Learning through Life

Wow.

It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything here. I’m sure some of you thought I just ceased to write or care. That is not the case at all. Rather, God was doing a work in me in 2011 – a work that was hard and painful sometimes; joyful and easy others. It was a work that required me to spend more time with Him than I spent on other things.

image by google

And, it was a work that asked me to be still and silent before Him; to lean on Him instead of my friends and family; to trust that He really did know best, even when my heart was hurting and my head was swimming.  2011 was a year unlike any other I have experienced. And while I won’t “bore you” with all the details, I wanted to come back to Mainstream by sharing with you the lessons I learned while I was mostly silent in the valleys of last year.

Trusting God Is NOT Always Easy

It’s a simple lesson, and a simple message. It’s one you’ve probably heard a million times, but the reality of it became apparent in my life in 2011. I had to choose in a dark moment whether to trust Him or trust the world. I chose to trust Him. I had to choose to love Him instead of hanging on to what I wanted to understand. I had to love Him when I didn’t know how to love right. I had to give my tears to Him. I realized that I wanted so much to believe that God wanted what was best for me; but it was so hard to see that in the valleys. Learning to trust His plan for my life when I felt like everything was spiraling out of control was and still is not an easy lesson.

God Doesn’t Need Me 

God doesn’t need me to accomplish anything He has planned, but He does want me to be there, walking with Him and learning from Him. It is naïve and childish to think that God won’t do something just because I throw a (thirty)-two year old temper tantrum about it. But, life is better when you walk with God instead of against Him. He is GOD. He doesn’t need me to do diddly, but He wants me to do so much more than I could ever imagine.

There is Peace in Unlikely Places

When it seems like the battles are too hard to fight, it’s funny where peace can be found. For me, I found peace in my job – a job that is crazy, hectic, exhausting and frustrating at any given moment. I found peace in a place where God was everywhere, but I still had a task to accomplish. I found peace in my to-do lists. That may seem silly, but having a purpose gave the cloudy skies a little sunshine. Wherever you can find your peace, go there. And, don’t be surprised when that peaceful place changes on a regular basis.

Not Talking about it is Okay

One of the reasons I stopped blogging and became somewhat quiet in the world was because I was learning this lesson. I want to share everything when I am hurting – but maybe that is not the most helpful approach in the world. Instead of sharing everything with everyone, I shared a little with a few people. And a little with a few more people. And a lot with a handful of people that had walked these roads before. Not talking was a hard lesson, but it gave me an honest perspective on my world and my place in God’s bigger plan.

Joy is a Choice 

This was a big one for me. I learned in 2011 that having a joyful heart and a joyful outlook on life was a choice I had to make myself. It is not an inherent part of my DNA – I could give Eeyore a run for his money on any given day – but choosing to find happiness and joy in life made me realize that everything – big or little, good or bad – was being done for a purpose, and there should be joy in the journey. That doesn’t mean every day has to be happy, but there can still be a deeper sense of joy in the God who wouldn’t give us floods if He hadn’t also promised rainbows.

I could go on and on, but that’s just a little of why I was quiet and why 2011 was different for me in so many ways. I am excited to face 2012, and am hoping that these lessons aren’t ones I have to relearn!

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A Winter Wonderland

Spend much time around me, and you'll know that I am not a huge fan of winter.  Or snow.  Or being cold.  Or having to wear multiple layers to stay warm.   This winter in Bloomington seems to be colder and more snowy than the ones I remember in recent years.  So, it stands to reason that I would be really unhappy this winter, right?

Well, a funny thing has happened in the last few snowfalls. I'm actually finding myself enjoying this winter more than I've enjoyed winter in the past.  The snow is inconvenient and I still don't want to drive in it, but I'm finding the beauty in the snowflakes again.  Even today, as I watched the snow fall...and fall...and fall, I was surprised to find myself admiring the beauty out my office window and only dreading a little having to go out in it.

There is a purity that only comes with the snowfall.  It covers the dirty streets and the fallen leaves that never got completely raked up (or is that just our yard?) and the dreary colorless leftovers of autumn.  It makes everything clean and pretty again. There could be anything hiding under the fresh white cover of snow, but we can't see it.  It is no wonder the Bible says,

“Come now, let us settle the matter,”

says the LORD.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18

Think for a moment about everything that God could see on you; the darkness, the pain, the sin, the bad thoughts, frustration, anger and hurt; the way you lashed out in anger and frustration instead of responding with grace; the way you yelled at your neighbor instead of forgiving him; the way you judged someone instead of leaving the judgement to God and instead just loving them...

...we had to be pretty ugly to look at from God's eyes.  But then... a moment happened, a sacrifice that would never be equaled or repeated... God no longer sees the ugly, He only sees the righteousness of Christ upon His children; pure, white, clean...His eyes look on us with love.  He ordained the blood of His Son to cleanse believers from every sin, every mistake. 

So, instead of seeing the snow as just...snow...I see it as a reminder from my Father that He loves me and  sees Christ in me.  He covered my sins with grace and the blood of Jesus turned my darkness into light.  Perhaps that pure white snow this winter isn't such a bad thing after all.

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Worth Everything

Yesterday a friend made a comment on her twitter/facebook that she wondered if this was "it" for her.  I tried to reassure her, but I do know those feelings oh so well.  It's easy to wonder if where we are is where we will always be; if the way our days unfold is the constant pace; if our disappointments and frustrations will always be the same. 

Those feelings always seems to come when we're down, have you noticed that?  It's not often you wonder out of your euphoria if you will "always" be right where you are.  In our broken and cynical world, we are all too aware that our highs will not last.  However, in our dark moments, we find ourselves wondering if we will always be in those moments.  The darkness always seems to last longer than the light, doesn't it?

My encouragement to my friend was to hold tight to this:  if you're still here, you're story isn't over yet.  If there was nothing left for you to do, if your story had already been told, then there would be no reason for you to still be here.  But, simply being here means this:  God's not finished with you yet.  And if He's not finished with you, whatever you are feeling is temporary.  Even though it may feel like you are constantly stuck in the darkness, hold tight; the light is not far off.

One of my favorite quotes is this:

“You must be strong now. You must never give up. And when people make you cry and you are afraid of the dark, don't forget the light is always there.

When the darkness feels like it's never going to end, and you feel like you're stuck in something that will never end, remember that light is just beyond the darkness and happiness is on the other side of the pain.  Your story is not over; your place is not permanent; your life is worth all the sadness, all the disappointment, and all the joy that is just beyond today.

"Therefore we do not give up; even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day.  For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.  So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is not seen is eternal!"  2 Corinthians 4:15-18

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Launch Yourself Fully

I haven't left my house today, so this blog will probably be short and to the point - nothing big happened to precipitate a blog, so I'm digging deeper into the "thinking" side of my brain.

I stumbled across a quote recently that I found meaningful:

What wise advice!  We spend so much time looking into the future (as I have already blogged about) and forget about the present.  Thoreau has been a favorite author for years, but I have recently rediscovered him and some of my favorite quotes from him. 

When was the last time you found eternal life in the presence of God in the moment you are living in?  When have you stopped, looked at your life, and decided that it was good?  I believe God does that with us every day and with every moment.  Our lives are but a blink of time to God.  From our birth to our death, He is writing eternity on our hearts and in our lives.

Recently, I was asked to write a poem for our Christmas Eve service.  It was a fantastic experience for me, and a lot of work.  As I reflected on the moment that God came to earth, I couldn't help but re-experience the first Christmas over and over again. He came and changed everything, but continued to live with eternity in each moment.  Christ didn't just come to watch the world, He came to fully experience the highs and lows of humanity.  He, as Thoreau said, "launched Himself at every wave."  Every experience that we could experience, He did.  He loved, He lost, He cried, He worshipped; He laughed, He was angry. He was fully human and fully man.

If God Himself can come to earth and live fully, then why do we limit ourselves?  Why do we experience only a bit here and a bit there, but never really launch ourselves fully into our own experience?

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The Song of Your Heart

“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” - author unknown

As a woman, I am wired for relationship.  I know this and relish in it.  As I think back on the stepping stones of my life thus far, it is easy to think about the friends that have walked beside me, and even those that have carried me when I didn't know how to walk.  I know the people that have sung back to me the song in my heart when the words were gone, too hard, or too painful to sing myself.

Recently, I had the chance to sing a heart-song back to a dear friend.

A close friend from college was diagnosed with cancer.  She stood up with me at my wedding and has been walking beside me for years.  She is one of a group of girls who changed my life in college.  My senior year was full of laughter, tears, drama and just experiencing life.  When Jenny was diagnosed with cancer, it made me think a lot about that year we lived together and the woman she has become.  If anyone can come through the cancer journey with beauty and grace, it is Jenny.  Don't believe me?  Check out their blog and read how God was present through out their entire cancer story!  Through it all, she maintained a sense of joy and faith that I've never seen before.

I prayed for and I talked to Jenny as often as I could.  We emailed back and forth and I tried to ask the honest questions - how are you really doing?  There were tears and smiles, but through it all, Jenny taught me so much.  Just a couple weeks ago, a great opportunity arose.  Jenny was cancer-free, finished with treatments, and ready to celebrate.  Unbeknownst to her, some of her friends and her husband had orchestrated the party to end all parties.  Almost 200 people came together that night to celebrate Jenny and her survival.  You know what the best part was?  Jenny (and her amazing husband, John)  took none of the credit.  They gave all the glory back to God.  We sang and praised Him. It was an amazing night.

One of the most amazing things to me was that it was only the second time since graduation that all five of us girls were back together.  Sitting there laughing and talking, I mindful that we will always be a part of each other's lives.  It may be years before we get together again; we may not talk until another "big" thing happens, but we are connected to one another because of our shared experiences.

Sometimes I wish I could adequately express to those women just how much they mean to me and how much their presence in my life has changed me; past, present and future.  I have been blessed to walk beside some amazing friends these past few years, through heartaches and struggles, through joys and surprises.  Each one of my close girlfriends has been a part of my life for a very specific reason during a specific season.  I also like to think that I have been a part of their lives for a  reason. 

My challenge for myself today is to take the time to remember my friends; to make time to experience their lives in the here and now, and to remember that there is nothing, nothing that is as precious as the bond we share (other than our relationship with God).  We are wired to live together - to laugh together - and to sing together.

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Faith Under Construction

In the last few weeks, the media/worship team at work has been reading through the book The Power of a Whisper .  One of the challenges of our study together is to just take time to sit, pray, listen to God and spend time in our Bibles.

Taking the time to actually read my Bible and pray has always been difficult for me.  I think it is somewhat compounded by the fact that I work at a church, and therefore I justify that it is OK if I don't make time to do what I know I should (even though I don't take the time at work to read the Bible, either).  The first week of the challenge, I didn't do much of anything.  I read my chapters in that book, read my Financial Peace homework, read my school work...and then I was done.  I didn't have time left in my day or my brain to pick up my Bible.  Sad (and wrong), I know.

Fast-forward to last night - I was heading to bed, and decided I would grab my Bible and try to read a little from some passage.  For years, my go-to book when I don't have something specific planned has been the book of James in the New Testament.  Full of practical advice, easy to understand, and always comforting and challenging to me, I have loved it since I read it it my first Bible back in high school.  So, last night, I decided to re-read James.  My plan was to read a few verses of this familiar book, mark it off my to-do list, and go on with my night.

Turns out, God had different plans.  After progressing just four verses into James,  I felt like I was, for the first time, truly learning an old lesson.  In verses 2-4 it says,

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I have always taken that verse only at face value - that when my faith is tested, I should be joyful and know that God is working something out in me.  I still think that is true.  What hit me last night, however, is that this doesn't just have to be about the times my Christianity is challenged, but about the times when anything in my life is going a little wrong.  The "many kinds" of trials are more than just when people challenge my faith - it's when someone makes fun of my friends or someone speaks poorly of my family; it's when I'm offended by a Facebook status or political campaign; it's when someone or something I love becomes a target; it's when life doesn't go like I think it should or like I planned it to.  These circumstances are all trials, and they are all being used by God to develop me as a person.

Those trials create in me a desire to do right, to see justice done, to live a life worthy of God as I pursue my hopes and dreams.  Also, it is not just about me and my faith being questioned, it is also about God caring for those who question and challenge!

I know this isn't a new truth, but sometimes I need to be reminded of the simple things, too - that God is still working on me and that there is nothing that I will face that can't be used to develop perseverance in me so I can be complete and holy in His sight.

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Accountable & Disciplined

If you read my personal blog, you know that I recently starting the Couch to 5K training Program.  To really understand why I did this, you need to know a couple things about me, including the fact that I have struggled with my self-image for a long time.  One of the stepping stones my life always seems to get stuck on is weight.  I take one step forward and two steps back on a regular basis.  To get the whole story about why I decided to do this and the lies I'm so good at believing, read this post.

The first couple days, I set my alarm early and got up without much issue, really.  Then Friday hit. I did NOT want to get out of bed.  In fact, I wanted to do anything but get up and go do interval training at the gym.  But, I did it.  Do you know why?  Because someone else was counting on me to get up and do this thing, even though staying in bed seemed like a much better option.  From that realization came the first lesson I've learned over the last two weeks of training. 

Accountability is everything.
For this particular program and place in my life, I knew I needed someone who was willing to walk (or run) beside me and keep me going even when it felt like I was losing the battle.  I found that partner in my friend, Beth.  Neither one of us are "morning people."  Neither one of us have a particular desire to be runners, but we both wanted to do something that would challenge us and make us healthier.  Therefore, we decided to do this program together.  Even though we don't work out in the same physical space, we are working out at the same time. Those 7am texts are what keep me going when my bed is calling my name.

It's funny how easy it is to apply accountability to everything else in my life, as well.  It's so easy to let things slip through the cracks or put off until tomorrow what should be done today when there is no one there holding us accountable.  For me and the C25K, I needed someone who would be encouraging, uplifting...and who would get out of bed and do it!  I could say the same thing for so many other areas of my life - friendships, Bible study, finances, marriage - I need someone that will hold me accountable, but will do so with grace and joy.  I have found that my accountability with Beth goes beyond our C25K commitment - God is using it to hold us together and strengthen our friendship in other ways.

The other lesson that has come out of the last two weeks is one of discipline.

Discipline means ignoring the "I don't wanna" voice in my head.
That voice inside my head that tells me I don't have to get up, that I will be able to do it later, that it doesn't really matter - that voice is LOUD.  For years now, I've listened to that voice.  That's why, after the second day of this training, this program has been more about discipline for me than it has been about running.  If I'm completely honest, I'm not a good runner. I'm not fast, nor graceful and I'm not very good at getting going first thing in the morning.  So discipline is the part of me that silences the "I don't wanna" voice and gets up and does it anyway.  I wake up, stumble out of bed and get to the gym, all the while thinking in my head, "I don't wanna!"  But as soon as I'm on the treadmill with music blaring and legs pumping, I feel better. 

The truth is this - no one likes discipline, but sometimes we need it.  I'm not talking about the discipline from our parents because we've done something wrong, but rather the discipline to keep going and keep doing something even when we're discouraged, tired or just simply don't want to do it.

Guess what!  It's working!  Every time I get up and go even when I don't want to, I feel a little better about myself.  I feel a little stronger, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.  I feel like I've accomplished something.  I'm proud of myself and willing to do it again.

It doesn't mean the whole cycle doesn't start over the next time I wake up to that silly alarm clock; but slowly the getting up is getting easier and the workouts are getting harder!  Thank You, Lord!

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A New Commitment

I will be the first to admit that I am not very good at creating margin in my life. If I have free time, I try to find things to do to fill it. I have work commitments, school commitments, family commitments, friend commitments...and they all take up most of my waking hours. In the middle of all that stuff, I rarely just take the time to sit, to be still, and to breathe. And, when I do those things, there is a part of me that feels so guilty - because there is so much I should be doing. I should be meeting more friends, taking more walks, working out more - I should be a better wife, a better friend, and a better daughter.

Somehow I've bought the lie - the lie that what makes me a better person is more time commitments to more things. To be a better wife to my husband, I need to commit more time to just the two of us, in addition to my other commitments. To be a better friend, I need to spend more evenings and lunches with them, in addition to my other commitments. To be a better daughter, I need to go home and visit my family more, in addition to my other commitments. And so, I do more. I add to the schedule more date nights, desserts with friends and long trips home and think that will somehow make me better.

The reality is so the opposite! What I find is when my schedule is full and I don't have any time to breathe, I am not a better anything. I am more quick to anger, slow to love, unwilling to forgive, unable to accept forgiveness. What I am learning is that to be a better version of myself, it is not about adding to my schedule, it's about rearranging my schedule. If I feel like I need to spend more time with my husband, I need to do that instead of something else. Being with friends means that I may have to give up time committed to other things. If I want to go home more and share in the life of my family, I need to do that - at the expense of something else.

Those decisions are hard. I hate to say no to people. I hate to not do something and not be with someone. I hate feeling like I'm disappointing someone when I have free time. If I can sit and just watch a movie, then I should have time to do something with a friend or go home or...

...see how that works? See how easy it is to make saying no sound bad? But what if that is something I really need - to just sit and watch a movie, read a book, or enjoy the silence? What if creating that margin in my life will allow me to spend more time with everyone in my life that is important to me? What if saying no to the things that control my life means I can spend time with the people that I want to be in my life?

So today I'm making a pledge. I am making a new commitment, even though it's the oldest commitment of all - I am giving myself permission to breathe, to say no, and to create margin in my busy life. Even if it means that work projects take a little longer and I don't manage that 4.0. Even if that means I don't schedule something every single night of the week. Even if that means I do nothing. Will you join me?

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Stepping Out

When first approached about this blog, it didn't take me long to realize what I wanted my theme to be about. For me, life has always been like a series of stepping stones that cross a seemingly endless river. If you don't use the stones, you'll be swept away by the current. But, at the same time, you may not see the path that stones are taking you on. Instead of being a straight, direct line from point A to point B, the stones seem to circle and backtrack and wander. The hard part is trusting you'll get to that distant shore someday, even though it may take a lot longer than you would like, and you may end up on a completely different route than you would have chosen to travel.

For years, one of my favorite quotes has been this:

When you come to the edge of all the light you know and are about to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen; you will be given something firm to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.

How true is that when you think of the stepping stones in your own life? Have you come to a point where you are at the end of all the light you know? Are you standing there, one foot over the darkness, wondering what will happen next? Faith is knowing that God will provide the next step in one way or another. You may only get that one little step, but you will get that. And then another. And another. And another.

I am excited to be on this journey with you. Right now I'm standing here, stepping into the darkness of an unknown moment, and confident that whatever happens, I will be given exactly what I need. The road I am traveling is anything but straight. I have backed up and twisted around more times than I can count! Sometimes, instead of stepping into the darkness, I have run backwards toward the more familiar stones. But somehow, slowly, I edge toward the unknown again and face the great adventure of life.

One step at a time.

Will you step with me?

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The Day That Changed Everything

My sister, brothers, dad and I in fall 1994

The new sermon series at SOCC made me think about the one day, the span of 24 hours, where my whole world changed. You see, it was 14 years ago today that my mom woke me up early, whispered what I didn’t want to hear into my ear and drove me 2 hours to Kalamazoo, Michigan. In that 24 hours, I walked into a hospital room that was – crazy – with activity. Bells, whistles, warnings, buzzers and more were all going off. I’m still convinced that every single thing that COULD make noise in that room was making noise. Soon, the noises were silent.


In that 24 hours, I walked up to the hospital bed and smiled down at the man lying there. I wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at my mom and stepmom standing together. I held his hand. I nodded. My stepmom nodded, as well. Quietly, a nurse turned off the machine. I hoped against all hope as he took one, two, three labored breaths; then he was still. As I collapsed onto him his chest, I couldn’t believe he was gone. I was 17 and my dad was dead.

It’s amazing to me now, 14 years later, how much I still remember about that day. I remember the way the room smelled, the tears, the way his hands were bloated and his skin was a little yellow. I remember running from the room and burying my head in my hands. I remember my mom and stepmom standing beside each other, holding each other up, the fights and frustrations and hurts of the past forgotten. I remember falling asleep crying in my mom’s lap. I remember wanting nothing more than to get back to Albion, back to home, almost like I was running away.

I remember getting home and calling some friends from the youth group to tell them what had happened. They were at the drive-in about ½ an hour away. I remember wanting to get out of my house and just going for a drive. I remember the entire youth group showing up on the road as I was leaving town. I remember my friend Ben jumping in my car and telling me I wasn’t going anywhere alone. I remember screaming, crying and trying to pretend everything was ok all at the same time.

Just two weeks prior to this tragedy, I had accepted the ‘reality’ of God, put my trust in Him and was already facing a huge test. I wanted so much not to believe; I wanted so much to be angry and hateful; but I wasn’t. I was tired. I was confused. I was broken. But I still wanted to believe more than anything in the world that God was real and that this pain had a purpose.

Even in my intense pain, I knew one thing: this was just one day, one page, one chapter in a bigger story.

Over the last 14 years, my dad has missed many important things in my life: he never saw me direct or star in a play. He never saw me graduate from high school or college. He never met a boyfriend, moved me into my first apartment or celebrated my first “real” job. He never gave his blessing to my engagement and he wasn’t there to walk me down the aisle when I married. He didn’t move the heavy furniture into our first house or laugh at all the puppy drama when we first got Madi. He never saw any of his kids grow up and he will never know our stories and who we have become.

I recently read a book called “The Aedyn Chronicles.” One line in particular stood out to me:
'...For there is a greater story - a deeper story. A story which rules all stories. And a story of which you are a part.'

That 24 hours forever changed my life, but it was up to me to choose whether or not I let that event define who I would be from that moment forward. Would that be my whole story, or was there a bigger story being told? I have found comfort in Scripture in the last 14 years, but one Psalm always reminds me that God is bigger than my circumstance, no matter how bad, stressful or dark any given 24 hours might be:

Psalm 40
I waited patiently for the LORD;
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.


He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.


Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.


Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders You have done.
The things You planned for us
no one can recount to You;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.


Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears You have pierced
burnt offerings and sin offerings
You did not require.

Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do Your will, O my God;
Your law is within my heart."


I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips,
as You know, O LORD.

I do not hide Your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of Your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal Your love and Your truth
from the great assembly.


Do not withhold Your mercy from me, O LORD;
may Your love and Your truth always protect me.

For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.


Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.

May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.


May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"
be appalled at their own shame.

But may all who seek You
rejoice and be glad in You;
may those who love Your salvation always say,
"The LORD be exalted!"


Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.

May I always remember that, no matter how good or bad the current 24 hours is, they are nothing more than a stepping stone toward a greater purpose, a bigger God and a stronger faith.

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Emily Bedwell

Emily is a 2001 graduate of Indiana University, where she received a BA in English. However, she received her "real education" in the school of life - being a Christian in a non-Christian world.

Having not grown up in a Christian home, Emily didn't know much about God until she went on a mission trip with friends at age 17. While her motivation for the trip may have been to get out of town for awhile, God had bigger things planned. It was on that trip that she first realized there was something to "that Jesus" she had been hearing about. She put her trust in Christ in August 1996, just a few days before her dad was in a tragic car accident that eventually led to his untimely death. An extremely trying time for this young Christian, Emily took her first step of faith in God and trusted that He would help her get through that dark time.

In college, Emily was actively involved in the IU Christian Student Fellowship. It was through IUCSF that she learned to put her faith into action and really began to understand what it meant to be a Christ-follower. She knows she would not be the woman she is today without the influence of the leaders of CSF and the friends she made through that ministry. She was baptized by Paul Steiner, one of the CSF leaders, in February of 2000.

Emily has worked at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church since March, 2002. While her job responsibilities and titles have changed often through the years, her passion for writing, drama and leading others into an honest, changing relationship with Christ has been constant. She is excited to be a part of the Main Stream team and is looking forward to stepping along this journey with you.

To learn more about Emily and to read daily insights into her 'normal' life, check out her blog.

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