Irresistibly Drawn.

This here is a logo I created for Albany Mennonite Church. The leadership at AMC has decided to make a 4-year commitment to focusing on growing into the Christ-followers we're called to be. They are doing so by focusing on the foundations of being a Christ follower, such as prayer, mission, hospitality, spiritual gifting, listening to the voice of the Spirit, living a Jesus shaped life, and pursuing justice, among other topics. Pastor Meghan Good is leading the church into being Irresistibly Drawn into to the transforming presence of Christ. The next four years at AMC will be filled with life giving sermons, personal practices, missions, corporate activities, and celebrations of milestones. The symbol chosen to represent Irresistibly Drawn is a tree. Each year will be represented by a part of the tree:

2014:

 Digging Deeper (Roots)

2015:

 Growing Upward (Trunk)

2016:

Stretching Outward (Branches)

2017:

Blooming (Leaves)

I am so honored and blessed to have been asked to create the logo for this 4-year commitment. I am even more excited to see how radically God moves His people at AMC. Please feel free to drop in at Albany Mennonite Church. You will surely find yourself pleasantly overwhelmed by all the love.

- Blessings,

C.

Valentine's Day 2014.

This year for Valentine's Day, I let myself get created with some custom "Elementary-School" styled V-Day cards. I designed them, print them, cut them individually by hand, and sent them out to a few close friends and supporters of GoldenDirt as a token of love and appreciation. The cards feature a few personalities that I enjoy or enjoy making fun of (Kanye):

Jack & Rose (Titanic)  /  Batman / James Bond / Jessie & Walt (Breaking Bad)

Shakira / Mariah Carey / Lana Del Rey / Kanye West

It was a big project, but incredibly fun to do. Most people got 4 cards and a select few got them all. (And to those of you who received them, let's just say I lost a "few" hours of sleep to get these out to you in time. And it's because I love you. So they're EXTRA special. Smiley face.) Along with the cards, I included a letter that explained my reasoning for this project. Here is a portion from that letter:

"When I was a kid, I loved Valentine's Day. I got so excited to love and beloved that day. I always anticipated 2 cards that morning; one from my mom and one from my dad. Then, I would be so excited to get to school to pass out those little rectangular cards to my classmates and to see what I got in my box on my desk. To me, Valentine's Day was always something special and something to look forward to. Now as an adult, it's all about couples over-spending on each other (and if they don't, expect disappointment) or all them singles complaining about how they hate V-Day because it reminds them that they're single. Blah Blah Blah. So sick of it. So here I am, allowing myself to get excited about Valentine's Day and taking the opportunity to give some love to others on the day that's supposed to be all about LOVE! After all, God is Love and what better way to share God with others than by loving them."

So after all the work, I am happy with how everything turned out. My biggest hope would be that the receivers of these cards felt special and loved and that others would be inspired to do what they love to love others. After all, that's what GoldenDirt is all about:

Be the you you were created to be.

- Blessings,

C.

SnowDay.

Bon Iver, Bon Iver / Little Broken Hearts, Norah Jones / Born To Die, Lana Del Rey / Babel, Mumford & Sons

Oh, yea. It's a snow day. The bank is closed, so I lock myself away with the elixir of the morning, a good pair of sweats, and the company of my dear musical friends. Oh, yes. The creative juices have started flowing. It shall be a glorious day. 

And don't even get me started on the Harry Potter marathon that shall commence in only a few hours.

#GodIsGood.

-Blessings,

C.

The Artist Lego.

My best friend/roommate, Jon Eick, and I are kids at heart. Adventures, Super Hero movies, and Kraft Mac-N-Cheese still excite us. Legos are another thing that excite us. One of Jon's Christmas presents from me this last year was a tree house set of Legos, which we are of course planning to build together sometime soon. About a month ago, Jon and I went to Portland for a weekend and on our way home Jon stopped at this massive Lego store. We walk over to a display case filled with all different sorts of Lego people. Jon asks the store associate that he'd like to buy "The Artist." He pays for it, hands it to me, and tells me that it is a birthday gift for me from him. One of the best gifts I've ever received.

I recently bought a shadow box for the little guy and some letters to put in there with him. As Jon intended, he now hangs on the wall as an encouraging reminder of what I am: An Artist.

-Blessings,

C.

Josh White + Beautiful Eulogy.

Hey guys! I am seriously excited to share some amazing music with you. In the season of life that I was in that I wrote about in the post titled, Rise, God seriously used two albums to really speak to me. They are by the Christian artists based in Portland, Oregon, Josh White and Beautiful Eulogy. Both albums were released in 2013. The music and lyrics are incredibly powerful and speak so deeply to the soul. You can download both albums for free on NoiseTrade. Please remember to support them, if you can, by donating on the same site. You will not regret it. If anything, PLEASE make sure to check out the songs, Instruments of Mercy and Release Me From This Snare, both by Beautiful Eulogy and the songs, Enclosed By You and Anchor of My Soul, by Josh White. I pray that you will find as much blessing as I did (which is much more than words could explain) in listening to these albums.

Download both albums for FREE on NoiseTrade:

Absolution - Josh White.

Instruments of Mercy - Beautiful Eulogy.

- Blessings,

C.

Creator of the Roses.

January 10, 1989. My Birthday. Today I turn a quarter of a century old. The big 25. I'll be honest, I know 25 is still really young, but it's been a scary one for me. I feel like no other age has made me feel like I'm saying goodbye to my youth as much as 25 has. Like I said, I know 25 is still young, but I also know that I've already lived out most of my youth. This has created all kinds of thoughts in my head. It has made me think of all the things I haven't accomplished. All the things I didn't do that I wanted to. All the things that I missed out on. All the ways that those losses will affect my future. Not just that, but all my mistakes, all my regrets. I ask myself, "If my life were to be appraised, what would the tag say?" I've also had an irrational fear of getting old. At the bank, about 60% of our customers are elderly. I admit that being witness to their struggles on a daily basis has made me more fearful of growing old. I realize that once you get to a certain age, your abilities to function in ways that have become too familiar to you slowly and painfully fade away. Again, I ask, "Am I living my life to the fullest? My youth is slipping from in between my fingers, but am I doing the most I can?" Today, God whispered to me what the purpose of a rose is. It is to bring joy, beauty and delight to the observer. As well as every person, a rose is born. It first is a bud for a while and then it blossoms into an incredibly elegant and enchanting living creation that with even the best efforts cannot be duplicated. It exists and serves it's purpose. And even when it comes to it's age of withering, if you have the right heart about it, it's beauty hasn't left it, it has only changed. Each withering rose tells you that all things, even the most beautiful things, one day come to an end. To cherish those things while you have them. And, most of all, that that rose is fulfilling God's design for it. To me, that's beautiful. Friends, we are all roses. We are all observers. And the greatest observer of them all is the Creator of the roses. The rose does not exist for itself. The rose exists for it's Creator. The rose exists for those around it. After God wished me a happy birthday today, my fears of aging faded away and thankfulness filled my heart. 25 is a blessing. How many people out there didn't get to see 25? 36? 48? 62? 79? Each year is a gift! Each one is special and beautiful. Each one is given so that you can be a rose. For Christ. For others. Don't dwell on your past or your future. Live today.  For my birthday, My dear friend Amanda Baker shared an inspirational quote from a daily calendar she has. Today's was this:

January 10:

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I am thankful to say that I know that what lies within me is Christ. And that is everything. My prayer to each one of you reading this is that you would live selflessly and fully. That you would be a radiant reflection of the Light of the Creator. That your heart would be filled with joy and thankfulness, even in the most difficult of circumstances. And that you would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE ALL who you encounter, regardless of how they respond. All my love to you, Roses.

-Blessings,

C.

Rise.

Welp. I'm back. Hopefully there are a few of you out there that still have some interest in reading my thoughts. My last post was in June of 2013. A lot of wrestling has occurred in my personal life in that. More specifically, my walk with Christ. The main reason for me walking away from GoldenDirt is that I have had a season where I turned my back to the Light of Christ. Not to live a different life, but to numb the emptiness in my heart that I KNEW only Christ could fill. There have been a series of events in my life that made it hard to seek the Light. I wanted to be rescued without turning to Christ. I wanted to lay there on the ground and have someone pick me up. The more time passed without me being picked up, the more I resisted turning to Him. In this time, I always felt God's prescense. I always felt Him with me. If I have learned anything from being in the darkness, it is that God never abandons. Never. I have heard His voice so much in this season. And I have Him to thank as well as the people He used on the way. To Jon Eick, Meghan Good, Mattea Williams, Jake Likewise, Jimmy Stone, Courtney Martin, Casey Hilinski, Brandon Larsen, and Gabe Anderson, I've so clearly seen Jesus in you during my time of darkness and I pray that you will have some understanding of how thankful I am for you all. You have all been a part of helping me get back up. Last night I was watching one of my favorite films, The Dark Knight Rises. I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes from the Batman Trilogy. There is a scene in which Bruce Wayne's father asks Bruce as a child the question, "Why do we fall?" to which he proceeds to answer the question with, "So we can learn to pick ourselves up." Later, when Bruce is an adult, he faces darkness again and Alfred asks Bruce the same question. I believe that God allows us to be challenged. He allows us to fall so that we can learn how to pick ourselves up. In the past season I've learned how to pick myself up and it is by turning to the Redeemer of all things. It is something I've known for many years, but just as Bruce had been taught at an early age, he had to be reminded as an adult. Likewise, in our lives, there will be many times when we fall, but Christ will always continue to be there to help us get back up and rise to be who He has designed us to be. I pray that when you find yourself on the ground that you can find strength to turn to Him and rise.

Blessings,

-C.

Jake Likewise 3D.

Jake Likewise. This man right here is one of the best and most amazing friends anyone could ever ask for. He's very quiet and serious to most, but when you know him as well as I do, you'll realize that he's the funniest goofball ever. Jake makes me laugh so hard. If you don't know him, you also need to know that he's an athlete. You'll never see him without a fitted baseball cap on his head or without basketball shorts and a t-shirt. I asked him to let me pick out his attire, fix his hair, and take pictures of him. This is the outcome. He cleans up pretty well, huh?

Blessings,

-C.

Be You.

Lately, I've been struggling with the idea that "being me" isn't the greatest. For some time now, I've been feeling that who I am and how I'm wired hasn't been so easily embraced by my some of my friends. We're very different to begin with, but I haven't been able to stop beating myself up with the thought that it's my characteristics that drive us apart. This occurrence with extremely significant relationships has made me very self conscience with all of my relationships. These last few weeks, I've had to step back and just pray about it. I've finally come to a place where I can no longer allow myself to believe that God did not wire me to be who I am. Who I am isn't for me anyways. It's for Him. It's to love and bless others. If I have that mind set, how can I really go wrong? It doesn't really matter how people respond to it. I created this little graphic with a photograph I took as a little reminder of this truth. Each new day that comes, I don't know how to be anyone but me. As should you, in humility, "be you."

Blessings,

-C.

All Eyes On Kylie.

  

Every girl needs a pretty dress. And although Ms. Kylie Dalton has more than one fabulous dress hanging in her closet, she always wears each one like it's the best one she owns. Kylie graduates next Saturday from Oregon State University and bought this glamours number for the occasion, which she accompanied with a festive necklace. Naturally, she wanted to share her new ensemble with her Shimmer Me Pretty readers. Yesterday, I had so much fun shooting photos of Kylie. Let me tell you though, walking through Downtown Corvallis you couldn't help but notice all the heads that turned. One guy even stopped his car to tell Ms. Dalton, "You look beautiful." As you can see above, it's not difficult at all to end up with lovely photos when you're model is lovely. The work is pretty much already done for you! These shots are my favorite from the shoot. I hope you enjoy them too! And don't forget to visit Kylie at Shimmer Me Pretty.

Blessings, 

-C.

GoldenDirt Logo.

Here it is. The brand new, official logo for GoldenDirt. This is the symbol that will represent what I am calling the "GoldenDirt Movement." That's just a fancy way of saying, "this is how I'm branding my creations." For example, my photography, designs, and other work done by me will be represented by this symbol. Let me share a bit about the design. There have been a few key moments in my life where different people have compared me to a diamond stating that I have many facets that God reflects His light through. I see my gifts and abilities as some of these facets. In the logo, the two slashes represent God's light beaming down and the ring represents His light being reflected from the diamond, ultimately proclaiming Jesus. That is my desire. That all I do, my life, my works, would proclaim Jesus. I pray God takes this somewhere. If not, it's still for Him anyway.

Blessings,

-C.

Matters Of The Heart.

The heart is a weird thing. I mean, how is it that we experience actual pain from things that are said or not said? How do thoughts or non-violent actions from others actually cause your body to ache? Sure, you can tell me about how the mind works and all the chemicals involved and all that, but why is all that there to begin with? Aside from all of it shouting out, "There's a Designer!," I think it makes it clear that we as human beings, we are fragile. Some of us have grown up blocking that all out. Some of us have been taught that matters of the heart are for those who are weak. But I think that the experiences our hearts face are the experiences that shape who we are. Heartbreak gives us opportunity. Opportunity to learn. Opportunity to grow. Opportunity to forgive. Opportunity to hope. Opportunity to see God's hand. Strength is something to strive for, but sometimes, the best thing to do is to just curl up into a little ball, turn off all the up-beat music, and let your heart break. Maybe your life could use some opportunity.

Blessings,

-C.

I Love L.A.

Los Angeles! My home land. This is a photograph I took from a plane while it was landing. I was visiting my dear friend, Priscilla Enriquez, and captured this scape. It has become one of my favorite shots I've taken. Enjoy!

Blessings,

-C.

Super Heroes Have Birthdays Too.

I think that it has been scientifically proven that everyone on this planet has a father at some point in life. After all, it takes two to tango, if you catch my drift. But not everyone gets a dad. For the 24 years I've been alive, I've had a man in my life who has loved me and has looked out for me. A man who played with me and bought me things. A man who taught me how to be strong and how to be kind. A man who never made me worry about wether he would leave or not. I've had a dad. It's incredible when you look at the tragic effects not having a father in a person's life can have on them. I recognize the amazing blessing and rare gift that it is to have a dad. I've had not just a dad, but one as loving and concerned about my life as my dad. I give a huge amount of credit to my dad for me being the man I am today. I give God thanks for it being His will for me to have the father I do. Every kid needs a Super Hero, and today, mine turns 48. Happy Birthday, Papa.

Blessings,

-C.

A Calling.

Meet my phones. My Ex, the iPhone 4, and my current, a Samsung "Pay-As-You-Go" phone from Walmart. As you may know, having an iPhone can be pretty expensive and it was finally time to make some big-boy decisions and say goodbye to some comforts. I had to pick up a more "humble" phone for communication. Let me tell you, I've gone through some discomfort since the change. I seriously miss having an iPhone. I miss all the apps that make life so easy. I'm dying without Instagram (just kidding... but not really). I miss how easy it was to text. How easy it was to check your e-mail. How easy it was to manage things. That's not the worst, though. I'm admitting to you that I often get embarrassed to pull this new phone out when someone asks to trade digits or even just to use it in public. This never felt right in my heart and it caused me to ponder what was really going on. I almost laugh out loud at my own arrogance and ignorance. It makes me so sad to realize what a spoiled brat I can be. Sure, it's a blessing to have an iPhone, but it's also a blessing to have a phone at all. Just as it is a blessing to eat at a $30-a-plate, 5-star restaurant, it's also a blessing to have beans and rice to eat. Why is it so hard to be thankful for what we have? Is it because we have so much? It's upsetting to realize that rather than rejoicing that I have a phone that works in my pocket, I'm feeling frustrated and ashamed because I don't have the phone I want. Oh, the heart. I am reminded of the Word of God:

"Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction . For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

- 1 Timothy 6:6-10

"Jesus said, 'Beware! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possesions.'"

- Luke 12:15

"Jesus said, 'Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'"

- Matthew 6:20-21

I pray that we can choose to be thankful and recognize that all we have is a gift given to us through Love and Grace. God will never stop being good, so why should we ever stop giving thanks?

Blessings,

-C.

Coach Carter.

Carter Davenport, ladies and gentlemen. This here is my good friend and fitness trainer. An Oregon State University Graduate with a bachelor's in Sport and Exercise Science with an Option in Nutrition, Carter continues living out his passion for athletics by helping people obtain their goals in physical health. Carter and I started training last week with intentions of going for 60 days. My start weight was 204 lbs with hopes of reaching 185 lbs. I have since seen a 2 lb difference, not to mention muscle gain. It has been exciting and exhausting. But mostly exciting. Carter is the perfect trainer. With a kind heart and an upbeat spirit, he motivates and pushes you to go beyond your perceived limits. It's been so fun getting to know Carter. He is an athlete to the core. His biggest passion is running, but he does it all. He's especially a sucker for basketball and anything involving the outdoors. I think the greatest thing that makes Carter the perfect trainer is he wants to obtain your goals just as much as you do, maybe even more. It's so easy to feed off of his excitement. I'm excited to continue training with Carter and to see the results. I'm excited to continue sharing our adventures with you. And if you ever need a trainer, I know a guy.

Blessings,

-C.

Worry.

This is a photograph I took in 2010 while on a mission trip in Mexico. This was a garbage dump where people would wait for the arrival of garbage trucks to rummage through them to find things to sell, things for themselves, or things to eat. 

It’s a funny thing how you can worry about the smallest things to the point where they blind you of the bigger things around you. Big things like the air you breathe. The beats of your heart. The vision of your eyes. The steps your feet take. Being able to get up from where you sit, walk over to the refrigerator, and grab something to eat. Being able to sleep warm and safe in your bed at night. We even become blind to the blessings that come from things such as going to your local Starbucks to get coffee. We get so wrapped up with worrying about money, relationships, our appearances, school, careers, and what others think of us. All these things distract us from thanking God for the air we breathe or for our beating hearts or the vision we have or our ability to walk. All these things distract us from realizing that we are so rich. So ridiculously rich. We have Jesus. We’re so busy being focused on small things in our lives that we don’t see the ones who are really in need around us. God gives us so much power in being able to show Jesus to people. We’re too worried about money to bless someone in need. We’re too worried about that one or two relationships that we miss all those who are crying out for love. We’re too worried about the things that fade away that we forget to ask God what He wants from us. We forget who we really are. We forget whom we’re meant to live for. We forget that each minute that goes by, our lives on earth are coming closer to their ends along with those who don’t have Christ. As Christ followers, do we not realize the severity of the consequences of that? Do we care enough to do something about it? Or do we continue drowning in our worries? What does our worrying about such things say about our God? Doesn’t make Him look very good or powerful, does it? My prayer for us is that we would let the Lord take worry from our lives. It is that we would choose Christ. It is that we would choose thankfulness. It is that we would find rejoicing and satisfaction in our Lord. It is when we choose Him each day that we can be aware of how rich we really are, of how we have nothing to worry about, and of how much power there is in us, through Him, to show the world the beauty & love of Christ. He calls us to love and to give. Let’s stop worrying about the little things and start thanking God for the big things. If it wasn’t for Him, you might not even have been able to read this.

Blessings,
-C.

Beautiful Eulogy.

Last night, I went to a Label Show by Humble Beast Records which featured Christian rap artists, Eshon Burgundy, Beautiful Eulogy, and Propaganda. I was seriously blown away by the talent of these guys. I've been listening to Beautiful Eulogy's album, Satellite Kite, and have been so blessed by the depth of their messages. I love them. (Do yourself a favor and watch this video: Entitlement.) Their passion on stage was moving. These guys LOVE Jesus. After the show, I was blessed with the opportunity of talking to Thomas (the one without a hat in the picture) and walked away super encouraged. Super kind and humble guy. With such a real and DEEP theology, I was surprised to learn that he hasn't been to any kind of Bible school. I later discussed this with my friends whom I went with, Jake Likewise and Bekah Harcrow, and came to the realization that God goes beyond all that kind of thing and Thomas' life has Jesus' name written all over it. Thomas is exactly where God intended him to be. God has wired each one of us with intention. Our abilities, our gifts, our passions. God is bigger than school. It doesn't matter if you've learned something at school or not. When the Holy Spirit wants to move, He will move. Why do we hesitate?! I don't know about you, but that encourages me so much. It fills me with passion. It makes me want to run harder. God is bigger than our doubts and so are His plans for us. I highly encourage you to listen to their music. I'm attaching a couple of my favorite songs of theirs on here. You can also download their entire album for free at Humblebeast.com

Listen on SoundCloud:

Anchor (feat. Josh Garrels) - Beautiful Eulogy

Beautiful Eulogy - Beautiful Eulogy

Blessings,

-C.

Happy Birthday, Jon!

Today is my close friend/roommate's birthday. Jonathan Eick turns 24 today, and in honor of that I am posting a couple of photographs I took of him. They are a few years old, but are honestly some of my favorite pictures I've ever taken.

Blessings,

-C.

Anyway.

Yesterday, I had breakfast with my good friend and Albany Young Life Area Director, Jeremy Ito. The day before that, I had lunch with one of my closest friends, Mattea Williams. Coincidentally, both times we were eating some tasty food and both times the reality of our wealth and the poverty of others struck us. Naturally, Mother Teresa came up on both occasions and we began discussing about how she truly understood what love truly is and what a gangster she was and all. All that later reminded me of this awesome quote of hers that I just love. I made this simple design over a photograph I took in attempts to celebrate it. Its a couple years old, but I think someone might still appreciate it. 

Blessings,

-C.