The theme of my life:)

OK so anyone who knows me knows how much i enjoy singing. No matter how good or bad i may sound. I love music and i know a lot of music (mostly popluar music from the last 25 yrs.) So came up with a question that has become something i ask everyone around me. You may have heard it before but as you think for yourself and how you might answer have fun. I have gotten some really great responses...

If you had a theme song for your life what song would it be? You should not have to explain why the song should speak for itself, or rather you! Drum roll please as i reveal my pick for the theme song of my life.

"Dance with somebody" by Whitney Houston!! Take just a moment and picture me singing this for you:) Other responses that i have gotten from the high school students have been pretty funny. Everything from"Final countdown" to "Hokey Pokey". So tell me what would your theme song be?

Discipline

I believe that everyone knows when you ask God for something that He usually "sends" you trials concerning your request and continues to "assist" you until you get it right. Kind of like when you ask for patience you end up with a broken down car and your having to ride the bus with a screamin child sitting next to. So who knows what I may have ended up with a couple of weeks ago when I began to pray and asked others to pray for discipline fior me.
Little did I know that as I began this endeavor to pray that my opportunities were already in front of me. Simple things like being on time to a meeting, and not eating out when I dont' really have the money. Its crazy to think how soo many of these things are easy and apart of everyday life and yet I feel they are challenging to get done.
Last week I was very busy. I think between Youth for Christ and C28 I worked like 75-80 hours. And believe it or not I actually got more things done. I really dont' know what my problem is and why that is, that when I am the most overloaded I seem to be the most on top of things. Suppose I may have always been this way??? I guess I will keep praying and hope to find other areas to get it "right" :)

New Kids

I know this blog can really be about whatever I want it to be, however I have seen it as a great tool to infom people about my ministry, however today I want to take a break from that and celebrate my youth...well I'm still full of youth if you ask me more like celebrate my childhood maybe?

For months there had been rumors of a possible New Kids on the Block reunion, and then bam it was confirmed. And they were coming here to south Florida. However by the time I'd gotten around to ask if anyone was interested in going everyone had there tickets already. Only minorly bummed I moved, that is until a week ago when I recieved a call from one of those friends who had tickets and couldn't go. I still had trouble though, who was I going to get to come with me? You dont' go to a concert like that without a friend.

For days everyone who I asked me laughed at me, I took quite a bit of grief for looking forward to this. I stood strong though and eventually convinced my friend Christen to come along.

It is really hard to even describe the scene of this "historic" event. Picture 98% mid-twenties+ women, i'm gonna guess 11% of those were pregnant, (for real never seen so many pregnant women at a concert). 5% men, who were dragged by there significant others.

There were two opening acts for them, first one was "Lady Ga-ga" (whatever), and the second was Natasha Bedingfield! Now I love Natasha, I've been a fan of hers for several years now. When her set was over I went out to see if I could meet her at the merch table. Line was too long but i did get a couple of good pictures of her...the point of this part of the story was the mass-hysteria that took place when the lights went off for the New Kids to take the stage. I really didn't know so many women were into running?

All in all it was a Great concert, laugh if you will, but the whole thing took me back to when i was in the 4th grade and my biggest crush was Joey McIntryre, and I wanted to be just like my cousins (who by the way were old enough to see them in concert the 1st time around). I really, really, really hate to say that the New Kids music is timeless, but for the 10,000 plus women who were at that concert last Saturday night there music holds a place in our own personal history. It was great how there reunion "reunited" us all with the simpler times of life and each other.

The I never post, post?

So even as I began this blog I had the most incredible of intentions to keep up on it. My good friends had sucessfully excited me about it. The fact that I would have a way to provide others with the info. of what was going on in my life (if anyone really cared), and an opportunity to share my successes and my woes in ministry. Needless to say I was seriously into having a blog. Then I got one.
Boy does that change things. I have done a poor job of maintaining and even posting. Why you may ask as you point out the fact that its not that hard to do. So here are my top 5 excuses..

5. Time, I'm just all over the place these days
4. I've got a Facebook, and a Myspace now what more do you want:)
3. I don't like using other peoples computers for personal stuff
2. I'm not too tech. savy, honestly afraid i might hit the wrong button
1. Have you ever read other peoples blogs...they are good, I'm not clever or funny nor do I have imput to change the world or entertain it.



So there you have it my top 5 excuses. I hope now that I can get over this and get back to blogging a little more often then once every other month:)

YFCamp 08

I returned from YFCamp a couple of weeks ago, and it has taken me this long to get to a place of relization as to what really happened at camp. I went as a last minute addition because we had too many girls going and not enough female adults. It was middle school camp and even though I do high school ministry because I know camp is always an amazing experience I wanted to go when I was asked.
In my cabin were 7 awesome and fun girls!!!! Camp consisted of the regular camp activities, swimming, ropes course, tubbing, kayaking, and a game room. The game room was usually the place to be as it rained many times throughout the week putting a damper on all outside activities. Cayerio a band from Memphis, Tennessee performed, and a man named Gilbert delivered a piercing message each night. The theme for the week was "Be Real". Being real I learned isn't super hard for most middle school girls especially when they feel comfortable and are around their friends. Six of the seven girls in my cabin went to the same school so they were very open and honest anytime there was small group discussion. And God certainly moved in the lives of each of the girls.
Traditionally camps climax in the mid-week for the Gospel presentation, but at YFCamp the climax begins mid-week with an emphasis on brokeness, and each girl was given the opportunity to release what brokeness they had in their lives, and then continued the next night with the presentation of the Gospel. Now I am not sure when the last time you were truly broken was but this took a lot of time and energy. I remember middle school being horrible and it being a very tough time for me, but at camp I had to come face to face with it and help these girls see that God was there to get them through this. Before the end of camp 6 of the 7 girls made committments to follow Jesus, and really make Him Lord in their lives realizing they couldn't get through it alone. PRAISE GOD! Middle school sucks, and is hard for girls. The real point to this story is not just about the girls and God but about me and God. This was sooo hard to do. In helping each of these girls I realized that even now there is brokeness in my life that needed to be dealt with.
Sooo to sum up YFCamp.....It was exhausting and challenging, but God met the students and me there and it truly was a place where things changed.

Liberty

So I have been reading this book by Elisabeth Elliot called "The Liberty of Obedience." The book starts out with a great story about a tribe in another country believing that any person from the outside world were cannibals because the other tribes around there area were cannibals. With this they viewed any action by any outside human being to be a trait of a cannibal person. This story brought up some interesting questions and this was just the beginning of the book. The next chapter possed the question "What is mean't by the appearance of evil?"
This really challenged me to think and consider what things that I view as "sin," what things are "worldly" and "holy." When I paired these thoughts together it brought together what a real Christian world-view must be like. Because every culture, and time is/was different, and every persons weakness' are different, sin can change...wait a minute that doesn't sound right? Which brings us to the next chapter discussing sin. The previous chapters had presented a lot of questions regarding sin, and scripture to support boths the sides of legalism and grace. The chapter that I just read helped to clear up some of the questions that had been formulating. Things of "this world" are exactly that things....therefore they in and of themselves can't BE sin. So that leaves only one factor to BE sin...me. I don't really know why this lesson was soo eye-opening to be. I guess to me in my mind it was the perfect mixture of grace, and the truth of the Word. Just as pastors, both past and present have always taught me that the Bible is not just a list of Do's and Don'ts. I knew this but here is where the Need for grace comes into play even if I obey the list of do's and don'ts to a T it could become sin depending on where my heart was because it is me who is a sinner not my actions soo I have to depend on God's grace and forgiveness because I don't know if I can ever be more than I am...which is totally dependent on HIM.

Time

So I have been very busy these past couple of weeks and the time just seems to be flying. Now I know what you may be thinking and thats that time does fly by, however it seems ever since I began my job at Youth for Christ that the time is going particularly fast. Maybe its just because everything that I am doing right now is being planned so far in advance that I am constantly looking at what's next.
Now most of you know I am more of a spontaneous person, kinda "fly by the seat of my pants", or let me see what else may come up before I committ to an activity:) For good or bad that is me, sorry. But is this what life is like when you become a planner? Everything comes and goes in your life and the enjoyment is more in the anticipation than in the actual events? Someone may have to tell me is this the feeling that people who have this "planner" personality consistantly live in? It is not that I am uphappy about becoming a person who plans things in advance, I just don't understand why life all of a sudden seems to be flying by.
Perhaps it is just a sign of getting older, or it is summertime and summer always goes by faster than the fall and winter. Either way I feel like time is getting away from me and its hard to know when or if I can get control back..........
Control being the operative word, maybe I have just never had "control" before, but what if I am not mean't to have "control". Well I'm definately over-thinking it now. I hope that I can find ways be spontaneous within my plans, and enjoy time whether its rushing past me or standing still.

sleepy Emily

I am house sitting and with the house came a cute dog named Daisy! And with Emily came a cute puppy named Bellagio! Although it is a blessing to have a roof over my head, this situation quite honestly sucks. The dogs are not used to each other, Daisy isn't used to me, Bellagio isn't used to this house and routine, and I am not used to not getting any sleep because of irritated dogs....Needless to say this is much harder than it looks. blah blah blah, this basically is just a little rant on me being tired. I can actually feel myself getting cranky. Sooo if I snap at you sorry, and it won't get better for at least another 10 days:)

Workin It Out

I know its been a month since I have posted anything...sorry. I have been in transition. transition in new job, living situations, and my best friends are moving out of state with their little girl who I only met 3 weeks ago:( I'm very blessed however to have God work all things out!
The lease was up on the house I was living in with 3 girls, July 1. But with June being the month that I took off 10 days to go for YFC training, and only working part-time when I got back, I was seriously short on cash and therefore could not afford to get a new place to live in. It was lookin like I was possibly going to be homeless? Then God stepped in as He always does and provided me with a couple of housesitting gigs, (one of which is paying me to stay in their house). Also my insurance switched over this month to a new carrier so I recieved a refund of the same amount of money as my new payment will be. So even though I am scraping to get by God has worked everything out for me. He has even given me a place to stay for the month of August, rent-free so I can save to get a place of my own. Not to mention on a personal note, several months ago when I helped with Chipotle's Wellingtion opening...remember, well 3 weeks ago I recieved a package from the marketing manager Rebecca letting me know that I had won "free Burritos for a year!". So not only do I have a roof over my head I have food to feed myself with:).
I'm sure that I have freaked everyone around me out by being soo calm about this whole situation, but as you can see I never had any reason to worry or doubt what God was doing. Faith is a gift from God and something that is constantly being worked out in our walk with the Lord. I can't tell you enough how Amazing it is to have full peace on where my life is going whether it be a living situation, a financial situation, personal situation or a ministry situation. God is soo much bigger than I can grasp, He knows Emily @1, Emily @25 and Emily @65. Thank you Lord for allowing me to know you, please continue to prove to me that you are in control.

YFC-

The 5 essentials of YFC...


Wide-Spread Prayer- We in deliberately engage lots of Christians to intercede on behalf of the ministry site.

Loving Relationships- We consistently pursue lots kids and engage them in lifelong relationships with Jesus

Faithful Bible Teaching- We accurately handle biblical truth, regularly coaching kids to apply it in their lives.

Collaborative Community Strategy- We intentionally work together with local churches, agencies, and other partners to provide sustainable youth and family ministry.

Adults Who Empower- We strategically develope leaders to reach young people from every people group.

All of these "essentials" will become the foundation of the ministry that I will start at Royal Palm Beach High School. My next steps as I begin are to gain prayer support, get myself into the school in order to build loving relationships with kids, and research and meet with as many people in the community to make them aware of Campus Life and the vision of YFC.
This is a small portion of what I learned at Summer Institute 2008! I had a GREAT time at Institute leatning more about the organization of YFC. I'm excited to get started and put what I learned to use!!

Raising Time

This past week though I was very busy working and getting ready for my "Purity Overnight" event, I scheduled in one meeting with a couple who were interested in my ministry with Youth for Christ! It was incredibly exciting not just because they decided to give, but because it gave me an opportunity to really focus and share about my passion and vision with YFC. Everyone would agree that when you find like-minded people that have the same passion or share your passion, its refreshing. It's going to be challenging to find those people but they are going to be so good to have in my life. Keeping these kinds of people involved and updated in my ministry at YFC will keep me accountable and revived. To continuously be sharing God's mighty works with those around me and close to me will keep me on my toes so to speak. I plan on making a few more meetings; (if anyone is interested and wants to know more about what God is doing in my life...give me a call, or I'll call you:) And I would also encourage you just for your own spiritual sake to find someone and share with them what God is doing in your life and the directions He is leading you in this week/month/or year. You may find another like-minded person who will not only keep you accountable but help ignite that fire that God wants to see continue to grow in you. Making the time for this I am guessing will become essential for my ministry, and though it may be hard and schedules may conflict a bit I'm thinking these meetings will be very worth while and prove to have eternal effects for the encouragement and direction it will/can bring.

Surfing Is Fun!

Since I first moved to Florida, I've tried to explore new things and attempt the things that I've never had the opportunity to do before. Well let's see I grew up in rural Kansas, and graduated to the deserts of Nevada? One of the biggest on my list to do, not to mention scariest was surfing. You see being from Kansas (no extra large bodies of water), and having lived in the desert (no bodies of water at all), makes the vast ocean and all its extra large animals with teeth kinda intimidating. Nevertheless I resolved to not miss out on the opportunity if it was given to me, though I nearly didn't.
After church last Sunday, a friend of mine was taking some of the kids from his youth group surfing. The kids, not him insisted that I come, one girl pleaded that she not have to be the only girl out there with the guys, so I went. I had no real intention of getting out in the water little own on a surf board. The students went out on the boards for about an hour or more, and when they set foot on the beach they yelled for me to get out there and try it. I hesitated though secretly I really wanted to. Their push was enough, I looked at my friend who had already attached to board to my ankle, and I was off into the vast ocean with all its inhabitants.
My friend Chris was patient and helpful. He explained enough to me that I wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I thought I would be on a surf board. With Chris' help I was eventually able to catch 3 waves....of which I actually stood up on one! I really enjoyed it and though it presented some challenges I would really like to go again soon!! But I'm pretty sure the waves are about gone for the season??? Alas, there is always next year.... right??
I wonder what will be next to cross off my list, as my interests and adventurous side continues to grow. Its taken me some time but I think I'm finally enjoying south Florida and all there is to explore here! I'm glad that I finally took the time to do something that I'd been wanting to do, and I'm glad that those students wouldn't take no for an answer!

UMMM Burritos!

Since my first tasting of the beautiful Chipotle burrito I've been hooked. To the point where when I moved to Florida one of the first things I did was google where the closest Chipotle restaurant was? To my dismay it was in another town south of where I live in Boynton:( I was soo sad until I learned that it was really only 20 minutes away. And believe it or not in no time I had boyfriend that lived their to help support my habit. Though the relationship was short lived it did not taint my devotion to Chipotle, however it did put a damper my frequency of the restaurant....Not long after that though a new one popped up north of me. A little bit closer to me but I go north even less than I drive south. So my burrito intake has slowed down to a depressing no more than once a month:(
Alas....literally around the corner from my house...not even a 5 minute drive, Chipotle Wellington is about to open this week!!! In fact during my last visit to the Chipotle north of here I made friends with one of the managers and struck up a conversation of my love for the restaurant. I took the opportunity to get the "dish" on the Wellington Chipotle, I was dying to know details that no one else would know. When I shared an interest in getting the word out about the opening he gave me the business card of the marketing manager for the south Florida Chipotle restaurants. I made the call, and boy did it pay... Not only did I find out that on Wednesday they are giving out FREE burritos all day, but I was also given the opportunity to help her pass out flyers in the mall! Out of the deal I got coffee, and I'll be receiving a "Chipotle backpack!!!", in addition Wednesday I will go and get my FREE burrito. The greatest gift for me in all this though is Chipotle as my neighbor....I can once again enjoy them as often as I can afford them! :)

Linden Paige-

Linden Paige, is my best friends daughter. She is yet to be born, but I look forward to her arrival with great anticipation! Many times just the mere thought of Linden coming into my life has stopped me, and when I really think about her I get very emotional.
You see I've known my best friend since the 6th grade...though I'm not that old most friendships don't span that long and have the kind of history that we do. Don't get me wrong we have a few other girls that we've known equal amounts time and are still close to, but this chick and have leaned on each other through a lot. And in edition to that the last year and a half her husband Ryan and I have worked together. Having a friendship that close with her husband has strengthened our friendship, and given me an even greater reason to rejoice with them in the coming of Linden.
I want to take a second to make some predictions of who Linden Paige will be. . .
First and foremost this girl will be Loved!!! Between her parents, and being the first grandchild on both sides of the family she wins hands down on the loved and yet-to-be-born child of the year category.
Second she is gonna be smart....probably smarter then me by the time she's 6, no lie. Ryan and Kim and very intelligent and pretty driven that way.
Third thing I'm predicting is that Linden will look like her mom, but have her dad's coloring and height. Total guess but I did say these are just predictions.
Fourth prediction is that she will love children's board games!! And most of the time will beat me at them, refer to 2nd prediction.
Fifth prediction is that she will potty train and walk sooner than most babies????
Sixth and final prediction for today is that she will like Asian food, no real reason for this one just a hunch?
While Linden's due date is still at least a month and a half away, I'll have to be honest and say that I really just can't wait for her to be here. I can't wait to see my best friend become the mom that she has always wanted to be, (well once she decided she didn't want to become President of the United States so at least that long).

Busy Changing

So its been a very busy week. Who hasn't had crazy week? I'm sitting at home by myself and I feel like this is the first time since the new year, though I know that is not true. In the last week to week and a half life has begun to show the effects being ever-changing. I'm all about it (change) until it zeros in on the things that I'm not ready to change....we've all had those experiences where we knew it (change) was comin and then when it finally arrives you resist it and pretend to be blind-sided. Ok maybe not everyone but I know that I am a flawed person and just because I do what I think is "right" doesn't mean that those around me won't be effected in a negative way. You never know?
Anyway the challenges of change are real. Lots of things change constantly; the price of gold, the open field down the street thats gonna become a Kohl's, I mean even Starbucks serves a different blend of coffee every week, and especially pop culture changes.
While in the 3rd grade a hip hop song was VERY popular, you may remember it "Ice Ice baby." (Do not even pretend that you don't know it). So I was a huge fan...I even recall making up a dance routine to the song with a friend at recess, yes I did happen to have all the words memorized. But after just a few short months (that at the time felt like years) Vanilla Ice was virtually off the scene. With the exception of the 2nd Ninja Turtles movie where he made a cameo. He was my favorite, I even watched a motorcycle movie that he starred in, that I am sure got less than great reviews...if any at all? So last week I'm working and in walks Rob VanWinkle (aka. Vanilla Ice). Of course the oh so young employees working with me didn't really have a clue when I got excited. I got his autograph, and we had a very pleasant 15 minute conversation. He was a very nice guy.
My point being that even the people we idolize and look up to change, as well as the perceptions that we have of them. So I'm thinking that the same goes with any person in our lives. As I ponder the people and things changing around me, I'm forced now to look at myself and how I'm changing. Its very hard to look at others while your changing yourself because you begin to think that your in the wrong, though sometimes true I'm finding it better instead to look at Jesus. He is the example that I am to follow and look to for true affirmation in my life. So as I change in the sanctifying ways that He desires its challenging and rewarding but the hardest part is that most people around me never really understand what God is doing in my life. Nor do I understand what He's doing in the lives of them. All I know is right now God is the one changing me and the extent of it is yet to be seen. Hard but good, big and small changes happen all around me and even in me!

Support

OK, so the real reason I started this blog was in keep my friends informed of my life and mission. Many don't know but I'm getting ready to raise support to become a full-time missionary with Youth for Christ (YFC). This is an incredible opportunity for me and very personal as 12 years ago came to know Christ through a Campus Life club ran by YFC! This endeavor is very personal to me as well as humbling. God has called me to step out on faith and do this. However raising support isn't going to be easy.
Obviously the "biggest" support that I can receive is financial, and although that is important as I have begun this process I'm learning that spiritual encouragement, and prayer are actually the hardest to come by.
Over a month ago when I first began to pray for God to open doors in my life most everyone agreed that it might be time for me to change up life a bit. Not to mention it would be great to know and be right where God would want me to be. After a series of meetings and different interviews God clearly has directed me to YFC. I'm sooo very excited. And as I write (type) this my letters are sitting in my room ready to go out. I'm quite nervous about this step as it makes everything real. There is no stopping once those letters go out. Either my support comes in or it doesn't?
I know God will provide and make a way for me to do this. My prayer is that by sometime in June I will have all the money I need. I want to be on staff with YFC before July. So please pray with me that that will happen! Its soo cool to see God answer prayers specifically!
Spiritual encouragement and supporters have been hard to find? I can only pray that more people will see my call and my heart for this ministry. Since I made the decision to follow God in this step I feel that I have lost "friend" support. In the last week I've felt very attacked. I know that satan attacks when we move closer to God and His will for our lives, but I really just want people to rejoice with me in what God is doing in my life.
God has blessed me with many friends who are doing just that, but I am struggling right now to focus on that with a few negative situations going on. Support is a very important yet illusive word. For support in life most people look to their family and closest friends, but even that isn't always enough. I'm truly in the process of learning that in ALL aspects of life God is my support, whether is be financial, emotional, or especially spiritual. My dependency must increase in the Lord, and decrease in those situations and people around me.


"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26

My blogging beginnings

Today is the day....I have something to share with the world, kinda. I started this blog last night with the help of my friends Ryan and Kim (round of applause please, it looks great?).
So my adventure for today is to hang out with my friends Kelly and Ezra, were taking there boat out on the ocean! And I'm pretty sure I will be talked into wake-boarding, whatever that means? But the real adventure today will be to disguise my burned skin from the sun. You see I went to the beach yesterday and stupidly didn't put any sunscreen on my back section. Yes folks this means that not just my back but my booty as well as the back of my legs will suffer from my stupidity. I don't know how do you hide that "large" of a section of my body from the sun when I'm out on a boat? Anyone with actually tips will just have to call me before 11am.
The bright side to this is that finally after living in West Palm Beach for a year and a half, after this burn goes away I will have a...tan!!! Yes this is very exciting news as I am white...with the exception of my back which right now is red. I'm really looking forward to this today, it makes me feel like I am how I wish I was.
Silly way to put something I know, but what I mean by that is, I like to view myself as an outdoors, active type person. However life is busy and we many times have to trade our "want to do" for the "right thing to do". Its a challenging to tell people that you like outdoor activities when you are white as snow and the last "outdoor activity" you participated in was eating, which in fact involves very little activity. I am still adjusting to the culture of activities here in south Florida, and I try to get out to enjoy as many as I can, but time is limited. So I will be very thankful for today and the time I'm given to do something that I want to do (even if my backside suffers a bit).
So on goes the adventures of Emily.....remember to put on your sunscreen!!