Do Not Grow Weary by Daniel Seth Kraus
Do Not Grow weary is an ongoing project that follows three evangelical pastors in rural Florida as they harmonize their personal and professional lives. Their profession is all encompassing; each pastor is one of only a few leaders serving the hundreds of church members. Their positions requires that they be readily accessible at nearly all times to counsel and minister to their congregants, often in personal situations and settings. This results in a constant pull for their time and much of their ministry is done in the living rooms of families or the driver seats of their cars. The men in this series, three of my closest friends, shape their personal lives around their vocational duties thereby reordering common priorities. They lead lives that are a blend of personal endeavors and professional responsibilities.
David, vol. 1
The situations in which most people interact with pastors are life’s highs and lows, usually a death or a marriage. I remember sitting in the passenger seat of David’s truck when we pulled into a family’s driveway. Most of the family were members of his church, and some very personal tribulations had just been made painfully and abruptly public to the community. He asked if I wanted to go inside while he made the visit, or if I’d prefer to wait in the truck. I briefly battled my apprehension and went inside to visit with the family with him. I think most people experience David while he is walking right alongside them, as they walk together through the daily labor of life. Most of our lives are lived in the gap between the highs and lows. Watching him navigate and counsel in situations, that to me, feel emotionally impossible, made it clear that his type of work was not to be taken lightly but had some incredibly ordinary characteristics. The personal and emotional extremes of life require counsel, but David’s work includes the everyday-ness between life’s extremes. This body of work is a selection of images from one of three subjects.
Daniel Seth Kraus lives and works in Philadelphia, PA.
To view more of Daniel's work, please visit his website.
