Uncategorized – Emily Louise Keller

Discovering the Goodness of God

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I love to know and learn things. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved being “in the know”. I used to love being one of the first to know things so that I could be the first to tell things. In fact, my nickname growing up was “the informer”. I’m still that way in many ways. I would pick a documentary or docuseries over just about any other genre any day- anything from BBC Planet Earth to a dark true crime series. I literally love watching the morning news, reading my daily Wikipedia article, getting my dictionary word of the day, and even my daily Bible verse. I listen to educational podcasts for fun, and I’m in a million and one Facebook groups to discuss various topics. I love it all because I love learning and knowing. I guess that makes me a bit of a know at all lol.

The issue I have is that this crosses over into every area of my life, including my faith. I’ve recently been struggling in this area because there are so many things that I don’t understand when it comes to how God operates. In the last few months, I’ve found myself questioning God a lot. Not His existence or his sovereignty, but his reasoning. Becoming a mom has softened my heart to so many issues in this world that I then take to God and ask why they are happening. It’s left me with many sleepless nights and rant sessions with God. And if I’m being quite honest, there have been a few times I’ve been downright angry with Him. Why do some prayers get answered and some don’t. Why do some people seem to ALWAYS get blessed while others are left in what seems to be a perpetual struggle. Why do some people receive their healing here on earth, while others receive it in heaven, leaving their family, friends, and community devastated? I could go on and on with questions. I was to the point that the generic “we live in a fallen world that’s imperfect” answer wasn’t cutting it. That seemed like a cop-out that people used because they didn’t have the answers either.

It was so dang frustrating because I know the goodness of God. I’ve seen it in my life time and time again, but nevertheless, I was left extremely frustrated, having gone through some really tough things too, as well as having seen my loved ones and even those I’ve never met go through so much pain and struggle.

Then, then other day I saw a post that humbled me pretty quickly. It was a post that Brian Johnson shares of a quote from his dad, Bill Johnson. It was so simple, yet so profound. “We need mystery as much as we need revelation.” At first I read it and scrolled right on by, but something told me to go back and read it again. After reading it a few more times, I was so wrecked, so humbled, and so convicted all at the same time. I’ve spent the better part of the last year genuinely angry with God because I didn’t understand a lot of what was happening around me, but in that moment I knew that I was never meant to understand most of it. That was a hard pill for me to swallow given my personality, but as I’ve mulled over it the last few days, the more I’ve begun to understand that I don’t need to know everything.
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If we as humans knew all of Gods reasoning and all of his plans, there would be no need for a God at all. And how very self righteous of me to assume that I should know everything he does?! See, while we should strive to gain revelation and understanding of who God is and what His heart is towards us, we also need to acknowledge his sovereignty and majesty, which is far beyond our understanding. Ultimately, we need to be more concerned with acquainting ourselves with Gods character rather than His reasoning, because when we know who He is and understand His heart, we understand that no matter the circumstances, he is always working things for our good!

Obviously, this wasn’t a fix-all. My questions didn’t just magically melt away because of this post/revelation, but it gave me a new way to combat my emotional responses towards God. I know my curiosity isn’t a bad thing- it’s how God created me to to be! And through my curiosity, I’m able to gain so much fresh revelation about Him, but I have to also be conscious of my mind and not allow it to wander. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:2 “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.” This is in the Passion Translation, and I absolutely love the way it reads. We have control over where we allow our minds to go! And when we partner with the Holy Spirit, it results in a total reformation of how we think. Not only will it result in a reformation of how we think, but it will allow us to discern and understand God’s will for our lives. Wow- that’s so dang powerful!

It’s amazing how much one little quote can change the way you approach so much. It was so timely and so needed. And it served as a reminder that I truly need God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit- everyday, in everything I do, think, and say. We all do! We all go through some really tough stuff throughout the course of our lives, and i think because of that, we can all be left questioning or doubting the goodness of God. I personally believe that, if we allow them to, these are often times the moments that result in us growing closer to God than ever before. The key is to press in, be curious, and learn more about God, who he is, and what his promises are for our lives! That being said, I want to leave you with some scriptures to help guide you through those tough times.

Psalm 23 (TPT)
“So why would I fear the future? For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life…”

1 John 1:5 (TPT)
“This is the life-giving message we heard him share and it’s still ringing in our ears. We now repeat his words to you: God is pure light. You will never find even a trace of darkness in him.”
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James 1:17 (TPT)
“Every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect, streaming down from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or darkness and is never subject to change.”
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Matthew 6:25-34 (TPT)
“… Look at all the birds—do you think they worry about their existence? They don’t plant or reap or store up food, yet your heavenly Father provides them each with food. Aren’t you much more valuable to your Father than they?”
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Romans 8:28-39
“So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose. For he knew all about us before we were born and he destined us from the beginning to share the likeness of his Son. This means the Son is the oldest among a vast family of brothers and sisters who will become just like him. Having determined our destiny ahead of time, he called us to himself and transferred his perfect righteousness to everyone he called. And those who possess his perfect righteousness he co-glorified with his Son! So, what does all this mean? If God has determined to stand with us, tell me, who then could ever stand against us? For God has proved his love by giving us his greatest treasure, the gift of his Son. And since God freely offered him up as the sacrifice for us all, he certainly won’t withhold from us anything else he has to give. Who then would dare to accuse those whom God has chosen in love to be his? God himself is the judge who has issued his final verdict over them—“Not guilty!” Who then is left to condemn us? Certainly not Jesus, the Anointed One! For he gave his life for us, and even more than that, he has conquered death and is now risen, exalted, and enthroned by God at his right hand. So how could he possibly condemn us since he is continually praying for our triumph? Who could ever separate us from the endless love of God’s Anointed One? Absolutely no one! For nothing in the universe has the power to diminish his love toward us. Troubles, pressures, and problems are unable to come between us and heaven’s love. What about persecutions, deprivations, dangers, and death threats? No, for they are all impotent to hinder omnipotent love, even though it is written: All day long we face death threats for your sake, God. We are considered to be nothing more than sheep to be slaughtered! Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything! So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!”
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Why are some of your favorite scriptures of God’s goodness? I’d love to hear from you! Drop them in the comments below. Thanks so much for reading- I hope to see you next week

Xoxo
ELK

2019 Recap and 2020 Vision

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Wow! What a year! It’s hard to believe that 2019 is over and 2020 is here. 2019 truly flew by. As I’m sitting here watching all of the festivities on TV leading up to the ball drop, I cant help but think about how different this New Years Eve is from last year’s. This time last year, I was 5 and a half months pregnant, sick as a dog, and staying up till midnight was a pipe dream. Fast forward 12 months, and I just finished nursing my daughter and put her down for the night, and now I’m enjoying a cup of decaf while praying these dang fireworks don’t wake her up. Jon-Paul has work early in the morning, so he has long since gone to bed. Before I dive into what I expect and hope for the new year, let’s do a quick recap of the year!

As I said above, the beginning of 2019 was filled with lots of morning sickness, precious baby kicks, heartburn, and change. 2019 was by far the most challenging year of my life, but also the most amazing and rewarding. We welcomed our beautiful daughter, Evelyn Daphne Clara Keller, on April 29th at 3:06am. She came into this world weighing 7lbs 7oz and was 19 ¼ inches long. I’ll dig into this more a little later in the year, but labor was tough! We instantly fell in love with this tiny little nugget, and somehow we have continued to fall more in love every day since. She brings so much light and love to everyone she comes in contact with. People really are just drawn to her. I know that probably sounds a bit conceited, but it’s the truth. Sometimes I wish they weren’t quite so drawn lol (hello germs!!) She is now 8 months as of the 29th. She has grown so dang fast in every way. She now weighs 21lbs and is 28.5 inches long. I about had a mental breakdown in the middle of Target the other day when I went to buy her Christmas jammies and realized that, because she wears 12 month clothes now, we have to shop in the toddler section. I was NOT prepared for that! She’s scooting around via the cutest little army crawl and somehow manages to find every little bit of dust on the floor and every cable she can get her hands on. In case you haven’t seen a picture of her, the kid loves to eat- like mother, like daughter! She’s eating all kinds of purées now, is addicted to puffs, and enjoys a banana now and then. We are slightly obsessed with her, and I don’t see that obsession ending any time soon! That’s pretty much our 2019 recap. Ev took up every ounce of mine and Jon-Paul ‘s attention and we love it.

ELK had to take a backseat this year, as I’m sure you could have guessed by now. Due to several different circumstances, I just had to take a break. I’ll be getting into that more next week, but for now, just know that I’m back and ready to give this as much of my attention as I can! I miss it. I love writing and inspiring others and sharing about the things I love in the hope that you might just love them too! My goal here is to be as open and honest with y’all as possible. In sticking with that spirit, I have to be honest and say that I’m pretty embarrassed about my lack of commitment when it comes to my past New Year’s Intentions. I’m all about giving yourself grace and allowing yourself to figure things out, but the time for that is done. This year I am 100% committed to becoming the best version of myself possible. So, here goes nothing- here is my vision and goals for 2020:

Get healthy. Mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially- every single aspect. 5 years ago, I was in the best physical health of my life, but was struggling in other areas. Then 3 years ago, I was in the best mental and spiritual health, but my physical health took a total back seat. Actually, it wasn’t a backseat- it wasn’t even in the car! I gained back everything I had lost and then some. Add 2 huge moves, marriage, stress, and a baby to the mix and it’s all all over the place! But this is the year I reign it all in. So what does that look like? I’m not quite sure! I think it starts with taking small steps in each area and working through things bit by bit. The rest of these goals will all help in achieving my overall health.
Exercise. I want to learn to love exercising. Right now I literally despise it, so I have a long way to go lol.
Spend more time in the Bible and with God that I do on social media. I think this speaks for itself!
Achieve higher emotional intelligence. I actually don’t have bad EI scores, but I could definitely do better!
B-U-D-G-E-T!!!!!!!!! That is all.
Get organized. I literally want to go Marie Kondo on my whole life.
Prioritize a weekly session of “me” time. You cant pour from and empty cup!
And finally, learn to knit. Sounds stupid, I know it sounds stupid, but when my Dat-Dat passed, I got all of her knitting stuff and I was so emotional afterwards that I never really tried. I have a new niece coming in May, so I want to be able to knit her a blanket.

So what about ELK? What are my goals for this platform and all the subsequent platforms? I simply want to be intentional. I don’t want to post just to post. I want everything to have a purpose and meaning. That being said, I will be posting here once a week on Fridays. I’m really excited for some of the content I will have coming out, and I really hope y’all enjoy it!

Thank you so much for reading this far! I pray you have a Happy New Year, and I’ll talk to you soon!

XOXO

ELK

2019 Intentions

Wow. 2018 was honestly such a whirlwind year! I remember thinking January was the longest month ever, but as soon as February hit, it was like full throttle, pedal to the metal the rest of the year. The beginning of the year was amazing. We were planning our move to Georgia, and just so excited for what God had for us here. We saw so much of God’s faithfulness in that time, and despite a few bumps in the road, all was well. One of the bumps we hit was my diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS. After years of issues with my period and all things female, I finally had an answer as to why I had struggled for so long. It also gave me fear for the future, as I was given a 2-10% chance of conceiving a baby naturally, but we chose to trust God’s timing in the matter- and boy was that the best decision ever!

Fast forward to August when, after some odd symptoms, I took a pregnancy test (okay, 3) and found out we were expecting our miracle baby! We were so completely thrilled. Then came some of the best and worst months ever. Because I have PCOS, my body doesn’t produce enough progesterone to support the first trimester of pregnancy when all those hormones are normally being pumped out like crazy to build the placenta. I had to go on a synthetic form of progesterone to keep little Evelyn healthy. This led to a myriad of not-so-fun side effects including some crazy mood swings, and a severe type of morning sickness called Hyperemesis Gravadarum among other things that I’ll spare you the details of lol. For most women, HG only lasts through the first trimester, but I am apparently not like most women! I am 24 week tomorrow, and I still experience nausea all day long. I have to eat every two hours and wake up in the middle of the night for a snack to keep my blood sugar from dropping, as well as take a pill nightly to keep the vomiting at bay. This has definitely taken its toll in my body. I lost 12lbs in the first trimester from just not being able to eat and throwing up anything I did eat aside from applesauce, bananas, and mashed potatoes. I have to take it pretty easy, and have had to learn my body’s new limits the hard way- usually by exceeding those limits and waking up severely regretting it the next day lol!

This is not to give you an excuse, but rather give you a little insight as to why I have been so extremely absent from the blog. I have missed it, but if I’m honest, it was a much needed break. Pregnancy can do some crazy things to your emotions, and I am no exception. I needed a little emotional break to figure out where I was at mentally, but I am back a ready to rock! That being said, lets dig into my 2019 Intentions!

Keep up with the house better.

I have learned to accept the fact that I am not one of those people who is OBSESSED with keeping their house completely spotless and sterile (looking at you Mom and Dad). I think because I grew up with two people who would freak out if a pillow was out of place (and still do), I am okay with things being slightly messy. I’m not talking total pig stye, but an unmade bed or full laundry basket doesn’t send me over the edge. HOWEVER, I am making strides this year to change my standards around the house. I have made a chore chart separated into three sections: daily, weekly, and monthly. Here are a few examples of things I want to accomplish in each section

Daily- Tidy up the house before bed: dishes done, floors swept (bc cat hair, am i right?!), counters wiped down, load of laundry started if needed.

Weekly- Mondays are bathroom days, Tuesdays the couches get vacuumed (again, cat hair), etc.

Monthly- January and September are for cleaning closets and dressers, February is decluttering drawers, March will be a kitchen deep clean, April will be for finalizing Evie’s room and washing all her clothes, etc.

Genuinely refocus my relationship with God.

There were some things that happened toward the end of the year that really threw off my relationship with God. I will be doing a post on that in February, but for now my main goal is to read my Bible daily and use the SOAP method to better understand and apply the word to my life. I will be updating y’all and explaining how that works in February’s post!

Get healthy- for real!

This is both mentally and physically. And I’m not 100% sure what all of that looks like, but some steps I am taking are:

Physically:

Eating healthier

Light exercise while pregnant

Workout plan postpartum

Mentally:

Working on physical health

Working on spiritual health

Adjusting my standard from perfection to grace

Which brings us to no. 4- Have more grace for myself.

I am very hard on myself, which is a huge issue for someone who deals with anxiety and depression. This year I am going to learn that it is okay to not be okay or perfect. I have a feeling that will be necessary heading into motherhood!

Be intentional with blogging.

I am also setting realistic standards and goals here lol. I will be posting in the blog at least once a week, and will be posting on insta daily. I’m super excited about building content and venturing out of my comfort zone!

2018 was the year of the unexpected, both good and bad! Thank you all for having patience with me during all the ups and downs. I truly appreciate it, and I am looking forward to a great year in 2019!!

XOXO

ELK

Feelin’ Twenty-Two: 22 Things I’ve Learned in 22 Years of Living

I normally do not make a big deal about my birthday. I treat it as any ordinary day- maybe a dinner or something along those lines. In fact, last year, for my 21st birthday, I went to my night ministry class and then went to BJ’s with Jon-Paul and had a mimosa. I’m just super chill about it…

NOT THIS YEAR, BOO BOO!

I have waited for 6 years for this day. You see, I am what some would call a Swifty. I have a slight obsession with Taylor Swift’s music. I love her music because I have always been able to connect with it. “You Belong with Me” was the anthem I sang to my middle school crush when he fell for my best friend. And “You’re Not Sorry” was the song I cried myself to sleep to when he broke my heart. “We Are Never Getting Back Together” was the song I would scream in the car after a clingy ex wouldn’t leave me alone. And “Fifteen” was the soundtrack for my freshman year of high school. I even got to go to her “Speak Now” tour for my 15th birthday, and cried with my mom when she played it. Every song has had something that I was able to connect to except for one. I’ve only ever listened to it twice in the 6 years it has been around. It’s off of my favorite record possibly of all time, and I have skipped over it every time is has started to play. That song would be “22”. It just didn’t feel right to sing about “feelin’ 22” when I didn’t know what that felt like!

Well honey, the day has finally come, and I am truly feelin’ 22! To commemorate that, here is a list of the 22 things I have learned during my 22 years here on earth.

Gods got you. This is pretty much the basis for everything else I’ve learned. It means that everything will work out- not because of ANYTHING you do, but solely because of who He is. He is trustworthy, loving, kind, all knowing, all powerful, and I my wants what’s best for you. Surrender to Him, and you will go places you never could have even dreamed of
Speaking of dreams- have big ones, and never stop! I love to dream up new dreams. I love to get so crazy with them and try to think of the most wild, unimaginable things to do or places to go. I want to change the freaking world! And you know what? I’m going to do it!
Listen. To. Yo. Mama. And yo daddy for that matter! I wish I had done more of this in those teen years. I always semi dreaded telling my parents my problems because I knew they were going to give me advice that was the complete opposite of what I wanted to do. And in the cases where I went with my own advice, I was usually wrong. Now I literally call my mom like 3 times a day. For help with the stupidest things!
Savor the moments that seem insignificant. There are so many moments that in the moment seemed so insignificant or menial, but I look back on now and they are some of my fondest memories. Road trips with my family- I’m talking DAYS and WEEKS in the car with my crazy family, or times when we had just moved into a new house and had little to none of our stuff yet- we made the most of those moments and I cherish them so dearly. As Andy Bernard once said “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good ole days before you’ve actually left them.
Take advantage of the time you have with your grandparents. My grandma passed away this year, and it was a huge eye opener. We were close and talked pretty often, but I was left wanting so much more. To a degree, i think that is the case when anyone passes, but this was something I had never experienced. I inherited all of her knitting supplies and realized i had never asked her to teach me. It still breaks my heart, but has made me cherish the time i have with my grandparents who are still living.
Life is so very fragile and short. This is beyond cliche, but it goes hand in hand with number 5. You never know what tomorrow will bring. Make every encounter a meaningful one.
Love like crazy. I love the Message Translation of Ephesians 5:1-2. In fact, it is my inspiration for this next year of life.”Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” I love that last part- He didn’t love in order to get something from us, but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. Love like that! Be passionate with your love. Don’t expect anything in return! Love simply because you are loved. God loves you regardless of what you do or who you become, so love others in that same way. Regardless of your race, beliefs, ethnicity, sexual orientation, how you’ve been wronged, who’s hurt you. Love regardless.
Forgive quickly. Unforgiveness is like a cancer. It send out roots of bitterness and anger and deceit. Nothing good can come from it! Be quick to forgive. Don’t hold grudges.
Learn to love yourself before you try to let someone else love you. When you do this the other way around, your worth become rooted solely in the other person, and that’s not fair to you or them.
Don’t follow the crowd. Learn to think for yourself. Allow the Holy Spirit to give you discernment is the decisions you make. If it just so happens to be the popular one, cool. If not, see number 1.
Always smile at people you walk by. You never know what that person is going through. They could have just received terrible news, lost a loved one, or be considering taking their own lives. Heck, they could have just had a plain old crappy day! So use those 26 muscles it takes to smile and flash those pearly whites- it makes you feel good, and could just make someone’s day
Put your phone down. At dinner, with friends, or just in general! Be engaged with your experiences and in the world around you. It’s so big and beautiful and full of life.
Don’t be in a hurry to grow up. You are only a kid for such a short period of time! Live it up! And heck, even once you are a “grown up”, allow yourself to have fun.
Take pride in the way you look. Looks definitely aren’t everything, and they aren’t the most important part of who you are, but God made you to be beautiful or handsome, so take pride in what he’s created!
But focus more on the inside. This is what truly matters! Check your heart, renew your mind, and allow God to mold the best version of you possible.
Value friendships. This is something that has always been such a huge priority for me. I value friendships so much. I look at each friend as a gift God has given me to help me get through life, so why would I want to be flippant in how i treat those gifts? Be intentional- go out of your way with your friendships.
Don’t be afraid to set high standards. For yourself, people you allow in your life, or things you want. It’s okay to set standards. It doesn’t make you arrogant, it makes you smart.
At the same time, don’t get too caught up in your own pride. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. This is one I’m still very much working on! But you don’t have to do it by yourself!
Get. A. Mentor. Have someone you can come to with anything. Someone you know won’t judge you, and will stand by you through thick and thin. Someone who can relate to you and advise you. This should be someone you trust and respect implicitly.
Just do it! Take the leap of faith. The Bible says that faith without works is dead. If you only have faith for your dreams to come true, it’s not going to get you very far. Take the first step- pray, seek Godly counsel, and just jump!
Shake it off! I know, I know, but I just had to include another T-Swift reference! Haters gonna hate, players gonna play, but at the end of the day, none of it matters. Do you, boo boo, do you!
Last, but certainly not least, understand the power of the God that lives in you. He is a conqueror, so you are a conqueror. He has no rival, so you have no rival. He calls you healed, so you are healed. He calls you loved, so you are loved. Nothing that anyone could ever say or do to you could measure up to the might God you serve. No person, no circumstance, no attack from the enemy is a match for our God!

Today is also a special day because ELK turns 1! I have so many amazing things planned for this year that I cannot wait to share with you. Thank you to my faithful readers for a great first year! I know God has big things in store, and I am so appreciative of you bearing with me through the rough parts of the first year.

I hope this has left you smiling and ready to chase some dreams, call your mama, and trust God like never before. I love each of you dearly! Gonna go dance the day away with my bestie, T-Swizzle

XOXO

ELK

Law & Love

I have been thinking and praying long and hard these past couple of days about the current immigration crisis. Practically every other post in my feed is either bashing politicians or attempting to justify what is currently happening on our boarder. Rather than thinking things through or researching topics to formulate their own opinion based on facts, it appears as though people are taking news stories at face value. One would think that this far into the game, people would be much more hesitant to place their trust in the media, however here we are again with another partisan war on our hands.

Here is my take:

1. First and foremost, God has instructed us to respect our leaders. You don’t have to like them, you don’t have to trust them, but remember the golden rule- if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all. Regardless of your personal beliefs about President Trump or any other politician, they, just like you, are children of God. Who are you to tear them apart every chance you get? Rather than insulting our politicians and criticizing every move they make, how about you pray for them? I know it’s not a popular idea, but I personally still believe in the incredible power of prayer and the God I pray to.

2. Take a look at the word “illegal” for a second. The definition of illegal is “contrary to or forbidden by law”. When a person enters our country illegally it is a crime. If a United States citizen is arrested, typically their children are taken away from them and put into incredibly broken DCFS system, unless there is a family member willing and able to take them. Why aren’t we just as concerned and vocal about that issue? Oh, because it doesn’t fit the current “Donald Trump is the devil” agenda. I’m just going to leave this little nugget right here for now.

3. Quit taking everything the media says seriously. Half the time they don’t even know what they are talking about. For instance, the photos the AP released that started this mess were from 2014. Yes, you read that right. They were from BEFORE Trump was in office. Guess they and every other liberal news organization that shared the story kind of shot themselves in the foot with that one. Oh, and of the 12,000 kids the media keeps telling us were “ripped away from their families and put in ‘tender age’ camps”, 10,000 of them didn’t even come with their parents! That child is safer in a place where they have a bed, food, water, and others to relate to than they would be on the streets, which is where they would likely end up.

4. Last, but never least, do not, I repeat, DO NOT pick and choose Bible verses to fit your agenda. If you want to use the Bible, by all means do it, but take the full thing. Yes, Romans 13:1-2 tells us to obey the laws of the land, and yes, Romans 13:9-10 tells us to love our neighbor and in doing so to do no harm. So, here’s a bright idea- USE BOTH. There is a reason God not only put them in the same book, but in the same chapter! The laws have been set in place for a purpose. They provide protection for the country. They protect our national security, our citizens, our jobs, etc. They are good laws. Additionally, we need to love others. Period. Love has a lot of sub-attributes including respect, kindness and truth. In this particular situation, it would be used like this:

We love our neighbors. We welcome immigrants from all over to this grand nation that was built on the backs of immigrants. When you come here the right and legal way, you will live in the best nation in the world and have your shot at the “American Dream”. However, should you choose to do it the wrong way- illegally, we will kindly and respectfully decline your entry, because the truth is that you are committing a crime.

We have a broken immigration system. I understand that. I think our president does too, so let’s give him a chance to fix it. He has already made the first step by signing this executive order. Lets rejoice in that, be grateful we have an elected official that listens to the people, and continue praying for him and his team to have wisdom beyond understanding, grace, empathy and compassion.

XOXO

ELK

Dear Phoenix

Dear Phoenix,

The time has come for us to part ways- I’m trading in my cactus for a peach. Moving on up to the east side… well, east coast. Our bags are packed, moving truck loaded and on it’s way, and our hearts are full of so many emotions. You were a city of firsts for me. You are where I had my first apartment and lived on my own for the first time. You’re where I lived completely away from my family for the first time. You welcomed me home on my first night of being engaged, as well as my first night home from my honeymoon. You brought me my first cracked windshield, flat tire, dead battery and traffic ticket- it was not exactly a fun time for Joan. It was here where I learned so many valuable lessons in my first years of adulthood and being a wife. And for that, I’m forever grateful.

Not to hurt you feeling, because you are truly a great city, but the real kicker here is the people that inhabit you. The kind, generous, loving, caring, fun, and beautiful people we met here have changed our lives forever. We have made lifelong friendships here, and grown our family by countless members. We have made so many fantastic memories in you, Phoenix, and that is due in part to the beautiful family we have made here. Our CFTN family has carried us through good times and bad, never wavering. They welcomed us with open arms and warm hearts, and released us with blessing and rejoicing. We couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Your name is so prophetic, Phoenix. In Greek mythology, the Phoenix is a bird that, after around 1400 years of living, burst into flames. After 1400 years, the bird is tired, worn down, and ready to be done. What’s so beautiful about this is that from the ashes of the old bird, a new bird- young, strong, and ready to take on the world-emerges. I believe God brought us here to experience our Phoenix season. It’s quite poetic and creative. Props to you, God. The fact is, we were tired, worn out, hurt, and ready to be done and rest. From the moment we got here, we were lit on fire. It was a breath of fresh air. Then, from the ashes of the old emerged new, strong, eager little birds, ready to take on the world. We were healed, whole, and happy, waiting for God to tell us what was next. We were not expecting this move, but God spoke, and here we are.

We are currently two lovebirds driving in Joan (my Mini Cooper), with three guitars, two cats, a litter box, a PS4 (because GOD KNOWS that couldn’t go in the moving truck), and a suitcase, making our four day journey to the next step in our destiny. We don’t know what the future holds, but we are confident in the direction God is taking us. We cannot wait to see what He has in store for us in Atlanta. He is a good God with a plan and a purpose. He knows exactly what He’s doing, even if we don’t, and that’s okay! We are confident in the fact that He is our provider, our peace, our joy, and our strength.

To our friends and family in this beautiful city, we love you with all our hearts and we are so grateful to God for bringing us together. We will be back in the future. To the leaders who poured into our lives during our time here, thank you. You are each an example of just how good our God is! To our friends and family in Atlanta, we cannot wait to see you! To my parents, thanks for being so supportive of us during this move. Although it’s not to PA, we will be a heck of a lot closer! And lastly, to you, Phoenix. Thank you for providing the perfect backdrop for this season in our lives. I will miss seeing random mountains in the middle of the city, watching giant haboobs sweep across the city, and the absolutely breathtaking sunsets you provide. I will not miss your drivers, though I think it’s worse where we are heading, nor will I miss your 120°summers. Thanks for being so fantastic these past two years. Catcha on the flip side, boo.

XOXO

ELK