Jo Saxton

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I recently went on a trip to visit an old friend in Seattle and had a God given epiphany.  My friend who is an Urban Planning major simply loved to show me everything about Seattle on a map.  He would log onto ‘Google Earth’ and be fascinated. He fully enjoyed telling me about how this bridge connected to that island, which was the longest floating bridge in the world.  Unfortunately, to me it was squiggly lines on a laptop and I was unable to connect with anything he said and was so cutely passionate about.  As I pondered in bed that night, I thought how often this happens in our Spiritual lives.  Jesus is so desperately trying to communicate, explain, and show us the amazing plan he has set out for us, and we react with less enthusiastic response.

 For me, this has happened over and over again.  I would clear my schedule, set out my quite time, and strain to hear anything from God. My devotion time that I had set out to allow the Lord to fill me up, only left me frustrated and my emotional gas tank beyond empty.  I have loved and done photography since grade school. Often when I was completely stressed, I would go out and shoot; I felt creative, competent, and astonishingly close to Christ.  Photography is the Lord’s language to me.  For so long I wanted to find Him in everyone else’s gifts and passions; quite time, devotion, worship, etc. but the Lord uniquely designed a way He wanted to communicate with me individually.

This photograph I choose to call “Pure Joy,” after the verse in  James 1. The Lord gave me it in a time where ‘Joy’ was nowhere to be found in my life.  I was in the midst of a crazy transitional time; my friendship groups were shifting, my career choices were flipped upside down, and the shred of confidence I had left flew right out the window.  But, the greatness of this photo is that the woman in is completely surrounded by chaos, literally nothing around her makes any sense, and yet, she has this sense of radical laughter and uncontainable joy.   James 1:2-4 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  It was undoubtedly clear to me that I was to be the woman in the photograph, called to be Purely Joyful in the midst of my chaos.  My Creator was able to create in me something completely unique, something no one else may ever understand, but is solely between Him and I.

Vanessa Garcia was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona.  Currently 22, she works as an Elementary Coordinator for the Children’s Ministry Department at a large church in Arizona.  She also attends college part time pursuing her degree in Family Life Education, she teaches a High School Photography class, attends Discipleship Academy, and attempts to run her independent photography business…oh, and loves every crazy minute.  Her passions in life are her relationship with Jesus Christ, Photography, Traveling, and People.  She enjoys green tea, shopping, farmers markets, relaxing by the pool, and spending time with friends.  She loves serving families and watching the Lord at work in each household.    Vanessa hopes to continue on in ministry, which direction only the Lord knows, and one-day start a family of her own!