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.