along with their dedication to raise their child to be a wonderful Christian!

Baptisms – What a personal, important and GLORIOUS thing to photograph. Such a monumental time in the life of every believer. There is glory to be shown in these photos for sure!

Events – Vacation Bible School, Easter Programs, Shoebox Ministries… so many amazing events for people to show their love for God (and one another). Photos from these events can be powerful, inspiring, convicting and are SO important when sharing what the Lord is doing on a local level.

Head Shots – Seeing a photo of someone helps us to learn who they are and be able to recognize and relate to them. Does your pastor have a professional head shot to use for your church’s website? How about your youth pastor, elders, deacons etc… This can be a really impacting project that can be done in a day!

Family Photo Day – Everyone would like a great portrait of their family. The reality is however that very few families have the means to be able to have professional family portraits taken. Each one of us has the ability to be able to GIVE this special gift to them free of charge. This is a wonderful way to thank them for their dedication to serving the Lord. Consider holding a Church Family Portrait day, it is a lot of fun and you really will touch so many lives!

Church Families in Need – When we are in need we lean on our brothers and sisters in Christ. So often our church family knows so much more about our trials and tribulations than we might share with the outside world. Photos have the power to document a time in a persons life, to bring happiness to someone who might need it or to tell a story that the world needs to hear. What a beautiful gift we can give to those that we love, all for the glory of God!

End Of The Year Slide Shows – What’s going on in your church this year? Baptisms, baby dedications, small groups, picnics, get togethers, mission trips… A photo is worth a thousand words and what better way to show your congregation what everyone has been up to than an end of the year slide show!

Small Group/Ministries – Finding a small group can be an intimidating process. Wouldn’t it be easier if you knew a few smiling faces and had a glimpse into what you might expect when you join?

Services Offered – Our church has a fantastic daycare program, a seminary school and even a separate service for Spanish speaking members. What better way to let people know about all the special things your church has to offer than through pictures

Mission Trips - There is so much that goes into a mission trip. The camaraderie of those that are serving, the work done for the Lord, the reaction from those who receive God’s grace… Documenting a mission and capturing the story behind it is one of the most rewarding things we can do as photographers.

What are you shooting? Have more suggestions on how people can use their photography to help on a local level? We would LOVE to hear about them and share them here on The Lord’s Lens. Please send your suggestions along with photos if possible to info@thelordslens.com.

Today’s post comes from two of our talented ‘Lord’s Lens’ photographers, John and Brooke Davis who are based out of Mobile, AL. With their heart set on doing God’s work these two have started their own ministry, reaching out to those who need it most in their community. Not only would we love to share their mission for God’s glory (along with their amazing images), but we also hope that it might inspire you to find ways you can help others as well.

Isaiah 58:7 says “…to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out.  When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh.”  To Brooke and I, the starters of Kingdom of the Poor, that means exactly what it says.  Our goal with Kingdom of the Poor is everything that Isaiah 58:7 says.  To feed the hungry, to give people our house to stay at, to give clothes to the naked, and really just to restore dignity to those whom society have taken it away.  In doing this, our main goal is to please the heart of God.

So many people just create ministries and take time out of their days to serve people and help someone, and though that is a good thing, we are trying to do even more than that.  We don’t want to just create a ministry, our heart is to live a lifestyle of Jesus Christ and in that we do serve the homeless and help the needy.  If Kingdom of the Poor serves as an outlet to help others get involved every once and a while that is okay, but we want to be something that shows people how Jesus wants us to live our lives on a daily, 24/7 basis.

One of the main things we do is serve our friends in Tent City. This is a place in the woods where about 30 homeless folks live and have camps in which they live in tents made up of tarps and umbrellas and string.  We have been starting a church down there in the woods and really just trying to become best friends with these guys and being Jesus to them. So far we have seen 5 people get out of the woods and into homes and get jobs.  We are super excited to see what God is going to continue doing through us and others that believe in living like Jesus, no matter what that means.  – -John Martin Davis, starter of Kingdom of the Poor.

This is a picture of our friend Detroit. He has been living out in Tent City for about 4 years, been to jail 3 times during his stay out there, and has been hospitalized 2 times. This is our main picture that we use for Kingdom of the Poor. In this picture Detroit is laying on his bed made of two shopping carts that are on their sides pushed together with blankets on top of them. He was pretty knocked out here because his had just gotten back from the hospital for a cut on his side that got infected. Detroit is 35.

This is another picture of Detroit standing up. If you notice the massive scares on his side, that is the cut I was talking about on the previous picture. He had 30 or more staples in his side after he was cut with a box opener while breaking up a fight in Tent City between his best friend or “street brother” and Otis, husband of Ms. Fea, a couple who also live in Tent City. This was the second time Detroit had been cut with a box opener, the first stretched from his chest to his back.

This is Curly. They call him curly because of his curly hair. The first time I met curly he had a beard that went down to his stomach, it was super legit, but then he was arrested for walking the streets at night, which is a new ordinance in Mobile for the homeless, and they cut it off in jail. Curly is the best friend of Detroit, and wherever you find Detroit, you will find Curly. Curly is 34.

In Tent City dogs are everything to everyone. What I mean by that is that since they have no material items they take care of their dogs like they are their children. In this picture you see Bruiser standing by those boots and legs, which is Mike, his owner. Bruiser is probably the most loyal dog I have ever met, he follows Mike around everywhere and is very protective of their camp. Mike will feed Bruiser before he feeds himself.

This is Mike; he is 41 and is literally always joking. Most likely he will not be wearing a shirt just because of the heat and is always looking out for everyone in Tent City. Mike is the first person I met in Tent City and whenever we go out there he never lets us leave with him praying for us and thanking God for “angels” to come help them.

This is our friend Daniel who lives in Hattiesburg, MS who comes down often to help us out, in this picture we are all walking into Tent City through the trail that comes out at the road. Everyone has on a back pack because we were giving away backpacks full of stuff that day.

This is a site you see all over Tent City. Random chairs that people sit in to chill or even call their beds. This chair was sitting at an abandoned camp probably because the person was arrested and hasn’t been let out yet.

This is Mr. Robert and I. I am giving him a new backpack with a lot of stuff that he will need on the day that we did our Mobile Backpack Drive. Mr. Robert is around 50 but he won’t tell us his real age he just says “I’m over the hill”. Mr. Robert is a loaner, and is always just riding around on his bike, but goes to church every Sunday and is always talking about how God is blessing him, even in the mist of poverty.

Today’s scripture comes from Heather Lilly, a “Lord’s Lens’ photographer based out of Erie, CO…

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” – Psalm 46:10

This morning we are asking for your much needed prayers for Kaylyn and Ryan, married just 3 short months ago. On Sunday, January 15 2012, they were both in an extremely serious car accident in Hunstville, AL. Kalyn suffered a broken collar bone and many bruises, Ryan was ejected from the car leaving him in a coma with serious head trauma.  We learned of their story from their wedding photographer, Amy Paulson. She shared with us a very personal plea on their behalf accompanied by a few photos of Kaylyn and Ryan. If you are interested in following their specific prayer requests or getting updates on their situation please visit the Facebook page their friends and family have created. Amy’s words…

“yesterday I held her hand.  there was nothing else I could do.

one of my precious couples had their worlds turned upside down.

they were in a car accident.

precious Kalyn has a broken collar bone and lots of bruises.

Ryan was ejected from the car and is currently in the ICU with serious head injuries.

please pray for them, they were married only 3 months ago.

pray for a miracle for Ryan.  God isn’t bound by any medical issues and oh how we pray that He shows that vividly in Ryan.

pray for my sweet Kalyn’s heart.  for her strength.  for her to feel God’s arms wrapped around her, steadying her, holding her, crying with her and comforting her…

and that God would write a story so beautiful from all this pain.”

Today’s post comes from Becky Young, one of our ‘Lord’s Lens’ photographers based out of Colorado. Becky was our very first member. Here she tells us more about why she wanted to be a part of the organization and how she hopes to be able to give God glory…

For the longest time, I thought helping others meant I had to solve their problems. I even went as far as to get a Master’s Degree in counseling so I could learn how to “fix” problems for people. As always, the Lord had bigger plans for me. He lead me to photography. Photography is such an incredible way to minister to people’s souls, by helping them to see the Lord’s hand working in their lives. I am so incredibly excited God lead me to be a part of The Lord’s Lens, an amazing community of Christian photographers. Whether it’s documenting a mission trip or taking head shots of a local church’s staff, I am humbled and honored to allow God’s hand help me sow seeds for His Kingdom.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.” Matthew 13:24