Meanwhile this Summer...

Texas sunsets. That's one of the things I missed the most while I spent the summer in Colorado. There's something just memorizing about a blazing orange sky that cannot be achieved with mountains all around.

That being said, the mountains were insane. I never got tired of them all summer. And of course, the stars. The stars were incredible. Just little beams of light piercing the perfect darkness. I spent so many nights in my hammock staring up at them in awe—each one perfectly placed by a creator on a canvas of blue and purple sky.

Creation had me in awe of our creator, but this summer in general taught me so much about Him. I learned in-depth about sacrifice, service, and community.

It sounds insane to have taken a step back from media—something I have been pursuing for over a year—to go to a small camp in Westcliffe, Colorado... for an entire summer. I sacrificed tours and other amazing media opportunities to go serve families on the side of a mountain. Everything I had worked so hard to build got put on hold. My photographer friends called me crazy, but I was confident that the Lord wanted me at Sky Ranch this summer. And so, I didn't shoot, didn't post, and didn't email for three months.

So what did I do instead? Each week I got two or three families and got to do life with them. I served meals, went to activities, hung out with their kids, and had amazing conversations. I heard some incredible stories and received some incredible wisdom from some amazing people who have done life longer than I have. I got to watch families interact and love one another. I got to wake up every day and seek what the Lord would have me do to bless these families. And, it was probably one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done. Don't get me wrong, it was physically exhausting. I was tired, my stomach didn't like the camp food, and I had very little time to myself. But, it forced me to get my energy from elsewhere. Relying on my strength was simply not enough to get me through a 14-hour day for three months. So, I started each day in Scripture.

I read through Jeremiah this summer and if I'm being honest, it's one of the most depressing books of the Bible I have ever read. God promises to deliver his people into the hands of the Babylonians and Jeremiah brings that message to a people who do not want to hear it. He pours himself out, though, and lets God use him. He delivers one of the first promises of the coming Messiah, Jesus.

"'The days are coming," declares the Lord,

"when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,

a king who will reign wisely

and do what is right and just in the land.

In his days Judah will be saved

and Israel will live in safety.

This is the name by which he will be called:

The Lord our Righteous Savior.'"

-Jeremiah 23: 5-6

I read that chapter on a day that I particularly needed some encouragement and that's about the best encouragement I could have gotten. Here, God promises his people that He will not abandon them. Instead, he will redeem them through his son and bring them back into a relationship with Him.

Encouragement was super important this summer, and I certainly got it through the amazing community that surrounded me. My co-counselors and staff were some of the most incredible people I have ever met and God had each of us there for a purpose. I love them so much and I would not have made it through this summer without them. They were such an example of what a godly community looks like and I loved getting to do life with them for a summer.

Our weekend trips were crazy and allowed me to create just for the love of creating again. I took photos for the fun of taking photos and having them just for ourselves. I worked on new songs, my book, and fell in love with reading again. I read so many books this summer and they changed my perspective on so many things— but more on that later ;)

This summer was one of the best of my life (if not the best) and it's all because of the people. My life simply doesn't look the same as it did after knowing them. Thanks for showing me new music, new phrases, and new styles! I am so thankful for everything God did this summer and I can't wait to see what he does in my new season of being back in Dallas.

Thanks to all of y'all for waiting while I took the summer off. I've got some really fun projects in the works that I'll be announcing next week!

-Luke