Sometimes in life you run into people who simply amaze you. They inspire you. It’s not because they are perfect or because they have it all together. They could be really talented and gifted in the arts or other disciplines, which would all be impressive. These sweet friends, however, haven’t impressed me because of their talents. They are both incredibly gifted teachers and speakers, both whom I could literally listen to for hours as they speak truth about the Word. While I have a great appreciation for this, I also have to let you know that this fact isn’t why they amaze me. Honestly, it is their transparency, faith, and love for others that amaze me. They neither claim to be perfect. And even though their talents are apparent, they do not boast. They care for others. They are the kind of people who will drop what they are doing to pray with you.
My husband and I met Marvin and Sharon when we first moved to Virginia to serve in Worship Ministry in 2002. Several years later, Sharon began to respond to a calling for women’s ministry. In 2006, with Marvin’s support, she began Established Footsteps, a ministry that focused on helping women to really read and understand the Word of God – the Bible.  Later on, Marvin developed a partner ministry, Bridges, which focuses on teaching, mentoring, and serving others locally and in Haiti, where they have helped to build bridges for people there.
Both last summer and this summer, I have had the honor of photographing A Bible Study, a two night women’s ministry event presented by Established Footsteps Ministries. Serving as the event photographer was one of the highlights of my summer. (Camping was the other one, of course. And, let’s not forget the beach. But I digress.)   My husband and I served in Worship Ministry for 15 years. Worship has always been very near and dear to my heart. Since I was young, I have been either singing or playing violin in church. The stage was always a comfortable place where I could share my gifts. I’ve often used singing as an expression of worship. Eventually, I found myself using my violin to worship. This summer, though, I found myself using my camera as an extension of my worship. This experience brought tears to my eyes. I didn’t even anticipate that I could even possibly use my camera for worship. After all, I was there to capture each facet of the event.  Let me show you what I saw through my lens.
My heart beats for creativity. Capturing people as they worshiped the living God and as they prayed was absolutely beautiful. Remember, we served in worship ministry. My husband and I would get so excited to see people worshiping with us because we knew that what we were doing was not in vain. We knew that the act of worship was eternally greater than us. We both love singing and leading worship, but I have to tell you that seeing this through my lens really struck me in a profound way.