Picture Challenge! - Day 4

Day 4 - A picture of something you don't like

Well...this is a no-brainer. Amongst my friends and family I am well known for one thing that I really really reallyyy don't like.

And that would be this......

Yep, I absolutely positively do not like milk. I love ice cream and other things with milk in them....but milk by itself...eh, not so much.

Happy Sunday!
Emily

Psalm 118:24
This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Picture challenge! - Day 3

Day 3 - A picture that makes you laugh

Now, there are LOTS of pictures that make me laugh. But, I'm sure some of them are ones people would prefer that I not post on my blog for all to see...haha. But this picture is one of those that make me laugh. It's absolutely hilarious, right?! Heh...actually, probably not. Or at least probably not to you...maybe you think it's a little odd...but I highly doubt your rolling on the floor laughing right now. :) But this picture is actually pretty funny to me...when we were having a photo shoot last year we took tons of pictures in our yard. And I had the *cough* brilliant *cough* idea to take a picture in the little old yellow and orange car! Which, I should add, had many bugs and spiders happily living in it. Well, to make a short story even shorter...we got the pictures of me in the little yellow and orange car. But they definitely weren't quite as cool looking as we imagined haha. And I also got kinda stuck. But hey, I learned a very valuable lesson! When they say those little cars are meant for ages 3-7...............they mean it. ;)


Happy Saturday!
Emily

Picture Challenge! - Day 2

Day 2 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show

Ooh...that's a hard one...but I guess it would have to be these people! The cast of Numb3rs!

My sister introduced me to this show last year...and I got attached very quickly haha :)

Picture Challenge! - Day 1

Picture Challenge Day 1 - A picture of yourself with ten facts

I was looking through the pictures on my computer, trying to figure out which one I should use...and I decided to use this one. It's a not-so-great-quality picture that my cousin randomly took on his ipod on the way home from school one day...but I think it captures the "real" me pretty well. :) (oh...and ignore the weird white spot on my face. I have no clue why that's there..)

10 Facts!
1. I love to laugh!....perhaps you could already tell that by the picture? :)
2. I really really really like music! Some people might think I'm a wee bit obsessed with listening to the radio...and perhaps it's true...but - hey, it's all my favorite songs! :)
3. I think chocolate is wonderful. And so are frappuccinos. From Starbucks. Yummmm.
4. I can type, run, and do dishes really fast. Notttt at the same time though!
5. I actually somewhat enjoy cleaning...but I like it best when I choose to do it...not when I have to. :)
6. When people first meet me they often think that I'm shy. Like...really really super shy. But...if you know me somewhat well at all...then you know that is NOT the case! :)
7. I like school. Now, don't get me wrong, I definitely like not doing school better...but, when I have to, school isn't all that bad. :)
8. I like to cook!...and I also really like to eat. hehe
9. Sports are great. They're best when I get to play them though...watching them...is okay...but playing is oh so much more fun! :D
10. The most important fact you should know about me...is that I am a child of God. I was saved at the age of 6 and my life has been different ever since!


And that, my fellow bloggers, is day one of my picture challenge!
Emily

Picture Challenge!

I found a picture challenge that I thought would be pretty cool to do on my blog! :) My sister, Abbie, and my friend, Lauren, are going to do it too. You can check out there blogs here!
Abbie's - http://behindthesmilee.blogspot.com/
Lauren's - http://laurenkeatts.blogspot.com/

15 Day Picture Challenge
Day 1 - A picture of yourself with ten facts
Day 2 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show
Day 3 - A picture that makes you laugh
Day 4 - A picture of something you don't like
Day 5 - A picture of something you really like
Day 6 - A picture of your favorite band or artist
Day 7 - A picture of something/someone you could never imagine your life without
Day 8 - A picture of something you want to do before you die
Day 9 - A picture of someone who inspires you
Day 10 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
Day 11 - A picture of something you wish you were better at
Day 12 - A picture of your favorite book
Day 13 - A picture of your day
Day 14 - A picture of yourself and a family member
Day 15 - A picture that can always make you smile

Have a great day!
Emily

Like a Lion

My God's not dead, He's surely alive...

Like a Lion by the David Crowder Band...what a powerful song.

Let love explode

And bring the dead to life

A love so bold

To bring a revolution somehow

Now I'm lost in your freedom

And this world I'll overcome

My God's not dead

He's surely alive

He's living on the inside

Roaring like a lion

Let hope arise

And make the darkness hide

My faith is dead

I need a resurrection somehow

Now I'm lost in your freedom

And this world I'll overcome

My God's not dead

He's surely alive

He's living on the inside

Roaring like a lion

Let Heaven roar

And fire fall

Come shake the ground

With the sound of revival

My God's not dead

He's surely alive

He's living on the inside

Roaring like a lion

Been a while...

It's been a while since I've made a post on here. Lately I've been super busy with softball, school, sickness, and other stuff. (the alliteration was not on purpose..haha)

I wanted to share part of a Psalms that I read this morning. These verses really stood out to me, and made me think of how I want to "bless the Lord at all times" and for His praise to "continually be in my mouth" as the Psalms says. I want to praise God always. Not just when things are going my way, but always, no matter what.

Psalm 34:1-9

 I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
² My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
³ Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
⁶ This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel^[a] of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.

⁸ Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
⁹ Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.

On another note, I am very excited because it is officially 11 days until I am finished with school! Those 11 days will be filled with studying for finals, which isn't my favorite thing ever, but I will be very happy when they're over...and very proud to be able to say that I survived my first year of high school :) 

Have a great Saturday!

Emily

Trust

Yesterday we had a great Sunday School lesson on TRUST. We read several verses and looked at the many benefits of trusting in God.

These are some of the verses...

John 20:29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

If we trust, we are blessed.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

If we trust, He will make our paths straight.


Psalm 125:1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. 

If we trust, we will not be shaken.

Matthew 28:20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

If we trust, He will be with us always.
 
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

If we trust, when we are weak, He will make us strong.

Welcome

Hello there...
As some of you may have noticed, I hadn't made a blog post in quite a while until yesterday. When I first started this blog back in November, I made several posts, but as time went on I slowly stopped making posts as often. But now, thanks to one of my friends, I've decided to try to keep my blog updated, and catch up on other people's blogs too. :)
So, this is a welcome to my "new" blog. Yes, I know, the name is the same, and it still looks the same, but I'm kind of starting over with my blog. First of all, because it's been so long since I've posted. And secondly, because none of the pictures in my previous posts would show up, and that's why I deleted all of the other posts.
With that said...welcome to my blog, Illuminator!
Emily

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Thankful

My last post was about giving thanks, so I thought I'd share some of the things that I am thankful for. :)

- I'm thankful for the beautiful, warm weather we had yesterday...it felt so great outside!

- I'm thankful for the rain...the lake at our church was getting really low, but now it's almost back to normal

- I'm thankful for my amazing family...they are always there for me

- I'm thankful for my friends...they're very encouraging, and always willing to listen

- I'm thankful for my Heavenly Father...He died for my sins. :)

So..take some time today to thank God for some of His many blessings.

Pslam 118:49 Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name.

Give Thanks

Psalms 118:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.

This morning when I was having my bible time I was reading in Psalms, and that verse really stood out to me. Now, it definitely wasn't a new verse to me...I've read that chapter in Psalms many times, I've memorized the verse, I've even sang the verse in the great song, Forever, by Chris Tomlin. But this time the verse specifically stood out to me and made me think. It says to "give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever." That doesn't mean to just give thanks when things are going the way we want them to...it doesn't mean to just give thanks three quick times a day before meals...it doesn't mean to just give thanks when we feel like it, or think about it. We should "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. And we should do this "for He is good; His love endures forever."