My poor, dear readers.
I am so sorry it has been this long. I think I will stop promising posts within certain times, because it always seems to jinx my schedule! Not to make lame excuses, but the past couple weeks I have not been feeling well. I am learning how to use my limited energy to accomplish the top priorities for every day. Unfortunately, at this point blogging is not high on that list. But I really miss it! It seems post ideas are always popping into my head, and at times I feel like Reepicheep of Narnia, "...the number of things he thought of saying all at once nearly suffocated him..." (Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Chapter III "The Lone Islands")
But tonight, some very exciting news is coming out! Watch this to see if you get as excited as me!!!
Check out the first four clues as well for some great laughs! :D
Lots of love,
Ericka
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
What's in a Name?
A very overdue post about....my blog title! I thought I'd clarify a common question, and also explain why I came up with it.
Now, Bible-literate people will look at "Jer178" and think either Jeremiah 17:8 or Jeremiah 1:7-8 (that's the common question). Both are great verses, but if you chose the latter, you are....correct! It says:
I used to be shy around people. It was a self-centered shy: I wanted to be friendly so people would like me; but I felt like I could never come up with the right things to say. Looking back, I see I obsessed so much about how they would view me and think of me, that I basically paralyzed myself! Eventually, there was a time where I just avoided people as much as possible, thinking "Well, someday I'll grow out of this." I did, but not in the way I was envisioning.
Christ had mercy on me. He showed me that because I am His Child and Servant, He wants to work through my life to bless others. Choosing to hold myself back was as much sin as if I had spoken unkind words.
And so, slowly, I began reaching outside myself, pushing myself with the knowledge this was obedience to Christ. Still, there were many times I just didn't know what to say; often I would be reduced to almost tears when I felt I was fumbling and lurching through conversations. Again and again it drove me to Him, begging and pleading with Him to show me what to say, what to do. And you know what? Yes, that's right! He did and still does. Now, I'm not perfect. And I've discovered that I can never "outgrow" needing His wisdom. Because of Christ's sacrifice for me on the cross, I have the opportunity and blessing to be constantly on my knees before Him, continually asking Him to give me words to say...and they are always better than what I would have come up with myself.
All that to tell you why Jer. 1:7-8 is so important to me! The title's other half, Rebelutionary, comes from the Latin root...no, wait! It comes from the word Rebelution. Now, don't puzzle your brains over this one; you won't find it in a dictionary. And no, it isn't a misspelling either. This word was made by Alex and Brett Harris when they merged the words "rebel" and "revolution" to come up with a single word for this idea they had: The Rebelution, teenage rebellion against low expectations (I'm won't go into detail, so definitely check out the links for more info). So, a Rebelutionary is someone who has chosen to step up and say "I won't be tied down by low expectations; I will live my life to the uttermost for Christ." And there's the rub! Lots of young people are doing things above and beyond what others think of them; they are making a difference. But for Christ? Is their goal to glorify Him and point others to His saving grace? God alone knows their hearts.
That's why I have these two together. It reminds me, "Hey! You have a job in life. You are Christ's ambassador (2 Cor. 5:20). But you can't do this on your own. Christ is what makes the difference. He's the life, the energy, the strength, He is the ALL you need (Phil. 4:19)."
And that's why my name is...Jer178Rebelutionary.
Next up: Oh. Deary me....there's a lot of things I want to share with you all. How about a Website Highlite on...something that was/is a Hard Thing? Coming up in a week (or perhaps two)!
Love to all,
Ericka
Now, Bible-literate people will look at "Jer178" and think either Jeremiah 17:8 or Jeremiah 1:7-8 (that's the common question). Both are great verses, but if you chose the latter, you are....correct! It says:
But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you," declares the LORD.
I used to be shy around people. It was a self-centered shy: I wanted to be friendly so people would like me; but I felt like I could never come up with the right things to say. Looking back, I see I obsessed so much about how they would view me and think of me, that I basically paralyzed myself! Eventually, there was a time where I just avoided people as much as possible, thinking "Well, someday I'll grow out of this." I did, but not in the way I was envisioning.
Christ had mercy on me. He showed me that because I am His Child and Servant, He wants to work through my life to bless others. Choosing to hold myself back was as much sin as if I had spoken unkind words.
And so, slowly, I began reaching outside myself, pushing myself with the knowledge this was obedience to Christ. Still, there were many times I just didn't know what to say; often I would be reduced to almost tears when I felt I was fumbling and lurching through conversations. Again and again it drove me to Him, begging and pleading with Him to show me what to say, what to do. And you know what? Yes, that's right! He did and still does. Now, I'm not perfect. And I've discovered that I can never "outgrow" needing His wisdom. Because of Christ's sacrifice for me on the cross, I have the opportunity and blessing to be constantly on my knees before Him, continually asking Him to give me words to say...and they are always better than what I would have come up with myself.
All that to tell you why Jer. 1:7-8 is so important to me! The title's other half, Rebelutionary, comes from the Latin root...no, wait! It comes from the word Rebelution. Now, don't puzzle your brains over this one; you won't find it in a dictionary. And no, it isn't a misspelling either. This word was made by Alex and Brett Harris when they merged the words "rebel" and "revolution" to come up with a single word for this idea they had: The Rebelution, teenage rebellion against low expectations (I'm won't go into detail, so definitely check out the links for more info). So, a Rebelutionary is someone who has chosen to step up and say "I won't be tied down by low expectations; I will live my life to the uttermost for Christ." And there's the rub! Lots of young people are doing things above and beyond what others think of them; they are making a difference. But for Christ? Is their goal to glorify Him and point others to His saving grace? God alone knows their hearts.
That's why I have these two together. It reminds me, "Hey! You have a job in life. You are Christ's ambassador (2 Cor. 5:20). But you can't do this on your own. Christ is what makes the difference. He's the life, the energy, the strength, He is the ALL you need (Phil. 4:19)."
And that's why my name is...Jer178Rebelutionary.
Next up: Oh. Deary me....there's a lot of things I want to share with you all. How about a Website Highlite on...something that was/is a Hard Thing? Coming up in a week (or perhaps two)!
Love to all,
Ericka
Monday, April 27, 2009
Hello!
Well, fellow bloggers, I am back! I will be messing around with things, and trying out stuff (and working on posts!)....just so you know.
See you around!
See you around!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
This year.....
Hello y'all!
Snow, SNOW, Snow!!!! At last, a decent amount of snow! (And a fairly decent amount of ice to boot.) Soaked gloves, snowy boots, rosy cheeks, hot chocolate….
The snow was also very useful because I couldn't go anywhere, so I worked on this post. ☺ Rather overdue, I know, but I usually blog when I get up early, and.....I haven't been do so during the past week *sorry!*
So anyway, I promised to tell you more about the year's goal. Well, actually, I have three:
That does sound a little non-specific, doesn’t it? They’re actually more like guidelines than specific goals. I
Blessings,
Ericka
Snow, SNOW, Snow!!!! At last, a decent amount of snow! (And a fairly decent amount of ice to boot.) Soaked gloves, snowy boots, rosy cheeks, hot chocolate….
The snow was also very useful because I couldn't go anywhere, so I worked on this post. ☺ Rather overdue, I know, but I usually blog when I get up early, and.....I haven't been do so during the past week *sorry!*
So anyway, I promised to tell you more about the year's goal. Well, actually, I have three:
- Do Hard Things.
- Get my act together.
- Use the situations around me to prepare myself for life.
That does sound a little non-specific, doesn’t it? They’re actually more like guidelines than specific goals. I
- Do Hard Things. I am in college (doing CollegePlus!), and between school, church, and family it seemed I had no time for anything else But God showed me I was really just lazy, not wanting put the effort into making things happen. So now I have to roll up my sleeves and make my schedule accomodate those hard things H wants me to do (you'll hear about them as they come!).
- Get my act together. Really, it means to go through my life like a person combing hair for lice, looking for those things that are hindrances/stumbling blocks (Heb. 12:1, Eph. 4:22) and replacing them with something better. I can't really do this very well by myself since I tend to think I'm a pretty good person ;) So this one kinda depends on the next:
- Use the situations around me to prepare myself for life. I know God has plans for me (Jer. 29:11) -ones I'm very excited about!- from the desires and gifts He has given me. And I have tried to go ahead and get started on them, but each time He has closed the door firmly but lovingly, and made it quite clear that I am not ready. It took me while to accept that fact. But He has made me content with where I am (Psalm 37:3), and in the many situations I face, I see His hand of preparation (having a large family: flexibility and leadership. Having students: patience and responsibility. Honoring parents when I think differently: obedience, humility, and appealing respectfully) Plus, He reveals to me what I need to change/learn by the way I react to various circumstances. It's not very pretty sometimes....but I'm thankful for Him caring enough about me to do so (Psalm 119:75, Heb. 12:10).
Blessings,
Ericka
Monday, January 19, 2009
First post of 2009!!
Hello y'all!!
It's the new year! In fact, it's way past New Year's Day (in case you hadn't noticed).
I'll be honest, for the past month, I have been struggling with several issues and not dealing with them well at all. Ergo, I did not want to say "Here's how God is helping me Do Hard Things" when really, I wasn't allowing myself to use His strength.
But by God's grace, He has allowed me to come out on top of my feelings and all that.
He has broken and humbled me as He showed me the many things that needed to change, big time, in my life.
He has given me a new longing to spend time with Him and to memorize Scripture; He has answered my prayers by giving me an intense longing to "know Him [meaning Christ] and the power of His resurrection" and that I "may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but of that which is through faith in Christ..."(Philippians 3, verses 10 and 9 respectively)
He has given me several verses from Psalm 37: (3-5) Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord trust also in Him and He will do it....(7) "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in His way because of the man who carries out wicked schemes."
God has been so good to me even though I often turned away from Him, and I praise Him for His mercy and lovingkindness!! I am excited about the vision He has given me for this year, and I look forward to sharing about it in the next couple posts!
Blessings,
Ericka
Hehe, I forgot to changed the post date...it is now officially posted in January.
It's the new year! In fact, it's way past New Year's Day (in case you hadn't noticed).
I'll be honest, for the past month, I have been struggling with several issues and not dealing with them well at all. Ergo, I did not want to say "Here's how God is helping me Do Hard Things" when really, I wasn't allowing myself to use His strength.
But by God's grace, He has allowed me to come out on top of my feelings and all that.
He has broken and humbled me as He showed me the many things that needed to change, big time, in my life.
He has given me a new longing to spend time with Him and to memorize Scripture; He has answered my prayers by giving me an intense longing to "know Him [meaning Christ] and the power of His resurrection" and that I "may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but of that which is through faith in Christ..."(Philippians 3, verses 10 and 9 respectively)
He has given me several verses from Psalm 37: (3-5) Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord trust also in Him and He will do it....(7) "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in His way because of the man who carries out wicked schemes."
God has been so good to me even though I often turned away from Him, and I praise Him for His mercy and lovingkindness!! I am excited about the vision He has given me for this year, and I look forward to sharing about it in the next couple posts!
Blessings,
Ericka
Hehe, I forgot to changed the post date...it is now officially posted in January.
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