emily peyton cook photography

the beginning of wisdom...

it is well...

"It is well with his soul."

Dr. Charles Akins went to be with the Lord just before midnight. Psalms tells us precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. We rejoice that he is at peace, but are broken at the loss. Amanda Joy Akins Joy and Mrs. Janice, you are in our prayers.

Thank each one of you who prayed for this sweet family. Keep lifting them up. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/charlesakins/?ref=nl

I have watched on the outside as Amanda Joy grew into the role God called her to. I have seen His strength displayed through her weakness. Seeing her walk through this since January, when I got the tearful call from her, has strengthened my faith. God is shining through you Amanda and I pray He will continue to strengthen you through the harder days to come. 

I remember this day (although a not so flattering pic of the two of us), like it was yesterday. It was a "joy" to be in the hospital room with all those Joys! I remember Dr. Charles sitting over on the sofa at Baptist Hospital and just sensing how excited he was to be a grandfather and how proud he was for his daugther. Charlie is named after his grandfather and I know that that was God's plan. This song makes me think of the Akins-Joy crew and how I watched their battle and how I saw God never leave their side.

"Carried by Your constant grace

Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone
Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we'll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful"
-Matt Redman

cullen is 8 months!

Remember Cullen?

He is 8 months now and doing great! He was teething the day of his session, but you can't tell it in these photos! : ) I just love his little look, his hair, his angelic face, and his cute grin. He is blessed to have his family and they are blessed to have him. If you prayed for him during his surgery, thank you. That's what prayer can do.

4 years ago...

4 years ago this week, I found out I was going to be a mom!

April 8, 2008 
I awaken, open my green chronological Bible, and read these words:

Hannah Prays for a Son

I was 27. I had been married almost 4 years. I had just quit my full time job and leaped in faith into the career God had been calling me to, full time professional photography. Now, He had begun to call me into motherhood.

one more year

⁶ And He told them this parable: A certain man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it, but did not find [any].

⁷ So he said to the vinedresser, See here! For these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue also to use up the ground [to ^[e]deplete the soil, intercept the sun, and take up room]?

⁸ But he replied to him, Leave it alone, sir, [just] this one more year, till I dig around it and put manure [on the soil].

⁹ Then perhaps it will bear fruit after this; but if not, you can cut it down and out.

Sound familiar?

Saturday night, Ken Anthony commented on our yard and he and Zach got to talking about our hydrangea bushes. Ken had not read the blog and Zach was not intending on telling my story, he just told his side of it and how we had planted them and three years they had not produced blooms, but he told me to hang on one more year to see if they produced blooms and if they didn't we'd dig them up. Ken said, "You are preaching right now." He shared Luke 13 with us and we were amazed that Jesus had told a parable through our story and we didn't even know it.

He still speaks in parables!

tripp: 9 months

"Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court." Psalm 127:3-5

Happy Mother's Day to the Mother of all Mothers, Terri Turner! 

I have been photographing "Mrs. T's" children since I started my business in the early 2000's. I have been the official baby photographer for Lynley, Bristol, Tripp and hopefully little Miss Baby Girl Turner due in Sept. Tripp, featured below, is one of seven eight children and he has one of the best moms I know. Her children are always obedient around me and she never raises her voice at them in my prescence. They respect each other and listen to their mother's voice. 

I have known Terri as long as I can remember. Growing up we swam at the same pool, went to the same schools, and even sat at the same lunch table at CHS. She was one year older than me, but her presence always made me feel safe. She has been a nurturer from the start. 

Terri is now in my discipleship group and I have really, really enjoyed getting to know her more. She and I could sit for hours and just talk about the Lord and what He is doing in our lives without running out of words. Our lunches are never shorter than 2 hours and we hardly get any pictures taken at her sessions for our chattiness. For those who know Terri, this may be easy to believe, but for those of you who know me as more of a typist than a talker this will be a testimony to just how great our God is!

Thank you Terri for being my good old new friend. I have loved watching you grow in the Lord and your eyes light up as you begin to take hold of the things God is teaching you. 

He has great things in store for you and all of those arrows in your quiver. May you look around your dinner table and know that all those little ones will reach many for Christ if you remain faithful to train them up in His word and His will. 

georgia: 10 months

Oh my word!

Georgia Caroline you are 10 months old! 

"Other arms reach out to me. Other eyes smile tenderly. Still in peaceful dreams I see the road leads back to you. I sing - GEORGIA, GEORGIA - no peace I find. Just an old sweet song, keeps Georgia on my mind"

-You weigh: guestimating 20 lbs.

-You are wearing 12 month dresses, 12 month separates, and 12-18 month one piece clothing.

-You wear a size 4 diaper
-You wear a size 1 Sun San sandal and a size 3 mary jane.

-You take an hour nap in the morning and a 2 hour nap with Jonah in the afternoon from 1-3. If you don't get a good morning nap, you usually sleep in the late afternoon to catch up.

-You sit, crawl, and were standing, but fell so much you refuse to stand right now. (I'm hoping I don't have another 17 month old walker on my hands).

-You are teething really badly, so badly in fact you got a red ear from it. You have two bottom teeth and are working on some more bottom teeth towards the back.

-We moved you into Jonah's car seat and moved him up to a booster this month.
-You've started eating solid foods from the table and seem to enjoy them more than your brother did at your age. You even ate "Georgia Peach Pancakes" at Pancake Pantry in Nashville on Friday.

-We moved out Jonah's craft table this month and moved in his train table since it's more substantial. You were pulling over the chairs at his table before the big move. When they fell you weren't phased. You don't seem to be easily startled.

-You started "cheerleading" this weekend. You will crawl a little bit, stop, clap, raise your hands and look around at us, and laugh like you want us to clap with you. It's so cute!
-You say mama, dada, bubba, gege, and try to say Jonah.
-You love playing patty cake.

-You love playing with your brother.

-You love swinging at the park.

You have your mama's expressions.

This is your favorite place to sit. You especially like opening and closing this red door as well as our bathroom door in the hallway. It makes me cringe just like it did when your brother went through the exact - same - stage. It's my goal everyday to keep fingers from getting smashed and keep your brother from opening the glass door when you are sitting in your post.

I love your smile. I love your sparkle. I love your delightful personality.

You are kind. You are smart. You are important. I love you more everyday and I will always do everything I can to show it. Since this week is mother's day and I am reflecting on my relationship with my own mom, I remember her always loving me. That is the most important thing in the life of a little girl to know the love of her parents, so that she will know how to recognize the love of her heavenly Father one day.

My mom (and dad) made the necessary sacrifices when I was young to lead me along the path of righteousness I am on today. Good parenting takes sacrificing, sacrificing self, wants, desires, and the temptations of the world. I will sacrifice the world for you Georgia Caroline, not so you can have material things, but that you would have what money can never buy yet no one can take away. Love. Joy. Peace. Satisfaction in the Lord. His righteousness flowing thorough you. That is what my heart's desire is for you. That is my prayer for you. If my advice for you ever includes, "Just marry a doctor and you'll be fine, have me committed." : )

You have already taught me so much. It's funny how God uses the simple to teach the profound. Just this week he spoke to me through your cries.

This is your face every morning when I get you out of bed, change your diaper, and have to put you on the floor to wash my hands at the kitchen sink and fix your bottle.

Ususally this face continues along with a loud, mad cry until I get the bottle in your mouth. I'll console you with my words saying things like, "Mama has to wash her hands, and I'm fixing your bottle. Mama wants what's best for you." Until this week you cry and cry like you don't hear me. You want your bottle and you want it now. You don't understand why I put you on the floor to wait. But, this week something different happened.

When I started consoling you, you made this face. You heard my voice. You understood the words that were coming out of my mouth. You became patient as you trusted me to give you your bottle. You've seen me come through enough times now, you've heard my voice, you've seen my method of operation enough to know that I will not leave you starving.

And it hit me. How many times have I cried, whined, and wailed, questioning God about what He was doing in my life? But, now having read His word, knowing his method of operation, knowing He will never leave me or forsake me, knowing He wants what's best for me even if it means waiting, I hear His voice. Before I was in His word, I didn't hear His voice, because I didn't know His voice. I had a picture of His face in my mind and words I had listened to Him say second hand, but I didn't understand. It was just as Georgia is learning my voice and my language I was learning God's voice and God's language.

I loved this moment and I didn't want to forget it.

"never give up." -God

"So neither the
one who plants
nor the one who
waters is anything,
but only God who
makes things grow."

1 Corinthians 3:7

"Dig them up." I said curtly to Zach last fall. "Just dig 'em up." I had watched three shriveled hydrangea plants sit barren four winters, sprout green leaves three springs, and hopefully watched for blooms three summers. He replied, "Let's just leave them and give them one more season. If they do nothing next year, we'll get rid of them."

In 2008, we planted 3 small hydrangea bushes, so long ago, I didn't even remember what color blooms would sprout. I have had not one, but two babies since their planting. I was six months pregnant with Jonah. I have discussed them with numerous green thumbed baby planner moms. We debated over the direction of the light, whether they needed plant food, or to be transplanted somewhere else in our yard.

I was about to give up hope that they would ever produce. I was about to throw in the towel. And then this happened. As I pulled in the driveway last week and looked to my left, I spotted this.

But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. Psalm 71:13

Not one, but two beautiful blooms. 

(One) planting.

(Four) years of watering. 

(Several) years of droughts.

(Four) years of fertilizing.

And (Two) of the bushes finally produced (One) bloom a piece.

God did the work I couldn't do.

And I rejoiced!

For more reasons than one.

Today, I took this picture at the realization of God's timing of all of this. All of our work to try to get the bushes to bloom yet God had to do the work. Had we not done our part, the bushes would have withered. Had we given up, we wouldn't have gotten the blessing of the blooms and the reward of patiently waiting on something.

It sounds like my spiritual life lately. I have been a bit impatient. I have been praying for revival and awakening, yet pop open my facebook window to see a world far away from a spiritual slumber even. We are more in a spiritual coma as a society. I am obedient to try to penetrate the darkness with truth, God's light, and the words God gives me to type on this very blog, but it gets tiring sometimes, and I get weary.

Then I hear quotes like this one: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

And I get tears in my eyes in repentance. I remember my First Love and why I desire for others to know just how awesome He is for themselves. 

And I meet with a disciple for lunch today.

And I see Light  in her eyes and the Holy Spirit in her connects with the Holy Spirit in me. I see God truly waking up people I never expected and continue to pray for those who have not yet bloomed in their faith.

I count my blessings for the few who God is bringing in my life who are growing, blossoming, and blooming into who He wants them to be for His higher purpose. 

I am encouraged that it is worth the wait for others to awaken from their slumber and...

B-L-O-O-M!
I can plant. I can water. But, only God can make them grow. 

consequence(s)

‎"Where was the Lord?" I saw this posted on an online forum last night. 

I read about David this morning and His choice to sin against God by taking a census God had told Him not to take. In the account of 2 Samuel chapter 24 it chronicles the details of the census David ordered. It also tells us how David was "conscience-stricken" and repentant of sinning asking the Lord to "take away the guilt of your servant." The Lord forgave David's sin, but that didn't take away the consequence of sin. 

God gave David (3) choices of punishment. 
1. 3 years of famine in his land.
2. 3 months of fleeing from his enemies. 
3. 3 days of plague in his land

He chose the third. So, 70,000 Israelites, God's people, perished for the sake of one governmental leader's sin. It was so bad in fact that "the Lord was so grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, 'Enough! Withdraw your hand.;'" 

Think about that number for a moment. 70,000 people of Jerusalem destroyed. To put that in perspective, 2,819 died at the World Trade Center attack on 9/11. 

"Where was the Lord?" What about where are our hearts? Where are the hearts of our leaders who claim the name of Jesus yet make choices apart from God's will and God's way? Sin does not just effect the sinner, but all the lives that touch that sinner. 

It makes me wonder what consequences from the Lord we are suffering as a people due to the sins of our governmental leaders. We see the financial ones, but what about natural disasters, terrorism, and cancer? It's something I'm pondering today and praying for true repentance in any wayward hearts of the believers running things in Washington. This is another reason we shouldn't ever stop praying for those in leadership in any capacity. We are directly effected by their blessing and by their curses.

Community CBD Summer Series: Donna Gaines

I want to personally invite you to hear my pastor's wife, Donna Gaines, next Tuesday night at 6:30 at Covington Assembly of God. She will be teaching out of our chronological readings. To learn more about Donna Gaines, author, speaker, Bible student, teacher, and Pastor's wife, click here. I promise you will be encouraged by time spent under her teaching.

One week from tomorrow night we will gather again as a community of women and open God's word, this time with Donna Gaines. Lori and I wanted to set aside one Tuesday a month throughout the summer months to come back together, renew, revive, and refresh in the word corporately. We want to encourage each other to stay strong in reading God's word each day.

I don't know about you, but I can't wait for us all to meet again! We'll be meeting in the sanctuary, next Tuesday night, May 15 at 6:30. This will be a great opportunity to invite your family and friends who may not have been able to attend the CBD study. Since we won't be meeting in small groups, for these 4 summer meetings, there is no study material to complete.  

There is no charge for the event and you don't have to register, sign up, or be a part of our study to join us. You may find that you like it so much you want to join us in the fall, and I secretly hope that will be the case. : ) We all have been so blessed by this community study. 

It is my heart's desire and prayer to see Christian women in Tipton County united for one purpose, Jesus. My hope is that one day, we will see past denomonations and race and see straight to the heart and the commonality of Holy Spirit that lives within us. We are an army of prayer warriors, truth seekers, and defenders of the faith. We possess fruit of the Spirit that could be corporately poured out on this community in a mighty way. 

Once again, I hope to see you at Covington Assembly of God sanctuary on Tuesday, May 15 from 6:30-8:00.