Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!!! I know, I know... I’m a few weeks late! I’ve honestly been avoiding this because, well, unlike most people who get excited about the New Year, I sometimes struggle with getting a little anxious about it! Not knowing what to expect. Having too many expectations and being disappointed. Making New Year’s resolutions you are afraid you won’t be able to keep. You get the picture, right?

But as I’ve been starting to receive invitations to do Prison Ministry events and started really preparing and seeking God for the upcoming It’s a Girl Thing* conference in TX in February where I will be speaking (which, if you live there, DON’T MISS IT! ;o); God has been pouring some excitement into my heart! Through ideas and anticipation about the work He was in store for me to accomplish through Him… I’M EXCITED!!!

I see that the anxiousness in me happens because I rely on my own plan and what I can control and see about the future. Which is nothing! But when I lay that down, it not only grants me peace from God but it also allows Him to come in and guide and direct me through the paths he has designed. The right ones!

I did make some New Year’s resolutions this year. One of them is to make a point to spend time with my precious friends that I don’t see as often as I’d like. But I made another that’s more important I keep. And that is to lay down my plans and let HIM lead my way. Instead of tirelessly planning and working on things that I think God wants me to do; ask Him first to take the lead and open and close the doors He wants me to walk or not walk through*.

I am confident that if I indeed keep that, I’ll have some cool stories at the end of the year, and that I will also have memories of spending that extra time with precious friends because God knows the desires of our hearts!

What's your New Year’s resolution?

*Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version, ©2010)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.[a]

*http://www.itsagirlthingconference.org/

REDEMPTION

Redemption – That was my Senior class name. Did I know what that meant at the time. Sure...by definition! Why did my class choose it? Well, we were all big Bob Marley fans at the time. Some for different reasons than others. But Bob had a really cool song called Redemption. Thus, our class was named: “Redemption ‘98”.

So, why am I talking about redemption when in two days we will be celebrating Thanksgiving and that’s what everyone else is blogging about? Actually, this blog IS about Thanksgiving. Because, you see, as I pondered what I am the most thankful for, it is REDEMPTION!

High school for me is quite a few years in my past. From then until now, the mistakes I have made are COUNTLESS!!! Oh, if you only knew the ridiculous things I have done in my life! Some knowingly and some from sheer ignorance. So as I look back and see how far I’ve come, the only thing in my heart is gratitude. Because if not for the redemption that came as a gift via my amazing Savior Jesus Christ, who knows where I would be!

I looked up the definition of the word and this is what I found:

• An act of redeeming or the state of being redeemed.
• Deliverance; rescue.
• Theology: deliverance from sin; salvation.
• Atonement for guilt.

As I look into the definitions of that word above, it’s pretty ridiculous how unworthy we are vs. the price that was paid for us to be redeemed! I mean, really? For me??? The one that went astray, looking for acceptance, when I already had it? The one that still has to check herself with her own insecurities, when I know the truth found in the Word that speaks about my value and purpose. For me, who fell time and time again; yet there HE was, picking me back up and saying: I love you! I forgive you! You are mine! You are REDEEMED!!!

How can one not celebrate THANKSGIVING with oodles of gratitude, when the price paid for us was far beyond our worth! But our Savior did it because of LOVE! Because He loved us before we knew HIM! He did it for me, he did it for YOU!

THANK YOU Lord Jesus for paying the price you paid so I could know you and be saved by you!

I am AMAZED by you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qVkzdK6N20

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Exciting News: Part II

Hello Everyone!

Remember the post I wrote a few weeks ago with the picture of an NFL gift bag and a Tampa Bay Buccaneers cap? And I asked you to take a guess as to why I was so excited about it? Well, some of you guessed correctly!!!

I am thrilled to share with you that I will have the honor of singing the National Anthem at the September 26th Tampa Bay Buccaneers game!

I have never been to an NFL Game. So I'm even more excited that not only do I get to experience that for the 1st time; but I get to be there, on the field, doing what I love to do: SING!

When I think about the fact that I don't have an athletic bone in my body, yet I get to participate in America's Favorite sport, using the talents God has given me... WOW! Jesus blows my mind!!!

Never underestimate the power of your heavenly father! The doors he has opened for you to walk through will be greater than any you have ever dreamed of!

Thank you Jesus!!! You are GOOD... ALL THE TIME!!!

GO BUCCANEERS!!!

The Friend Chamber

I used to be boy crazy as a teen! I'd always be crushing on some boy. I'd obsess over him, pray over him, stalk him... You get the picture! God was always my priority, but boys were a close second! So at that age I imagined that when I got married someday, my heart would be full and everything in the world would be complete! Boy, was I wrong!!!

Being married is amazing! Especially if you are married to a God loving man that loves you for who you are and respects you and cheers you on and supports you and is the Spiritual head of the house as he should be and... I could go on and on bragging about my hubby, but I'll stop there! ;o) Yet, after almost 6 years of marriage, I started feeling a lack in my life. I was happily married - check. I had a beautiful baby - check. I have a dream that I'm working towards and see God blessing - check. So, what's missing. Why does my heart feel partially vacant?

This got me thinking about the heart. When we feel, we point towards our heart. In reality, we process our feelings in our head, not our heart. So, why the heart? My mind instantly went down this rabbit hole and it made me wonder. Huh... the heart. In it, there are different chambers. And we know God doesn't make mistakes. So, why is this vital organ that we assimilate with our feelings split up into different parts. All crucial to it's correct functioning. If one is not working well, you will surely be rushed into an ER to get that fixed, right?!

So, if the heart has different parts that help it work correctly, what does that say about the heart we "feel" with? And I got this visual: My heart is held by Jesus! He owns it! It is HIS! He is literally holding it with his hands. On the inside, however, there is room. Room for my husband. He owns a pretty large chunk of it! Then, there's my little guy. He's got quite a bit of the rest of it. But there were still holes left to be filled.

I had been feeling the effect of these empty "holes" take a toll on me lately. Not too long ago, I was longing for some solid friendships. Life had gotten so busy with family life, work, ministry, travel, that this part of my life had been neglected. I had been praying for God to bring people into my life that would fill this void. But for a while there, I didn't feel that prayer being answered.

Then, out of the blue, God starts sending people to me. Not tons of them. But a select few that have been surely filling those "holes" in such a good way that I am feeling beyond blessed! These girls have been GOOD friends! Lending a listening ear, sharing a good laugh, encouraging and sharpening me and I'm sure eventually we'll even have a good cry!

My friend chamber is being filled!!!

I am so thankful for my new friends! They are a blessing to me more than they will ever know! I encourage you to remember that even though there might be things in your life that are taking over the majority of your heart- may it be a passion, a dream you are working on, a boy...- that you be sure to leave room for those special people in your life that will lift you up and be there for you when you need them the most.

God gives us many gifts. One of the most precious ones is the gift of godly friendships! Cherish your friends! Don't take them for granted and let them know how much you appreciate and care for them!

Lord Jesus,

Thank you for holding my heart and for gifting me with the gift of friendships. Bless these ladies who are so precious to me! Protect them, keep them safe and help me be as good a friend as they have been to me!

In your name I pray, AMEN!

Teen Toxing - What and why?!?!

The New York times released a story earlier this month about a young starlet who admitted of using Botox to look fresh for an upcoming appearance on a big TV show. So I thought to myself: Botox? Isn't that for people trying to relax their wrinkles? Let me clarify that when I say young, I'm being very literal. She is only 18!

Teens are headed to their fave plastic surgeon and asking for Botox because of it's muscle relaxing capability. So, say they hate that they have a "gummy smile". They go and get Botox on their upper lip to relax those nerves so that when they smile, their lip lays there and voila! Gummy smile no more. And this is just one example of what they are using the medication for. Listed in the article (link below) are other treatment examples.

"According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, last year, botulinum toxin, which is sold here under the brand names Botox and Dysport, was injected into Americans ages 13 to 19 nearly 12,000 times, including some teenagers who got multiple doses. The number represented a 2 percent increase from 2008, the society said." - NY Times

Now, here is my hangup. Other than the obvious fact that teens should not be resourcing to cosmetic procedures to feel better about themselves is the obvious fact that this is a cosmetic procedure. Conducted at a medical office. Which means, if they are minors, there has to be an adult to give consent. Right? So, you are telling me that mom and/or dad are driving my little friends to the Plastics so they can feel better about themselves. Right? Am I getting this right?!?!

Parents: WHAT MESSAGE ARE WE GIVING OUR YOUTH HERE?!?!?!?!?!

I'm sorry but I am going to have to blame the parents here! Why is it that instead of having a heart to heart about what is really going on, parents are saying, ok, you don't like your face, let's get it fixed.

Moms, dads, please! If you don't know what to say, there are tons of resources out there to help you encourage your teens! Don't go the easy route just to appease them or because you are fearful yourselves that they are getting teased.

Katherine Schwarzenegger, author of "Rock What You've Got" wrote this on the subject: "My view: everyone will always be made fun of! There is nothing that you can do that will ensure that you or your child will never be teased or feel insecure again for as long as they live. If your child's smile is too gummy, their jaw too square, or they complain that they need botox to prevent them from aging, botox is not what they need and botox is not what will help them. What they need is supportive words and love to urge them to be the unique person that they are. Self-esteem is what is at the root of all of this." - Huffington Post

There you go. Self esteem! This is what needs to be addressed. This is where we need to encourage and support. Not by running to the surgeon, but by finding out what's really the issue and targeting that.

I hope and pray that the parents of teens of today become more resourceful and learn what is going on their teens lives!

Oh, and by the way, I TOTALLY have a gummy smile!!! :oD





http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/12/fashion/12SKIN.html?_r=1
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-schwarzenegger/teen-toxing_b_691678.html

The Measuring Stick

Recently I witnessed a situation that took me by surprise. My reaction, on the other hand, did not surprise me at all. It was my usual human reflex to think what I thought: "I would never do that!". This thought was immediately followed by some surprising feelings of conviction. I felt guilty for thinking that, after I analyzed the situation and realized that I needed to have much more grace than what I was feeling.

Then, I started thinking, MAN... how often do I do this??? How often do I react to people or situations with my own little measuring stick. My measuring stick is by far flawed! It's based on my personal opinions, experiences, knowledge and many times over, my emotions. All of which are extremely limited and again, FLAWED!

So it hit me; like a pile of bricks. What if Jesus judged us in the same way we judge others? Jesus was PERFECT!!! He never sinned, he never fell for temptation, he never used a curse word, he never disrespected his earthly parents, he never lied, he never cheated, he never, EVER said: "Man, I would never do that!". When the truth is, HE never did!

What he does do is love us! He accepts us, forgives us, shows us mercy and gives us all covering GRACE! WOW!

How often do we seriously need to step back from the heat of the moment and -as cheesy as we've made it and turned it into wrist bands and joke punch lines- ask ourselves: WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?!?!?!" Seriously! What would his initial thought process be?

As in all my blogs you'll find, there is hope! Ha ha ha! Don't beat yourself up! I snapped out of my guilt trip really quickly as soon as I remembered that just as he is not upset at the situation that made me say: "I would never...", he is also not upset at me for thinking what I thought! THAT right there is His all covering GRACE!

No matter what we try to do, we can never be perfect in this human life, while we are in this earth. We are to strive to live a life that honors and glorifies God. But we are going to fall. That is just our sinful human nature. The good news is, He will catch us every time. And he won't be holding an ugly measuring stick to judge us when we come to Him. He will have His arms wide open to hold us and forgive us and allow us to grow and learn and continue to get closer to him and fall more in love with Him!

There is a reason Jesus died on the cross. We ALL need a Savior! Thank you Jesus for your incredible sacrifice! Thank you for loving us and having mercy on us and for granting us your incomprehensible GRACE! We are so unworthy, yet you love us! THANK YOU FATHER!

Can I get an AMEN?!?!

Scripture references: John 3:18 & 1 Corinthians 10:23-24

PS: If you do not know your Savior and would like to have that covering from your heavenly father and that guarantee of everlasting life, please repeat this prayer and then contact me via email or reach out to someone in a local church! You WILL NOT regret this!

Heavenly Father, I come to you in prayer asking for the forgiveness of my sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that Jesus is your Son and that he died on the cross at Calvary that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now to come to my life and be my personal Lord and Savior. I repent of my sins and will worship you all the days of my life! Because your word is truth, I confess with my mouth that I am BORN AGAIN AND CLEANSED by the blood of Jesus! In Jesus name, amen!

The Language Pact

I recently made a new friend. She is an awesome lady that loves the Lord and seeks him in a very evident way! She was sent to me in the form of a co-worker. But after a few conversations, we both knew that God was up to something more than for us to be just that.

We went for lunch recently and were having a good'ole time just laughing and having silly conversations. When suddenly we both noticed that the way we talk to each other is not exactly the way we talk to everyone. There were some choice words that we knew we could use around each other and that to us they were funny and harmless. But we also knew that they could possibly offend others.

I shared with her about an article that my sister posted on her FB that I shared in mine too because I felt it had tons of truth in it and that it was a really good article. One of the things that popped out at me in it was that by using "choice words" it showed a lack of intelligence and originality among many other negatives. We both agreed that we didn't want to be in the category of unoriginal and low IQ people so we made a pact.

We decided that we would replace the choice words by a special word that we would research weekly. (I know, just like the girls in Clueless. We laughed about that already too... lol!) And that we would use it in situations where it would be our inside joke. That was our language pact. We'd hold each other accountable in our language and learn something new on the way! Fun huh?! I think so!

So, I encourage you to do the same! Find a good friend and talk about something that you might be doing that you know might be offensive to others, or bottom line, offensive to GOD! And challenge yourselves to do something about it. Have some fun with it! I'm looking forward to the silly words we're going to learn and use in random situations and laugh about it as we go.

I am grateful that I serve a God that is so detail oriented that he even goes to the extent to bring people into our lives unexpectedly. It is usually those people that end up being super amazing blessings that encourage us, lift us up and sharpen us.

Thank you Lord for a great new friend and for fun times up ahead!

Love and blessings,

Emille

-For the article, visit my Facebook page I M PINK