Jesus Time With Emma

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever." (Psalm 136:1)          It is easy to take the blessings that we have in life for granted. With this Thanksgiving/Christmas season approaching I feel on my heart that I should write about the blessings in life that God provides us with.         How can an entire world be created by someone just saying, "let there be light."? How can a human being be formed from just a handful of dust and a rib? How can someone be rejected and betrayed century after century yet still be merciful, when they have the power to destroy everything that is against them? How can anybody be willing enough to sacrifice their own life/sacrifice their own son for the sake of their persecutors? God has done all of this. We are the people he has created and betrayed him. We are the persecutors he has sacrificed himself for. He is the reason we can live our lives in complete peace an...

         I was fifteen years old when my eyes were open to the brokenness of this world. My childhood had provided me with shelter that blinded me from the fact that life really is a hard and brutal journey. I guess that's why adults were always telling me growing up to enjoy being a kid while I was able to.                       - "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." (1 Peter 4:12)         I never knew what suffering was until I experienced it for myself. In my walk with the Lord, I have learned that everyone has a story. Every person carries brokenness of some sort with them as they journey throughout life. As a child I never imagined that brokenness could exist in adults, especially in my own parents. In my innocent mind, my mom and dad were perfect. I relied on ...

                 I have more recently realized just how valuable time is and how quickly it flies. It feels like it was just yesterday when I was nine years old and overjoyed to find out that I got a puppy on Christmas morning. Now that puppy is ten years older. I was once taller than my younger brothers, but now they both tower over me. A year ago, I was preparing to move into my first year of college. That first year flew by and now I am about to enter my second. It often seems like time moves faster and faster with each year that passes.            I'll sometimes look through old photographs from my childhood, and just be shocked by how much happened in my nineteen years of life. My family moved around a few times, so people and friendships were always coming and going. My parents were married for a majority of my life, and now it's been over three years since they separated. There was a time wh...

                     I felt it on my heart today to write in depth on the struggles of the dreaded season of waiting. As we journey through life, there is always that time period where we are forced to sit back and wait for that unknown next chapter of our lives. During these seasons our minds naturally fix themselves on the outcomes we are longing to see unravel. Some common examples of waiting include:  - Waiting to get that acceptance letter from your dream college - Waiting for that special someone/getting through the "talking" phase - Waiting to hear back on medical related results for yourself or for a loved one - Waiting to hear back on a desired opportunity - Waiting for a current season of your life to be over - Waiting to adjust to a new environment               There are countless seasons of waiting a person can go through. The reality is that we will ALWAYS be waiting fo...

                     My first year of college has just recently come to a close. It was a year full of ups and downs. Friendships were made and friendships were lost. New passions were discovered, and between 10-15 pounds were gained. My freshman year of college flew by fast. I was able to get my first glimpse of the adult  world and taste the freedom that it brings. Going to bed whatever time of the night I wanted to and being able to do whatever I wanted without having a parent to tell me what to do made the sudden change in my life even better (however, I still made sure that I made good choices!!!!).                 When I reflect on who I was last August, I remember moving into my freshman dorm without a clue in the world on what I was doing. Would I make friends? Would I be more actively involved with the campus more than I was in high school? Would I meet m...

                                                                              Human beings were created to form and grow relationships with other people. There are numerous relationships a person forms throughout their lives. Here are some examples of the different relationship categories: Parent and Child Relationships  Sibling Relationships Acquaintanceships (these are normally people you associate with, but don't have any personal bond with)  Professional Relationships (relationships with teachers, bosses, coworkers, etc.) Romantic Relationships  Friendships          Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, all people need some sort of interaction with other people. God designed for us to live and multiply together.      ...

     In honor of Valentine´s Day, I wanted to write this as a reminder that each and every one of you are loved unconditionally.          I remember when Valentine´s Day was a holiday I looked forward to each year growing up.  Decorating a box and exchanging all kinds of goodies and cards with my classmates in elementary school was always something I had fun doing. I would wake up for school every Valentine´s Day morning to find heart shaped boxes of chocolate or a large stuffed animal from my parents in my kitchen. Valentines Day was a day I could enjoy as a child. Now that I´m older however, the excitement of Valentines Day is gone.          As you all know already, Valentines Day is a day to recognize love. It doesn´t specify a category of love, but sometimes I just get the feeling that the world encourages love in a more romantic way rather than in a general Christ-Like way. If you´re single like me and have ...