20.9.13

Charcoal Souls . . .

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me

    to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
 
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion,
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins

    and restore the places long devastated;

they will renew the ruined cities

    that have been devastated for generations.
 
Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
 
And you will be called priests of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

Instead of your shame

    you will receive a double portion,

and instead of disgrace

    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy will be yours.

“For I, the Lord, love justice;

    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.

In my faithfulness I will reward my people

    and make an everlasting covenant with them.
 
Their descendants will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

I delight greatly in the Lord;

    my soul rejoices in my God.

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation

    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
 
For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden causes seeds to grow.
~Isaiah 61~

























models: Meredith [red] Taryn [blonde] Rachel [brunette]

For me this photo shoot began as an expression of this portion of scripture in Isaiah 61. This scripture has been very dear to my heart for a very long time and this idea of creating something beautiful out of what is usually deemed as dirty was the perfect reflection of what Christ does in us. I couldn't have done this without the help of my three best friends Meredith, Taryn, and Rachel. Thank you guys so much for letting me photograph you sans makeup, pour water over your heads, and cover your faces in charcoal. [I wish Kaci could have joined us!!] These girls have been such a solid back bone for me to lean on at college and I couldn't thank God enough for placing them in my life. 

ps:
Oh..  and just incase you guys were wondering. They had shirts on! No naked ladies ova here! 
pss:
and don't mind me and my all over the place editing. I originally was going to make these all black and white but I just loved the color ones so much! 
pss: [last one I promise]
If you haven't heard it yet, you NEED to listen to Oceans by Hillsong United. click here to listen!


xoxo 

Tor

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^They're irresistible. 

4 comments:

  1. lovely photos! you are so talented :)
    http://saltskinned.blogspot.com.au

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  2. Entirely in love with your photography skills, every picture is brilliantly captured! Can't wait to see where you'll go in the future Tori Ray! :)

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