Under the Overpass

So, I'm reading this book called "Under the Overpass: A journey of faith on the streets of America" by Mike Yankoski. It's about a college-aged guy who leaves his life to go be homeless for awhile and the things that he's learned. Some of it is so beautiful that I just wanted a place to write it down.... bless you xanga.

"I tried to remember a point in my life when I had been as honest about my emotions as James had just been with Trevor and me. I couldn't. For some reason, I hardly ever admitted when things weren't going well. Instead, I usually glossed over my struggles with an easy cliche like "it's all good" or "hanging in there" and thought nothing of it. Psalm 34:18 says "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted." I wondered if pretending you're not brokenhearted keeps God at a distance" (pg. 45)

"Something critical is missing in places that care for the broken and needy if the only people there are also broken and needy. Without the presence of people in the rescue missions whose lives are not defined by addiction, alcoholism, crime, and mental illness, there is little positive influence." (pg. 46)

"A bunch of high school kids from Nebraska showed me something important: When we're willing to get down to eating together, listening and telling the truth together, cleaning together, peeling potatoes together, the Gospel comes alive." (pg. 47)

"A church is just a building if there's no one in it." (pg. 61)

"A hungry man can be a fast learner. When you come to a table with nothing but need, you are grateful for things you might have pushed aside before. And when you kneel, hungry and broken at His table, you recieve a grace from Him you might, at some other time, have completely missed. You'll know this grace when you take it. It goes deeper, quicker, and it burns all the way down." (pg.71)

"It was a relief to play and sing for the joy of worship rather than for our dinner. I wondered that night if maybe God hadn't brought us across the continent just to sing Pamela to sleep on His behalf. The apostle Paul said in Ephesians that God works that way- that we've been created to keep certain appointments for Him, to complete certain tasks (maybe even with a guitar as darkness falls)" (pg.72)

"Paul suggests in 2 Corinthians 8 that God gives us wealth so that, by giving it away, others will be amazed by God's goodness and give Him thanks. Our wealth might be a dime. But if we do it right, the one we give to can be amazed for years." (pg. 83)

"Trust means something different when you don't feel in control." (pg. 86)

"We're alive, we're okay, we're being sustained, we're meeting people and having incredible experiences- albeit some good and some miserable. But we're liing what HIS will means, that though we may go hungry or not achieve something we want, He has His way, grows us as He sees fit, and shows us what He wants us to see. Imagine if we were to forgo all of this just so we could have clean clothes or a refrigerator full of food." (pg. 86)

"Too many "random coincidences" if you ask me. Praying 'Thy will be done' means you don't believe in chance." (pg.89)

This book is awesome. And I'm sure there will be more!

So, tonight I went to the Nebraska men's basketball game with Rylan. It was round one of the NIT tournament and it was great to get out of the house again. Okay, that makes me sound like a loser, but I really miss everyone who is on spring break right now! Rylan is my game buddy. We go to basketball games and such together. Only he would come back early from spring break to attend sporting events. We ended up sitting by a lady I knew too... so that was fun.

SJ... I had more to write about the game, but I just had to tell you that I was thinking about you all day. I hope your trip back to the states was safe and that you're settling in. Call me when you can, I'm praying for you lots and lots. Hoping this transition is easy for you.

Okay...

Man, I really miss everyone who is on spring break right now. Gratefully tomorrow is my last day before a 10 day break. That's right TEN days. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited. No joke. Not that I'm doing anything terribly exciting... however, it is going to be great. Even working will be a nice change of pace.

So, I had a lot more to write, but I suddenly got tired. Sigh. Maybe more later. Hopefully not 3 months from now! :)  love, em

So, it's been a month since I wrote... and that's just unacceptable to me. :) But I have nothing of significance to write about so I'm just going to do a random list. Whatever pops into my head.

*My ankles are cold. I'm wearing sweats because my mom and I went for a trial run at Curves work out place today (which was really cool... all women, some good equipment... but too expensive for us I think). But I wore my capri-length sweats which look really cute but make my ankles cold. Weird

*I'm wearing my new slippers. I got them from my aunt and uncle (Cindy and Larry) and they always give me the best gifts. I like it because they always give me gifts even when they don't have my name for our gift exchange. Last year they gave me a cross neclace, the year before a beautiful jewlery box with my name on it (I love it when my name is on things... it happens so rarely), etc. And the slippers and socks they gave me are amazing. AND you can wear them outdoors if you want too!

*I'm watching the Texas vs. Arizona State bowl game on tv. I don't know why, but I have to say that it's hard to choose who to root for because I have friends that go to each school. Although one of the coaches just touched a loose ball on Texas' sidelines and got a penalty for it. I feel bad for him... they keep making fun of him. But Texas is still winning so no biggie. Anyway, I still don't know who I'm rooting for. I like football, but not enough to follow anyone really. It's also weird that I'm older than most of the people who are playing. But I think about the players because these are some of the students I'm praying for! Crazy. It's easy to think of them as just athletes... but they're students too... souls in need of Jesus.

*After talking with Janelle and Casey I realized that I've never felt attractive. I struggle with feeling beautiful sometimes... but I still often do. But I've never felt attractive. This is different because my parents, my girls, my brothers... etc... can't make me fee this. Anyway, it's still the same lies that feed into this... but I don't know how to change this. Or if I need to.

*I got the David Crowder Band Remedy Cd for Christmas. I love it. It's a new favorite. I think it helps that I met these guys and they're very down to earth. Very cool to hang out with and laugh with. It's been a few years, but they're still as cool :)

*Texas is now ahead 28-7. It looks like the penalty didn't affect them much.

*I cleaned my room today. I'm so proud of myself :) It takes so much to make me motivated to do so. But it always feels better when it's clean. It's just hard though because I went from having a whole house to put my stuff in to a small room. I just have too much stuff for one small room. Sigh.

*I actually passed my class! You have no idea how much this makes me happy! God is so good to grant grace and remind me that HE restores and renews. So good. And with a 93% too! Amazing. This means I can student teach this next semester! I'm excited. I don't want to do it in ways, but I'm so glad that I'm almost done with college! Finally. I'm so ready to be done with school in a school sense.

*I'm going to crochet with my grandma tomorrow. We've started doing this quite often. It feels good to spend time with my granparents and hear what they have to say. I don't agree with some of it, but it just feels right to spend time with them. I like my grandma a lot. My grandpa makes me cringe sometimes, but I think I have a lot to learn from my grandma.

*I love that I can open the Christmas presents I got on facebook over and over again! It's awesome. I do love Christmas. My cousins both brought new boyfriends to Christmas this year. I hate it when they do that. But I guess that's life. I don't think I'd ever bring a boyfriend to my extended families Christmas unless we were engaged or married. I wouldn't want them to run away :)

*I got a guitar for Christmas! And I've learned quite a few chords which rocks. Although my brother was tuning it and a string broke. So my dad was trying to put in a new string and the peg broke off completely. Sad... I cried in fact... but I'll be getting a new one shortly. I just need some good music to follow. Maybe I'll look up the Indelible Grace music.

*I really want to go to Serbia. That's all. I just really want to go.

*I need to do something creative and artistic. I don't thank God enough for my giftings by using them... drawing, singing, playing, painting, writing.... I just love to create things. I need to do more of it.

Okay... my randoms are getting kinda boring... MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!

Love, emmy lou

There is something about when I look at the sky that makes me know that God is there. I'm not kidding, I can at anytime look up into the sky and I KNOW without a doubt that God is with me. Like tonight, I helped my Mom finish a project and as I was driving to go home I looked up and saw the most incredible moon I've ever seen. It was incredibly full and huge, but only a half moon, but it was yellow and turned on its side.

I know that it's for me because the sky is full of changes. And I am the only one who is watching it from the exact spot I'm in at that exact moment. Even if someone comes to that same spot a second after I was there, they will see something different. That's the reason why I love the fact that everything in the sky moves. It's not in the same place all the time. It's always new and different and oh so full of love.

Anyway, just a few of my thoughts on the sky, it's just amazing.

I have 3 favorite times that involved the sky.

1. Praying with Ray Perry in a van while we were driving through Kansas on our way back from Mexico. We were up from 3-6 am and we prayed for most of that... and praying while you see the sunrise is like nothing I could ever describe.

2. The sunset while we were driving back from North Dakota a few weeks ago. It looked flat for awhile until all of a sudden the sun burst onto all the cracks and crevaces of the clouds and lit them up like nothing I've ever seen. It was very symbolic of what God was doing.

3. Driving back to a small town in Ohio with Matt after going to see a movie. Driving with the headlights off and staring through the darkness at an immense number of stars.

MMmm.. I have a warm feeling in my tummy after remembering those three times. Yay. God loves me :)

On a totally different note, I shared the gospel with 7 kindergarteners today. It is harder than it seems. I don't want to just scare them, but I want them to know that we all sin and that they need Jesus. I love that I can talk to them everyday/anyday about Jesus. God is good. Who knows... someday one of them might credit that moment to when they really decided they wanted to be with God forever. Even if not, I'm glad to be a part of their story.

I got an email from a girl writing a story for Relevant magazine about prayer rooms. I might even be quoted in it :) Yay for how God has used me! It's totally Him.

Anyway, blessings dear hearts. I love you.

So, for fun today my kids (who were out of school for the day) and I decided to write a Thanksgiving story. I wanted them to have fun with it... and so this is what we came up with. I hope you like it.

"The Flaming Turkey Man"

By: The Kids First School-agers and their teachers Emmy Lou and Sara

There once was a little old lady and a little old man, who stuck a turkey into a pan.

They put him in the oven early one Thursday morn', they planned Thanksgiving dinner to serve him with corn.

As they opened the oven door they were suprised to see a flaming turkey as hot as could be

They grabbed some water to put the fire out but the flaming turkey was running about!

He said "Gobble Gobble go as fast as you can, you can't put me out I'm the Flaming Turkey Man!"

He burned out the floor and burned down the door, he ran to the village and burned down their store.

The storekeeper ran out to see what was wrong, he heard the turkey singing a terrible song...

"Gobble Gobble go as fast as you can, you can't put me out I'm the Flaming Turkey Man!"

The little old lady and the little old man ran after the storekeeper and the Flaming Turkey Man, when all of a sudden they ran into a marching band!

They'd reached the parade for Thanksgiving Day, and all of New York heard the turkey man say,

"Gobble Gobble go as fast as you can, you can't put me out I'm the Flaming Turkey Man!"

The marching band joined the storkeeper AND the little old lady and the little old man as they ran around the land chasing the Flaming Turkey Man.

As the whole crowd raced down the street, it was really too bad the tuba player had two left feet.

The tuba player fell right onto his face and tripped the drummer who was in on the chase. This knocked over the whole marching band and someone stepped on the storekeeper's hand which made him kick a trash can right into the little old lady and the little old man.

With all of the ruckus the turkey man got away, but on Thanksgiving Day you can still hear him say,

"Gobble Gobble go as fast as you can, you can't put me out I'm the Flaming Turkey Man...

Next year you might want to serve ham!"

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm thankful for you all! Love, Emmy Lou