How to Turn Impossible into Possible

As I was sitting on the couch sipping my coffee this morning, my mind was bombarded with cares and situations that I (foolishly) felt I needed to figure out on my own. Phone calls I needed to make, details to work out, planning to be done...God, I don't know how this is going to work out!

And then God quieted me...and led me to read Hebrews 11.

I grabbed my Bible and quickly flipped the pages. In the moment forgetting what Hebrews 11 was all about, I read the first verse:

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." - Hebrews 11:1 NIV

Continuing to read the chapter, tears started streaming down my face as I was reminded of all the seemingly impossible things that God has done, simply because his people had faith that he would do it.

"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." - Hebrews 11:6 NIV

God wants to do the impossible in our lives, but too often our doubt, worry, and lack of faith get in the way.

"'You don't have enough faith,' Jesus told them. 'I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.'" - Matthew 17:20 NLT

"God can do anything, you know--far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!" - Ephesians 3:20 MSG

I know I'm not the only one facing an "impossible" situation. So, what's yours? Remember that God is the ultimate expert of making the impossible, possible. All we need to do is surrender, trust, and have a little faith. :)

With Love,
Tiffany

More thoughts on faith here...

faith, trust, and taking the first step.

Yesterday was our first official day as the youth pastors of Full Life. Even now, it seems so surreal that we've been blessed with this amazing opportunity. I am just in awe of how God has directed our life, one step at a time, to bring us to this place. And I know that He'll continue to do just that.

During the past couple of weeks I've been doing a lot of reflecting on the past year and the journey that it's been. I've been reading through my Moleskine notebook and journal filled with all my thoughts, questions, and prayers from the past year. One thing that was pretty consistent throughout the many pages was a question - "God, what is your plan?"

I asked this question numerous times over the last dozen or so months...and it's a question that I've asked a lot throughout my entire life. I'm a planner, and ever since I was a child I've loved knowing what to expect so I could be ready for it.

But life isn't predictable. In fact, it is quite unpredictable.

If there's one thing that God taught me (again) last year, it was to trust him completely with my life and everything in it. Trusting someone doesn't mean questioning what they're thinking or why they're doing something...trust is, as the dictionary puts it, "reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence."

During the times I struggled with doubt and uncertainty I would often turn to husband and say "I don't understand..." He would then gently remind me that "we are not called to understand, we're called to obey."

God doesn't often show us the big picture. If he did show me the big picture, I think I might be terrified and try to run in the opposite direction. His plans and dreams for our lives are always so much bigger and better than any plans we could make for ourselves (Jeremiah 29:11). His dreams are bigger than us and our capabilities and way beyond our comfort zone, so that we learn to lean and rely on him.

He shows us one step at a time, and our job is to be obedient and take that first step...and then the next one...whether it's a big step (like moving to Nashville away from family and friends) or a little one (like getting up at 6am to pray and read the word even when I feel like sleeping for a couple more hours). :)

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martin Luther King, Jr

With Love,
Tiffany

be happy for this moment.

It is so hard to believe that we are at the end of March already. I feel like Christmas was just yesterday! The past couple (and the next several) weeks have been/will be extremely busy for both Jonathan and me. During these busy and sometimes stressful times, it's easy for me to just wish for vacation or a weekend away with my husband to just get here already.

But today, I saw this print from etsy and was convicted of my attitude lately:

print by dazeychic

Yikes. That is so true. What am I doing? I'm wishing away my life, that's what. And I don't want to do that at all.

I want to learn to enjoy each and every moment. Even the whirlwind like ones.

I don't want one minute of my life to pass by unnoticed and unappreciated.

have yourself a very pretty Christmas.

I'm sitting in my living room right now admiring our pretty Christmas tree and snuggling with our puppy. Simple moments like these make me so happy.

I can't help but share these pretty Christmas images with you that I've found around the web:

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I hope you all are having a very pretty, inspired, and joyful Christmastime! I'm loving every moment of it. :)

you are too blessed to be stressed.

Good morning, friends!

I hope you all are having a terrific day so far. If not, then maybe these will inspire you to smile:

{image from here}

{images via ffffound + we heart it}

monday inspiration: look at the sunny side of everything.

{via kind over matter}

monday inspiration.

What a wonderful weekend we had! Driving through the beautiful mountains of West Virginia, spending time with family at the grandparent's, Mawmaw's homemade chocolate cake, sitting in the living room listening to my dad, husband, and Pawpaw make music with a banjo and guitars, taking family portraits {which is a challenge when you're the photographer but also in the pictures...but it was fun!} I hope you all had an equally fun and cozy weekend.

On Mondays I love to set goals for my week and be inspired to create and accomplish things.

This morning I'm finding Keri Smith's artwork inspiring, and I hope you do too! Here are some favorites:

{images by Keri Smith}

Happy Monday!

don't worry. everything is going to be amazing.

{source: unknown via: we heart it}

It must be the planner in me. The part of me that has always wanted to know what was going to happen tomorrow, and write out all the details. As early as I can remember I have been this way. I used to sit down at the kitchen table, ask my mom what the plan was for the day, and write it all out on my crayon and construction paper calendar.

Sure, planning is good. It has helped me be prepared for things. It has helped me be organized. But, in my 23 years of life I have come to discover that this need for planning has also caused me to worry. And worrying is blech.

Alongside the worry that threatens to creep in during moments of doubt or vulnerability, I also have this faith. This faith in Someone who is much bigger than me that assures me everything is going to be amazing.

It's a day to day struggle for me. This struggle between faith and worry.

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." - Matthew 6:34 (The Message)

Everything is going to be amazing. :)

hello, my name is tiffany. i'm a perfectionist.

I think I can safely venture out there and guess that I'm not alone when I say that I'm a perfectionist. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to myself. I don't mind if other people aren't perfect, that's silly to expect. But I don't like to mess up, and when I do...I'm not easy on myself.

{via fffound}

The other day I heard a quote by photographer Dane Sanders that really inspired and encouraged me:

Trade in perfectionism for excellence. With perfectionism, it mandates that you never fail, and that's a pretty tough standard to live up to. But with excellence, it mandates that you fail over and over and over again. If you follow that recipe, you're going to land at the kind of excellence that you can only find through trial and error. You do that, and you're going to find yourself in a winning position.

pursuing your dreams.

Dreaming is easy. It takes no effort whatsoever to think of things you are passionate about and daydream of one day doing those things.

But actually pursuing your dreams? Now, that's a different story.

Right now I am in the beginning stages of starting my own photography business. I've been doing market research, perfecting my portfolio, brainstorming about branding, etc. While I am super excited that this dream of mine is finally starting to become a reality...at the same time, I am scared out of my mind! Why? Because starting your own business is risky. Following your dreams {whatever that may be} is risky.

It would be easy for me to give into my fears of failure, take the easy route and go apply and accept yet another administrative assistant position. But I know I would be miserable, because I wouldn't be following my heart.

{photo by me}

I recently heard a couple photographers who are highly esteemed in the industry say:

"I'd rather fail at something I love, than succeed at something I hate."

When I heard that statement, it struck a chord in me. Because it is so true. What's the point in living life half heartedly and never knowing what could have been if only I had tried? Some of the things I regret most in my life are when I didn't do something out of fear of failure, or fear of looking or sounding silly.

I don't want to live my life in fear (2 Timothy 1:7)

My favorite quote growing up was one by Les Brown that says, "Shoot for the moon, if you miss you'll land among the stars." (nevermind that the moon is actually closer to us than the stars...)

Here's to aiming high and pursuing your dreams. :)

finish yesterday, and be done with it.

Nina, the author of one of my favorite blogs Naturally Nina, posted this poem yesterday and it was very inspiring to me...so, I am posting it today. {you should go check out her blog...she always has wonderful things to say.}

finish yesterday, and be done with it. you have done what you could. some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. today is a new day. begin it well, and serenely, and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. this day is all that is good and fair. it is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays. - adapted from ralph waldo emerson

Yesterday wasn't the best day ever for me, but today is a new day. And it is raining this morning which is so very comforting and seems to wash away the worries of yesterday even more.

p.s. i love my husband! and after today he will only have one final left and he will be finished with this semester. yay! :)

studio inspiration series - nicole balch

Good morning, friends!

Here is another round of our studio inspiration series {if you missed the first one, go here.} This next studio space is by entrepreneur, stationery maker, blogger, and very-soon-to-be-mom Nicole Balch. Nicole is the author of Making it Lovely. A wonderful blog on the different projects that she and her husband have taken on to make their house a home. I am a big fan of her work!

Here is her studio that she works on all of her stationery and cards, Pink Loves Brown. I am drooling over how absolutely organized everything is in here. I have this fascination with organization. Little boxes, containers, etc. anything that can help make life more organized is beautiful to me.

So, here...take a look for yourself...

Look at all of those yummy boxes and trays to hold her cards and stationery!





I am in desperate need of an organized shipping station like this.
Right now all of the envelopes and shipping materials for my shop
are just lying in a pile {neat pile, but still it's a pile} on my desk.





Those curtains are adorable!



This little cubby would be great for outgoing orders!

{all images by Nicole Balch via Making it Lovely}

To see more of Nicole's beautiful studio, go check out the studio tour on her blog. She has a lot more pictures and descriptions of all the items that make up this lovely space of hers.

Once again, I'm inspired to organize my office even more today. :)

If any of you have a studio or office that you think should be featured in our studio inspiration series, please email me at tiffany {at} zajas {dot} com I would love to see pictures of all of your spaces!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

studio inspiration series - candice stringham

I love finding inspiration for improving our workspaces and home office. Since Jonathan and I both normally do most of our work from home, it's nice to have a comfortable, organized, and cheery home office/studio that we actually enjoy being in.

Looking through blogs of different photographers, designers, crafters, and artisans, I am greatly inspired by their different workspaces. And here, in a new blog series entitled studio inspiration, I am going to share a few of those with you.

Our first inspiration comes from photographer Candice Stringham. I love her office because she makes great use of a small space, and it is very chic and functional.

I also love her use of black, red, and white...because those are, afterall, some of my favorite colors.

Look how organized the entire office is. I love it when there's a place for everything and everything's in it's place...it's such a refreshing feeling. Something I've been trying to work on achieving in my own office.

I have to say, I would love to own my own copy of that vintage camera poster.

Aren't those little bins for trinkets adorable?


{all photos by Candice Stringham Photography}

I love love love that large calendar. Love it!

Now that I'm even more inspired to go and organize my office, I think I might go do that right now.

Feel free to check out the rest of Candice's office at her blog. She has lots of descriptions and more pictures of what she has in her workspace. I highly recommend going to check it out!

adorable circus party invitations!

I have to say that after seeing these adorable invitations by blogger Caroline Armelle of Armelle Jewelry, I am just dying to throw a party just so I can send out fun invitations such as these.

Two things I absolutely love about these: the polaroids and the red balloons {I LOVE red balloons.} SO adorable! I have to say, I am thoroughly going to enjoy throwing birthday parties for our future kids one day.

Please go to see more of Armelle's invitations, click here. OR here are some of her images from the circus party itself {which is quite adorable as well!}