Bubbles!

To this day I still LOVE bubble baths. You could say I'm easily amused.

Art Supply Wishlisssssst.

1.) 3.1769 yards of unstretched, untreated canvas.
2.) 2 stretched and treated canvases. (5x7)
3.) Cray pas. (I want some of these SO bad.)
4.) Good watercolors.
5.) Watercolor paper.
6.) Some canvas panels.
7.) Acrylic paint. (Just because you can never have too much.)
8.) Gel medium.
9.) Some new paint brushes.


I invest so much time and money in this junk, but there's not a better feeling than the one you get after you create something. Most people don't realize it, but when they look at something I have put time and effort into making, it's like they have found a window that overlooks my heart and soul- one of the many reasons I LOVE art. :)


Go make something!,
Emi-Lou.

La Musica.

I like music so much that it's impossible for me to pick a favorite song or even a few favorite songs. Sooooooo....


Here are some songs to listen to when life is just peachy:

• "Kids"- MGMT
• "Melody"- Kate Earl
• "Dance Anthem of the 80's"- Regina Spektor
• "Yes, You Have"- Leeland
• "Life"- Beckah Shae

Here are some songs to listen to when you need a little inspiration or a pick me up:

• "Break it Out"- The Rocket Summer
• "Put Your Records On"- Corinne Bailey Rae
• "Dare You to Move"-Switchfoot
• "The Lining is Silver"- Relient K
• "How He Loves Us"- David Crowder Band

Here are some songs to listen to when you're smitten :):

• "Taylor, the Latte Boy"- Kristen Chenoweth
• "Show Me Everything You've Got"- The Rocket Summer
• "We're Young and Beautiful"- Carrie Underwood (Almost the only country artist I listen to.)
• "The First Time"- FF5
• "You Got Me"- Colbie Caillat

Here are some songs to listen to while going through a breakup:

• "Take a Bow"- Cast of Glee
• "I'm Scared"-Duffy
• "Wrong Baby, Wrong Baby, Wrong"- Martina
• "One Less Bell to Answer/A House is Not a Home"- Glee Cast
• "Somebody Else"- Hawk Nelson

Here are some songs to listen to while getting over a breakup:

• "Bulletproof"- La Roux
• "So Much Better"- Cast Of Legally Blonde
• "Everytime You Lie"- Demi Lovato
• "My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend"- RelientK
• "Ignorance"- Paramore

I think I'll post different lists every now and then.

That's all for now, folks!

♥Emi-Lou

AHHHHHH!!!!

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 (NLV)

Can I just say that God just keeps on and keeps on opening my eyes to just how amazing everything in my life that I thought was going to be so horrible is going to turn out!? I absolutely, positively LOVE my school. I was afraid of running into snobs, but everyone is extremely nice and all of my teachers are really cool! I've made lots of friends AND SOMEONE I FREAKING LOVE FROM MARLOW IS MOVING HERE!!!!!!!! (I'm really excited to have one of my bff's with me.)

Okay, so now it's time to talk about the most important parts of school: speech and choir!

My team from Marlow was amazing, don't get me wrong, but there are so many more opportunities at DC. Not only are we members of OSSAA, but we're about to begin the paperwork to be a part of the NFL (National Forensics League) where, unlike OSSAA, we will be able to compete at a national level.

The choir I'm in now is SO much bigger than the one in Marlow.....AND WE HAVE BOYS!!!, which we did not in Marlow. I'll be performing 5416549678641515648974 more times throughout the year here. And I absolutley adore Mrs. Sink, our director.

Not only are these programs awesome on their own, but they work together too! We'll be doing a musical and going on a trip with the two in the Spring.

As for the verse I posted way up there....I want to be on Broadway. That's my dream. If that doesn't work out, however, I want to be either a drama teacher or college professor. So, slowly but surely my eyes have been opened up to maybe one of the reasons I moved for the long haul.

Okay, I'm done rambling now. :)

Peace and Love,
Emi-Lou.

Numbers.

I got bored and started counting. Haha.
Soooooo, here's some numbers for ya:

1 love, 2 arms, 3 scars saved me.
1 day down at DCHS.
2 days 'til my Mardiii comes to see me.
10 really close friends that mean the world and more to me.
16 days until Marlow's first home game.
19 days until our first school vacation.
22 new speech kids to be friends with.
28 amazing voices I get to sing with.
33 days until the Addison Road concert.
44 days until Homecoming.....like I care.
51 days until "Rumors" at MHS.
52 days until I compete at my first speech tournament w/ my new team at Edmond North.
54 days until I get to perform for the first time with my new choir.
63 days until Fall Break.
64 days until D Now!
73 days until Halloween.
80 days until Daylight Savings.
89 days until "Wicked" opens in Tulsa.
90 days until "The Sweet Sound of Music" opens at UCO.
96 days until Thanksgiving break.
98 days until Thanksgiving.
99 days until my birthday.
101 days until I get my license.
109 days until our Christmas concert and HannaH's day of birth. (She'll be 20! WHOA!!!)
111 days until UCO's jazz lab Christmas show opens. I've heard it's uh-mazing.
122 days until Christmas Break.
127 days until we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.
134 days until 2011.
231634568431321654 times I felt lost and confused today.
32165798745613516879874651 times I looked at my schedule.
43132136459684132032168768415 times I felt better after choir with Ms. Sink.

The end....for now.

{Shelbii.}

After taking pictures of this chica, I get what people mean by "She was a natural in front of the camera." This shoot was so extremely easy and fast! Possibly my favorite so far. :)

Summer Favorites.

These are my favorite pictures that I've taken over the summer since I decided to start this thing. I have most definately been blessed with these four chicas in my life. They are all beautiful people! :)

Sent- Falls Creek 2010 (Part 4)

This is way past overdue, sorryyy.

Thursday Morning- Tabernacle

Big Idea- Us.

The Heart of the Matter- It's "Sent" not "Send" beacause He's already sent us.

"As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." John 17:18

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." John 4:34

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." 2 Cor. 5:14-15

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 2 Peter 2:9

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves," Col. 1:13

What a Farmer Knows- If we just gather a harvest and do nothing with it, the harvest spoils. In other words, after you've led someone to Christ don't just drop it. Keep them accountable.

Station 316- Leaving things behind isn't a sacrafice, not following God is.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14

http://www.project1718.com/

Thursday Morning- In Cabin

Luke 14

• 
  
  Jesus continually pursues you!


• 
  
  Your heart is wicked. You HAVE to let Jesus take care of your faults.


• 
  
  No matter what, He's always after your heart, trying to make it clean.

Thursday Night- Tabernacle

• 
  
  Sin is our way of telling God "My way is better than yours."

"17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." Roamans 5:17-19

"1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man"
Romans 8:1-3

"21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Cor. 5:21

• 
  
  The tree brought death, but the cross brings life.


• 
  
  The tree brought condemnation, but the cross brings pardon.


• 
  
  The tree made sinners, but the cross makes saints.


• 
  
  When we become guilty of one sin, we become guilty of all.


• 
  
  He doesn't just take away our sin, He gives us all of his Righteousness.

Let's back up a bit.

The whole missions thing was a rush decision and it still needs some more paryer time, so I'm still unsure. :/

What is going on here?

I resented the fact that my parents moved me away from my friends and family for a while. Recently, though, I've opened up to the idea of starting over here. I don't know how it happened, but I've come to absolutely LOVE living in Edmond and I don't enjoy myself much when I visit Marlow (I enjoy my friends, of course, but I'd rather they come here than me going to that place.) As Taylor Swift put it, "This is a big world, that was a small town there in my rearview mirror disappearing now."

As I said before, I'm excited to start over. God has opened my eyes to various reasons why I moved. Now, I have tasks that lie before me to better His name, myself, and everyone around me. I'm pumped to see what He is going to do in my life once school starts.

Also, I found a church that I absolutely adore. It's so different, but different is good! (http://www.lifechurch.tv/)

That's all for now. :)

Sent- Falls Creek 2010 (Part 3)

Wednesday Morning- Tabernacle

The Big Idea- The world.

The Heart of the Matter- Jesus understands temptation. He suffered and overcame it, therefore if He is in you, you can overcome it too. He is always running towards us.

"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." Hebrews 6:10

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." John 17:20-21

What a Farmer Knows- It's important to sow the seed in order to reap the harvest - don't just plow (pray), but sow (witness) the seed. If you sow a little, you'll reap a little. If you sow a lot, you'll reap a lot.

"You will be blessed in every way, and you will be able to keep on being generous. Then many people will thank God when we deliver your gift." 2 Cor. 9:11

Wednesday Morning- In Cabin

"Esau's descendants may say, "Although our nation Edom is in ruins, we will rebuild." But I, the LORD All-Powerful, promise to tear down whatever they build. Then everyone will know that I will never stop being angry with them as long as they are so sinful." Malachi 1:4

• 
  
  When we build up areas in our life that pull us away from God, we'll eventually push Him to the point where he will completely destroy those areas so we are forced to turn to him.

"6I, the LORD All-Powerful, have something to say to you priests. Children respect their fathers, and servants respect their masters. I am your father and your master, so why don't you respect me? You priests have insulted me, and now you ask, "How did we insult you?"
7You embarrass me by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, "How have we embarrassed you?" You have done it by saying, "What's so great about the LORD's altar?"
8But isn't it wrong to offer animals that are blind, crippled, or sick? Just try giving those animals to your governor. That certainly wouldn't please him or make him want to help you. 9I am the LORD God All-Powerful, and you had better try to please me. You have sinned. Now see if I will have mercy on any of you.
10I wish someone would lock the doors of my temple, so you would stop wasting time building fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you priests, and I refuse to accept any more of your offerings." Malachi 1:6-10

• God doesn't want leftovers, he wants transperancy.


• God wasn't born yesterday. He knows when we give Him our all, and when we give Him whatever is left after giving ourselves to so many other people/things in the world.


• We have the chance to have an amazing relationship with THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE! and we throw it down the drain. I, personally am disgusted with the way I treat Him.

Wednesday Night- Tabernacle

"1 My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," and call understanding your kinsman;
5 they will keep you from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words.
6 At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice.
7 I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment.
8 He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house
9 at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in.
10 Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
11 (She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.)
13 She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said:
14 "I have fellowship offerings at home; today I fulfilled my vows.
15 So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you!
16 I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
18 Come, let's drink deep of love till morning; let's enjoy ourselves with love!
19 My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon."
21 With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk.
22 All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose
23 till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.
24 Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths.
26 Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng.
27 Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death." Proverbs 7

• Stupid is as stupid does.


• Sin is always pulling you away from God.


• Satan knows about "that one thing that I swear I'll never do", and leads you right to it.


• Your personal adultress is anything that pulls you away from God.

It has a GPS and is tracking you.

It happens in the dark, which comes before morning.

It will dismantle your loyalties and construct new ones of its own.

• A lot of times people think they are playing with sin, then realize sin has been playing with them.


• There are NO altered endigs, just death.

"12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:12-16

Thank God He's quick to forgive and loves us so much!

Wednesday Night- In Cabin

1 Samuel 15

1 Samuel 30: 1-9

The above passages show 2 men, Saul and David. One of the men did what God sent him to; one did not for one simple reason:

Saul feared men. David feared God.

Both were sent for a specific reason, but guess which one did what he was called successfully?

:)

China it is!!!!

All prayers will be much appreciated! :)

Missions!

So, I have wanted to go to Africa so bad for a long time now, but my parents aren't for it. I decided I'd just wait to do God's work until I turned 18 and would be able to leave the country. I realized this past week that I don't have any time to waste because I have no idea if I'll live to see my 18th summer. I knew I had to get somewhere and do what I've been called asap. My parents won't let me leave the country, but they agreed to let me go to New York for about 10 days next summer on an outreach and I was content with that.

On Monday night, a missionary with Journey Men came to our cabin and spole to us. She talked about being in our shoes, not being sure if she was truly called to missions and where she would be sent. She talked about this feeling she got on the inside when she heard missionaries speak about where they had been. To my surprise, she described how I felt at that exact moment to a T. I wanted to jump up and go get on a plane right then.

One thing she said that really stuck with me is "It's not my ability, it's my availability to God."

I realized that Africa is going to be a HUGE deal for me and although I want to go right now, I need to prepare myself. I need to trust in God's timing. At that point, my heart was set on New York. Then, I came home.

My sister had just returned to China and had proposed the idea of me going back with her, a friend, and the friend's sister who just happens to be my age. My parents agreed!!! I know I'm called to work with kids and teens because that's where my heart is at, and both of these opportunities will be dealing with those age groups. As of now, I haven't decided for sure and am praying a ton about where God wants me.

I'll keep you updated as I figure things out. :)

Sent- Falls Creek 2010 (Part 2)

Tuesday Morning- Tabernacle

Big Idea- Jesus

Heart of the Matter-Jesus was more than a carpenter, He was a teacher, healer, messenger, and king and servant at the same time.= God himself.

What a Farmer Knows-If you spend time preparing the soil, when you plant the seed the soil will be ready to receive. In other words, pray a lot for whoever it is you plan on witnessing to.

Station 316- The Jesus most people see is the Jesus in you.

Tuesday Morning- In Cabin

"They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth." 1 Timothy 4:3

• 
  
  The problem with the world today is that everyone is about themselves.


• 
  
  We've got to stop justifying sin.

"As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Mark 10:17

• 
  
  The first step to being "sent" is hearing from God.

Tuesday Night- Tabernacle

"21When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered round him while he was by the lake.
22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet
23 and pleaded earnestly with him, My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.
24 So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him.
25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.
26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.
27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,
28 because she thought, If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.
29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, Who touched my clothes?
31 You see the people crowding against you, his disciples answered, and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.
33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.
34 He said to her, Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. Your daughter is dead, they said. Why bother the teacher any more?
36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, Don't be afraid; just believe.
37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.
38 When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly.
39 He went in and said to them, Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.
40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was.
41 He took her by the hand and said to her, Talitha koum! (which means, Little girl, I say to you, get up!).
42 Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished." Mark 5:21-42

"Do not be afarid; just believe!" Mark 5:36

• 
  
  Jesus is personal.


• 
  
  Jesus is powerful.


• 
  
  Place your trust in God's hands and you will get up.