Abraham and Sarah.

I come to you having a new perspective on this story- even if I haven't went in great detail on it... I have been reading it in a Devotional book, I am memorizing Hebrews 11 this week that involves Sarah and Abraham, and I am reading a book that mentions it numerous times. So, I felt I should present some of my thoughts to you tonight on these awesome people. I can't wait to meet them in heaven-the ultimate Promised Land.  ~~~ So many times in life we learn a story in Sunday School and then we just go back to our busy lives and talk about how busy we are for anything- Therefore we are to busy for God's Word daily. {{Don't get me started on that one :) Haha! }} {As you have heard} This evening we will be talking about Abraham and Sarah.
Or you may know them as Abram and Sarai. 
You know the story right?  Abram {and Sarai} is promised to have many descendants and to move to a place hundreds of miles south completely unknown to them. They wouldn't know where to find it on a map... Can you imagine how they felt? They were told that their promise would be fulfilled there...
What does that even mean? If I was Sarai I would have a nervous fit and wonder what my husband was up to! :)  Here is a passage from the beloved Hebrews author that will help explain our situation.

Hebrews 11:8-16
 ⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
 ¹¹ By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he^[a] considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹² And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
 ¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. ¹⁴ People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

v9   ''By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country....''
v13 ''All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not recieve the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

Being called a stranger on earth has never sounded so ''cool'' has it? :)
Abraham was looking forward to the city with foundations with God as ruler and author if it all.
This just encourages me all the more to look forward to a country of my own.
On earth and our Promised Land where we will meet Him face. to. face.

I have grown very fond of how God changes names- Representing a promise and fresh start for His children.
He changed my name to beloved, holy, hidden in Him, peculiar treasure, and so many more I can't even count. {See Jason Gray's ''I Am New''} If you have invited Him in your heart and life- these are your names as much as they are mine :)

He desires for us to represent Him in every area and sometimes that means leaving our luxurious comfort zone.  That doesn't mean you have to move across the world to follow where He is leading, but it does mean that you would be willing to. Where is your Canaan?
Your Canaan. Where is God leading you? Where is He keeping you? Where is He meeting you?
I can't answer those questions... You have to...Through prayer and discussions with Him.

These are only 3 little insights on the lessons of Abraham and Sarah. They are very special and significant; as you are. Remember who you are, Beloved.  See ya next time ;)
Love,
Emilee

Christmas in October. {{A Shopping Tale}}

Hello you treasure of a people! How beautiful is it that through His grace we may be called Peculiar Treasures. {Notice that wasn't a question. :) }
Well, today my friends we went shopping. For a person that hates shopping it seems I sure do blog about it alot! ANYWAY, we went shopping with my Grandma Dixie mainly for clothes for our trip. {Can you believe how close it is? Mind blowing!} We left our driveway @ about 9 and reached the driveway shortly after 6. It was a long, but productive day. Mom and I have mainly everything we need...except the last minute purchases. You won't believe how relieved we are now. {At least I am ;) } We can just soke it all in and prepare. As much as we actually can prepare. Immediately following purchasing my last skirts I was talking about how much better I felt. Today I am absolutely getting more and more excited for our trip.
We {the whole team and I} would appreciate your never ceasing prayers! Pray for our meetings, team building, safety, etc.

Back to shopping: While most of the shopping was ok, I enjoyed the Christian bookstore most. Surprise, surprise. I could have stayed in there all. day. long. Reading commentaries and all! {I will let you know that
I was going to buy one, but Mom informed me that that was my Christmas present ;) }
I bought this book. It took me a total of 5 seconds to decide I was buying it.

I also was blessed with a Coffee with God journal. How perfect is that?

ANYWAY!

I bought TobyMac's 1st Christmas Album: Christmas in Diverse City.

So, after Mom and I got home we {Mom, Dad, and I} piled up in the truck to listen to the Christmas c.d.

Call us crazy, but we had fun.  While living in Mississppi our house was featured in our church's Tour of Homes. Mom started cleaning windows in late October to start preparing and we blasted the Christmas music up loud! BUT then some church friends came over and we were labeled by them ''The family/The girl that listens to Christmas music in October.'' :)  It will turn into a tradition now I suppose!

I am so looking forward to this season and all that God will do through it. If we look back on this past Summer we should be utterly amazed at the little things...as well as the big things. Doesn't that make you excited for a new season? I hope it does. So, lets welcome this season w/ great joy! Even if it is a season of trial.

Isaiah 6:8

 ⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
   And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

What A Weekend.

Hello followers. For some odd reason I have missed you :D haha!
Life is crazy, but in a good way. Let me just clarify: Good can be tiring :)
Tomorrow is my Momma's Birthday! A special shout out to her. <3 ya!
Fun Fact: I started this blog on my Dad's birthday... In the room I am sitting in right now ;)
Also, tomorrow is a month from our trip. God is so good, gracious, and patient. Prayers are so appreciated. Every. single. one.

Well, I was going to blog Sunday night. Obviously that didn't happen :)
So, here I am!
Last weekend:
BibleQuiz Meet, UgandaGals get together, Church, UgandaTeemMeeting, Hanging out w/ some awesome friends. Literally though- thats how it happened. The biggest gap in between was an hour and a half :)

BibleQuiz Meet: Way. To. Much. Fun. Us girls are a example of how Christianity doesn't have to be boring. We are living proof. {{Not that you aren't. You totally are. :) }} At 7:00 a.m. we were at our leaders home. Then, we all gathered in the van to head to Emporia, KS 2 and a half hours away.
Our first official BibleQuiz meet started at maybe 10:30. I was so nervous. When we got there...On the way I was trying to not think about it :) Of course after the fact you wonder what you were so anxious about. It was way less formal than I thought it would be. Prayers even it that simple little circumstance helped me along with all of our members. {We have 4 girls including myself.} We got to meet some fun people. I will have to post pictures someday :) Lets just give you an example of our silly conversations: Two girls ordered in ''accents.'' Chloe was just hilarious and Mariah ordered her Wendy's meal in a British accent. The lady asked her if she was from England. For real---No joke. I have her ordering on video!

UgandaGals Get Together: Mom and I's first pedicure and then out to supper. We had fun and wonderful conversation. It wasn't the whole group of ''gals'' though... We missed the other three greatly :)
We went to the Manhattan mall to get our nails done. I got a french pedicure. Just sayin'.
Then, we went to Chili's and ate! It was great to get together aside from all the logistics.

Church: Wonderful. I mean, it is always {usually :)}, but it was wonderful.
Have ya ever just sat back and loved your congregation? Fellowship is so sweet. I am grateful...
Especially because of a time of Church Family ''Loneliness'' that we have experienced.

UgandaTeam Meeting:
The meeting was from 11:30 ish to 4:00. Not even kidding :) It was so special for me to go on a Prayer Walk w/ these people. It is our main mission in Africa and I just love dreaming about our future walks together. We then broke of in small groups and that was so special... Notice the word special alot :D
The meeting part was alright... :) I enjoy it.

Anyway! I will let ya go! Thanks so much more listen' to me gab!
Now its your turn to tell me about your weekend!!

I love God. I love You. He loves us. I love that :)

<3,
Emilee Kaye~

The Third Day.

The Third Day. Maybe other people have made these revelations about the third day, but recently I have been thinking about this...
Judging of Attitudes time! {Heb. 4:12}

Acts 10:40
but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.

Praise the Lord :)

Genesis 1:13
And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

Exodus 19:11
and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

2 Kings 20:5
''Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD.''

Ezra 6:15
The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

Hosea 6:2
After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.

Matthew 27:64
''So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
As you have read some of these third days are marvelous ones...Some aren't so great.

⁴¹ Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. ⁴³ After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴ Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.
{Sidenote: I love that Jesus is 12 in this passage and I bet you know why ;) }

To enrich your ''Third Day'' experience go to BibleGateway.com at on the keyword search type in Third Day/Three Days. There withstand some glorious results. :)

So, there were 3 days in between Jesus being at the temple during the Feast of the Passover...and
3 days before He rose again. Think about those 3 days for Mary. For His whole family...
It was a panicking and a mournful time for them. They were saddened...or oblivious to where Jesus had gone. Where are you? Are you on the latter part of the third day being, ''amazed at His understanding and His answers.'' or are you still in the middle somewhere?
You don't have to wait for that Sunday morning, Retreat, or Wednesday night {meeting with friend, etc.} to be revived and restored. Maybe this is Day 2 for you {See above Hosea 6:2} or maybe this is the standing in Awe before God season. Maybe you are in a time of complete exhaustion and spiritual dryness. Let's be real.
It happens to everyone...They feel God one day and then the next they are discouraged, {for numerous reasons} because the freshness of it has been swept away. The circumstances leave you feeling lousy.
What is the point of the relationship aspect with God if you only spend time with Him when you feel Him?
If I only had quiet time when I felt Him; Jesus and I wouldn't be this close.  I wouldn't be who I am.
So, I challenge you...when your circumstance isn't necassarily ''praiseworthy'' {I know there IS something praiseworthy in your life...maybe just not in your attitude toward the circumstance} find THE reason.
These 3 days will be over soon. God is with you.

For you stand in awe-ers. The third day will end, but you have hope. Hope in Him.
That my friend, is praiseworthy. You will hit a time of spiritual dryness, but He has overcome the world.

He has overcome these distractions that may have triggered the ''dryness'' in your life.  Thank Him for your circumstance and pray against distractions. Be honest with Him...Pour out your heart to Him like water. :)
Trust me when I tell you: I feel like I am writing to myself. ALOT. God is convicting; It seems in every situation.
The Third Day represents so many different situations. I hope this encourages you to move past that
''feeling'' relationship to encourage you in pursuing your every-day relationship with Him!

Another reason I feel ''connected'' to the Third Day is because I became a Christian on the Third Day of
November. How awesome is that? :)
Before I go, How's your servitude?  Just a reminder...{Just because I published another blog doesn't mean the message is skim worthy now! ;) }

See ya!
Love,
Emilee

A Psalm of Ascent and Commentaries.

Hey You! {Im into Jesus} {That's a song BTW :) }
How are ya? Well, as of this evening I have a message to share with you. If I knew everyone that would read this particular blog I would type it right... HERE.
I am hangin' out with Jesus this evening. {Specifically} I am doing my Beth Moore Bible Study ''Stepping Up.'' It. Is. Awesome.  Plus, this most recent one is my favorite so far....Even though I am only in week two-day two! We are going on a journey through the Psalms of Ascent. {Psalm 120-134}
Tonight I will have you read our current Psalm- Psalm 123 in the HCSB version.

Looking for God’s Favor

A •song of ascents

1 I lift my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.

2 Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand, like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand, so our eyes are on the Lord our God until He shows us favor.
3 Show us favor, Lord, show us favor, for we’ve had more than enough contempt.
4 We’ve had more than enough scorn from the arrogant and contempt from the proud.

 

The focus of today's lesson was lifting our eyes to Jesus.

{If you would like to be an overachiever read Acts 3:1-7 and note what Peter said to the beggar in verse 4}

 

Hear are some commentaries on Psalm 123...and yes, I am a geek. I am thoroughly enjoying reading commentaries! {TOTALLY quoting in these. Do not sue me for plagiarism. :) }

 

Our Lord Jesus has taught us to look unto God in prayer as our Father in heaven. In every prayer a good man lifts up his soul to God; especially when in trouble. We desire mercy from him; we hope he will show us mercy, and we will continue waiting on him till it come. The eyes of a servant are to his master's directing hand, expecting that he will appoint him his work. And also to his supplying hand. Servants look to their master or their mistress for their portion of meat in due season. And to God we must look for daily bread, for grace sufficient; from him we must receive it thankfully. Where can we look for help but to our Master? And, further, to his protecting hand. If the servant is wronged and injured in his work, who should right him, but his master? And to his correcting hand. Whither should sinners turn but to him that smote them? They humble themselves under God's mighty hand. And lastly, to his rewarding hand. Hypocrites look to the world's hand, thence they have their reward; but true Christians look to God as their Master and their Rewarder. God's people find little mercy with men; but this is their comfort, that with the Lord there is mercy. Scorning and contempt have been, are, and are likely to be, the lot of God's people in this world. It is hard to bear; but the servants of God should not complain if they are treated as his beloved Son was. Let us then, when ready to faint under trials, look unto Jesus, and by faith and prayer cast ourselves upon the mercy of God

 

From Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary

{Found at mystudybible.com. Awesome website!}

 

How would our lives completely change and alter if we prayed to God the way we see Him when we are being convicted? I can think of several times when all I want to talk about is how good God is and about the situation I felt that He was very evident in. I can think of personal times when God is so real to me and so majestic all I want to do is sing. If we had that attitude every single day; every single prayer- we would change.

 

 

Beth Moore quote: ''He wants us to approach on His terms based on who He really is.''

 

So get this. God is in command over everything. I opoligize if that sounded like a kindergarten Sunday School lesson. {Hey, don't get me wrong...I love Sunday School. You get the point.} He is not just controlling your good things. He is controlling your trials.

Finish this prayer: Lord, You are the Holy One and You are alertly and lovingly enthroned over.....

 

I don't know what you are facing. You might be on a high with the Most High- or...not.

If you are not- You don't have to stay that way. Fix your whole being and face on our Jesus. Your circumstances will slide to the wayside if you do it sincerely.

If you are- I praise with you!! I'm so glad you are accepting Him and lovin' Him. I hope these words encourage you and convict you.

 

Upcoming Commentary written by Eugene Peterson.

 

''We are not presented with a functional god who will help us out of jams or an entertainment god who will lighten our tedious hours. We are presented with the God of exodus and Easter, the God of Sinai and Calvary. If we want to understand God, we must do it on His terms. If we want to see God the way He really is, we must look to the place of authority- {Beth Moore quote: "He cannot be unholy in any dimension of His authority''} to Scripture and to Jesus Christ.'' {Amen!!!}

''And do we really want it any other way? I don't think so. We would very soon become contemptuous of a god whom we could figure out like a puzzle or learn to use like a tool. No, if God is worth our attention at all, He must be a God we can look up to- a God we must look up to....The moment we look up to God (and not over at Him, or down at Him) we are in the posture of servitude.''

 

Who else loves the word servitude but me? Huh?

I want to be a lady of servitude! What about you?

Let's work on that posture shall we?

 

Beth Moore quote: ''Who else is so brilliant, so multidemensional and gloriously mysterious that you could spend your entire life studying and never grasp His vastness?''

Who else can proclaim that God is ''gloriously mysterious''?!

 

ONE MORE commentary; for tonight anyway! ;)

 

''The singer affirms his total devotion to the Lord, and he wants to obtain a vision of the divine presence.... His eyes are fixed on God's hands. To lift up the eyes is a gesture of deep longing. While God is enthroned in the heavens--a sign of kingship--his transcendence is not inaccessible. God's crown of helpers, like royal attendant, wait for a single hint before going into action.''

From The Eerdmans Critical Commentary.

 

Who else wants to be a royal attendant waiting for a single hint to take action?

''Take a moment... and sense Christ's gaze upon you, His Beloved.''

 

Needless to say, I am having a wonderful evening hangin' out in my studio/basement/office!

Reporting from Kansas City...

Hey everyone!
It is good to type to you ;)
I didn't think I would get to blog this weekend!! We have WIFI @ the hotel.
Well, today was thee official day of ''The Walk.'' We got here last night around dinner time...
I will tell you that I have not seen a skyline yet. I don't know if I will unless I talk Mom and Dad into taking me tomorrow before we leave :) This morning we headed to the walk, came back, had J girls' 1st
Birthday party, and us girls shopped! I even enjoyed shopping. That is a huge accomplishment...
We have walked so much today. Our feet are just plain sore.
{Back to the shopping trip} I got 2 scarves FOR FREE! We had a coupons that we picked up @ the walk. I also got a new shirt. BUT, this is what I really wanted to tell you. I knew you would celebrate with me. Mom and I went to the bookstore...and got a latte afterwards! That sentence contains two of our favorite things! Ya know what book I bought at the store? Peculiar Treasures. I thought of you, dear ones.
I have read it, but I am ''collecting'' that series one by one. I will probably read it again, too.
In fact, I might start tonight or tomorrow!
That series had a huge impact on my love for orphans, but in general the whole continent of Africa.
Jesus placed Africa on my heart in such a way no one else on earth ever could.. Ever.

For those of you that have no idea what I talk about when I say ''The Walk'', below I will explain.

JDRF stands for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation {International}. My nephew has Type 1
diabetes and he was diagnosed at 11 months. He has at least 4 shots of insulin a day...and countless ''pokes''. He is a wonderful little guy and we love him! We come every year {with the exception of last year} to get together for a really great cause.

BTW, as I finish this up I hear cars passing on some kinda highway nearby. I love the city!!

Well, I would love to stay and chat, BUT all the lights are out. So, I'm takin' that hint :)
See ya when I get home!
Reporting from Kansas City,
I'm Emilee Kaye.

P.S. I also got to meet the most precious little girl today. She is 3 and a half months and she is practically family :) So fun!