Thursday, December 24, 2009

...There's Just Somethin About That Name...

I've been hearing a lot about worry and doubt these days, mainly from myself. As you might have read in earlier posts, I've been so confused as to what my future holds. Now that I've finally picked a major, after 4 very long years, I'm super excited. But now what? Will I stay here? Will I make new friends in my new department? Will I have the money to pay my car payment this month? Will I get to go to Africa? Will I.... All these doubts and all these worries are completely legit, completely understandable, and completely dumb! Who am I to question the God of the universe? This huge perfect God that cared enough for me and you to plan so delicately put into place. I get so frustrated with myself thinking about all this things, when really I just need to rely on Him for all the answers that I need and all the comfort I could use!



"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the Peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:6-7

I know I've blogged about it before, but it's a subject that so relates to just about everyone.



Another subject that's been on my mind a lot is the snow. Who would have thought it would snow, not only once, but three times in Frisco, TX in a span of two weeks?! It was truly a Christmas surprise, and possibly a miracle! As I watched the snow fall from somewhere too high for me to fathom, to the ground I noticed just how beautiful and pure it is. I began to think about God and just who He is, who I'm not, and everything His grace covers to make good again. It's amazing how much I can mess things up! I take things into my own hands, and make them even messier, but, just like the snow, God covers all that is ugly and wrong, then everything melts and it's all washed away and you get to start all over again. I'm just so in awe of Him today. Man what an awesome God we serve!!
Well, that's all I have for today! Sorry if I'm all over the place! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! I'll be talking to you real soon!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Your future's so dull you should bring a flashlight?

It's a Tuesday night that started like any other Tuesday night. Ella got off work over an hour late because her evil boss assigned her the biggest project of the year just three hours before the deadline. She has worked her butt off trying to please her so she could keep her job, so she could support herself, but more importantly so she could afford her much needed vacation. Ella pulls into the driveway to see her boyfriend of four years waiting for her on the front porch. He had a foolish grin on his face as she grabbed her purse and laptop bag and walked up the sidewalk shuffling through the endless pile of bills she had received in the mail that day. "Yep, just a normal Tuesday night", she thought as she arrived at the door in front of her boyfriend, Frank. "Let's go for a drive", he says as he takes the heavy computer out of her hand. Being too tired to argue, she nods her head and gets into his car. They were driving around for what seemed like hours until they arrived in Central Park. Ella had always loved this park ever since she moved to the Big City to pursue her career as a journalist, well and Frank. As they began to stroll through the constant line of trees with leaves that were falling effortlessly, she couldn't help but think about the events from the day. Her awful boss, the ridiculous last minute project... again... and Frank. Sweet Frank had no idea she wasn't even thinking about him. She didn't even notice they had stopped walking. They were on a bridge surrounded by candle light. Frank, fumbling for something in his pocket. Could this be it?? Could this really be happening...

You know being this far into my college career and learning this much about life in general, I feel as though I should have way more figured out! I mean, where is my life going? What am I going to be doing for the next five years? Where is this road I've chosen leading me in the next year?

How do you turn what seems like a dull future into a bright one? All these questions are without answers. You ever feel like you're headed down a road that has a huge orange and white sign saying "dead end"? I mean picking a career path, deciding where to live, where to go, who to associate with?? It seems like the questions are limitless and answers are nonexistent.

It seems like people, like in the story above, don't even have things figured out and they've been in "the real world" for years. I guess it just takes a little less doubt and a lot more trust. God has a plan for us right? A plan to help us and not to harm us... sound familiar?? Do you think it's selfish to doubt, when you know in your heart of hearts there's a plan. And not only is there a plan, but there is this huge, beautiful, perfect plan that the God of the universe has so thoughtfully and graciously planned out. You know, if we weren't such stupid humans, life would go significantly smoother... does anyone feel the same way as me?

I hope this finds you having an awesome weekend! I cannot believe it's already Christmas time!! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Lead Me to the Cross

The other day, I was riding around with my family, enjoying the few precious moments that we all actually get to spend altogether, all of us. We were deep in conversation about Andrew's latest bathroom stories and who has the worst farts, when I looked out the window and noticed something in the sky that I've never really appreciated before. The sky was overcast and gloomy and I noticed that this huge beautiful sky that was so delicately placed had merged with some distant city lights creating an orange color. I never noticed the merging of the two worlds. Something that man created, making something that God created breathtaking. I don't know, it was just so beautiful and such an awesome reminder of Christ's willingness to allow us to be His hands and His feet. It was incredible

In other news, everyone needs to look up the song "Lead Me to the Cross" by Hillsong United.

"Lead me to the cross where Your love poured out.
Bring me to my knees, Lord I lay me down.
Rid me of myself I belong to You.
Lead me to the cross."
Man, I'm so praying that Christ leads me to the cross this week. That He reminds me of my purpose and His love for me. I hope you and yours had an awesome Thanksgiving! I'm so sad it's over, and I'm SO not ready to get back to the real world tomorrow! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Monday, November 23, 2009

I Couldn't Resist...

Since it's Thanksgiving week, I thought I would make a list of everything I'm grateful for. So here goes nothing!
  • My awesome grandparents
  • My supportive parents
  • My crazy brothers
  • Laughter
  • Aunt Debbie!!
  • Jesus
  • Jesus allowing me to be His hands and feet
  • Long drives
  • Learning
  • A good sale
  • The company of good friends
  • Being surrounded by love
  • Music
  • Flowers
  • Money
  • My IPhone ( I know I know.. that's a lame one! But it's so great!)
  • My awesome Cousin!
  • Books
  • FBC Frisco
  • Africa and how it changed me
  • Hope of a return to Africa
  • My new extended family in Florence!
  • Technology
  • Food on the table
  • Craziness
  • Chaos
  • Really lame jokes
  • My job
  • My cat
  • Worship Arts Ministry
  • My car
  • Electricity
  • Trees
  • Leaves that fall this time of year!
  • Thanksgiving

Just to name a few! Give those you love extra hugs and kisses this week! I love you all more than you know!

Forever His,

EmilyJo

Monday, November 9, 2009

You get what you get...

Didn't you completely hate it when your mother used the phrase "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit"? Man, it was always the perfect reminder that life isn't fair, and that getting your way at that moment, wouldn't really make the situation any better.

Today, at work, I had a 5 year old in my program throw the biggest fit I think I've ever witnessed in my entire life. He was sitting on the floor and one of my staff asked him to get up and sit on his chair just like everyone else. Then he decided the best thing to do would be to throw himself back on the ground and scream. This was only the beginning. The fit lasted for well over an hour, screaming and crying at every word that was said to him. When his dad came to pick him up, he wanted to ask me if he earned any stickers for the day. I told him that he didn't because we had a rough day and he threw himself on the floor again. His dad picked him up, laid him over his knee, gave him two good spankings, and dismissed him to the car. On his way out, Aedan said, "thanks a lot for getting me in trouble, Miss Emily!"

At that moment, my heart sank into my stomach. At first, I felt bad for getting Aedan in trouble. But then I didn't, because it was fair that he got in trouble. It was fair that he was punished for making the first couple hours of work seem like an entire week for me and my staff. It was fair that his dad said he had to go to bed early tonight.

How often should I get that punishment? Not having my dad spank me, but for God to send me to bed without supper? How many times have I gone against what I know is right, but decided to take matters into my own hand. How many times have I thrown a fit because I didn't get my way. No one ever said life would be fair or easy. But how many times have I messed up and God picks me up off the floor, embraces me, and whispers "My beloved, welcome home".

I don't know, maybe next time instead of throwing a fit , I should step back and allow God to direct and guide me. You get what you get and you don't throw a fit. I hope this finds you having an awesome start to your week! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

At Your Feet

Let the world fade away, I need to be alone
Simply fall on my face, here before Your throne
Father find me now, as I bow

At Your feet I sing to who You are
At Your feet I offer all my heart
At Your feet, it's You that I adore
I worship You, my Lord
The best of life for me is at Your feet

For all You have done, and how you set me free
Words of gratitude arise up
Right here on my knees, praises overflow from my soul

At Your feet I sing to who You are
At Your feet I offer all my heart
At Your feet, it's You that I adore
I worship You, my Lord
The best of life for me is at Your feet

Holy, Mighty, Worthy is the Lamb



This song just speaks to my heart. I'm not sure it needs much else. I hope you're having a great week! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Give me Your eyes for just one second...

Story time!
Last Friday I was walking out of the library on campus and I walked past a guy and 5 or 6 of his friends. As our paths crossed I smiled at them. I always find it endearing when a stranger smiles at me, after all you never know what kind of battles they might be facing. I could have been the first person to smile at him all day, and those kinds of moments make people feel really special. This moment, however, was far from special. He took one look at me, turned to his friends, and said loud enough for everyone around us to hear, "The girl in the orange sweater is the ugliest girl I have ever seen!!". I looked around, in hopes that everyone else around was wearing an orange sweater that morning. Sadly, it was me. The comment resonated deep within me, for what seemed like an hour, "the ugliest girl EVER". It didn't so much hurt my feelings, as it shocked me. Now, I would be completely lying if I said it didn't hurt me a little, and if I told you I didn't run to my car and cried about it, but I was shocked to find that people in their twenties, in college, still acted that way towards perfect strangers. At that moment, nothing I could say would be witty enough and nothing I could have done would have taken back that comment. It ate me up all day, and I really just beat myself up about it. Maybe if I had gotten up earlier to put on make up, or maybe if I were wearing something different, or didn't skip that one work out last week, maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have said such a horrible thing to me. Maybe he would have thought I was beautiful. I felt like I was in middle school all over again. But then God came to the rescue. He reminded me that HE made me beautiful. To Him, I was beautiful. To Him, I don't need to be any different. And just because He's God, and He can, He romanced me back to a state of awe. It didn't matter what that random guy said to me, or how mad it made me, HE has made me better than that.

The King is enthralled by your beauty

~Psalm 45:11



I think, in our world today, we want so badly to be seen as beautiful and something that is worthy of someone's attention. Lately, I've been finding myself praying that God would give me His eyes to see something that I would normally see as flawed. A person I don't get along with, or while I'm shopping for clothes, that I wouldn't be so hard on myself as most women are. My prayer is that He would let me see the beauty that He sees, that I would find an ugly and overcast day to be something so delicately planned.

I got really upset that day, but God just reminded me of the beauty He sees in me, and all of the sudden that silly little comment meant nothing to me. That guy can say it all he wants. God has made me greater!

I just thought I'd share! I challenge you to ask for His eyes today, and maybe the girl in the cubicle next to you that sings Motown Hits between calls won't seem so bad. I think it's a great reminder that He loves her just as much as He loves you!

I hope this post finds you having a great week! You're beautiful and worthy of so much love! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Sunday, October 11, 2009

To wash Your feet with humble tears...

God has really been romancing me lately. And not in the way that He always does, but in a new special way. A way that tells me that He's real and He thinks I'm special. His way of telling me He's more than enough and that's He's never going to leave. That I'm worth everything He has in store for me.

Anyways, I have the incredible opportunity laid in front of me! To serve with Every Orphan's Hope as an intern in Zambia. As an intern my duties would include working with My Father's House, and orphanage there, doing some office admin stuff with the Zambian staff and just doing whatever is needed to prepare for Camp Hope through out the summer. 60 days is a little intimidating, but what an incredible experience to have!! I'd ask that if you're reading this that you would pray for guidance and that God would not only prepare my heart for what is to come but also the hearts of my family members as I go over. I've been losing sleep over this in excitement! I'm so pumped to see what the Lord has in store! I'm sending my application in tomorrow and from there I'll have some interviews and then I'll find out if I'm approved to go!

This is a really short post, but Monday is almost here and I'm nowhere near ready (am I ever?)!! I hope you have an awesome Monday! I love you guys more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Sunday, October 4, 2009

You are for me!

So faithful, so constant and so true
So powerful in all You do
You fill me, You see me
You know my every move
You love for me to sing to You

I know that You are for me, I know that You are for me
I know that You will never forsake me in my weakness
And I know that You have come now even if to write upon my heart

To remind me who You are
So patient, so gracious, so merciful and true
So wonderful in all You do
You fill me, You see me
You know my every move
You love for me to sing to You

Lord, I know that You are for me, I know that You are for me
I know that You will never forsake me in my weakness
And I know that You have come now even if to write upon my heart
To remind me

Lord, I know that You are for me, I now that You are for me
I know that You will never forsake me in my weakness
And I know that You have come now even if to write upon my heart
To remind me who You are
To remind me

I know that you are for me, I know that You are for me
I know that You will never forsake me in my weakness
And I know that You have come now even if to write upon my heart
To remind me who You are
~Kari Jobe

I recently fell in love with this song. How awesome to think that God is for me?? That even though I struggle and become weak, He's mine and I'm His?? Such a precious concept!

I hope you're ready for Monday! Praying for you guys this week! So excited to see what the Lord has in store! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Monday, September 28, 2009

Just because, He's God!

"When I come into His presence, I humble myself.
I lift up both my hands, and I begin to worship Him.
I worship Him, for what He's done for me.
Redeemed and set me free.
And because... just because... He's God"

Just because He's God! Yeah He's all these other wonderful things coming from an infinite list of amazing things that don't do justice to His abundant grace and unfailing love, all we really need to know is that He's God. Just because His grace is enough. Just because He's sufficient. Just because His perfection covers my flaws. Just because He makes me beautiful. Just because He never leaves my side. Just because He gives second and third and fourth chances. Just because I don't deserve Him. Just because...
He's God
I had choir practice today, and we were singing the song quoted above. I began to think about all the things that I label God to be. He's my best friend, my husband, my savior, my comforter, my defender, my strength. All these things are great and wonderful, but often I forget that Him being God is all I really need. He's God and I'm not, therefore He makes all things and all situations dripping with everything He is and everything I'm not. How awesome is our God?
I hope you're letting Him be your everything today! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

"Two Weeks In Africa"

Johannesburg to Capetown,
the plane had barely touched down.
She was taking photos for the friends back home.
This was always where she felt her heart belonged.
She was finally here,the sky was bright and clear.

(Two weeks....)And we all can feel the calling,
(Two weeks....)to make the world a little smaller.
And so a girl got on a plane,
for two weeks in Africa.

Johannesburg to Houston,
she came home on a mountain.
But school was starting, things kept moving on.
Before you knew it, seven years had gone.
She found a picture of her,standing, smiling,arms around the starving kids.
She swore not to forget,
she swore not to forget...

(Two weeks....)And we all can feel the calling,
(Two weeks....)to make the world a little smaller.
And so a girl got on a plane,for two weeks in Africa.

And if we follow our dear sun to where the stars are not familiar.
Faces turn to numbers,numbers fall like manna from the sky.
Why, oh why?Oh Father, why?

One village in Malawi now has water running pure and clean.
One church alive in Kenya's full of truth and love and medicine.
We put the walls up, but Jesus keeps them standing.
He doesn't need us, but He lets us put our hands in.
So we can see, His love is bigger than you and me.

(Two weeks....)And we all can feel the calling,
(Two weeks....)to make the world a little smaller.
And so a girl got on a plane,for two weeks in Africa.
~Caedmon's Call

I guess you could say I'm missing Africa today! This so so speaks to my heart, not only because Johannesburg is where I want to be, but because of the part that I bold. "We put the walls up, but Jesus keeps them standing. He doesn't need us, but He lets us put our hands in. So we can see, His love is bigger than you and me". How awesome are those lyrics?? He doesn't need us, but He still lets us help and lend a hand! What an awesome God we serve!!
I hope you guys are having an awesome week!! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Friday, September 11, 2009

In My Place


In my place, He stood condemned
He Who knew no sin became sin for
us. That we might become, His righteousness

Bearing all my sin and shame
The punishment and blame He conquered
the grave. That we might become, the heirs of grace


In my place, Jesus died
The spotless Lamb laid down His life
The wrath of God was satisfied
In my place, Jesus died


Nail pierced hands, Bleeding side, His body bruised, My God
crucified. A crown of thorns, Dying cries, His flesh was torn, My God
crucified. Hallelujah, What a Savior!
-Michael Bleecker

I really don't think this song needs much else. I was challenged today but how drastically different my life would be if I woke up thinking about Him and all He could possibly mean to me for the day, instead of trying to keep my life together for the day? Maybe instead of cursing the alarm clock, we lay in bed and pray thanking God for another day to live and asking Him for an awesome day. I know I don't do that enough!

I hope your week went by smoothly! And I hope the Lord was awesome to you! Rest up... it all starts again on Monday! Have a great weekend! I love you all more than you know!

Forever His,

EmilyJo

Thursday, September 10, 2009

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28
I'm not going to lie to you guys, I'm exhausted! I feel like I'm running on empty and scrapping the bottom of the barrel for a little extra energy. So here I sit, in class at 8:27 in the evening longing to be back at home, resting, talking with my family and possibly watching FRIENDS. The last thing I want to do is sit in this class for another hour and a half. My feet hurt, my head is pounding and my spirits are low. But Jesus says,"Come and I will give you rest!". What a beautiful picture. I think it's such an awesome reminder of what God can be for us. When we're caught up in the craziness of life and we're exhausted beyond belief, we can find rest and comfort in His arms. But I have to ask, are we so busy with life that we forget to include God in it? Do we serve Him leftovers because we can bare the thought of staying up a minute later to say a prayer or to open the word? Is our life so busy that we don't notice God knocking on our front doors to come in for dinner? Between school and work and trying to have a social life, who has time? Maybe it's time we make time, to rest and to be still before the Lord. To let Him embrace you, captivate you and give you rest.
"The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved
me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.
For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet
from stumbling" Psalm 116:6-8
Find rest in Him today. Let Him hold you. Let Him captivate you! Just breathe... the week is almost over! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

I need You, Jesus, to come to my rescue

"Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me." Psalm 31:2
I've been so captivated and obsessed with the idea of God rescuing me. Who am I that the God of the universe would choose to recue me? It doesn't matter how many times I screw up or go the wrong way, He welcomes me with open arms and we start off right where we left off. He's rescued me from destruction and pain. I can't wrap my mind around. Today, I spent a couple hours trying to find a good reason that He would do such a selfless thing, and the only answer I could come up with was His love for us. Everything comes back to that doesn't it? He loved us enough to live, to die and to rise, saving me from having to pay for my own sins. I'm so enthralled by His willingness to always rescue me! What an awesome God we serve!
I know this is a short post, but what more needs to be said really? He always comes to our rescue! I hope your week is getting off to a great start! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Thursday, September 3, 2009

You are stronger! You are stronger! Sin is broken, You have saved me!

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."


2Samuel 22:33




I've been having somewhat of a rough week and as I was on my way to work today in tears, a friend texted me this verse. How encouraging! God is my strength! He knows exactly what's going to happen next. I can't even begin to grasp my mind around the idea of God having this ultimate plan for me. It seems so simple and child-like to point out the obvious truths about the way God works, but do we really ever think and dwell about it? When life gets tough do we start pointing fingers or do we get down on our knees and seek Him? I think so many of us, me included, try to fix everything and give ourselves strength. But ulitmately God is our strength. I'm so captivated by this fact. I can't wrap my mind around it.
Sorry it's been so long since I've posted! I have a lot to talk about from the weekend! Maybe I'll post on my day off tomorrow! SO excited!!
Happy Labor Day! I love you allmore than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Seek Justice

I recently met an extraordinary young man who devotes his time and efforts to the International Justice Mission (visit www.ijm.org for more information). The theme verse for the organization is Isaiah 1:17 " Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.". IJM provides aid and relief to individuals all over the world who are being oppressed in ways such as slavery and sexual exploitation, in the hopes of bring justice and basic human rights to people who may not have a voice. Go to the site, pray over it, see if you can help in some way! Everyone deserves a voice.

In other news, RENEW MY SOUL '09 is coming up this week. It's going to be an incredible time of worship and fellowship. There will be two different speakers to bring the word along with a few bands who will bring the jams. I'm so very excited to see how the Lord uses this revival to be the change in the students of Frisco. God is so good. I would ask that you guys would lift the revival, that the Holy Spirit would come and move, that God would bring students and willing hearts. Also, if you'll be in Frisco this Satruday feel free to stop by. We'll be at Frisco Commons from 1pm til 10pm. If it happens to rain then we'll move to FBC, but plan on Frisco Commons.

Man, isn't God so good?? There are so many awesome opportunities coming up! I challenge you to get involve! This life isn't ours, so why not give it all to Him? It's going to be great!

I hope your week is filled with fun and smiles so far! We're half way! I love you guys more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Monday, August 31, 2009

"Doubt-Be-Gone" coming soon to an over priced department store near you!

Would I be right in assuming it would be ignorant to say we don't all struggle with doubt every day? It can be little things like doubting you'll get to work on time or if you have enough money in your bank account to pay rent. It could also be life changing and enormous. Where do I go next? Can I really trust him? Where do I fit? Will God provide?

Go with me to Matthew 14 where Jesus walks on water. Peter is crying out for proof of who Christ is. (Total side note- if a being was WALKING ON THE WATER claiming to be Jesus, why, in the name of all that's holy, would you be so bold as to question it?? Peter has problems!) Jesus calls Peter to the water and he begins to walk towards him, until he gets nervous and starts to sink and Jesus says after rescuing him:

"You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
How true is that question for us today? I mean I don't know about you, but God hasn't really called me to walk on any bodies of water lately, but I'm am so guilty of doubting God's plans for me. Like I mentioned yesterday, I'm doubting where I belong and how I fit. I hate the feeling of just blending in and being lost in a sea of nameless faces. But at the same time I hate doubting. I have so many questions and doubts about where my life is and where it should be going, when in reality all I have to do is get down on my knees and ask for guidance. Why do we always get so caught up in our laundry list of doubts to even realize how much easier life could really be if we would just seek?
"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if
anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not
doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done
for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you
have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:22-24
I guess all we really need to do is seek and be ready for an answer. Know who you are, know who you serve and know where you're going. All else will simply fall into place
I hope your week got off to an awesome start! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Sunday, August 30, 2009

I'm so unworthy, but still you love me!

In the previous post, I referred to Isaiah 40:26. Let's back track and start in verse 12. The heading of this section, according to The Message, is "The Creator of All You Can See or Imagine". I could write about that heading alone for days, but if you read the chapter it begins asking the questions of who created the moon and the stars. I'm SO captivated by this idea of an enormous God, "who has scooped up the ocean in his two hands..." (vs. 12), would want everything to do with me. It doesn't matter where I've been or what I've done, He still loves me even more than He did yesterday. In the recent months, as most of you may know, I've been having a bit of an identity crisis. Not referring so much as to who I am, but rather where I fit. Where is the EmilyJo shaped hole, and why can't I seem to find it? I find myself being brought to tears out of pure and utter frustration trying to figure it out on my own.

Tonight, in bible study, we were talking about 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 where it talks about if we rely on Christ for comfort then He'll grant us the comfort we need, so we may comfort others. God began to reveal a different side of Him from the one I'd been seeking. Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, but I don't think He always has to be this huge, untouchable being up in the sky. Today He showed me that He can be small, sitting right next to me with His arms around me, singing gently into my ear telling me it's going to be ok. I find such beauty in this, that this HUGE God would want to romance me and to dance with me, how captivating! I may not know what's coming up next, or how I'm even getting there, but I know comfort will be in abundance and wisdom will be right next to it. I don't know, maybe I just need rely on Him and embrace everything I'm not, everything He is, and everything His grace covers to make good.

...I wish there was such thing as "Doubt-Be-Gone"! I could spray it all over myself and all of the sudden I'm equipped with enough confidence to make decisions. But "Doubt-Be-Gone" wouldn't be necessary if I just had faith... We'll talk more tomorrow!...

I hope everyone had an awesome and restful weekend! Ready or not, Monday is on its way! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder, at the mention of Your name

I've really been trying to stop and smell the flowers in the past few days. Not so much stopping on a busy street and smelling some random rose bushes, but noticing the sunset or looking at a spider not as a nasty bug, but rather as a beautiful creature. How did God know that we would need spiders? How did He know to give us big trees to not only give us oxygen but to shade us on hot summer days. I'm so amazed that He knew that we would need clouds to carry rain and that we would need rain to help nourish our grass and trees and flowers. I'm so enthralled by everything He is, everything I'm not and everything His grace covers to make good. I mean think about it, we live on Earth, a very small part of a huge galaxy and made part of all kinds of other galaxies and universes that we haven't even discovered yet. And we are just sitting here spinning in orbit and not falling off or moving at all. We're just sitting. We don't need any type of device to keep us grounded, we are just here. Being on Earth we are at the perfect spot of our solar system. If we were any closer we'd burn up from the sun, and any further away we'd freeze. How did He know that we needed to be right here, sitting, not falling off a very round planet? In his book Crazy Love, Fancis Chan refers to such concepts. I'm so captivated to not even begin to wrap my mind around just how big He is.

"So—who is like me?
Who holds a candle to me?" says The Holy.
Look at the night skies:
Who do you think made all this?
Who marches this army of stars out each night,
counts them off, calls each by name
—so magnificent! so powerful!—
and never overlooks a single one?"
Isaiah 40:25-26 (The Message)

Take some time to smell the roses this week. I hope everyone's first week was blessed! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Falling...

Oh who am I that Your merciful eyes should fall on me
A sinner a fool, who doesn't deserve You
And what am I that you’d offer Your life and die for me
What can I do, I’m nothing without You, I’m nothing without You
I’m nothing without You my love, my saving love

So I fall into You, I’m desperate and weak
Crying out from my heart, take all of me

How can it be that the heart of my God would long for me
For all that You do, Jesus I love You, I’ll Always Love You
Jesus I love You with all of my heart

Maker of sun and moon and stars

~Phil Wickham "Fall Into You"


Ever find yourself feeling like your entire world has crashed down upon you and the only thing that's keeping you together is one sheer glimpse of hope that something might just change? Like you're incredibly lost and a huge part of your life is missing even though all your ducks appear to be in a row. I know it sounds cliche and elementary, but who am I to do anything other than fall to my face and pour my life out for Him to help and take over? I think we have a hard time having rough knees. Smooth knees are good and pretty and look great in a nice skirt, but rough knees can't compare. Rough knees means your down on them daily, not willing to get up until your heart is right. I'm done with smooth knees. I want to fall into Him daily. I need to fall into Him daily.

Maybe I don't mean we have to physically get down on our knees, but I do mean staying still and quiet until our hearts are right. That's the only cure. Our circumstances never change who God is. I'm praying for His help and for His guidance in life right now.

I hope your week is going smoothly. We're half way there (OH livin on a prayer! Cheese ball I know but I couldn't resist) I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

"He said, 'That's what I mean: Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag." Luke 19:26 (The Message)

Have you ever been to 6 flags with a group of friends from school or maybe your youth group? Remember that one ride that you HATED for some reason or anything? Maybe it was too high or too fast or too shaky, so as everyone else ran to be in the front car, you got to hold everyone elses bags. At that moment, everyone in the park knows that you're a wimp that didn't want to ride the Titan. My favorite part, is after everyone else gets off the ride and for the rest of the day all they could talk about was the ride I missed out on.

That's what this verse is talking about. Obviously something deeper, but you get the gist. I often find myself thinking about what I have sacrificed for Christ? I'll have an awesome week and have a lot of fun doing things with my friends, and when Friday comes around I realize I've been entirely too comfortable. What have I done, in His name, that has truly made a difference in my life? Even just a small one?

I have a lot of decisions coming up pretty soon, and I know I have a ton of praying and thinking to do about which way to go. I want to do huge things for Christ, and that will include huge risks. Bring it on!

I hope everyone is having an awesome start to the week! I love you all more than you know!

Forever His,
EmilyJo

Monday, August 24, 2009

I Want to be a Mary!

If you know me at all, you know that one of my all time favorite passages is the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42

"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."


According to The Message, it says "Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said". I long to be a "Mary". I so often get caught up in the rush of the day that when God speaks to me I simply tell him "O hi! I'll have to talk to you later", like a phone call from someone I didn't really want to talk to. Like last post, I keep feeling so convicted of the fact that God is worth so much more than my excuses. I often use the excuse of serving Him for not spending time with Him. You know what I'm talking about. The going to church three times a week and leading a small group, all because you like the illusion of having it all together, when really your world is shattered because you never sit down and spend as much as five minutes being still and hearing what He has to say. When is the last time I was still. I mean, I am Emily, meaning I'm rarely quiet, but honestly I can't remember a time when I was just silent, for once, without a word to say. I find beauty in the quiet. The times where it can just be me and God and all of the sudden nothing in the world matters anymore, for a split second everything is right and ok.

Today, I challenge you to be still. To "hang on every word He says". God has a HUGE plan for today. I think we can all learn a lot from Mary.

I better get going! First day of work, here I come! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
Emily Jo

Sunday, August 23, 2009

And So it Begins...

Whatever happened to the days where the first day of school was one we looked forward to all summer? Getting the perfect new outfit, the coolest school supplies and praying relentlessly that at least one of our friends was in the same class as us? Now that I'm in my, what is hopefully, last full year of college (I know! It's about time!) I find myself dreading the alarm going off in the morning. Don't get me wrong, I love the 8:00AM Geology class just as much as the next guy, but where did all the excitement go?



This idea of excitement about big things in life can really be compared to our walk with Christ. Just go with me for a minute! How often do we do our quiet times, but only to mark it off our very long to-do list? Or maybe you don't do it but say you did. I shamefully fall into both categories, and more so these days for unexplainable reasons. I have no excuse! The Creator of the ENTIRE universe yearns to spend time with me, and all I do is blow Him off. How low can a girl get?? We are so busy and so caught up in life and the things we don't want to do or the things we have to do, like my 8:00AM Geology class, that God takes the back burner, only to be forgotten until I finally get to bed and say a little prayer and fall asleep. I have got to clean up my act! He is worth so much more than my excuses!!


I'm making a promise to you guys right here and now. It's time for me to get serious about my walk with Christ. I will update every day with what God is teaching me. I challenge you to do the same!

"So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet." -James 4:7-10 (The Message)

For all of you going back to school, good luck on your first day! For those of you with kids going back to school, give them an extra kiss and have some cookies waiting for when they get home (believe me, they'll need it!) It's going to be a great day, Geology and Algebra and all!

PS- Aaron and Kandace, I told you I would update today!

I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,

EmilyJo

Friday, July 31, 2009

More Beautiful You

Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn't straight her body isn't fake
And she's always felt overweight

Well little girl fourteen i wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

Little girl twenty-one the things that you've already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you've got a man but he's got another plan
Only wants what you will do instead

Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But i can promise you there's a man whose love is true
And he'll treat you like the jewel you are

So turn around you're not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It's not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away
By the one who's strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with his light he will show you truth
And again you'll see through the eyes of a little girl
~Jonny Diaz

I think this song pretty much speaks for itself. How awesome is our God to make us beautiful?!
I hope all is well! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Thursday, July 23, 2009

There is no one like our God!

Today was an incredible time at Light in the City. Light in the City is a pregnancy center that supports young mothers and help give advice to women who are considering abortion. Our translator for the day, Hannah, was telling me that the average age of girls getting abortions is 12. How awful! But what a blessing it is that Janice and her team can be Jesus to those young girls and ultimately save lives!

Today we lead the Thursday night prayer meeting here at Salem. We started off with me singing and then we all got to share a little bit of our testimonies. It was really awesome to see the women respond to our stories. After we all spoke we had a time for prayer requests and then we all took turns praying aloud. Some in English and some in Estonian. The posture everyone took was that of kneeling at their chairs. At first I thought it was really cool and then I started to feel really guilty. When was the last time I knelt before the Lord and spoke to Him. Sure, I have my quiet times, but when was the last time I got down on my knees and truly offered myself to Him? You should have heard the way the women were praying! It was all older women, who have probably known Jesus longer than any of us have been alive, and the way they prayed was so humbling. They were so passionate about their Savior and, you could tell from their voices, that they were SO in love with Him! They are an awesome picture of what it means to love the Lord with everything you have! For some women, He is all they have. It was just so incredible!

Tonight we are packing up our bags and getting ready to head home. It's a bitter sweet feeling, as usual! We leave for the port around 1:30, the ship leaves at 6:00. We'll be in Stockholm around 10:00 Saturday morning (Swedish time) and we should be back in Dallas around 8:15 Saturday evening (Dallas time)!

Prayer Requests and Praises:
  • Praise- God is the God of this city!
  • Praise- We had an INCREDIBLE time
  • Please pray that we would rest up for our long journey ahead of us
  • Pray for safe travel! And also a better flying experience this time. On the way here we had some rough plane rides!
  • Pray for Salem Baptist Church, that God would rise up leaders and teachers, so that this church may be the difference in Tartu. That they would be a light for an otherwise dark and depressed people, and that He would bless them with everything they need!

He's the God of this city! See you guys in the states in a few short days! I love you all more than you know!

Forever His,

EmilyJo

What Happens in the Sauna, Stays in the Sauna!

Sorry I didn't update you guys yesterday! After the conference, we were invited over to Janice and Linden's home for some sauna time. I know what you're thinking... "Dang! They have a sauna!" But don't get too excited! Everyone here has one in their home. It's a way of life here. It was interesting to say the very least! Let's just say it's tradition to be hit with juniper branches... yeah...

So yesterday was a very calm laid back kind of day. After all the cooking was finished we were able to just hang out together and relax. We had a few of our translators over for some games so we had a lot of fun!

Last night, at the the conference Pastor Maggo had all of "The Texas Ladies" come to the front where he and Janice presented us with a present and some flowers and had the church pray over us. At that moment, everything from all the technical difficulties from the week to all the crazy children all of the sudden felt completely worth the effort. The fact that God used us to change so many lives made all our hard work pay off! Glory to Him! Many of the women want to come to Janice for counseling next week and almost all the kids can't wait to come back to church! I think the thing about the conference I loved the most was getting to know all of our translators. They are all high school girls and so fun and full of life! It was cool to hang out with them and get to know their hearts and what's going on in their lives! They really blessed our hearts this week! Estonia now has a very special place in my heart. Isn't it funny how, no matter the language, a tickle is still a tickle, and the older boys are a little too cool to do the motions to the theme song?

Praises from yesterday:
  • We got to relax before the conference
  • There were 42 children in attendance
  • Kandace made some incredible cake and Ann Marie made some awesome veggie soup!
  • The kids were asking more questions about Jesus!!!
  • We made some new friends!
Today we are going to a place called Light in the City to host a clothing exchange for the children here! I'm so excited to see what God has in store! He's the God of this city... may we be His light!

There will be another post later tonight! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

GRRROUUUNNNNDD BEEEEFFF!!

Praise Jeesust we slept wonderfully last night!! Such a blessing! Thank you for your prayers and support! We had a fabulous day of making 18 dozen snickerdoodles! Ann Marie LOVED it! And I didn't get one because they were all gone! They really like the sweets here!

Today at the conference they talked about the following things:
  • What is love? 1 Corinthians 13
  • Depression
  • Cancer/Heart Disease Prevention

The Taste of Texas consisted of Kandace's AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS Chicken Tortilla Soup and Ann Marie's WORLD FAMOUS snickerdoodles. And to drink we served lemonade! We didn't quite double as expected, however the numbers were higher than yesterday! Praise! What a blessing! We also handed out cook books that had the recipes of all the food, desserts and drinks we will be making for the women this week. For music today, we had two Estonian folk singers come and share with us. After the conference, they put on a concert. It was pretty interesting to see their style of music and variety of instruments. The ladies really enjoyed it and even sang along!

Now for the kids! Today we had 44 children! We were very excited to gain new friends to play with and we couldn't have done it without our fabulous volunteers and translators! They rock! We told the stories of the Last Supper and Jesus praying in the garden. The kids showed more interest today in hearing about Jeesust and asking questions. Praise Him for curious children! We had snickerdoodles and punch for snack and they ate ALL of it! This resulted in lots of sugar highs! Tomorrow we're serving carrots and water!

Prayer Requests and Praises for today:

  • Praise- Jennie's ankle is MUCH better today! Thank you for your prayers!
  • Praise- more women and children were in attendance! Please pray for even more tomorrow!
  • Praise- AWESOME NIGHT'S SLEEP!! And the birds toned it down for Ann Marie! Thank the Lord for ear plugs!
  • Praise- Gorgeous weather and some rain!
  • Please continue to lift up Valentina. There's still no sign of her!
  • There will be a funeral here tomorrow. Please pray for peace in this building!
  • Please pray for another awesome sleep tonight!
  • Tomorrow a few of the volunteers are coming to hang out. Pray that our time with them is blessed and a fun break!
  • SEND THE CHILDREN! We know there are so many more women and children that need light. Please pray they would find their way into our doors! And may we learn to love them with a God-sized love!!

Ciao! I love you all more than you know!

Forever His,

EmilyJo

Monday, July 20, 2009

Jumal is Good!

Last night me and Jennie were the only ones that actually slept. Marie, Ann Marie, Kandace and Monica didn't get much sleep at all. They were running on coffee for sure! They clam there's a wild kingdom of birds outside our window... they might just be going crazy!

We woke up at 7:30 to get our day started with a little breakfast and quiet time. After getting ready for the day it was off to the kitchen for some ALL day cooking for Monica, Kandace, Ann Marie and Jennie, along with a few Estonian helpers. While everyone was cooking Marie and I got to walk around the streets of the neighborhood that surrounds the church and pass out flyers for the conference. It's funny when you pass things out on the streets, because the people that see you doing it, they kind of run away! We had an awesome time just praying over the women of the city and handing out the flyers. We knew the Lord would get them in the right hands!

After that Jennie, Kandace, Monica, Janice and myself went to the grocery store. Guess what! It looks exactly like Kroger except everything is in Estonian! Who would have thought! Then we all came back to get ready for tonight!

Let's talk about the Womens' Conference first! The topics for the evening were-
  • Children? I want my children to know I love them. I want to raise them to be confident, solid adults
  • Family? I want my family to be full of love and laughter. Used the 5 Languages of Love
  • Aloneness? How can I be happy and content while I"m single?

Our "Taste of Texas" consisted of the chili Ann Marie made today and chocolate chip cookies with... of course... peach tea!

Janice said "Tonight was way beyond our expectations! We can expect attendance to double for tomorrow!"

What a blessing!! The women were very responsive and were like little sponges soaking up all the truth they could!

I got to sing the song "Sweetly Broken" by Jeremy Riddle with one of the translators, Margit, today! It was incredible! I sang it in English first and then we both sang it in our own languages and the congregation joined it! It was so amazing to see people from two completely different countries praising one God in the same song!

Now for the children's part!

We had 26 kids tonight which was a great start for the week! This is the very first time EVER this church has ever seen a VBS! How crazy!! The kids really enjoyed it and are sooo excited to come back tomorrow!

We had an awesome day today! Jumal was soo good to us! Here are the prayer requests and praises for today!

  • Praise- Today went so smoothly!
  • Praise- 60 women and 26 children were in attendance!!!
  • Praise- Jennie's ankle was much better today. Please pray that tomorrow is even better!
  • Please please please pray for an awesome night's sleep!! We rejoice in the fact that when we run on empty God provides, however, we would LOVE sleep! Also pray for God-sized energy!
  • Pray tomorrow would be an even more incredible day! Bring the children! In His word it says to let the children come to Him, and I believe that means ALL His children- young and old! We're SO excited for numbers to possibly double!!
  • Language barrier between us and the children. They were really crazy today which made things a little harder to manage between rotations. Pray for patience and guidance on how to discipline with love.
  • Valentina, as far as I understand, did not come today! Please continue to lift her up! She's a broken woman who needs light in her life!

Well friends, it's almost 10:30pm here so I'm going to leave it at that! Thank you for all your prayers and support! Jumal is good! I love you all more than you know!

Forever His,

EmilyJo

Sunday, July 19, 2009

WE'RE HERE!!!! (The good stuff)

A few things we actually know:
  • The Swedish Palace- not so impressive... don't tell them I said that!
  • The belief in deodorant isn't a universal thing!
  • A hot shower and a very long nap sounds AMAZING right now!!

It is just after 8:00 pm here and I feel like it's already midnight! I think the traveling and nonstop walking everywhere has really taken it's toll on all of us! Something that I noticed that God really spoke to me about was on the cruise. As Marie and I were on the deck taking pictures (by the way, Marie is the picture queen!), I was watching as the ship gracefully skipped over the water. It really captivated me how it's almost like the ship is asking the water to gently move out of the way and the water obediently did as it was told, making ripples along the side of the boat. It really reminded me of how gentle and tender God can be to us sometimes. Maybe this is totally out there, but how often do we just ignore the simple requests He has? We always think God ONLY works in HUGE ways, when in reality the smaller things are usually the things that speak volumes to us in the most simple ways and places. A whisper of hope or a spot of light coming into our hearts during our morning showers or our commutes to work. I think so often we over look the small things!

Prayer Requests for today:

  • VOLUNTEERS! We have quite a few volunteers for the conference and VBS tomorrow and we're so excited to have them! Be praying for them as they step into this roll of leadership, that God would open their hearts as well and that we could be examples to them
  • Jennie's ankle. She hurt it at camp last week and it's still really bothering her. Pray for healing and patience
  • Tomorrow is Day 1 of the conference and we have no idea what to expect! Pray for open minds and flexible attitudes among everyone involved
  • There is a woman that lives in Tartu that Janice spoke with a few days ago. Valentina was very drunk and said she was too bad of a person to come to church and that she just wishes the evil would come out of her. We have all committed to praying that God brings her to the conference, sober, and that he would break down the walls of her heart. Also, that He would show us how to love her and how to be a light to her.

That's all I've got for today. Pray it up! We're all crossing our fingers for an awesome night's rest and energy for tomorrow!

God is so good! I love you all more than you know!

Forever His,

EmilyJo

WE'RE HERE!!!!!!!! (the boring part)

Ok so what seemed like FOREVER we finally arrived in Tartu. Here's what went down. You'll have to bare with me because the keyboard has really strange keys!

Our flight from Dallas to Atlanta was probably the worst flying experience of our lives. Our seats were right next to one of the back engines. We couldn't hear each other talk and it felt like our seats were vibrating the entire time. We were SO glad the flight was only a little under two hours!

We landed in Atlanta 15 minutes early which was good because we had to take the subway to our terminal. There were military men and women everywhere so it was really neat to see them. We boarded our flight and, luckily, we were all in the same row! I was on the very end and I sat next to a girl from Sweden. At first I didn't think she spoke English so I didn't talk to her. She was crying for the first part of the flight so I just began to pray that God would somehow allow me to communicate with her. During the last twenty minutes she told me she was just pretending and that she really spoke English so we had a nice little chat.

After landing in Stockholm, we were picked up by the biggest taxi I've ever seen and he took us to the ship where Linden and Janice, the Estonian missionaries, stowed our luggage. We then went on our very own tour of Stockholm. Now, when I say "own tour" I mean Linden tried to get us to old town. We only got confused a few times! We rode the Metro to some other part of town where we saw all kinds of old buildings and the palace of the King and Queen of Sweden. After taking way too long grabbing a bite to eat we had to book it back to the ship. We ended up getting off the Metro and seriously power walking to the port. It was a little stressful but we made it!

The cruise was unbelievable! For all of you out there who thought we were just taking a ferry ride, you were seriously mistaken! It had a casino and restaurant, spas, stores and a cafeteria! Of course, we were all so exhausted we didn't really get to see much of the ship, just the upper deck where we took pictures of us leaving the port!

This morning we had planned on waking up at 7:30 Swedish time, however at 3 this morning Jennie and I were wide awake, so we went and explored the ship. We didn't find much, but we did find a place to get hot tea. So we sat for a while and then headed back to our room and waited for everyone else to wake up. The other ladies woke up at 7:30, except it was actually 8:30 because Estonia is an hour ahead of Sweden (who would have thought!). At 10:00 EVERYONE of the boat had to exit at the port. Do you know how long it takes to get hundreds of Swedish people out of one door? A very long, frustrating time!

So we drove two and half hours in what is called "The Queer Bus". it's a bright yellow, really old minibus. We were styling to say the very least! So then we got to Salem Baptist Church, where we will be calling home for the next few days, and settled in.

This evening we had a training/meeting for all the Estonian helpers for the week. It was really cool to meet all of them. The girls that are helping with VBS all speak English and are in high school. They are so fun and SO excited to get the week started!!


To be continued...

Thursday, July 16, 2009

TOMORROW!!

All the Is are dotted and Ts crossed! Ready or not here we come!!! I can't believe it's finally here. It seems like we were just starting the planning process last week, but the countdown is finally coming to a close and we're leaving TOMORROW! Please be praying for safe travel, calmed nerves and low stress levels! Also be praying that God would remove all distractions. I would hate for anything to get in the way of what He has in store!

This is another short post. This time tomorrow we will be boarding our overnight CRUISE over the Baltic Sea to Tallin. From there it's a two hour drive to Tartu, where we will call home for the week ahead. Exciting times!
Pray! Pray! Pray! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

2 days!

This post is going to be short and sweet! We're leaving in two days and there is an abundance of emotions going through my head right now. I'm nervous about getting ear infections from the plane ride, I'm excited to go to a new place, but most of all I'm anxious to see what the Lord has planned for us. He's going to do some amazing and mighty things and I can't wait to share them with you guys!

Just real quick, the prayer request today would simply be for all the preparations for the trip. Pray that the flyers in Tartu and surrounding cities would end up in the hands of the women that need to come to the conference. Pray for our team as we, and our families, get ready to go. From the packing to the Holy Spirit going before us and making a way! Where there is brokenness, God heals!

I told you guys this would be a short one! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Twenty-First Time

Nowhere to live, nowhere to fall
he used to have money, but he’s wasted it all.
His face is a photograph burned in my mind,
but I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

He sleeps under stars, that’s all he can afford
His blanket's an old coat he’s had since the war
He stands on the corner of Carter and Vine
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

He may be a drifter, he’s grown old and gray
But what if he’s Jesus and I walk away?
I say I’m the body and drink of the wine
but I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

She’s twenty-nine but she feels forty-eight
She can’t raise three kids on minimum wage
She’s cryin’ in back of the welfare line
but I pretend not to see her for the twenty-first time

She may be a stranger tryin’ to get through the day
but what if it’s Jesus and i walk away?
I say I’m the body and drink of the wine
but I pretend not to see her for the twenty-first time

This is a call for a change in my heart
I realize that I've not been doin’ my part
when I needed a Savior, I found it in Him
He gave to me, now I’ll give back to them

Drifter or stranger, father or son
I’ll look for Jesus in every one
’cause I am the body and drink of the wine
and I’m thankful there’s more than the twenty-first time
~Monk & Neagle

This song has been smacking me in the face for the past few days. How often do I pass someone on the street and think I'm better than them or thank the Lord that I'm not in their position? Don't lie, you do it too! It's called being human. We do it on mission trips too. We see someone that obviously needs some light in their lives, but we just walk by them because they are rough looking or they're standing by a creepy house or are in a broken down car. Is the old man with a cane that's standing under a tree, wearing clothes that look like they've never been washed really any worse off than me?

As Estonia grows closer (5 days to be exact), I keep finding myself praying for rough situations and brokenness. I rely on the promise of where there is brokenness, God heals.

SO much to do, so very little time! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Saturday, July 11, 2009

6 more days!

Today we will be meeting to pack up all the clothes we are providing for the clothing exchange that we will be hosting in Estonia. This will be one full day of women bringing the clothes their children have grown out of and exchanging them for new ones that fit. Please be praying that God would create divine appointments for us to talk to the women and share the Gospel with them. I think this trip is going to be bigger than we can imagine and I'm so very excited to see how it all works out!


Sorry this is so short... so much to do! Have a great weekend! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Thursday, July 9, 2009

All I Can Say

Lord I'm tired
So tired from walking
And Lord I'm so alone
And Lord the dark
Is creeping in
Creeping up
To swallow me
I think I'll stop
Rest here a while

And didn't You see me cry'n?
And didn't You hear me call Your name?
Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?
I wish You'd remember
Where you sat it down

Chorus:
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
That's my everything

Bridge:
I didn't notice You were standing here
I didn't know that
That was You holding me
I didn't notice You were cry'n too
I didn't know that
That was You washing my feet
~David Crowder


This song has really been my heart in the recent weeks as we are getting closer and closer to going to Estonia. I think so often we think we're giving everything we have to God to use for His purpose, but are we really giving ALL we have or are we just giving the parts that wouldn't be a sacrifice. What have I done in the past week that was truly a sacrifice to further His kingdom? Just a little food for thought!

8 days! I love you guys more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Meeting Updates- 15 days!

We had one of our last meetings until the trip yesterday and here is the updates:
Everything is falling into place beautifully, from our transportation to food and the place we're staying. Marie, our fearless leader, had been doing an awesome job at organizing everything. Something to be praying about would be preparation of the conference. We have absolutely no idea how many women to except or how many kids will show up for VBS. I don't want to make this about numbers, however, we want to make sure we have enough supplies for the crafts and enough food to feed the women. Be praying that God would give us answers and ideas as to what to do number wise. It's going to be an incredible trip and I'm so excited to see how the Lord uses us in Estonia.

In other news, my friend, Ashley, and I are going through the book of Hosea. It's not that I've never read through it, in fact it's one of my favorite books, but God has really opened my eyes this time around. How awesome is it to think that no matter how much we mess up and how far we run away from God, He finds us, He holds us and heals us, and let's us start all over. How awesome is the God we serve?! I am so captivated by this truth. I'm so in love.

We're almost to the weekend! Hang in there! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Monday, June 29, 2009

All the Beauty

I know that she’s a liar when I look into her eyes
But I believe in every word she says
She’s out to start a fire burning everything I have
I can’t put it out ’cause it’s all inside my head

And then you singI hear you sing
You call me lovely
You call me friend
You call me out of death and let me try again
You call me beloved
You call me clean
Then you show me all the beauty that you see in me

I still hear her whisper and sometimes I hear her shout
You’re not good enough and you will never be
But if I focus on your singing I can start to tune her out
’Cause you came with a love to set me free
I know that you love me enough to die
And I will try to see the value that you place on me
And you say I’m worthy
~JJ Heller


I think every woman has struggled with someone or something that screams out to them "YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH". This very subject is why I have felt called to Estonia this summer. I feel called to minister to women, who just like me, have insecurities. But what women everywhere must understand is that Christ has covered all of the things that we hate about ourselves, the skin problems, the weight issues, the feeling of having to wear ten pounds of makeup just go to the gym. All of those things are covered by the sufficient grace of Christ. He has taken what we see has ugly and made it exquisite and beautiful. Women in Estonia, like women everywhere, look for love in all the wrong places- in sex, money and possessions. I don't know, maybe next time we look in the mirror we need to embrace who we are and not so much what we look like. God's grace and beauty are sufficient. He has made us beautiful... what more could a girl ask for?

This is just something the Lord has been putting on my heart in the recent days as we prepare to leave. 18 days!!!! You guys are so beautiful and worthy of so much love!

Have a great week! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Ruin My Life

"Ruin my life, the plans that I've made.
Ruin desires for my own selfish gain.
Destroy the idols that have taken Your place,
Til it's YOU alone I live for"
~Jeff Johnson Band


Today I was on my way to my mom's office so her coworker could give me my B12 injection (long story as to why she has to do it), anyways, I was listening to Jeff Johnson and "Ruin Me" came on. The lyrics of the chorus really stuck with me and rang in my mind all day. "Ruin my life", what an odd request. More times than not that phrase is a bad thing. "Mom, you embarrassed me in front of my friends! You're ruining my life!!" or "He broke my heart, and now my life is ruined!". Rarely do you say "Ruin my life" and mean "Ruin everything that I am so that I may embrace everything You are". Today I prayed something that I haven't prayed in a very long time. As many of you know, I am recently unemployed, and while I was having a huge pitty party that everyone was invited to, I stopped and realized that God is so much bigger than that. To me, losing my income ruined my life. All of the sudden I went from having it all to being scared of how I'm going to pay my next car payment. I was so wrapped up in everything that has been going on that I didn't stop to think about God's purpose through everything. My prayer is that God would continue to completely RUIN my life, that I may be everything He wants me to be. I can't wait for Estonia. I'm praying He would do some incredible ruining over there too!


The Jamaica trip is tomorrow! I'm so excited to see how the Lord uses you guys!! I can't wait to hear all about it!!


It's almost the weekend! Hang in there!
I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
Emily Jo

Monday, June 22, 2009

Just a Side Note!

So I wanted to take a break from talking about what love is to talk about something that God has really laid on my heart in the past few weeks. In our college Sunday School class we're going through the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. The book describes what it truly means to be in love with Christ. It's an incredible book, but I'll warn you that if you don't like feeling convicted you shouldn't pick it up!

In one of the chapters, Chan brings up a very challenging question. If God were to come into my house today and say "Emily. I need you to give up your car, your friends and family and everything else you love and go to Russia (or any other country) and serve me. You will never see any of your family and friends again, but I'm all you need". The question would be if I would be willing to give up everything to further His Kingdom or would I say "You know, God, I'm perfectly ok with my life here. I think I'm going to pass on your offer, but thanks for asking!"? I would love to say I would pick the first response and go where He sends me.

I'm not saying God is going to call us to leave everything and never come back again, but are we willing to lose it all to gain something greater? That's something God has really been speaking to me about so I thought I would share!


Happy Monday! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
Emily Jo

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Love is Kind

When I think about kindness a few things come to mind, one of them being a smile. I've always loved the quote "Smile, it makes people wonder what you're thinking about". Do you know how many lives would be changed if all of us walked around with a smile on our face? If instead of honking at the slow driver in the fast lane who is probably close to 80 years old and has no business on the highway, we simply pass them and smile. What if we smile at the check out girl at Kroger? Or smile to the bank teller who isn't quite understanding what you need? The world could use a little more kindness.

Another thing that comes to mind are "Random Acts of Kindness". It's something that we always hear about and think about but never do. I'm not talking about going over to your grandma's house just to help her across the street even if she's perfectly content in her recliner where she has been stationed for days only getting up to go to the bathroom. I'm talking about opening doors for someone with an arm load of bags, or letting someone cut in front of you at the grocery store, or when you see a woman walking, talking on the phone and digging in her purse for her keys when everything is falling out, why couldn't we take 2.9 seconds to pick up the lonely lip gloss on the floor?

If we love God and love people. we must practice kindness wherever we go. Putting someone down using our speech is a sorry excuse for a wasted action that could have been used to encourage.

Not that I'm perfect or to say I don't love to hear the latest gossip, but I really think kindness is almost extinct in our culture today. I'm so thankful God is kind. He always knows how to brighten my day and He always knows my heart and yet loves me more today than He did yesterday.

I challenge you to smile ALL day today. Use kind words. God will bless it!


I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
Emily Jo

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Love is Patient

By fully understanding what Love truly is, we must dissect 1 Corinthians 13. Let's just take the first concept. "Love is patient"

Dictionary.com defines patient as

  • bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like
  • quietly and steadily persevering or diligent
  • characterized by or expressing such a quality.

How awesome is it that God is a God who bears all hardships and pain, that he takes all of that from us so that we may have life to the fullest. I feel so blessed to serve a God who gives me second chances as well. He wants what is best for me, but He still waits patiently for me to follow after Him and His will. Every time I mess up, He waits for me and He's always there. My little brain can't begin to grasp that concept. How is awesome is the God we serve?


I hope you guys are having a great week. I love you all more than you know!



Forever His,
Emily Jo

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Just the Facts

Not very many people know where Estonia is or even that it existed before I brought it up, so I thought I would share a few facts about the country.


The capital of Estonia is Tallin.
There are over 130,000 folk songs that originated from Estonia
The city of Tartu, where we will be staying, is home to 101,092.00 inhabitants
Estonia is west of Russia and borders the Baltic Sea
Estonia gained FULL Independence in 1991
The Estonian flag is one horizontal blue stripe on top of a black stripe
Estonia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world
Estonia has over 1,400 lakes
Estonia has one of the highest level of irreligious individuals in the world


Pretty interesting stuff here! I can't wait to actually experience the culture. If you get a chance google pictures of Estonia... it is gorgeous!!


I hope all is well! I love you all more than you know!


Forever His,
Emily Jo

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

31 Days!!

As the trip grows closer and closer I can't help but be excited! I can't wait to see how the Lord uses us there!

The major subject we'll be teaching about is Love. What is Love? Who is Love? Am I worthy of Love? How do I get Love? The women of Estonia are just like women everywhere, looking for love in all the wrong places. We are called to not only spread the name of Christ, but to also tell these women that they are loved and desired by the Creator of the Universe who has made them worthy of all the Love in the world. We'll be teaching them that God is love, and without Him it is impossible to find true love anywhere else. God is Love. God is Love. God is Love. I can't wait to share the joy!!


I'll talk to you guys real soon! I love you all more than you know!!


Forever His,
Emily Jo

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Here We Go!! 33 Days!

For the record, I'm not much of a blogger, but I thought this would be a really cool way to invite those who are supporting me on my trip to Estonia to come along for the ride! It was really Paul Lee that inspired me to do this... he's ok in my book!!


The trip plans thus far:

We will depart from DFW on Friday July 17th. (33 days)
We are scheduled to fly from here to Atlanta and then over to Stockholm, Sweden, where we will get to spend 5 hours exploring the city until our CRUISE over the Baltic Sea to Tallin, Estonia, departs for an overnight ride.

When we get to Tallin on Sunday we will drive two hours to Tartu, where we will be staying in Salem Baptist Church. Sunday will be a day of prayer and shopping for our supplies needed for the week. We then will attend their Sunday night service, where yours truly will be singing a few jams!
Monday- Wednesday we will be putting on a Womens' Conference entitle "The Unexpected Journey" and a VBS for the children.
Thursday is our day on the town for exploring
Friday we're jumping back on the cruise ship and heading back home.
We will return Satruday afternoon




It's going to be a super short trip, but I'm so very excited to see how the Lord uses us there! My prayer for this trip is that the Lord would send brokenness over the women we will be reaching. Our conference will have the purpose of ministiring to women who struggle with everything from sexual immorality to hopelessness and grief. Anything and everything we could think of that women deal with, we'll be talking about. Please be in prayer for our speakers, that they would have the words to say and would be completely transparent. May everything we do be for His glory!


More to come soon! I love you guys more than you know!


Forever His,
Emily Jo