Good Gifts

God gives good gifts. Even little leaves and flowers are beautiful instances of the kindness he has graciously showed sinful mankind in allowing us to enjoy his creative design. Even greater is the gift he has graciously provided in making a way for sinners to be right with him through the precious blood of Christ. He has met our greatest need.

"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"
Romans 8:32 ESV

What a gracious heavenly Father.

Absolutely Stunning

Just look at these three! They are Brittany (left,) Maggie (middle,) and Sarah (right.) Living with this many beautiful people is almost more than I can handle! God provided me with a generous, dear friend who paid for my room and board at Grace, and these girls are just one example of what a great gift it was. God is so good to me!

Positively Purple

This beautiful little English girl is the daughter of the lovely couple whose wedding I had the opportunity to photograph last weekend. I was the second shooter (with a camera that is... no assassinations or grassy knolls involved) for Marah Grant of Marah Grant Photography. Marah very graciously offered me this exciting opportunity and I very nervously and gratefully accepted.

I plan to post more photos from the wedding later on, but here is a little peek for now. This little girl was so much fun to photograph. She was being pretty goofy then struck this serious pose for me out of nowhere. I could tell she was enjoying all the camera attention. :)

The Day the Playground Frowned

Katelyn and I went to the park for some senior pictures... and came back with this. I'm so glad that I have sisters that will humor me! :)




Ah-ha... this is a little more senior picturely. She gets her good looks from her older sister by the way.

How Much More...

I taught a children's Sunday school class yesterday, and we spent a lot of time talking about these verses from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount:

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:25-33 (ESV)

I worry often about a lot of different things… but check out those butterflies!
Oh me of little faith!

A Bow In the Clouds

"And God said, 'This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.'" (Genesis 9:12-16)

I love rainbows… they remind me that God is faithful. This beautiful Tennessee rainbow was my canon digital rebel and my first rainbow together. :)

A Buncha Nuts!

This gives the phrase “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” a whole new meaning…

(These mug shots were taken in the beautiful land of Tennessee, specifically, the Smoky Mountains where - ironically - anything that falls from a tree will roll.)

What is the key to longevity you ask?

Facial exercises for the elderly!!!

OOOOOO! EEEEEE! ULLLLL! ARRRRR!
OOOOOO! EEEEEE! ULLLLL! ARRRRR!

(side effects will most likely include temporary denture dislodgement)

Grandpa Hall's 96th Birthday

Grandpa: "Well what do you think you're doing up there!?! You're gonna get us kicked out of here!"


Grandpa celebrated his birthday in Frankenmuth, MI with his family. We spent quite a bit of time in Bronner's: the largest Christmas store in the world where we saw everything from musical instrument ornaments to hockey player ornaments to balsamic vinegar ornaments.

The only thing better than cousin time is second cousin time!

What a guy!


God has been so good to him.

Emily put some of her creativity to work as the birthday festivities drew to a close.

Higher!

by Stephanie Witte

Macy Moore, 3, of Warsaw, Indiana, enjoys a refreshing ride on a swing and a beautiful view of the colorful fall leaves on Tuesday morning, October 20, 2009. Moore is a pre-school student at Warsaw Christian School and took particular pleasure in Tuesday’s recess after a good workout in gym class.

Survivor

by Stephanie Witte

A bumble bee perches on a vibrant wild flower blossom on the beautiful fall evening of October 5, 2009. Cornerstone University recently performed an extermination procedure to rid the campus of bees wreaking far more havoc than this fortunate survivor.

All the Better to See You With

by Stephanie Witte


Julie Slattery, an eye care receptionist in Grade Rapids Michigan, loves dealing with people. She has worked in this position for only nine weeks but already exuberantly expressed the joy she found in helping her customers and her appreciation for all the friendly people with which she works.

Undeserved Love for the Ill-deserving

by Stephanie Witte

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:9-11

Marriage is not about mere love; it is about the marvelous love demonstrated in the gospel: God’s love for rebels. He sent his Son Christ to die for ill-deserving sinners, redeeming those who merited nothing but His righteous wrath. This love compels us to love one another in view of the love with which God has so graciously loved us.

All Giggles

by Stephanie Witte

Shannon Veltkamp, 3, (left) and Reagan Veltkamp, 5, (right) collapse into a hug after dancing and twirling to the halftime music at the Cornerstone University girls' basketball game on February 13, 2010. The Cornerstone girls lost by only one point, but the Veltkamp sisters were having too much fun to mind too much.

In Line for a Sign

by Stephanie Witte

A line of eager Sarah Palin supporters clutch their copies of Palin’s new book, Going Rogue: an American Life as they make their way to the second story of Woodland Mall’s Barns and Nobles in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 18, 2009. Grand Rapids was the first of Palin’s stops as she traveled around the United States signing copies of her book.

Dead or Alive

by Stephanie Witte

The setting sun lingers in the warm autumn sky on November 8, 2009 illuminating an unusual combination of blooms in diverse stages of life.

Reading First... Then Snacks

by Stephanie Witte

Young children of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan anticipate the end of their Tuesday evening gathering at which time they will receive doughnuts as they head home on April 13, 2010. Every Tuesday evening, over a dozen children meet at Sabaoth ministries directed by Cornerstone University graduate Kelly Ellis to work on their reading skills with current Cornerstone student tutors.

The RD that Could

by Stephanie Witte

Kimberly Bytwerk, keeps the “Where’s Kimberly?” sign on the door to her apartment updated at all times alerting students to her every whereabout. Kimberly is both Cornerstone University’s resident director of Pickitt and Keithley Halls and a seminary student at Cornerstone. These two commissions keep her pretty busy, but she somehow finds time to interact with the Cornerstone undergraduate students and keep her sign updated.

by Stephanie Witte

As the Pickitt Hall resident assistants recover from an unexpected Silly String attack, Kimberly attempts to calm the excitement raging among the Pickitt Hall dwellers as she gives the final instructions for the pre-spring break check out on March 1, 2010.

by Stephanie Witte

Kimberly flashes a big smile before disappearing into the Cornerstone kitchen with some leftover tubs of ice-cream. Pickitt Hall took part in its annual Pick-A-Date activity on March 17, 2010 which included ice-cream, bowling, and dressing up like favorite salad dressings. Dressed in her best rancher outfit, Kimberly did some quick clean up before joining the rest of the group.

by Stephanie Witte

Kimberly washes some pots and pans Tuesday night March 30, 2010 after another busy day of student and resident director responsibilities. When asked if her responsibilities were overwhelming Kimberly commented, “Overwhelming would be a good word for it… overwhelming and exciting. It’s just a very intense job.” As many of the Cornerstone students have witnessed firsthand: Kimberly is perfect for the job, responsibilities and all.

by Stephanie Witte

Kimberly reacts to her classmate’s comment on March 25, 2010 as he proudly announces the birth of his grandson the previous day. Kimberly attends classes in Cornerstone’s seminary building every Thursday afternoon in pursuit of a master’s degree in counseling.

by Stephanie Witte

Cornerstone sophomore, Jordan Lemke (left) keeps the Pickitt Talent Show audience entertained as Cornerstone freshman, Caleb Denman (middle) helps Kimberly (right) draw a ticket in one of two gift card give-aways on February 23, 2010. This talent show is one of many activities Kimberly takes part in organizing for the enjoyment of the Cornerstone community.

by Stephanie Witte

Kimberly (middle) enjoys a visit from her twin sister, Courtney Bytwerk (right), and their friend Hannah Shevel (left) on March 19, 2010 as they make a cheesecake together. The three of them have been friends since their undergraduate days at Cornerstone.

by Stephanie Witte

Kimberly arrives at her Thursday afternoon Counseling Ethics and Issues class on March 25, 2010 and begins to page through her notebook before the professor signals the beginning of class. Many Cornerstone students do not see the student side of Kimberly, but she endures classes, professors, lectures, classmates, homework, exams, and grades just as they do.

by Stephanie Witte

Kimberly laughs at a student’s comment between bites of pie on April 6, 2010 as she awaits the beginning of Pickitt and Keithley’s charades with Dr. Joseph Stowell, the president of Cornerstone. Students love to see Kimberly’s beautiful, uplifting smile in their daily interaction with her. God has filled her with joy and humility, and it is evident to those around her.

by Stephanie Witte

As Kimberly’s Tuesday draws to a close, she takes some time on March 30, 2010 to prepare little notes that she wrote to encourage the Pickitt and Keithley residents. In the note she exhorted students to trust Christ and dispel their unbelief. Her captivation with the kindness of God was evident, and her testimony to God’s grace was encouraging. In writing these notes, Kimberly demonstrated her desire to see growth in her students: the element of her job that she loves the most. She described this experience as having “a front row seat to seeing the Lord work.” God is using Kimberly in beautiful ways to accomplish this work.