waiting.

although it has taken a long time for me to find it, there is beauty in this place sometimes. 

and while there is beauty in the waiting, let's remember to not forget the grace of living. 

“ I have always, essentially, been waiting. Waiting to become something else, waiting to be that person I always thought I was on the verge of becoming, waiting for that life I thought I would have. In my head, I was always one step away. In high school, I was biding my time until I could become the college version of myself, the one my mind could see so clearly. In college, the post-college “adult” person was always looming in front of me, smarter, stronger, more organized. Then the married person, then the person I’d become when we have kids. For twenty years, literally, I have waited to become the thin version of myself, because that’s when life will really begin.And through all that waiting, here I am. My life is passing, day by day, and I am waiting for it to start. I am waiting for that time, that person, that event when my life will finally begin... Life is a collection of a million, billion moments, tiny little moments and choices, like a handful of luminous, glowing pearl. It takes so much time, and so much work, and those beads and moments are so small, and so much less fabulous and dramatic than the movies. But this is what I’m finding, in glimpses and flashes: this is it. This is it, in the best possible way. That thing I’m waiting for, that adventure, that move-score-worthy experience unfolding gracefully. This is it. Normal, daily life ticking by on our streets and sidewalks, in our houses and apartments, in our beds and at our dinner tables, in our dreams and prayers and fights and secrets – this pedestrian life is the most precious thing any of use will ever experience. ” 

- Shauna Niequist, Cold Tangerines

DELIGHT & BE | washington + all it's adventures

FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE, WE WILL POUR OUT OUR LOVE. 

THIS WILL BE OUR ANTHEM SONG.  JESUS, WE LOVE YOU. 

OH, HOW WE LOVE YOU. YOU ARE THE ONE OUR HEARTS ADORE.

JULY  3 - 13,  2016

[BE STILL & PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS]

If you would have told me last year that I would have been flying to Washington for the fourth time in a little over a year, I wouldn't have believed you. but July marked the fourth time and I know it has been Jesus every single time, because each of those four times has been some of the most powerful days in my entire life. It was late one night when I saw the message asking if I'd be willing to come as soon as possible to Washington for two weeks to cook for some of the most precious girls on the planet, alongside some of my favorite women. Another reason I know it was Jesus because out of this entire summer, those were the only two weeks that were entirely open in my schedule. So I said "yes", bought a ticket the next day, and three days later- I was hugging sweet friends in the Seattle airport. 

I know I have talked about Delight and Be a lot over the past three and a half years and yet, in those 10 days in Washington, I've seen even a bigger picture of how God is using this ministry and working and moving in the hearts and lives of His daughters. Delight is an online community that is awesome and honestly has changed my life, but the workshops at the Delight House and the retreats... those are where that community becomes tangible. It becomes a community of action and investment. And now I've seen the way community builds and conquers together and how we are the Body of Christ, bonded together by the adoption as daughters (Galatians 4:5) and being able to love and serve each other. We have become each other's home team, each other's biggest cheerleaders, and each other's Truth-speakers. 

Our days together were some of the fullest and most beautiful. Delight brings strangers together who soon become friends and then become sisters. We all cried a lot (#passthetish) and hugged a lot. We spilled our hearts out over coffee cups, pillows, fuzzy blankets and living room floors. We worshipped together and prayed together. And I have witnessed the absolute truth of 2 Corinthians 3:17 when it says "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." I think we all found freedom on new and deeper levels because the Holy Spirit was present. I watched hearts come alive in the presence of our Jesus and witnessed the way He has marked their lives with His faithfulness in just the past few months.  We learned to dig deep into the Word and shut off the noise. Hours were spent around the big farm table and on kitchen countertops, sharing hearts and life stories and some (really) awkward moments. And we spent our late nights drinking too much coffee and laughing until it physically hurt to breathe. and #delightandbemoved was birthed. 

"IF 'IT' IS NOT AN OVERFLOW OF OUR PUSUIT OF HIM,

'IT' DOES NOT MATTER."
- ANNA FILLY

During the Be Still Workshop, Anna Filly taught us the difference between strive and drive. Of how we are called to be women, driven by the pursuit of Him, and not striving in our own pursuit of perfection. Emily taught us how to get deep in the Word and talked about getting caught up in the busy and the doing when our value isn't based on what we create or accomplish- our value is found in Jesus. He has already declared His work sufficient. and Heather got really practical and told us just to stop for 5 minutes and breath deeply and meditate on Him. We spent one evening just going around the circle praying for each other and Jesus showed up. Chains were broken, struggles and fear confessed, hearts were shared, and voices were equipped with courage and boldness to share their story of how grace stepped in. We wrote Scripture on the basement walls and practiced hearing from the Lord and speaking words of life and hope and promise over each other lives. It was truly a time of just sitting with Jesus and loving each other! 

I think the most beautiful thing is how we learned to crave stillness and His presence and how that became more important than our hopes and dreams, and even photography. Creating art is simply an outflow of worship from time spent in stillness with Him. And ya'll, the amount of talent that was in that house for both of these workshops was insaneeee. These girls are rocking and they are going incredible places. (seriously prepare to see their work in magazines) and yet, each of them decided that pursuing the heart of Jesus was more important than pursuing their business. Not that pursuing photography and business isn't important, but that Jesus is more. infinitely more. 

J E S U S  I S  I N F I N I T E L Y  M O R E . 

Oh man, my heart is just so full even writing about our time together. If you want to know more about Delight or if you are a creative between the ages of 16-22 and would like to join the online group, you can hop on over to the website and join us! or follow us on instagram @delightandbe. 

xoxo. 
- marcia

let's get real- we have a faithful God.

this space was a bit vacant during the month of January. and it's not because I haven't tried writing or didn't have time or forgot- I've clicked the "new post" button so many times and have started writing only to  hold down the "delete" button until the page is empty and the little curser is blinking. and I guess the reason why it's so hard to write is because I'm simply not ready. my heart feels like my blogger dashboard- with 4 published posts and 11 drafts. I don't know if it's fear or if it's just hesitation, but God's been going deep and a lot of things are still in the "drafts" stage.

but I will write about one thing I know is true, my Jesus. in January, I have seen Him more clearly and grown to trust him more deeply and yet my heart cry is "oh, for grace to trust Him more." January started out wrestling; it was struggling. I was a Jacob wresting in the night and saying "I will not let you go." and the one line that kept running through my head is "we are free to struggle, but we aren't struggling to be free." that was it. I wasn't struggling to be free, but I was free to struggle until I found my way back to the feet of Jesus. 

at the beginning of the month, I read an extremely powerful blog post and one thing that has been continually running around in my head since that is "the struggle is real, but the victory is won." the struggle isn't fun, but it's real and but we must remember the victory has already been won and come back to throne of Grace. just a disclaimer here: I don't like the unknown. I like my schedules and knowing plans ahead of time.  I'm not really a huge fan of change. but I stepped out in an unknown four months ago, and I've been wrestling to find peace and contentment in this season. it's strange how it works, but life has a way of keeping you busy, even when it's suppose to be a quieter season. real talk here- my days were being filled, but it felt like I wasn't doing anything. and I hated that. things that I had thought about pursuing hadn't been falling into place and everything had pros and cons and in praying about where and what the Lord had in mind- I didn't find peace about any direction. but, then I let go. it took a few days and after pages in my journal had been filled and tears had been spilled and my hands had been opened, I was back at the cross. laying down my plans in surrender and back in the position of trusting. I hadn't really realized it before, but it is so easy to slip out of that position of trust and surrender if it isn't a daily reckoning and daily taking up your cross. 

and, my heart was at peace. I know my Jesus and I know who He has declared Himself to be. I know that He is faithful and His goodness endures forever. He only does wondrous things and every good thing is from Him. 

"and I will trust, here in the mystery. I will trust in you completely." (x)

and the crazy wild thing is- He loves to prove Himself faithful, to reveal Himself steadfast and trustworthy, even in my shaking. and sometimes He loves to do that in less than 24 hours. He showed up with plans He had all along, in the timing He has known all along. and now i'm five days in and realizing more and more of the same thing-

and I will literally write it over and over and over- He is faithful. He is faithful. He is faithful. He is faithful. He is faithful. He is faithful. He is faithful. He is faithful. He is faithful. 
He is faithful. 
xoxo. -marcia

I'VE BEEN PUBLISHED | in artful blogging magazine.

well, it's definitely not every day you get to see your work PUBLISHED. I am so honored to be featured in Artful Blogging magazine's SPRING 2016 issue which was released just today! (you can buy your copy right >> here << it is such a thick magazine full of beautiful work from other bloggers as well. all the heart eyes.) 

last summer, while I was still blogging over at coming home, Artful Blogging contacted asking to feature my work in an upcoming issue. I wrote shared my heart a bit on blogging and documenting and they chose the photographs and today- the magazine is out. it's truly a crazy feeling to see your own photographs and words in a tangible magazine form. and this has been a push in my heart to keep creating and keep documenting, even when I don't feel creative or feel like I'm making something good. there is a purpose. I stumbled upon a few quotes from this book and while I haven't read it yet (it's one the top of my list now), this quote is gold. 

“The journey homewards. Coming home. That's what it's all about. The journey to the coming of the Kingdom. That's probably the chief difference between the Christian and the secular artist--the purpose of the work, be it story or music or painting, is to further the coming of the kingdom, to make us aware of our status as children of God, and to turn our feet toward home.”

― Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art

 xoxo.

-marcia