"Careful Unreasonableness"

Sometimes Oswald Chambers says something that really hits me between the eyes.  My mom mentioned this one to me a few days ago and it's just too good not to share...

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars and the moon—all these are, and what a ministration they exert.

"So often we mar God's designed influence through us by our self-conscious effort to be consistent and useful.  Jesus says that there is only one way to develop spiritually, and that is by concentration on God.  'Do not bother about being of use to others; believe on Me'—pay attention to the Source, and out of you will flow rivers of living water.  We cannot get at the springs of our natural life by common sense, and Jesus is teaching that growth in spiritual life does not depend on our watching it, but on concentration on our Father in heaven. Our heavely Father knows the circumstances we are in, and if we keep concentrated on Him we will grow spiritually as the lilies.

"The people who influence us most are not those who buttonhole us and talk to us, but those who live their lives like the stars in heaven and the liles in the field, perfectly simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mould us.

"If you want to be of use to God, get rightly related to Jesus Christ and He will make you of use unconsciously every minute you live."

- My Utmost for His Highest (May 18)

Good thoughts.  Invite Jesus into your day, and just be yourself!

- Kelsey

Discovering beauty...
Kelsey Schweickert  |  San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographer 
Visit my website  |  Email me  |  Follow me on Twitter  |  Like my photography on Facebook

Extravagance

Welcome to another overdue blog post -- the tulips have long since finished blooming, but they were so stunning, they definitely deserve some air time!

To my mind, tulips are sheer luxury.  They don't really come back (except for a few varieties) and they cost a lot more per flower than a couple packets of seeds.  They don't last very long in cut-flower arrangements and even in the garden the blooms are rather delicate.  But they are such stunning flowers that we can't help but plant them every year...I'm quite happy eating oatmeal a little more often so I can save a few more dollars for tulip bulbs.  ;)  Spring isn't spring without the riot of extravagant color that tulips bring to the garden!

Enjoy...

 

Such delicate, intricate striations on these petals...I'm sure there are no two alike in the world.

(Well, what can I say, the forget-me-nots were blooming nearby...and they asked very politely...so of course this sucker happily photographed them too...)

Ahhhh so pretty.  That just makes my heart happy.  Beauty is such an amazing thing for the soul!

Next up: senior session with the lovely Heather!  :)

- Kelsey

Discovering beauty... 

Kelsey Schweickert  |  San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographer
Visit my website  |  Email me  |  Follow me on Twitter  |  Like my photography on Facebook

Now for some "other" photos.

Yesterday I posted photos from a portrait session last week in Chicago's Millennium Park.  But of course if you know me you know I can't pass up a pretty flower...or a sun star...or funny things.  :)  So here are some of the "other" photos that I took alongside the portraits.

The Bean...one of those much-photographed icons that we still keep photographing anyways...

I love tulips!  And they're blooming all over Millennium Park right now -- I was in heaven!

 

Oh yeah, gotta do a self-portrait too!

Hey, even better -- I found a mirror!

Can't get enough of these...

I never pass up the opportunity for a sun star.  ;)

And now it's time for this sleepy photog-girl to head to bed.  I'm working on a photo book project and my eyes and brain are pretty well fried.  Have a great night everybody!

- Kelsey Schweickert


Discovering beauty...

Visit my website  |  Contact me  |  Follow me on Twitter  |  Become my friend on Facebook

A pretty peony

These luscious peonies are blooming just outside our kitchen window...half a dozen pale green buds have burst into huge pink delights that measure nearly 8" across.

I tell ya, the way spring is springing right now, I could post a dozen beautiful flower photos here every single day.  There is so much LIFE around.  The earth positively teems with it at this time of year.  The grass is covering the hills, showing up unwanted in our flower beds, poking through the cracks in the patio bricks...you just can't stop stuff from growing like crazy right now.

I think spring is one way God shows us the meaning of hope.  Winter is only a season; it's not here to stay.  The life that lies dormant during those difficult months patiently awaits the right time and then springs forth in all its beauty.  My life passes through seasons of joy and grief, fulfillment and emptiness, pain and rejoicing...things that often overlap each other...but always with His presence through every step of it, carrying me through the sad times and rejoicing in His goodness that's always here no matter what.

One of my favorite verses ever, from Psalm 27, sums it up:

"Wait on the Lord:

be of good courage,

and he shall strengthen thine heart;

wait, I say, on the Lord."

- Kelsey Schweickert


Discovering beauty...

Visit my website  |  Contact me  |  Follow me on Twitter