Through Gates of Splendor

Tears rolled down my cheek as I closed the book. I left it sitting there on my lap as I wondered. "How did she do that? Was she not sad about what happened to her husband?" I had just finished reading 'Through Gates of Splendor' by Elisabeth Eliott. This is probably one of the most thought provoking and challenging books I have ever read. For those of you who have never read the story or even heard of Jim and Elisabeth Eliott, their story is truly remarkable. Shortly after getting married, Jim and Elisabeth felt called to serve on the mission field. After many months of contact with the Acua Indians (translated exactly: Naked Savages), Jim and 4 other men flew over and met with some of the people. The Acua attacked. All 5 men had guns. All 5 men chose not to use them. All 5 men fell. Word soon spread and the families were contacted. The bodies were found. For Elisabeth, who had just lost her husband, she was now faced with the challenge of raising a child on her own. To share Christ with these savages. Elisabeth felt the call to stay. To continue to live among the people and minister to them. After I finished the book, I sat thinking to myself. "I probably would have left! I would NOT want to stay and live with the people who killed my husband!" But then I also remembered that God had a divine purpose for Elisabeth staying. She knew she was needed and that her husbands' death was no accident.
This is one of the most important books I have ever read. I am truly thankful my mom gave it to me to read. I enjoyed it even through the tears.

Sounds- The Motions

On the way to Tae Kwon Do, I heard a song that is very close to my heart: The Motions by Matthew West. The lyrics have stuck a thorn in my heart. God has used this song in my life to realize that I really have to surrender and serve him. I have to abandon it all. Serve, sing and be salt like no one is watching. This song was so beautiful to my ears. I play it quite often and it never seems to get old. My ears welcome it anytime.
Here are the lyrics...

This might hurt

It's not safe

But I know I've got another change

I don't care if I break

At least I'll be feeling something

It's just ok

It's not enough

Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don't wanna go through the motions

I don't wanna go one more day

Without your all consuming passion

Inside of me

I don't wanna spend my whole like asking

What if I had given everything?

Instead of going through the motions

Take me all the way

I don't wanna go

Through the motions

I think I'm finally feeling something real



I can't continue to go through the motions... I have to live, love and be a light with a sincere heart and break out of the mold of life.

I'm Wide Awake... No More SNOOZE button

As I drove my bright green John Deere riding lawnmower to my neighbor's house, I could only imagine how long it would take me to plow through all the weeds that had grown the past few weeks. "I'm gonna be here for a while!" I thought to myself. I slowly moved from overgrown flowerbed to overgrown flowerbed, picking out all the weeds that had consumed the mulch. I threw them out into the path of my lawnmower. "I can't WAIT until this is done!" I was really ready to see the yard back to normal and not a jungle...

I watched the mower as it hacked away at the ridiculously overgrown weeds. I began to think. "I have let weeds grow in my life right now." This hit me so hard. I felt like my neighbors lawn, just waiting to hear the rumble of that John Deere engine! I needed to be cut down. To realize that my purpose is to serve God. But I have let my attitude get in the way. I have been rude and unkind to my family and I needed to be cut down to the ground and start over.

Now I am WIDE AWAKE and serving God to the best of my ability whether it is through mowing my neigbor's lawn or simply being kind and loving to my family. I can't hit the SNOOZE button anymore...

"God? Do You Mind Driving?"

About a year ago, my dad started having pain in his right shoulder. He went to the doctor. As a family we didn't really know what to expect. At all... They took some x-rays and did various tests. They found a cyst in his shoulder. That would explain his pain. W found the results a few weeks later. Cancer was a possibility... This shocked us all. My first instinct was to think, "How will we make it if we don't have our dad? Was it going to change our lives forever?" results He couldn't do much with his arm at all. I was scared. I didn't want to have to go through all the thoughts of losing my dad. "Not now. No God! No!"
As weeks turned into months, we still didn't know if it was cancer. All we knew was there was something in his arm and it had to come out. He debated surgery. We talked about it as a family. He sought a second opinion. He started seeing the chiropractor and despite the pain, he pulled through. The second doctor came to a conclusion: NO CANCER! We were beyond thrilled at the thought of this not being a life threatening situation! How tough that would have been! I thank God for letting this come into my family's life at just the right time. He knew what was going to happen. We didn't. We let God drive. My dad now has full range of motion back in his arm and we really enjoy all the sport activites we have been able to enjoy since his recovery! Oh and by the way, the cyst turned out to be a hard calcium deposit in his arm he had had since he was a kid... Praise God!

I Would Die For You

About 10 or 11 years ago, I visited my Opa and Oma in Michigan. They lived on the beach in a spectacular house, and I have many memories of those times when I visited. One day, I happened to be introduced to their neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Teter. If I remember correctly they were both deaf, but I enjoyed there company beyond what words can describe. I ate lunch with them and often just spent time at their house. I developed a great love for this elderly couple and liked to visit them as frequently as my vacation schedule would allow. Helping them and just being at their house was what I would consider a selfless act. Most people my age are afraid to talk to elderly people. I have never encountered that problem. I would like to share an excerpt of a letter Mrs. Teter sent to me quite a few years ago:

April 28, 2001

Dear Emily,

Thank you for the very nice present. I really do like it. The fragranced candle smells so good. Your GrandDad just brought over your address. He said you will be here in about 2 weeks. I will wait until you come so we can smell it together. It will be so good to see you again and your family. See you soon. Mrs. Darlene Teter

I have fond memories of being over at their house, and my mom would often come and get me because I stayed for quite a while. I remember not wanting to leave. I loved them so much. Sadly, Mr. Teter passed away a few years after I met them, but I am so glad I got to spend as much time with them as I did. I truly think God used me at such a young age to be selfless and invest my time in such a lovely couple, Mr. and Mrs. Teter.

Radical Reliance

When I first started learning how to drive, I remember being very impatient and argumentative with my mom. If she gave me a direction that I already knew, I lashed out on verbal anger. If I made a mistake, I got mad at her for not telling me what to do. I felt like there was nothing right I could do without getting upset, and she felt the same. Now that I think about the first few months of driving with my parents, I lost alot of driving priveleges because of my attitude. That really upset me. My parents constantly reminded me that "driving is a privelege, NOT a right." I felt hurt. I felt like I wasn't driving as well as I could. I didn't like the comments that they were making, but really, I had absolutely NO right to talk to and treat my parents the way I did. I often apologised to them, but I didn't really trust God to help me through the difficult time I was having. If I had not relied on my own strength and ability, I probably would have had a better time while driving with my parents. I regret not praying more when I was going through this time.

"Excuse me God, can you please hold?"

Lately I have been thinking of the busyness of my life and all the objects and daily routines that do not include God. Facebook, reading, movies, guys and just the normal aspects of my life have taken over. I have started reading the widely popular teen vampire novels by Stephenie Meyer- The Twilight Saga. Because it is such a page turner, I find that I replace my Bible with one of those books. I have let it encompass my thoughts while reading it, when I should be reading my Bible. I have fallen away from my daily devotions and even admit I have not been praying regularly or the way I should. I have set a goal to do my devotions daily, even if that means skipping a chapter of "Breaking Dawn" in order to read my Bible. I have also let Facebook consume alot of my time. I check it a ridiculously high number of times a day. Definitely way more than I check in with God. Not that Facebook is bad, it just takes up alot of my time. Compared to God, Facebook should be very low on my priority list for each day. "Hello God, you rang?"

Hungry, I come to You for I know You satisfy,
I am empty but I know Your love does not run dry;
And so I wait for you; so I wait for You...

I'm falling on my knees,
Offering all of me;
Jesus, You're all this heart is living for.

Broken, I run to You for Your arms are open wide,
I am weary, but I know Your touch restores my life;
And so I wait for you; so I wait for You...

Disappointment to Divine Appointment

Hey everybody! About a month ago my parents decided we were going to go to a concert as a family. I didn't mind that. The thing was, it was on a sunday night. The night I go to Youth Group at my church. I was so disappointed that I had to go to a concert to watch guys I claimed I "didn't like." As the day drew closer, all I could think about was, "I'm going to be stuck at a concert with my family while my friends are having fun." This concert happened to the United Tour- Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith. These guys started writing and singing Christian worship songs well before Christian music became popular. It was unheard of at the time. I grew up listening to them, but was just not excited to see them in concert at all. We got to the concert that night and I learned SCC and MWS had never in their entire music careers toured together! I was so amazed! Needless to say, I had a great time at the concert with my family. Yes, I did miss out on one night of Dgroups, but I believe God wanted me at that concert for a reason. My disappointment brought his divine appointment.

Hey Everyone! I am VERY excited to be starting my own blog. :) You might be wondering how I came up with the title though. When I was born, my cousin, Aaron, observed me and dubbed me "Emily the Excitable." As I was thinking about a name for this blog, that nickname stuck. I hope you enjoy reading my blog!