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

{challenge 1} {in which I compare my spiritual life to a plant}

Every year it goes the same way. Winter.... my spiritual life is often similar to plant life at that time of year: underground, cold/half frozen, sleepy, yet still alive. But as spring comes, I can feel it stirring in me. My soul says, don't leave me here, and I yearn for growth, and as the days get longer, warmer, my heart thaws, and I can feel life rising in me.

Typically springtime is amazing. Enter July. When I get to July I usually feel like I'm just trying to make it through the days that drag, and then the weeks fly by faster than light, and that really really bothers me because that's not how summer is supposed to be! {and all of a sudden I'm wondering, should this post really be about expectations and how discontent comes when they don't get met... maybe that's what my problem really is.}

Summer is such a beautiful time. And so often I miss it.

I'm in the habit of getting to the end of my day, and writing down a few things I'm thankful for about that day. I'm thankful for that habit. But I'm feeling like it's not enough to get to the end and scratch down a couple things like 'fun in the pool', or 'great run'. It's 'better than nothing' - but I want to be looking for the beauty in each moment, not thinking back on them later. I want to live in wonder and awe.

And so my challenge for myself this week of July {will you join me? :) } is to search for the beauty, and then document it. In either a photograph, or a written sketch. My goal for this week is at least two photos or written sketches per day. {and hopefully many more beautiful moments that are just captured by a word or two}

I want to love life. I want to live it fully, totally amazed by the awesomeness of what God has given us.
blessings on your day!
emma

linking up with Chantel over at A Harvest of Blessing

this post by Ellen, and this one by Marian, were among the many things swirling around inside my head that resulted in this post.

soundtrack of my life {lately}

quite a while ago, I read this post on (in)courage by the Nester, and ever since then I've been meaning to write this.

I have found that it is so true, that music can take you right back. A song can hold you during a certain time in your life, or you could just love hanging out with it, until there comes a time when you are about ready for a new one - but if you go and play the old one, after you've moved on, it still has the power to bring you right back to where you were.

And so I've been thinking about the songs that have been on my life's soundtrack the last year or so. I'm writing this to keep track of it for myself, and also to share some really awesome music with y'all :)

I'm very much an 'album' person (and what I mean by that is I will listen to an entire album over and over again for a long time.) Most of the music on this year's 'soundtrack' is like a whole album, or at least selections from an artist. There are a few special individual songs that I have held close :)

Without further ado, let me begin...

Last summer, Chris Tomlin's newest album, Burning Lights was being played over and over and over and over (and over). Pretty much from the end of WonderJAM until we went to Alberta last summer (and even after), this was definitely my favourite thing to listen to.

After Alberta, my two favourite songs from that album were Crown Him (Majesty) and Sovereign. (Sovereign especially) (another song that was special to me at that time was Taylor Swift - Enchanted)

As fall deepened, and winter came, the most played names on my list were probably Natalie Grant (the album Love Revolution and radio singles), and Mandisa (radio singles, Overcomer, Stronger, etc)

During the winter, and beginning of spring, I listened to a lot of worship music, Matt Maher (Lord, I Need You is a favourite), and Matt Redman (don't think I can pick a favourite ;))

April definitely had me listening to Frozen music (of course ;) haha!), and once Francesca Battistelli's newest album, If We're Honest, came out April 22, I pretty much listened to that non-stop until the end of May, when Love and the Outcome's album took its place.

Currently, the theme music for right now is still Love and the Outcome, as well as Rend Collective, the Art of Celebration.(this playlist on youtube)

Rend Collective - Finally Free

King of My Heart - Love and the Outcome

I need the reminder that God truly is, bigger than any battle I'm facing, and better than ANYTHING I've been chasing.

What's the theme song for your life right now? :)
blessings,
emma

welcome :)

welcome to my little space here :) I hope you will find a little encouragement!

I had a blog on wordpress before, but they changed formats and it was confusing me so I switched over to here (as well as an older private blog). please excuse any problems with organization or pictures or videos not showing up... still trying to figure it out :)

please follow, read back, and leave comments :)

blessings,
emma

{on} beauty

 ^"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight."
1 Peter 3:3-4

beauty. that's what this verse is all about. there are those who use this passage to say that godly women ought not spend time, energy, or money on hair, makeup, jewelry or nice clothes. I don't believe that. think of Esther, who underwent beauty preparation for 12 months before she went to see the king. there is nothing wrong with doing your hair nicely, or wearing jewelry, or having nice clothes. what I believe this verse is saying is that that is not what is important. that is not where our focus should be, it is not how we should decide if a woman is beautiful.

true beauty is that of the inner self. I know we hear it all the time, it's pounded into your head if you grow up in the church, 'man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart. it's what's inside that really counts.' but have you really let it sink into your soul?

when people spend fortunes on trying to stay looking young - what does that tell us? outer beauty is temporary. it fades. but your inner beauty, it is unfading. it will last as long as you spend your time working on it.

what is inner beauty? this passage tells us that it is a gentle and quiet spirit. it's the way you hold yourself, the way you reflect the LORD. you don't always need to be the center of attention, because you know you are loved by the One who created all.

we are beautiful for two reasons. one being that we are made in the image of God. the second is this: He loves us. don't you think that the more you come to know and understand and feel that love, the more beautiful you would be?

I believe in trying to look nice. I don't think there's anything wrong with nice clothes, hair, makeup or jewelry. to a point. it should not become our obsession, and it is important that we know it is not what matters most. do you spend more time working on your outer beauty, or your inner beauty?

I challenge you to cultivate a gentle and quiet spirit - for that is beauty that will not fade.

blessings on your day :)
love em

year in review

as another birthday comes around, another year passing, I like to take a look at the year I'm leaving behind me, the year closing, and see how I've grown, how God has been working in my life.

last year's.

this past year has been, well, a roller coaster ride.  last summer was good (to be perfectly honest it always seems to me like the summers are just an amazing blur filled with so many fun days and other days that are.... well let's just say less fun), and the end of the summer was just spectacular (we went out west to see some friends). the fall was pretty rough, and I know that God was using it to teach me lots of things. the winter was a lot better, and I find when you look back at something it's a lot easier to see how you've grown through it and the difference between where you are and where you were.

once again, I thank the LORD that I read 1000 gifts because I have truly discovered in my life that when I am off track, the best way to get on track is simply to spend more time with God, and count your blessings. this spring has mostly been lovely. {I say mostly, and what I mean by that is that it has indeed been lovely, but there are days here and there, which are not so much, ya know?} I know that I can look back over the past year and see that God has had a plan to work in my life, and there were things that hurt, and while I was in them I wished I didn't have to, but now when I look back I see how much closer to God I have grown and I can say honestly that I am okay with it all. but only because God's got a plan and He works in my life, and He worked through that.

some things God has been teaching me this year include but are not limited to:
1. biggest thing. God will work in every little detail of your life. everything that God brings you into He will bring you through and out of, and if you use that as an "excuse" to run to Him, He will bring you out of it closer to Him.
2. contentment (if you read this blog at all you probably already know that haha!). there are some things in your life you can change. go out and change those if you don't like them! ...but there are lots of things you can't change -and so why would I want to waste all that time wishing for something I didn't have? time is precious people! make the most of what you've got!
3. living on your own power is just. so. exhausting. when I don't start my day with the LORD, and "stop in" a few times a day, I do stupid things and by the end of the day I'm a mess. yes.

some books I read this year that helped me grow that I would totally recommend to others:
1. A Million Little Ways by Emily Freeman. you have a life to live. you can make art where you are now. you don't need to be a painter or a musician or anything like that to make art. to make art with your life is to glorify God.
2. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. this book is great!!! it's pretty deep and a little confusing at times, but it's written in a way that is so easy to read... I have learned a lot of great things from this book.
3. The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing by Jeff Goins. I will admit that while I did read the first part of the book I only skimmed the second part... but I liked this book. did you know we spend a crazy whack of time waiting in our lives? (at the grocery store, the doctor's, etc, or for bigger things like university acceptances, or a baby etc) and I know that I tend to think of waiting as a waste of time, but God has given us this time for a purpose and we've got to use it too!

a few songs that God has used in my life this year:

my favourite hymn-y-worship-y song lately: Crown Him (Chris Tomlin & Kari Jobe)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NCcMqD_0z4

I need Him. Oh, yes! Every hour, every millisecond, whether I realize it or not!  Lord, I Need You - Matt Maher

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

Holy Spirit -Francesca Battistelli (honestly, I am so loving her entire new album!)
"Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for / To be overcome by Your presence, Lord"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvBBC7-PSHo

I also made a youtube playlist with 'just a few' of the many many songs that I loved this year. (those that I remembered yesterday anyways lol)

this year I spent a lot of time in the Psalms, Isaiah, Philippians and a few other epistles. some verses (&passages) that have meant a lot to me:
(if I didn't put the passage there is a link)

Isaiah 58

Isaiah 55:9-11

Isaiah 46:4

Isaiah 44:22-23
I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
    your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
    for I have redeemed you.”²³ Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this;
    shout aloud, you earth beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,
    you forests and all your trees,
for the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
    he displays his glory in Israel.

Psalm 25: 12-13

Psalm 27:4

Psalm 27:13-14
I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 34:8

Psalm 37:4, 23

Psalm 51:10-12

John 6:35
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

2 Corinthians 12:9a,10b
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Philippians honest to goodness, I so love this book! picking a few favourite passages was very hard, please go and read it yourself. slowly. over and over and over again.

Philippians 1:6
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:9-11

Philippians 2:5-11

Philippians 2:15b-16

Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:11-13

Philippians 4:19

Colossians 3:17, 23

God has got a glorious plan for our lives, so that we might be part of the beautiful tapestry He is weaving for His glory. I pray that I would never forget that. We worship and great and Almighty God, who has loved us wayy beyond what we can comprehend. I pray that we would live like we know it!
I hope that you got something out of this mumbo-jumbo ;)

love Em