by Emily Howsden | Jun 18, 2018
It comes around once every four years. No, I’m not talking about the Olympics, I’m talking about something better. From June 14 to July 15, the world will come together to watch the best teams across the globe fight for the title of “Best in the world.” Yes, I’m talking about the World Cup.
*Disclaimer* The Women’s World Cup and Men’s World Cup are every two years, much like the Summer and Winter Olympics. So in 2020, we can all celebrate the Women’s World Cup!
It’s a tournament celebrating “The Beautiful Game” that dates back to the year 1930, and I just can’t get enough of this beautiful display of athletic ability and pride in one’s own country (Unless you’re American and your team didn’t make the cut this year…I’m still a little bitter, but I’ll be fine). By the way, Pele, arguably one of the best to ever play the game is the one who first called soccer “The Beautiful Game.”
In case you didn’t already know, I love soccer, or “futbol” as the rest of the world calls this glorious sport. While I know it isn’t the most popular sport in the United States, I do know that it is overwhelmingly the rest of the world’s sport of choice.
More than one billion viewers tuned in to the World Cup final match in 2014 according to FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Two of the best teams in the world went head-to-head with Germany coming out on top over Argentina. I remember the game vividly because I traveled to Germany just days after the victory, and let me tell you, morale was high!
What is it I love so much about soccer? I won’t bore you with all of the technicalities of the skill it takes to strike a ball, the stamina it takes to run almost non-stop for 90 minutes, even the poetic motion and teamwork it takes to put a ball in the back of the opposing teams net…I’ll spare you.
Perhaps one of my favorite things about soccer, and more specifically the World Cup, is the unifying factor it brings along with the competition. No matter where I’ve traveled in the world, soccer has almost always been a topic that I can easily engage in a conversation with someone from another part of the world.
No matter the team each person loves, whether it is their country’s national team or their club team of choice, most anyone can agree that they have a great passion for the sport. It’s a sport that truly brings the world together.
When the world rallies around a common love for a sport, like soccer for the World Cup, despite any differences, arguments or even wars being fought, it reminds me of the unifying love of Christ.
Under God and the sacrifice of His son, there is no one thing more unifying than the forgiveness of our sins. God doesn’t require that you be of a certain nationality, political party or social class. All He requires is repentance from sin and to profess that He is your Lord and Savior.
I encourage you to reach out to someone you don’t know this week and share your faith. As a believer, sharing my faith is something I can constantly improve upon doing. Maybe the next time you want to talk about your favorite sports team or even the World Cup, incorporate how Jesus has changed your life with His grace and forgiveness.
by Emily Howsden | Jun 11, 2018
What does it mean to find rest in Jesus? Last week I took a trip down to Falls Creek, a popular Oklahoma Baptist Youth camp (see last week’s blog), for just the evening. I was challenged by the message in the evening worship service, as I have been many times before. God never fails to show me something new at Falls Creek
H.B. Charles, the pastor for the week, who preaches at a church in Jacksonville, Florida, spoke out of the passage of Scripture, Matthew 11:28-29 which says: “(28) Come to Me, all of you who are wearing and burdened, and I will give you rest. (29) All of you, take up my yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.”
This is a passage of Scripture with which I would say I am familiar. I have read it before, I’ve recited it before and I’ve seen it quoted (both in and out of context). However, H.B. Charles taught the passage in a way I had never heard.
Charles said first that “rest” does not mean freedom from responsibility or accountability. He said, “Rest is bondage to the purpose for which you were created. No soul is free when you live outside the purpose for which God has created you.”
This point he made hit me in the middle of the eyes. So many times I’ve heard people explain the freedom they have in the Lord and how he calls us to rest, while they generally mean that the Lord wants them to essentially “Don’t worry, be happy.”
But that isn’t at all the point. There is responsibility in our duty to proclaim the Gospel to all of the nations. The life of a Christian is not an easy, carefree one. “There is bondage to the purpose for which you were created.”
Also, living outside of the purpose of God is not a “free” lifestyle. Sure, you may be momentarily free from the “rules” of Christianity, or you may be free to believe what you do or do not believe about the Bible. However, I find both of those things contradictory. We find freedom and victory in Jesus and Jesus only. All other forms of earthly freedom or victories are superficial and fade either in time or rather quickly.
Next, H.B. Charles talked about how many times, we try to take verse 28 and be happy with the good token of love from the Lord, without applying verse 29 that tells us to take up our yokes and learn from the Lord.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when as believers we pick and choose quotable Scripture, taking it out of context for our earthly gain. Verse 29 is just as important as verse 28. I challenge you, as well as challenge myself to not commit this heinous act against God-breathed Scripture.
I encourage you friends to examine this Scripture and put on the yoke that the Lord has given you. I am both encouraged and challenged each time I read a familiar passage of Scripture and the Lord shows me something different. It emphasizes that we can never know our Bibles too well. Keep studying his word!
H.B. Charles closed his message saying that we may not feel prepared or equipped ahead of time, but the Lord will never place a task before us that is too large of a burden to bear. Let’s rise to the occasion and find our rest in the Lord.
by Emily Howsden | Jun 4, 2018
It is summertime, and that mean Falls Creek is upon us as Oklahoma Baptists. In case you aren’t familiar, Falls Creek is a summer camp that runs for eight weeks each summer, hosting something like five thousand campers each week.
It has been a staple for the state Baptist convention for the past 101 years and has impacted hundreds of thousands of people. People have gotten saved at Falls Creek, surrendered to the call to ministry, surrendered to the mission field and more at Falls Creek.
It is nationally known as the number one sending place in the United States for people going into the mission field. Falls Creek is not only a fun place that draws thousands of youth each summer (and people of all ages year-round as well), Falls Creek is hallowed ground!
This week, my husband is at Falls Creek leading worship for our church, First Moore Baptist Church. He left this morning, and I miss him already, but his leaving has caused me to reminisce about my time as a camper at Falls Creek, and what role summer camp has played in my life.
So, I thought I would share a few reason why you should either attend summer camp as a student, or serve as a sponsor.
- It is important for students to see that they are not alone—there ARE other Christians their age!
One thing I loved about Falls Creek each summer was meeting students from across the state—of all different backgrounds, from all sizes of towns and cities—that were believers like myself and understood what it was like to be a Christ follower at our age.
I was able to bond and form relationships with people whom I would have never met if it weren’t for Falls Creek. I still run into people from time to time that I met at Falls Creek, and it is always a sweet reunion.
- A week of being fully emerged in Scripture, away from a familiar environment, is good practice for making your faith your own.
When students are able to remove themselves from their daily routine or other things that might normally deter them from time with the Lord, Falls Creek helps prepare them to make their faith their own and set aside daily time with the Lord.
Through many breakout sessions and time planned in to each day, students can develop Godly habits and learn great tools that will help them on the journey to making their faith truly their own, rather than something someone makes them do on a Sunday morning.
- Falls Creek is fun!
I have incredible memories as a camper and a sponsor. Truly, a good time is had by all! I will admit, these days I can’t quite hang, energy-wise, like I used to be able as a camper, but I still enjoy myself immensely each time I set foot on those grounds. From the evening Tabernacle services to the recreation time—whether spent playing volleyball or swimming in Baptist Lake—I fondly look back on the days I have spent at Falls Creek.
I fully recommend if you didn’t have the chance to attend Falls Creek as a camper, to serve a church and attend as a sponsor. There is a whole list of other things that I enjoy as a sponsor now that differ from the things I enjoyed as a camper. There is spiritual growth and so much opportunity for discipleship.
So, get out there, pack your bedding and your sunscreen. Prepare for that southern Oklahoma heat and little sleep, but also prepare to have God change your lives and others. Falls Creek is a great place, and I’m praying for another successful summer at one of my favorites places for all that attend!
by Emily Howsden | May 21, 2018
Ahh the weekend…what a glorious time the weekend is. Whether you work a “regular” nine to five job, or you do any kind of “regular” job that doesn’t involve working on the weekends, there is a very real possibility that you and I share the same affinity for Friday through Sunday.
I am fortunate enough to work four days a week, Monday through Thursday, and I say often that it has ruined me forever, I will never again be able to work a five-day work week. I am also fortunate to love what I do for work, so that makes the work-week 100 times better than if I didn’t enjoy my job.
Let’s talk about what I love about the weekend most, shall we?
The freedom of a flexible schedule. I know this will soon change as we will have our child this summer, but for now, my husband and I thoroughly enjoy sleeping in together on the weekends. 9:30 a.m. is so much nicer on my eyes than my usual 6 a.m. wake up call the other four days of the week.
Being able to wake up at our own pace and get the day started however quickly, or not quickly, we choose is a luxury we enjoy. Others may enjoy waking up early and not having to be anywhere for hours, and to them I say “Good for you, do what you wish with your weekend!”
However, when we go home to visit family, we wake up earlier, of course, because our time is typically limited.
Whether my husband and I have loosely planned our day around cleaning the house or doing yard work, I thoroughly enjoy the fact that what we do on the weekend is almost entirely up to us and how we’re feeling.
Brunch. Brunch never happens during the work week. The closest thing to brunch that I experience during the work week is looking at my clock, thinking it must be close to lunch time and it’s only 9:30 a.m., so I eat a quick snack in order to make it to lunch.
My favorite brunch item is a nice waffle. I like waffles in any form. Top it with something sweet, something savory, fruit, you name it, chances are I will love it.
I feel adventurous at brunch time. Will I order a breakfast item? Will I order a lunch item? How about both! Surely I don’t need to further explain my affinity for this specific mealtime…
Probably my favorite thing about weekends however is the increased time I get to spend with the people I love.
I am my happiest when I am spending quality time with my family, which is usually done on the weekends.
Because our family lives two hours up the Turner Turnpike, we primarily see them on the weekends. I always leave Tulsa with my heart full, marking on my calendar the next convenient date for a return trip to see them.
Now, while I love the weekend, I do advise you to take caution. Looking forward to things can be both good and bad. While it’s great to have something on which to set your eyes, the bad part about looking forward to things so expectantly is that we miss the other four days a week hoping for Friday.
This is something that, many times in my life, I have caught myself doing and tried to correct immediately. If we’re not careful we’ll always be so focused on the next thing, leaving ourselves unable to appreciate the present.
In my life, for many years it was looking forward to college, then looking forward to graduating, then looking forward to marriage, buying a home, having children, etc. All of the sudden, it wouldn’t be hard to look up and my/your life has flashed before your eyes, and you haven’t fully enjoyed each stage because you were always looking to the next. This is something I’ve heard previous generations warn against, which is why I’m passing it on because it resonated really well with me.
While I most definitely look forward to the weekend, some weeks more than others, I encourage and challenge you just like I do to myself, to be present in the time or period of life where God has you at this moment.
It may not seem like the most glamorous time, and it may even be a time that you would give an arm or leg to be done with already, but God has you there for a reason. Try to seek His face and seek His will in these times especially. It could be a great period of growth that you may be missing.
We have to learn to go through the Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays God has placed in our lives, otherwise we won’t be able to fully enjoy the weekends of life.
Don’t you think if every day were the weekend, we wouldn’t enjoy them as much? Just a little food for thought on your Monday afternoon.
Happy Monday to you friends, and as always, thank you for reading!
by Emily Howsden | May 14, 2018
Mother’s Day is one of my favorite days of the year. I also love Father’s Day, Easter and Thanksgiving. I love these days because I am so incredibly thankful for why we celebrate these special holidays.
I think I love Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day for some of the same reasons. All of these holidays display an unending, crazy amount of love. Take your Valentine’s Day and do with it what you please, but I think days where we celebrate the love of our heavenly Father, and earthly parents far outweigh any Hallmark holiday.
In the past seven months (31 weeks to be exact), I have been able to experience just a small glimpse of what a mother’s love looks and feels like. Already, I have sacrificed in ways I have never done before, experienced sickness and discomfort like I haven’t before, and the list goes on.
I was talking to one of my sisters last night, and she said being a mom is both the hardest but most rewarding thing she has done. To think about my mom going through five pregnancies, the fifth being multiples, and raising six children—my hat is especially off to her.
I have yet to experience the middle-of-the-night feedings, the tears cried, the struggles encountered and, overall, the rollercoaster that is motherhood, but to me, it seems like a job for a super-human.
This kind of love that would make a person completely flip their life upside down for the sake of another human being is where I see a correlation with how God chose to love us, His children.
There is a song that has gained popularity recently that I personally especially love called “Reckless Love” which I think perfectly describes the type of love I’m talking about. My favorite lines in the song read:
“There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me”
The type of love that God and Jesus have for us is a type of love that is not often matched. It’s overwhelming.
“Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah”
This type of love best reflects the love of a parent, in this case specifically a mom, in my eyes. A love that cannot be broken, cannot be changed and has no limits.
A love that knows no boundaries, and a love that “chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the 99.” That is our Heavenly Father’s kind of love, and a mother’s love if you ask me.
Moms go above and beyond the call of duty and, in most cases, refuse recognition or praise. My mom specifically is the most humble servant to all people whom I have ever met. She serves others in every aspect of her life, quietly working behind the scenes, asking for no recognition.
What’s best is that if you were to ask her why she does all that she does, she would point to Jesus. That kind of mom is the mom I hope to be. A servant who points to Jesus every chance I get. When I look at my mom I see Jesus, and I want not just my future children but everyone whom I encounter to say the same for me.
Now I ask you, when others see you do they see Jesus?