It's Almost Summer

Thank goodness this semester is almost over. There's one more week until finals and then my freshman year of college will have officially come to a close. While I'll be slightly saddened at its passing, I'm excited for what's to come.

This summer I have the amazing opportunity to serve at Sky Ranch Family Camp in Horn Creek, Colorado. Sky Ranch has had a huge impact on my life as I grew up attending summer camp in Van as well as Family Camp at Ute Trail. I am so thankful for the many counselors that have poured into me over the years pushing me further in my faith, challenging me with tough questions, and shaping me into much of the guy that I am today. Because of this, I am super excited to give back to the camp that has given me so much.

As a result, however, I am going to be taking a step back from posting content over the summer. In fact, I will be staying off Instagram from 05/15/2022 to 08/15/2022. I want to be fully present at Sky and have the most opportunities to make connections and serve. God has me there for a reason and I cannot wait to spend my summer serving families.

While I won't be posting content, this does not mean that I am taking a 3-month break from creating—I'm pretty sure that would be impossible for me. I'm sure I'll have my camera along for weekend trips in the beautiful mountains of Colorado and I can't wait to experiment with the old Polaroid featured above. I plan on doing a series of Polaroids that will be featured in my content over the next year along with a story for each of them. Those who have been reading my stuff for a while now know how much I love for my photos to tell a story, so I am thrilled to have stumbled upon this old Polaroid and shoot organic moments on SX-70 film.

I'm also looking forward to journaling in the early mornings and getting inspiration for some of my next projects including a short novel that I have been working on since January that I hope to release and get published in the next year. It's a sentimental allegory that I have poured my heart into and I can't wait to get it into readers' hands. Other writings I hope to develop include poems, letters, songs, and prayers. I want to step up my writing game next year, and I am so thankful that I have had these blogs to confirm that for me (I still plan on posting a new blog every Tuesday after this summer)!

I want to end this sort of "summer announcement blog" with a verse that I am praying for myself during these final weeks of school and going into this summer.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12: 1-2 ESV

Social media and photography are not sins in my life per se. In fact, they are often the means through which I am granted amazing opportunities and even a great source of income. But I think that they may have become weights that are limiting my ability to chase after Christ. This is not to say that they always will be, but, how often am I chasing deadlines—waking up and sending emails—before I sit and spend time with Christ? How often do I edit late into the night listening to secular music and watching shows that offer little value to my life?

The past two weeks I have been so swamped that I feel it affected my ability to love others well. I found myself in need of seeking forgiveness for my words simply because I was so stressed; I allowed myself to become aggravated by the smallest things—things that would not matter had my mind been focused on Christ.

By setting aside my desire to post my work this summer, I believe I will get a new perspective on my content. Everything I shoot I will be doing for the love of what I do rather than for the approval of others. I'm sure I'll end up keeping many of the Polaroids just for myself because of what they mean to me. I look forward to being free from the stress of feeling like I have to post every day or I'll "lose my momentum." While that is certainly possible, I trust that God will allow me to pick back up where I left off as soon as I'm back.

That being said I look forward to what this summer has to offer, but I just wanted to let y'all know why you won't be seeing any content! I'm super excited about what the next season of creating will look like for me starting back up in August! There will still be two more blogs before I leave so be watching for those on Tuesdays!

-Luke