Opposite of Fear

Purpose

My lovely fiancée, Liana, is a very passionate person in terms of her beliefs, values, and determination towards a cause. Her passion alternately motivates, encourages, impresses, convicts, and even scares me. To be fair, it only scares me when I recognize the intensity behind her passion and feel unable to match her level of intensity. I would love to feel as strongly as Liana does about some topics, yet my personality type doesn't easily lend itself to unbridled enthusiasm! I've been described as a fettered person, which is accurate in so many ways.

Liana often uses her own blog to discuss topics that many people shy away from, particularly in a forum that brings together their livelihood, social connections, clients, and family. She delves into matters of the heart, spiritual beliefs, fears, and the most dreaded topics of all... politics! I admittedly have been somewhat fearful of posting anything involving my political views; not because I shy away from a good debate or think I have anything to be ashamed of, but because I know that I would spend way too much time responding to every comment whether critical or supportive. I have also witnessed how people who hold strongly to a point of view can often times throw logic and civility out the window and be purely hateful to one another. I don't back down from a good debate and I'm unafraid of confrontation, but it is often pointless when respect, tolerance, and a Christ-like love of humanity is left out of the equation. I do my best to be a patient person and listen to every perspective when entering a discussion or debate, but I've not often been afforded the same courtesy by others.

Liana's post on her blog entitled 'What do you BELIEVE?' has received numerous comments from individuals with varying ideals, beliefs, nationalities, and personal circumstances. Some of the comments have been pleasant, while others have been snide and, in my opinion, rude. Obviously I care a great deal for Liana, otherwise I wouldn't have professed my love for her and asked her to do me the honor of becoming my wife. Therefore, I cannot be considered unbiased. I've held my tongue on more than one occasion and kept from responding to a few commenters that I feel have been disrespectful. Liana doesn't need a knight in semi-glossy armor to ride in and rescue her from the fire breathing commenters. Her compassion, love for others, and humility is more than sufficient to deflect the brash attacks of those unwilling to grant her the freedom to express herself without spewing vile.

I have tremendous respect for Liana's courage and the boldness with which she lives her life. As a Christian, her primary goal in life is to glorify God in every way that she possibly can and in every aspect of her life. That means that her business, social life, family life, and eventually her marriage, will all be conducted in a manner that reflects her desire to glorify her Heavenly Father and to love others as He does.

While I may occasionally cringe when my RSS reader notifies me of another post on Liana's blog with a political bias, I know that whatever it is that she has written is the result of her convictions and passion for truth. I believe it is Liana's intent and desire to shed light into the world with the hope that we would become a people that places God above material possessions, finances, prejudices, race, government, and anything that separates us from Him.

Thank you Liana for sharing your heart, your love, your conviction, and most of all your passion!

Regardless of where you stand on the issues and who your chosen candidate may be, please get out and vote on November 4th!

(Click here to read what was supposed to be a short response to a commenter on Liana's blog, which turned into a three page letter.)

Client: Leslie B.
Blog URL: http://intotheloft.blogspot.com
Main Site URL: http://www.urbanphotosite.com/

Leslie was an absolute pleasure to work with! She not only inspired me to make it a bit easier for my clients to update their blogs themselves, but also to learn some new techniques which expanded the degree of customization I'm now able to offer. Building upon Leslie's requests and ideas, I think we were able to create what is now my favorite work thus far. Her colorful and vibrant photos do wonders for making the blog feel warm and inviting to its viewers.

Thank you Leslie for your patience and creative vision as we worked to develop this new home for your blog!