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!!