Kelly Ward: Faith and Family Photography

12/14/2023

📖📖📖 Thursday 3️⃣📖📖📖

This week…. What 3️⃣ Bible verses or passages come to mind that help you remember to STAND FIRM in your FAITH in trusting God and His plan?

My 3️⃣ are in the comments.

📸 For more, visit: https://kwffphotography.etsy.com

12/13/2023

The moment God rescues.

That moment will never be forgotten.

The relief. The heavy burden lifted.

The “yes” from God after countless “no”s or “not yet”s.

The desired answered prayer after waiting so long in misery, wondering and asking God day and day after day, “How long?”

That moment stays with you forever.

It is what a strong faith can be built on.

God has kept His promise. And He made a way.

His timing. His will. His plan.

And when it does finally happen after waiting so long, the only thing you can do is praise Him.

Thank you, God, for your unfailing love!

📖In Psalm 18, David has done just that. God had finally rescued him from his enemies, specifically King Saul.

While reading it, I can FEEL the pain and agony that David had gone through. But I can also FEEL the relief and gratitude he has after he has been rescued. And he praises God for rescuing him.

In this psalm, I also read many future references to Jesus as well. His birth, life, death, resurrection, and even His second coming when He will reign as King over all nations forever. (Also what strong faith is built on.)

God keeps His promises. This is evident all throughout the Bible. There is undeniable truth of it in God’s story, but also in our own stories in our lives.

When we go through hard times, He has a plan for it. When we are in transition and waiting on God to move, He is there, saying to us, “I promise I will turn it for good.”

When we put our trust in Him, it is God who arms us with strength and makes our way secure.

Eventually His rescue will come.

And so much praise will follow!

📸 https://kwffphotography.etsy.com

12/12/2023

🍎🍎🍎TEACHER TUESDAY🍎🍎🍎

As parents and educators, we get the opportunity in life to influence, guide, and lead our kids and students. We only have a short time with our children, so we have to make the best use of our time.

I have a fear of leaving this earth sooner than I want and leaving my kids behind. With an unfinished mission as their mom.

I know I will not be leaving them with a bank account full of a lot of money or any material thing of financial value. (They know that too! Hahaha!). But what I DO want to leave them with is knowing how much their momma loves them. And all the important life lessons about how to truly love others well. Like Jesus.

This is the important stuff right here. This is the stuff that affects your entire life.

How well did I love?

It can make or break any relationship in our lives.

And change the trajectory of our lives forever.

A lesson I never want them to forget.

How to love and serve others well.

How to listen and truly SEE someone.

How to help someone feel supported, valued, seen, and loved.

This is my job as a person of influence in their lives. To lead them in the way of Jesus. To lead them in how to LOVE like Jesus.

This FREE resource can be a great reminder to them always take the time to notice and see how they can help. To SEE opportunities where they can love well.

🎯🎯🎯 How Can I Help? - Love Well - Servant Leadership Poster by KWFF Photography - Teaching and Parenting on Teachers Pay Teachers
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/How-Can-I-Help-Love-Well-Servant-Leadership-Poster-10672203

🎯🎯🎯 For more resources:
KWFF Photography - Teaching and Parenting on Teachers Pay Teachers
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kwff-Photography-Teaching-And-Parenting

Learning to be a servant leader is something that may have to be taught. What I have come to learn is that truly SEEING and NOTICING and have empathy for someone are things that may need to be explicitly taught (or at least pointed out in a kind way). Our kids and students need to learn to look fo.....

12/11/2023

🎄🎄🎄Monday MERRY🎄🎄🎄

”And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.“

‭‭— Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The “them” in this passage… shepherds. Looked down upon. Seen and viewed as “less than.” Yet, God chose THEM to share the good news of the birth of Jesus, the promised, long-awaited Savior and Messiah.

Because Jesus didn’t just come for certain people deemed “worthy”… No; He came for ALL people.

I love how the shepherds responded to this good news: they HURRIED off to find the baby, Jesus. AND when they did find Him, they SHARED this good news with everyone. And then they RETURNED, GLORIFIED, and PRAISED God.

Their sense of urgency is inspiring. The need to SEEK and FIND Jesus. The need to SHARE this news, and the need to PRAISE Him.

What an amazing model of a follower of Jesus.

I pray that the entire world has the same sense of urgency in seeking Jesus as THEM.

12/10/2023

There is something about the silence of a fresh blanket of snow on the ground that I love.

It is a paradox that I have come to appreciate.

The silence speaks peace to me.

In the hurry and rush of everyday life, it says, “Slow down. Remember. Reflect. Appreciate. Take the time to love well.”

I told my son yesterday that in order to love someone well, you have to stop and notice. Really see them. Really look to notice. Hear what they are saying in their silence.

As I held two arms-full of items, I stood and asked him, “What do you see?”

“That it’s probably heavy,” he said.

“Yes,” I answered. “What is something you can do?”

“Help,” he said.

“Right. What love language is that?” I asked him.

“Acts of Service,” he responded.

“Yes. Four important words to remember when you SEE someone struggling: HOW CAN I HELP?”

The problem is that we often don’t truly SEE each other. We also don’t HEAR each other. Oftentimes, what is important is not communicated in words. Rather, it is communicated in the silence.

Let us allow the silence and peace of the snow to remind us to love each other well. To live like the suffering servant in Christ Jesus who modeled for us how to truly love well.

Let us truly SEE and HEAR each other in that silence.

https://youtu.be/u9Dg-g7t2l4?si=foubS0iDjiMuKY8j

(I hear this remake of the Simon and Garfunkel classic, “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed in my head when I experience this silence of the snow. When I researched the meaning behind the lyrics, it was perfectly fitting: in the absence of communication, we fail to love each other well.)

📸 https://kwffphotography.etsy.com

12/09/2023

You are worthy of it all, God.

Thank you for Your gift of mercy through Your Son, Jesus.

The Messiah. The Savior. The King.

The true Light of the World.

I will live my life for You.

📸 https://kwffphotography.etsy.com