Heaven's Grocery Store

As I was walking along "LIFE'S HIGHWAY" a long time ago

One day I saw a sign that read "Heaven's Grocery Store".
As I got a little closer the door came open wide.
There was a host of Angels, they were standing everywhere.
One handed me a basket and said, "MY CHILD SHOP WITH CARE".
Everything a Christian needed was in that grocery store,
and all you couldn't carry you could come back for more.
First, I got some Patience, Love that was in the same row.
Farther down was Understanding, something you need everywhere you go.
I got a box or two of Wisdom, and a bag or two of Faith.
I stopped for Strength and Courage to help me run this race.
Though my basket was nearly full, I remembered I needed Grace.
I didn't forget Salvation, for Salvation that was free.
So I tried to get enough for both you and me.
Then I started up the aisle, I saw Prayer and I just had to put it in.
For I knew when I stepped outside I would run right into sin.
Peace and Joy were plentiful, they were on the last shelf.
Songs of Praise were hanging near, so I just helped myself.
Then I said to the Angel "How much do I owe?"
He just smiled and said "JUST TAKE THEM EVERYWHERE YOU GO".
Again, I asked the Angel, "How much do I really owe?"
Still smiling he said "MY CHILD, JESUS PAID YOUR BILL LONG AGO."

Anchored

Trust is a touchy subject for a lot of people. Some have absolutely no problem with the concept until they have a reason to no longer have hope in trust. May it be in relationships, friendships, or even God, trust is something that can be hard to get back once it is lost.

When relationships go wrong, some people blame God. When you lose your job, some people blame God. When someone close to you dies, some people blame God. When something goes wrong...some people blame God. Why is it that we blame God when we know how much he loves us?

God has proven himself in situation after situation that we can fully put our trust in him. Examples lie in Noah and the Flood, and Abraham with Isaac. We are even reminded that God has made a promise to us...that we may spend eternity with him in heaven because he sent his One and Only Son to die for us. Everything happens for a reason, and no matter what happens, the final destination remains the same if we keep our trust in him. No matter how dangerous the storm may seem, if our trust stays with him, our souls, our hearts, will stay anchored to him. 

Life is full of storms. Some may be light, but others can really break down someone's soul. Hebrews 6:19 says:

"This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary."

Way back when, a curtain hung between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, which in reference to this verse is "God's inner sanctuary." Only the high priest was allowed to enter once a year and every other person was not permitted to enter...ever. Believers had no direct relationship with God until Christ came along. Christ is with us and with God in heaven always, interceding for us always. Through Christ, God's promise of eternal life and salvation is evident. Because of Christ, God's promises should bring hope to all believers, that he has anchored our souls and hearts to that salvation.

That's enough for me. 

Remember?

Today is Memorial Day. It's the day that we are to remember all of our troops who have served and are continuing to serve our country. Sons, daughters, dads, moms, friends, brothers, and sisters who all have dedicated their lives to protecting a country full of people that they don't even know. I am so thankful to these people who have sacrificed themselves for us. 

Doesn't this sound awfully familiar though? I woke up earlier than normal this morning to spend time with God. I watched the sunrise out my window and thought of how beautiful God's creation is. What a gift...he has given me another beautiful day. Why is it that God feels like he should bless me with such a perfect gift?

What is the perfect gift? Memorial Day always makes me think...why is it that we don't take to heart the precious gift that God has given us every single day? Not only does he give us a brand new day every morning when he tells the sun to rise, but he has given us something even more precious. Eternal life. He sent his One and Only Son to die on the cross for you. For me. He went through hell, a hell far worse than anything on earth could never even compare to, so that we don't have to. He sacrificed himself so save people that he didn't even know. People who he knew would betray him, hate him, crucify him. That's love. Remember that. 

Thank you to all the troops who are serving our country. Those who have fallen. Those who have given their lives for us.

Thank you, Jesus, for giving yourself so that we can live forever. Thank you for our second chance at life.

Thank you.

"Don't Be Ugly"

When I was around six (I really don't know how old I was, but for the sake of the story, I was six), I was playing with my older sister, seven and a half at the time, and her best friend, Kelley. I guess I was displaying my attitude to the world at this very moment, being a bossy little six year old. I really had no right to be bossy, especially since I was the youngest of the three of us. I didn't care. Kelley I guess had gotten fed up with little miss me and told me angrily, "YOU'RE BOSSY!" This comment would have most likely made the average little girl cry...but oh no. I came back with, "I'M NOT BOSSY...I'M BEAUTIFUL!" I had ruined Kelley's day because of my attitude. And in the end, my day was ruined as well because I got in trouble for my actions.

My mom always reminds me of this story. My attitude definitely isn't how it used to be, even though it could always use some help. I feel bad for Kelley because I showed her an attitude that didn't reflect who I was. Yes, I realize I was just a little girl and this is actually a very cute story. But think about it...how many people do you affect simply by your attitude?

Every time I have attitude around my mom, she always tells me, "Don't be ugly." She's not meaning physically, but she means internally. We live in a world where physical appearance is everything, or so the media says. But what about who we are? What about our personalities, our actions, or our attitudes? Shouldn't we try to make those things beautiful as well? Shouldn't that be more important that physical beauty? It seems to me that the world today is belittling the human, making appearance and materialism more important than the heart and soul of the person.

God doesn't care about what we look like or what we have. If he did, don't you think he would've sent Jesus as some high roller with the big bucks? Well let me tell you...he didn't. And I don't know what Jesus looked like, but he didn't even have an actual home during his earthly ministry. He was here and there and everywhere. He didn't have fancy clothes or nice things. All he had was the clothing on his back and the hospitality of people around him. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says:

"Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God."

Even though physical beauty attracts people's attention, it's the inner beauty that holds onto it. The most beautiful and wealthiest people in the world could be the loneliest if they have a bad attitude. It kills me when non-Christians refuse to go to church because they don't respect people around them who call themselves Christians. They say that they are hypocrites who don't live a Christian lifestyle. They don't have "the attitude that a Christian should have." You know why this kills me? Because in many cases, it's one hundred percent true. 

God didn't put us on this earth to turn people away from him. He put us here to draw people in, to draw people closer to him. How are we supposed to do this if we have a bad attitude. God isn't appealing if his followers don't reflect him. He didn't send us to be ugly. Not physically ugly, but like my mom said, I'm talking about the heart. We, as sons and daughters of God, are meant to have hearts for God. With these hearts, we are supposed to reflect the love of God to those around us. It's not a difficult thing to do. A simple smile. A friendly note. A wave. A phone call. Anything to let people know you care. 1 Peter 3:8 says: 

"Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted and keep a humble attitude."

Be who God meant for you to be. Have a heart for him and show that heart to others. Have a good attitude. Don't be ugly.

Scars

My past. Yuck. Hate it. It's funny how your life can make a one-eighty so quickly. I was thinking...why does God let you be stupid? Why does he let you make the worst possible decisions ever and sometimes even let you get away with them. This is part of a song called "Take Me As I Am" by the Sugarland. Sorry if country isn't your genre of choice, but I love it:

"They keep starin' at my tattoos.
We all live with the scars we choose.
They might hurt like hell
but they all make us stronger."

Do you ever feel like, even though you may be a different person than you were in the past, that people can see right through you? Like there's a huge tattoo on your forehead saying, "Sinner." In reality, your past is sort of like a tattoo. Like the song says, its something you choose to get, it may hurt really badly, but in the end you're a stronger person because of it. 

We all have a past. Good. Bad. Happy. Sad. There's no losing it. Sad to say, every bad thing that's ever happened, you most likely are going to remember it throughout your life. God has a reason for everything. We may not see it in the heat of a crapy situation, but God does.

There's a church called Ethos that I went to for the first time this past Sunday. Dave Clayton was speaking and he read from Genesis. He talked about the first four words of Genesis..."In the beginning God." Yeah we know that this is not the full sentence, but just think about these four words. In the beginning God. What does this mean? It means that when something horrible happens, like a loved one dying, or you flunked out of college, or you went bankrupt, God is the only one who understands you at that very moment. You may be surprised, but God isn't. He knew it would happen all along. 

I'm not saying that God wants us to suffer, because that is not the case. But He lets these kinds of things happen for a reason. He lets us choose to make stupid decisions so that we can live with them. We may not want to live with them, but maybe God wants us to do something with our scars. Maybe your scars can bring someone who just went through the same thing to God. Use your bad past for good. Rock the scars. Let your past make you stronger. 

Example

While I was getting ready for bed, my roommate, Kayla, and I were talking about growing up in the youth group. I totally forgot how we got on the topic of looking up to certain people when we were young, but somehow we did. When you were young, did you ever look at an upper classman in high school and want to be just like them? I'll admit that I did. I always thought, no one is ever going to look up to me like that.

During the week of graduation, we had a time in the youth group for graduating seniors to receive notes from the younger teens. It was sort of like an "I'm gonna miss you" session. One of the sophomore girls that I had recently become really close to decided to write me a letter. She told me how she had always looked up to me and said that I was her role model. Role Model? Me? Immediately I went back to the time when I was her age and looked at certain people like that, and now that person was me. Wow. 

I'm not perfect. No one is perfect. Being told that you are someone's role model is one of the best honors that you can get in my opinion, but it's so undeserved. I know, then especially, I should never had been labeled as a role model for anyone. I guess you could say it taught me a huge lesson...

Living your life as an example is Biblical. Christ did it. Everything He did was meant to teach His followers how to live a Christian life. No one else can teach us that. He is perfection. No one can hold a flame to Christ, but the least we can do is to live a life as Jesus-like as possible. Be an example. Live your life as honorably as you can. You never know who's watching you. 

Rescued

Psalm 13

 ¹ How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever? 
       How long will you hide your face from me?

 ² How long must I wrestle with my thoughts 
       and every day have sorrow in my heart? 
       How long will my enemy triumph over me?

 ³ Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. 
       Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

 ⁴ my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," 
       and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

 ⁵ But I trust in your unfailing love; 
       my heart rejoices in your salvation.

 ⁶ I will sing to the LORD, 
       for he has been good to me.

This chapter from Psalms is actually a song that we sing in Sanctuary. I love it...along with everyone else who knows it. It's one of the most powerful songs that we sing there because everyone sings it as loud a physically possible. Know one cares what they sound like, and that's what makes it amazing. 

I love this chapter because it's so relatable. Everyone goes through the valleys and the peaks of life. Everyone feels alone sometimes. Life isn't perfect. You're gonna go through crap in life and we all know it. If you haven't gone through anything bad yet, then I'm jealous. But it's in those valleys where most people go to God. It's kind of a bittersweet thing, but people really do draw closer to God when they're in despair. Even though that's great, I hate it that that's the way it has to be. Why is it that we feel the sudden urge to lean on God when are in desperation, but don't give him as much of our time to him as we should when times are good? 

God has rescued me. He has rescued me from a bitter fate, he rescues me from the valleys, and he reminds me every day that I'm never alone. God has been good to me. He loves me no matter what. His love is unconditional. I just need to remember, even in the good times, that I should lean on him. I should praise him in any and every circumstance. My life should be a living praise.

He has been good to me. 

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Sometimes I wish that I didn't have to make choices. I mean, I guess it wouldn't be very good if someone else made all of my decisions for me, but still. Sometimes I feel like it would just be so much easier to just nod my head and do what I'm told. But that would get old, wouldn't it?

For example, I  just got offered a job at a restaurant as a waitress. It would be easy to just take it, but something doesn't feel right about it. My plan was to go get applications from a million different places, and the first place I went to was J. Alexanders. They offered me that job on the spot and I took it. I was so excited, but you know that little feeling you get in your chest when something doesn't feel right? I have that feeling.

So this really isn't about whether or not I take the job. Tomorrow I'm going to get more applications so it's no big deal. I guess it's more about how God's got my back. He gave me the choice of whether or not I want to follow him, and I did. I am his and it's nice. I love the comfort of knowing that he will provide for me. So I guess the choices I make aren't that big of a deal. Yes, they are, but as long as I include God in my decisions, it's gonna be alright. 

It's gonna be alright. 

Tired

Time is almost up for the 2008-2009 school year. Finally. But I'm not gonna lie, it's been pretty great. I've grown up (well, since high school at least), I've started figuring out who I want to be, I'm getting back on the right track with God again (and it's amazing...), God has surrounded me with wonderful friends...it's just been a great first year of college. 

But...I'm tired. 

Sometimes I wish God could just take my exams for me. I mean really...He is an All-Powerful, All-Knowing God, so I KNOW he could ace my Psychology final. That would be pretty cool, but it ain't gonna happen. Times like this, I just load up on the caffeine and go. If I stop, there's no hope for me.

I have Philippians 4:13 taped on my computer because it's my life in college. It's my little reminder that I can do it. No matter how hard it is, or how heavy my eyes feel in the middle of my math class, I can do it. God may let me feel weary at times, but there's a light to the end of the tunnel. I can do anything through Him who gives me strength. That's all I need to know. 

Emily

The Ultimate Sacrifice

I spent this past weekend at home with the family. I love going home. I feel so comfortable, so blessed, and so incredibly loved there. I thank God everyday for the people in my life that love me so much and that I can love in return. 

During my amazing stay at home, the movie John Q was OnDemand. I haven't watched it in a really long time and I was bored, so why not? If you've never seen this movie, I recommend you first to watch it asap, and second to STOP READING THIS RIGHT NOW. MOVIE SPOILER.  

So I'm a major cry-baby when it comes to movies. In this movie, there is a family who isn't financially stable. They have one son, who is probably around ten, and he ends up in desperate need of a new heart. Since the family cannot afford this procedure, or even the amount to place his name on the recipient list, the father decides he has to do something drastic...so he holds up the emergency room. After a while, it comes down to his son really needing the heart. So the father decides that his son can take his heart. He will die so that his son can live...

Of course I am BAWLING by this point. If that doesn't describe love, I don't know what does. My parents always tell me that they would die for me, and as I've grown up, I've begun understanding what they mean. I would do the same for them. 

God did that for me. He came down in human form, through his Son, and died for me. He loved me, an undeserving sinner, so much, that he took my death. He bore my punishment, for no reason at all. But there was a reason...He Loves Me. That's all it takes. Love. 

Love is the easiest thing, but it's the hardest thing to grasp. God loves me. I love Him. Enough said. 

Emily

Easter

Today is Easter. We all know what Easter is. Even if you are not a Christian, you know what it is, but may not associate it with Christ. Maybe you associate it with a giant bunny or egg-shaped Reeses cups or those gross things they call Peeps (they are disgusting...).

What made Easter turn into such a corporate holiday? Who the heck came decided that the Easter bunny should represent the day believed to be when Jesus Christ died and rose again? Doesn't quite click to me. 

I think that society diminishes the whole concept of what Easter really is...even for Christians. Even just sitting here thinking about it, I don't think I've truly grasped the meaning of it all until just now. Well I don't know the meaning to it all, obviously, but I mean I'm just now getting down to the significance of it. 

I cannot even begin to image the reality of the Cross and the torture it must have been. Even moreso, I cannot image the horrors of hell and the torment that Christ went through for three days...all for me. And then to top it all off, He came back. He rose from the grave. Wow.

God is an awesome God. He let his Son die for a sinner like me. He watched Him suffer for someone so unworthy to be saved. I cannot even begin to thank Him for this gift. My second chance. My salvation. 

All I can do is believe, have faith, be aware and thankful for all my many blessings, and to live a life as close to the example of Christ as I possibly can.

Thank You, Jesus, for saving me. 

God First, Others Second, I'm Third

I often wonder how many minutes...more like hours of the day spending thinking about myself. Better yet, I don't really want to know that number because it would probably scare me. Now I'm not going to speak for everyone, but I think a lot of people have this problem. We live in a materialistic culture that tells us what we don't have enough, what we have isn't good enough, or that we aren't good enough. A lot of times, we'll give up things to make our lives easier or better, but when it comes the time to give up the same thing to help someone else, we aren't always too happy about it.

1 Chronicles 16:11 says, "Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually." We're called to always seek his face, but I don't think I focus on that as much as I should in my day-to-day life.

Some of you may have heard the saying "God First, Others Second, I'm Third." Think about it. How many of us can honestly say that we prioritize our lives in this order 100% all day, everyday? I'd be willing to bet that most of us wish we did, but we can't say we honestly do 24/7. Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." This verse is in the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus calls us "not to store up money and riches on earth (6:19-24), not to worry about the future (6:25-34), to refrain from self-righteous judgement (7:1-5), and to go to God for all our needs (7L7-11)."

I think that if we truly believed this, we wouldn't be rolling our eyes when it comes to helping someone else when it's not according to our schedules. God is always there for us. No worries. Go out of your way to do something nice for someone today. 

"God First, Others Second, I'm Third."

Lord, help us to live in this world, but not to be OF this world.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Today I was being negative, which is actually a rare thing for me. Normally I'm a glass half full kind of girl, but I guess I was just having one of those days. I was somewhat venting to someone on the phone and he told me a verse...Proverbs 15:15. He's a big fan of sending verses my way to look up, especially when I need a slap in the face. A slap in the face was just what I needed.

"A miserable heart means a miserable life;

a cheerful heart fills the day with song."

- Proverbs 15:15

Now I promise I'm not Miss Debbie Downer. I guess I'm sort of making myself out to look that way, but I'm  not. This verse just came across to me as a little slice of encouragement. We all have those days when we wake up on the wrong side of the bed, and this verse is the perfect piece of advice for days like that. 

Turn that frown upside down. 

Life is good. 

Time is Running Out

This school year is coming to an end...finally. It's taken a lot of getting used to, but overall it has been wonderful! I mean, come on, college compared to high school is way better. But as this academic year dwindles to an end, I feel so pressured with so much work...busy work it seems. Nonetheless, work is work. I feel like I have no time for me. More importantly, I feel like I've been leaving God out of the mix.

The only time I've really set aside for God is my car ride to and from the gym and every night before I go to sleep. I'm one of those crazy people you see jamming out in the car to the radio, but instead it's my Sanctuary CD. Sanctuary is a praise and worship thing that goes on in Nashville every Thursday and I like to replay the moment in the car. I can't get enough of it. But when I step back to look at the big picture, I really don't give enough of myself or my time to my Creator. 

I guess it just all comes down to time management. I'm a college student. I should be a pro at time management, but that's not the case when it comes to God. That's not right. Wow. 

This last week, I've started something new. The second I wake up, I say, "Good morning, God." Throughout the day, I live my prayer. I never open or close. Just live. I talk to him now. When I go to bed at night, I tell him goodnight.  I've already seen a difference in how I feel about my relationship with God. It feels so good. 

So I just wanted to encourage setting more time aside for God. It will change your day. I promise. 

Philippians 4:13

"I can do anything through him who gives me strength."- Phil. 4:13

We all have heard this verse. I even have it written on a bracelet that I wear around my wrist every day. But I was thinking about it and looking back on things I've been through in the past, and I started to wonder...do i REALLY believe this? I can say I believe that with God, all things are possible, but sometimes I feel like I am just fooling myself. That thought process is totally and completely dumb. It's almost as if it's my placebo pill to get rid of a migraine. Just tell myself it's going to be okay and that everything is going to be fixed. Sometimes I don't feel like I'm getting that strength and I'm just living like a zombie getting through life.

The great thing here is that my thought process is off. I CAN do anything through him who gives me strength. I've been through interesting situations in my life that the word pleasant wouldn't describe, but I'm still here. I'm still kickin', I'm still breathing, and I'm still believing. God has given me strength to persevere through anything. And I DO believe that. 

Rest

So Spring Break starts tomorrow. Boy do I need it. It's like I'm craving a break. But at the same time, I feel uneasy about it. 

Normally I do some sort of missions for spring break, and this year I'm not. It breaks my heart. I'm actually just going to Chattanooga and then home for the week. But I feel so incomplete that I'm not going to do missions. Is that a selfish viewpoint? I honestly don't really know. I've been asking myself why I'm not going anywhere, but maybe God wanted me to stay home for some reason. Maybe I'm following God's plan by NOT going anywhere for spring break. Who knows. 

Sometimes rest is good. But sometimes I don't want it. I guess I just need to suck it up and wait it out. There's a reason for everything. We'll see.

Emily

John 14:27

"Peace, I leave with you my peace, I give unto you, not as the worth giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." -John 14:27

So I just pledged with a social group at school. It wasn't easy, that's for sure. Every night we had a different "activity" to be nervous about, simply because we had no idea what was coming. It was always a surprise. Well John 14:27 is my club's motto and it helped me out so much during the whole week. 

Bible verses are so good to have in your head. I always have had a few memorized, but I never really understood how helpful they are until I needed it bad enough. That sorta sounds selfish, I know, but it sort of comes down to how when you're at your lowest, you get closer to God. Pledging was just a minor example, but it's even more obvious when someone close to you dies, or you're having relationship problems, or times when you feel alone when you get super close to God. 

I think that's why life isn't always good. You need the good times to know that God is good and the bad times to know that you can't do everything alone. You're never alone. 

Sorry if that was random, but it's just something that's been on my mind for the past week. 

Emily

Happy Thought

So I was reading Lamentations the other day. It was required. I don't like reading sad things...I mean, hello! Lamentations doesn't sound pleasant. But as I was reading all the depressing stuff being said, I came across some verses that struck my attention...

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness." -Lamentations 3:22-23

Wow. I love that. After reading all these sad things and making me think about all the crap I've done so far in my short life, this verse actually gave me hope...it gives me hope. I love how I serve a God who loves me so unconditionally, that no matter what I do, He loves me the same. Every morning is a blank slate, and even though the past is the past, I am still loved the same.

What an Awesome God.

Emily

I Miss...

Recently I've been thinking a lot about my past. High school, football games, parties, people, ex-boyfriends, everything. It's weird to think how you can remember the most random things. Like it's hard to remember your best friend's birthday, but you remember the color hair bow your sister wore in her first grade yearbook photo. I don't really understand it. 

Do I really miss everything I remember from back in the day? Or things I don't remember? What's the point of missing things? Sorry this is a random thought, but I had to talk it out. My friend just recently had a three year anniversary of a friend's death and it made me think of my friend Seth who died two years ago. I miss him. Why does God let us miss things? Not even really miss things, but mainly be sad when we miss things. 

So here's my conclusion for my random thought: God makes us miss things, especially people, to make us realize how much of a gift they are. Never take anything or anyone around you for granted. Everything is a gift. The act of missing is a simple reminder that God loves us so much that he lets us connect with something in such a way to make us feel that way. When people die, it's nice to know you're not not going to see them again...because we will. :)

Emily

Blessed

Right now, I'm sitting outside with my friends, taking in this beautiful day that God has blessed me with. It's days like this that make me think about how incredibly blessed I am. 

Recently, a lot of good things have happened back to back. That NEVER happens. I'm trying not to enjoy it too much, mainly out of fear that it's all going to go away. I know I shouldn't feel that way, but I just can't help it. I hate living out of fear that the good things in life that I have been blessed with might disappear. And in reality, they eventually will. But that's why I need to take them in as they come and appreciate them while they are still here. 

That's really all I have to say about that. Sorry if that was just me rambling. It happens. :)

Emily

Natalie

Who here among us has not been broken

Who here among us is without guilt or pain

So oft' abandoned by our transgressions

If such a thing as grace exists

Then grace was made for lives like this

There are no strangers

There are no outcasts

There are no orphans of God

So many fallen, but hallelujah

There are no orphans of God

Come ye unwanted and find affection

Come all ye weary, come and lay down your head

Come ye unworthy, you are my brother

If such a thing as grace exists

Then grace was made for lives like this

O blessed Father, look down upon us

We are your children, we need Your love

We run before Your throne of mercy

And seek Your face to rise above

-"Orphans of God"

I don't know if you have ever heard this song, but I heard it for the first time this past weekend on a retreat. But instead from hearing it over the stereo system, I heard it from the lips of a sweet girl named Natalie. 

Natalie is from Maldova, a place where she was orphaned as a young child and saved from a life of prostitution by willing servants of God. But thanks to His marvelous love, Natalie was rescued from this fate.

Now, Natalie lives in a Christian-based home that was built by the hands and hearts of volunteers in Maldova with a group of many other orphaned girls who were rescued from the same fate. In this home, Natalie heard this song and fell in love with it. She learned the meaning of the English words and realized how this song was about her. This song was her story. 

She was invited to come to the retreat I was at to sing this beautiful song, with her "father" playing acoustic guitar in the background and her friends surrounding her on stage. While everyone listened to this sweet girl sing these powerful words, I think that every heart melted, mine included. It felt as if time stood still. 

When this performance sadly ended, it wasn't long before the audience was standing on their feet in loud applause and amazement (and many in tears). Not only in amazement of Natalie's singing, but of how awesome God is. God was there on stage with Natalie that night...and everyone knew it, everyone felt it.

I wish that everyone could have heard this performance. I will never forget the sound of her voice or the image of her in tears as everyone was standing for her in applause.

Natalie was saved by the love of our Father in heaven, and because of His love, there are no orphans. 

Thank you, Natalie, for your story. 

Emily

God Bless America

January 20th is a date that comes every year, but is only important to most Americans once every four years. Inauguration Day. Today is that day.

Now I'm not going to talk about who I voted for, what side of issues I stand on, or what I think about our new President. I'm not much of a political person, so it's not gonna happen. Instead, I just wanted to say something short and simple (sorry if it comes off as irritated...well that's because it is).

No matter who you wanted to become the new President, be assured: Everything happens for a reason. Whether or not you like it, President Obama is the new leader of our country. Yes, I understand that people who weren't on Obama's side aren't too thrilled, but now  all I have to say is get over it. Accept it. There are so many people whining because they think the world is coming to an end simply because Obama is our new President and that John McCain didn't. Oh please. Our God is so much greater than that. What an insult to our Creator to say something so ignorant as "the world is coming to an end" all because of one politician.  I'm so sick of it. For one, on the literal side, only God knows when that day is so don't even. Secondly, ye of little faith. Take comfort in the fact that God knows what he is doing. Have faith that our Lord has a plan. He is an All-Knowing and All-Powerful God.

I  don't know about you, but I serve an Awesome God. I know that President Obama is in office for a reason. All I can do is pray that God will bless Obama  and to surround him with the right people to help him do his job in the best way possible. Pray for our new leaders and those surrounding the President. Pray for our country. Pray for this planet we call home. Trust in Him.

God Bless America.

Emily

Uncomfortable

Last night, I was sitting on Panama City beach alone spending time with God, having spent all day around crazy college students at a church retreat. It was about two o'clock in the morning, no one was around, everything was quiet except for the sound of the waves crashing on each other off the shore. How peaceful is that? How beautiful is God's handiwork. Wow, I thought to myself, what an Awesome God. I felt so comfortable. 

But wait. Comfortable? I thought about this word for a bit. I can say that I am extremely blessed by everything the Lord has given me in my life so far. Yes, bad things happen, but I live a comfortable life...

I thought about a praise and worship we had earlier that day (which was amazing, especially since that's where I feel closest to God) and how the lead singer asked us to kneel. Behind me, I heard people grunt at the thought of having to get out of their comfy chairs, get on the floor, and kneel, and to be honest I wasn't too thrilled at this either. But then he said something that really made me think- a person's posture really shows how a person is feeling, and every now and then kneeling before God is a way of placing all our feelings, everything we have, before our Lord...even if it makes us feel uncomfortable. 

Once I got into my kneeling position before God, all these thoughts starting rushing through my mind about my life and how I am often too comfortable. Jesus didn't come to earth to live a life of comfort. I don't think there is a single mention of Christ high rollin' with the wealthy, fine dining with the rich and famous, or being in the most popular circle of friends. Instead, Christ hung out with the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the outcasts...He was hated by so many, and then killed by the ones He came to save. That does NOT spell out comfort in my eyes. 

So what does this mean to me? While sitting on the beach, I thought about this question for quite some time. Here's my conclusion- sometimes you have to be uncomfortable to realize what comfort really is. I shouldn't strive to live a life of comfort by surrounding myself with nice things, but that I need to live my life based off the knowledge that I am truly loved by God, the King of kings, the I Am, who sent his one and only Son to die on the cross for me. That is all the comfort I need. Everything else will fall into place. Just have faith. 

Once I stood up from kneeling in the praise and worship, I felt different. It wasn't until two o'clock the next morning for me to come to the realization that the difference was that I felt uncomfortable for once- and boy it felt so good. I pray that God will not only place me into uncomfortable situations in my life, but to throw me in them. 

God, I give You my life- so do with it what you will...even if it makes me uncomfortable because that's what Christ did for me. You love me, and that's all the comfort I need. 

Emily