First Time for Everything!

Dated: March 5th

I taught last night at Wrecked Ministries for the first time ever. Not just the first time at Wrecked, but I mean, first time EVER. Can I tell you...it was intimidating! I had been studying for a little over a week, but it really was a topic that has been on my heart for a long time.

I have to admit that it was nothing like leading worship, but still oh so awesome to feel God using your voice to speak to His people. I was on such a high right after worship that it made the transition into speaking a little easier for me. Worship leaders: that's why it is SO important for you to understand the weight that your worship set helps carry...you are stirring up an atmosphere for The Holy Spirit to continue to move and not only speak through the teacher, but speak to the hearts' of the people. I'm so grateful and thankful for the band for their commitment during worship last night (and every night)! You guys were amazing at allowing God to use you all in such a mighty, powerful way that helped prepare my heart to speak and the congregations' hearts to receive! Thank you! :)

It was an intimate group last night, but I truly believe those who were supposed to be there were. I had a young girl, who had never been to a Wrecked gathering before, come up to me after the message and let me know that God spoke to her heart about His plan for her life. She had confirmation come and there is no greater feeling in the world than to know that The Holy Spirit used you to get a word to one of the Father's children! God is so good!!!

I don't want to promote myself in any way, shape, or form but only point those straight to Jesus. HE deserves all the blessing, honor, and glory! I just wanted to share with you something that God put on my heart to speak to His kids about. If you are having difficulty dealing with moving on from your past into a life full of God's best for you, the message I spoke last night may be for your heart. You can click on this link and it will take you straight to our recorded live stream from last night. May God bless your heart today!

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13093518

"All I want is You to have Your way

You are the Potter and I am the clay

All I need is You to have Your way

You are Creator and I'm what You've made

Finally I Surrender

You are God, I am man, You are sovereign!"

-Misty Edwards Finally I Surrender

Have a blessed weekend!

Emily

understanding your call

Dated: April 14th, 2011

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has called me to lead His people in worship. But if we are not careful, we can put too much focus on our calling and not enough on Him. In every aspect of life we have priorities and choices. But we must ALWAYS choose to seek Him first in all that we do. Even if our calling involves being in ministry for Him. His face needs to be the most important prize we seek, not approval from leadership or your mentors. It is His face that you should long for.

We must be seekers first, then our calling may follow.

This has been on my heart more than ever lately and I'm trying my best to live a life of worship both in the secret place and in public.

I pray that for each of your lives as well. May you hunger after His eyes and His affection in the secret place. May you come to know Him on such an intimate level that your calling becomes your way of life and not just your constant focus.

Focus on His face. It is worth it.

Peace & Love,
Emily

Shine on!

Dated: May 21st, 2011

Trying to take some time to write in here consistently, but it is much harder than I thought. When life picks up speed, things like blogging isn't found on the priority list unfortunately.

But then God puts something on your heart and it seems like one must find a way to express it. And since one of the best ways I know how to do that is writing, here we are! :)

At Wrecked Ministries, one of our leaders, Chris, has been teaching on being a light for Christ. We've been taught that since we were little ones. You know, "This lil' light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..." Although that is a cute, catch song for pre-schoolers, we must take the truth in it and expand our thinking. We cannot allow our light to be little and expect others to see it. No, our light must be set ablaze within us. We must burn so hot and bright for God that people around us catch the fiery passion for Christ too.

The lamp of the Body

³³ “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,^[g] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,^[h] your body also is full of darkness.³⁵ See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. ³⁶ Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

-Luke 11:33-36 (NIV)

To remain a light for Christ, we must protect what our eyes see so we may keep ourselves pure and full of light. Any unpure thing causes darkness. But where there is light, darkness HAS TO FLEE! In Chris' teaching, he spoke on John the Baptist going to the wilderness and burning bright for God. He went to the wilderness away from the debauchery going on in the world (which is still true today) and kept his eyes from seeing darkness. This kept his whole body full of light just as Luke 11: 33-36 talks about. He burned so hot and bright that people came to him to be baptized and be made pure and holy in God's sight. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus' 1st coming by preaching "Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" Now that is a bold statement for the Lord!

We are seeing signs of the end times unfold right before our very eyes (read Matthew 24) and although it is not the end of the world yet (for only the Father knows the time and the hour), Jesus said when we see these signs, the end is still to come. So we know that the beginning of the end has started. We must remain in faith, resist fear (which is full of darkness), and prepare the way for Jesus' second coming!

How do we do that? We preach repentance and burn bright as a light for Christ! God is so awesome that He has already given us a guideline to be the forerunner for Jesus...we are to be a John the Baptist generation!

⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. -John 6-8 (NIV)

Jesus is the light and when we seek Him, He will fill us with light. We will burn bright for Him for all to see. People will then be drawn to us like moths to a flame. They will see something different in us that cannot be found in the world. A love and a peace can be found in Christ that world cannot and does not offer.

⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. -John 9-13 (NIV)

John prepared the way for Jesus and we are to do the same. Shine bright for Him and do not let your eyes see any dark or unpure thing. Keep your eyes fixed on things that are pure and Holy. Keep your eyes fixed on God's face. Seek Him and Him alone.

Be blessed.

Peace&Love,

Emily

We MUST have face time with Jesus...

Dated: August 3, 2011

OBEDIENT- submissive to the restraint or command of authority : willing to obey

Before you can ever OBEY God, you have to be able to HEAR Him.

That means you have to tune out all distractions and just be okay with silence sometimes. Just sit in His presence. Sit at feet and let Him whisper to you. We have to have face to face time with Jesus. If we don't, we will never know if it is really Him speaking to us or if it is our flesh or the enemy. Reading the Bible is the other important factor in knowing Jesus and knowing His voice. Jesus is the Word so when you read the Bible, you are reading exactly who Jesus is. You are reading the words of the Creator of the Universe and they are words for you whom He loves more than anything!

Jesus, Lord of All

Dated: December 26th, 2011

What does that mean to you?

For the past few weeks, I have continuously found myself asking Jesus to reign in my life. But such a simple phrase has such a great impact in your daily walk. It begins with obedience. And every single day that we wake up, we have another chance to turn it all around and walk in His will and His ways.

We can get so overwhelmed if we try to figure out God's will for our lives in its entirety. The best way to know that you are allowing Jesus to be your Lord of All is to listen to Him DAILY and walk with Him DAILY. If you do that EVERY DAY, you will be walking in the Lord's will for your life.

So why do we try to over-complicate this? Why do we try to bite off more than we can chew?


Personally, I know why I have a hard time with taking one step at a time. I am an over-achiever and I have had to teach myself to marginalize my life and learn to find down-time to catch my breath. I make my TO-DO list and if I don't check everything off of the list, I feel like I have failed. When I finally realize there will always be things to check off of my TO-DO list, the less stressed out I might become.

Another issue I have trouble with is CONTROL. I guess I feel like God's timing can sometimes work a little slower than I'd like. So when I grow impatient, I try to take matters into my own hands. But giving the situation over to God will always turn out better than anything I could ever attempt.

So I pray:
"Reign over me. Have Your way in every part of my life. I offer up this coming year to You. Reign in me. Reign in my heart. Take control. Of it all. I honestly can't do this on my own. My plan fails, but Your's (in Your timing) is perfect. Order my steps, Lord. Direct my path. Teach me to love like You love. Convict me when I'm in the wrong. Give me the right words to say at all times. I ask this only in Your name, Oh Jesus."


I pray that you learn to hand over your situation over to King Jesus and allow Him to reign in your life. 2012 can be a fresh start for you. Just trust in Him.

Peace&Love.
Emily

Demonic Activity.

Dated: February 11th

Last night, my husband and I chose to have a night in. I made us dinner and then we decided to save some money and go rent a movie instead of heading to the movie theater. As Christians, we try to find a movie that isn't full of filth and doesn't compromise our morals. Needless to say, in the day and age we now live in, that doesn't leave us with many options. As we scanned the selection, I couldn't believe how many of the movies listed had something to do with either ghosts, paranormal activity (no, it's called demonic activity), demon possessed children, murder, or some kind of evil, twisted view on religion. I know some people enjoy thrillers and horror flicks but I am left asking what are we subjecting ourselves to and are these movies influencing our lives more than we think?

Throughout my day to day life, I hear of so many awful stories of murder, rape, suicide, and self mutilation. Actually, I am hearing these stories more and more often and they are hitting closer and closer to home. When Jesus was alive, people believed in demonic activity. Just look at Mark chapter 5:

New International Version (NIV)

Mark 5

Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man

¹ They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.^{[a] 2} When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. ³ This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. ⁴ For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.⁶ When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. ⁷ He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” ⁸ For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” ⁹ Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” ¹⁰ And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. ¹¹ A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. ¹² The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” ¹³ He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.¹⁴ Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. ¹⁵ When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ¹⁶ Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. ¹⁷ Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. ¹⁸ As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. ¹⁹ Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” ²⁰ So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis^[b] how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed."

Now, people cast this man out of the town because they knew he was demon possessed. When Jesus came on the scene he didn't try to counsel the man or put him on medication. No, Jesus cast those demons out of him by the power of Almighty God!

This man was under such demonic influence that he was cutting himself with stones. Today, that is still happening. Thousands of teens are using razors and other sharp objects to cut their skin to cause it to bleed. My younger sister who is 14 said that young girls in her class are doing it on their legs so that people won't see the marks as easily. Some are even burning themselves with matches and lighters!

So what do you think causes these teens to harm themselves in such a brutal way? Should we put them all in straight-jackets and send them to the closest mental institution? Are they are mentally ill or is there something that goes beyond their mental state? Are they hearing a voice to do this? What person's conscience would tell them to hurt themselves? Do we actually believe we can medicate or counsel this problem out? This issue goes deeper. Their is a root that needs to be dealt with and it cannot be fought on the surface in the natural.

Paul tells us in Ephesians:

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" 6:12 (NIV).

That means their is a realm that is unseen that is waging war against us and they aren't ghosts. They are evil spirits, demons (fallen angels) who want to mare and destroy God's beautiful creations. We were given dominion over this earth and Satan and his demons were not. They don't like that fact...at all. But the good news my friends is that we have authority of those evil powers. The moment we start mingling with the enemy by watching such demonic filth and participating in sinful behavior is the moment Satan will try to pull us under. We must exercise our authority. Mark 16:17 "...And these signs shall follow those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons.."

So if we have been given the authority to drive them out, what makes us think they don't exist to drive out?

People don't need counseling and medication...they need deliverance!

Don't mingle with demons, my friends. Be careful little eyes what you see...

<3 Emily

In the blink of an eye...

Things can change so quickly sometimes. One day you are perfectly content with the direction your life is headed, and then you catch a glimpse of something you though you understood, and then BAM...your life takes a sudden turn.

Decisions...changes...moving forward...

Seems to be a constant variable in my life...especially over the last few years. You'd think I would be used to it by now, but change is always uncomfortable no matter how often it happens to you.

Paul and I have been involved at Wrecked Ministries since September 2010, only 1 short month after we left Faith Church. We lost a lot of friends in that transition, but God is always faithful and helped us through it by bringing a different group of friends into our life. We found genuine friendships and family during a time of such change and transition for both of us. During our involvement at Wrecked, we searched for our new church home month after month, until a year had passed. We would stay for a few months at one then question if it was really where we were supposed to be. From September 2010 to September 2011, we had tried 3 different churches. So we always felt in transition as far as that area of our life was concerned, but we never lost sight of who we were in Christ or who Christ was to us. We pursued God intensely in the midst of limbo. I found my place as a prophetic worship leader and re-discovered my gift as a songwriter. I read through the entire Bible and fasted and prayed more than I ever had in my whole life. I had a new-found boldness at work to pray with co-workers and patients and even ministered to some homeless people here in South County. We were greatly impacting families when we traveled as a ministry and when people would come to our gatherings in Arnold at our building.

Even though we had a difficult time finding our church home, we never felt like we were totally lacking in our walk with God. Actually, it felt stronger than ever before!

But in August 2011, something shifted in the ministry. We felt burnt out and upset that no one had been coming for 3 or 4 months. We weren't traveling as much anymore and ultimately, we were just ministering to ourselves. After a team meeting, it seemed as if everyone was throwing in the towel. The foundation was crumbling, but after a weekend at The Ramp it seemed as if we were able to pull ourselves together. We came back refreshed. It looked like we got a second wind! We were faithfully there at every gathering even though only a few people were showing up. We were just keeping our eyes fixed on the Lord. But then some people from the team stopped coming regularly and then left the ministry altogether. Discouragement started to kick in, then judgement, then accusation, then a little bit of self-righteousness. We ignored the fact that there wasn't much love anymore. So month after month went by and we began to ultimately go through the motions. To get over the fact that no one was coming anymore, we focused on prayer. We were going to become a prayer culture. Sounds awesome, but in reality, we became a holy huddle not reaching out to the lost. Paul and I had been feeling uncomfortable about everything for a few months but couldn't find it in us to leave just yet. We had invested so much time and energy in this place! And on top of that, we had no church home at all. We felt trapped with very little hope of ever finding a place to raise our kids. Was this it? Were we even affecting the Kingdom for God? Were we even growing spiritually anymore? We were involved in a ministry that wasn't ministering to anyone. It just felt like we kept going around the same mountain with little progress.

But a month ago, things began to brighten up. We started attending a church in Arnold that a few friends went to. And after the first service, we knew this was it. We had found our church home! FINALLY! We were just so excited to be getting fed regularly and meeting new people. And this church has an amazing outreach ministry. They better because they are called CHURCH IN ACTION!

But what about Wrecked? It was starting to feel like an obligation to go at this point. Over the last few months, Paul and I have tried to stick it out, but this past week we decided to step down. It has been a long week.

I am just so glad that God is faithful to the end. Man's love will always disappoint, but God's love remains. It never fails. I am taking one step at a time with this new season, but I am excited to see what God is getting ready to do through us. Sometimes making a move in a new direction can scare the crap out of you, but if you just keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, He will help you walk out into the unknown.

Lord, help me walk out on the water with You. I want to be where You are. I want to be where You need me. Thank you for Your mercy and grace. Thank You for Your amazing love. I couldn't get through all of this change without You God.

"And I'm fixing my eyes on the One who's unchanging, cuz the One who's unchanging is forever changing me." ~Amber Brooks