Hello everyone! I need opions please! My sister and I have a little tiny business called Moments in Time. We are just about to launch our new website which has our story on it.
My sister had a few people she knows look it over and we had some iffy feedback re: the last part of our story. They were thinking it may make some brides/grooms nervous to contact us b.c of our beliefs. We do not want to deny who we are, but we in NO way wan to turn anyone away.

SO...what I am asking if you would be willing to go and read it and tell us if you think that the last paragraph needs to be changed?

http://216.197.107.228/

We appreciate it!!
Melissa

I think the last paragraph there is AWESOME. Check out David Jay's website or Mike Colon's website for examples of guys who are out there and doing just what you are trying to do. They are not ashamed of who they are and what they believe and they have been very successful.

I say well done :-) And welcome to the forum.

Right on! Give God the glory, He deserves it!

Preach it, Tim and Reu!

Melissa I think it's great!! Totally keep it! I'm sure you wouldn't feel right if you took it off.
And welcome to the forum! Nice to have you!

I love it, I think it's very well written. Never be afraid to be who you are, or share what you believe!
Welcome to the forum, glad to have you here.

I think the paragraph is AWESOME!!!

I would suggest however that you have your designer make the scroll bar



1. Dark red (instead of the pink,... basically reverse the 2 colors)

2. Make the scroll bar smaller as it relates to the little trough that it is in (i find it hard to know where it ends and begins.,. and the arrows are a little small to click)

yeah, I actually agreed with that...

Melissa, keep it the way it is, we can never give God enough praise, especially for the small talent that he gave us, which we love to do.

Jerome

Thank you guys so much for your input. I felt that this was an ATTACK from the evil one b.c he obviously does not want us to be who we are in Christ.
The thing that baffled us the most was that one of the girls said we are so open and accepting but it did not come accross that way in our story. WE did not think that made any sense at all, but I wanted some opinions. As we have been praying about it, we KNEW we needed to leave it in. After all, when Christ was here, He didn't just say what made people feel comfortable...He spoke the truth!

SO THANK YOU! And I am so excited to be apart of this forum! Thank you to David Jay who told me about it!!!

Melissa

Ok, I hate to be the one to stir controversy or play devils advocate....but let me throw out a thought.

(this thought, by the way has nothing to do with why I think Melissa, DJ, or Colon put mini statements of faith on their site. It rather has to do with why people like them so much.)

It seems that it's sorta trendy to put statements of faith out there in public. It's "trendy" for football players to point to the sky after a touchdown, it's "trendy" for a rap artist whose lyrics are anything but Christian to wear a cross around his neck, and it's becoming more and more "trendy" for Christians to put statements of faith on their websites.

Again, let me stress that I am not judging anyone's motives or beliefs. I'm NOT saying that photographers don't believe what they are saying or that they are saying it merely for public approval. That's not really the point.

I guess my point is, if I were a Muslim, (which I'm not) , and I put a statement of faith that read something like, "I attribute all my talents to Allah, who is the giver of Life to all" would you all think that that part of my website was "AWESOME!" (as some people have described) Melissa's?

Or is it "AWESOME!" just because you personally relate to how she feels?

I suppose, Melissa to answer your question about how I feel on the last paragraph of your site, I would say that you will really attract Christians. They will (as the people on the forum here have, who are predominatly Christian), totally relate and will be happy they found someone who shares in their beliefs. To the Jew, the Agnostic, the Muslim, etc etc etc., I'm not honestly sure how they will react. As I stated before, it's "trendy" to put Christian statements of faith in public, and we live in a pseudo Christian nation (by that I mean, where Christianity is the most predominant religion, but the acts of the nation themselves are not predominantly Christian), so maybe they will not really take any notice to it, maybe they will be slightly offended, but contact you none the less if they really like your photography. I sorta doubt that anyone would immediatly cross you off their list just because of that statement, but perhaps maybe that will happen. I'm not really sure.

I also suppose for my personal beliefs, I am far more impressed with people who LIVE Christian lifestyles and who don't need to put it on their websites. My goal is to act towards each client in such a way that by the time they come through my company and have their final prints in their hands, they would assume that I had to be a Christian because of the way that I treated them. I'm not sure I've done a good enough job with any of my clients thus far to have had that happen, but that's my goal anyways.

I really really hope I haven't offended anyone out there. That really was not my goal at all with this post. It's just to put maybe a new perspective out there for us to think about.

Interesting Chris... things that we have thought about as well.

good thoughts chris. I have thought about that question as well and actually did put a "<><" on one of my ads.

Melissa-
It's great that you're out there telling the world who you are, and Christ is part of you. If that statement scares someone away, it's because of their insecurities, not about your faith.

Keep on spreading the word!

-Ryan

Nice website, love the colors :-)
Wow this forum is awesome...I don't think I have ever been to a forum where people talk about their faith....that's is sooooo great!!!!!

Denise

No offense taken. Unfortuantely, I think you are right, there are a WHOLE lot of people in our society that SAY they are a christian, but ACT a whole other way. I agree that it is more about what you do vs. say.

I CERTAINLY did not want to put my statement of faith on my website b.c it is trendy! (In fact, I was -admitedly- kind of scared to do it! I did not realize this was "somethig being done" anywhere else. I came across David Jays story and I felt like it was a way for me to know that it WAS ok to state what I believe). For me, my photography is something that LITERALLY has not happened b.c of me. I actually have kind of been "fighting" it for years. I am a stay at home mom of two kids and that is ALL I have ever wanted to do. But, I kept feeling God pushing me towards it, so I literally said to Him "I will do it if you want me to, but you must make it happen!"..and HE did! Just like that ! I can not even explain how it has happened! SO, for me I felt like I had no choice but to publically give Him the credit! I have NO idea why he wants me to be a photographer, however, I pray NONSTOP that He will use this for His glory....whatever that may mean to Him!
I feel inadiquite to be competeing in this business, but I know its not up to me...I know He will do what He wants with it and with me! (thats kinda scary, huh?! )

So, anyways, I hope I have not offeneded anyone back!

Have a great day!! Melissa

I think Chris brought up some good points to think about and consider and I undertstand what he's saying about it feeling trendy because we have seen a lot of people be open about their faith on their website... and I'm not sure if "trendy" is the right word because that it implies that it's going to go out of style or something and for me personally having this statement has caused me to grow so much more in my faith (becuase so many people ask me about it) as well as be more conscious of the way I act because everyone knows who I'm representing.

...and being that I want my website to give people a good feel of who I am I'll definitely be keeping my wording on there and my only suggestion for you is to get a picture of you up in the "About Melissa" section and pic of Rachel up in her section so people can get an even better feeling for who you are. I also don't think it's bad if people don't want to put a statement of faith on their website. It's definitely a personal thing.

...keep shooting those beautiful and super fun shots!!! I really love the 4th shot in the 4th gallery!

Cheers,
DJ

nobody's getting offended - this is a great debate and people will definitely have differences of opinions and that's good!

MissMunchy,

First off, welcome to OSP! Secondly, my situation is very similar to yours (doing one thing thinking it's the responsible choice, and fighting the desire to do something else). Anyway, you're unsure of how to glorify God in what you're doing. Rest assured, you already have by starting this discussion!

Kevin

Well thought out Chris. I agree completely on this but also agree that it is okay to put it in writing too. The most important thing is that we LIVE it and ARE it, not just post it up somewhere. If we post it up or not is our risk and reward. I've been rewarded by working with a lot of clients who know who I am and are the right clients for me because of it.

I've been amazed that it has not effected who is calling me though(and I had and will have a similar statement on my "thanks" section of my site at the bottom). Just a few weeks ago, I photographed a 3-day event for the Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education. I watched and documented their worship and rituals. I listened to their talk about Christianity and opposing opinions and treated them with the same respect and a smile as any other client despite my differing opinions. They know I'm a Christian and hired me anyways. I've already had a call to do work for one of the participants. It's amazing how we're put in these situations. I'm still trying to figure out the purpose in it all....

And welcome Melissa - what a fun site and AWESOME you and your sis get to work together!!

It seems that it's sorta trendy to put statements of faith out there in public. It's "trendy" for football players to point to the sky after a touchdown, it's "trendy" for a rap artist whose lyrics are anything but Christian to wear a cross around his neck, and it's becoming more and more "trendy" for Christians to put statements of faith on their websites.

It's funny, back in the day when kids found out I'm a preacher kid (PK Kid) they treated you different (not better) and when you express the fact that God is good or not do the things that they did, or even carry a Bible to read compared to something else, you were labeled. Trendy?? or is it nice nowadays to express your feeling without being labeled (as much).

Just a thought...

Jerome

It is such a blessing! She is one of my best friends and we feed off eachothers creativity! I LOVE it!

I'll tell you from a videographer's perspective that having a photographer that is aware of how video works makes the day go soo much smoother. I was always happy to find photographers that were so willing to work together on things. I'm sure it's great to be able to work with your sis.
What does your sis shoot and edit with? I was using a DVX100 and Final Cut Pro and LOVED both!! But I enjoy photographing weddings SO much more now!

It is funny what I have learned from working with her. We actually book more weddings apart than together. I always ask the videographer if there are things they want to do or I am VERY careful to not get in there way! But I wouldnt have prob. thought about any of these things if I had not worked with her first.

I know she has a Sony camera and uses Pinnacle Studio 9 for editing.

Are you a photographer now?

Heyall... Not to dredge up an old subject, but I was talking with Hume's executive director about this issue of wearing our Christianity on our sleeves, bumpers, etc.,

I have to say I agree with Chris. As Chris said, what about if it said "praise be to Allah"? At the PICtage conference Mike Colon talked about his faith in God during his session. Would that have gone over as well had he been talking about Buddha, Allah? I think that one-on-one this would be ok but I don't think when you have a captive audience it's appropriate. I was there to here about his business, photography etc.

As far as your website. I have no problem working with people of any faith, but I don't want to be preached to. I would wonder if this person I'm looking to hire would be pushy about their faith during my event.

I hope no offense was taken. I have the feeling I may be the only non-christian here by what is posted. If I had a great problem with Christianity I would have left this forum long ago. I Love how supportive everyone is here and I hope that I didn't shoot myself in the foot by posting this.

Kim

This is a great place and I'm so glad you're here! if I had to guess I'd say there's around 150 Christians on OSP and what stokes me out is that everyone is free to believe and share whatever they want and it's awesome that we recognize that many of us believe different things about what happens in eternity but we can still come together and respectfully and lovingly interact about whatever is happening in our lives right now.

Kim, you are not the only non-christian here. I was raised Buddhist and Christian *my dad being buddhist and my mom baptist*. My husband is Luthern. So I"m half Christian now. haha. My daughter was baptized in the Luthern church and blessed by a monk.

This is how I look at religion. It's like learning a language. I speak two different languages I guess because most of it is the same only you have to translate it to your own understanding. I do understand how you feel, however. And some things are simply non-translateable.
~Alisha

I have to drop in my 2 cents...which, with a buy one get one free coupon still won't get ya much...

Do you ever hear athletes (well, OTHER than Kurt Warner) actually praise God or some other named higher power? They always use that euphemism "the man upstairs." I seriously think they're talking about the team owner who signs the paychecks!

Sorry....I'm just in a goofy mood tonight. But I did sell $600 worth of a 50 year class reunion photo tonight. Not bad for 19 minutes of chaos...okay, Alisha, what lens should I buy?? (BTW "tonight only" pricing works!)

lol

lol @ Kurt Warner, you mean his wife I'm just gonna assume that you heard. *soooo inside St. Louis sports joke*

Ummm, well for only $600? there is not much. You can get the 50mm f1.4! That's like $300.00.

I tried that 'today only' pricing at a bridal show and all the brides came in that week said, can I still get the today only price.
~Alisha

$600 is just a down payment. I'm a leverage buyer. (that's a creative way of saying I'm still paying for the 70-200 IS!)

Hmm...I'm not sure how you use today only pricing for a bridal show. A wedding is way bigger committment than an 8x10! I did 8x10 for $10 if you order tonight, otherwise it's $17.95. I sold almost twice as many as I did for the same school's 50 year class reunion last year. And I left at 8:30...there will be more orders for me to pick up from the school on Monday (hopefully around 30 or so). This was just the first time I actually put two prices on the order envelopes and it seemed to work.

lol it DID work, I DID Have one bride sign that day but then everyone else after the show wanted it too!

I'd like to add that this was one of the main things I came across when I was deciding what to put on the about us section of our page & you know after about a split second of debate I did not hesitate to proclaim my faith. For to long Christians have sat by and watched as our faith has been attacked & degraded. We need to proclaim our faith in the Lord Jesus & put him first in all areas of our lives, even more so when it comes to our businesses. This is nothing for us to be ashamed of.

I'm not so concerned with who gets offended by my statement, come to think about it while Jesus was on this earth he offended many people & you know he didn't change his mission because of it, he held firm till the very end.

AMEN!!!

Ha, I just found this one but wanted to throw in my two cents. Over the last year or two something that the Lord has been teaching me is that no matter what I do, I'm a Christian first. My relationship with Him is the most important thing in my life, and everything else is second. Then, when I'm a student, I'm a Christian student. When I'm a photographer, I'm a Christian photogrpaher. And so on. Ultimately it's only those things that are done for the Lord that will remain.

I agree with Chris that far too many people say it and don't live it. It would be better to show people Christ than to tell them on your website that you are a Christian. But I think it's best to do both.

In another topic of similar content the issue was brought up that it might turn away some brides who aren't believers.

But as believers I think that it's VERY important to remember that our paychecks don't come from our brides. They come from our Lord. Our work doesn't come from our web hits, it comes from the Lord. If we live our life 100% for the Lord then He will meet all our needs in the ways that He sees fit. You'll totally be provided for.

I was even reminded of this today as DJ passed me on the freeway after church. His license plate says JOB 1. A reminder that everything you have could be taken from you in a day. But like Job said, "Though He slay me, yet I will serve Him."

Thank you...

Thank you... and Thank you again.

Here is my take on it.

I do not think the paragraph will help you with some people, but it is a step of faith. You are stating you have faith in God to bring to your business who He will. As I think most people that are not Christians would agree there is a chance that it will turn some people off. To me that is OK and where God comes in. It seems to me you are giving credit where credit is due and willing to let others know. If it is trendy so be it.

This forum has changed my mind. I have always been of the mind set as Chris stated. Showing is better than saying. I still beleive that but am thinking why not both. I used to be on Young Life staff and their moto is if you want to share your faith you need to "win the right to be heard" by showing your faith.

I am about to update my web site and have decided I am going to add the faith statement paragraph to mine as well. I love it that it is getting out there and I do not ever want to let my "show them" get in the way of my "tell them" . I do that some times and I am so proud that so many of you are puting your faith out there. I think God is smiling right now because of so many of you. Thanks for the encouragement and Keep Up the Faith.

I would leave the paragraph in as is.

It's also a great contribution to someone who later on down the road, chooses to devote their life to the Lord.

A non-christian may not recognize the "why" behind your successes, unless it's stated. This isn't so much important in getting the job as it is leading them to God.

As they live their lives and God continues to place Christian examples before them for the purpose of leading them closer to Him, they will be able the distinguish the commonality between those people whos lives they admire.

For me, it wasn't because of one person that I became a Christian. It's funny to think back to people I've known who have led amazing lives, and now think, "Oh, that's why? I mean, I knew that person was a Christian, but I didn't realize that's why live just seemed to work for them." And that's definetly something that I have a memory of because of what I saw, not what was said.

I was not a Christian then I was. Black and white. My wife Stephanie's mom is Jewish, her dad was a Prespiterian, She became a Morman while in high school in Boise and became a Chrisitan at a Harvest Crusade in LA. Every one has a different path but God is good.