unspeakable love.

the heavy tread of soldiers boots
horses snorting
fires flickering
tents pitched
tense waiting...waiting
a battle cry
a mother's sob
swords, clashing
children, wailing
families, broken
lives torn apart.
all of Israel crying,
where is our Messiah?
our Savior?
our Deliverer?
our Victorious One?

a silent night
except for the moans
of a woman in labor.
heavy breathing, quiet wailing,
and then a baby's cry
pierces the silent night
in a tiny stable
buried in the heart of Bethlehem
God's beloved
born to us.

more soldiers.
more wailing.
more crying.
more questioning.
more waiting.

while they waited
the baby grew
and grew and grew
into a man.
the infinite God, who had no beginning,
became man, and still God,
and had a beginning,
among His beloved,
among those He came to save.

although He was not the military victor people expected, this man still won victories.
except these victories were far more important than any war or battle fought with human hands.
these were victories won in the very essence of our beings,
in our souls,
in our deepest of places.
with each victory came the expansion of His kingdom and freedom to those who believed,
who had once been slaves to their own earthly natures.
He was a mighty victor.

His most glorious victory of all
came unlike any other.
without a big battle
or a giant overthrow of government.
instead, He died.
He died that we might live.
that those elected to be a part of His kingdom would truly be freed, once and for all.
but He didn't stay dead.

He was victorious over the grave.
it had no power over Him.
and the freedom that He died to give still remains
open to any and all
who accept the free citizenship in His kingdom.

John 3:16. what a Mighty Savior we serve.

standing on the promises.

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." Ephesians 6:18

Praying my heart out for the Oppers. I know that God is in control of all of this, and that His will is going to be done through this. As hard as it is to see His plan, I do know He has the bigger picture.

Here's the lyrics to a song I've been thinking about a lot today.

Standing on the promises of Christ my King, 
through eternal ages let his praises ring; 
glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, 
standing on the promises of God. 

Standing, standing, 
standing on the promises of Christ my Savior; 
standing, standing, 
I'm standing on the promises of God. 

Standing on the promises that cannot fail, 
when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, 
by the living Word of God I shall prevail, 
standing on the promises of God.  

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, 
bound to him eternally by love's strong cord, 
overcoming daily with the Spirit's sword, 
standing on the promises of God.  

Standing on the promises I cannot fall, 
listening every moment to the Spirit's call, 
resting in my Savior as my all in all, 
standing on the promises of God. 

The bold parts are the phrases that have really stuck out to me. My friend Stephanie wrote a wonderful post of verses...go check it out here. 

-Em
 

identity.

well, if you haven't heard by now, I am going back to Haslett at the semester change (end of January-ish). I've made this choice for a lot of different reasons...basically, the bottom line is that homeschooling isn't working out as well as I'd hoped. I'm going to miss everyone a lot, except we'll still be hanging out and everything so I won't have to miss you guys! :) ok, now on to what this post is actually about:

I read this quote by A. W. Tozer the other day, which really got me thinking. Here it is:

"A great deal can be learned about people by observing whom an what they imitate. The weak, for instance, imitate the strong; never the reverse. The poor imitate the rich. The self-assured are imitated by the timid and uncertain, the genuine is imitated by the counterfeit, and people all tend to imitate what they admire.

By this definition power today lies with the world, for it is the world that initiates an the church that imitates what she has initiated. By this definition the church admires the world. The church is uncertain and looks to the world for assurance. A weak church is aping a strong world to the amusement of intelligent sinners and to her own everlasting shame."
-A. W. Tozer

Guys, this is really true. I mean...we say we want to walk and talk and be like Jesus, but then who (or what) do we look to to define us? I know for girls it's so easy to be defined by the moral standards of the world - to wear really tight jeans or that one shirt that dips just a tiiiiiny bit lower than is probably "good". I fall into that trap all the time...I find myself buying into the lies of the world, claiming my identity in the lies that are preached through our culture. When I think about it, I realize that's not where I want to be. I don't want to be a world worshipper...I want Jesus to be the One who forms every aspect of my life, my true Maker. When I think about my "identity" and where it should be, 1 Peter 2:9 comes to mind. It says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 

Does that blow anyone else's mind? We were specifically called out of the bondage that held us in the darkness before our salvation. We aren't slaves to it anymore. We don't have to just try to become what the world tries to bend us to. The world doesn't hold our ultimate agenda anymore. Our agenda, our schedule for life, is found in Jesus Christ alone.

happy things.

Today and yesterday were just happy sort of days. I've been reading through the Psalms before bed every night, and I've been thinking a lot about Psalm 23. I memorized it as "The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want." I had never really thought about what those words mean, until a friend posted them on Facebook in a different version of the text. Her status said, "The LORD is my Shepherd, I have all that I need."

The last part of that really made me think. Do I live like I have all that I need? Do I live like Christ is my all?

The picture of the Hebrew word above is the word "shalom". Most people I know would say that this word means peace. However, I was talking to my youth pastor, and he said there was also another meaning for the word. Instead of peace, it can also mean "the way things are supposed to be."

The way things are supposed to be. Wow. I don't know what mental image you get with that phrase, but for me, it's a world that's perfect. A world that doesn't have the pain and suffering that inhabits it right now. A world that hasn't taken perverted the most sacred parts of life. A world of living in the Light, instead of being shrouded in the darkness that so frequently suffocates us.

Living in the Light. The way things are supposed to be.
Guys, they're just phrases until we start living them out.

friendship :]]

today I spent the day with one of my best friends, Callie. We had a wonderful day, and I was so thankful to be able to spend time with her. She's one of those people who can always make me smile, even when I'm having a downer of a day. She has incredible faith, always encouraging me in my walk with Christ, and I know that I can share anything with her and trust her to keep it a secret, if it's private. Callie, I love you so much and I'm so thankful to have you in my life! Here's a few pictures of our shenanigans (shenanigans is such an interesting word!)....

Our perfect tree...hahaha

they're just really cool.

Christmas Cookies! 

decorating the tree!

making cookies :]]

Christmas tree shopping - SO COLD.

Love you Cals!

Thanksgiving

Today was Thanksgiving, as I'm sure you know, and so I decided to make a list of things I'm thankful for. This is no where NEAR the complete list, and it's not really a lot of like...the basic things that I'm really thankful for, like showers and a house, but these are kind of little perks that just make me smile and I would be sad if I didn't have them.

Isn't that just pretty? I love flowers :)

I like cupcakes. I think they're cute.

I'm so thankful that I have a Bible. We're really blessed.

my favorite shoes in the world - www.toms.com

I LOVE RAINBOWS AND STORMS

best friends. Love them.

Yeah. So I stole pretty much all those pictures from the web...sorry. But I do really appreciate all of these things, and I'm very thankful for them! I'm also thankful for books, and showers, and cars, and a house, and my hilarious, lovable family, and being homeschooled, and...yeah. tons and tons of stuff. 

What are YOU thankful for? :]

rep the King

Lately I've been thinking about the idea of "rep the King" - meaning representing Jesus with our lives. It's really easy for me to sometimes just put God away, not really thinking about Him until I actually "need" Him.

Obviously, that needs to change.

Lecrae is a Christian rapper. Usually, I'm not really into his type of music...however, his lyrics are legit. Instead of rapping about the usual drugs, girls, alcohol, and money, Lecrae uses his music to share the Gospel. There's a particular lyrics set that I've really been thinking about...it goes like this:

"If you didn't know Him would your life look the same? 
Can they tell you value Jesus by the way you rep his name? 
Man what's the point of living if I'm living for myself 
Lord empty out my life before I put you on the shelf"

That's pretty powerful stuff. Do I actually mean that I want God to use me, no matter what? Can people around me tell that I serve Jesus? I don't know. Even if you're not into Lecrae's "style" of music, you can't deny the truth in his lyrics. This is real, you guys. We can't just be "comfortable" Christians anymore. I know that it's not okay for me to just sit in my little clique of friends in my church pew with my Bible comfortably on my lap. I mean...anyone can do that. It doesn't take a life sold out for Christ to be comfortable. Actually, I don't really think that being sold out for Christ will result in being comfortable. I know I have to carry my cross and follow Christ with my whole life.

It's not that I've never though about this before...I have. I guess my thought process just has been reinforced lately. I know it's time for a change.

-Em

Mexico.

Today the team from my church left for Tijuana, Mexico. I was originally planning on going on this trip, so it's a little bittersweet to not be going. My parents pulled me out of the trip because of safety issues, which I respect and understand, but I wish I was going. Anyway, please keep the team in your prayers this week, as there is quite a bit of violence going on down there. Thanks and love you all! (Pictures below are from last year's trip...taken by me)

 The Beautiful Pacific Ocean

 Leaving...San Diego Airport

My Girls! Cali before driving over the border.

Also...like the new layout? :)

The Message

I've been thinking about different translations of the Bible and how lucky I am to have access to many of them (biblegateway.com) and then I started thinking about The Message. To me, The Message is more of a paraphrase and "modern" language than an actual translation...anyway, Psalm 1 in The Message is so different from NIV that I had to share it. Verse one is what gets me....I'll post both NIV and The Message so you can compare.

Psalm 1 (NIV)
¹ Blessed is the one
   who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
   or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
   and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
   which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
   whatever they do prospers.
 ⁴ Not so the wicked!
   They are like chaff
   that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
   nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
 ⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
   but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.


Psalm 1 (The Message)


How well God must like you— you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, 
you don't slink along Dead-End Road,
   you don't go to Smart-Mouth College.

 ^2-3 Instead you thrill to God's Word,
      you chew on Scripture day and night.
   You're a tree replanted in Eden,
      bearing fresh fruit every month,
   Never dropping a leaf,
      always in blossom.

 ^4-5 You're not at all like the wicked,
      who are mere windblown dust—
   Without defense in court,
      unfit company for innocent people.

 ⁶ God charts the road you take.
   The road they take is Skid Row.


Really now? Smart-Mouth College? Where is that in the original?


sooo leave a comment and tell me what you think of The Message! :]

TWLOHA

So today is TWLOHA (To Write Love On Her Arms) day, and pretty much everyone I saw had LOVE emblazoned on their arms. It's a cool idea...I wrote LOVE on my arm, too. However, it got me thinking. It seems like we [as humans] frequently think that we can "fix" things with LOVE. A lot of popular music and movies have LOVE as a main theme, and I'm all for a little LOVE in the world! This post is making me sound like I don't approve of LOVE, but I do. But the thing is, this LOVE we try to spread around by ourselves is our own minuscule version of LOVE. It's an emotion that we try to project towards others, but true LOVE is only from Jesus. We can't fix the world with our human version of LOVE. Sure, things may seem a little better and run a little smoother, but the only lasting change as a result of LOVE comes from Jesus Christ and no one else. I was reading 1 John 4:7-21...check it out.


Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first. If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters. 

(By the way, I feel like I should say that I added the bold-ness to the LOVE in the passage. It's not that way in the actual text, but I thought it was pretty interesting to read it with the LOVE emphasized.)

So yeuup.

my thoughts, if you cared to know. and if you didn't, well...now you know them anyway!

Em

busy?

hi :]]

So I've been incredibly busy lately. Not an awful sort of busy, just a crazy sort of busy. I supposed I prefer being busy to not, but all the same, it'd be nice if I could just pause the world, go take a nap, write some letters, read a book, and drink some chai. But, since that's not going to happen, I'll just update you on what's been happening since my last real post!

1. I took Driver's Ed - beware. (Actually, I tell myself I'm not that bad. I haven't hit anything yet...that's got to count for something, right?)
2. I babysat all last weekend. As in Friday to Monday morning. It was quite intense, and I have a new respect for single parents. I honestly have no idea how anyone could do that for more than a weekend.
3. Last night, I got home from being with my best friends in IN. We were together for such a short time (something like 36 hours!) but it still felt so good to be back with them and everything. I'm just so thankful that I get to be friends with such cool people.
4. I watched Alice in Wonderland (the Johnny Depp one!) and I LOVE IT.
5. Basically this was an incredibly self-centered post. I'm sorry.

Anddddd I have a cool quote that is officially one of my favorites. Here it is: “I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world, there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love, and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.”-Napoleon Bonaparte


Yeah. Ok. Think about that one for a while. :]


byeeeeee.
Em

ayyye.

So hey.

I'm working on my school like there's no tomorrow, but it's ok because I am SO excited for this weekend! I get to go see all my best friends and it's going to be amazing. I shouldn't even be posting, but I'll try to actually have a for real long post later!

byeee!

Also, check out Nehemiah 9 if you haven't ever read it.

I'm so thankful that we have the privilege of a personal, intimate relationship with our Savior and LORD.

Extravagant (Casting Crowns)


Your love is extravagant
Your friendship, it is intimate
I feel I'm moving to the rhythm of Your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating in the secret place
Cause Your love is extravagant

Chorus:
Spread wide in the arms of Christ there's a love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known; You considered me a friend
Capture my heart again

Your love is extravagant
Your friendship, it is intimate
I feel I'm moving to the rhythm of Your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating in the secret place
Your love is extravagant

Spread wide in the arms of Christ there's a love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known; You considered me a friend
Spread wide in the arms of Christ there's a love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known; You considered me a friend
Capture my heart again

Your love is extravagant
Your friendship, it is intimate

the love of God.

Hey everyone!
I recently discovered this song....sorry for all the poems/lyrics that I post on here, but this song just made me think about how great and how big and how awesome our God is.


The Love of God

1. The love of God is greater far

1. Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
   It goes beyond the highest star,
   And reaches to the lowest hell;
   The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
   God gave His Son to win;
   His erring child He reconciled,
   And pardoned from his sin.
   • Refrain:
     Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
     How measureless and strong!
     It shall forevermore endure—
     The saints’ and angels’ song.
2. When hoary time shall pass away,
   And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
   When men who here refuse to pray,
   On rocks and hills and mountains call,
   God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
   All measureless and strong;
   Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
   The saints’ and angels’ song.
3. Could we with ink the ocean fill,
   And were the skies of parchment made,
   Were every stalk on earth a quill,
   And every man a scribe by trade;
   To write the love of God above
   Would drain the ocean dry;
   Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
   Though stretched from sky to sky.

He is so mighty, isn't He? :]

makes you think

For my American Lit class, we've been reading poetry from American History. The following is a poem written by early American poet (poetess?) Anne Bradstreet, after her house burned down. Her outlook on life made me stop and look at my own life, wondering what my perspective would be if all my earthly possessions were burned into literal ashes. It certainly made me stop and think, and I hope it will do the same for you.

Upon the Burning of Our House

by Anne Bradstreet

In silent night when rest I took,
For sorrow neer I did not look,
I waken'd was with thundring nois
And Piteous shreiks of dreadfull voice.
That fearfull sound of fire and fire,
Let no man know is my Desire.
I, starting up, the light did spye,
And to my God my heart did cry
To strengthen me in my Distresse
And not to leave me succourlesse.
Then coming out beheld a space,
The flame consume my dwelling place.

And, when I could no longer look,
I blest his Name that gave and took,
That layd my goods now in the dust:
Yea so it was, and so 'twas just.
It was his own: it was not mine;
Far be it that I should repine.

He might of All justly bereft,
But yet sufficient for us left.
When by the Ruines oft I past,
My sorrowing eyes aside did cast,
And here and there the places spye
Where oft I sate, and long did lye.

Here stood that Trunk, and there that chest;
There lay that store I counted best:
My pleasant things in ashes lye,
And them behold no more shall I.
Under thy roof no guest shall sitt,
Nor at thy Table eat a bitt.

No pleasant tale shall 'ere be told,
Nor things recounted done of old.
No Candle 'ere shall shine in Thee,
Nor bridegroom's voice ere heard shall bee.
In silence ever shalt thou lye;
Adieu, Adeiu; All's vanity.

Then streight I gin my heart to chide,
And didst thy wealth on earth abide?
Didst fix thy hope on mouldring dust,
The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?
Raise up thy thoughts above the skye
That dunghill mists away may flie.

Thou hast an house on high erect
Fram'd by that mighty Architect,
With glory richly furnished,
Stands permanent tho' this bee fled.
It's purchased, and paid for too
By him who hath enough to doe.

A Prise so vast as is unknown,
Yet, by his Gift, is made thine own.
Ther's wealth enough, I need no more;
Farewell my Pelf, farewell my Store.
The world no longer let me Love,
My hope and Treasure lyes Above.

school again?

:] + :[ + :\ + :|

that pretty much sums up my day today.

As most of you probably know, today was the first day of school! It was rather bittersweet, as this year I'm choosing not to attend the local public high school but instead go back to homeschooling. I had a hard time realizing that I wasn't going back - today was the first time that reality really sunk in. I woke up at 6:00, got ready, and was out the door by 7:15. We dropped Calvin off at school, and my mind was suddenly filled with flashbacks of last year and walking in as the new kid, the first day. Anyway, I was pretty emotional as we showed up at TW, ready for orientation (NOT). I walked in, feeling like the new kid, realizing that I had missed so much and yet...everything was the same, as if I had missed nothing at all. I reconnected with old friends, and overall it was a pretty good day. Anyway, if any of you Haslett kids read this (probably not!), here's a shout out to you and everything you did last year to make it so wonderful. You guys really made an impact in my life, and I'll never forget it. 

Love you all :]

Em

Lansing Mission Trip, part 2

I'm back from the Lansing Mission Trip that I went on with Ignite! There were 12 of us on the team, and we went for 5 days to serve the people of Lansing. The week was very powerful- we served at food banks, retirement centers, food pantries, churches, gleaning a field, and an outdoor concert event called Bless Fest. It was amazing to see how much need there is in the community surrounding us, just literally 5 miles from South. We stayed in a church directly in downtown Lansing called Christ Community Church. It was quite an experience- we slept on cots/air mattresses in the Sunday School rooms, which were quite interesting. The basement of the church was mold infested, and it was sad to see the church in such disrepair. My favorite service project was probably at Grand Haven retirement center, where we got to talk to many of the residents. I talked with a woman named Dolly (really Delores) for the majority of our time there. She had dementia, which meant that she repeated a lot of what she said. Whenever there was a pause in conversation, she would come up with “I have 4 children. My husband was injured in WWII. Never rust the V.A. – they always lie to you.” which was a little confusing since I wasn’t sure what exactly the V.A. was, but it ended up being really cool to hear her stories about her husband and her kids. She was wearing her 55th wedding anniversary ring, and she was able to tell me all about how he gave it to her, what a surprise it was, what an amazing man her husband was, and a bunch of other stuff. It was sad because unlike some of the other residents, she had never known Jesus as her personal Savior, which meant that she didn’t really have any hope/joy left in the world (or after it!), because her husband died and her children never visit her. Anyway, because of all this, I learned a lot about how God loves everyone, even the elderly that we might not really see as people/active citizens. It was a really cool experience that I’m really thankful for.

Our devotions for the week were on the book of Jonah. We went through the whole book, using a book that the leaders had put together specifically for the trip. My “favorite” day (the one I learned the most from) was Day 2, when we looked at Jonah 2. Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish is quite convicting- reading it and thinking about the situation that he’s in is quite intense. Here are the verses that really spoke to me: “‘Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.’ And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” (verses 8-10) The idea of when we choose to follow after things that are not of God causes us to forfeit grace and blessings that could be ours if we just follow God and what He commands is pretty staggering to me. I think that if we as believers fully understood what that verse is saying, then we would (hopefully) choose to follow God with whatever He commands, no matter what the cost. In our devotion book, it also talked about verse 10 as Jonah being saved unto something – that he was saved with a purpose, that his job wasn’t over. The devotional challenged us to think about what we have been saved unto. Why did Christ die for us? Because He loved us, and now it is our job to tell others about His breathtaking, amazing love. It isn’t a mission- you can turn down a mission, choose not to complete it, and failing a mission is an option. It’s a command- you can’t turn down a command or just chose not to follow through. You must complete a command given to you by your master, who is Jesus Christ.

So yep. That’s a large majority of what I learned- I’ll probably think of different experiences (by the way, I can’t ever spell experiences correctly the first time I try) that I want to share with you.

Em

Lansing Mission Trip

Hey everyone!

So my youth group is taking a missions trip to Lansing this week. I'm really excited about this, because instead of "going" to do missions (which is important too!), we're going to be learning how to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the community surrounding us. We leave on Wednesday night, and your prayers would be much appreciated! We have a fairly small group going, which is also cool because we will really get to know each other and bond as a team. One of the cool places we will get to serve is Bless Fest- a Christian version of Common Ground. We will get to be "hosts" (which means greeting/talking to people/handing out information), child care helpers, food servers, and basically whatever they need us to do! I'm so excited about this opportunity to serve Lansing, and I would really appreciate your prayers. Thanks!

Em

more Phil!

so I love Phil Wickham. It's true. Go listen to his songs right now.

How It Turned Out
What are the chances
Of ever knowing You
Oh God of creation
What would have happened
If I never followed You
Oh Lord of salvation
But this is how it turned out
This is how it turned out
Everyday you greet me
With the beauty of the dawn
My faithful Companion
Your mercy is the morning
Your glory is in the sun
My Father in heaven
You knew how it would turn out
You knew how it would turn out

You're the hope of my life
You're the God of my peace
You're the light of my soul the very reason I breathe
I will walk in Your love
I will run in Your grace
I live to worship You

You are the reason
For every breathe I take
The strength in my weakness
You have forgiven every one of my mistakes
Power in meakness
This is how it turned out
This is how it turned out


Divine Romance
The fullness of Your grace is here with me
The richness of Your beauty's all I see
The brightness of Your glory has arrived
In Your presence God, I'm completely satisfied

For You I sing I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Lift my heart and my hands
To show my love, to show my love

A deep deep flood, an Ocean flows from You
Of deep deep love, yeah it's filling up the room
Your innocent blood, has washed my guilty life
In Your presence God I'm completely satisfied 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How It Turned Out reminded me of Psalm 119:32, which says : "I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free." We truly are free in our Redeemer!

Colossians 3

During my recent week of teching at Camp Barakel (teching is volunteering for the week and working and having a blast :]), we memorized Colossians 3:1-4. Memorizing scripture is not one of my strong points, and having the daily encouragement and accountability of the other techs was a great help to me. Anyway, I recently realized that since my AWANA years, I have slacked off in the memorizing department and have decided to get back on the bandwagon. My first chapter was Psalm 91, and I've decided to follow it with Colossians 3. When I memorize Scripture, I like to read it in several different versions of the Bible, to try to begin to understand the full meaning of the words. Now, I'm obviously not a Bible scholar, but I find a lot of clarification in reading from versions other than my good old NIV. One of my favorites is KJV, which I think masterfully captures the original text. I was reading Colossians 3 in KJV, and I came across verse 2. In my NIV, it says "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." For some reason, I was able to just breeze over this in my NIV memorizing, but when I read it in KJV, it really captured my attention. It says, "Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth." The word "affections" really grabbed me- it made me realize that not only are we to think of things of God and dwell only on things that are pleasing to Him, we are also to love the things of Him, not the things of this world.

Here's the whole passage, so you can  read it for yourselves:

Colossians 3

 ¹If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
 ²Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
 ³For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
 ⁴When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
 ⁵Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
 ⁶For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
 ⁷In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
 ⁸But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
 ⁹Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
 ¹⁰And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
 ¹¹Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
 ¹²Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
 ¹³Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
 ¹⁴And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
 ¹⁵And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
 ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
 ¹⁷And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
 ¹⁸Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
 ¹⁹Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
 ²⁰Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
 ²¹Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
 ²²Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God;
 ²³And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
 ²⁴Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
 ²⁵But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

beach days :]

Yesterday I went to the beach with our youth group. On the way up, we stopped at Michigan's biggest indoor flea market (I'm not really sure why!). It was an interesting experience...at first glance, most of it seemed like junk, but they actually had some pretty cool records and furniture! It was a perfect day for the beach - the sun was shining, it was hot, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. In fact, it was so hot that some of the people in our group got blisters on the bottom of their feet from standing on the hot sand! We played beach volleyball, ate pizza at this really cool restaurant that overlooked the water, and pretty much just had a wonderful time. Anyway, it was a great day and I can't wait to do it again :]

part of our group

Summer and me on the pier

Sailboat from the pier

puppies again?

well hey everyone :]

today was an eventful day. About 2 weeks ago, as I before mentioned, Goldie had puppies. 11 of them. And, thankfully, all 11 are still alive and kicking, but we now have to bottle feed them. If you've never had the chance to bottle feed 2 week old puppies, let me tell you: it's a long and painful process. Long because...they eat slowly! And they often can't tell what they're doing! And painful because, well, puppies have claws. Sharp claws which dig into your arms. I just finished this long task (it takes about 2 hours!) and I'm in desperate need of a shower, due to the spilling of formula (gross!) and the general smell of puppies.

Now, yesterday I came home from camp, expecting to find a new litter of puppies from Toffee, the other mother who was expecting. Well, I did find puppies. But they were not, however, from Toffee....they are Nova's! all 8 of them! great. I thought, "ok, 19 puppies. We can do this. We've had 18 at a time before...what's one more?" I was, of course, forgetting that Toffee was still pregnant (about to burst is more like it!) and this afternoon, she gave birth to 8 puppies. Well, actually, she's in the middle of labor with more still inside her, and we only have 7 of hers because there were twins and one died. So...yeah. If you ever want to see puppies, or want a puppy, or even just wish you had a dog, come on over to my house. You can play with them to your heart's content.

Anyway, it's been amazing to witness God's provision through this time. He truly does care about His children, as I've seen through His answering my prayers of please let us find a buyer for this dog/make this move injury-free/give me a peace about everything that is going on. Take, for example, Bella, our 130-pound St. Bernard. Bella is something of a protective/selective/not-good-with-kids dog, and finding a new home for her was proving to be difficult (she'd been advertised for for almost 4 weeks). Last night, I prayed that God would provide a buyer for Bella by Saturday. This evening, my dad came home and said that Bella now has a new home - the people wanted to take her tonight, in fact! God is so good to us. I'm constantly amazed.

Although taking care of puppies is somewhat draining, I know that we'll make it through and that it will all work out in the end. Besides...puppies are pretty cute! ;]

Em

My favorite puppy, Red Girl.

abandoned.

I have forgotten this blog. I'm sorry. I'll try to do better! :[

Anyway, what's new in the life of Emily? Three things:

1. I moved.

2. I am going to be homeschooled this fall.

3. My dog had 11 puppies.

Now, you may not think that #3 really affects me right now, but when the MOTHER of those eleven little goldendoodles is an out of control MONSTER, we have issues which involve me.

the MONSTER herself.

Right now, we have an issue. It is a 97-pound problem named Goldie. She is the mom, like I said before, of 11 puppies, each of whom she steps on/sits on frequently. She's totally oblivious to their existence, and so it requires total observation anytime she's with the puppies, which means that one of us is with the puppies for at least 30 minutes, every 2 hours, around the clock. Are you aware of how long 30 minutes seems at 1 AM? Very, very long.

So basically, that has been my major task in the past few days. Along with unpacking more boxes than you can count in a house that has no AC when it's 97 degrees outside. It's pretty much a joyride over here.

Peace out, girl scouts.

Em

poor, abandoned blog :[

I'm so sorry! I've forgotten all about you, my poor little blog! I'll write more soon, I promise! School's out friday....talk to you all then!

sanctification.

last Thursday at Ignite, we talked about sanctification. According to dictionary.com, "sanctification" is defined as:

1.) to be set apart for sacred us;, consecrate

2.) to make holy; purify

3.) the state of growing in divine grace as a result of a Christian commitment

so basically, sanctification is a process that should be going on in each of our lives as Christians. It's a continual change- one that is always taking place, which I believe won't be completed until we are glorified with Christ someday.

I'm still thinking about the idea/implications of all this...it's something that I don't frequently dwell on. Anyway...just a thought for the day!

Em

P.S.

John 17:17-19

The Singer

Tonight, while I was babysitting my brother, I picked up a book from his room. The book is called The Singer, written by Calvin Miller in 1975. I was unsure if I would like the book, but I as I began to read, the story immediatly caught my attention.

This is no ordinary book.

This book captures the image of Jesus Christ, coming to earth as a man, and the love he has for every one of His children. It shows the compassion, the heartache, the raw, pure love that He has for each of us, and it so clearly showcases the picture of the restored relationship He so desperatly desires to have with each of us.

Did I mention the fact that this book is written in poetry? I'm sure there's a better word/phrase for that, but that factor contributed to my orginal feelings of uncertantinty. I was wrong-this book is one that I will remember for a long time, and is certainly a fantastic piece of literature. [Side note: why can't we read books like this in school?]

Here are a few of my favorite exerpts from the book...

"You know the final verse?"
his mother asked.

"I know it all," he answered
back. "But I'll not sing it
here. I'll wait till I am on
the wall. Then alone the
melody will fall upon thick
ears."

"They will not like the final
verse," she said.

"They will not like it, for its
music is beyond their empty days
and makes them trade their
littleness for life."

"The self of every singer of the
song must die to know its music?"

"They all must die, and ever
does the self die hard. It
screams and begs in pity not to
go. Nor can it bear to let the
Father-Spirit own the soul."

He turned the thoughts methodi-
cally within his mind then spoke
again, "Mother, I shall sing the
song while I move out to seek
more singers who like me are
quite content to sing, then die."

She knew that he was right, but
found it hard to talk of joyous
life and painful death at the
same time. How odd the song born
on Earthmaker's breath should
lead his only Troubador to death.

"I cannot bear to see you
die. Let all
The world go by. Don't
sing upon the wall.
At least don't sing the
hell-bound ancient curse.
If you must sing of life
leave off the final verse."

"I go," he said. "God give me
strength to sing upon the wall-
the Great Walled City of the
Ancient King."

He turned.

She cried.

"Leave off the final verse and
not upon the wall."

He kissed her.

"I can't ignore
the Father-Spirit's call
So I will sing it there,
and I will sing it all."

-The Singer, Calvin Miller, (pg. 44-45)

I love it. This, my friends, is beautiful. Raw, powerful, and beautiful.
Fantastic.

Em

you make me SMILE :]

Hey everybodayyy!
This post is simply a shout out to those amazing people who really make life wonderful. I love you all, and I just wanted to let you all know how amazing you are and how sweet it is of you to put up with me. Thanks for being so fantastic!
Em

Oh yeah, by the way...I'm not sure that I've posted this verse lately, but it's one that is really on my heart.

Jeremiah 10:23
"I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps."

True Love=the Father's love for us

Hello all,

This is a song that Phil Wickham did on his album "Cannons". I highly suggest it, and so I'm going to post the lyrics to his song True Love. It's something of the story of the crucifixion of our Savior and the intense love He has for us.

"True Love"

Come close listen to the story
About a love more faithful than the morning
The Father gave His only Son just to save us

The earth was shaking in the dark
All creation felt the Fathers Broken Heart
Tears were filling Heaven's Eyes
The day that True Love died, the day that True Love died
When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn't move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that True Love died, The day that True Love died

Search your heart you know you can't deny it
Come on, lose your life just so you can find it
The Father gave His only Son just to save us

The Earth was shaking in the dark
All creation felt The Fathers broken heart
Tears were filling Heaven's Eyes
The day that True Love died, the day that True Love died
When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn't move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that True Love died, The day that True Love died

Now, Jesus is alive

Jesus is alive
Jesus is alive
Jesus is alive
Jesus is alive
Oh, He is alive
He rose again

When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn't move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that True Love died, The day that True Love died

Come close listen to the story

What an awesome Savior we serve!

Em

fairytales.

Hey :]

well, first of all...soccer was actually fun. I'm really feeling the practice right now (yay for muscles I didn't even know existed!) but we don't have another one until Tuesday, so that should give me time to recover. I'm really excited about it...thanks for the prayers!

As you can probably see, the title of this post is fairy tales. except without the space. Anyway, it's called that because of a conviction I've had lately in my life. As a Christian, I've realized that I have expected life to be a fairy tale. No major troubles to speak of, eventually marrying the perfect guy, and driving away from the wedding, off to a mansion of immeasurable riches and happiness, where (of course!) we would live happily ever after. Well, REALITY CHECK for me! That's not always how it happens. In life, there ARE troubles, and every girl doesn't always get married in a fairy tale wedding. In the world around me, there's so much of a push and a longing for a happily ever after, with perfect relationships and no more pain of frustration. Last weekend, my great grandma died, and today was her funeral. At the burial, the pastor said, "Now, we are burying a body, but this is not Caroline. Caroline is in heaven, celebrating with her Savior and Creator. She's not here, she is with Christ!" I was suddenly reminded of the fact that I am not living in a perfect world. Things don't always work out, hearts are broken, and pain and irritation is everywhere. But someday, we as Christians are going to be able to celebrate in the arms of our Creator, completely whole and made perfect in His glory. I am so excited for that! Isn't it such a reassurance that "our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Corinthians 4:17). The real question is...are you going to be there, taking part in that eternal glory?

Em.

Soccer!

Today was a lovely day. I had a good day (unlike yesterday!) and we certainly needed the sunshine that was ever so conveniently paired with the beautiful blue sky outside. The one thing that slightly...freaked my day out was when I actually agreed to doing spring soccer at my school. For any of you who know me, it's rather obvious that I'm not a sportsy sort of person. I enjoy volleyball, but that's about it. I used to play soccer, but not any more...at least, not until today. Today I said yes. I am BEYOND nervous about the first practice tomorrow, but I'm most likely over-thinking it and it will be totally fine. So, if anyone has a few seconds to spare and wants to send up a quick prayer for my state of mind and my physical stamina, that would be ever so lovely! Mom and I are going to pick up some of the things I'm going to need, like cleats, shorts, and socks/shin guards! :]

Anyway...other than that, I had a totally fabulous day, despite the HORRID math test that was trying to ruin this sunshiny day...it did not succeed. No worries. I'll hopefully let all you guys know how it goes tomorrow...wish me luck! AH!

:] Em

P.S.

Go check my Tumblr...I have an app for my phone, and so I can update while I'm on the run.

emilyelizabeth20.tumblr.com

ACT.

Ugh. I'm sitting at school, bored out of my mind in my third hour class. Apparently a bunch of juniors I know are here, but I haven't seen any of them yet! AH! I can't get to my locker, and the school feels extra warm because of all the closeness with the students...I can't say this is really enjoyable at all. Wow. I'm such a complainer...I apologize to everyone who read those last few lines. Let's see...I think that a little scripture quote would help my boring day along! :]

1 John 4:7-8
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

What a fantastic reminder- loving others is not one of my strengths, and I will certainly be trying to work on that! On a happier note, my math test is postponed until next week, and my Bio presentation isn't until Thursday. I guess today might not be so bad after all...good luck to all you juniors!

Em :]

Oh! and there's sunshine and not much snow left. Ohh yeah, today is a good day. haha :]

Hallelujah!

So I recently discovered this song called "All I Have is Christ". Google it. Buy it. Listen to it. I love it. :]. Here are some of the lyrics...

"I once was lost, in darkest night,
yet thought I knew the way,
The sin that promised joy and life,
had led me to the grave.
I had no hope that You would own
a rebel to Your will,
and if You had not loved me first,
I would refuse You still.

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ!
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life!"

So...that's one of my favorite songs right now. I love the "Hallelujah! All I have is Christ! Jesus is my life!" I've really been challenged with that saying, because I'm not sure if I'm in a place in my walk with Christ that I could actually say "Hallelujah, all I have is Him, and He is enough!". That's my little mini challenge this week...well, not so mini, I guess.

Also, on a not-so-hallelujah note, this week is ACT and MME week, so I wish good luck to all you juniors, and I'm sure you'll do totally fabulously. At our school, they blockade off like...half of the school, which includes my locker, which means you can't get to those classrooms/lockers until Friday morning. FRIDAY. Which means I have to lug around all 1,000,000 pounds of junk that usually exists inside my locker and I will probably end up with a broken back. My kind friend Katie is letting me put my things in her locker, which is SUPER generous, so I'll hopefully be a little bit less encumbered. Wish you all well! Hope this week goes aboslutely swimmingly!

Em

SPRING! (PUPPIES!)

So I realized all I post about is my thoughts...never any pictures or anything exciting like that. Last week, our dog Holly had puppies, and so, I will now attempt to upload a few pictures of the adorable little guys. :].

I really could just watch them all day...just being cute.

Aww, yeah. I love puppies.

Anyway, sorry about the fuzziness in the photos...the little guys are still a bit wobbly, and getting them to hold still is certainly a trick. We have 8 boys and 3 girls, and they're just as cute as can be! Hope you guys have been absolutely wonderful since I last had a chance to talk to you...love to all!

Em