Created for Another World

I serve a Savior who came to seek and save the lost. There are so many that are lost that burden my heart tonight. We just watched an episode of 60 minutes that had Joel Osteen on it. I don't know if I should laugh because of his incredibly mixed up view of the gospel or cry because of how many people are being led astray by this view. He basically thinks that God is out to give us everything we could ever dream of and more. There are parts of what Joel says that are true about God. But, as another theologian that was interviewed described Joel's theology, he is reading the Bible as a "fortune cookie." He is taking the parts of the Bible that are easy to hear and that make us feel good and making that to be the extent of the gospel. Well, here are some things I know to be true of God because He clearly states it in His Word:

1) God is love--1 John 4:16 uses this exact wording but we see the love that God has for us over and over again, being demonstrated in the fact that while we were sinners, Christ died for us

2) God does far beyond all the we could ask or think (Ephesians 3:20)

3) God works all things together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28)

But these verses do not come without understanding these things that are also true:

1) Sin has separated everyone from God (Romans 3:23)

2) All sin is deserving of punishment, namely death ( Romans 6:23)

3) We will experience suffering and pain while on this earth (James 1:2 presupposes trials in saying "when you suffer" not "if")

4) We are not meant to find comfort or satisfaction on this earth because it is not our home (2 Corinthians 5)

5) God is the main point of it all..not ME (the whole Bible)

It is so sad to see the 95 million dollars that was spent (with much boasting) on Joel Osteen's new church building. It is sad to see the millions of people who are being led to a false view of God and therefore a false god by Joel's teaching. But, it is a glorious thing to know that God will use even this for His glory and that there is a purpose in God allowing Joel's teaching to be heard by so many. I do not understand the ways of the Lord, but I know that He will use this!

The second burden of my heart is for those who have everything that the earth can afford them, and are still empty. The second part of 60 minutes showed Tom Brady. Brady has 3 superbowl rings, fame, money, any girl he wants, and in his own words says, "Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there is something greater out there for me?" "A lot of people would say, 'This is what it is. I reached my goal, my dream…' Me, I think, God, it's got to be more than this. I mean, this isn't… what it's all cracked up to be." That is a plea for the gospel unlike any I've ever heard! It reminds me of John Mayer's song "Something's Missing."

Something's missing/And I don't know how to fix it/Something's missing/And I don't know what it is/No I don't know what it is

I don't know who God will use to tell Tom Brady and John Mayer about Jesus Christ, but I hope somebody does soon. I wish I could just sit down and talk with them--just for a few minutes out of their well-endowed lifestyle--and tell them that there IS something more and His name is Jesus Christ! As David cried out:

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

He is the only one who can satisfy the pleasures we so greatly desire that this world can never meet. As CS Lewis so beautifully said: "If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, also we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for another world."

John Mayer and Tom Brady...this is the reason your souls are not satisfied. Your soul was not created to be satisfied on this earth...you were created by and for a God who is the only rest your soul will find.

Mervyn's and Engagement Rings

One of my best friends got engaged last night. I can't express to you the rejoicing that happened over the phone...it was incredible. Of course because we are girls, but also because Kate and Josh have been dating for 5 years...they had waited so long for this day to come. One of the many reasons I love Kate so much is because she can make me laugh harder than anyone else I know. Maybe I shouldn't share this on a blog, but she makes me laugh hard enough to pee my pants...literally. So, of course, the story of her engagement is another instance in which her story-telling skills make me laugh hysterically.

First of all, Kate called me and I missed the call and the message she left said "Hey Emmy, it's me, Kate. Call me back it's an emergency." I knew it wasn't really an emergency because of the tone in her voice. But when I called her back, I knew why she said what she did. Here's the dialogue from last night:
Kate (picks up the phone): Hello?
Emily: Hey Kate.
Kate: Emily?
Emily: Yes.
Kate: Umm..I'm engaged!
(uncontrollable screaming, rejoicing, and a little weeping on both parts)
E:How did it happen?
K: (For the sake of space I will not enter the whole story here.)
E: Oh my goodness Kate. That's awesome. And what is the ring like?
K: Well....(when I heard this, I knew that one of Kate's marvelous explanations was soon to follow.) Okay, you know things that are three, like tri...tril...like the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit...trilogy right?
E: (Uncontrollable laughter.) You mean trinity?
K: Yes, yes. Trinity. It's like that.
E: What do you mean?
K: Well it has one big one in the middle then two little on the side. It's so gorgeous Emmy, you can't even get this at Mervyn's. (Mervyn's???)

And there was more dialogue, but again I will spare you. And that is why Kate Montana (soon to be Zegan) makes me laugh so hard. I'm so thankful for friends that can make me laugh so hard it hurts, that we can rejoice together, and weep together. Thank you Kate, for being that friend to me!

Are you smarter than a 3rd grader?

I know the official title of the show is 5th grader, but because I work with 3rd graders, I have changed the title for personal reflection. When you see this title, you'll know that I've just learned something from an 8 year old.

I have the privilege of working at Trinity Classical Academy with precious third grade students. This is by far the best and most rewarding job I have ever had. Not only is it amazing to be part of the staff at Trinity and to help further their vision, it is amazing to watch the students grow academically, and especially spiritually.

Let me emphasize something to you about these kids...I guarantee that these kids are smarter than most of the American population today. 8 year old kids are learning Latin! Not only are they learning incredible things, they are being taught HOW to learn. They don't just memorize information to pass a test. They actually learn it and allow it to change their thinking. It's incredible. I could probably write a story a day just about moments at work. My eyes have been opened to so many new things through these kids. God has used this job to teach me so much and to truly understand what He meant when He said that the Kingdom belongs to "such as these." The way the look at and think about Jesus is so refreshing. I love that Miss Hollon, the wonderful teacher that I teach with, prompts them to SO many good discussions. The answers they give are not based on anything but curiosity and humility. I absolutely love it.

So, the other day, we were learning about the Roman republic and its development. Miss Hollon was telling them about the structure of the leadership. She stopped and said, "What are some qualities that make a good leader?" Here are some of the responses they gave: (in their own words)
-truthful
-wise
-honest
-trustworthy
-humble
-courageous
-confident
-righteous
-love worthy
-love unconditionally
-hopeful
-not timid
-stands their ground
-strict, but not too strict
-patient
-appropriate

I'll be honest, when I thought of "qualities of a leader" and looked at this list, I thought "Ok, so this is the kind of guy I need to look for to lead me." Yep, I felt like an idiot.

Then, Miss Hollon went on to say, "Can anybody be all of these things."
They all responded "no" of course.
But then, Miss Hollon said, "Is there anybody in the world that did all of these things perfectly?" And somebody responded, "Jesus."
Then Garrett (Seriously one of my favorite people, more about him later) said, "Well, Jesus doesn't really live in the world so the answer is no, nobody in the world can do all these things."
But then Miss Hollon said, "But is God here with us?"
And Garrett said, "Well, he's in heaven. Well, kind of. Well, yes He's here...His Spirit is here."
And Miss Hollon said, "Yes, his Spirit is here and if the Spirit is in us, then we can become all of these things."

Let me just tell you, that was so good for me to hear. That there is no perfect leader, no perfect person. And yet, the only perfect person to ever walk on earth is still alive and He's at work in me! I have the hope to become someone that I need to be but never could be, no matter how hard I tried. Thank you, Jesus, for giving me the hope to change...thank you for modeling how to live a sinless life and thank you for giving us the power to do so.

"May the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace in BELIEVING, so that by the POWER of the Holy Spirit you may abound in HOPE." Romans 15:13

Help me Jesus to BELIEVE that you are powerful enough.

Nieces, nephews, and lessons

I think it can be safely said that some of the cutest kids in the world are my nieces and nephews. I know that most aunts would say that about their nieces and nephews, but I'm pretty sure that I am the only one who has warrant to. I would like to take some time to tell you why I think this. I have 4 nephews and 3 nieces. Let me introduce them to you.

Brianna is the oldest. She is 12 years old and loves people more selflessly and with more of a servant's heart than most adults I know.

Then comes Zachariah. Zach is 11 years old and was born to be a football player. He is almost as tall as me and can tackle his dad. He can be described as a learner. While his brothers could play video games every moment for their entire lives, Zach is content to sit down and read a book.

Next is Ashlyn. Ashlyn is also 11 years old and is by far the most no-girl-drma, laid-back, easy-going 5th grade girl that I know. She is very blessed to be the spitting image of my mom and will probably grow up to be like my mom in many ways.

Then we have Elijah. Elijah is one of the funniest chlildren you will ever meet. He's 7 years old and tells funnier jokes than most comedians. You never know when he's going to break out in his next dance move.

Almost through...

Now comes my little buddy Joseph. Joseph is almost 4 years old and is all BOY. Where there is dirt, cars, sports, or mischief of any kind you will find little JoJo.

Not far behind is Jonah. Jonah is 3 years old and is following closely in Elijah's center-of-attention footsteps. What will come out of Jonah's mouth next is always unpredictable and always enjoyable. Jonah always knows how to use his cuteness to get whatever the heck he wants....uh oh.

Finally, we have little Ava. Ava is 7 months old and, let's just face it, she's beautiful. She has more clothes than I have had or ever will have in my lifetime and she doesn't even know it yet.

Being an aunt is one of the greatest priviliges I have in life. I have learned so much as I have watched these children grow and have loved every second of it. I can't wait to see who they become and love knowing that I get to have some small part in it.

As an aunt, there are moments that I will treasure forever. Some of them are hilarious and others are just amazing moments where God uses a small child to teach me something I didn't know before. I just had one of these moments the other night while I was visiting my sister and her kids. ..

Elijah and Jonah were in the bath. Elijah had just gotten out and Wendy was trying to get Jonah out. She came downstairs to tell me that Jonah wanted me to get him out of the bath. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity already because Jonah chooses when he wants to talk and be nice and when he wants to just ignore you. So, I was honored to say the least. I got Jonah out of the bath and carried him downstairs to get him dressed. As I layed him on the ground and dried him off, he looked up at me and said, "I love you, Meme" (nicknames, another great part of being an aunt). Though caught off guard, I looked at Jonah and said, "I love you, too." Because of Jonah's spontaniety, he goes from calm and subdued one moment to bouncing off the walls the next. So, before I could finish getting him dressed, he stood up and tackled me. But, it was okay because after he did, he looked at me yet again and said, "I love you, Meme. I wanna give you a kiss." Then, he leaned forward, through his arms around my neck and gave me a kiss. I could not believe it! There's really nothing like hearing a little child tell you they love you on their own accord with such enthusiasm and joy.

Then, Jonah taught me an important little lesson (well, God did through Jonah). Only moments later, after he was dressed, I was still thinking about how honored I was to hear him say those words to me two times with no prompting. I was sitting on the couch and we were getting ready to watch a movie. I told Jonah to come sit on my lap. He looked at me with a look of disregard, even disgust, and says, "No, I don't wanna sit by you. I wanna sit by mommy." Then watched my reaction as he walked away and climbed up next to Wendy.

Jonah could tell me he loved me every single day as long as I'm alive and his love would still be imperfect. I don't want to try and overspiritualize the situation, but Jonah's fickle and inconsistent love reminded me of the unchanging, faithful, and perfect love of the Father. He didn't just say, "I love you" He showed me with a blood-stained cross. And He continues to remind me every single day. I love my family so much, but they are merely gifts that God has given me to point me to Himself, the gift-Giver. I am reminded of the words of St. Augustine "He loves you too little who loves anything together with you that he loves not for your sake." The moment that I begin to love the gifts more than the One who gives them, my love for Him is far too weak. May I continue to love the One who gives more than the gifts given. They are only representations of the love the Father has for me.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17

Writing as I wander

I've had a desire to start writing a blog for quite a while now--not because I think I have thoughts that are worth reading, but because I have so many thoughts that stay captive in my mind without ever being fully developed. Often times I am better at expressing my thoughts on paper (or in this case a webpage) than verbally and I want to be able to take the many thoughts that I have, as unnecessary as they are to the building up of mankind, and make them obedient to Christ for he's the only One who can fully know my mind anyway. Even if my blog is never read by anybody but myself, I want to be able to see my thoughts sorted out on paper.

I write as a vagabond because no matter how many thoughts I write down, I will never come to full understanding while on this earth because it's not my home. All my ramblings are but foolishness to an infinitely wise God. But, as I strive to walk as He walked, I find myself wandering. It is not the type of wandering that one does when lost, but the type of wondering one does when dissatisfied with half-hearted truths and incomplete understanding. I am constantly striving to know more about this God that I claim to follow and serve and though it is a straight, narrow, and clearly defined path, it is one with unexpected mountains and valleys that have to be conquered in order to continue. A vagabond is defined as a "drifter" and I think that some of the greatest men and women of the faith can be described in this way. They knew with full confidence the God that they loved and served and followed as closely as they could to Him. But, they lived in a world that never satisfied their hunger for more because it wasn't home. At the end of Hebrews 11, after the author describes men and women such as Enoch, Abraham, Moses, and Gideon who walked with an "assurance of things hoped for and a conviction of things not seen", he says that "they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated--of whom the world was not worthy--wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." They wandered. Not because they didn't know where to go next, but because the knowledge of where they were headed made them completely unsatisfied in a sinful and fallen world. I long to purposefully wander--to never become comfortable in a place that is not my home and yet to strive with assurance and diligence toward the goal. I'm so thankful that I don't have to try and figure it out on my own, but that He graciously makes straight my foolish and sinful path. Only by His grace do I have the hope of walking as a citizen worthy of a home that I could never obtain on my own, but that has granted me a hope that will not fail.
Learning to walk as He did,
Em