8/52

Running through a field in the middle of nowhere at 7 in the morning.
Picture taken by me but genuine enthusiasm for life brought to you by Brian and Tim.

words of wisdom

“At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done.
We will be judged by "I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.” - Mother Teresa

“Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” -Mother Teresa 

“Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace. If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will know what His will is.” - Amy Carmichael 

“We profess to be strangers and pilgrims, seeking after a country of our own, yet we settle down in the most un-stranger-like fashion, exactly as if we were quite at home and meant to stay as long as we could. I don't wonder apostolic miracles have died. Apostolic living certainly has.” -Amy Carmichael 

Earth

Some of my favorite photos that I have taken of the beauty of creation! 

All of creation is longing, and waiting, and groaning. That is the reason that birds are covered in shiny slick rainbows of suffocating oil, trees bleed oozing sap after they've fallen to the ground with a deafening thud, and the air is choking with poisonous dark clouds of smog. Things weren't meant to be this way. Plants were meant to grow and thrive, their roots and leaves thick and bursting with water and life. The smallest of insects were created to teem and crawl through the soil, to live without disgusted reactions from humans. Tigers were made to roar, antelope to run, buffalo to stand huge and proud and wild. Humans... we were meant to breathe clean air, swim pure seas, laugh in open space. We were meant to lift our hands to one who created it all. We were never meant to live in selfishness or secret darkness, hatred, lust, greed, or fear. The earth and everyone on it is infected with a sickness, a raging disease. I don't think we understand how bad it is, or how deep it's virus clings inside of us. We are fundamentally confused and continually being impressed upon with an unshakable feeling that things were never meant to be this way. 
Read Romans 8:19-23!

7/52

                                                                   No words for this week, just mist.

lately

 Lets start out with food. Because lets be real, thats one of the highlights of ANY day.

 
                                           Rice, peppers, zucchini, asparagus, & cashews.

This was possibly one of the weirdest meals I've ever made myself. Quesadillas with roasted vegetables, butternut squash with basil and parmesan cheese, and hot chocolate with homemade peppermint marshmallows.

                    And this was breakfast one morning. Gingersnaps & milk. NO REGRETS.

Charlotte, cutting out a map to her house.

Jasper and that perfect tuft of hair on top of his head.

Jasper again. Blurry, but it shows my love for this boy perfectly! I did get him to smile for me!

         
                                                   The best friends I could ask for.

 
                         Emma Morris: Too much beauty. Can't handle. Model status right here.

                                                                       A nice cloud.

 
                                    The frozen lake... we walked all the way to the other end.

                                                              Cara, Blair, and Leah

                                               
                                                                         My room.

6/52

                                                                   Christian, Evan, and Ben

Sledding is the best, even when there's not tons of snow, just a lot of mud. that doesn't stop us. I wish you could see this picture close up because the looks on their faces are priceless. (click on it and it gets bigger...its worth it) This hill scares me... I'll go down but I'll scream unnecessarily all the way and think I'm dying, but these crazy kids were going down backwards and upside down and three at once and all sorts of ridiculous. But it makes me smile.

This week I:
made 34 cupcakes
played ghetto twister
knocked down a kitchen wall with a sledgehammer
had a snowball fight
singlehandedly ate a whole bag of chips, no regrets
ate pita chips and white bean basil hummus, SO much goodness
had a fantastic valentines day party with tons of loveeee all around
went sledding & walked across a frozen lake and saw swans (swans are beautiful, did you know?! if you were as close as we were to them, you would understand. they're so graceful. unlike me.)

Needless to say, it was an eventful week. There is nothing better than making everyday life extraordinary. I kind of have a running joke with myself about how nothing is simple or easy, everything is always such an ordeal for me... everything from parking my car to baking cupcakes to shoving salt down my dogs throat to make him throw up... just a normal day in the life of Emma Buchanan.
Sometimes I just want to sell everything I own and move to Africa and never wear shoes again and love boldly and worship truly and share God's love with everyone I meet and absolutely change the world. Yeah, maybe someday I will actually do those things. But there's something beautiful about growing and thriving where you are planted. I live a completely normal life, a privileged, sometimes naive American middle class life. But I believe God can work through even that! Radical transforming love can happen through things like doing laundry and saying hi to someone while walking the dog or smiling when you don't feel like it or giving encouraging words to a friend or just belly laughing. God doesn't let the limits of a so called ordinary life stop Him from doing amazing, beautiful, powerful things! He is so much more than we can imagine! We need to pray for our lives to be transformed right now, right where we are! That is my challenge for this coming week, the seventh week of 2013. Join me?
Pray for God to do more than you can ask or imagine, He does not disappoint when we pray for His name to be known & glorified.

5/52

                                                                       Caitlyn

I chose this portrait this week because this is a person who shines beauty right out of her soul.

I know this isn't the best photo in the universe, its kind of grainy and out of focus, but that is because it's every ounce real. A split second jump, a smile that could never be planned or posed. When I see this, I see unbridled joy. It looks like someone shaking off their burdens and just jumping. A trampoline doesn't make everything better, but it sure does make you feel lighter.

Here is a quote that I found this week:

"Too much of a good thing can be wonderful."

Remember that, okay?

love, e