Tunes Tuesday :: This is the Time

Since I totally completely 100% have this song stuck in my head this morning and still love it even though there is no getting it out, I thought I would share it. Yes, it's Superchick again. :) 


I love the sound of this song, and the harmonies on the chorus, and most of all the point of the song. People, life is waiting. This is the Time, get off your computers and phones, love people, do something you love, appreciate the little things. Don't be afraid to mess up, you fail more when you don't try (and of course that's a lyric from another superchick song ;)).

Superchick - This is the Time  

This is the story of your life
A movie starring you
What's the next scene have for you to do?
Leave the dishes in the sink
Leave your fear there too
Live the story you would write for you

Say Hey! Hey! Wake your heart!
and break break apart, the walls that keep you from being you
And walk, walk towards the light
And don't stop till you live your life
Like someone died for you.

This is the time, to try
Step out, your life is waiting
and as you fall, you'll find that you can fly.

You can find a million words
To build a wall of fear
Safe behind that wall, imprisoned here
Take that someday step today
To who you're meant to be
And turn your dreams to plans so you can breathe

Ask anyone whose time is up
What they'd give for what you got
And how they'd live your life
Live like your life's worth dying for
You just walked out that prison door
and you'll know how to live your life

please please please, remember, today, that someone died for you. live like you know it. we don't get another do-over at this life, today will be gone forever. don't waste it! 

yes, it takes work to live life well - but it is worth it. 

blessings,

emma

the wasteland-bush and the tree by the stream

Jeremiah 17:5-8
“This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh, and whose heart turns away from the Lord.That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

This is one of my favourite passages. Well, the second half is. The first half I like, and I included it here as a contrast, and while I wouldn't say it's a favourite, it is certainly has several points we can learn from.

Here are a few things that we can draw from each part of the passage, to contrast with each other.

5-6

• Cursed
• Trusts in man
• Bush in wastelands
• Desert, wasteland, salt land (Dt. 29:23)
• Parched
• No prosperity
• Strength from man
• Turns away from God

7-8

• Blessed
• Trusts in the LORD
• Confidence in the lord
• Tree by water
• Roots by the stream
• No fear of heat
• No worries of drought
• Always bearing fruit

Think about that word picture, of the two ways of life. You get your strength from yourself, and you and your life are just a bush in the wastelands. Wastelands - what images does that word bring to your mind? A barren land, with not a lot of plants, no water, a lonely place, it has no way of sustaining life. Now think of being in the desert without water - think even of being really thirsty on a hot day, then multiply that, you are parched. You are cursed, and whether you realize it or not, you turn away from God. You may even think you are still walking with God - and truly you are never too far from Him, all you need to do is turn - but you cannot be walking by both your strength and His. When you walk by yours you are rejecting Him, or turning away from Him. You are a bush in the wasteland. 

 Now let's look at the promises that we have to hold to when we are getting our strength from God. We are a tree by the water, our roots are by the stream. Even if the land goes dry, we will still have our source of water, and our leaves will still be green. We can have confidence in the LORD. Confidence! Think about it, what a powerful word. We will be blessed. We don't need to fear and worry about heat or drought coming, because our water supply won't disappear on us. We also don't need to fear or worry if we are in the middle of one of those seasons. If we are, maybe we're not getting our strength from God, and that's something to pray about and really work on! 

And the last few months, this has been the part of the verse that I have really clung to, that has been powerful in my life. "and never fails to bear fruit." If I am getting my strength from the LORD, there is no promise that life will be easy, all lollipops and sunshine, it won't even always be hard work that makes you feel good-tired at the end of the day. It will be messy, and we will have troubles (John 16:33). But what we can hold to, is that even in a season of drought, or heat, or whatever it may be - we will not stop bearing fruit. That's because we're not the ones doing it anyway, and He who does, is not affected by the seasons. 

If your strength comes from the LORD, rest assured, that even if you don't feel like it, you are bearing fruit.


May God bless you richly this day, as you seek to walk in His strength!
Emma 

Linking up with Elizabeth over at Oak and Oats today :)

my fortress {unshakeable}

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. 

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Psalm 62:1-2

The other morning I had 'finished' my Bible reading for that time, and was flipping through the Psalms, when I came to Psalm 62. I quickly read verses one and two, then read them again {several times}. There are a few amazing things I found in this verse that I thought I would share. 

The first part, my soul finds rest. Rest. Something my soul yearns for, and needs. There are days when my soul does not get its rest, and I feel oh so weary as a result. But there is something important to note. My soul finds rest in God, alone. No where else will my soul be satisfied so. When I need rest, there is one place I need to run to, and one place only. 

My salvation comes from Him. Salvation, to be saved. Saved from sin, from hell and Satan, from myself. 

It comes from God. I cannot save myself. It doesn't matter how strong or brave or anything I am. Salvation is only from the LORD.

He is my rock. That is, a firm, solid place which cannot be moved. A solid foundation to place my trust in.

He is my fortress. This reminds me of other verses which refer to God as a refuge, such as Psalm 46:1-3. A fortress is a place we can run to and it will keep us safe.

And now we get to my personal favourite part of this verse: what a promise we have here! I will never be shaken! I. Will. Never. Be. Shaken. When I am in the fortress, there is nothing that can shake me.

To 'sum' up this verse in one word, I would like to say secure. God is a secure rock and fortress for us, and in Him, we are secure.

blessings, friends!
emma

God's Presence

When you look in the Bible, it seems to me that the greatest promise that God has to offer us is that He will be with us. If the God who created the universe simply by speaking it, who saves nations from ruin, who conquered death, - if His greatest promise is that He will be with us - it has to be nothing short of the most super amazing totally awe-inspiring thing ever! I think sometimes, that we tend to shortchange this promise - I know that I do.

I found this whole list of comforting verses and I can think of even a few more off the top of my head. If you read those verses, most of them say something along the lines of 'do not fear for God is with you.' That is a promise!

There is this song.

And this one.

(sorry if there's a lot of music on this blog, but it is one way that I can really feel God speak to me)

 For me, when I am in the middle of trouble, of a peace-less time, I will petition God for something, whatever it is I feel like I need. But what I really should be doing is simply thanking Him for being with me - for He is; His promises say so, and He will keep His promises! What else do I need besides that, really? It's not wrong to ask God to do something to save me, but it shouldn't be my first priority.

If the absolute best thing He can offer us in times of strife is that He will be with us - how awesome can that be? His presence is worth than we give it credit for many times. 

I've heard many times, the idea of how the story of this whole world is like a tapestry, and God can see it from the top, and we can only see it from the bottom, and even then only a limited, very small section. From our vantage point, it looks ugly, and we might ask why? But from God's vantage point - where He can see all of the top - it is an extremely beautiful tapestry, all to His glory!

Everything on this earth happens for a reason, sometimes for several, but the reason overall is to bring God glory. And I know it's easy to say this, sitting on a comfortable chair, in my nice house, wearing nice clothes with a full stomach, but I would like to think that I could get through anything to bring my God glory! Especially if He is with me - which He is.

It is really easy (for me anyways) to lose sight of the fact that God - the Creator of the universe - is right here with me!  It is something I need to remind myself over and over again!

I feel like I'm starting to go around in circles, as I can't really think of any other points or ways to explain it... I know I've said it before, but honestly, if the greatest thing He has to offer us is His presence - then know that it is great! It is enough!

Isaiah 43:1-3
But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord your God,  the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Our God is great, He is in control, and He is with us!!

May God bless y'all today and may you feel His awesome presence!
love Emma

Walk on the Water

I have always loved the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water, but yesterday as I was reading it again, I discovered a few more things about it and now I love it even more! I just thought I would share them :)

Matthew 14:22-33
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
²⁹ “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Some of the things I noticed:

This story happens during the night. During the dark. It clearly says 'shortly before dawn'. This reminds me of this song and all those things we say about it being the darkest before the dawn. It was also storming (okay maybe not a storm, but at least very windy and wavy). 
 This story is applicable during the dark, during life's storms, during hard times. Jesus and Peter were walkin' on the water in the middle of the storm, in the dark. Not on a calm, beautiful sunny day. 

Something that I have always seen, but thought I would put down again, is that they were all afraid. In v 27 Jesus tells them 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.' It is I. Why don't I listen to those words in my own life? When I am crippled by fear, why don't I look over to Jesus and wait for him to say those words?

Then Peter responds to Him, saying, 'LORD, if it's you, tell me to come to you, on the water.' I guess Peter still had a little bit of doubt going on. So He called to Jesus to show Himself, prove it was Him. He said, LORD, if it's you, let me walk on the water. Jesus tells him 'come'.

So Peter gets out of the boat, and starts walking on the water towards Jesus. In the middle of this dark night, in this storm, Peter is part of a miracle. He has let go of his fear, He is trusting in Jesus, and look at the amazing things that are happening! But then Peter took his eyes off Jesus. He saw the wind, and he became afraid, and began to sink. 

What storms am I going through in my life right now? Where is it dark, right before the dawn? And I'm afraid; I just want to stay where I think it's secure (even thought it's really not, even). Jesus tells me, He says to me, 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.' But I don't listen. Sometimes, not often. But He's saying them! Peter, then still struggling with a little doubt, as I'm sure I would be, calls to Jesus. LORD, if it's you, give me a miracle. Throw me a lifeline - show me! And Jesus says, come. That's it. Come. Not 'come when you feel secure' not 'come when you have a better job' or 'come when you grow up' or when you have a bigger house, or when your kids grow up or anything. Just 'come.' And it takes faith to step out there. Peter did - and look what happened! He was walking on the water! Walking on water people! I think sometimes, as Christians we've heard this story (and so many others) so many times that while they are still miracles we forget to revel in the miracle in it. So I will say it one more time - People, He was walking on the water! But then Peter got caught up in the wind around him and he became distracted, and fearful, and he wasn't sure if he could do this anymore. We forget to focus on Jesus and the storm (mentioned above) begins to make us fearful again. And we begin to sink. But Jesus is greater than the wind. Once they got back into the boat, He calmed it.

Why? Why? Why do we do that? We've got it all! We're trusting Jesus, we're walking on water, in the middle of life's storm nonetheless. But we let our circumstances influence us, send us back to fear all crippling and maiming. It's not really that hard. Okay, maybe it is. But it's not really that complicated, there's no 10 page instruction manual for how to walk on water. You simply have to have faith. 

I pray that I, and that all of us, would be able to fix our eyes on Jesus, that even in the dark, in the middle of the storm, that we would trust, and that we would come, and that we would walk on the water. I pray that while we are walking, that we would not be tempted to look around us, and think about the storm - because Jesus is greater! 

What is crippling you today? Where do you need to hear Jesus' words, and step out and join Him on the water? 

May you all have a lovely lovely day!! :)
Emma

P.S. there is a really awesome song; Walk on the Water by Britt Nicole which you might also enjoy listening to :)


 

For Your Weekend... He is with you!

May you feel His presence in a very real way this weekend. May every decision that you make rest upon the fact that He is with you. May every fear fall away as you dwell on His presence. May He be the One you depend upon when all others forsake you, because He won't. Nothing in this world or beyond it can separate us from Him. Cast your cares upon the One who is always with you, for He loves you. May you know this truth this weekend, from your head to your heart and everywhere in between. :)

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:8
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Matthew 28:20b
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. 

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.  

John 14:16-17 
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

love Emma :)


 

Year in Review

Being that today is my birthday, and I am beginning a new year in my life, I decided that yesterday was a good day to kinda 'take stock' of the old one; look at what I've done, and what God has been teaching me.

When I look back at where I was last year, well, I'm not sure exactly what I think. I was just nearing the end of a rough year of homeschooling (I wanted to go to school so badly!). In general, my life was good, I just had bad days sometimes (I would get the Monday blues for the first time in my life... I had always loved Mondays!). I went to church and youth group and I did read my Bible, just not consistently.

The summer was both weird and great at the same time. Yep.

School started up again and in my longing I tried to make it as much like school as possible - which made me hate it even more. We were still looking for houses, living with half our stuff in a storage unit...

A few years ago I read Ann Voskamp's 1000 Gifts, and I follow her blog. She sent out this 100 Days thing to help you make good habits. On September 10, 2012 I started, my three habits to make being to read my Bible, count my gifts (see Ann's book), and to exercise. Life was good. I was still a little down. I started to rise out of it. I discovered that in my longing for school, I was trying to fit homeschooling into the same shape and it wasn't working. Once I decided to embrace homeschooling I started to enjoy it. If I were given the choice I think I might still go to school, but I am happy where God has me.

I think there are several things that God has been (trying to) teach(ing) me this year.
1. give thanks. all the time, and for all things. when was the last time you thanked God for the sound of birds chirping outside for window? (for more on the giving thanks thing, see Ann Voskamp's book, or her blog. life changing!)
2. don't fear. Like I said here, I have been looking at all the fear-nots in the Bible. what I am learning is just. so. cool.
3. trust God. this one is overlapping of both of the others and is so much more. we cannot fathom all that He is. all He does. just rest in Him.

I think this song really sums up where I am right now. Especially the bridge: 'I don't know, I don't know, what tomorrow may hold; but I know, but I know, that You're holding it all, so no matter what may come....'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjmZ2v0niCI


This song has also meant a lot to me this past year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

I was looking through my little notebook and found some verses/passages that I had written down as important to me, since September. (btw if I didn't put the passage there is a link)

Job 37

John 16:33
I have told you these things so that in me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.

Isaiah 43:1-3
But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God,  the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Jeremiah 32:27 

2 Thessalonians 3:3 

Isaiah 40:28-31 

Jeremiah 17:7-8
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Psalm 81:10

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Lamentations 3:21-25

 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: ²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,for his compassions never fail.²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;therefore I will wait for him.” ²⁵ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.

Three amazing books I would recommend reading:

Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis (wow. what an inspiring story with amazing lessons to be discovered as you journey along with Katie. couldn't put it down.)

Heaven by Randy Alcorn (while learning about Heaven I learned so much more about God too. what an awesome Saviour we have people!)

1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp (see the rest of this post. this is where my journey began and keeps going.)

If you are in tough spot, I would encourage you to hope. I would encourage you first and foremost to read your Bible, even in the days you don't feel like it, because it will be worth it. If you wait until a day when you feel better you will never start. If you start today you will feel better. Read Ann's book, make a gratitude list. Live in every moment. Trust God, be still, and soak in who He is. I just want to encourage you. I'm not trying to make last year look really bad, because to be honest, it wasn't all bad. But I do know that last year, I was in a bit of a low spot, and this year, I have risen out of it! With God's grace, you can too!

love Em

wow. that was long. ;)

Year in Review

Being that today is my birthday, and I am beginning a new year in my life, I decided that yesterday was a good day to kinda 'take stock' of the old one; look at what I've done, and what God has been teaching me.

When I look back at where I was last year, well, I'm not sure exactly what I think. I was just nearing the end of a rough year of homeschooling (I wanted to go to school so badly!). In general, my life was good, I just had bad days sometimes (I would get the Monday blues for the first time in my life... I had always loved Mondays!). I went to church and youth group and I did read my Bible, just not consistently.

The summer was both weird and great at the same time. Yep.

School started up again and in my longing I tried to make it as much like school as possible - which made me hate it even more. We were still looking for houses, living with half our stuff in a storage unit...

A few years ago I read Ann Voskamp's 1000 Gifts, and I follow her blog. She sent out this 100 Days thing to help you make good habits. On September 10, 2012 I started, my three habits to make being to read my Bible, count my gifts (see Ann's book), and to exercise. Life was good. I was still a little down. I started to rise out of it. I discovered that in my longing for school, I was trying to fit homeschooling into the same shape and it wasn't working. Once I decided to embrace homeschooling I started to enjoy it. If I were given the choice I think I might still go to school, but I am happy where God has me.

I think there are several things that God has been (trying to) teach(ing) me this year.
1. give thanks. all the time, and for all things. when was the last time you thanked God for the sound of birds chirping outside for window? (for more on the giving thanks thing, see Ann Voskamp's book, or her blog. life changing!)
2. don't fear. Like I said here, I have been looking at all the fear-nots in the Bible. what I am learning is just. so. cool.
3. trust God. this one is overlapping of both of the others and is so much more. we cannot fathom all that He is. all He does. just rest in Him.

I think this song really sums up where I am right now. Especially the bridge: 'I don't know, I don't know, what tomorrow may hold; but I know, but I know, that You're holding it all, so no matter what may come....'

This song has also meant a lot to me this past year.

I was looking through my little notebook and found some verses/passages that I had written down as important to me, since September. (btw if I didn't put the passage there is a link)

Job 37

John 16:33
I have told you these things so that in me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.

Isaiah 43:1-3
But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord your God,  the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Jeremiah 32:27 

2 Thessalonians 3:3 

Isaiah 40:28-31 

Jeremiah 17:7-8
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Psalm 81:10

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Lamentations 3:21-25

 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: ²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. ²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” ²⁵ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.

Three amazing books I would recommend reading:

Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis (wow. what an inspiring story with amazing lessons to be discovered as you journey along with Katie. couldn't put it down.)

Heaven by Randy Alcorn (while learning about Heaven I learned so much more about God too. what an awesome Saviour we have people!)

1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp (see the rest of this post. this is where my journey began and keeps going.)

If you are in tough spot, I would encourage you to hope. I would encourage you first and foremost to read your Bible, even in the days you don't feel like it, because it will be worth it. If you wait until a day when you feel better you will never start. If you start today you will feel better. Read Ann's book, make a gratitude list. Live in every moment. Trust God, be still, and soak in who He is. I just want to encourage you. I'm not trying to make last year look really bad, because to be honest, it wasn't all bad. But I do know that last year, I was in a bit of a low spot, and this year, I have risen out of it! With God's grace, you can too!

love Emma

wow. that was long. ;)

What's to Fear?

I read somewhere that there are 366 verses that have to do with not fearing in the Bible. That would be one for every day in the year, even in a leap year. This was right around New Years. So I decided that this year, 2013, would be the 'Year of Not Fearing'. I would read and think about one of those verses every day. And then I was looking it up online to find maybe a list or something, and I discovered that it is just a myth. Apparently there are only like 140 or something. But I decided that I would look up a verse in my Bible every day and see for myself how many there are.

Why am I telling you this?

As I have been reading all these 'Fear Nots' for the last hundred days, I have been learning. There are a bunch of common themes that run throughout these verses, and the one that I want to tell you about today is about being still. Have a look at Exodus 14:13-14: 'Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.   The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."'  The more I learn about fear, the more it seems to me that it has to do with being still in the LORD. Moses tells them 'Don't be afraid. Be still.' Clearly they are connected.

I think when you are still in the LORD, you won't fear. You have no room for fear. When you're being still in the LORD, it's pretty similar to fearing the LORD. We have the capacity to fear either God or worldy things. Whether you're afraid of rejection, the boogie man, letting go of your future, heights, or not fitting in, if you are still in the LORD you won't have room to fear anything else. Think about how awesome God is. Think about His promises.

There are two kinds of fear, and they are both connected. One is healthy and the other is crippling. The fear of the LORD, and the fear of worldly things. Which one are you going to fear?

I just want to leave you with three more verses:

2 Chronicles 20:15
He [Jahaziel son of Zechariah] said: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.

Psalm 46:10
He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Isaiah 12:2
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation."
 

May God bless you today!

love emma xoxo