Photobooks and Photography...

My dad is ALWAYS so hard to buy for... so this year, I decided to create a photo book of engagement photos that I took using the Shutterfly website. Luckily, they loved it!

If you want to take a peak, I linked it up below.

To view more of my photography you can go to my website EMAGES or become a fan of me on Facebook using the box I posted up at the top.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Click here to view this photo book larger

What breaks are made of...

What are breaks made of?

Eating lots of food, sleeping until noon, and spending time with family...
That's what the best breaks are made of....

HI friends! Wow, I know it's been so long since I've updated my blog. College is done for this semester, so I'm extremely excited about that! The break has been just wonderful so far. I checked my final grades and I think I got A's all across the board... woohoo!

AND I just found out that I'm singing a solo in Cabaret at college in January - not sure about that date yet. Some of you might wonder what I'm singing... I'll give you a hint:

Yep, she sings it! Colors of the Wind is the song that I auditioned with, and apparently they thought it was good enough to sing during Cabaret. I'm really excited! But stinking nervous... I haven't done too many solos in my life. SCARY.


On a completely different note, I've been doing photography lately - trying to get my business up and running. I have an engagement session this Saturday, so that should be fun! Here are a few of my favorite shots from my dad's engagement session:

You can view more of my work here: www.zemages.com

And now... I must go fill out more of an application that has been looming over my head for the past few weeks. :(

Blessings to you all! And Merry Christmas!

Twas the Night before Finals Week

Twas the night before finals week, and all through the dorm
Every girl was stirring - studying up a storm

Last minute cramming was a common sight
Until the first break of morning light

At 1am, not one student was tucked into bed
Visions of papers and exams danced in their heads

..............................

And that's all I have to say about that right now
My brain is fried and I'm exhausted anyhow

Sterling College finals will soon come to an end
And I know that God will continue to be my friend

:D


(This is just proof that I'm going a little crazy...)

Have Peanut M&M's Ever Made You Cry?

Yeah, me neither.





Until today.





After finishing a paper for my Special Needs Education class in record time, I decided to go down to the vending machine in the lobby of our dorm. The intention was to reward myself with something sweet.





Unfortunately, the selection wasn't very good, but they had tropical Skittles... so I decided to go with that. The machine wouldn't take my dollar bill, which was frustrating. I spent more time than I should have digging through my wallet to find some spare change.





FINALLY I found 75 cents worth of coins... and pressed D1, with the intention of pressing the zero after that because the Skittles were D10.





Well... as I'm sure you've already guessed, D1 has it's own type of candy and there is an entirely separate button for D10. Which I blindly didn't notice until after I had already pushed D1.





So there I stood... watching a yellow bag of peanut M&M's fall instead of my tropical Skittles.





Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as I bent down to grab them out of the machine; a million thoughts and memories flooding my mind. Once I was back in my room, I ripped open the package, slightly annoyed that the machine wouldn't take a dollar bill and I had used all my change on the peanut M&M's that weren't even my favorite.





"But they were someones favorite."





And at that thought, tears started welling up in my eyes. I glanced around the room, frantically wanting to prevent the tears because I knew that once they started, it would be hard to get them to stop.





But my strength to control them failed when my eyes fell on a red book called "Corduroy":

I had picked this book up at a garage sale a few days before. From the outside looking in, you'd think that it was just an ordinary book. But to me, it's a book full of memories. Memories of cuddling up on the couch with my mom as she read it to me - her voice full of character and animation. I could hear her voice as my eyes took in every sentence.





So there I was... sitting on my roommates bed, eating peanut M&M's, reading "Corduroy", and crying....





Missing her.

Know Nothing

I sat down this morning, surprised that I felt so inspired to write. Ironically, I couldn't think of one meaningful thing to talk about. Suddenly this verse from 1 Corinthians popped into my mind:

"For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."

Wow.

How about I write about nothing else but Jesus Christ and him crucified?

Friends, what if we really took this verse to heart? It's not the only one in the Bible like it... there are many others. What if we really did vow to know, talk about, and meditate only upon Christ? My guess is that our lives would be transformed in a greater way than we could ever imagine.

Obviously, in the every day tasks of life there are things that we need to think upon that are simply necessities - such as meals, cleaning, grocery shopping, school, etc. But what if in these daily tasks we were constantly keeping the Lord in mind... ready to go to him with any prayer or request the minute we encounter a need. There is no way that a life of total dedication and abandonment like that is ever left unchanged.

So today... as you go about those daily chores and duties, know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified! Meditate on this truth. He is more than worthy of all our affection, attention, and dedication.

Growing Slowly

"Be not afraid of growing slowly - be afraid only of standing still."

I was sitting in my cultural diversity class a few days ago and we were discussing ancient proverbs from different cultures. My teacher handed us a list and told us to look them over. I just scanned the list quickly, knowing that some of them were a bunch of hogwash. I mean, we already have a whole book of Proverbs in the Bible, right? Why did I need to read any more?

WELL...

As I was moving quickly down the list, I came to the Chinese proverbs. Suddenly, one of them caught my eye and just seemed to jump right off the page:

"Be not afraid of growing slowly - be afraid only of standing still."

Amazed, I set the paper down as I tried to grasp my mind around the deeper meaning contained within the proverb. Some people might only think about the physical aspect of growing or about growing in knowledge. But immediately, my mind jumped to my spiritual walk.

How many times in the past had I become impatient because I didn't feel close to the Lord? How many times had I wondered why I couldn't seem to make the difference for Christ that I desperately wanted to make? How many times had I tried to force myself into spiritual submission?

I wanted to grow... FAST.

I wanted to see that spiritual growth.

I wanted to become a world-changer... overnight.

But then I read this proverb and realized something. I shouldn't be afraid of growing slowly - just as long as I'm growing. When I'm frozen in my spiritual growth is the point where I should become concerned. Growing is so important... but no one can grow a tree overnight. Walking day by day with my Lord, even through the valley, is just as important as when He takes me to those spiritual mountaintops where everything looks clear.

So I just want to encourage you today... don't give up if you feel like you're growing slowly! Look for the little ways that God is working in your life... and don't you dare give up. He is not finished with you yet.

Sterling Wildlife

So... right now I'm writing to you from the campus library... because wireless internet is down campus-wide. We recieved an email today that said it should be restored by tomorrow at 5pm. WOOT WOOT! As Switchfoot says "You never know what you got until it's gone." :)

Today I had my first encounter with Sterling wildlife. It was night... and I had just come outside to take some friends back to the lake where they had left their car,

WHEN SUDDENLY...

A BIG HAIRY THING WITH A LONG PINK TAIL RAN UNDERNEATH MY CAR.

I gasped.

Never had I seen such a hideous looking thing.

My friends screamed.

One of them shouted "It's an opposum!"

Grossness. First the rat named Stewart, and now this.

After scaring it out from underneath my car we chased it from car to car... and finally abandoned the thing because it was getting late.

Poor thing.

Perhaps we should have named him McHairy. Then my dorm, McCreery, can have it's very own mascot.

Perhaps not.

Can you say GROSS?

I'm sitting at my house... wait. No I'm not. I'm sitting in my DORM ROOM... underneath my loft bed. How weird is that!?

Hi friends! For those of you that don't know already, I transferred to an amazing little college in an amazing little town in the middle of an amazing little state. Okay, that's not completely true. Kansas isn't really THAT little... but it's smaller than Texas. :)

I am absolutely loving the campus, the people, the atmosphere of my dorm (McCreery Girls ROCK! WOOT!), my R.A. Candice, my professors, my awesome advisers, and the administration that has been so helpful to me. It's a lot cooler today, which is really nice. I enjoyed going to a variety show that the college staff and R.A's put on last night. It was entertaining... and white shirts - you guys were TOO FUNNY! HA... some of you people back home might not understand, but that's okay. I don't really know how to explain it other than by saying that is was basically like a mime act with high-pitched screaming and running around like wild banshees. So anyway, that was a lot of fun.

I almost ate a rat.

That too, is something that you people back home won't understand. I was selected out of the audience (THANKS KAYLA AND SALIMA!) and blindfolded. Then I was told to grab things out of a cup and eat them, while identifying them as fast as I could. At one point I reached in and grabbed a handful of fur... and then the fur moved. I screamed and when they took the blindfold off, I saw a white mouse (That was ALIVE) in the cup that I had just put my hand in. Can somebody say GROSS? Yes... gross. That's what it was. Then, rumors started flying that I was crying when I walked off of the stage ... because I was laughing so hard that tears were coming out of my eyes.

Ha. What a night.

Classes started today too. I took Intro to Children With Special Needs this morning, as well as Fundamentals of Teaching Reading. Then, this afternoon, I took Language Arts for Elementary Teachers. They were all very interesting and reaffirmed the fact that Elementary Education is exactly the major that God wants me in.

Well, thanks for reading all this randomness... come visit again soon!

By His Grace,

A Call to Arms...NOW

How many times have you said to yourself "When I finally reach ____________, THEN my life will really start,". When I finally reach graduation, marriage, the milestone of starting a family... then I will be totally content. But until that time, I can't really serve Christ in an effective way.

What a lie.

An amazing battle is won by the enemy when we are convinced that the stuff we do right now is just "filling the time" until true life begins. How much more effective could we be if we decided:

Right now.

Today.

To take up that spiritual armor and fight the battles of God. Whether it's fighting to have a good attitude when things don't go as planned, fighting to get out of bed again in the morning, fighting to forgive someone, fighting for joy in the midst of a busy life, fighting for purity in a world of filth, fighting the temptation to judge others, fighting anxiety and fear..................fighting.

And yet, I'm so guilty to play the part of a bystander on the sidelines of a combat zone. Believing lies that I am not qualified to fight... not qualified to put on that shining breastplate of righteousness, that powerful belt of truth, that victorious sword of the spirit, I stand... imaginging one day being "worthy" enough to take up that armor.

Weapons are handed to me by fellow bystanders. They offer me everything. From self-help books to chocolate to companionship... each minute assuring me that these things are strong enough to fight my battles for me. An easy fix... but in the end they are only a string of distractions and leave me empty.

Jesus. He calls to me... pleads with me to gird myself in the spiritual armor that He offers. He promises that it will be strong enough to thwart the schemes of my greatest fear and enemy: satan and his lies.

Not only that, but he says "Emily, take up the armor right NOW. Quit waiting until you're good enough, because that day will never come. In the meantime, you could be winning mighty battles in your own heart and in MY Kingdom."

Friends, now is the time. What are you waiting for? None of us are promised even another day on this earth. Take up the spiritual armor that is discussed in Ephesians 6 and start fighting your battles! If God is for us, WHO can be against us? How much more could you and I be accomplishing for the kingdom if we laid aside the thought that we'll do it tomorrow! Life doesn't start when we finally reach that perfect salary earning, marry that perfect person, or have a perfect family. Life is NOW. Don't miss what God has for you now because you're so busy looking behind you or in front of you. Look at what you have right here before you and thank God for the opportunity to serve Him NOW.

Don't wait. :)

Blog Facelift... And a Very Un-inspiring Post.

Is it raining where you are at right now? It was raining and storming here this evening. I haven't felt like writing in quite awhile, but the rain seemed to trigger something deep within my heart and I felt inspired. So inspired in fact, that I pulled up my blog... only to discover that the background that I used was removed from the web! SO... not only did my blog not have a background and looked horribly messy... it didn't look like an inspiring place to write... or read for that matter.

What goes without telling is the fact that I spent the last few hours making over my blog. Hopefully you all like it! It needed a face-lift anyways...

SO.... now that it's done... I'm feeling very UN-inspired to write. Very tired. And I have church in the morning. I hope you all don't mind too terribly much! Hopefully soon I'll have time to catch you up on what's been happening in my life lately.... because it's CRAZY EXCITING!

Feeling Worthless? I Can Identify...

FRIENDS... wow. I don't really like being away from the Internet for such a long time. I'm working at a camp this summer for those of you who don't know, so that's why I haven't appeared on here in such a long while. However, I think that falling away from my Internet buddies for a few weeks or months to draw closer to my Heavenly Father is really worth it in the end. He's teaching me so much out at camp... I can't even begin to explain. What I CAN explain though, is this poem that I wrote a few mornings ago. I was really struggling with several things that were just weighing my heart down. Feelings of worthlessness plagued my mind as I wrestled with thoughts of confusion and doubt. But before I totally lost it, God reminded me of where my identity and worth truly lies.

7/5/2010

Lord, my heart turns to you once more

It's broken pieces shattered on the floor.

"You'll never be worth anything - you're just a waste"

These thoughts and others fill my mind - the cup of rejection I do taste.

"Your personality is all wrong for a woman of God"

"You try and play all these "Christian games, but inside you're just a fraud.

"No one will ever love you - you'll just have to live with it."

"A mis-matched character in a matched up world - you'll never fit."

But the Lord in Heaven looks down from on high

Doesn't see me as a mistake - but as an opportunity to lay down his life and die.

Would he have the chance to do everything all over again

He wouldn't change who he made me to be - wouldn't change his plan.

The personality that he gave me - he fully intends to use

To bring about his desired purposes and the plans that he will choose.

Wholly loved and wholly forgiven

When I cry, tears fall from my Father in Heaven.

He sees the pain that is ever before my eyes

But promises that from the ashes, I will rise.

No longer bound by consuming grief

It's time to start afresh - let God turn over a new leaf

My life is but a breath - a mere flower that soon fades

So as I walk through the trials of this life, help me to always walk in your ways.

Reflecting On Grace, Today...

As I sit here and reflect this morning... I'm overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by grace. Overwhelmed by feelings of unworthiness. Overwhelmed by the truth that Jesus died and was separated from the Father on that Good Friday thousands of years ago. He was separated from the Father so that I wouldn't have to be.

Can you even comprehend the thought that Jesus had YOU on His mind when He took His last breath on the cross? He loved us with a love that the world has never seen and will never see again until He returns.

I can just picture His gentle eyes, so full of love for the broken world that He came to save. Yet we treated Him with scorn. We spit on Him. We bruised and broke Him... and instead of cursing us, He whispered "Father... forgive them. For they know not what they are doing."

Precious grace shouldn't cover someone like me, but it does. Jesus shouldn't love me, but He does. I shouldn't be clean in the eyes of the Father... but I am.

You see, when Jesus died that day, the earth knew that it's creator had just done the impossible. That He had made a way where there was none before. That He had provided an escape. But not because He wanted earthly glory and honor. He knew that His kingdom was not an earthly kingdom... so He endured the cross. As a result, we can take part in that beautiful, glorious, heavenly kingdom.



Precious Jesus

I'm astounded that my sins are gone and I'm set free
because of what you did on that wonderful cross for Me

My sin brings me to the ground in shame
But on that precious cross, You took the blame

Jesus, I simply can't find the words to speak
I'm amazed that you still love me, even when I'm weak

Through trials and storms, you never leave my side
My beautiful Savior; my pure and perfect guide

Come resurrect my heart this good Friday
And fix my thoughts on the great debt that you chose to pay

Jesus, you were the one and only perfect price
May I never forget nor take for granted Your sacrifice

BOO! Did I surprise you?

Yeah, I know. I bet you've been wondering if I fell off the face of the earth.

Well I did....

but now I'm back. *cheesy grin*

So... how have your lives been for the past few months? Life was moving along just fine for me and then *BAM*... school started. Suddenly... my time was sucked into this extreme vortex of activities, assignments, and study hours. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Yes.... attack of the homework.

BUT... despite all this, my relationship with Christ is deepening. He seems to teach me the most through the darkest nights. I still have a long way to go... but the road is looking bright. :)

Hmmmm... what else can I tell you all about...

OH! So, I got hired to work out at a camp this summer! I'm incredibly excited about this opportunity to minister to youth while growing in my own faith. May Christ live through me and use me ALWAYS. Not for MY glory, but for HIS.

Well... I better go now. My college algebra homework is staring me in the face... and it's face is NOT pretty to look at... so I better just go get it over with.

Happy Spring to all of you!

Need to WRITE and BE RIGHT!

I've been feeling the urge to write lately... but not just frills and fun. Something DEEP... something meaningful. Something *gulp*... a little personal that I've been learning.


Now... to the deep stuff: I have this horrible thing with being right. It's really annoying and I've always wondered why I feel like I have to be right about things... even things that don't really matter. Someone finally labeled it as selfishness. At first I rejected that because it sounded too dirty. SELFishness... what a title. That makes me sound like an unthoughtful, uncaring person.


But then I realized...


That I AM an unthoughtful uncaring person.


The only good that is in me, is the work that Christ Jesus has done in me. For there is "no one that is good... not even one." My selfishness eats away at my joy, if I don't continually work to overcome that nature with Christ's help. He alone is my strength, and apart from Him... I am a pathetic wretch. Never in my life have I been so aware of my own selfishness as this present time. If "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me," then why is it so hard to overcome this selfishness? Because my flesh keeps reverting back to it's old ways.

Which is why I need

but don't deserve,

a Savior.

Thank you Jesus for that precious cross.

Unworthy yet accepted,