I’ve been thinking about that statement a lot lately.
Every circle has it’s in crowd, the cool kids, the hip ones. It’s no different in church/ faith contexts. Depending on what church you attend, who you’re friends are, what your theology is, or any number of other factors, there are in things and out things. Things it’s ok to like and things it’s so not cool to like.
Even things it’s ok to find God in, and things it’s unacceptable to find God in.
I walk a fine line between cynicism and hope most days. But I want to state right here, right now, that all truth is God’s truth. Find God wherever you find him, and celebrate it, whether that’s on the margins or in the mainstream.
Maybe someday we’ll learn that Jesus is found in both, and learn to celebrate them together.
I’ve been listening to Joe Brooks a lot lately. Fantastic musician for such a young guy. He’s got this really distinctive sound, his vocals particularly are a joy to listen to. He’s on tour around England this month, but unfortunately not up in Scotland. He also supports a charity that’s close to my heart, Invisible Children. Together, we can end the war in Northern Uganda.
When all that you’ve tried, leaves nothing but holes inside,
It seems like you’re wired, to stay here held in time,
Cos nothing seems to change, oh no.
No nothing’s gonna change, at all.
I can see it in your face, the hope has gone astray.
But if you hold tight, shadows will be lost in the light.
Oh cos sometimes, fate and your dreams can collide.
So don’t walk away from me,
Don’t walk away from me,
Don’t walk away from me.
Your feet are stuck, no they cannot move,
Don’t tell me that they’re glued,
Yeh they’re far from.
At home, at ease but give sometime to breathe
Cos nothing seems to change, oh no.
No nothing’s gonna change, at all.
I can see it in your face, the hope has gone away.
But if you hold tight, shadows will be lost in the light.
Oh cos sometimes, fate and your dreams can collide.
So don’t walk away from me,
Don’t walk away from me,
Don’t walk away from me.
Cos everthing will be ok,
I know that it’s so easy to say,
But the pain inside will fade,
Please tell me that you’ll stay.
Cos if you hold tight, shadows will be lost in the light.
Oh cos sometimes, fate and your dreams can collide.
So don’t walk away from me,
Don’t walk away from me,
Don’t walk away from me.
I haven’t been able to shake the idea that I need to be at Story Chicago next month, but financially it’s just wasn’t going to happen for me. Then God confirmed in some pretty obvious ways that I need to be there, so I’m taking a leap of faith and committing to going.
I feel so pulled to this idea of ‘story’. There’s this idea that we’re supposed to stop loving stories when we grow up, but that’s not true. Why do you think the film industry is booming? We love being transported into another world, we love story.
Our hearts crave story.
Take this photograph, as an example. I took it at a school last summer when I was working out in Uganda. There are lots of statistics I could tell you about child mortality in Uganda, about access to education, about gender equality, and so on. But the photograph tells the story in a different way.
Without clear and compelling stories, are lives are poorer.
And what about Jesus? He was a master storyteller. He sat around telling stories for days on end, forgetting about food, so caught up in the cadence and rhythm of a great story.
My dream of taking photographs that change the world is crazy, I know that. But they called Jesus crazy too. I’m desperate to be as good as I can be at storytelling, visually and verbally. I love being able to share stories on this blog, and my job lets me tell the stories of what Christian Aid is doing too. Being at Story Chicago is a way to give my heart and head some space to dream again about what storytelling means, about what it means to take photographs that change the world. It doesn’t hurt that it’s in a city that I love, that inspires me so much.
I’ve already been blown away by the generosity of friends & strangers in helping me make it to Story…. but I still need a little help. I need around £350 to book flights and then a bit more to hire a car.
Hire me?
I’m offering you a special deal over the next few weeks…. You can get an hour-long session with me, at your home or on location, and 5 high-resolution images, for £50/ $80.
It’s time-limited: I’ll be in Glasgow until Oct 23rd, or in Chicago 25 Oct – 1 Nov, or LA on 3 – 7 Nov. Dates are all a little flexible until I firm up flight details. Anyone interested? It’s a great chance to have some new portraits taken, get some family photographs, or whatever else you fancy! If you’re interested drop me an email on emma@emmaboyd.co.uk.
There are, of course, other ways to help: Maybe you have a ton of airmiles you’d like to donate to buy my flight? Or you can just donate via Paypal. Or buy a print of a photograph from my website or flickr account. If you need anymore information on those again, drop me an email at the address above.
I’m so excited to see how God’s going to provide for this, and to be at Story!
If there’s one thing that Apple have got down to a T, it’s packaging design. They know that it’s about so much more than the product – it’s about the whole experience, from looking, to purchase, to unpacking, to setup. I recently upgraded to Snow Leopard, and was reminded how much fun it is to use Apple products. It’s so beautiful and intricately packaged. Wonder how many people use Apple for that reason alone?
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