decisivelyerin

So it’s been a little while. Well let me catch you up. This past summer I read a fantastic and inspiring book called 7 by Jen Hatmaker. The main idea of this book is to give up unnecessary things in order to give more time to Jesus. The best thing about this is that as a team, we are tackling our own challenges. 

For about 3 weeks we were challenged to limit the amount of waste we produce. For me, it was harder just because I felt like I already limited my own waste. I’m a pretty environmentally conscious person (being a geography major it’s basically a requirement) so I’ve already been practicing a decrease in electricity use and water use on my part. 

My main challenge for myself was to greatly reduce how much I drive places. This actually wasn’t that hard since I live with understanding people who knew I was doing the challenge and didn’t mind if they needed to drive me places. Also in the last week of this challenge my car battery decided to die so I was forced to fully participate knowing I didn’t have a backup. 

Now, like I said, this wasn’t too hard for me. I live close to campus and take the bus or walk when I need to but knowing that I didn’t have a car even if I really needed it changed my perspective a little bit. It made me think about how lucky I am to even have a car in the first place (even if it was currently out of service). 

I think the thing I loved the most was what I chose to do with my time while walking. Instead of just thinking aimlessly and letting my thoughts run, adding to the chaos inside my mind, I decided to give that time to God. I spent my time praying instead of listening to music or talking on the phone. And I could see a change in my relationship with God. Now granted it was a small one and it was more within myself than an outward extension but I felt that I was building a stronger trust between me and the Lord, something I’ve been longing for but never made a true effort to seek out. 

It’s amazing what giving something up can do. When I gave up the simple act of driving, I left up an abundance of time to spend with the Lord, time I had always said I didn’t have. It’s funny how that works. 

So that was that challenge. 

Now we are moving on to a new challenge, one that is hard but so fulfilling. This time we are giving up and reducing our media intake. It seems ironic that while I’m doing this challenge I am using media to post this blog but we can let that one slide for now. 

For myself personally I have decided to completely remove the use of Snapchat, Instagram, and Netflix from my life for 2 weeks. I’m fairly happy to say that I’ve succeeded with this in the past week!

I have also chosen to reduce the use/use more intentionally Facebook, YouTube, and TV in general, limiting my time on these things to just 45 minutes each day. 

Let me tell you, this is harder than just giving the others up completely. I selfishly, and probably not completely up to the challenge, put the things I would have the hardest time with in the limitations category instead of the absolute removal category. So basically I can still check Facebook and watch an episode of tv if I want. 

The hardest thing is limiting TV. Although I gave up Netflix, I still am attached to current tv shows. And let me tell you, I watch a lot of tv. I like keeping up to date with these shows too so this has been where I struggle the most. When I have multiple shows I watch yet only 45 minutes a day, it starts to get hard to pick! And then I’m like “well I could watch both, no one will know” which of course they wouldn’t but I know I would feel guilty afterwards knowing I’ve broken this challenge. 

This is hard for me because I find my relaxation and decompression in watching tv, in seeing a fantasy world play out, to remove myself from my own reality and live out a life of a character with a much more exciting life than mine. 

So I’ll be honest- I have completely failed this challenge solely because I can’t remove tv from my life. I’ve limited myself but not to the 45 minutes that my goal was. But this just encourages me to try again and actually meet the goal. 

We will see I guess 

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

Today is the last day of our justice team fair trade food challenge. Unfortunately, I have utterly failed. So we were supposed to start this thing last Monday (the 12th). I was all excited for this because I felt really motivated to participate in something like this after reading Seven by Jen Hatmaker. Yet on Wednesday night as I’m eating my $7 chick-fil-a meal, I finally realize that I am not participating at all simply because I didn’t make it a priority.

Needless to say, I went out Thursday to the Friendly City Co-Op to buy fair trade foods. Holy cow is that stuff expensive. I knew that it would be pricier but I knew I needed to step up my game to get this show on the road. So $50 later, I have enough food to last me a while but unfortunately no variety.

The biggest thing for me was that I wasn’t thinking about what I was doing. I was going through my daily routine not realizing that the chicken strips I was eating was from a company like Tyson who is notorious for mistreating chickens and underpaying farmers. But it was convenient for me at the time and boy did it taste good.

While I was walking to the bus eating my chicken strips, I decided to do a little research. What I found the most was that in bigger businesses (like Target), the only fair trade items are coffee and tea. Now I don’t know about you but I can’t live off of coffee for a week. Using the GoodGuide app, I could see a rating as to “how fair trade” an item was. Most of them were in the 7/10 range but that still didn’t seem good to me. I kind of wrote it off like “this isn’t fair trade enough so I can’t buy these things”. That basically just led me to continue eating my chicken strips and leftovers that most definitely weren’t fair trade.

So obviously up until Thursday, I was not doing a good job. After I went shopping I stuck to my foods. The same organic milk and cereal for breakfast, an organic ham and cheese sandwhich for lunch, and chicken and potatoes for dinner. How boring. It was all going well and good, until I went out of town to visit my sister. Now, a little background. My sister is the most experimental person I know when it comes to food and she always ends up dragging me into it which is how I ended up eating weird (yet tasty) lamb from an unknown local Greek restaurant. 

Friday went well. I brought with me my breakfast and lunch fair trade foods and even went back to the co-op to buy the ingredients to make my sister’s favorite stuffed green peppers (also not cheap…). But that was only Friday.

Saturday we decided to just do leftovers but here’s my downfall: FREE COLDSTONE ICE CREAM. My sister’s roommate is a manager at the local cold stone and told us that she would get us free ice cream if we swung by when she was working. What a sweet hookup. Like that ice cream was bomb. But probably the farthest thing from fair trade that I had gotten so far. And if that didn’t make it worse enough, we went to the local Mexican restaraunt (which was poppin because of parents weekend). Needless to say, I did not hold back or ask where the ingredients came from. I was content eating my slave super burrito with chips and queso.

But that there is the problem. We allow the mistreatment of animals and the exploitation of children workers because we are content with what we have in our perfect white middle class lives. And me just following along isn’t going to help end these inhumane practices.

So after this week, I realized how important buying locally and fair trade items are to replenishing God’s kingdom. And although I did terribly, I also tried to make a change in my habits. And I won’t just stop going to the co-op now that this week is over. Mainly because the cheese from there is delicious and they have amazing pumpkin tortilla chips but also because I had a great conversation with the cashier and I could read the package and see that these apples came from a farm just 20 minutes away from here.

It also makes me want to live more sustainably and in a way that glorifies this Earth that God has given us.

If you don’t know what fair trade is, that’s okay. I was unaware until I came to JMU and there was more of a push to fighting injustice and eating locally than my suburbian town in Northern VA.

About a year ago, I was given a sheet with the basic fair trade principles on it from a local store here in Harrisonburg. This is the website where you can read them yourself. https://www.fairtradefederation.org/fair-trade-federation-principles/

This is a super helpful site that you should check out! Also find out if your city hosts a farmer’s market on the weekends. Since it’s getting colder, those types of things will be coming to a close but getting informed is the first step to change!

As hard as this challenge was, it was also rewarding to feel like I have done something to help our local businesses. I encourage you all to do the same because it’s a great feeling.

Sincerely
Erin

May we be the voice
For the young girls
Who look in the mirror and judge themselves
May we be the voice
For the thousands of refugees
Looking for empathy when all they find is vanity
May we be the voice
For those in bondage
Who’s only goal is to survive another day
May we be the voice
For the hundreds and thousands
Who don’t make it past middle school
Because they’re “needed in the home”
May we be the voice
May we be the voice
For the girls who place their value in a man
Who can’t find their worth past a pile of makeup
May we be the voice
For the families displaced by disaster
Looking for a place to call home again
May we be the voice
To let all of them know
That they are loved
Loved by us
But more importantly
Loved by a God who doesn’t judge by circumstance but loves through the son and hurt and brokenness
May we be the voice
That shows them that we walk together
That the sun will rise and we will keep going

“so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 15:6

This may be the hardest post to write for me. Mainly because it is going to be a more personal post than most of the others. As I’ve come back to school, this past week has just been an easy one to the extent of knowing everything I need to do. Which is generally how I like to live: with a plan. And although I think that’s normally a good thing, it’s actually really ruined my relationship with God this past summer.

In order to make enough money to buy a car, I picked up two jobs this summer, both of which were harder than my previous job. It was a struggle to learn how to balance both jobs at the same time, along with my spiritual life and my personal life. Sure I had a few high points because God is forever present even when I wasn’t making the effort that is deserved. Yet I consciously knew that I was slipping and didn’t do too much to stop it.

Because of these two jobs keeping me busy almost all day, every day, I didn’t have much time to hang out with my friends. Whenever I would be invited somewhere, I generally couldn’t go because of work. So eventually they just stopped asking. And in my insecure human nature, I would get upset that I wasn’t invited, even if I wasn’t available that day. I felt like I was seriously missing out and instead of trying to make plans, I shut myself away.

So I made myself a hermit and I take full responsibility for that.

This summer has also been a tough one emotionally, and in effect, spiritually. An old problem resurfaced with my parents which made my home life very tense and at times awkward (thankfully I had the support of my sister and Melanie during these times which saved me from a lot of pain and confusion). I would send up prayers to God asking for healing and although it didn’t get worse, it didn’t necessarily get better. So I felt this tug that I wasn’t being heard or listened too. And that put some stress on my relationship with God. And since I had essentially hermited myself, I felt like I couldn’t talk about this with many people.

And come the last week of July, my family finds out that what we thought was only stomach pains was actually stage 4 liver cancer for my Grandma. And though at this point I feel like the Devil has taken control of my life, we are given the blessing of a great vacation where my grandma built up the strength to go to the beach and the aquarium and have a water gun fight in the pool. It felt like I was grasping for some sort of miracle to happen when it looks like God was easing our tension through her joy in the pain.

Now that we are back at school, I’m scared of the question: How was your summer?

Because honestly, it was the hardest one I’ve ever had. But you can’t just say that. And me being me, I can’t say that to anyone even if they want to help. I can’t open up and share things about myself. And I know that this just sounds like me complaining about my life but there is a point to my story. 

I felt like my summer has been very spiritually dry because I haven’t been making time for the Lord. I went from doing a daily devotional every morning to not doing it for almost 2 months. Sure there was still prayer in my life but I felt that I lost my connection to Him.

It’s so common for me (and many many others) to think that we only receive God’s blessings and love if we read our Bible everyday. It’s been drilled into our heads to set aside time for daily prayer and Bible reading, and of course we want to do these things because it’s how we grow closer and learn more of God, but we tend to forget about the most important thing. I always feel guilty when I skip devotionals, like I’m somehow a terrible Christian now.

But a wise friend has been reminding me that:

1. It’s normal to feel guilty about this. It happens to everyone.
2. God is ALWAYS FAITHFUL, even when we are not. He will not leave us stranded just because we don’t dive into His word every minute of every day.

This advice, although it seems so obvious and straightforward, was the best advice I received the whole summer. Even though I pushed myself away from God and my friends, now that I’m “returning” it’s like I never left.

I don’t want to keep spitting out excuses to myself and to God because that will lead me nowhere. And honestly God isn’t going to accept my excuses either. He’s just sitting back waiting for me to be finished so we can move on.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” – John 15: 9-10

God wants our obedience when it comes to His word and spending time in prayer. The single biggest part of that obedience is our devotional life (a recent revelation on my part). If it’s motivated by duty (devotional simply because that’s what “good” Christians do) instead of love then it will become more of a hassle than it is intended to be. To build our relationship with God we have to WANT to get to know him. Scripture is the Lord’s way of talking to us so we need to study it to hear him sometimes.

So even in the midst of demanding jobs, schoolwork, and balancing friendships, it’s still possible to make alone time for God. Sure that might mean passing on some opportunities or putting other things on hold, but it’s ultimately worth it. As I’ve learned at chapter camp, you can’t pour out of an empty cup. It’s unrealistic to expect to be able to pour into other people’s lives unless you are being fed yourself. The love and wisdom you get from God from devotionals and prayer should be so much that your personal cup is overflowing, enough to share with others.

I have a bit to work on before I can return to that point, but I’m excited to see what God wants me to learn.

Sincerely,

Erin

So recently I have been thinking about my future. Where I’m going, what I want to accomplish in this world, how I want to make a change. And let me tell you, it’s scary.

I want to make a REAL change. And the selfish side of me wants to make some real money in the process too.

But the more I come back to it, the more I feel in my heart that I just want to spread some happiness and improve people’s lives in even the smallest of ways. I want to live gratefully and humbly; and I have a long way to go. 

I want to leave an everlasting mark on people’s lives through the only thing that’s everlasting: God.

I keep searching for all these miniscule things to believe in like money, job security, or staying within my comfort zone. Yet yesterday as I’m standing at my register, working an eight-hour shift, I have this thought that smacks me right in the face.

“I’ve been here for five hours and what have I really accomplished?
I’m just wasting my time standing behind a desk. This is not what I want to do with my life. Why am I here?”

Why have I lived this summer like a blind man, not seeing what I have in front of me?  When I’ve had God’s love in front of me and Jesus holding my hand, walking beside me this whole time.

I’ve come to believe that this was the glimpse into God’s plan for me.

That was God saying, “Sure, the future is scary, but it needs people like you who don’t want to stand behind a desk. People who want to make a change somehow.”

I’ve felt this nudge the past few months that I need to be working overseas helping improve living conditions somehow. I haven’t acted on it because I’m scared. Because I have this plan for my life and it doesn’t include living in hostels or leaving my family behind. But time after time I feel this push there. And God’s patient enough and has enough love for me that He will wait until I’m done being stubborn and find where my path and His path intersect.

So it’s not the most solid route. So it’s not the plan I had for myself. Well after the past few years, I’ve learned that God laughs when we make plans. Because 10/10 His plans are WAYYY better than anything we could have imagined for ourselves.

And I am in awe once again.

God, who is everlasting, who is bigger than the sky above us and all-powerful, who is ultimately indescribable, wants this for me. Because He loves me.

He shows me how to find happiness in the broken parts of my life. How to find happiness in the cracks in our plans. Happiness because we want to be, not because our lives are “perfect”. And happiness because we know the promise of what is to come and the victory that comes with it. 

And i sing out more than ever in my car on the drive home,

Your love is like radiant diamonds bursting inside us we cannot contain.

Your love will surely come find us like blazing wildfires singing Your name.

God of mercy, sweet Love of mine,

I have surrendered to Your design.

May this offering stretch across the sky;

These hallelujahs be multiplied.

God’s love DOES come find us and it hits us with the strength of a blazing wildfire. Even when i’m standing at a register, His love finds His way into my heart. And i can’t help but smile at the fact that He is always there, always present and working in us.

And even when we make mistakes and turn our backs to Him like i’ve done countless times these past few months, the truth still rings true: everyone can be forgiven because of God’s unfailing love.

You just have to open up your heart to Him and listen.

Listen for the truth.

The simple truth that

GOD IS LOVE

And love is the remedy.

Sincerely,
Erin

Check out this verse:
Romans 8: 37-39

Most of you probably know about what happened in Charleston this past Wednesday (June 17). At Emmanuel AME in Charleston, SC a 21-year-old supposed white-supremist opened fire on a bible-study killing 9 people. The act of killing in itself is unspeakable but what brought tears to my eyes was the fact that in the room the shooter said, “I have to do it. You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.”

This guy killed people simply because of the color of their skin.

These tragedies have got to STOP.

But they won’t stop if we just sit back and do nothing. They can stop when all Americans raise their voices loud and refuse to give up. We CANNOT be silent if we expect anything to change.

Is this the type of country you want to live in? Because it’s most definitely not one I want to live in. These events should not and do not represent our values as Americans or even as people.

We need to push each and every person to act. Nothing will get accomplished if we just write it off as another event. This is just another tick on the list of hate and racism present in this country and this world.

We shouldn’t want to just sit idly by while men and women, brothers and sisters in Christ, are being slaughtered for something out of their control.

A favorite band of mine, Delta Rae, wrote a song specifically focusing on these hate/race crimes that have occurred in the past year. The lyrics speak volumes on what I’m feeling and acts as a sort of call to arms to everyone to fight these injustices.

---

“Come on and raise your voice
above the raging seas
We can’t hold our breath forever
when our brothers cannot breathe”

---

We are told plainly in the Bible, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity for them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” – 1 John 3:16-18

So why not make a change? Follow God’s instructions and help end this vicious cycle?

Don’t let this continue, because YES, this can happen to anyone including you and including me. Make a change now and help bring an end to this.

Sincerely,
Erin

I’m not much of a writer
But there are some things that I need off my chest
All the hate and violence in this world
I tell you it just doesn’t make sense to me

There are too many people who are self-righteous out there
Who think just because they speak the loudest means they are always right
But I can tell you I’m a quiet woman with a lot in my heart and a lot on my mind
And just because I’m a woman and you’re a man
Does not make your opinions matter more than mine

No.

God made us equal
He made us in His image so that we may love each other
Through our flaws and all of our misdeeds
Because God sent His only son, His perfect son, to die for us
To die for US

Us who take advantage of this gift
Us who care about who’s right in the world instead of making the world right

And yet God loves us through it all

Through the pain and the many times we think “it’s not fair”
in our jealousy and in our self-loathing
There is one thing to always remember
One thing I tell myself each and every day

I am enough, because He is enough

(In response to http://youtu.be/-HI4DC18wCg)

Sincerely,
Erin

Wow.
My first blog post.

I created this blog to speak about biblical and worldly injustices. As a member of InterVarsity’s Justice Team for the year, we have the goal of making God’s heart for justice known. The cool thing about that is that we all have our own passions toward justice that God has given us. My personal passion is poverty, for example working with the local homeless shelter, something anyone can do in any city.

Some basics about biblical justice:

• God created us and this world in His image to be perfect and complete
• After the fall of man, sin created brokenness
• Biblical justice therefore is the restoration of God’s kingdom
• We all have spiritual gifts that God has given us and He calls us to USE THEM
  • 1 Corinthians 12:26-28
• We need to become involved to make a difference! We can show God’s love through ACTION
  • James 2:17 –  “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
• Meeting someone’s physical needs first (ex: feeding the homeless) gives us a gateway to sharing the Gospel and help their spiritual poverty. Our power comes from God and He calls us to love everyone, no matter their circumstance.

As a Geography major I am studying and am very passionate about water and energy poverty, typically in developing countries. Water.org says that 750 million people lack access to clean water. That fact just breaks my heart. It’s also very intimidating. It’s always hard to look at a huge global problem because it makes you feel small and makes you wonder what you can really do. This is something I’m still looking in to but there are tons of organizations out there that are working towards solving this problem including World Vision, Hands4Others, and Water Missions International. If we just look at our problems as being too big for us to handle, then nothing will ever get done! This is a call to action. Even if you only donate some money, anything helps.

So that’s currently my aim for this blog: speak about and bring light to the current injustices in this world, putting in my own two cents and viewing the events as a Christian who wants to make a change.

Sincerely,
Erin

If you want to check out some more facts about water poverty then you can go to http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/