Coloring Book Review // Picturing Heaven

Hello, everyone! It's been a while, but I'm back with a post about this beautiful coloring book for adults - Picturing Heaven, based on Randy Alcorn's book Heaven.

Besides pretty coloring pages, this coloring book also includes a devotion and Bible verse with each coloring page. The devotions read more like personal thoughts about heaven rather than an actual morning devo, but they were good nonetheless. The coloring pages themselves are very lovely with lots of intricate designs to color in.

Personally, I didn't like the extra gold details on each coloring page, but my sister did. It's just a personal preference, though I feel it hindered the way I would want to color in the pages since it was partially colored in already.

Overall, I found this coloring book very pretty, and relaxing to color in - a nice, reflective way to spend the morning or afternoon.

(I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.)

Flowers | My Photography

In the midst of all the book reviews and scribblings I've been writing, I feel like I haven't quite been true to the reason my younger self started this blog in the first place - posting photos. (My blog name is The Godly Photographer, is it not?) So, here are some photos of flowers I have taken in the past couple of years. Hope you enjoy!

Most of these photos were taken while vacationing in Colorado. A couple were taken at a relative's farmhouse. I think it's a safe bet to say all of these were photographed using my 50mm lens (my favorite lens). I love that the photos that involve subjects other than flowers have flowery pieces - the floral appliques on my sister's dress in the photo above, and the flower curtains in the photo below.

I hope you enjoyed these photos! I'll hopefully be posting some more of my photography here on the blog. If you want to see more of my photos, you can visit my photo blog at DiverseReflections.com.

Book Review: Can I Really Know Jesus?

Happy Fall, everyone! Today I am reviewing a book called "Can I Really Know Jesus?" This book is full of questions and answers (101, to be exact) regarding a relationship with Jesus.

I jumped at the chance to review this book because faith does not always come easily to me, and I am naturally curious about a lot of things, especially regarding faith. I'm the kind of person who has a lot of questions about a lot of things, and this book helped to answer quite a few of my faith-related questions. One thing that really stood out to me is that the authoress does not answer questions through pure speculation. Each answer is based on Scripture and history.

The book features whimsical artwork which subtly decorates each page, and the text is easy to read. No flowery language or hard-to-understand theological wording. The book is divided into three topics - Jesus, Salvation and Prayer - and answers questions related to those topics. Each page ends in a Bible verse relating to each question and answer. Questions range from "Is Christmas Day really Jesus' birthday?" to "Is Jesus mentioned in the Old Testament?" to "How can I be sure I'm saved?"

It was a quick read - very short pages that left me feeling like I could read another...and another...and another. In no time at all, I had read the book from cover to cover. It's a book that can be flipped through to find an answer to a certain question, but it's so full of information that it can be read page-by-page in order.

All in all, "Can I Really Know Jesus?" is a great read for Christians who are curious and searching for answers, and I can see it being a great book for new believers. If you're looking for a book to strengthen your faith, this book is for you!

(I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.)

Book Review: Gratitude - A Prayer and Praise Coloring Journal

Hey, all! I'm super excited to tell you about this beautiful book - the Gratitude Prayer and Praise Coloring Journal!

Teen/Adult coloring books are rising in popularity, and this one is simply stunning. From the Living Expressions Collection, the Gratitude coloring journal is page after page of lovely designs and Scripture to color through. There are blank pages with instructions to draw a certain feeling, memory, or passion. The journaling part comes in with lines for you to write on about prayer requests and praise items (and these pages are surrounded by even more designs to color!). It's peace, quiet and time with God, all wrapped up in one coloring book.

The journal is small enough to fit in a purse for road trips or lunch breaks or just about anywhere else you'd want to color! Scripture verses and motivational words on nearly every page are typed in pretty fonts that add an extra dimension to each picture. This book is full of inspiration and designs to spark one's creativity, and I can't wait to get out my pens and color in this book again!

I hope you will check out the Gratitude Coloring Journal and be as motivated by it as I am! It's a wonderful way to grow closer to God, one coloring page at a time.

(I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.)

July 4th!

Happy 4th of July!!!

I love fireworks so much, and today is really, really special. We bake a cake and put lots of frosting on it. And we watch the fireworks go off outside. And we smile because everything is so beautiful.

Emmy, this is for you. ♥

Emmy, you will always be my little strawberry. I love you so, so much and so, so beyond words. I'm sure you would love the fireworks here. They are just for you.

I love you, little sis. ♥♥

Get The Latest Issue of Teen Photographer Magazine!

Hey, everybody! Just wanted to tell you that the latest issue of Teen Photographer is out! In this issue, you'll learn how to photograph fireworks (just in time for the 4th of July!), see the difference between a real photographer and a person who takes photos, find props to add to your stash, learn three simple photography tips to enhance your images, and more!

I hope you have a wonderful 4th! ♥

To get your FREE issue of Teen Photographer, click HERE.

Teen Photographer E-Magazine

Hey, y'all!  Today I'm posting to tell you about my brand new, FREE e-magazine on the Diverse Reflections store!

I've been a photographer since I was 9 years old, and last January I turned my hobby into a business at Diverse Reflections Photography.  Through the years, I've learned many things as a self-taught photographer.  Just recently, however, I got the idea from my Mom to start an e-magazine for young photographers like me.  So, for the past few months, I've been busily working on creating and launching Teen Photographer.

April Issue of Teen Photographer.

Teen Photographer is designed to teach and encourage beginning photographers and inspire photographers who are intermediate and beyond!  Inside, you'll find stories, tips and gear guides to help you on your photography journey.  I'm so excited to launch this new e-magazine, and I hope you'll check it out!

Issues of Teen Photographer are FREE, so check out the Diverse Reflections store for your free download.  Each issue will be free for a limited time though, so don't wait!

Have a lovely day, y'all!

Update (4/30/16)

Hey, y'all!  Hope your April has been fantastic!  Here is a short update from me. :)

I can't believe April has gone by so fast!  We had some nice rain, so that was very nice.

Since my last update, I've finished my portrait montage, and have started a few other new portraits - Sherlock and Moriarty from BBC's Sherlock, Lauren Daigle, and Tom Baker as the 4th regeneration in Doctor Who (He is my favorite regeneration.).  The finished montage is below.

I'm really excited about how much my art has improved over the past few years that I've been drawing portraits.  Below is a photo I posted on Instagram of some of the portraits I've drawn through those years.

L to R: Rose Tyler and Tenth Doctor, Lecrae, NF, Angel montage.

So, yeah, I've definitely improved!  I'm still really proud of my portrait of NF, just because I hadn't done any drawing in quite some time then, and that one had turned out better than anything I'd ever drawn before.  Drawing hair is still quite a challenge, but I think that's getting a little easier as I practice.  But I think David Tennant would be disgraced if he ever saw my rendition of his hair. ;)

Aside from art...

I'm going to have another sibling!!!  I am so, so excited!  Baby Ten is due this Fall.  Mom wanted me to crochet a baby blanket for #10, so I've started that.  It's a blanket composed of many Granny Triangles, and is very easy to work up.  I found the pattern HERE.  We chose a Fall color scheme for the yarn (I'm using Lion Brand yarn for this project.).

I've released a brand NEW e-magazine on the DiverseReflections Store, so hop on over and check it out - it's a FREE download!

I attended TeenPact again this year, and it was super fun!  This year's Alumni track was probably my favorite so far - The American criminal justice system.  Also, I got to meet the TeenPact-meme-famous PD, Elijah Knapp, who very nearly became the King of our state (the state would have been a constitutional monarchy). ;)  Awesome guy - my favorite PD so far!

Also, I met a young lady at the Church we've found in our new town, so I'm hoping that it will be the start of a new friendship - I have so much trouble finding friends sometimes.  Most of the people I know here are from the Deaf community, so I'm definitely learning more Sign, which is fantastic!

Well, that's about it for now!  I'll be updating again soon, so keep checking back and subscribe so you'll never miss a post.  Check out my photography business and blog, Diverse Reflections Photography too!

Have a lovely last day of April!

My Long-Forgotten Update

Hey, everybody.  I'm a bit embarrassed due to the fact that my last entry was just before New Years 2015, and it is now New Years 2016.  Time flies and life happens, I guess.  But, I'm back and I have some big news to share with you all!

To start things off, I have a new photography blog - Diverse Reflections Photography.

In the months before my last post, I'd noticed The Godly Photographer had slowly grown from the first tiny posts with no more than a captioned photo into longer posts that weren't limited to photography.  I've become a Tyndale House book reviewer, Compassion International blogger, and storyteller on this blog.  Anyway, I decided that I wanted to take my photography to a new level, and in order to do that, I felt the need to create a new blog solely for photography, Diverse Reflections.
However, I found that I missed having a blog where I could share my thoughts and review books and just write about whatever without worrying if it sounded professional.  It's kinda nice having a place to write freely, you know?
So, have no fear, I will (hopefully) continue writing on this blog while still building up Diverse Reflections.  But, I probably won't have quite as many photos posted here, so check out Diverse Reflections for my really good shots.  :)

Also, I have a little sister!  As some of you may know, it's been a long, long time since there's been a baby girl in our house (and there have been lots of baby boys), but the wait is finally over!  Azzy and I just shared a birthday...did I mention she was born on my birthday?...and we're preparing for a Birthday Girls photoshoot.  I've already planned out our future birthdays (i.e., making the waiters at restaurant sing Happy Birthday twice, and give us two separate desserts - we can share one, and the family can share another ;) ).  Ooh, it's so surreal having a little girl in the house!!!

And we've moved...again.  We move a lot.  I've gotten (sort of) used to living where we are, but there's not a day that goes by that I don't think of the best friend I had to leave.  Paprika, you are awesome! ;) ♥♥♥
In the months since we've moved, I've joined a fun group at Starbucks where Deaf people meet (I'm super interested in Deaf Culture, and hope to become a Deaf Interpreter).  I'm excited about where this will take me.  I've also volunteered at a Deaf children's camp, and have met a few interpreters who have given me advice for when I go on to College for interpreting.

Oh!  I'm now on Instagram!  Check out my account @megan_diversereflectionsphoto for my photography and art.

Speaking of art...Even though drawing has always been a hobby of mine (I drew lots of simple paper dolls when I was 8 years old), in the last two years my art style has changed a lot!  I switched from Manga to realistic portraits.  Let me tell you, my portraits weren't very realistic two years ago!  They looked more like Picasso had decided to keep the oversized features and place them in the correct position on the face!  Yeah, that bad.  But, about 5 months ago, I finished a portrait that is my personal best to date.  And now I've started a new portrait montage of Angel from X-Men: The Last Stand, which I hope to finish in time for the County Fair.  Once I'm finished, I'll post a photo of the drawing here on the blog for you all to see.

I guess that's about it.  I'm thankful for all my great readers who have kept following me all this time.  Thank you very much, everyone!  And happy 2016!

Restaurant Mural

On our trips to Colorado throughout the years, our family has taken quite a few stops at quite a few gas stations.  But I don't think I've ever had a photo op quite like this one on any of those stops.

I walked out of the gas station with some of the younger siblings, and was fascinated by the beautiful mountains, clouds hanging over them.  I hooked up my telephoto lens, and shot a few frames behind the van.  But what really fascinated me was what I saw when I looked away from the mountains across the street.  An artist was busy painting up a mural on a Mexican restaurant (you can see the pink on the blue river painted on his right side), and was hunched over, inspecting every detail.

I cropped this photo to a letterbox shape to create a sort of panorama of the building.  I didn't notice that he was dipping his brush into the paint bucket until I viewed the photo on the computer.

I zoomed out for most of the shots, wanting to have empty space for cropping later.  The artist reminded me of something I had read in a  photography edition of a magazine: "If you start feeling like an artist, your photos will turn out much better."

I tested out some dodging and burning techniques I read about, and this one was taken when we pulled out of the parking lot, and (although it will never be good enough for Flickr) I think the blur that was caused by a slight bump in the road adds a little atmosphere. 

On our way home, I didn't get to see what the end product looked like, but I'm glad I siezed the moment when I could.  Sometimes, photographers (including me) forget to look up from the limiting viewfinder, and don't notice what else is around them.

Saturdays Selections

You can turn an enemy into a friend with love.  Why not love?

Colorful Markers

Markers are such amazing little drawing tools.  So many colors, so many ideas.  When I saw these markers vibrantly jutting out of a re-used tomato sauce can in my friend's house today, I took out my camera and snapped a photo.  The colors drew me in to taking this photo.  It's so bright and fun.

Little Brother's Art

My brother has decided to make a movie with one of his buddies.  This is one of his many ideas that he drew for the movie that he wants me to film.  With such a wonderful imagination, he even added snowshoes to his man.  Just looking at it makes me want to grab a jacket! :)

Glitter

The Little Artist

Saturday's Selections

I decided to start something new: Saturday's Selections. I will put up a random quote that happens to inspire me (or make me laugh) and you can tell me if you like it, too!

Here is my first quote: