God Within Her: A Portrait Project with Jen Lebo Photography

It's been an unforgettable year.  As I was approaching 40, I had my heart set on making this the most epic year of my life.  I had NO IDEA that God had the same plans, although in such a different way.

My life changed abruptly on Mother's Day Weekend last year.  Nothing tremendously dramatic.  No health or family issues, nothing that tragic, thank God.  But I was about 800 miles away from home, in a van with a group of friends, running in the "adventure of a lifetime", when God used my pride, my ego, and my self-centeredness to break me.  He stripped me of a lot that weekend and brought me home with the realization that I had put EVERYTHING above Him.

I spent the days and weeks after that weekend crying a lot, but from the pit, God rescued me from myself, showed me my heart, and began to change me.  I will forever remember that weekend as the most amazing weekend of my life.  I have come to cherish that weekend as one that saved my life.

Slowly through the months that followed, I dove into the Word of God, and drew closer to the Lord.  My hunger for Him took over my life, and everything in it.  I wanted everything in my life to center around Him.  My marriage, our family, my fitness, and my work.  I began to see my life as not mine, but as a tool to serve the God who loved me.  I have never felt more fulfilled.

I specifically began praying for a way to use my work to serve God.  I love being a photographer and I especially love working with teen girls.  It's a wonderful thing to capture the beauty in a young lady, to show her that beauty at a time in her life when, as we all know only too well, it might be hard to see in herself.

As my desires changed, God poured into me wonderful plans to start a Bible study for teen girls, which we call Unfading Beauty (based on 1 Peter 3).  This study has been such a wonderful experience for all of us.  It is still going on, and it's open to all teen girls any time!

But I wanted to create.  I wanted to express God's love and His promises with my camera.  And as this desire grew, I felt the Lord plant the seed of a project in my heart.

It's called "God Within Her", based on Psalm 46:5 which says "God is within her, she will not fall".

With this project, my hope is to use portraits of teens coupled with God's word to bring encouragement and hope to girls everywhere.  My prayer is to create a resource for teen girls to find hope in Christ, a resource filled with beautiful portraits, encouraging Scripture, devotionals from older women who have walked the path before them, and a safe place to share prayer requests, struggles, and questions.

Often in the past few months I've heard the voice in my head say "How ridiculous!  What could a 40 year old lady possibly have to offer to help teens!  You're too old!  You're so out of the loop!  You have no idea how to do this!"

This all may be very true.

But if I've learned one this this year it's this: this life is not about me.

I don't have all the resources, but I have a God who does.  I don't have all the words, but I have a lot of Christian sisters who can help.  I don't have all the answers.  But I have the power of a mighty God.

So I'm stepping out in faith.

If you've read this far and you're not asleep, bored, embarrassed or offended by this blog post, then I thank you!!!  And I ask for your prayers.

I also ask for those who might feel led to come alongside me in this to contact me.  I know this project is not one intended for me alone.  I hope in my heart it is intended to pour God's love and His word into women young and old everywhere.  Or maybe, just maybe it's intended to pour into just one heart, just that one heart that God is pursuing today.  Maybe it's you.  If it is, know that I've been praying for you.

Stay tuned for updates here on the blog.

A "God Within Her" Instagram page is coming.

A "God Within Her" blog is coming (I pray).

And don't forget the "Unfading Beauty" Bible study.  You're all invited!!!  CLICK HERE for details.

Finally, I will be having model calls for seasonal photo shoots to create the images like the ones you see above.  So if you're a teen girl who wants to step out in faith to be a face connected to God's word, let me know.

This year is truly the EPIC year I never really understood I wanted.  I'd love it if every single one of you would join me in it.  There's PLENTY of EPIC to go around!

Keep smiling,

Jen 

Teen Models Needed/ JLP Portrait Project

I am excited about a new portrait project that is in the works for Jen Lebo Photography, and I am looking for a group of teen models.

Contact me for more details.

A New Journey…into "Unfading Beauty"

I admit, I've been really slacking on my blog posts, but for good reason.

This summer has been filled with a lot of prayer, a lot of soul searching, a lot of wonderful lessons, and finally, a lot of exciting new plans.  God has been at work in me, and I am excited to share with you.

As a portrait photographer who specializes in high school seniors (aka TEEN GIRLS!), I am very skilled at bringing out the best in all of my girls.  With the help of great hair and make up (thank you, ladies at Gwendolynn's Salon & Spa!), good light, expert posing and my eye, these girls look like they are ready for the cover of Vogue or Glamour Magazine!

But as a Christian photographer, this skill has also brought me some conflict, because I know that our true beauty does not come from the outside, but from the heart. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, " Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles, and the wearing of gold jewelry  or fine clothes.  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

How can I focus my photography on bringing out the outer beauty without also sharing the importance of the inner beauty, the unfading beauty?

And so I came up with the idea of "Unfading Beauty", the journey.

As I began praying over this and working on this project I knew I wanted it to have several facets.  It would be a Bible study focusing on what God has to tell us about true beauty.  It would incorporate portraiture and feature a portrait project of some sort later in the Bible study, and it would have a special  piece for the girls to be part of at the end.  

I had the ideas, and I had the excitement, but I lacked some of the details, some of the crucial skills needed to put this all together.  I knew I needed help.  So I prayed for it.

Then God connected me with Shelley Baumgarten, a friend and former English teacher at Coventry Christian School, and I discovered that Shelley had been praying over how she missed writing lessons and creating curriculum.  She missed teaching and I needed a teacher.  I was lacking lessons, and she missed writing them.  I asked her to join me and she began creating some of the most fun and captivating lesson plans I've ever read.

So together with Shelley's lessons, my camera, and the Lord's guidance, we bring you "Unfading Beauty".

There is so much to this journey.

"Unfading Beauty" is a FREE 8 week Bible study open to any and all teen girls who want to learn true and eternal beauty secrets.

"Unfading Beauty" will meet every other Monday, starting on

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 from 7-9pm.

But it will also include a FB Group for those who cannot make the meetings due to sports, being far away, or whatever else.  Every girl who wants to be part of this should have the chance to be.  So we're making a way.

"Unfading Beauty" will also include lots of photography.  As we learn about true beauty, we will capture it all on camera, both in our Monday meetings, and with a super "Pumpkins & Portraits" photo shoot this November!  

We are praying that these portraits will be the starting point for 

"Unfading Beauty", the digital magazine written FOR teen girls BY teens girls.

This is a huge undertaking, one that can only succeed with God's wisdom and guidance.  We are willing and excited to lead this journey.  We pray for teen girls everywhere to join us.  

And we are asking for your prayers as we embark on what could be a life changing journey.

It already has been for Shelley and for me.

I pray it will be for others.

Thanks for all your support and prayers!

For details or to join us, simply comment here or email me at jalebo@gmail.com.

And check out the video invitation HERE! 

Keep smiling- and praying!

Jen

Portraits for Traci: A Beautiful Success

This past spring, our Coventry Christian School community lost a very special person. Traci Hoffman, a CCS mom, cheer coach, and all around awesome friend, was taken suddenly from us to be with the Lord. We all grieved together, missing her deeply, but knowing we'd be with her again someday. I blogged about our loss here, back in April.

To honor Traci, I decided to put together a portrait project in her name, Portraits for Traci. Much of July was spent photographing the families that shared in this project with me. Families donated generously to the project, and together we were able to raise over $800, which will all go to a CCS scholarship fund in Traci's name.

While there are still one or two families awaiting their sessions, I wanted to share with you a couple of portraits from each of the sessions.

Thank you so much to all the families and groups who shared with me in this project. My hope is that these portraits bring you tremendous joy, both as a reminder of the love between those in each image, and as a reminder of the wonderful woman we honor with them.

In memory of "Mama H",

Jen