Kevin Keelan’s blog

I traveled to Pennsylvania with a great friend Scott David for Jaclyn & Seth’s wedding recently.  Wow!  What style Jaclyn has.  After an elegant church wedding, the reception was held in a nearby barn completely decked out in twinkle lights and country charm.  We got caught in bad weather on the way home and it took us 2 days of traveling to finally make it.  But, thankfully, we had great weather for the wedding!

If you are a news fan, you’ll recognize Martha from Channel 2 News.  She’s one of the lead anchors and we recently met up with her fiancee, Rob, and her family for an engagement shoot at Kraft-Azalea Gardens in Winter Park.  Funny thing…Rob is as photogenic as his soon-to-be wife.  How great is this dog?!  I love that Martha took the time to not only bring the family dog, but to dress him up as well.  And, he doesn’t even look miserable.

Great looking family…I can’t wait for the wedding!

Marlo & Barry’s wedding took place at St. James Cathedral on a beautiful winter Florida day.  Surrounded by family and friends, the couple exchanged vows in the stained glass cathedral.

After the ceremony, we headed to the greens at Isleworth where the reception was held.  What a stunning bride Marlo made!  They were a lot of fun to work with…

As the sun set, we shot by the lake with gorgeous skies overhead. Then we headed inside to pop the champagne and get the party started.  As always, Heather Snively did a great job with the reception decor.  The inside of this reception venue felt warm and cozy with candlelight and roses.  The Buzz Cats played while Marlo & Barry enjoyed their first dance as a married couple…magic.

Sunday Devotional, November 16, 2008

By: Kevin Keelan

What’s up CFP’ers?

Today is my wife Julie and I seventeenth wedding anniversary. I thought I would talk about a few hard lessons I have learned over the years we have been married.

1- Consider your relationship an emotional bank account to where you make more deposits, than withdrawals.
2- Give 100% of yourself to your spouse
3- Don’t expect 100% of your spouse until you have consistently given it.

Note: I’m still way overdrawn and somehow stuck around the 50% mark.
Time to make some deposits!

When our CFP friend Heather asked me earlier this week how my weekend went, I started to share with her how I really made a point of enjoying the small pleasures of being a husband and a dad this weekend.
Little things like, my little girl Carly (10 years old) awakening me with a very soft touch to my face and a rub on my back, than whispering in my ear “daddy, your coffee is ready”
Throwing the keys of my Fj Cruiser to my son Caleb (14yrs in Jan), and letting him show me his driving skills on a long dirt road.
A movie and dinner with my beautiful wife Julie at our favorite restaurant.

So often we try and try to reach and grasp the golden ring just missing it every time, frustrating to say the least.

I realize more and more each day: Even if I were to awake in a small bungalow the whisper of my little girl Carly would be as sweet as ever.
Even if the keys I tossed to my son Caleb were to a 1988 Buick, I know it’s the journey that counts and not what we arrive in.
Even if the table Julie and I shared was a picnic table in the parking lot at Home Depot our hands would still reach across to meet.

6 years ago If you asked me where I would be today, it would be a whole different story.
So often I have been reluctant to accept what God has laid out in front of me because it didn’t fit my dream or my vision.
His plan is sometimes uncomfortable, painful, and emotional. But, the results are always meaningful and fulfilling as He develops our character and abilities to grow in His wisdom.
I always wondered when my ship would come in, It came in this weekend; in the form of a whisper, a hand reaching out and a ride along a dirt road.

Hebrews 3:4 , For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.
Blessing, Kevin

Just three weeks ago I felt the need to start a group “Christian Faith Photographers“
on Facebook. Amazingly in just that short time we have almost 275 members.
Daily devotions are a big part CFP so I thought I would start adding some to my blog as well.

Daily Devotional
By Kevin Keelan

Is money the root of all evil? No. The love of money is.
These were the first words of my pastor today. This really got me thinking;

The bible tells us we are all poor before God.
But I must admit, when it comes to the things we have and the possessions I desire I sometimes manage to strike up a compromise between my values and what we euphorically call practicality.
I’m not implying that we are all called to posses nothing, but if we could imagine it for a moment, it may help clarify many of Jesus’ teachings pertaining to not only wealth and possessions but also to discipleship.
Wow, there are many clues there as to how I might get rid of the barrier between my desire for wealth and possessions, and the barrier that obscures my Christian walk.

Maybe before worrying over how much cool stuff I can rack up for myself or how to continue to climb the social ladder, I should continue to make sure I’m in a place where I can hear what God is saying to me and that I would be willing to “turn my back on everything” if he told me to.
Sometimes I think, am I just kidding myself or have I really died to self, and if the compassion of Christ is discernible in my life, than my status or possessions is no longer important, and the barriers created by desire for wealth…. largely disappears.

So, Is money the root of all evil? No. The love of money is.
But, we show what we love by what we most devote our attention to.

Luke 16: 13
No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and money.

Blessings,
Kevin

When it was decided to have an after party at the studio following David Jay’s Free to succeed Tour
Friend & fellow photographer Mike Richards went right to work on organizing the party.
So immediately after the seminar and a quick tour of the freedom bus, Allie and Dj hopped into the fj and away we went to the after party.

It was great to meet Allie ( Dj’s girl friend). Allie, it was so nice chatting with you. You have an innate ability to inspire. Thanks for your kind words.

David Jay’s seminar was enlightening to say the least. Success can be thought of in many ways.
For me, Free to succeed means: More quality time with my son
and daughter, more time to enjoy my beautiful wife Julie, more time as a family and less time behind the Apple.
Sometimes we see people succeed in business as we watch them fail in relationships. It’s a fine line to walk.
Dj’s outlook along with his products are Perfect for those who are trying to achieve success in LIFE and not just business.
Thanks for doing what you do dude! I look forward to chatting about going global. Blessings for a safe road trip, Kevin

What a GREAT bunch of photographers!
Guy’s It was so cool hanging with all of you at the seminar, the after party and the next day at the shoot. Keep in touch! Blessings, Kevin

Wedding of Christian & Natalie soooo great to work with:)
“Beautiful exposures all day long” I love it, k2 on the Go!

Still trying to catch up on some much needed blogging.
My total travel time was 10 hrs, but worth every mile. Narriman & Hassane were so sweet to work with.






Love, Love that lighting!!