Life
Christian Life
-
Bacon With A Side Of Regret
I hadn’t seen my parents in three months – so clearly a celebration was in order when they made it out last week! One of the things I love about Nashville is the food selection. I am surrounded by some pretty awesome spots, each with their own unique flare. I apparently used this visit as an opportunity to completely erase all knowledge of health from my memory. We went out to eat once – sometimes twice – a day. As I’ve mentioned plenty of times before, I’m an all-or-nothing kind of gal so you can imagine the gluttony that took place. If it wasn’t burgers smothered in cheese and bacon…
-
Flying Diamonds
Have you ever met those people that seem to have it all together? Not the ones that pretend to have the perfect life to cover up their insecurities, I mean the genuine people. The ones that are kind to others, confident in who they are, and successful in pursuing their passions. Oftentimes we kind of write them off, don’t we? Somehow the fact that they have “it all together” makes them some sort of mystical creature in a class of their own. If we are all born with the same instincts, the same basic needs, and into the same world – what is it that separates us from them? Inhibition.…
-
Risking Mediocrity
I love listening to motivational speeches. When I’m getting ready in the morning, when I’m cleaning, when I’m doing cardio – ok especially then (talk about needing motivation). Today’s theme seemed to be about taking risks. I must have listened to at least five talks today and they all shared this topic in some way. Let’s be clear – not all risks are equal! The risks that I am referring to are those dreams and ideas that stir inside of you – the steps and opportunities that seem crazy or even impossible. We serve a God that is over the top. He knows what we are truly capable of (he…
-
You’re stupid…now go conquer the world.
There are a lot of mixed signals in this world about being unique. When you’re young you’re encouraged to be yourself and to dream big. Parents and teachers reinforce the idea that you can do anything you put your mind to. Then you get to high school. Not to say peer pressure doesn’t occur before this big chapter in life, and not to say that everyone has a negative experience, but generally speaking high school hits you like a bus. All of the sudden your self confidence and control is tested like never before at a time where you are still growing and learning who you are – and it…
-
God wants us to be reckless
There’s no shadow You won’t light up, Mountain You won’t climb up, Coming after me. There’s no wall You won’t kick down, Lie You won’t tear down, Coming after me. (Reckless Love – Cory Asbury) I wish I could accurately explain the images in my head as I listen to that bridge. The image of God lighting up the dark like an explosion, climbing up mountains in a rage, busting through walls and battling with the enemy… This warrior-like description of God is nothing new – this is part of God’s character. Oftentimes we put God and his angels in a box. God is an old man with a white…
-
Dreams: How Big is Too Big?
Dream: (noun) A cherished aspiration, ambition or ideal An unrealistic or self-deluding fantasy We all have -or have had- an ambitious dream. Maybe yours was extreme, like becoming an astronaut or playing a professional sport. Maybe it was to graduate from a specific college, start a nonprofit organization or open a coffee shop. Whatever the dream, something was on your heart. The thought made you excited! You had planned it out in your head and it was awesome. You were passionate when you talked about it. But somewhere along the line – LIFE. The older you get, the more complicated life gets. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it…
-
Stomping On Landmines
“A miracle can happen now, for the Spirit of the Lord is here…” We repeated this bridge over and over in church tonight. You know how that goes; the first few times you are deep in worship. Hands raised, eyes closed…then about the sixth time, one eye opens. You start looking around as you continue to repeat the same line. Are they going to sing another line? Maybe another song? As much as I love that song, I was about to have one of these moments when it hit me – A miracle can happen now. The reality of this statement is mind-blowing – don’t miss it. We are so…
-
Hopelessly Ever After
Hopeless romantic. This person sees the world with rose-colored glasses. They love the thought of love. Every scenario plays out like a scene from a romantic comedy. Even when things go wrong, their imagination can spin it as a plot twist as they anxiously await the happy ending. Something as simple as hearing birds singing can launch them into daydreams. Hi, my name is Emily. I’m a hopeless romantic. I was thinking about this term the other day. Hopeless? Thanks. Couldn’t we say something like “optimistic romantic” instead? Hopeless seems better fitted for a pessimist, not someone who is always imagining the best in a situation. In fact, hopeless romantics…
-
Epic Sadness
I recently discovered the secret to my random sad thoughts, fears and discouragement: something epic is about to happen. The other night was just one of those nights. Nothing was wrong, but I felt emotionally drained. Is there a sort of jet-lag for major life changes?! Some days I am on top of the world, and by evening I am overcome by sudden discouragement and sadness. It comes like the weather in Michigan: sporadic. One day it is 75 and sunny and the next day there is a foot of snow. But I noticed that pattern: the negative usually comes right after a positive… The next morning I got up…
-
The Belayer, the Rope and the Rock Wall
So I went rock climbing (indoors) for the first time today! I have always wanted to do this. No time like the present, right? I was super nervous but excited. It wasn’t the typical nerves one may assume would come with your first climb. I had no fears of falling, breaking bones, or equipment malfunctioning (although the fact that the person I went with is an awesome, positive, encouraging person who just so happens to be an instructor probably helped to keep any of those traditional fears at bay). My fear was much less logical than all of that: the fear of failure. We started at what was basically the…
