Updated Website!

I just read a blog from my publisher that said "Why every author should have a website." Then another blog was linked to it, "Top five things to have on your website." So, I thought I'd make a website!

We've had www.Emerickhome.com for a long time, so I added a section to my Author page. You'll find links to the books I'm working on, sneak previews, and other fun info! I hope this will be a valuable marketing tool once my first book, Duncan's Journey, is available in January.

Enjoy! Let me know your thoughts.

www.Emerickhome.com

Love Like Crazy!

Our new theme song for our marriage! We met at 17 and got married at 19... that's crazy. :)

I love you, Lee!!! Thanks for being crazy with me!

Will You Hug Me?

Our most recent Safe Family boy left today. You may have seen us around with B over the last month. Perhaps you witnessed him screaming and thrashing because he didn’t want to leave Sunday School class. Or maybe you were the man who stopped B from running into the street when he ran away from us without our knowledge. (Thank you!) You could have been the stranger at the park who he walked up to and called “Daddy.” You may have been at Chick-Fil-A, annoyed that your meal was being interrupted by B’s fit. Or perhaps you were the shopper who stared at me and wondered, “How many kids does she have?”

There were some other events, however, that no one on the outside got to see. Like my daughter helping him into his car seat because years of neglect left him unable to climb on his own, even though he is three years old. The look of surprise on his face when we lit candles in front of him for his birthday. The act of sharing as my five year old learned to not hoard his toys. B’s enthusiastic squeal as he watched an ant crawl across the side walk. The pride on his face when he learned to jump all by himself!

The precious times, however, were at night, when I would tuck him in, kiss his forehead, and tell him, “Jesus loves you.” He’d smile back at me, eyes shining, and repeat, “Jesus loves you.”

And finally, there was the night when it occurred to me that he did not know how to hug. We’d hugged him before, of course, but he just stood there motionless. So I taught him to put his arms around me and squeeze really tight. When Lee got home, I asked B to show him what he learned.

He hugged me. Then he hugged Lee. Then he pointed with a shy smile on his face back to me, and I hugged him again. Then he grinned and pointed back to Lee. They hugged. This tender moment was repeated a dozen times. It is burned into my memory, hopefully never to be forgotten.

And that is what Safe Families is all about. We are not a perfect family. I lost my temper often and my kids had trouble sharing. But we loved him, hoping to show a sliver of Jesus’s love to him, and that is what matters.

B, we are praying for you, and trusting God with your future.

A Daily Email that Counts

"That all the peoples of the earth
may know that the Lord is God;
there is no one else." 1 Kings 8:60

I get daily emails about a lot of things. Most involve spending money. Groupon, Living Social, MoneySavingMom, FreeCycle, etc. I probably get 30 of these types of emails daily, or more. I appreciate them, but usually I just "click click click - delete."

I just subscribed to something that will come to my inbox daily that does not involve spending money - it is much bigger than that. It is about spending energy praying to our Lord for the unreached people of the world.

The Joshua Project has a link to getting a prayer request in your email daily for an unreached people group! I'd like to encourage you to check it out, sign up, and then ultimately pray! Click here for details.

My pastor, Mark Vroegop, recently blogged about the term "unreached." You and read it here.

Paul said in Romans 10:1, "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation." Let's Pray to this end with boldness before the throne of God.

Waiting Eagerly

What are we doing here?

Do you ever ask yourself that? I know I do. We fill our schedules and do the dishes and run from place to place. We fight sin and practice kindness. We learn perseverance and faithfulness.

It's good to be reminded of the WHY. Here are a few verses to help kick-start your morning. They were inspired by a study on the words "waits eagerly" in Romans 8:19, and I'll let them speak for themselves.

For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. (Rom 8:19)

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. (Romans 8:22-25)

...So that you are not lacking any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 1:7)

For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. (Gal 5:5)

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. (Phil 3:20)

So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, who will appear a secnod time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await him. (Heb 9:28)

So... this week, keep reaching ahead!!

A fresh look at suffering

I was encouraged in Romans this week, chapter 5:3-5.

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

So I outlined it. Suffering produces perseverance, which adds character, which builds hope.

And then I applied it to life.

• Suffering: Disobedient Child
• Perseverance: We can't give up. We must continue to consistently train and correct, trusting God's instructions.
• Character: Through this, I develop patience, gentleness, and kindness.
• Hope: Watching it work builds my confidence in God's plans. Plus, I have hope in the future when all relationships will be right, and there will be no more sin and disobedience.

I then took that same method and used it for various sufferings I've experienced and I'm going through with others. It was highly beneficial! And then praise God that with the Spirit, His love is being POURED into our hearts! Amen. :)

Three Weavers: A Lamplighter Book

We just read "Three Weavers" as a family to my kids last night. It was WONDERFUL. It is a quick read, and if you have girls, it is a perfect introduction via a fable of how to talk to them about saving themselves for marriage. It's gentle enough for my 7 year old to like the story, and deep enough for me to read to them again every year until they're out of the house. I highly recommend it!

The Three Weavers

Be sure to use code LAMP52 to get a 15% discount!

Haven't heard of Lamplighter? It's a publishing company that takes old, out of print books and reprints them for us! These books are rare treasures. The Three Weavers was written in 1832!