CSF is in the House Tonight…
After six years, I returned to Woodland Lakes Camp for the CSF Fall Retreat. Unlike my past camping experiences, I enjoyed every moment of the weekend. God was MOVING in that place. It was amazing to take a break from the craziness of life and be completely “unplugged” from the outside world and focus solely on building relationships with others and intentionally and wholeheartedly seeking the Lord.
So many sweet memories were made, laughter was shared, hearts were convicted, and voices were raised in praise for our Father. Being able to worship alongside 400 college students with arms held high and eyes fixed on our Father, touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes. Saturday night we had the opportunity to write letters and prayers to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. It was amazing to have the opportunity to pray for, encourage, and affirm each other in such a tangible way. It was so beautiful to look around and see everyone pouring their hearts out on paper. The body of Christ is incredible. After writing for several hours, I went over to a group of newly made friends and sang worship songs with them until 4:30 in the morning…the three hours of sleep that I had were certainly worth the laughter and fellowship shared.
So awesome, so blessed, so thankful.
Set the World On Fire…
The Lord has been working on my heart and calling me to surrender everything- every fear, every dream, every mistake, every talent, every worry, everything. I want to live a life completely sold out for the Lord and long for opportunities to serve others and bring Him glory. I want His name to be known over my own and to be a source of love and joy in other’s lives. I want to pour out everything I have to the One who deserves it all. I’m tired of dreaming and wishing and saying- it's time to start doing. Giving the Lord everything also means truly resting in the truth that He knows my deepest desires and finding peace in knowing that He- the One who created the heavens and the earth, who knows me by name and calls me His daughter- is in control and is fully capable of leading and guiding me to exactly where He needs me to be. Roy Lessin states- "You're here not by chance, but by God's choosing. His Hand formed you and made you into the person you are. He compares you to no one else- you are one of a kind. You lack nothing that His grace can't give you. He has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill His special purpose for this generation." Wow- cold chills. What an honor and great responsibility we each have. While it's easy to get caught up in trying to figure out "what our purpose is," what I'm learning is it's not about WHAT we do but WHO we do it for. It's not about WHERE we do but WHY we do. And it's not about OUR fame or glory but HIS. I'm choosing to live a life FOR the Lord BECAUSE He has called us to live lives in complete surrender to Him and I will GIVE all glory and honor and praise to the One who deserves it all.
As a 19 year old, it’s both exciting and completely terrifying to think about the future. It’s exciting because I know that I’m not the one in charge and that the Lord has a plan for my life far greater than I could ever imagine. However, it’s also frustrating as the “goal oriented” person that I am, to not know exactly where I’m headed. I suppose that’s all part of the adventure though, huh? I know that the Lord has blessed me with specific and unique talents, abilities, dreams, and passions and I’m excited to see how He uses me to further His Kingdom. I have been listening to Britt Nicole’s song, “Set the World On Fire” a lot lately. The lyrics explain exactly what my greatest desire is- to be obedient to the Lord’s calling and let Him do extraordinary things through this ordinary girl.
Some of my favorite lines of the song are:
“I wanna set the world on fire until it's burning bright for You. It's everything that I desire. Can I be the one You use?”
“Take my dreams come and give them wings. Lord with You there’s nothing I can’t do.”
“I wanna feed the hungry children and reach across the farthest land. And tell the broken there is healing and mercy in the Father's hands.”
Cold chills.
Tale As Old Time…
For my birthday, my parents surprised me with two tickets to the Beauty and the Beast Broadway show. Talk about a perfect present for a girl who loves Disney princesses (and secretly dreams of being one), loves music, loves costumes, and loves creating memories with the precious people in my life. I asked my sweet Anna to be my date to the show and what a blessing it was to be able to share such a fun experience with her. As ridiculous as it may sound, the car ride to and from Indianapolis was one of the highlights of the day. While the show was spectacular and the actors were phenomenally talented, the stories, laughter, and meaningful conversations Anna and I shared were moments that I will always treasure. The day was absolutely wonderful and quite perfectly princessey.
My Sweet Anna and I
Joy…
This three-letter word is by far my favorite word in the dictionary. The latest series at Southland is entitled “Rebellious Joy.” I love that. On Sunday, Jon Weece defined joy as “an exclusive gift from God that is not circumstantial.” He told the story of Paul who, in the midst of pain and torture my mind cannot fathom, continued to praise the Lord with great joy. Amazing. We should all live lives of continual joy and praise for our Father. Jon continued by saying that the amount of joy we experience is connected to the amount of people we share eternity with. This statement convicted me and encouraged me to strive to live a life that shines for the Lord and to be bold in my faith. Jon also spoke of the importance of serving others. He said, “when you’re on the receiving end of the Lord’s love, your love abounds and so does your joy and the focus is no longer on you but on others.” The Lord calls us to be His hands and feet and to give of our money, our time, and ourselves. When we are intentional in serving others for the glory of the Lord, we make ourselves available for Him to work and move through us in unbelievable ways.
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” - Philippians 1:9-11
Candy Corn, Costumes, and Cold…
CSF hosted yet another huge party for “Holla-ween.” It was so fun to walk around and see everyone dressed up, dance, eat, and enjoy the company and conversations with precious friends. While I’m not the biggest Halloween fan, (because making a costume requires “too much effort”) I thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone’s creativity and hilarious dance moves. Good times, lots of laughs, and sweet memories.
Jen-Bear and I
Oh how I just love my family. Family Weekend could not have been better- family, good food, tons of laughter, sweet friends, and football. I miss my family terribly when I’m away at school so any time spent with them is always savored and enjoyed. The amount of laugher we always share warms my heart and brings me so much joy. While Family Weekend was centered on the UK vs. Mississippi State (which I lovingly (and ignorantly) referred to as Michigan State) football game, we got our fill of football after the first half of the game and left for dinner/dessert with sweet friends. Yes, we are indeed fair weather fans and are proud of it. I was certainly a happy girl loving life and loving the people in it.
The Gang
Miss Lydia and I
The Family
Since Halloween landed on a Monday, we got to spend our evening with the precious people of Woodhill. We had a little festival for the kids with trunk-or-treating, a moon bouncer, and snow cones. It was wonderful to be able to spend Halloween with our new friends and see the precious kids dressed up in costumes running around yelling “trick or treat!” God is moving in the hearts of the people of Woodhill and it is so humbling to have the opportunity to be apart of God’s work. The Lord is so good and works in incredible ways. All glory and praise to Him.
Sweet Maria and the Gang
The Crayons
In the Life of Emilee Hancock…
Wow- I believe next to the word dork in the dictionary, you can find a picture of me. I make myself feel better by thinking I’m adorkable instead of just a dork. While I have almost daily “moments,” I decided to share a few in hopes that it brings a smile to your face:
Test Anxiety
Most nights I will go to sleep before my precious roomie does. Well, as usual I fell fast asleep while Miss Lydia worked diligently on homework (just to clarify- I was finished with my homework for the night). After sleeping soundly for about two hours, I popped out of bed and began frantically searching for my glasses and put them on. Then the conversation went as followed:
Emilee- (In a long drawn out and sleepy voice) “I don’t wannnna do it.”
Lydia- (Very confused as to why I’m awake) “Do what?”
Emilee- “Study. I don’t want to.” (Long pause) “Do I have to?” (Another long pause) “No.”
After realizing that I did not have to “study” I took my glasses off and fell back into bed. About 30 seconds later I realized what had just happened and started dying laughing at myself. Not only did I not have a test the next morning but it was also about 2:30 in the morning. Lydia and I laughed for about five minutes straight and then proceeded to finally go (back) to bed. I’m still not sure why I felt the need to study at 2:30 in the morning…I guess that just proves how studious I have become as a college student. Be proud.
Still laughing as I type this…
Can You Tell I’m New At This?
Instead of diamonds or dogs, Starbuck’s is a college student’s best friend. While I would love to be a coffee drinker and get the extra burst of energy that’s needed at 2:00 in the morning while I work on homework, I just can’t bring myself to drink it. SO, in an effort to “fit in” (totally joking) I go for either a Strawberry Smoothie or a Carmel Apple Cider. One night after studying for several hours, Lydia and I decided to take a study break and get some Starbuck’s. Well…my lack of Starbuck’s experience was clearly evident. Here is the conversation between the Barista and me:
Barista: “Hi, what can I get for you?”
Emilee: “Hi, how are you?”
Barista: (Awkwardly looks at me) “I’m fine…what can I get for you?”
Emilee: “Can I please have a Strawberry Smoothie?”
Barista: (I think she says) “For here or to go?”
--Side note: all Starbuck’s drinks are technically “to go”--
Emilee: “To go please.”
Barista: (Yet another strange look) “Umm…I said what’s your name?”
Emilee: “Oh (Giggle), Emilee Hancock. Oh shoot, that’s awkward, you don’t need to know my last name, do you? (More giggling)”
Barista: (A third strange look) “Okay.” And proceeds to write my first and last name with an exclamation point- meaning “Hey look what this goofball just did.”
Emilee: I begin to walk away WITHOUT paying…
Barista: “Hey wait, hey…you didn’t pay yet.”
Emilee: “Wow- can you tell I’m new at this?” (Quickly hands her my card and slinks away)
She clearly wasn't talking about me...I don't know who this EmilY character is...
My goodness gracious- I should have spoken with some kind of accent to make my Starbuck’s illiteracy more acceptable. In short, I now listen carefully, give only the necessary details, and take my card out before ordering when I go to Starbuck’s.
MLIA- my life is awkward.
哎 呀 (Oops)
While on-campus food is really not that bad, it gets old quite quickly. After being cooped up in our room all day, Lydia and I decided to mix things up and hike across campus to Panda Express for dinner. After ordering my “usual” meal- Chow Mein and Orange Chicken- I paid for my meal and went to fill up my drink. Well, it turns out that my hands aren’t as large as I thought they were. I balanced my bowl, drink, phone, and fortune cookie in my left hand (not sure what my right hand was doing). I approached our table and attempted to place my bowl on the table...attempted being the operative word. My bowl tipped over, spilling my precious food on the table and floor. Epic fail. Meanwhile, Lydia watched the whole scene from line and turned her head as though she didn’t know me. Some roommate I have. After giggling alone awkwardly and contemplating how dirty the table really was, I decided that I would go back to the counter and try again. After explaining the situation and pointing to the evidence still covering the table and floor, the girl behind the counter made a little plate of chicken and passed the plate to the cashier stating loud enough for me to hear- “I don’t know if she is going to pay for this.” To which I said as sweetly as possible- “I am fine to pay for it. It was my clumsiness that made me drop it.” The lady at the counter looked at me skeptically (let me say once again that the food was STILL on the floor and table. Woman, I’m really not trying to steal your chicken) and turned her head and shoved the chicken at me. I politely said thank you and turned away slightly confused as to why so much drama had just occurred. Goodness, all of that for a few pieces of chicken and cold Chow Mein. Epic fail.
Sleeping Beauty
I am not a morning person. While I am not grumpy in the morning, I tend to be completely mute with an occasional grunt. My philosophy is- if the sun isn’t up, I shouldn’t be either. My freshman swag is certainly evident seeing as I have three 8:00AM classes. Not a happy girl. Typically I will set my alarm for 7:27, lie in bed until 7:35 and (begrudgingly) get out of bed and leave for class by 7:50. Well…last week my alarm went off at 7:27 so I turned it off and rolled over until “7:35.” Turns out in my sleepy state, I forgot to reset my alarm. At 7:54 I WOKE UP and thought Oh no, this can’t be good. Mind you, my class is a good ten-minute walk across campus. Well, nothing gets your heart pumping like waking up late. I jumped out of bed and quickly changed, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and threw my (uncombed) hair up in a ponytail and bolted out the door with a Special K bar in hand. As soon as I got downstairs I remembered that it was supposed to rain and storm all day. Fantastic. Did I remember my umbrella in my tizzy? Of course not. So, I power walked- late, cold, and in the pouring rain- to my class and arrived only 6 minutes late. After arriving to weight lifting, I decided that I had had enough exercise for the day already and took my time stretching and catching my breath. I now set my alarm the night BEFORE…lesson learned.
Song Recommendations…
Music warms my heart and often puts the thoughts/feelings into words that I’m incapable of. These past few weeks I’ve discovered some awesome songs that have really touched my heart and are just too good to keep to myself. Check them out:
Lift Me Up- The Afters
How Great Is Our God (World Edition)- Chris Tomlin
We Are- Kari Jobe
Alive In This Moment- Starfield
Found By You- Britt Nicole
Keep Your Eyes Open- NEEDTOBREATHE
The Reckoning- NEEDTOBREATHE
You Are the Beauty- Gungor
This Is Not the End- Gungor
Beautiful Sunsets...
Lastly, I want to leave you with some of the gorgeous sunsets the Lord has created these past few days. HE is SO good and is the ultimate artist. Take time this week to marvel at the Lord's creativity and mastery. The same God that paints the sky each night created you and calls you His precious son or daughter. What an honor.
Beautiful Sunsets...
Lastly, I want to leave you with some of the gorgeous sunsets the Lord has created these past few days. HE is SO good and is the ultimate artist. Take time this week to marvel at the Lord's creativity and mastery. The same God that paints the sky each night created you and calls you His precious son or daughter. What an honor.
"Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD." -Psalm 150:6
