Important Things

Today I saw a post on Facebook that read, "Put prayer back in schools!"  The person was claiming that if people were only allowed to pray as a part of school that our schools would be better. First of all, you can pray in school.  You can pray anywhere really; saying it out loud makes no difference to whether God hears you or not.  I have many Christian friends who pray for tests and friends and troubles throughout their school days and don't get in trouble at public school.

Secondly, I don't believe that adding prayer will change anything in school.  The most it may do is allow some teachers to preach to students, but it will not guarantee that the students will suddenly become great, amazing, rule-following people.  We have to face it: we live in a fallen world.  It will never be perfect; there is no 'one-step solution' to this page.

Before you ask how could I not want prayer in schools, I want you to see the bigger picture.  Parents are no longer forcing their kids to come with them to church.  That was a big thing in freshman year; all of these modern worldviews talking about how cruel it is to force a religion on some kid before they are old enough to decide what they want to follow.  I found it convincing at first, but I realized that the reason why parents do push their kids out of bed every Sunday is because they are learning a religion either way.  If you don't take them, you are teaching them that it isn't as important as sleep, or not even real.  I don't know too many people who had gone to church service every Sunday up 'till graduation and turned away completely in college.  Even if that person couldn't make it to worship services on Sundays, they probably would still at least pray before an exam.

It is also true though that a person whose parents never went to church or forced them to go with them would be far less likely to pray in school either.  I attend a Christian school and we pray every morning after the pledge.  Even though everyone gets quiet, not everyone prays.  The people who say the prayer on the announcements don't always care either.  I heard a prayer once said in a very dejected voice, "Dear God, thank you for this day, amen."  Everyone in the room laughed, the teachers were upset that he didn't put more into it, and you probably would have been too.

So how are we going to get kids who have never even heard of God to pray in public schools to him?  To them it will be like the pledge: "We do this because the government makes us. I hate America."

What makes my school different than public schools then?  The real Christians who are working there.

I have to say, we have so many teachers who care about their kids.  They don't even talk to us about Jesus all the time or pray over us everyday in class; not many of us actually care about that stuff.  No, we have teachers who are honest with us, share with our conversations more than the topics in the plan; and then we have talks with them about problems in our lives.  They sit down and work out problems between two students, judging the truth from the lies.  We learn to trust our authorities because they are reliable, knowledgeable  and don't fall for 'teacher's pets'.  Their opportunity to speak about Christ is during chapel, but their opportunity to show Christ is in the classroom, and they do it well here!

We need to stop losing sight of the important things in life.  Small stuff will get you no where; we all know that.  So why focus on praying in school? Why not focus on being the example you want kids to see and respect?  Even if it's hard, that's what Jesus calls "loving our enemies" and "praying for those who persecute you".  We have to do the action even if we ain't feelin' it.

I realize this is a lot longer than I had planned, and I applaud you for reading this far, but I have one last thing to share: not too long ago, I watched this video which got me thinking.  It talks about focusing on the bigger picture rather than the little things.  It is inspiring and thought-provoking, and I encourage you to watch it.

In fact, do more than watch it; share it with your friends, your church, your local school.  Maybe if we Christians change like Christ asks us to, then others will see his light where it wasn't before.

The "Unforgivable" Sin

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
Jesus replied, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
 - Matthew 22:36-40

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.
~♥

Endless Faces

This is a song that I wrote today, while thinking about the past and now.  I don't have a good tune to it, but if someone likes to make nice tunes and makes this a song, please share with me!  I'd love to put this to music.

All these endless faces
Are rolling past my mind
What once gave me a broken heart
Now I'm leaving it all behind

Oh, you know
I've been rescued from my hole
Oh, it shows
I'm finding my way back home

A tear fell on my shoulder
But now my cheeks are dry
It once gave me a broken heart
Now I know I won't ever cry

Oh, you know
I've been rescued from my hole
Oh, it shows
I'm finding a place to go

"What happened to what we had?
Why'd we ever let go?"
All those lies were just stuck in my mind...
I'm leaving that all behind

Oh, you know
I'm rescued from my hole
Oh, it shows
I'm finding a place to go

Oh, you know
I'm rescued from my hole
Oh, and it shows
I'm on my way back home

~♥

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
- Philippians 3:13-14

Reminders

I must admit, I am scared of who I am. A lot of times when I look at the girl I've grown to be, I become terrified that who I am is not who I want to be, and I can't do anything to fix it. That is the one thing that I find hardest about being a Christian:

I can't fix myself, and I know it.

All of us have to trust in God's plan and do as He wants and constantly move toward Him. It's a great thing knowing that He can heal us and take care of us perfectly, but it is also equally as painful.

I like to think of it a bit like a video game. You know those boss challenges that you just love battling through, but no matter how hard you try, you can't get past the big guy. And so your older sibling offers to help you pass it so that you can get onto the next level.

What do you do? Give the controller over to them t help you proceed, or do you selfishly, and hopelessly, try and try again without success?

Most of us are unwilling to admit defeat, just like we are unwilling to pass up our problems to God. It's more logical to give it to God, but part of all humans tells us that we've got to try to do things on our own first.

It's an amazing thing when I come across someone who is able to give themselves up to God. Usually, those are the people I respect and admire. But even then, those people tell me it's no walk in the park.

If there's anything I've learned in the past year, it would be how easy it is to fall into the lukewarm-Christian trap. God gets you out of a rut, and you say, "Okay, I'll leave it all to You, then," but as time draws on and nothing is really happening, you slowly say, "I can do this!" and you slip back into the controller seat. As a result, when trouble starts piling back onto your life, you start to bend and break under the weight, forgetting to give your life to God until it's almost too late. It is a tough and painful cycle, but we all get caught in it so easily!

Last Friday for Chapel at our school, we did a lesson on a man named Patch Adams, who wanted to be a doctor that actually cared for his patients. He had 10 Daily Actions that he would follow, and so my Co-chaplain and I challenged ourselves to follow it. For the whole week, we tried to obey his list as best as we could, and it actually makes a difference in the way your day goes!

(If you'd like to see his list, it is here: http://www.patchadams.org/Patchs_prescription_10_everyday_actions)

During the week, I tried to smile all the time in the hallways, sing out loud with my friends, and I even gave someone a shoulder rub once. For a while, I have been experiencing some back pains, that I think were actually muscle spasms. They hadn't ever been anything too bad, so I never worried about them, but on Friday, the last day of doing the list, it intensified so much that it hurt when I simply walked somewhere. But even though I was in pain, I kept smiling, because I had said I would. I was determined not to give into my own feelings so that by smiling I might give someone else a good day (smiles are contagious you know!).

It was surprisingly humbling to do that. Normally, I will give in to my emotion and just frown, simply passing by everyone in the hallways; but to put aside all of my own feelings that were natural, physical, bodily emotions and responses, and to give my all to God and others--just amazing!

I cannot promise anything, but to live by a set of guidelines like these could help improve your everyday life and keep God in your driver's seat. I suggest creating a personal list, and putting it somewhere you'll look at at least once or twice every day.

Here's my short list that I will have up in my locker:

Emily's 5 Reminders

1. Never stop smiling. Ever.

2. Make someone else's day. Ask them how they are doing, or simply say, "Hello!".

3. Give someone a hug who looks like they need it; don't say a word about it.

4. Always have a song to sing, and sing it everywhere.

5. Pick a random person and pray for them.

So create your own list. Start with something short and sweet, and then if you think of other things, add onto it. Make your list have to do with serving others, and it will help bring you to God.

Do you have a list? I'd love to hear what it is!

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Ephesians 3:10)

College

Being a Junior means one thing:

Planning for College.

Everything you do is focused on your future:

Preparing for SAT's, deciding what to major in, which college to go to, toughing through school to get the grades you need to get into your college of choice, etc...

It also includes some life-changing decisions too. Deciding what plans God has for your life, figuring out what you would like in a guy (for future marriage, if thinking about it), developing the skills you'll need in the business world--things such as leadership, working together, listening, debating, getting things done, persuading, etc.

All of this can easily pile up into a lot of stress on one person, and can be very hard to figure out! Some never do, some do and become extremely successful, where as most get through most of it and maybe miss a couple of things, but get out good.

Well, all of this weight has finally fallen on my shoulders, and so now I am trying to sort through it all.

It pains me to realize that I am not ready yet to move out and be on my own, but that is what these last years are for. (: Taking the time to figure out how things work and how to do things before you leave!

(I can't give advice yet on how to get through it; I can only talk about things that I'm going through, so I will not even attempt to go there.)

But for the past year or two, I have been thinking a lot about this question:

What do I want to go to college for?

Wow. Tough question when you haven't ever thought about it, right?

For some people it's obvious. Take my sister for example:

She has always loved arts & crafts. She loves working with kids. Her dream for life has always been to go to the college my mom went to. What is she doing now? Art education major at that same University.

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeasy.

But for someone like me? Not as easy.

I have sooo many different dreams, and so many different interests! There are things that I am good at (Math) and things that I don't believe I will ever be (History). Then there are the things that I do for fun (Art & Singing), but they are weighed against the things that make a good salary (Not art & singing). Of course you have my spiritual interests (Missionary, Start a Church, etc.), but they slightly rely on getting a job first, and getting married too (I want to start a church with a good husband, one or two kids, and a few other close families in the same spot).

So there are many different things for me to think about.

Finally, I came to a conclusion that I wanted to major in Graphic Design.

(Problem is, now I don't know if I really should.)

:/

It's so funny how one day you are so sure and set on what you are going to do, and the next you are back at the drawing board, trying to work things through again!

So now I've been debating again what I want to go to college for. Still looking. No news yet.

Maybe I'll come back and comment what I decide on after I go...

But now, the next step in the process?:

Where do you want to go?

Ahhhhh!!! Hardest question ever!

Why?? Well....

Raised as a Church of Christ Christian, I have only 'known the existence' of 3 colleges to choose from. Three's a good number right? Well, not really, but better than none, right?

Okay, so now that I'm looking through them, I marked off one, because it doesn't have Graphic Design (which now I'm unsure of), and I marked off (for the most part) the other, because my sister went there, and who wants to go to college with their sister? (I do love her, but we have our differences... (; )

So it came down to one college.

Great.

Then I looked around a little wider. I found two more colleges I might like; Christian, and had good Graphic Design programs... but then people told me the school had more of a title of "Christian", when it really wasn't any better than a State College.

Great.

So then there was one... or none, to be honest.

I honestly don't have any heartfelt choices in my list of colleges! Somewhere along the way, all the places I was encouraged to go to, have been turned off by someone who warned me not to go there, and so I really don't have a favorite choice! I fear that every college will seem great, then seem horrible, all based on individual experiences; yet the more negative comments I get, the less interested I am in those places!

Now I have about five places that "should" be my top choices, yet don't inspire or encourage me to go there at all, one place that I've heard of, but again, haven't been greatly encouraged to go there, and nothing else to do.

Here is when I turn to God and just say:

Help?

I'll be praying a lot for guidance on this topic. I'm even considering a non-Christian school that has maybe a Christian group thing in it, rather than Christian schools, just so that I can get more options...

Pray with me, please, that God shows me where to go, and what to do. I already see him working on me, so I know for sure that he has a plan for me, but I want to know His plan! I have to trust that he will provide for me, though. It's another struggle, and a good lesson to learn for later in life--but, again, a struggle.

" '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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.' "

-Jeremiah 29:11-12 (NIV)

~♥

My Story

This is a speech I wrote for Rhetoric class this year about how I've come to believe in Christ. I wish to share it with you, and I hope it inspires someone.

(I removed some names for online use.)

I was raised in a great Christian family. I attended a Church of Christ every Sunday for years. I've been at a Christian School all of my life; and I went to a Christian Camp in the summer every year since first grade. Christianity surrounded my life from day one. If you saw me in school, I was the quiet girl. Being a Christian, at that time, was nothing more than being good, singing pretty songs about God in Church, and learning about the Bible stories.

It wasn't until High School that any drama even affected my life. Some of the issues I met, I had already faced a little in Middle School with friends outside of school; but the only way I knew how to handle them was to ignore it. In High School, even though I was at a Christian school, there were people openly lying to parents and teachers. There were groups together cheating on homework. I heard someone curse almost every day. For the quiet girl who was coming out of her shell, this was a huge change from what I had been used to seeing. I honestly did not know what to do, and I made a lot of mistakes that year.

At the end of February of my Freshman year, I took a trip to Tennessee with my youth group for a huge Christian youth rally called Winterfest. I had been there the year before, and so that year, I convinced my whole family to come with me. It was here that I met real Christianity.

I heard people sing as though God was right before them and listening to their words. I learned new songs with words that were clear about their message, and not hidden behind fancy Bible language. I listened as the speakers explained how there had been a Veil that kept us away from God, and that when Jesus died, that Veil was torn from top to bottom, so that we could be with God again. I spent the last night crying and praying with my friend Alicia. The last day I was there, the speaker announced, "If you feel you need to give your life to Christ right now, please, come forward." I turned to Alicia, and I asked her, "Alicia, will you walk up there with me?" She said, "Of course!" and I was baptized that very day back in the hotel's hot tub. I cried through the whole thing.

For the next year and a half, I have gone up and down through struggles, making mistakes and learning from them. I've been learning how to trust God with my life, how to resist temptations, and how to lead others. I will openly admit: I am not perfect. Being a Christian means always growing, so I know I will never be done struggling with life; but I can say that I am a better person now than I ever was because of Christ.