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