Meet the Crazies

Meet the Crazies. 

Brit, Emilie, Marie and Emma.

If you met the four of us together, you would probably do one of three things. 

1. Run the other direction.

2. Report us to a mental institution.

3. Grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy some entertainment. 

God is a funny character. 

He knew what he was doing putting these lovelies in my life, that is for sure. 

Through different circumstances, we all became separately till the fateful night we joined forces. 

In the dictionary, under true friendship, I'm pretty sure you might see this picture. 

We laugh. 

We Cry.

We EAT (a lot).

We get crazy. 

Spread over different states we may be, but that doesn't change a thing.

I am so thankful for each one of them. 

Like I said, God knew what he was doing. 

acceptance

An old lesson.
A new meaning.

Isn't it funny how God works? As I go through a study with the girl I am discipling, I am constantly blown away at how it speaks to me. A reminder of the deeply loving God who has fully justified me.

"Feelings do not authenticate truth, but they do authenticate our understanding of the truth...and they do change our character."
"A definite, deep sense of being loved is necessary before growth can take place."

Reminiscing over the Lord's goodness late last night with a friend, I was blown away at his goodness. He is so real. He is so good. He is joy. He is love. He is grace.

Yet, so often we chose to perceive him as otherwise. We push our circumstances off on God and claim it to be his identity. So far from accurate. And boy do we miss out.

As it is so often necessary for us to do, I am taking it back to the simplistic. The gospel. Its like my friend said last night, when the word talks about milk and meat as spiritual food, the gospel is not the milk. No the law is the milk. The meat is the gospel. So simple, yet so profound.

Its all about the gospel.
And even though I have been walking with Jesus ten years, I trageically find myself asking:
What is the gospel?

The pharisees found a woman caught in adultery. They dragged her in front of the group.
Spitting shame and guilt on her.
Humiliating her.
Jesus doesn't condemn.
He doesn't say do better.
He doesn't tell her to go read her bible.
He doesn't ask her anything.
In fact, he silences her accussors.
Stooping down and drawing in the ground, he silences her accusors asking for the one without sin to throw the first stone.
The claims these men made were not false.
Jesus did not silence them because they were false.
Jesus silenced them because that is you and me- adulterous.
Jesus silenced them because that is why he came.
Not to save the perfect.
Who needs a doctor? The sick or the healed.
He came for us and he died on the cross when we were at our worse.

So why is it that as a church, we find the need to condemn?
A brother or sister comes to us, broken.
And we feel this need to fix them.
Its our superhero complex.
We preach the bible and prayer.
We tell them that with God anything is possible.
Truths they may be, but out of heart to "fix" them, we are wrong.
Is this the model Jesus left us at all?
No, not at all.
Jesus silenced the condemnation.
He silenced the attitude of "fixing" them.
Jesus tells us to love them, and let his spirit do the transforming.
We will never be able to do the transforming.
We are called to have compassion- literally step into suffering with them.
We are called to silence their accusers- to speak truth to the condemnation that they feel.
We are called to be Jesus to them.

Love God.
Love People.

The church has taught us this mentality that accepting someone who lives in sin, means you are condoning the sin. But what did Christ do with the adulterous woman? He accepted her. Only God can transform hearts. All Glory to him.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen." Eph. 3:20,21

Christ calls us to have faith in him. To have faith that he will do what he has said he would do. Faith that he will work all things for the good of those who love him. Have faith that he will transform the sinners heart. Having faith that in his timing he is doing his work and we can rest in that.

"...rest in the knowledge you are complete in me. The only thing you absolutely need is the one thing you can never lose: my presence with you."

Jesus accepts us.
Right where we are at.
You do not need to add anything to his sacrifice.
The biblestudy put it this way, when you feel the need to add to Christ sacrifice, it is as if you are saying, "Well thanks God for sending your son, and allowing him to be crucified for my sake. But I'm just not quite sure that is enough. So let me add this and that (most often things that we do by our own strength and measure) and then it will be enough. Let me downplay the sacrifice you made for me."
If that doesn't change you, I'm not sure what would.
Its fundamental.
If you do not know, believe and live that Jesus accepts you then you are missing out.
Missing out on the gospel.
Missing out on grace.
Missing out on the meaning of it all.
Missing out on Jesus.

"True confidence comes from knowing you are complete in my presence."

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Heb. 4:16

"My kingdom is not about earning and receiving; it is about believing and receiving."

[New Adventures]

I am excited to announce the newest adventure in my life.

Uganda. 

What an amazing opportunity the Lord has called me into for this upcoming summer. Africa has been on my heart for several years now. Jesus planted a seed in my heart while I was still in High School. I have waited patiently for him to open the door and I tell you with genuine joy that he has.

            This summer I will be an intern for Show Mercy International in Uganda, Africa. Being an intern will encompass several different things. Show Mercy International’s mission is to mobilize, inspire and empower individuals all over the world to live life on purpose while reaching out in love. They do this by providing homes and schooling for orphaned, abandoned children, educating villages about clean water, reaching out to villages and providing medical care. As an intern I will get to take part in all of these things, as well as help support the short term mission teams that come in through out the summer.

            Recently Show Mercy built a medical clinic for the villages that surround the Field of Dreams (the missionary base). The clinic will serve the people, and help save hundreds of lives from curable sicknesses. As an intern I will get to help serve here. I am so excited to gain experience in the medical field, while in the midst of my pursuit to become a doctor and serve the Lord.

            As I embark on this adventure that the Lord is taking me on, I would like to ask you to consider supporting me. First and foremost, I would ask that you would support me with your prayers. Please pray that the Lord would be preparing me for whatever he has for me in Uganda. Secondly, as you can imagine, an internship in Uganda involves considerable expenses. I would like to ask you to prayerfully consider sponsoring me financially. The internship will cost me $2,334 plus airfare, vaccinations, travelers insurance, a visa, and general transportation costs once I get to Uganda, an estimated total expense of approximately $6000. Any amount will help and is much appreciated. You can give any tax-deductible amount online through Show Mercy at the link below. You can also send a check to me at the address below for my trip. 

If you are interested in helping me fund my trip, you can click the link below and give a tax deductible donation under my name. 

http://www.showmercy.org/donations/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=23    

If you do not want to give online, but are interested in giving you can contact me for more information. Thank you for your support! 

In Christ's love, 

Emilie

[come]

[come]

Its like God is this big teddy bear. His arms are out-stretched and he is welcoming us into his arms- to come nestle in and rest. He wants to hold us, whisper his truths of love over us and remind us of who we truly are not what we do. We make so many excuses of why we don't just simply come and receive his everlasting love. We let satan tell us we aren't good enough. We buy into the lie that we can do this on our own. God promises he will continue the work he began in us- but we are not transformed by our works, we are transformed by COMING. We are transformed by resting in our papa's arms. We are transformed by his very spirit that lives inside of us. His love goes deeper. None of the works you do will mean anything unless they come from WHO you are- a beloved child of the king. You will toil and race only to find exhaustion and frustration when you do work because you idenitity rests in it. Let the Holy Spirit empower you. Not only will he give you the energy needed- he will fill you with joy and passion as you walk out his calling. It all starts with come. Yes, this four letter word is where it all begins. Come. Come rest in your father's lap. He will not question you. He will not scold you. He will embrace you. You will feel more loved than you ever have because you are justified. You do not need to strive to be worthy of the Father's love. His son has made you worthy- you don't have to live up to anything. Just come. He is waiting with open arms for you to COME. 

Be Still... Stop Striving

"Be still and know that I am God." Ps. 46:10a

The New American Standard translation says "Cease Striving and know that I am God."

What does it look like to trust God on a level that you can fully rest in him. You are worth the son. You are confident in this and there is nothing you can strive to be without him. What a beautiful picture of slowing down to a pace that we simply rest in WHO GOD IS. It isn't about who we are. We are only hopefully through the grace of God.

So what are you fighting for? The battle is WON. Praise God, cause we serve a winner, and get to join in victory with him.

Lock Up

"...take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Cor. 10:5

What does it look like? To lock up every thought that enters our mind and make it obedient to Christ. What would it look like if we reexamined the thoughts in our own head and delve into the heart behind them? To take every thought and realign it with the Father.

I picture a great mission. Even a battle if you have it. Where the great white knight comes in with victory, on his white horse and kidnaps our thoughts. Wrangling them and locking them up, beating them into submission.

We are inherently evil. I heard once that there are three voices in your head: the enemy, you, and Christ, two of which are evil. Lord- I want you to take over my thoughts. Teach me to submit to you completely-not only in speech and action but in thought.

Julie

I have a best friend named Julie.
She is a treasure to me.
I love her dearly and I would not have made it through my summer without her.
She is gracious, loving, kind, warm, fun, generous and constantly being Jesus to me.
I love how our Jesus shines through her.
I want the whole world to know that I have the best friend EVER. :)