She'll be comin' 'round the mountain when she comes...

That's right...we have converted another native Floridian into a Virginia resident! Want to know who the lucky new member of the tribe is? ...MY MOM!!! No blog post can describe how stinkin' EXCITED I am to have her here:) I am so thankful that God has brought her to us, and I can't wait to see all that He has planned for this fresh new start He has blessed her with.

 I love you, Mom!

If we are the body...

God has got me thinking about my little hurt finger and I thought I would share with you...
For those of you who may find it odd when Jesus speaks of the rocks crying out his praises (Luke 19:40), let me share with you about how my pointer finger has been preaching to me all day!

(Fore note: I have a minor infection in my pointer finger from a pulled hang-nail.)

In the Bible God refers to Christians as the "body" (1 Cor. 12:12). And just like our own body, all members must be in healthy, working order for the body to preform to it's absolute best. And like wise when even just one member is disabled it will weaken the entire body---no matter how large or small that member may be.

Que---my swollen pointer:)

All day I have moaned and groaned over this little "member". I have found normal, everyday tasks such as typing, buttoning pants and even using the microwave a real chore with this hurt finger slowing me down. Then when in the shower, as my finger throbbed while shampooing my hair, the Lord spoke to me through this finger.

Sometimes when we picture the "body" of Christ we picture ourselves as a small, and sometimes unimportant member...maybe even a finger, or a hang nail :) When we as a member of the body of Christ become "infected" with gossip, laziness, criticism, and an apathy we effect the function of the whole body---disabling it from being productive for the Kingdom of God.

So what to to about the infection....this was my question. If you find yourself as an "infected member" it is time to put on the Neosporin---Christ's love, grace and mercy ( 2 John 1:3).



But if we are the body, why aren't His arms reaching, why aren't His hands healing...
---Casting Crowns

One great thing about being a mom...

...I have two built in models anytime I have an itch to take some pics:)

Well one model (Cheyenne) was off at Grandma's...so that left Ryker to do the dirty work of being mommy's little subject.

For any of you who think that my kids must be so photogenic and sit right where I tell them and smile perfectly, boy are you wrong!! For every great shot I post of my kids there are about ten others I have of them with their eyes closed, hands in their mouth (or up their nose) and sometimes they manage to slip right out of the frame mid-shot. I thought I would share these cute little "bloopers":

Check the True Light blog to see the "good ones" from this photo shoot.

Up and runnin'

Check it out...

http://truelightphotos.blogspot.com/

Say cheese :)

Well I guess I have left my blog viewers in suspense long enough...

And to answer a few peoples questions, NO I am NOT pregnant...but I do have a new baby-a Nikon D3000! Yes, that's right---a camera. But not just any camera, the one that will help me reach a dream I have had for a very long time. In June I plan on launching my own photography business---True Light Photography! You may be wondering about the name---let me explain. Even though Christina Volpe Photography has a nice ring to it, I do not want to be the center of this new business. The Lord has brought me this far in achieving my dream and I don't want to lose focus now. I don't have that much confidence in my own talent but I know that with Christ I can do all things (Phil 4:13). I pray that His hands will be in every aspect of this new business and that True Light will just be one more outlet for me to share the love of Jesus. So, when you are dedicating a business to the work of the Lord what better place to look for a name than in the Bible. During a Bible study a few years ago the Lord showed me this name through several scriptures, but by far my favorite one is 1 John 2:8: "...because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.".

Thank you to everyone that has been such an encouragement to me during this new endeavor. And a special thank you to two great photographers, Jennifer Adams and Anna Weaver, who have been a great help to this little amateur:)

I am working on a new blog for True Light. I know, right? Just what I need--another blog to spend my already stretched time on. I am actually in the middle of working on becoming a better manager of my time, which means I have to learn to let go of those horrible procrastination tendencies that I inherited from my mom:) The new blog is not ready for viewing yet, but I will let you know when it is.

Please keep TL and myself in your prayers...oh, and don't forget to contact me when you are ready for a portrait session:)