My family and I never imagined ourselves being photographers or opening a photography business, but God had different plans for us:
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT).
As we’ve ventured through this business journey, with all its twists and turns, we’ve learned that stepping out on faith and trusting in the Lord is never easy, but He makes everything possible and truly life-giving! He has blessed us with all the strength, guidance, and resources we’ve needed, and we’re so thankful! We could have never done it without Him, and He alone deserves all the glory!
We also want to thank all our family, friends, and neighbors for their love and support! We appreciate them and all they have done! This next step wouldn’t have been possible without them!
Our Story
Our hearts broke when my dear grandfather passed away. It seems impossible to even get out of bed in moments like those, let alone find the passion for starting a business. But the Lord planted this business in my family’s heart during that difficult season. He had a purpose even in the pain, so through stepping out on faith and trusting in the Lord,
came to be.
Before my grandfather’s passing, we had stopped by to visit him. He was a selfless man, pouring out himself to fill up others and provide for his loved ones. He’d never been fond of having his picture taken, but this day was different- he let us take his picture! Little did we know the impact it would have on us, marking the last time we’d see his smiling face. The Lord had orchestrated that precious moment, that special blessing, into place, and, with His great love and grace, He would use that photo to shine His light into our lives. As we gathered together and cherished our precious memories of Grandpa, He’d unite our family in love, teaching us the power of a photograph!
Our Purpose
“‘This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you’” (John 15:12 NLT).
To us, it’s about so much more than taking “pretty pictures;” it’s about loving and serving You as Jesus has done for each of us! Like the Lord used that photo to mend our broken hearts years ago, we pray He’ll use each image we take to touch yours. We want you and your family to remember your blessings and this season’s precious, joy-filled moments, cherishing them for years to come, even when life happens! We pray they’ll remind you of your family’s love and connection and how treasured you are, helping unite you all in love and build your family stronger one memory at a time!
Reminders of Why We Do What We Do
We pray this business will always remain deeply rooted in the Lord. So, we have put the following reminders in place to help us remember why we do what we do and never forget our roots of Building Stronger Families One Memory at a Time!
Our JHP Logo
Our logo isn’t the most beautiful, but it reminds us of who we are and why we do what we do. In our most painful season, Jesus lovingly stood by our side, giving us hope through my grandfather’s picture. As a crown of thorns laid on Jesus’ head, He selflessly poured out Himself for us and everyone for generations, showering us all with His ultimate love! (If you would like to learn more about Jesus’ ultimate love, see John 17-21!) We never, ever want to forget all the ways Jesus has poured out His great love! So, our logo represents the crown of thorns He endured because we can only love others because He first loved us. The aperture inside then reminds us to focus on Him, working to obey His commandment and follow His example for loving and serving others.
Our JHP Slogan
We believe family is one of God’s greatest blessings, so we’re passionate about helping families capture their precious moments together to cherish for a lifetime! We know raising a family can keep you on your toes but let us lean in and tell you it’s worth it! As you look back at your photos one day, we pray you’ll remember your special blessings and feel your love and connection with one another, even when life happens. Each loving memory leaves a greater impact than you’ll ever know!
So, by documenting your family’s special moments, we’re not just capturing “pretty pictures.” Like how the Lord united our family in love and built our family stronger as we cherished our precious memories of Grandpa, with each image we take and each word we write, we pray God will use us to unite your family in love and Build Your Family Stronger One Memory at a Time! Hence this is our slogan!
“Matthew” (Our White 1951 Ford Truck)
Our story wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention “Matthew” (our white 1951 Ford truck)! We named it “Matthew” because it reminds us of one of Jesus’ disciples.
“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me and be my disciple,’ Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him” (Matthew 9:9 NLT).
WOW! It resonates with us that Jesus called Matthew when he was still in his sinful state as a hated tax collector. (At this time, Jewish tax collectors for Rome were seen as traitors to their people.) While many rejected Matthew and cast him out, Jesus loved and cherished him so much that He looked beyond Matthew’s brokenness and saw his heart, seeing who he would become through His great plans for him.1 Many had hated him, but now Jesus had hand-picked him to be His disciple and pen the first Gospel in the New Testament, proclaiming His majesty as the Messiah and The Good News He had brought to the nations!!!2 The same is true for each of us.
You don’t have to be some perfect superhuman for God to use you! Just like Matthew, Jesus sees all our hearts.3 He loves and cherishes us all so much that He looks beyond our brokenness and instead sees what we will become through His great plans for us (remember Jeremiah 29:11)!4 He can use any of us to impact the world! So, since we all have a “before” like Matthew (the disciple) and “Matthew” (our truck), we named our truck “Matthew” to remind us that Jesus sees all of our hearts, looking beyond our “befores” and calling us all into hopeful and vibrant “afters.”5
Matthew before:
Matthew after God, Love, a Little YouTube, & Greg’s Hands and Feet:
One Final Note
Sweet Friend, you are deeply loved and cherished! Whether we one day have the privilege of serving you through our experience or we never get to meet, we just pray God will unite your family in love and build your family stronger one memory at a time, even when life happens!
We’re excited to see what God has planned for the next step on this journey. We can’t say it’ll be easy, but if we keep Jesus in the center, it will be purposeful and truly life-giving! We pray JHP will always be deeply rooted in Christ and never lose its focus! Love you lots!
Endnotes:
1. Charles Swindoll, Notes on Matthew, The Swindoll Study Bible: Large Print (NLT, Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., “Searching the Scriptures:” 2016, NLT: 1996, 2004, 2015), 1194.
2. Amanda Jenkins, Kristen Hendricks, and Dallas Jenkins, The Chosen: Book One (Savage, Minnesota: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC, 2019), 15.
3. Swindoll, Notes on Matthew, 1194.
4. Swindoll, Notes on Matthew, 1194.
5. Jenkins, Hendricks, and Jenkins, The Chosen: Book One, 15.
