Spirit

this week has been a little bit intense. i've gotten 2 migraines in less than a week's time which is really weird - that hasn't happened in a really long time. even more than 2 so close together, one lasted more than a day. awesome. the good thing is, since i've grown up having them i can be somewhat functional sometimes, which is good because i had to work those 2 days in a row with a lasting nauseating constant pain encompassing my head. sounds like fun, huh? anyways, enough about that, i'm just so thankful i don't have it anymore!

carlye and i went to berlin today for coffee and some quiet time, which was nice because i haven't seen her in like 3 days since she works nights now. so when i leave in the morning for work, she's just getting off and then when i get off work, she's already going to work! anyways, its just a mess, so i was excited to hang out :)

i've really been enjoying going through the minor prophets. i'm reading Joel right now (which is kind of weird sounding to me since that's also my dad's name) and i am really enjoying it. i read chapter 2 today and there are a lot of points in there that made me stop and think. the main thing that really had me thinking were verses 18-32. the Lord takes pity on His people when they turn to Him despite all that they have done to sin against Him. it says in verse 18 that "Then the Lord became jealous for His land and had pity on his people." the verses that follow tell of the blessings that the Lord will carry out for them. and then, starting at verse 28, he talks of the Holy Spirit. it says, "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit." (28-29) - hearing this must have been SO mind blowing to them! in their day, having the Holy Spirit within each of them was a foreign concept. to me it seems so normal to have the Holy Spirit. i've been so blessed to grow up knowing that the Lord is God of the universe and that if i believe in Him and He has saved me, that His Holy Spirit is with me always, guiding and helping me every step of the way, and through Him i have access to the Father. but this idea must have been something that sounded so wonderful but one that you couldn't fully wrap your head around. i wonder if they thought that having the Holy Spirit might change your appearance or if they had any crazy ideas about how the Spirit would come upon them. and then the servants were mentioned - would it be weird to think that the Spirit would even be upon them? were there some social laws or conventions that would be disrupted by that statement? crazy. i really like when this kind of thing happens because it makes me think of the Israelites as real people with real feelings and thoughts. i think sometimes its hard to think of it that way, even though i know and believe that everything in the Bible is historical and did happen, it just seems so far away sometimes. so these were some fun thoughts :) and here are some fun photos!:

  

hope you all have a happy friday!

love,
emily xx

twothousandthirteen: contentment

happy new year everyone!!

how did 2012 go by so quickly?!
there are so many things to be grateful for that have happened this past year. seriously. and it would be a reallllly long post if i talked about all of them... but i will say that i am so thankful for the blessings, the trials, the growth, the accomplishments, and the relationships of this past year! it has all been extremely rewarding and i've seen so much evidence of God working in my life this past year! what a blessing!!!
i know the coming year will hold many new things, many hard things, and much more growth, and as i look forward to this year, its exciting to know that i don't know where i'm going to be this time next year, or what will have happened by then. i may or may not be living in the same city, i may or may not be in grad school, i may or may not be working in the same place, but i do know that the Lord will be leading me to where i should go, and that's all that matters. regardless of what happens this year, i think that i am in the process of learning to be content in all things, which involves a lot of other things like gratitude/thankfulness/service/appreciation/trust/understanding and most of all not comparing my life/situations/circumstances to anyone else. my life is just where it needs to be, just where the Lord has me, and i need to ENJOY it, be joyful in exactly where i am because its for a reason - to grow, to learn, to live, to be joyful, and most of all to trust Him, He knows what He's doing. i'm learning, and its not going to be easy, but it will be worth it, of that i am sure.

rachel and i spent a good part of our day in venice beach! we walked around, enjoyed the shops, and took some photos :) it was a lovely day! 

i've decided to take at least one photo each day this year! which is going to be super fun! I'm posting them on another page that you can get to by clicking the new tab ^^^ up there! (2013: 365)

happy new year :) i hope you all have a beautifully blessed 2013!

love,
emily xx