a look into emily's journal

dear journal,

so i'm starting this new segment on my blog kind of like a sneak peek into my journal, well you! but i want this little segment to kind of let my readers get to know me more and obtain a sense of what's going on in my life--grammar rules excluded. so, today is a look into emily's journal number one!

this morning i read some amazing verses in Psalm 4: 6-8, "Why is everyone hungry for more? 'More, more,' they say. 'More, more.' I have God's more-than-enough, more joy in one ordinary day than they get in all their shopping sprees. At day's end I'm ready for sound sleep, for you, God, have put my life back together." wow. i absolutely love these verses. it is so easy to get caught up in getting stressed out over what i don't have and what i want. it is way too easy to wrapped up in thinking about the million little things that i "have" to do and leave barely any room for what is the most important--Jesus Christ. this year i have committed to read through the Bible in a new light--the Message Remix. my first four days into it has been amazing. i love how fresh the words are and how they just make so much sense!

tomorrow is monday. my first day back to school to start preparing for mid-terms. wow. i am looking ahead at this week thinking so much about all of the intense work that i am going to have to do for these exams! i seriously cannot wait for our break afterwards!!!! but at the same time, i am excited to get my little routine of life going again. you know, school, work, homework, friends, youth group, working out, my favorite tv show, the weekend, and making time for everything else in-between. but you see, i want to make my life routine different this year, along with my "new me!" i want to add some new things and experiences to this routine....which i guess is really not making it a routine any more, but that's ok! this year i want to first and foremost make Jesus Christ first (i think i just established the first part, but i wanted to make it perfectly clear!). but also, educationally there are some ideas that i want to put into practice. like i want to study one president each week. so this week i will be learning about George Washington and next week about John Adams until i reach our new president-elect. then i also really want to know and stand strong in my faith--i want to sharpen my apologetics and write the series for my blog. i want to get better at memorizing Scripture. i do want to have a new me this year--a better me. yep, that's going to take some work......routines aren't easy to break. habits are not easy to break. yuck. so the next few weeks are going to be pretty intense. but i am up to the challenge--putting Jesus first.

for i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.....

because of His hope,
emily