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I remember reading my dad’s journal that he kept during his cancer journey for the first time and being blown away by one common theme: faith.

My family faced many uncertain days during that 13 month long journey. Word after word, sentence after sentence that my dad poured his heart into on each page and not one of them reflected a fearful soul, or one of unbelief. He not only believed in who His God was,  He was walking daily in that belief. His actions were echoes of a heart completely surrendered to the will of God- no matter what that was. The Lord came through on His promises to our family, though not in the timing we would have necessarily chosen- He  brought my dad’s salvation to complete fruition. He called my dad home to eternity, wiping away his tears and healing all of his wounds, and in the meantime carried those of us daddy left behind steadfastly, and has yet to let up on His faithfulness towards us.

James 2:22

You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works.

This verse describes the life of Abraham, and his willingness to take his son, Isaac, to be offered as a sacrifice. He had faith in God, and actions that proved His faith. 

Over the past couple years of my college journey, the Lord has kept me coming back to these truths of faith. Recently I have been reading Luke 8. In this chapter, after Jesus teaches the parable of the sower, he gets into a boat with his disciples to cross the sea which suddenly begins to rage as a storm brews. The fear rises up in the disciples hearts and they quickly wake up the resting Lord begging for help. Jesus stands, calms the wind and the rain, turns to face His disciples and says “where is your faith?” He had just explained to the crowds that true faith falls on a ready soul waiting to receive. It hears the Word, retains the Word, and obeys the Word. Many times our fear reveals where we really are in our faith. I’ve heard it said that fear is belief that the enemy will prevail. 

Many of you have been following along with my journey over the past several months as I have been preparing for my trip to Kenya. The countdown has quickly switched to single digits and in just one week I’ll be flying high towards African soil. I’ve shared with many my excitement for my time there, as well as the fears that have crept into my heart. As the days have approached the enemy has tried so fervently to wrap my mind in “what ifs.” Yet time and time again the Lord has placed scripture in my paths, such as Psalm 20, to remind me that He is the God of time, the God of creation, the God of the seas, and the God of my life- some trust in chariots and horses, but by trusting in Him I will not fall. In Him, we have no room to fear, no room to worry, no room to question- we serve a sovereign Lord that all of creation bows down to. I desire for a heart that not only knows this as knowledge, but knows that in faith and acts upon it in all that I do- in both my time in Kenya, as well as my life here in the States.

Traveling to Kenya for a month seemed at once like a piece of cake, but as it has gotten closer I’ve realized it’s a bit of a bigger step for me than I was making it out to be. It will be a journey that I am stretched in my faith as boundaries are broken down in multiple ways. I know it will be a time that I can’t just talk the talk, but have to walk the walk as Abraham did, and as my dad did. Of course there are countless opportunities for things to go awry, but even in those places where I’m sure they will, God sits enthroned and will have His way, and that’s the way I want to walk in.

I have no doubt in my mind that this is the exact place the Lord has called me to in this season. I have been blown away by the provision of the Lord through so many of you. I have not had to worry at all about how we would financially afford this trip.  I have heard countless stories from many of you that made tremendous sacrifices to send me on this trip. I wish so bad I could look each of you in the eye and say “thank you!” a million times over. Not only for giving to me personally, but for serving the Lord in this way. You have a direct hand in the ministry that takes place while I’m there, even though your feet might never leave the U.S. I am so encouraged by your FAITH in the work of God. I pray that I am a faithful steward of the money that I have received from you as I go and be the hands and feet of Jesus in Kenya.

Packing is in full swing (okay… thats a lie. It’ll happen by Thursday… maybe Saturday.), and all the last minute details are being worked out. My mom has promised me anything I want, (okay… also a lie. Whatever I wanted to EAT, but I could probably negotiate more… hehe!) and I’m sure soon enough a couple tears will be shed. But guys- I AM GOING TO KENYA!!!! The Lord has been faithful to this desire in my heart for so many years, and I am over the moon excited about this incredible experience I will soon embark upon! We will have the opportunity to come alongside Matania’s Hope in their already established work in Nairobi and cities surrounding as we visit with families and students, hand out much needed supplies to those going without, and even get to visit the school in my dad’s memory! EEEEEEEP!!

I ask for your prayers as me and my team leave Monday, June 11th and will return July 11th! We will face the heat and exhaustion I’m sure, but oh how worth it it will be!!! Here I go, on this incredibly journey of faith!

Love, Em

 

 

 

 

The process of preparing for Kenya is continuing every day as the time between now and then grows shorter with every passing day. This journey has been an incredibly humbling experience as support raising for my team is in full swing. Each of us individually have been working with our local churches, family members, and friends to raise the funds needed to send us to Kenya and to supply us with what we need.

This trip is one fiercely personal to a passion that has been building in me for more years than I can remember. Every time I stop and think of whats to come, I am blown away all over again by the faithfulness of the Lord to allow me the incredible opportunity to travel to this country. If you don’t know anything about me at all, one of the most important things I could impress on you is how wildly important my family is to me. And each stage of life they just become even more important to me in brand new ways, and I learn to cherish the differences in that with each new season. My dad was, and always will be, one of the most impactful people in my life. I get asked often if I even remember much about him, being that I was so young when he went to be with the Lord. Sometimes I’m taken back by how gracious the Lord has been to me to leave so much of my dad in my life throughout the years. I see him in every part of my family- the family that he built. The school that sits on Kenyan soil holds a part of my dad that’s never been in my reach, and now that it possibly is in reach… my heart can barely handle it.

As our team has begun meeting regularly to plan, prepare, and pray over our time across the sea we have begun to dive into the details and logistics of what our trip could look like. Up until this point, my heart sat in the place of the paragraph above- overwhelmed and excited. But as time has ticked on, the excitement hasn’t died a bit, but reality has set in a little more. And in the face of reality, fear has begun to creep into my heart. In my family’s dynamics communication is rampant. Every day, most the times more than once a day, I talk to my mom, my sister, and my brother in some capacity. Maybe it’s what we’ve walked through together that just don’t allow those bonds to back off, even with differences in distance and schedules. While I’m in Kenya that aspect of my family will cease. Questions have started racing through my head, with one at the forefront: can I really do this?

In the midst of the thoughts, that Sunday morning at church I listened to a sermon on the Great Commission. What a timely God we have, right? A passage I’ve heard for my entire life growing up in the church, that continues to have so much to do in my heart.

Matthew 28:16-20

 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.  And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

I’ve always heard the “go and make disciples,” but this time I heard something different. “All authority on heaven and on each has been given to me. Go therefore…”  This was the section of these verses that was focused on this Sunday morning. We go and make disciples because He already holds all authority, and all power. In no way do we go out for the victory to be secured, we go out from the victory that has already been secured. 

Philippians 2:10-11

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

As this truth poured over my soul, so did a peace, a confidence, and a courage. The answer to my fearful question “can I do it?” was still a resounding no. In my own strength, in my own abilities, in my own emotions, in my own will- it is a hopeless cause. But because of the price that He paid, the battle that He already won I can go to Kenya with a reassurance that no matter what does or doesn’t take place on that soil, every knee WILL bow, and every tongue WILL confess on that glorious day. These promises aren’t just secured for my trip to another country, but hold true every single day of my life as I get up and walk outside my door to a college campus full of souls in need of the Gospel.

I know the Lord is calling me to step out in faith, even in the fear, and to fully immerse myself in this calling on my life in this season of my life. And if that takes some scary sacrifices, it’s time I step out all in for the Gospel and a battle that has already been won.

The Gospel:

It is discovering a treasure of such surpassing that those who find it simply aren’t willing to settle for the mud-pie riches and glory of this fallen world. It is a treasure that is better than life, and nothing demonstrates that value of a treasure more than what we are willing to suffer and lose in order to have it. So lose it all in order to gain everything.

So Go, therefore…

Love, Em

Please continue to lift up our team in your prayers as we grow in unity, raise support, and work out the details of the journey. Plane tickets have officially been purchased and it won’t be long till we step out onto Kenyan soil! I am thrilled!!

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Not because it’s wrong to want, but because in Christ- there’s no need for it.

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It was the summer after my senior year of high school when this first resonated with me in an unforgettable way. I was serving at Camp Victory as a counselor, studying through each verse of this Psalm. I remember at that time in my life, there was a search for contentment that the words of these verses spoke to very intentionally.

College began, and a whirlwind of changes happened in my life. Suddenly my normal was turned upside down, in both a beautiful and terrifying way. A year and a half later I sat in the lone coffee shop of Troy, Alabama, and flipped open to these exact same words.

I remember so vividly those last few months of high school when I was longing for a new pace. I anxiously waited for the day that my home was shared with a college home. Now that I have lived in that reality for some time now, and sit at the end of yet another semester, Psalm 23 forced me into a reflection time of the Lord’s presence in my life in this season.

A constant theme since that first summer out of high school for me has been the battle being content. For the first time in my life I see the dawn breaking on an overwhelmingly satisfying contentment in just Jesus. A contentment that stretches beyond my circumstances, beyond my desires, beyond my needs, to a place of rest in daily walk with my Savior. So many lessons are yet to be learned and I know I still have room to grow, but to look back over the process of this journey from where I was to where I’m going almost drops me to my knees instantly.

At the beginning of this semester I read Katie Majors’ new book, “Daring to Hope.” In the book, Katie talked about her battle against the situations she was facing and her ability to be content in the Lord no matter what each new day brought her way. She began writing on sticky notes things she saw as blessings from the Lord- the trials and tears, along with the beauty and wonders. She hung them all over her kitchen so daily she would be reminded of the Lord’s constant presence in every aspect of her life. I adopted the practice in my own life. Every morning I sit on my dorm floor to get ready in front of a mirror hung on my door.  It’s where I start my day, so I thought I’d begin using the time as Katie did to remind myself of all that the Lord was doing in my life. Quickly the door began to fill up with bright pink sticky notes with anything and everything I saw the presence of the Lord in. Every morning I sit in that same place and see the Lord’s faithful hand on my life- and each morning I’m reminded that He is providing just what I need, exactly when I need it, in Himself.

This morning I sit in my dorm room, with only moments left before it’s time to lock the door behind me, close out my third semester at Troy U, and head home. The word ringing true in my thoughts as I think back over this semester is faithful. I’ve seen the Lord’s faithfulness in the days of good, the days of trial, the days of questioning, and the days of rejoicing trough this entire season of my life. So many lessons have been learned, so many lessons are yet to be learned. My time in college has shown me so evidently how broken I am in sin, how much work there is to do on my heart, and sometimes it’s overwhelming how much I feel like I just can’t get things right. But with that humbling truth has come a wave of grace, mercy, and love washed over every inch of shame and guilt- because I know that He is working, I know that He is here. It is His sacrifice that now defines my life.  I’ve learned a raw dependence on the Lord, and experienced my absolute need for Him in a way I am so thankful for. I’m learning every day on this journey of life how good He is. When I begin to see everything else around me in the light of that goodness, I shall not want.

 

Dear Abba Father,

All my praises are fixed towards you. Thank you for teaching me that you not only supply my every need, but my every want.

 

 

 

Love,

Em

 

 

 

 

The last few days, even weeks, have been heavy.

We have seen and experienced devastation. Homes ripped up from their seams. Towns flooded. Families separated. Fear settling in as we wake up to face the unknown. As storms barreled towards Florida, I heard stories from some traveling great distances,  leaving their life behind them, not knowing what they would return to.

Refuge: a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.

A condition of being safe…

As I write these words, I am overwhelmed by emotion. I’ve seen the hurt. I’ve seen the destruction. I’ve seen what people are running from and running to.

But even that refuge won’t last. Eventually they will have to leave that shelter and safety and drive back to what might be a mess of a home and build it back again. And another storm will brew. Whether it be a hurricane, a divorce, a death, a disease, or a lost job. There’s no refuge in this world that will last.

“…every storm that I face, when foundations give way, even in my mistake- you are my refuge.”

But there is a God that has secured a victory outside of the boundaries of this world. Our lives will shake and shatter. The winds will whirl and the earth will give way. It isn’t the circumstances that we face that determine His goodness.

I write this from a very personal place. Maybe I reference this too often, but when you have walked through losing a daddy at such a young age, you find yourself in a very vulnerable state. It was in those times of questions, fear, and anger at the brokenness that my family was having to face that the Lord began to show me the raw hope that He offers through Himself. And it is in that place that I continuously find more peace, love, and safety. I find rest in the eye of the storm, not because everything makes sense around me, but because I have tasted and seen of a God that has defeated sin and promises me an eternity.

I wish I could sit across a table from you, drink a cup of coffee (or something else, if you’re like me) and pour out my heart to you. I want each of you to experience this refuge as my family has- as I have. Tonight has been one of those nights that are more difficult than others. I sit on my bed, tears streaming down, searching for something to ease the pain of not having my dad here with me. Nothing even begins to subside those longings except a peace that surpasses all understanding through the presence of Jesus in my life.

You see, He knew that this world did not offer us much. He knew that it was empty, sinful, and full of destruction just waiting to come to fruition. There was this huge gap that left us utterly hopeless. In order to reconcile, there had to be a sacrifice. Jesus submitted to the same temptations, emotions, and difficulties that we face as humans. He experienced it just as you and I do day in and day out- but He resolved in His heart that He was here to make a way, so He knew no sin. Can you imagine how difficult that had to be for Him? Yet, He persisted and still ended up at the cross. A perfect life lived, a sinful death died. Jesus hung on the tree, but it was me and you that God looked down and saw. He took our sin, our messes, our mistakes on His shoulders and He took the wrath of God that you and I deserved. DON’T TAKE THAT LIGHTLY. This is HUGE. You know how the story continues. He was buried, but did not stay there. Praise God He defeated your sin, walked out of the grave, and made a way for me and you to know true, living, thriving HOPE.

We try to make sense of all the bad in the world, the storms, the deaths, the sickness. Guys, if I sat around and tried to grasp why my dad died, I would live in a very bitter state. Here’s the truth- we live in a bad and fallen world full of fallen people. Therefore bad and fallen things happen. And there’s no refuge good enough to hide you away form that that resides on this Earth.

BUT, GOD

Through Him is a refuge that is secure, unmoved, unscathed by the disasters that take place outside. It might come into your life, but it cannot rock your foundation. With Christ, the victory is secure. The hope is set in place. And there is a sweet refuge found in the arms of our Abba Father. He brings light and shines through the cracks formed in our lives and allows them to become beacons of hope.

Seek refuge tonight, dear friends, in the one that truly keeps you safe.

Abba Father,

Thank you for being my refuge every single day that I wake up to face a new day. The darkness, the fear, the raging seas, mistakes abounding, tears flowing, mountains too high for me to climb, there is a safety, a peace, and a HOPE that is found in you alone. Jesus I praise your name holy name! Thank you bringing light to the broken and hurting places of my heart. Jesus, I pray that those reading this blog as they face pain in their life, that they would seek and find refuge in your salvation. That they would know you in a personal relationship and their lives would change dramatically because of it. I will continue to sing, because the battle has been won and the victory has been secured. You have delivered me, redeemed me, set me free, and promised to keep me forever.

I love you.

Love, Em

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Many times after a tragedy you experience a year of “firsts” as  you settle into a new reality. Whether it’s the heartbreak of a broken family, the loss of a loved one, or a lifelong sickness setting in, surely my family isn’t alone in experiencing the newness that comes after your world has been shaken.

Next year will be 15 years since my daddy stepped foot through our front door, or sat around our kitchen table for supper, or tucked us in at night and fell asleep while he scratched our backs. The first couple of years without him we faced many of the “firsts.” We woke up the day after he died to a life that looked completely different than the one we had been living. That emptiness we felt without him being physically present began immediately and came full force. Whether it was the big things like Christmas and birthdays, or the small occasions such as a tractor pulling by without him in it, or a school play that he couldn’t attend- each one came and went hurting just a little worse than the one before.

The happiest things in our lives have always stung just a little more knowing that a huge piece of our heart wouldn’t be standing by our sides. Getting announced homecoming court, walking outside to our first car, or getting ready for our senior prom- all exciting times that we learned to grit our teeth at and cling even more to Jesus during as we held back bittersweet tears. Graduating high school and preparing for college were some of the hardest times I have faced without my daddy, but they were very much expected. I knew that that season of life would tug on my heart a little more than the normal day.

Each time that we have experienced a “first” without him has seemed to come and go. That birthday passed, that excitement faded, and senior year came to a close. Recently my family has come upon a season, however, that has been an unexpected first. Personally, it has seemed more difficult to adjust to. It has been a time that won’t soon pass- but will become once again the new reality of our family.

A daughter dreams of the day her dad will one day walk her down the aisle to the one her soul has come to love. We count down the days until our wedding and husband become more than just a desire hidden in our hearts. Me and my sister aren’t exempt to those wants- we just knew they would play out very differently with our daddy not being here. It’s a first we had to yet to experience. When my sister got engaged we were all over the moon excited, but I couldn’t help but think of all that was about to happen to the dynamic of my family. The question that had always loomed in the back of our minds was finally at the forefront of our thoughts as we planned my sister’s wedding, “who would walk us down the aisle?” She made the perfect choice of Ben being the one to get the honor of seeing her handed away to Aaron, but the time didn’t come without its many tears and hurting hearts. We loved Aaron, we loved the marriage taking place, and we knew daddy would have, too. We were walking through a time in life that we had only anticipated, only wondered about. Beth and Aaron drove away the night of their wedding to the start of a new and beautiful life together, as our family took a turn to another first without daddy by our side.

Beth and Aaron now live in their own home, I moved back to school, and Ben is old enough to go and do without needing to be dropped off and picked up. I spent the summer at home and moving back to Troy was much more difficult this go round than it was the first. Not in the nerves and fear of a new place, but in knowing that my life at home was completely different. Please hear me out- it wasn’t a bad different. It was a good, exciting time in our lives! But that didn’t make every aspect of it easy. For my entire life we all lived inside the walls of the same home. Now it was all starting to look very different.

I wasn’t anticipating this to be a difficult transition. I wasn’t expecting for it to make me miss my dad and long for our family to be complete again more than I have in a long time. My mom is having to settle into the reality that one day we will all be off, and she will be behind to cheer us on. I hurt for my mom, seeing her walk through this “first” where she’s entering into her empty nesting stage of life without her husband by her side. Its tough. Its new. It’s untread waters.

What we have seen from our God in the past 15 years doesn’t restrict us as we go froward- it propels us. We have seen, we have tasted, and we know. The Lord has been faithful to us through scary times we have walked through before, so why would we begin to doubt Him now?

As I continue on day by day I will seek even more the heart of my God. Where I don’t understand, I will trust His promises. Where I hurt and cry, I will fall into His arms. I will hope in the truth of the victory that He has already secured. I will walk from that victory, not for it.

I cherish my home and my family. I cherish the seasons we have been through in the past, and I’m expectant of all the incredible times that await us up ahead. Maybe I’m the weird college kid that goes home more weekends than others, but having walked through what my family has walked through I just can’t help but want to spend every chance I get with them. As I get older it becomes less of a “have to” and more of a “want to.”

Friends, the Lord has been so good to us. Our circumstances don’t define His goodness. He brought life, hope, and joy to a place that shouldn’t have it. So although things seem different, we continue to rejoice in who He is. I am encouraged by the verses of 2 Corinthians 4 that say,

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsakes; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies….

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but that the things that are unseen are eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:7-12, 16-18

Abba Father,

Thank you for constantly teaching me about your goodness and about your faithfulness. You’ve walked hand in hand with my family for so long, and we have no doubt that you will continue. Things do look different to us for right now, show our hearts the purpose that this season holds as the ones in the past have. Father, I love you so much. Thank you for shining light through our brokenness and speaking hope to a place of pain. You redefine life. Praise you, praise you, praise your holy and great name!

Love, Em

My mom has the greatest servants heart. She loves us so well. I wouldn’t be me without her.

Season changes are difficult, especially in the south. Transitioning from winter to spring brings the expected allergies with fresh cut grass and pollen floating around every corner. Or the peanut dust that looms in the air during harvesting season as we transition from fall to winter. Past our health issues comes the difficulties of attire. While it might be December in Alabama, you could very well be rocking your t-shirts and shorts with Christmas coming up in a week. Rarely do our seasons follow the temperature changes as accurately as they are supposed to! How do we put away our sweaters if at Easter time we could possibly be shivering in our new sleeveless dresses and heels?

Season changes in life are even harder than those concerning the weather. It seems as though since I have entered into my senior year of high school, my life has been a continual cycle of transitions. While most have been exciting and fun, several have also come with their challenges. Such as when I moved to college, expecting to never look back, I found myself within two weeks  knocking on my back door with tears streaming down my face and begging for some good home cooked food and lovin’ from my mama!

Recently my family has walked through a new season- one that none of us have experienced: my sister getting married!! It has been one of the most exciting times of our lives! However, it hasn’t come without the presence of some tears as well. I vividly remember the night Beth and Aaron got engaged. After he got up off one knee and everyone came out of hiding to congratulate the couple, most tears turned to excited hugs, gasps, and hand shakes! But mine, for some reason, would not stop flowing! We had gathered around the two and everyone was talking and moving around- the room was a circus! People would come by to hug on me, not knowing that they would be getting the waterworks show as they approached! They just wanted to be excited and I couldn’t dry it up! During a prayer over the my sister and her fiancé everyone was quiet in soaking up the moment, while I attempted to hold in sobs and the dreaded ugly cry!

Of course, the tears didn’t mean I wasn’t excited for the two! One, I am just an overly emotional person that sometimes can’t seem to get a old of myself (hopefully, Ive got some sisters out there that can relate!!) I was overjoyed for my sister and soon to be brother-in-law for this new journey. I could not have hand picked anyone better for my sister. Aaron was her true love, and he had easily become a part of my family! So the tears were tears of joy and excitement! I would by lying though, if I didn’t admit the hidden feelings of sadness and fear as my family walked our first few steps on this new territory.

I knew the next year would be full of fun, planning, and anticipation for the big day and life ahead! But at the end of that year, my sister would go home to a place that she didn’t grow up calling home- a place apart from me. I also knew this would be one of the “firsts” that we would face without daddy. Most of those came and went within the first few years after his passing, but marriage was one that we had only dreamed of facing without him being by our sides.

We now sit one week past the wedding date that we waited so long for! So much planning went in to make the day just perfect to celebrate Beth and Aaron, and I believe we succeeded! Everything flowed smoothly, and the happy couple left out of the reception with big smiles on their faces (and birdseed in every crack and crevice!) It was the sweetest day that I wish I could relive over and over again. Beth and Aaron have been two of the most important people in my life, pouring into me in such special ways. I loved watching the Lord bind them together as one before all their friends and family, and then getting to break it down on the dance floor with them as we breathed out a big sigh of relief that we all survived and didn’t go broke!!

The past couple of days have continued the time of transitioning in our lives. This past Saturday the five of us sat around our dining room table as we have so many times before for supper. Something happened afterwards, however, that normally doesn’t. Beth and Aaron went home.

Home.

As in not 717 county road 73.

But THEIR home.

That was the first time it began to really set in, that all this wedding stuff wasn’t just a fun time and afterwards everyone would go back to the way it was before. No longer can I yell down the hall and borrow that shirt or text her to bring me more toilet paper or hop in her bed to watch a movie together.

The last night that we all spent in the house, the night before the wedding, was the peak of the season change- whereas I expected it to be towards the end. Mama told us that night about the first night that we ever spent just the four of us in this house, after daddy went home to Heaven. We all climbed into her bed and tried our hardest to get some sleep. And now, 14 years later, we are seeing that season of our life end and a new one begin. As Beth now lives with Aaron, and I get ready to head back to college, its bittersweet to begin seeing less and less of the house that made our home. As I look back over the time the four of us have spent inside these walls, I see the faithfulness of the Lord all over our lives. So many things could have gone wrong. There were countless opportunities for the devil to come in and steal from us. There hasn’t been a time in our lives that the Lord wasn’t surrounding this home, protecting us, guiding us, giving us strength, and filling us with His joy! Of course its hard to walk away from that season of our lives, but it also propels me into the next one knowing that my God walks alongside me. I’ve seen, I’ve experienced, so I can go forward, as well as the rest of my family, knowing that He will be our guide into this new time in our lives.

You might be experiencing season changes in your life as well. It might be due to something exciting, or it might be because of something more difficult and devastating. I challenge you to look back over the time you’re transitioning out of and intentionally look for times that the Lord was present when maybe you weren’t aware of it at the time. Many times, our lives seem like a puzzle with pieces scattered everywhere, but when we back up and glance at the bigger picture- we see a beautiful image forming! He is working the same in our lives as we go from season to season!

Celebrate the newness in your life and what the Lord is doing and will do in the time to come. Remember His faithfulness. Trust him. Take the next step.

Dear sweet Jesus,

Thank you for being constant in the midst of all our change. You never change. May we trust you as times in our lives transition. May we celebrate who you are, what you’ve done, and what you are going to do! Thank you for my family, for what they mean to me, and for this season change in our lives. Although there are pieces that are harder to handle- none of them make it unbearable! You created marriage in a beautiful way and I have loved getting to watch you work through this time. Thank you for loving us and making us your bride!

Love, Em

Fourteen years ago today we lost my dad to cancer. I’ve been bitter all day long.

The thing is, the bitterness wasn’t because I’ve been walking around upset and missing my dad. That sounds horrible, I know. Instead, I was mopey because I had to get up early and go to the doctor when I wanted to sleep. The gym was too full for me and I didn’t get to do everything I wanted to do before I had to leave. And then I had to go into work and carry out groceries in the pouring down rain when I wanted to be at home doing something productive (like watching Netflix, you get my point.) I was being selfish, and very bratty. I wasn’t getting my way, things weren’t going as planned, and the fact that it was a day that usually meant so much to my family- I wasn’t even dwelling on the memory of my dad.

During my shift at work I was wresting with the Lord. I didn’t want to commend to the “Publix customer service” that they require of their employees. I was’t in the mood for groceries, and bagging, and checking people out. The truth is, I had been wrestling the Lord way before I went into work today. Grace is something that seems elementary to grasp, but for some reason I make it really complex. Grace is given freely, but so many times when I mess up I feel the weight of  guilt as if I have fallen out from under it. Many times, without realizing, I try and earn a grace that can only be received, not granted. I’ve been slacking on quiet time, preparing for mission trips, and on just being productive on things I need to get done. Instead I am filling the free time I have investing my emotions to a fake family on Netflix that just adopted a little boy, found out they had cancer, and are moving to Kansas. One episode after the next, and 5 hours down the drain. Or either I am making a to-do list and stressing about what needs to be taken care of without actually ever accomplishing anything. So, the past few days I haven’t been at ease. I felt guilty. I knew I had been walking in sin. I knew I had been making things idols in my life above my time with the Lord and being lazy towards tasks that needed to be done. In my mind, I had “fallen away” from grace and how could the Lord take me back once again when I was doing all that I needed to be doing for Him?

How can you fall away from something that you didn’t earn in the first place?

I read a blog a few weeks ago and one section really stuck out to me. It described the truth behind our guilt and insecurity. Something that resonated with me so closely was that sometimes our guilt is produced from a place of pride. How? Because we are expecting to some day never have to ask for forgiveness and never mess up. We’re relying on our ability to be “enough” for grace. However, we have nothing to offer and never will have anything to offer that makes us more applicable for the gift of grace. If it did, there would have been no reason for the cross.

So, as I drove home from work the Lord opened up His hands to me once again and poured out the same unending grace.

I began to think about my dad and the life that he lived and the legacy that he left. I’ve written about him before and how incredible he was, so I won’t take the time to do that again (although if you haven’t read about him, check out some of my previous posts!) It’s so neat to me how the Lord has used such a painful experience in my life to continually teach me, and draw me nearer to Himself. Over the past month I have been reading the book of Revelation. I used to have the mentality of “there’s no point in that, Jesus wins so I’m good.” But as I began to flip through each chapter, the Lord showed me how wrong that mindset was. Revelation is a tricky book. While all the other books of the Bible speak of the past, this one speaks of what’s to come- what no one has ever experienced in the physical. So, many times it is confusing and overwhelming. But as I began to unpack the truth of the Revelations, the Lord began to reveal to me the importance of this book. I have three chapters left before I’m done. Now that I’ve almost read through the entire book, I have such a different view of Revelation. The Lord wouldn’t have given us these revelations if they had no purpose. I don’t have all the end times figured out, but what I have learned through reading these scriptures is the importance of the urgency of the Gospel and the beauty of salvation.

At a devotion given at work (Eagle Eye Outfitters) the other day, one of my coworkers said, “we weren’t called to make believers, we were called to make disciples.” What truth! And how well that relates to how I’ve been learning of what’s to come. As christians, how seriously are we taking our responsibility to take the TRUTH and the LIFE of Jesus Christ to those around us? We travel to other countries, and we post Instagram photos with Bible verses, and we talk about how we love Jesus, but have we truly grasped what’s taken place and what lies ahead? The bridegroom is coming for His bride!!

My dad understood this. He had experienced the power of the cross in his own life, and because of that everything looked different. Cancer didn’t define his life, chemo couldn’t steal his joy, and even as he faced the last days he didn’t cease to give thanks to his God. He made it his mission to view his sickness as a way to glorify the Lord and to not just make believers, but disciples of the God that had rescued His soul! Countless times I’ve talked with people that knew my daddy before and during his sickness and to hear them speak of how his boldness and willingness to be used by God even in the most difficult days of his life changed their lives forever, in an eternal way, makes the pain and the sadness of him not being here so incredibly worth it. Not only that, but it pushes me to do the same with my life day in and day out. Boy, do I fail at it. But how great are His mercies and grace that never run out or run dry. Praise God that He hasn’t asked us to be the source but to drink from the source and just pour out what has been poured in.

Life is so difficult, with so many challenges faced every day. As we enter into this Father’s Day, I beg you to examine where you stand with the Lord. Not for just the sake of forgiveness of your sins and then a ticket to live as you please while still having the security of heaven, because friends if that’s what you see then your view of grace is cheap and incorrect. The Lord asks nothing of us, but He demands our all. Salvation doesn’t make that a burden but a desire. Because when you have experienced a God that can swallow death up in victory and speak life over dry bones, why would you want anything but to give your life over to the only true hope and joy and strength and purpose?

Happy Father’s Day to all of you incredible dads. You deserve so much celebration.

Today I will celebrate my dad and the life that he lived. Yes, it might be a little more difficult. But, yet, I will rejoice! Because cancer doesn’t have the final say.

 

Abba Father,

Thank you for being my daddy. For loving me and pouring out your grace. For knowing me fully, and loving me fully. I love being your daughter and getting to dance in the light of your victory every day of my life, despite whatever circumstance I might be facing. Lord, increase in me the urgency of the Gospel and boldness to take it as I go. Keep changing my life by your salvation where it causes me to know nothing else but to respond in sharing it with all that I can through my love, my words, and my actions. Thank you for giving me victory. Thank you for giving my dad victory. Thank you for giving my family victory. I can’t wait till that marriage feast with you. I praise you God, I praise you God! I know nothing else to do but praise your precious name!

 

Love,

Em

 

Happy Father’s Day, daddy! We are celebrating you today!

 

Last night was the fourth and final gathering of “The Redeemed” girl’s ministry for this school year. Looking back to our first gathering, there has been an incredible amount of growth that has happened within our team and within myself. Here’s a behind the scenes look at how it all began, struggles that have surfaced along the journey, and what to expect for next year.

Deciding on where I would go to college was the toughest decision I have ever been faced with. Growing up in Headland, Troy was a place we frequently passed through to get anywhere north. I remember countless times passing the “Troy University” sign thinking to myself, “you’ll never see me this close to home and at a school this small!” I had big plans, or so I thought. When the time came, I narrowed it down to Auburn University or Troy. After considering every aspect, Troy clearly was where I needed to be- and oh, how I ate my words! Sitting on this side of the first year here, I could not imagine myself any further from home (at least for this season of life!), and at a school any larger than this one. I found my perfect home away from home here at Troy and love it so!

Boxes were packed and nerves were high as I set out on this new journey. Back home I was privileged to be heavily involved at my school, through my church, and with my friends so I expected that trend to continue at Troy. I wanted to make an impact on this campus that would last longer than the four years that I was here. I knew coming in that nobody would know who I was or anything about my faith, so I was excited about the opportunity to share that and proclaim His name in a new place with new faces. Halfway through the semester, my good friend Sydney and I were riding in the car when she began to tell me about a girl’s ministry that her friend was involved with at Jacksonville State University called “The Watering Hole.” It was so neat to hear of what they were doing for the Lord, and Sydney expressed to me how she wished Troy had something similar! My wheels began turning and haven’t stopped since. Together, me and Sydney began planning for what would become “The Redeemed.” While Troy does have several campus ministries for students to get involved in, we lacked a ministry specifically for girls. We couldn’t think of anything better than to create a time for girls to come together to fellowship, share in the struggles that we all face, and grow together in the truth of the Gospel spurring each other towards Christ. The name “Redeemed” came from a brainstorm session where me and Syd sat in a local coffee shop considering what the Lord’s heart might be for this ministry. “If there is one message we want to send to these girls, what is it?” is the question we considered, and “The Redeemed” was born.

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

We wanted to share the redemption we found in Christ with the girl’s roaming the campus of Troy University. We wanted them to experience that freedom, love, grace, and forgiveness that comes only from knowing and having a relationship with Him. So, we set out to do just that and began planning our first gathering.

The first Gathering was in November of Fall Semester. We went in clueless, but the Lord provided in so many ways such as other girls to walk alongside us as a “team”, a location for us to have it in, musicians to lead worship, and so on and so forth. We met for the first time at Sydney’s Sunday School teacher’s home. She had a beautiful yard, so we decorated very little and prepared for an exciting night. Three girls from our team lead worship along with two guys that brought in a guitar and box drum. We introduced the ministry to the girls that came and I shared the Gospel with them. We then moved into a time of getting to know each other and fellowship, sharing prayer requests, explaining further our heart for what was to come through The Redeemed, and eating some yummy goodies! The first gathering was a success and I was so in awe in how the Lord was involved in every detail of the night.

 

The semester ended and we began to look forward to Spring Semester! As soon as we returned from Christmas break, we began planning the second gathering. This time we decided to bring in a guest speaker and move locations! We wanted to be on campus for better convenience, so thankfully the Lord opened up the door for us to move inside to the arboretum building. This time we wouldn’t be freezing and wouldn’t get wet in the case of rain, which ended up being a huge deal because on this night it FLOODED! I thought Noah was about to ride by on his ark. Thankfully, we had girls that decided to brave the rain and gather with us! Whitney Johnson of Southside Baptist Church visited and poured into us with the topic of “confidence.” It was an incredible night of worship, fellowship, and truth.

 

And from there, we jumped straight into the third gathering just a little over a month later! This time we wanted to change things up a little bit, so we invited some guys to join us! Although this ministry is specifically for girls, we asked a couple of our guy friends to join and to hear their hearts on a “Godly woman.” What an encouragement they were to us, reminding us that our one goal is not to become all that we can be to gain a guy or relationship, but to live our lives wholeheartedly seeking Christ! It was a sweet night to join together as brothers and sisters in Christ! After an interview with the guys, one of our own team members, Anna, shared her testimony with us and the journey the Lord has taken her on of becoming a Godly woman. We closed out the night with some breakfast food and shut out the lights on gathering three!

 

Here are where things get personal for me. In between the second and third gathering, I began to battle against the Lord concerning this ministry. Not many knew of what I was facing, but the Lord was really working to convict my heart on how I was serving Him through this ministry. When Sydney first brought this idea to my attention, I thought I knew exactly what the Lord wanted me to do. I have always loved planning events, speaking, and being involved with things such as this. Combining all of those things, plus the fact that is was an outlet to share the Gospel with those around me- how could it not be what the Lord had for me to do here at Troy? The problem was,  I never considered that at the beginning. I placed myself into a position of assuming I knew exactly what the Lord wanted for me when I was in no place to do so. In all honesty, I never prayerfully considered what the Lord wanted for me in this or His heart on it. Yes, it was a good thing, but I was realizing it might not have been the “good thing” he had planned for me to do in this season. It was a hard pill to swallow. I was already this far in and questioning what else he would want me doing if it wasn’t this ministry. How would I tell the team? What would it look like to others if I walked away? I battled and I battled. Even through that faithlessness, the Lord was so faithful to me. I started praying about the ministry, my place in the ministry, and what it was the Lord wanted me to do- even if it was something I did not want to do. He began to lay the word “discipleship” on my heart. I went to an event one night here in Troy called “Pray for Troy,” that one of my dear friends put together! As I sat and looked around at all the people around me, I saw souls- some lost, some not. I had my group of friends, but I didn’t know many other than that. And when I say know, I mean more so than a “Hey, How are you?” basis. I knew several names, but I had filled my schedule so full that I had no time to truly get to know the people that the Lord had placed around me. That truth shook me. I realize I can’t get to know EVERY body at Troy on a personal level, but I can work on those in my classes, in my sorority, and in my church. I was neglecting the people around me and holding back the Gospel from them and worrying about details of an event. My heart loves logistics! So planning the redeemed is easy and inside my comfort zone. I can stand in front of a crowd and speak to them without hesitation, but when it comes to diving into personal and intimate relationships my introverted nature comes out for all to see. Why would the Lord be asking me to do something the exact opposite of what I am good at? Why would He call me away from where I can succeed to be totally uncomfortable? The answer? To prune me. To grow me. To glorify Himself. Because He is God, and wants to use me in the way His name will receive most honor and praise.

It took a while to come to grips with this, but the Lord led me to that place of surrender. One night I knelt in my dorm room in tears, begging for guidance and clarity, and in that moment the Lord rushed peace into my soul. I remember listening to the song “oceans” countless times before. Every time the lyrics flashed across the screen, “spirit lead me where my trust is without borders,” my mind floated to places like the redeemed, or mission trips, or big and showy things done for the Lord that would seemingly take a lot of trust. For the first time I listened to that song with new perspective- what if the oceans he was calling me to were just the quiet, still waters of every day life? What if it wasn’t overseas, but to the person sitting next to me in class? And for me, that would take much trust in a God bigger than I. He doesn’t only call us to be on stage, but to be intentional in real life with those around us. I came to a place where He had to make me willing to walk away from The Redeemed if that is what He was asking me to do and to throw away my pride and my fears and to walk into waters unknown, trusting that He would be there with me.

As the third gathering approached I was nervous about how things would turn out and if it would be my last one being involved on the planning team. As we got there to begin setting up, everything fell into place just right. We didn’t run out of time decorating, everybody was excited, we had a good crowd, and a good response from worship and the message. It was incredible to see how the Lord’s hand was so involved. A couple of us sat around and talked afterwards, and how encouraging it was to hear of how the Lord was working in such neat ways in so many of the girl’s lives. It was insane to see how the Lord was using this for His glory, even when I had gone astray. I could see that the faithful prayers of the rest of the team were going forth and the Lord was blessing them in so many ways. As the night came to a close, the Lord reminded me of the story of Abraham when he went to sacrifice his son Isaac. It probably made no sense to him that the Lord gave him this son, what seemed like a good gift, and was now asking him to take his life. When the Lord saw Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac, he provided a ram. The Lord whispered to my soul, “I needed to see that you would give it up for me.” He needed to take me to a place of full of surrender, of brokenness, longing for nothing more than Him. I didn’t need to be satisfied by working for The Redeemed, I need to find my satisfaction in living for Him alone.

A lot of lessons were learned through that time, even some I am still continuing to learn. But as we closed the chapter on gathering three, I looked forward to gathering four prayerfully seeking Him.

For Gathering four it was evident that our team had figured out the ropes and were all pitching in to do whatever they could to make it a success! We changed locations again and instead met in Sorrell Chapel on campus. Sydney invited her pastor’s wife from back home to come and speak to us, and it was incredible! She spoke from Exodus 2 when God called Moses to deliver His people from Pharaoh. She reminded us when God calls, there will be fear. But by faith when we can do as He has asked because He goes with us, He provides, and He guides. She challenged us to be obedient. One quote from the night that stuck out so much to me was this:

If we have an obedience problem, then we have a love problem with God.

Wow! Now that will make you check yourself! All that we do for Him must stem from a love for Him. The Redeemed is a good thing, but it had to come from the love He had shown me and the love I had fallen into with Him- not from a place of selfish ambition.

We had an incredible night of worship, wished every one a great summer, and sent them off until next fall!

 

What a joy it has been to learn and grow through this ministry. What the Lord has done in my own life through it speaks volumes of the God we serve. He deserves all our praise! I never thought we would be this far along sitting in that coffee shop last semester daydreaming of what it would become. We don’t have it all together, and we have a lot to learn, and a long way to go, but as long as the Gospel is going forth- I believe it’s all worth it (even if it took knocking me on my feet a little bit.) The girls that I have been able to work with through this have been my rocks and my encouragement. Each of them hold such a special place in my heart. They have poured themselves into this ministry, and it is incredible to see how the Lord has been working in their lives. The Sunday night before our last gathering, the team got together to worship, pray, and share together. I heard story after story of brokenness in each of our lives, and how the Lord was bringing redemption to those places. We aren’t doing this because we have it all together, but because we know a God that can take messy and make a message- and our lives testify to that. We want these girls to know hope, to know joy, to know true life that comes only through the blood of Christ. It only because of who He is that any of this takes place. His blood washed us clean, He called us redeemed. Praise His great and powerful and glorious name!

For the salvation of souls.

love, Em

I grew up by her side. We were the blonde headed beauties in a family of brunettes. Nobody knew what was going to roll off of our tongue next. Grandma couldn’t tell us apart. Nobody could separate us. We were the best of friends that also held the title of cousins. T-ball, birthday parties, elementary school, family get togethers, and play dates we did together. Where one was, the other wasn’t far behind. We walked through hard times in both of our lives with the eyes of innocent children right next to each other. At the time, we were oblivious to the sovereign plans unfolding in our lives.

We faced what many best friends do through middle school years. She grew tired of me, I grew tired of her. Instead of being inseparable we saw very little of each other. There were fights (including physical- ask her about that!), drama, and hard feelings towards each other. At the time, we thought there was no repair to fully thread our lives back together. I used to be bitter towards that time, but I see clearly now how the Lord used our time apart to draw us into Him and then weave our friendship back together founded on something much stronger than family ties.

Many times in our weakness is when we recognize the need for others in our lives to lean on. I’m thankful for a time of weakness that opened my eyes to a greater friendship that surpassed lunch dates and gossiping. We found ours in a place where we both were yearning for the real and raw. In some crazy turn of events, we had our feet taken out from under us and we fell on each other as if nothing had ever changed. I thought at 6 years old we had the term “best friend” pretty well defined, but I’d beg to differ now. I’ve never known a friendship quite like this one. So Camille, this thank you is for you…

Thank you for your heart surrendered to the Lord and for letting that change everything about you.

Thank you for being an example of who Christ is, loving others, and loving me.

Thank you for your honesty even in the times when it is hard to hear.

Thank you for the fashion advice and a never ending open closet if I don’t have exactly what I am looking for.

Thank you for the joy you radiate.

Thank you for the laughs for all these years.

Thank you for being somebody that I can just be me around without fear.

Thank you for understanding me and loving me still.

Thank you for not knocking on my door and just coming right in, and allowing me to do the same.

Thank you for being passionate.

Thank you for always being down for ice cream or anything else unhealthy.

Thank you for your willingness to be vulnerable.

Thank you for the trust that I can have in you.

Thank you for being my photographer.

Thank you for finally deciding to love dogs, even though Charlie isn’t one of those.

Thank you for letting me send you 50 pictures and always telling me which one to post.

Thank you for your love of journaling, coffee shops, and always being down to hang out and attempt to be hipster.

Thank you for pouring out Jesus to me always.

Thank you for agreeing to move to another country with me if neither of us ever get married.

Thank you for listening when I just need to pour out every emotion built up inside of me.

Thank you for loving my family and making yourself at home with us.

Thank you for teaching me to dip my rolls in ketchup. I blame you for my ketchup obsession now.

Thank you for teaching me that sonic cheese sticks are the only way to go.

Thank you for not letting the distance of college separate us.

Thank you for showing me what a best friend is.

My heart doesn’t really know how to contain how thankful I am for you and this friendship. Jesus has been so good to us, friend! I hope you have the best birthday and see how truly loved you are by so many. You’re an inspiration and an encouragement. You make me a better person in so many ways.

Thank you.

I love ya, memille.

Happy 19th birthday!!!!!

Here’s a little video just to show ya how much you mean to us…

 

 

There have been days where my schedule is too full to fit lunch in to the day. Instead of sitting down and eating good food, I trade it out for a handful of almonds on the way to my car for the next thing on my to do list for the day. As time goes on I feel the effects of that lack of food and usually end up with a headache, feeling tired, and a grumpy attitude.  I skipped out on a meal in hopes to get more accomplished, but instead I’m shuffling my way through school work, meetings, and other responsibilities halfheartedly and starving for something to fill me up. When I skip out on being fed, I miss out on the fullness of life. 

Now maybe thats being a little extreme to just skip one meal every once in a while, but hopefully the point is across. Rarely will we repeatedly choose to not eat because we have too much to do for the day where it just won’t fit in. Eventually we come to a place where our bodies have to be fed in order to function properly.

Switch to a new perspective: how often are you allowing yourself to feed off true bread?

John 6:35

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

John 6 is set up in such a special way. It begins with the feeding of the 5,000. In this story Jesus multiplied 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes to completely satisfy the hunger of 5,000 men. He physically provided bread for them. However, this bread would only tide them over for a couple hours and then they would need to be fed once again. When they fond themselves hungry again they sought Jesus out and began to question Him. After satisfying their physical need, Jesus sought to satisfy their spiritual need. He explained that the bread they had been given the previous day was bread that perishes and that, as stated above, He was the bread of life. The bread He was speaking of wasn’t the same as that that you eat at meals, but a life giving source that completely satisfies all hunger. 

I would love to say that every morning I jump out of bed right as my alarm starts to ring,  cook a filling breakfast and sip orange juice from a coffee mug (because coffee is yuck!) while spending time with the true bread of life- Jesus. While I do make it my goal to squeeze time this in during my mornings, it is normally a squeeze. Instead my morning routine looks more like an hour of snoozing my alarm because I was up past midnight the night before, rushing to clean myself up, find something that isn’t dirty to wear, grab something as I run out the door to eat and begin my day worrying about all that has to be done before I go back to sleep that night. Many times my quiet time with the Lord becomes another addition to my to-do list that I know I need to fit in at some point during the day, but it isn’t a priority for number one. Instead that place falls to homework, meeting this person to discuss this, working on this project, planning this event, and so on and so forth.  Nobody is going to give me a grade on whether or not I spend time in the Word that day. No teacher is going to ask me to submit a journal about it on Blackboard. There’s no deadline that it has to be done before in order to get full credit. Nobody is waiting on me to report to them the progress I’ve made. So, it falls to the end of my to do list for the day .

It isn’t hard to get caught up in a planner and deadlines for each day as a busy college student trying to balance multiple things at once. I’ve assumed that putting off time with the Lord is okay with a list longer than a mile of things that have to be done. As those days go on, however, I find myself lacking in strength, doing things but not getting them done well, complaining, stressed out, and hungry. If you skip a meal, you feel the effects. Yes, that homework has to be done. Yes, the deadline must be met. Yes, it would probably be a good idea to try and get at least 5 hours of sleep every night. But if somewhere in the middle of all that chaos time with Jesus doesn’t fit in, then something needs to be cut out. Or you need to make that not so easy decision to sacrifice some of your time to be filled by the Father. Give that thirty minutes to Jesus in the morning, even if its a sacrifice, even if it puts you a little behind. Trust that He will give you the strength to accomplish what needs to be done throughout the rest of the day through that time with Him. After spending time reading His word, praying, and worshiping you’ll have the fullness of life, the satisfaction you need, and the joy to carry you throughout that to do list and in a much more impactful way than if you had skipped that meal with the bread of life.

John 6:51

I am the living bread the came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.

Jesus, the bread of life, gives fullness, satisfaction, and completion through His sacrifice. Eat your lunch, but be hungry by dinner time. Spend time with the true bread, and find fulfillment for a life time. True life comes from Him. In order to fully make your way through that to do list, you must be seeking to be filled by the bread of life. Otherwise, expect hunger in your life for more that no check off of a to-do list can quench. Only through Him do we find true life, true satisfaction, and true meaning to all that needs to be done. Make time with Him a priority and watch how the rest of your life if effected for the better because of it.