Jan18
Jan12
We went to the Christmas Eve service at the Providence campus. It was amazing. God moved, we were all SO touched during the service! Awesome awesome :)
(01.12.12 @ 03:38 PM)We went to the Code Orange Christmas Eve service at the Providence campus. It was amazing. God moved, we were all SO touched during the service! Awesome awesome :) Hopefully we can make it to one of the evenings of the revival!
(01.12.12 @ 03:39 PM)Awesome event. Got to catch part of a re-broadcast on the Elevation Network! Looking forward to hopefully being at a few of the live events towards the end!
(01.12.12 @ 03:57 PM)Cheyenne, I LOVE y'alls church. Seriously, I am expecting HUGE things from this revival! And Israel Houghton and TD Jakes??? DAAAANG! But you know what? I'd just as soon hear Furtick over anyone. Me and Ed LOVE your pastor. If we get spontaneous and come up for one of the services, I'll most definiately call y'all. Loves.
(01.12.12 @ 10:39 PM)Our life philosophy has been generosity...and we've never been disappointed. Ever. So glad that you guys have a place that teaches you, builds into you and believes in you the way you do them.
(01.13.12 @ 06:55 AM)I heard about the code orange revival from my pastor and have watched it the past two nights at our church office with church family. I had heard of the pastors thus far who have preached, but other than Franklin last night, I don't think I have ever heard them preach and knew little about them. Wednesday night's was especially a blessing to me and reminded me of a time in my past when God really spoke to me in things in my life. I really like the format and idea behind this and hope it become a yearly thing. Your church has a servant's heart and sets a great example of generosity in giving it all away free. God bless.
(01.13.12 @ 11:47 AM)I LOVE Craig! We use to live in OK and attended his church. We miss him so much and have never found a church that felt the way Life Church made us feel! LOVE seeing his photo here!
(01.20.12 @ 02:01 PM)Dec23
Love these! I was loving all Pastor Steven's RTs from Code Orange Christmas... I was getting goosebumps just reading all that God is doing! God is on the MOVE! :)
(12.24.11 @ 12:32 PM)So cool! I was also following on Twitter... getting close to tears with all of the amazing stories! God is doing amazing things with Elevation :)
(12.27.11 @ 09:42 AM)Thank you guys so much for posting pictures(watched online, like always)... Geoff, I know we spoke on FB once (from my wife Erica remembering you from Highschool). We are making a 13 hour trip from Chicago for Easter service and I hope to possibly meet Pastor Steven... All I can say is.. Elevation is AMAZING!! Keep posting and I love checking up on your blog (as well as Elevations website and Stevens blog). Happy new year and God bless both of you guys, I hope 2012 is one to remember!! And, I hope to possibly see/meet you both @ Easter Service.:)
(01.01.12 @ 03:33 AM)Aug10
I didn't grow up in a church or with any particular religious affiliation. At the request of my mother, I begrudgingly went to my small town Baptist church occasionally in high school. Yes, I sang the songs, I read the verses, I listened (mostly) to the Pastor and I smiled polite smiles at the people next to me....but my heart couldn't have been further away from where it appeared to be.
After graduation, I traveled six hours south to attend college at a university that was near my then boyfriend of three years. My boyfriend that I had no doubt I would someday marry. You can imagine my complete devastation when he broke up with me about a month of being there. Although,"complete devastation" doesn't even bring life to the reality that my heart was facing. To my 18 year old self, my life may as well have been over. He was my everything; my core. My heart was broken into a million pieces and remained that way for years.
It wasn't until second semester of my junior year of college while studying abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland that I found a glimmer of hope. I met Whitney. Kentucky raised Whitney - she was as southern as they came. We were in the same program and soon became a very dear friend to me. One day, in casual conversation likely related to my inability to get over that same boyfriend, Whitney told me of a relationship that she had - a relationship in which she had never been let down. One that had she had never been hurt by; one that was a constant in her life. It was her relationship with God. I wanted that. I needed that. I craved that. Life had beaten me down and I often felt utterly alone and hopeless. From there, I made a decision to follow Jesus Christ and my life was forever changed.
Truth be told, I was pretty nervous to return to school for my senior year of college for fear that my newfound faith wouldn't be accepted by my friends. Once back in Southern California I began going to church, attending a bible study and telling my friends - my closest friends - about my experience. And sure enough, they thought I was crazy. Some of them made fun of me - some to my face and some behind my back. I don't think they knew how much it hurt me, but man...it did.
In time, it became terribly hard to "be me" - the "new" me. A protective shell soon formed - a shell that shielded me from persecution and hurt; a shell that made it hard for me to share with others that I was a believer in Christ. A shell that has thinned considerably over the years as I've matured, but that still creeps up on me and reminds me that it is still there....even here in the South...where you almost weird if you don't at least call yourself a Christian. But today, I'm cracking that shell open and sharing something that happened in our church this past weekend.
This past weekend I had the privilege of shooting 135 people at our uptown campus who chose to make a public declaration of their faith in Christ through baptism. In total, there were 1426 baptisms over the course of 2 days. And we're doing it again this weekend. J
The video below is an absolute must-see....Christian or not. As I tweeted the other day - our church video team is ridiculous. The talent that they possess is off the charts. They put together this edit on Sunday night after baptisms had concluded and had it up by Monday morning. And it's incredible. I am moved to tears at the sight of these people making this public statement of their faith...that they have decided to follow Jesus.
that video was such an awesome video, saw it on holly's blog. posted it on mine :)
(08.10.11 @ 05:49 PM)Your most significant post yet, Cheyenne...I'm proud to be your sister in Christ :)
(08.10.11 @ 05:56 PM)great story, cheyenne! what a great reminder of God's faithfulness. I love whitney's boldness in telling you about her relationship with Him and the strength you had to pursue a relationship with God even if it wouldn't be popular. I find this really encouraging.
(08.10.11 @ 05:56 PM)PRAISE THE LORD!!!!! This is the most powerful video I've seen in a LONG time. God is SO GOOD and it's so refreshing to see baptism portrayed in a way that the 21st century can relate to! My husband is a youth pastor and we took our kids to elevation last year during our mission trip in Charlotte and they loved it. What amazing things the Lord is doing there!! Praise Jesus for your friend Whitney and her boldness. Gosh. Isn't it crazy how one act of boldness can change the course of one girl's ENTIRE life?! This post completely made my day. I'm rejoicing with you and all of those 1426 new believers that have decided to make a huge life change and follow Christ. i could go on and on but I'll refrain:) Amazing post girl!
(08.10.11 @ 07:21 PM)That's such a beautiful story Cheyenne! It's so great to hear about your path to Christ. The video is incredible. I hate that we missed it.
(08.10.11 @ 10:22 PM)Amen. I am excited for everyone! It could not happen at a more significant time and I hope more are drawn to the public declaration or their faith and request of their community to hold them accountable and responsible to walk as a Christian. Very moving.
(08.10.11 @ 11:05 PM)Praising God with you and thankful for your friends boldness. I pray to always be that bold when God opens the door for me to share my faith in Him. He has changed our lives in ways I never dreamed possible or imagined. We have adopted 7 children in 5 yrs from two different countries. We have moved from our home state to a new one to follow Christ's leading in our lives. Saying Yes!!! to following Him has been the most amazing, hard and yet awesome thing we have ever done! So thankful you church filmed this so many could be blessed! I was and all I could say after watching it is WOW - GOD YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!!
(08.10.11 @ 11:20 PM)beautiful video. so emotional, and a great message. thanks!
(08.10.11 @ 11:51 PM)I'll never get tired of watching this. SO blessed to be a part of what God is doing through this church.
(08.11.11 @ 03:28 AM)I have decided too! Many years ago, changed my life forever, who I am and will be! Jesus is King of Kings! Thank you Cheyenne for sharing your experience. We all need to be more vocal.
(08.11.11 @ 07:02 AM)Powerful!!! I have watched and shared the video and then listened to the sermon - Praise God for how He is moving at Elevation and the lives changed. Thanks for being so transparent in your blog. Look forward to spending eternity with you guys!
(08.11.11 @ 10:02 AM)WOW. It was beautiful to see the Kingdom of God advancing, not just Christians moving from one church to another. Inspiring. Amazingly well done video too.
(08.11.11 @ 11:50 AM)this post was forwarded to me by a friend and I just have to say AWESOME!! God was glorified through you today and I know you will encourage many through this post. The video gave me chills and now I hope to share a link to your post if you don't mind. I'd love for others to be encoruaged by your words and this video!! God is worthy of our praise because He really is AWESOME!!
(08.11.11 @ 12:24 PM)This was AMAZING!! It gave me chills watching it!! Great job capturing this moment for all those people!! LOVE it!!
(08.11.11 @ 03:16 PM)I am rejoicing for them, for me, for us all!!
(08.11.11 @ 04:08 PM)wow! I've never seen something like that -- how amazing to see! Praying God keeps working in their lives!
(08.11.11 @ 11:27 PM)sitting at work watching this...tears just running down my face, dont even care if anyone see's me. this is amazing. God is so good. Thanks for sharing Cheyenne!
(08.12.11 @ 03:35 PM)Our church did something similar to this last year and it was incredible...several hundred were baptized in one weekend. It doesn't matter if I know the person or not, I am brought to tears at the incredible hope, peace and love that has been given to us. And, when we can confidently/publicly share our faith through baptism, I can't help but be moved. Thanks for sharing your heart and for letting us capture a glimpse of God's hands at work in your church...amazing!
(08.14.11 @ 10:55 PM)SO incredible! ALL of those people... they will never be the same again!! Man, GOD IS AMAZING!!
(08.16.11 @ 11:02 AM)Melted into tears while watching this. So beautiful. Nothing like those first sweet moments after really choosing Jesus for yourself. Thanks for sharing - so, so beautiful.
(08.16.11 @ 01:16 PM)Absolutely. incredible.
not other words could encapsulate how this video made me feel. Thank you so much for sharing. i wish i lived in Charlotte so I could be a member! your personal post about going into your shell hit home incredibly much with me as well.
sharing this video. spreading the word. thank you.
Jul28
Love it. Love all of it. Honest evaluation is so important for growth. What an inspiring meeting--very cool to include spouses.
(07.29.11 @ 11:04 AM)getting ready to step a little further into a lot this and i thank you for reminding me and inspiring me. by the way, beautiful staff at elevation and they love some skinny jeans, eh?
(07.29.11 @ 11:34 PM)This was an amazing life changing event. I was pumped every day. Now that I have some rest i can perhaps start the extension here in Dubuque.
These are great! We have been watching the revival. I can’t help but get all teary every time I watch the baptisms. The BW shot of the girl coming up out of the water is perfect. Love what God is doing!
(01.18.12 @ 02:44 PM)These are great Cheyenne! I was at the Matthews campus last night as well and love how you captured the night. I've been following your blog for quite awhile now and am so thankful for photographers like you who I can learn and gain inspiration from.
Love your photos and love your heart!
(01.18.12 @ 02:45 PM)Tears. WOW! Wonderful storytelling...actually GORGEOUS storytelling. xo
(01.18.12 @ 02:46 PM)thanks, you three! Melissa - let me know if you are ever interested in joining the photography team at the church! :) xoxo
(01.18.12 @ 04:29 PM)Awesome! I wish I had photographed last night! Dang. How appropriate with the rain & the baptisms. What is that in image one? Water droplets? Nice shot!
(01.18.12 @ 05:03 PM)Thanks, Hayley. :) The first shot is actually of the rain outside - I just shot into the light in the parking lot and cropped it.
xoxo.
(01.18.12 @ 05:05 PM)You have a clever eye!
(01.18.12 @ 05:10 PM)h - you're sweet. :)
(01.18.12 @ 05:14 PM)I respect your God given talent. The 4th picture is of me. I was wondering if it was ok for me to copy it or if you could send it to me so I could have it framed? Thank you for capturing that shot though!!!
(01.18.12 @ 11:27 PM)absolutely, keegan! I just sent over the image to you via email. :)
(01.19.12 @ 01:33 PM)As always, I love seeing how you see life thru a camera lens!! It's gives me ideas to improve my learning in capturing amazing pictures!! I saw you taking pictures at Matthews, and I was excited to see you posted some pictures! :) keep up the good work!
(01.19.12 @ 08:39 PM)