Confessions

Me: "God, I've missed you so much! I'm so sorry for ever leaving... I love you."
God: "I love you too."

I haven't been myself lately, mostly because I've lost my Bible, (I think I left it at church; the other one is at school. Internet Bibles just aren't the same) and with Thanksgiving, I've been indulging a lot in me.

I've been so excited to eat food, and sleep, and play with my cousins, and relax.  That's all good, and perfectly healthy, but I forgot about God.  Yeah, I thanked him and everything, but then I got to eat a ton of food, and I took a nap, and I spent a lot of time on the computer... I just forgot what this break was all about.

But I'm turning around, right now, and maybe that's why God let me leave my Bible at school.
A lot of the time, I forget how crucial reading the Bible is to life.  This was kind of a wake-up call for me to start spending more time with God.

So, I'm sorry God for not caring, for ignoring you, and for being selfish..
Please help me love you more! I'm not that great at reading, but I am going to do my best now.
Help me want to read; please, Lord, be with me.
I love you.
~♥

"Come near to God, and he will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
- James 4:8

My Lover

I find myself often longing for a lover.

I sit here and think,

"If only there was someone 

who would be there for me all the time, 

and listen to all my problems, 

and help me get through them.

Someone who already knows what I've done,

and understands my heart, 

yet continues to love me all the time.

Someone who I can actually rely on for help, 

and trust with my secrets."

Then I look up and realize, 

  I have him already.

He knows everything I've done, but still loves me

 and he can help me in every situation.

I realize that he's been here all along, 

and I've loved him already too;

and then I realize that he's been waiting to hear me speak:

So I turn to my Lord, and say,

"Thank You."

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness."

- Jeremiah 31:3

Continued Post 9/30/12 

At the end of his talk today in church, my preacher talking about how the Holy Spirit worked, brought up how at a young age, a man told him to pray for his future, especially for who he would marry.  He dated a lot of good girls, and they all could have been fine, but he said one day in High School, he was asked to lead a devotional for a group of college kids.  He did it, and was completely scared, and even says he still does not remember what he said, but at the end of it, when everyone was leaving, this really thin girl came up to him, bright eyed, and said, "Wow! I liked what you said! What's your name?"  Even though she was in college, and he was in High School, they began a friendship, and he knew that there was something special about her.  Now they have been married for years, with four great kids, two of them married with kids of their own.

This reminded me of how often I've prayed the same thing, that God would work on me so that I would be a good wife, and work on whoever "he" is so that he would be a good husband, and that together we could serve God more fully.  It gives me a great amount of hope to know that he (someone I truly respect and admire for their relationship and walk with Christ) prayed what I am praying, and that God did answer that prayer fully.
I want to encourage you then to do the same if you are looking for love; but also I want you to remember that God loved you first, and that his love is better than any man's.
Be strong, pray, have faith.
~♥

Spiritual Truths

I have a creepy feeling inside of me.  Some part of God's spirit in me is predicting things and preparing my heart for things I do not know will happen.  How do I know this stuff??  Nothing in my body can tell me what I've known before it happened, and yet, somehow I knew it?
The night before Mrs. Hoffman died, I read Isaiah 57:1-2, and I prayed to God, "If you take her, keep her in heaven, because she is a wonderful woman and has done many things for You that no other woman I know has done."
A couple of hours ago, I read in Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, "There is a time for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die..." ...and as I read that, I knew somehow deep inside that this, in this moment, was talking about sweet little Julia... and now.. I hear that she has passed away... How can this happen?
The words of one of my new favorite songs screams out to me at this moment, because it's message is lining perfectly with my life, every second God is in control of me.

Alive Again - Matt Maher

Yes, I can see the light before I see the sunrise, and I can feel the wind before it hits my skin... it's so weird!
If anyone tries to tell you that the Spirit does not do things inside of a person that makes them know, say, or even understand things that cannot be understood by your body's senses, they do not know God!
God works amazing wonders.
I found it hard to believe such things even when my Bible teacher tried showing us it last year.  Honestly, he spoke in "tongues"--and it was weird! No idea what he said, and walking out of that class, all of my friends were like "Wow, do you believe that stuff? I think it's kinda crazy. Well, I don't really know, but yeah it was weird. I'm not sure."
But in that class, when he spoke whatever he did, it gave me some weird calmness.. and when he translated what he said... it spoke directly to me, into my life, and what I was going through at that time. He wasn't directing it toward anyone himself, but he faced me when he spoke it too. Interesting, huh..

Ever since then, I've looked for the Spirit, and I've found it here and there, in my life, and in others.
People find it hard to believe such a thing is true. Dying on the cross and being raised to life is a little less hard to believe than this, because this is something present.

Am I making any of this up? No; I wouldn't dare make a claim this big anywhere if I was not being truthful.
Does it line up with scripture? That someone can know things beyond herself because of the Spirit?
See for yourself:

    We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.  No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.  None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  However, as it is written:
“No eye has seen,
    no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
   what God has prepared for those who love him" —
but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
    The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.  This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.  The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.  The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgement:
“For who has known the mind of the Lord
    that he may instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Relax

I've been in a wonderful mood lately, and it's no wonder!  It is beautiful outside today!!  After sweating for hours while cleaning and taking a bike ride, I took a relaxing shower, and now I'm constantly thanking God for the wonderful day he has made.

It is on days like today when I get to see God in nearly everything.  So it's interesting that I opened to Matthew 4:10-11.  It says,
Jesus said to him, "Away from me Satan!  For it is written: 'Worship the Lord, your God, and serve him only.' "  Then the devil left him, and angels attended him.

 If you've followed my Twitter or read my last posts, I've struggled with my faith a lot.  Today has been like a break through for me:  finally, loving God is easy!
Immediately when I read this verse, I read, "Then the devil left him, and angels attended him."  So it is possible for Satan to leave us, I thought.  But what caused him to leave?  Both in my life and in Jesus', the answer is found in the verse before it:
  "Worship the Lord, and serve him only."  

 When you are only reading it, this passage seems to say that when Jesus spoke scripture against Satan--specifically saying "I won't serve you, I'll serve God only"--he went away; but that is only half of it.  The other half is what is first mentioned: Worship the Lord.  It doesn't give a specific time nor a specific way, it just says worship him.  All the time, constantly, in everything you do, worship God.  For forty days and nights, Jesus was learning how to worship God with his life, while he fasted.  I'm sure all of that time he spent with God is the real reason behind Satan's departing.  Once Jesus said those words, Satan could tell that he was tied to God, and so he left him.

I think this is a wonderful example of what loving God looks like when the devil attacks us.  He can come with our worries, like Jesus' upcoming death, and try to promise the world as an escape; yet, because we trust God's plan, we say, "Away from me Satan!" and cling to our Lord.

How is your love story?  If you're like me, maybe you need to relax and let God.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Fine Clothes

 It seems to be true that at night time, the dark things of this world start to play out in the open.  Thieves steal at night.  Murders take place in dark alley ways.  But that darkness comes out in ourselves too.  When you're up late at night, and you're by yourself, you can see some of your deepest temptations come out into the open.

When it gets late, one of the things I often find myself turning to is the fashion industry.  I am a person who does not wear makeup, except for special occasions, and who does not put a whole lot of time into my look.  On the other hand, I am also an artist, a graphic designer to be specific, and so things of that nature delight me.  So I find shows like Project Runway and America's Next Top Model to be interesting, although not totally my field.

I found out two years ago that my self esteem is easy to mess with.  I never thought I was beautiful in the eyes of my friends, because no guys took interest in me, but I was determined inside that I really was prettier than the girls who got the attention.  One day, a nice young guy took interest in me, and we became a "thing".  If we had focused our friendship on God, it might have lasted, but it ended in the wrong place, since my mind was so focused on that someone found me attractive.

Many girls I know have similar problems: they doubt that they are pretty, and they think that by wearing makeup, or finding the right guy, they could fix that problem.  Sometimes, people doubt that anyone could like a girl with pimples, or who has a little chubbiness around their tummy.  Maybe if I'm wearing clothes that are in style, or cute shoes, or short shorts.  But, no! What your missing isn't smooth skin, fine clothing, or a beautiful body; what your missing is a kind spirit that loves God.

When I see those girls on the runway shows, I do get jealous.  I have acne all over my shoulders, so although I am skinnier than most girls, I still feel imperfect sometimes.  But when I see those girls, I also see girls--whom may have achieved perfection in my eyes--still fighting for 1st place.  There is no such thing as perfection; it's a myth.

But what is real is that guys all the time fall in love with girls and marry them for life.  Maybe you have seen an old married couple, maybe you haven't; but I know quite a few, and I can promise you, he's not still with her just because she is so beautiful at this age. 
He knows she is worth spending a lifetime with because of her pure life and her respect for God.  He chose her, because he would not be ashamed to tell others who she is; because she could raise their children to be respectful and hardworking; because she would do all that she can to keep him in good health for the years to come.

That is why a man truly loves a woman: because of her spirit.
And that is the same reason why God loves us.  Although, yes, he loves us unconditionally, he can only form a relationship with us when our spirit is humble, caring, and loving towards him and others.  That is why when a woman has this kind of spirit inside of her, she is so desirable!  Are you not worth more to someone when you return love to them?  Don't they just rejoice being around you because you bring and give them joy from within?

So work on the spirit within you.  Be patient with others, kind to them.  Don't be jealous, and don't boast.  Try to be a little less arrogant, and avoid saying or doing anything rude.  Stop insisting on having everything your own way.  If you're irritating someone, don't; and keep in your mind not to be resentful.  Don't smile when something bad happens, but rather be happy when something is right.  Bear with others.  Believe in them.  Have hope in every situation, and endure the tough times.  Never let your love end.

"It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful.  No, your beauty should come from within you--the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.  This beauty will never disappear, and it is worth very much to God."
-1 Peter 3:3-4

Storms

 Many times in life you will hit a storm.

Sometimes you see it coming in the distance and you prepare yourself.  Buy bread, milk, eggs. Close the windows.

But then the storm hits, and it's bigger than you expected.  You thought you were prepared for it, but really you're not.  All of your preparations don't seem to matter now because the power's out, the basement is flooded, batteries are all dying, and you can't find a single match.

 These are times when faith comes into play.

You have no backup plan.
Can you turn to God?  Do you trust him? It's so easy to relax in his arms when you're sleeping than when you're drowning, but you won't survive unless you relax then too!  Sometimes when you can't seem to breathe, you need to just listen to what he says and have faith.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
-Jeremiah 29:11

The Dust

Last week with a group of friends, we studied 1 Corinthians chapters 1-3.
Divisions were arising in the church from many things, one of them being the people's pride.

Pride is something I struggle with all of the time.
"If only I would..." is how most of my thoughts begin.
Most recently, one thought that haunts me is this thought that I am so prideful that really all I am is a hypocrite and liar, and that because of my weakness, I'll never become that strong Christian that I wish I could become...

I don't know you personally, and I don't know what your history is with Christ, but if you've struggled with seeing your worth, listen to this song:

Beautiful Things - Gungor

"All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all..."

Look at the picture; isn't it cute?

Look closely now, and look at what has made such a pretty scene.

"You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us"


God knows who we are, and he knows we are weak.
But we are not worthless.

What are we?
We are servants.

We do God's will, and he makes us into something great.

I like that phase:
"...life is being found in You."

The important thing is that
God 
can
make
us
new.

1 Corinthians 3:6 says that one may have planted the seed or watered it, but God made it grow.

Look to God for your hope.
He makes beautiful things.
He makes beautiful things out of the dust.

"So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future -- all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God."
-1 Corinthians 3:21-23

Little Things

     Today, I came to the small realization that my dad has come to know me better by the little conversations we have.  Ever since he got into this whole "couponing" and saving money with shopping, he has been asking me small questions, like "what do you like to eat?" and "what do you bring for school lunches?" It hasn't been much, just a list of things to buy or not to buy while he tries to narrow down his list to the "need to"s and "have to"s (rather than just "want to"s or "I dunno"s), but it's been building a relationship that has been slightly lacking before.
     A couple years ago, I used to cry in my room thinking and praying about having a close relationship with my parents. I had confided with my mom on a few things, but for the most part, it seemed like they hardly knew the real me, and I was afraid to come to them with my problems. It hit me big time when I dated my first boyfriend and wasn't sure how to handle different situations. At that time, I was more afraid of doing wrong and having them mad at me than I was actually caring about my relationship with them. Soon after we broke up, I realized that I needed that parental relationship badly, but I had no clue where to start.
    It wasn't too long after this that these tiny conversations started up. Now he's asked more things, like what I thought about small topics, or what I thought about events that have happened, and I can tell that I trust him more as a father and friend than I did before--and all I did was have little conversations with my dad. Both of my parents put up with my rants now about school and homework, and both openly give me advice about how to deal with situations, whether I choose it or not.

     All of this made me consider my relationship with God. Right now, it's not very strong, I'll have to admit.
I read an article the other day that in it's essence asked us to compare how much time we spend talking with our friends to how much time we talk to God. It said that all God really wants is to be our best friend, the one we talk to 24/7 about everything good and bad in our lives, simply because we love each other.  When I think about how my dad has been talking to me, I wonder if maybe God wants me to talk to him like that--at least to get started.  The other day, I tried this out a bit after I got my shoes for Formal. I said to Him, "Guess what! I got these amazing shoes! They're so comfortable and pretty, and they go great with my dress!! Just wait until I show you at home!" I don't know if this is weird or crazy or anything, but feeling close to God, I went into my room and put on my dress and shoes and looked in the mirror and asked Him, "Do you like it?"  I'm a bad listener, but written on my mirror, right where my face is, reads, "The King is enthralled by your beauty; honor him for he is your Lord." (Psalms 45:11)

So how are you talking to God? Need a little more practice, like me? Maybe, to start, you can try these little conversations. When you're happy, share the news with Him. When you're sad, cry on his shoulder, talk it out to Him, ask Him "why?"--He can take it.  When you're mad, let out your frustration on Him, then listen to what his plan is.
All the while, read the scripture, because it's "God-breathed."

"Come near to God, and he will come near to you." 
-James 4:8a

Praise the Lord

Today, I am really tired, but I opened my Bible in the semi-quietness of my living room, and here's what I found:

Psalm 146

"Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them--
the Lord, who remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord."

Praise the Lord, with all of me, and for all of my life! How awesome is it to think of that? Praising God not just now, not just yesterday, but for your whole life?!
Look at this scale and find where you are in life now:


How long do you have still to praise Him? How many opportunities do you think you'll still get to praise Him? How many triumphs will he bring you to? How many joys, sorrows, and lessons will you be able to thank Him for still?
Be joyful always. :)

Do not trust princes and mortal men, who can't actually save. --Listen up girls!!!
How many times will we all fall into this trap that guys are all we need in life and are our heros???
I was watching a movie last night called Mighty Macs, and in it, a man was flirting with a lady and her friend who was a nun(but not dressed as one in this scene). When he asked if the nun was taken, she said, "Well, sort of." He asked what the special guy does and she responded, "He's a carpenter." To this the man replied, "Oh, so he's good with his hands?" and she threw out with a smile, "He works miracles." Haha, I hope you laughed at that! But how awesome is it to think that way! That Jesus is "The One", our Hero, the love of our lives, who fascinates us more than any other man!
What man can work miracles? What man knows what you need at every second of every minute and is there to provide exactly that for you as long as you're willing to accept it?
If you haven't noticed yet, no guy can do that for you, ladies. Yes, you may find a good faithful husband one day(if you aren't married yet), but remember always that no one is like Jesus.
No, Jesus is the only man who can fulfill your life.

Jesus upholds the cause of the oppressed.
Jesus gives food to the hungry.
Jesus sets prisoners free.
Jesus gives sight to the blind. (Amazing!)
Jesus lifts up those who are bowed down.
Jesus loves the righteous.
Jesus watches the alien, sustains the orphan, and the widow...

Don't you see? Jesus cares for all of us more than any man ever will, AND he CAN fulfill his word!

Imagine being married to a King, but not just a King: a humble King. A humble guy who was given power to be ruler over the World not because of the wealth or what people wanted, but because he outright deserved it from his character and his life.

If your younger, imagine being the daughter of this King. Imagine running around with a little tiara on your head, having the ability to show yourself to others as a princess and earn respect. Imagine as a child, running into his throne room and jumping up on his lap to give him a bigg hug, shouting "Daddy!" ("Abba!") Now imagine having that same relationship as you got older, as you started being hurt by friends, meeting boys and them not acting the way Daddy says they should treat you, and finding yourself crying looking for somewhere to go where there is love; now, this time when you enter Daddy's throne room, you're embarrassed, hurt, sad, lonely, in pain. This time, you walk slowly in, trying to hide the look on your face as you walk towards the throne. This time, when you shakily say, "Dad, can I talk to you?" he tells the others in the room to go while you come forward, unsure of where to start. He sees your face, and says, " Come here" and pulls you up onto his lap, where you curl up and start crying.

God loves you.

He makes a promise to you that day. He says, "I don't want you to be hurt anymore. There is a guy who won't hurt you. He's kind, humble, gentle, and strong, and I think you'll like him a lot. But you need to make me a promise. You've got to stop doing what you are doing. Act like my princess; show the world that you are MINE, not theirs. Listen to me: you are beautiful and lovely and worth more than the most precious thing the world has to offer. Do not forget that! Don't forget that I love you, and that I am always here for you. It doesn't matter how far you've fallen off the beaten path; if you come to me, I will be here for you."


God won't let them win. Wickedness is a matter of a person's heart; they can choose to reject God. You might not see it, but those who are oppressing others won't always win. In the Old Testament, even when God raised up an nation against Israel to punish them, later he would punish that same nation for not following His ways (usually because they were oppressing others).

God will always reign. He will always be on that throne. Jesus is at his right hand, waiting for us. His bride is the church, and we are the church. He died because he loves us, because we are worth this. We are worth waiting for. He already paid the price; live a life 'pleasing to God'. Life a life that says, "I'm HIS." because, he's already done everything for you. (:

"Praise the Lord."

Reaching Out

Hey God,
How do you reach out to others?

Like the people so glued to their passions that they don't see You?
Those who believe they are doing right, but aren't seeing clearly?
Those so caught up in being worldly that they loose sight of what truly matters?
Those who cannot get past the lies of the world because they are too caught up in the imaginary utopia it impossibly promises?

How can I help them?
How do you plan on teaching them?
How do you show these people whom want to change the world that You are the answer to their problems?

How do you reach them in love?
How do you answer their questions?
How do you change them?

If you could let me know, or help me somehow, that would be great. I hate seeing them practically unreachable, and my attempts always appear 'forced upon them' or 'close-minded'.

With love,
Emily

Fearful and Wonderful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhiPIFzqF7A&feature=relmfu
"I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

When I see creation, as an artist, I am jealous on a daily basis. God is SO amazing, and He only needs to breathe a word and His art comes into existence!
What He does and creates amazes me; I know there is no way anything I could ever make would ever come close to comparing to His glorious works of art.

I think about this regularly, especially when I see the colors of the sky just after the sun goes down. Yet, one thing I neglect to remember is how wonderfully made He made me. And how wonderful is that!

One thing I can't ever forget is that God created laughter. Of all things, He decided He wanted us to have a physical way to express our happiness to each other. Not only that, but He created in us so that when one person laughs, it makes others laugh too. Now lets take it a step further to say that we laugh at things that bring us joy, science has now shown that laughter produces "endorphins" in our brains, giving us more joy!
Isn't our God amazing? He created us to that when we are happy, we automatically do stuff that just makes us happier. How cool is that?! :)

You see, God loves us.
I think Christians forget that, that God loves us. He created us so that we could enjoy life, and He created us so that we would enjoy life. I mean from the very start, God wanted us to live the best life that we can live.
We just don't choose it sometimes.

God is not a lawmaker.
He doesn't lay down rules and simply sit and judge you as you line up trying to get into Heaven.
God is a father--"Abba"="Daddy".
He's a lover, with the church as His bride.
God wants to know you and wants us to know Him, intimately!

Here's where the cool part begins, especially as God's daughters:
When God created us, we were the epitome of Creation.
If you follow the path of what was Created, things just got more complex and amazing and beautiful as they were created, and the last to be formed was woman from Adam's rib.
We are God's Masterpiece.

I don't know how much you may know about art, but let me tell you about what I know about being an artist:
When I draw something good, I want to show EVERYONE.
The problem is, this world is full of people who don't always care enough for art, so if I showed everyone, they wouldn't appreciate it fully. The art isn't any less beautiful, but the people's lack of care makes the art seem less amazing. (Not to mention, it hurts to hear people casually say, "Oh, that's cool." to something you spent hours and days on.)
No, when I create my best works, I save them somewhere special, where they won't get bent or ruined accidentally. Then, I only pull it out and share it with people who show genuine appreciation for it, and in that appreciation I find my utmost joy. :)

Now replace myself with God, and replace that beautiful masterpiece with you.

God loves you. He is amazed at how beautiful you turned out, and extremely proud that He created you. He loves you.
God knows that you will be the happiest only with those who truly appreciate you and how He created you. He wants to protect you from all the "Eh, it's alright."s and the "Oh, sweet."s in life!
He wants you to hear every "Wow, that's amazing!" and "So beautiful!!" that you deserve to hear from everyone!

This is why He says to us to save ourselves for the right someone.

God's not some fun-sucker, trying to make our lives boring; He's a majestic God who wants you to have the best life you can have.

And He knows what's best for you; He's the Creator after all, isn't He?

Faded Vision

It's been a while since I've written something for here, and I think I know the problem.
I've been losing sight of Jesus.

At the end of last summer, I had fallen heads over heels for His love and for Jesus, my amazing Savior who loved me even though I was a sinner. Now, that love has faded slowly away into maybe a liking of some sort that is by no means what God wants from me...

I can see everyday how I try slightly to worship God and be good, but I've been lukewarm and I simply don't live up to his standards. I wonder if it is because I don't suffer, or because I haven't fallen into sin recently, but I know that Paul says we should never sin just to receive grace more.

I've taken a closer look at my prayer life with God, and it's not very strong, I must sadly say.
I think maybe a couple times a week, when I'm noticing the distance between me and God, I'll pray to Him before I go to sleep, and if I'm awake enough and my Bible is close at hand, I'll read a random passage, think about it for a minute, pray, then sleep.
I seriously wonder how I got this way, when I used to fall asleep with the Bible in my hands or under my head every night because I was reading and fell asleep, and when I used to read chapters and books at a time rather than verses and sections.


Today in Chapel, my wonderful friend, Kristian, spoke on God's love for us.
He spoke from the heart about how we don't consider what love God has for us often enough. How Jesus, someone God truly treasured, came down and was torn apart, beaten, spat on, nailed to a cross, and murdered, so that we, the murderers and criminals, could walk free.
How crazy is that?!
He also said that sometimes we think of God and Jesus as separate, with different loves--Jesus's seemingly more caring and compassionate--when in reality, Jesus came to show God's love for us. The love that we see Jesus give, THAT is God's love he has for us!
Kristian pointed out that all Jesus did was show people love. He showed love to people whom in our day would be the emo kids and goths... but all we did was try to kill him for it!



Then he referred to this video that the school watched back in November on God's love.
I have only gotten the chance to see this once(with bad quality--I could hardly see or hear it!), so I'm posting it here and watching it again to try to renew my faith in Christ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjSio8jur2Y

We are the ones on this train, going by, living our short lives, and most of us never even realizing what God did for us, to save us, to keep us alive.

"For God So Loved the World that He Gave His One and Only Son, that Whoever Believes in Him Shall Not Perish, but have Eternal Life."
- John 3:16 (NIV)

♥♥♥

Praise Him, Not Me

You may see me,

And you may think

'She is holy'

But that's not me.

Some say I have it good with Christ

But that's not what I see.

I am weak.

I have sin.

We all do.

Like Paul,

the older I am

the worse it gets.

Do I need God?

Y E S.

So this is me

After I was freed:

Still slipping in sin

Stuck in mud

I couldn't see.

Something needed to change.

I gave up.

I cried.

I died

To myself and my ways

And I became His

So that He

Could work through me.

When I gave in to sin

He overcame

When I fell

He took over my life

and became my strength.

You see,

I am a sinner

Jesus saved me

I have no muscle

Jesus was my victory

When He declared

"You shall sin no more"

Fighting the devil

Was no longer a chore

So when you see me

Don't say,

"Oh how good is she"

Because there is no way

I could do a thing without God

For He is the strength

That you see in me.

Praise Him alone

--not me.

"Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the earth and the heavens."

-Psalm 148:13 (NIV)

God's Wonderful Deeds

Alright. Let's do this. It's time to serve.

This Sunday evening is the first of two nights of our church's VBS (Vacation Bible School).

It's an exciting time for me! About 5 months ago, I would have never dreamed this day would come! Let me explain...

I am one of the few at my church who literally grew up in the same church my whole life. I still have baby pictures of me in front of the old puppet booth in the upstairs "A" room. When I was a little kid, I remember having VBS every year at my church. We did some Veggie Tales theme one year, another we had a jungle theme, another bible brain, and yet another Jerusalem Marketplace; then that was it. By then, I was actually a helper rather than a participant, and so all the parents of the kids my age were stepping out of helping and some even moving to different churches.

So then, they transferred the responsibility to the youth group for us to form VBS, but we didn't have any real youth leaders then--just parent volunteers. What happened? Nothing. Why? They didn't want to do all of the work, and we couldn't. We didn't know how.

Finally, I got tired of it. I was helping out during our Children's Worship, and I saw a ton of tired, bored kids who didn't care about what was going on, and clearly saw nothing exciting about the word of God because of the boring routine of the Church.

I couldn't stand that. That pierced me to the heart and made me realize that someone needed to do something about this.

Some Wednesday night in March, when we have an hour long time at the church for us to meet and have more lessons, our youth group was gathered together in the room discussing plans for this summer. As they discussed all kinds of trips and get-together ideas and when to do them, I spoke up and asked, "What about VBS?"

Immediately, a girl across the room said to me, "Forget about it, we're not getting that done." And our two 'Parent Volunteers' both said to me, "Yeah, sorry, but there's no way we could get that done this year."

I was dumbfounded. This youth group honestly did not trust that God could help us do this? No one was willing enough to take action and actually do something for these kids? If I'm correct in my memory, I got very quiet for the rest of the night.

The following Sunday, I still wasn't completely giving up inside. I talked to a strong Christian friend of mine and asked him what he thought about giving VBS a try this year. Despite what had been said that Wednesday, he told me that if I want to do this, then I should. It just so happens(thanks to God), that the ones who had disagreed with me were not present on Sunday. I attempted to bring up the subject again, at first with little success. Then, a college student who had been sitting in on our class(because he still acts like a kid), spoke up and got everyone's attention. He said something like,

"Hey! Guys! Emily's trying to get something started here! Pay attention! (Then he directed the conversation to me as well) If you guys want to actually do this, you need to plan for a date, right now."

Thanks to him and to the other teen, we came up with dates, times, and a theme for everything. Ever since then, a friend of mine, Sarah, and I have been planning out all the details, creating a schedule, writing skits, planning crafts, forming lessons, coming up with activities, and slowly delegating details down to other close friends(and relatives).

Today, we have a well brought together staff (which includes her mother, both of my parents, and both of my sisters), and we have figured out everything that is going to happen during the night. We are expecting every kid in our church to come(about 15-20 I believe), as well as some neighbors, and possibly some kids from another church we know.

I could go on and list the ways that God has blessed us, but just having VBS this year is such a blessing. Nothing that is VBS now would have ever existed without God. What happened on that one day has changed my summer, and my whole life.

VBS is happening. I'm learning what it means to be a leader, and now am being called into service in my school as one. Our church is changing and seeing true growth compared to the stillness beforehand. We are preparing to touch people's lives next Sunday(A couple new families are being encouraged to bring their kids to VBS, and I am excited to see what happens!).

So much good has come out of this that will lead to more good, and it is ALL thanks to the Lord, Jesus Christ. I cannot express enough in words how blessed we are because of this! Let God be blessed 77x over and over for what he has done for me, and for my church and family!

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men."

~Psalm 107:21(or 31)

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose."

~Romans 8:28

Harry Potter

After reading the first book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), I've been hooked on this series! I started them last Tuesday, and I just began the last one today! (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) So far, I have really enjoyed the series, and I plan on re-reading them in the future! I strongly encourage anyone to read them who has not had the chance yet, especially Christians. Although it is a story about wizards and witches, the books really point out this hidden, ongoing battle between good and evil, just as there is one between God and Satan in our lives.

These books focus on the life of Harry Potter, "the boy who lived". Everyday "muggles" never see the magical things happening around them because they are "protected" by the spells wizards put on the world's eyes; but these witches and wizards are warriors in this huge battle between good and evil. Voldemort (or "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named") is the source of all evil, tempting otherwise good people to do evil things for him in hopes of taking over the world. Harry is anything but a normal boy, but he lives an honest life, fighting for the people around him instead of himself. He lives radically and stands up for what he knows is right, even though he needs help and support from his friends, and he becomes willing to lay down his own life to save the people around him from having to suffer any further. Although I do not think she was trying to make Harry Potter a Christian series, J.K. Rowling really presents a side of Christianity generally forgotten among us, about how we are supposed to live, and about how God always wins.



-Book Cover of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.-
(Post edited on Saturday, March 12, 2011)