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Erinleighm33
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Name: Erin
Birthday: 5/29/1980
Gender: Female
Interests: Singing, dancing, music, tennis, volleyball, cardio kickboxing, shopping, fellowshipping with other Christians, learning about, serving, and worshipping our Heavenly Father.
Expertise: I'm a School Counselor in training...so that will hopefully be my "expertise" soon. No matter what my competence level in anything, I always want to continue learning more.
Occupation: Student
Message: message me
Member Since:
12/21/2003
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| **What is your God-given dream? Are you pursuing it?**
Those of you who know me well, know that I am extremely passionate about encouraging and empowering others to:
1) Discover and pursue the dream that God has embedded deep in their heart
2) Live out the passion and purpose that God has created specifically for them
3) Strive to reach their full potential in godly character
With that said, God has really put it on my heart today to share with
you a profound message that was given by the Associate Pastor at my
home church, CrossCurrent, in northern Virginia on May 29, 2005. This
message is available to listen to online, which I strongly encourage
you to listen to IN ITS ENTIRETY before you continue reading this. Click on this link to listen to it:
http://content.apreso.com/CrossCurrent/TheMessage05292005.mp3
Hopefully you just listened to the sermon above (the rest of this entry
will make more sense to you). In light of that sermon, I want to share
with you one of my testimonies that relates to it. Like the people
whose dream revelations you heard in the sermon, I also discovered and
was committed to pursuing a God-given dream in my own heart. About two
years ago, God called me to leave my "land of familiar" to pursue my
biggest God-given dream yet: becoming a school guidance counselor
who will encourage and empower youth to achieve their full potential,
while helping them overcome any obstacles along the way. This passion
was pressed on my heart so deeply that I just couldn't ignore it! I had
to act on it. I had to obey. The dream and my trust in the Dream-giver
eventually overpowered my greatest fears. So, I acted in obedience to
God. He specifically called me to begin this journey by pursuing my
Master's degree in School Counseling at Regent University, where
academics are strong and the Christian faith is integrated. So, I went
through a year of intense preparation in 2003, during which I
experienced many challenges, confirmations, and testimonies of God's
faithfulness (I can share with you more if you ask) before leaving my
land of familiar in northern Virginia. The comfortable territory was
where I had lived my entire life even during undergraduate college. I
had to leave behind my family, friends, my church home where I accepted
Christ 3 years earlier, and a great job in a successful company...all
in obedience to what God was calling me to do. And so here I am in
mid-2005 still trusting Him, pressing on, persevering, working
diligently, and waiting patiently for what awaits me according to God's
plans for my life. I've definitely faced challenges here, but nothing
that God hasn't helped me through. The trials have only grown my
character to be more like Christ and increased my faith in His
wonderful ways. It has been a daily faith walk to say the least, but
God has been SO FAITHFUL to provide all that I've needed and so much
more here. He has truly blessed me for my
obedience...for abandoning my life to follow where He called me.
There's no doubt in my mind that God will continue to call me to leave
my comfort zone in pursuit of other plans He has for my life (maybe
smaller, perhaps larger, or maybe just in other areas of my life) in
the future and I know that I will obey Him without question. Why? Well,
I'm not at all saying it would be that easy (if it's that easy, it's
probably not of God), but I am saying that His plans are perfect, His
timing is perfect, He provides our needs, He is in control of our life,
and when we obey, it not only pleases Him, but also brings glory to His
name. This is true for all of God's children. He promises.
It's not that easy to take that step of faith, but remember that our
God is a faithful God! Think back on all the times in your life that He
has provided for you, answered your prayers, and blessed you with the
desires of your heart. Friends, if He has called you to do something
profound in His name and if He has given you a real passion to impact a
hurting world and His kingdom, He will see you through to the very end
and will see your dream to fruition. No dream is too big for Him to
accomplish. You doubt your ability and whether you're good enough? Know
that God chooses ordinary people to do extraordinary things! Isn't that
awesome?! You don't have to be a "good Christian" or be the most
skilled. God will work through you, giving you the skills you will
need. Don't worry about that. He has it all worked out. The fact of the
matter is, if He's given you a passion for something, He wants to bring
it to fruition. He just needs your willing and courageous heart to do
so. Remaining in our comfort zone is a place where we easily
become complacent in our faith, but it's when we take that step of
faith and leave that zone that God can do His best work in us and
through us...ultimately for His kingdom and His glory. Don't let fear
keep you from achieving your full God-given potential and all the plans
He has in store for you.
Once you begin pursuing your dream, keep your focus on Him all the way
and trust your God-given dream, your passion, to Him. He will provide
all your needs along the way and bless your obedience as you pursue His
calling on your life. PRESS ON, even when you're faced with challenges.
You will be tested. Be completely devoted to the Lord. It's all about
perseverence, patience, and dedication. And remember, never let the
dream become bigger than the Dream-giver.
So, now...what's YOUR God-given dream? YOUR passion? If we all pursued
our God-given dreams, just think what this world would be like. Commit
yourself to impacting this world one life at a time. Be a man or woman
of influence for God. He deserves nothing less from us.
To learn more about discovering and/or pursuing God-given dreams:
1) Read about Joseph in the Bible. He was truly a man of God who
endured many trials in pursuit of His God-given dream. He was
courageous about as well as devoted to following God's will for His
life no matter what the cost. He trusted His Father with His life. I
encourage you to review GENESIS 37-50 to learn more about Joseph's
journey.
2) In conjunction with #1, check out the following awesome website based on Genesis 37-50 (Joesph's God-given dream journey):
http://www.focusongod.com/sermon120.htm
3) Read "The Dream Giver" by Bruce Wilkinson and "When a Woman
Discovers Her Dream" by Cindi McMenamin (for the ladies). Both are
EXCELLENT, life-changing, God-inspired books about discovering and
pursuing your God-given dream, while overcoming the challenges that
stand in the way.
I pray that you've been encouraged while reading this message and
listening to the sermon I linked for you above. Please feel free to
share with me your own God-given dream(s) if you know and/or if you are
already actively pursuing any. I'd love to hear how God is working in
your life in this way! Let's encourage one another.
I love you all as my brothers and sisters in Christ.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
-Jeremiah 29:11
"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:14
May God's grace and peace be with you.
Love in Him,
Erin
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| I'm removing the mask so I can be me. I'm breaking free from the chains
so I can be free. This is who I am...the woman God created me to be...
As
this semester begins drawing to a close, I reflect on what God has
done--and continues to do--in my life and in my heart. There's SO MUCH
that I could probably literally write an entire novel. But I just want
to highlight some of what's been happening...
I
think the general theme
of this semester is definitely PERSONAL GROWTH---intellectually,
mentally, emotionally, and spiritually---thank GOD, not physically. I
don't exactly need to grow in that way! Anyway, to begin, I've been
learning a
LOT of new counseling skills and techniques---advanced individual
therapy, child play therapy, and group therapy. Each class I'm in has
lab work every week--mostly tapings and sessions. In addition, as
counseling students, we're required to participate in both group
therapy and individual therapy--as a real client. So, those two things
in addition to class material really force you to become aware of your
issues (and EVERYONE has issues of some sort!), discover the deep
influences of and reasons behind them, and begin to work through them.
So, that's been pretty heavy for me this semester. I've learned a lot
about myself and have grown so much too. In the beginning and up until
the last few weeks or so, this was all mush, emotionally draining, and
incredibly stressful...but it's slowly been solidifying and God has
been my strength and peace through it all. I'm a work in progress and
GOD HEALS! He's also blessed me with some really incredible people in
my life, that have helped encourage me and lift me up in a profound
way. I truly love my God-ordained friendships! I'm learning to fully
love myself for the woman God created me and rely fully on Him for
EVERYTHING. I can do absolutely NOTHING apart from Him. It's something
that I continue to work on---surrenduring myself fully to Him on a
daily basis, making Him my #1 focus each day, and living my life
completely devoted to Him.
My passion for Christ has recently
been renewed. I had lost that for quite awhile---about a year. Finally,
I reached a point where I had lost so much of it that I became
desperate for it again...to have God close again. I wanted to be able
to feel His embrace and acknowledge Him walking with me daily. It's an
awesome place to be at with God. Anyway, a lot of people have been
praying for me this semester because it had been such a difficult and
dry period for me. I finally came to a point a few weeks ago--Easter
Sunday actually---where I just broke down and cried out to God, just as
David had done. I had the head knowledge, but the heart wasn't
following. I was SO TIRED of living life my way instead of God's way.
It was just digging my emotional hole even deeper. So anyway, I
promised to God that Sunday after church to renew my commitment to Him.
I felt there was no other option for me. It was something I needed to
do...I needed that intimacy with Him once again. This time, I wasn't
turning back. So, after that, God revealed some hardcore things to
me---that I first needed to humble myself by being completely open and
honest with all my friends about my spiritual walk. That was NOT an
easy thing to do. But in obedience and in trust, I stepped out in faith
and told my friends. Some were surprised, but ALL encouraged and
supported me 100%. God also revealed to me that He wanted me to make it
real--profess my re-commitment to Him by going up for the alter call at
a church I hadn't been to in a year. So, I promised Him I would. That
week at the mid-week young adults service--Soul Central--I re-committed
during the alter call. It was such a profound moment for me, a
transition period in my faith. Some really awesome, godly friends
attended with me, prayed with me, supported me, and encouraged me. Ever
since then night, my passion for Christ has slowly been growing. My
mentor has put me on a Bible reading track to get me in the Word every
single day, which is a new thing for me--before it was inconsistent and
lifeless. Next, I need to plug into a church home, which I've been
looking for and praying about. So anyway, I'm starting to reach a
really beautiful place with Christ and allowing Him to meet all my
needs. I can't even imagine how our relationship will continue to
blossom.
And finally--my dream, my passion, my calling. I've
been at my practicum site for a full semester now. Let me just say that
God has provided me a glimpse of what this dream will look like once I
began to really live it out...once that dream finally comes alive. It's
definitely a spiritual battleground being in the public school. You
see, hear, and experience a lot of negative stuff. However, as a school
counseling intern, I'm able to witness and experience some powerful and
positive things there as well. I've been given several opportunties to
do a lot of academic and personal counseling. In fact, I have a handful
of "clients" that I meet with on a regular basis for follow-up and
progress evaluation. I love it so much!! I could be having the worst
day--lots of issues and worries on my mind, but when I meet with a
student one-on-one for counseling all of that disappears. It's just me
and the student and for that brief period, nothing else matters.
Connecting with them is such a powerful thing and I've been able to see
some positive changes in them over time. It's been really really
awesome to have a positive impact on these young people, especially for
those who have very few (if any) positive influences in their life.
Many come from broken families or have experienced difficult
circumstances in their short life. But I allow God to work through
me--praying every time right before I enter the school. He has shown me
that I need to encourage them to reach their full potential and to help
them overcome any obstacles in the way. Also, He continues to work
through me by empowering these students to take control and make
positive changes for themselves that will affect their life now and in
the future. It's been so profound and SUCH an incredible blessing. My
time at the school is what has helped me remember why I came here in
the first place--leaving behind family, friends, a good job, and my
church home. Willingly stepping out of your comfort zone in faith and
obedience to chase your God-given dream...and never looking
back...that's what it's all about...
Your dream can come true
too, my friend. What is your God-given passion? Where do your talents
lie? Okay, now what is keeping you from following it? God doesn't put
dreams in our hearts and bless us with talents for no purpose. He wants
to see these things come to fruition in our lives. No reason that
stands in the way of you chasing your dream is too big for God. He can
do anything, so trust Him with it. Say, "okay, God. I'm doing this. I
trust that You have a perfect plan for this dream and for me. I also
trust You to provide everything I will need in order to achieve it."
So, think about that. What will your prayer be right now?
More of You and less of me, Jesus...
Scripture: James 1
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| Living beyond yourself. That seems to be the ongoing theme and
lesson from God in my life lately. I've realized just how selfish
and self-centered I can be sometimes. I don't mean to be, but
sometimes it can be hard to look outside yourself for ways you can
bless others. Something to definitely work on.
I've entered a season of preparation. I'm preparing for next
semester---two things in particular. First, I've been called to
lead a women's Bible study for single women in my counseling program at
school. I'm pretty excited about it and loving the continual
confirmations God's been sending my way. We're going to do a
study on the Proverbs 31 woman using the book, "Discovering the
Treasures of a Godly Woman" by Elizabeth George. Ladies, if you
have not read this book, I really recommend it! Whether you are
single or married, it will truly bless you. You could read it
with a small group or on your own. Perhaps God is calling you to
lead a group using this book or is calling you to introduce it to your
current small group. Hmmm...but yeah, my women's group back home
did this study about a year and a half ago. It was SO
AWESOME!! The women in it grew so much from it. Anyway, I
feel God is really calling me to a season of preparation for this new
thing, especially because I've never lead a Bible study before.
I'm excited about it though. I'm going to be praying daily for
the women that God will bring to the group and for my focus to be on
Him daily. I'm also going to be careful about what I take in
lately. I've felt led to give up some things, at least for awhile
until I grow stronger in my faith. I've felt the need to surround
myself with genuine godly people more.
Also, I've felt God telling me that I need to be careful about what I
listen to and watch on tv/movie. I think I need to give up
secular music for awhile and certain shows I tend to watch that aren't
keeping my focus on godly values. Here's the thing--I'm not at
all against secular stuff, but I also think we are called to be in the
world, but not OF the world. We are different and set apart. I
think certain things that would be considered the ways of the world can
cause us to stumble or think wrong things. We can begin to
incorporate the values of those we hang out with regularly, listen to,
watch, etc. etc. What we take in will ultimately be what we give
out. It's important to guard our minds for the Lord.
Secondly, I'm preparing for my practicum in school counseling. I just
found out that I've been placed at a middle school, which I'm pretty
excited about. This will be my first experience with guidance
counseling and working with the age population that I really have a
heart for. I can't wait! BUT, this will be in a public
school---definite spiritual warfare battleground there. So, I
need to be preparing my mind and heart for what I'll be dealing
with---with the kids, parents, teachers, administration, etc. It
might be challenging at times. I'm definitely going to need to
put on the full armor of God and prepare for spiritual battle.
Thank God He will be there with me to fight for me. I need to
allow Him to work through me at this school.
Be blessed in the Lord...
Love in Him,
Erin
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| What an incredibly awesome night. I really felt the Spirit move!
Let me just
first say that the 1st year counseling students (the newbies) are a
true blessing to me. I've really been praying a lot lately for
God to bring godly people into my life and He has totally been
answering that prayer. The first 7 months that I've lived here
were incredibly tough. There were only a handful of people that
started my program in January and most of them were in different walks
of life...at least married and some with kids. We never hung out
with one another outside of class. While I tried to get involved
in the occasional campus activities, I really felt lonely a lot.
To top that off, I didn't have a roommate
during those 7 months either. Ever since I moved in with Sylvia a
month ago, things are so much better. I can sleep at night and I
truly enjoy her company...spending time with her doing fun stuff as
well as our God conversations. She's a real blessing. Also,
the new people started in my program a few weeks ago and I've had some
opportunities to meet them (thanks mostly to being in COGS---student
government). These students are awesome...around my age, most are
single women, and pretty passionate about God and about pursuing His
will for their life. I love it! It's so refreshing to meet
people who think and feel the way you do about your faith and
calling. Praise God for the opportunities to meet and fellowship
with these awesome men and women of God! Once again, God
confirms that this is EXACTLY where I belong. His building my
"Dream Team" (those that will encourage me and me encourage them) as I
pursue the "Big Dream" that God has embedded within my heart to follow
and reach.
So,
yeah....back to tonight. Well, today was Labor Day and there was
a get-together at the home of two of the 1st year counseling
students. I almost didn't go though because I wasn't feeling up
to it earlier in the day. However, I felt that I should go
anyway. So, I called Karen and ended up going with her to
the house. Despite a little rain and not being able to swim in
their pool, we had a fun time. I enjoyed meeting some new people,
eating good food, playing a fun game, and how it all came to a
close. We played a game called Mafia for HOURS tonight!
Although I had heard of this game, I had never actually played it
before. Well, it was tons of fun! We couldn't stop playing
it. If anyone reading this has ever played before, you know what
I'm talking about. The best was when our group was so large that
there were 3 mafia people and I was one of them. It was the
second game and all 3 of us won the game---we were the last at the
end. We must be really good actors! Hahah...such fun
times. I can't wait to play again! Great time of
bonding. So, we were about to play another round when one of the
girls, Julie, said she had to go study and got up to leave. She
then proceeded to tell us about her job situation. Well, her
roomie decided that we should pray for her. So, we all held hands
in our circle and prayed for her. Then, a few more people said
they had prayer requests and so we prayed for them. This time it
was different though...it lasted longer and everyone was really open to
God moving during this time. The Spirit totally moved in our
group. Many were brought to tears by the end of the
prayer. Finally, we closed by singing 2 praise songs that
were laid on the heart of one of the ladies. We then got up and hugged
each other and really opened up with one another one-on-one. I was
brought to tears and explained to them that they were blessings in my
life because I needed people like them. Tonight was just so
awesome...I just can't even put into words. I just love how God
moves in situations. We never know how God is going to quite use
something or turn something around, ya know? We had plans to
continue our game, but apparently, God had much better plans for
us!!
PRAISE GOD---He's so faithful! 
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| EQUALLY YOKED
God really spoke to me through a devotional I read this morning
composed by Rebecca St. James. My roommate, Sylvia, and I have
been discussing this topic recently as well, so it seems that God is
really trying to bring this to my attention lately...perhaps to yours
too?
I know it's
important to be equally yoked with the one we decide to spend our life
with (or date), but it also holds true for our friendships as
well. I think we can be a witness to others, while also guarding
our hearts and creating healthy boundaries. Oftentimes, it's a
very fine line that we have to be careful with and ask for God's
wisdom. I've had people who weren't really living for God tell me
that they want to be friends because I'm a good influence on them as a
Christian. Well, that's not an easy situation! On one hand
you want to be a good witness, but on the other hand, you don't want to
fall prey to Satan's tactics.
I want to open
up some discussion on this and find out how you all feel about this
topic and also how you deal with such situations. Specific
examples would be great too. You might even want to open up a
discussion on your own weblog for your friends to read as
well.
Below is the
Rebecca St. James devotional that really spoke to me today. I
really felt led to share it with you. It was taken from
www.rsjames.com under her "Devotional" section. God bless you,
friends!
"I remember, a
few years back in youth group, playing (or watching) a particular game.
One person would stand on a chair, while another stood on the floor at
the feet of the first person. The person on the chair would try to pull
the person on the floor up onto the chair. Unless the "floor person"
was being extremely helpful, making it easy for him to be pulled up,
then it was pretty much impossible. (Unless, I s'pose, the person on
the chair was the muscle man of the youth group!) Then, the "floor
person" would try to pull the "chair person" off the chair and usually
succeeded within 10 seconds.
Our youth
pastor would then use that physical illustration to show that often
it's easier to be pulled down by the people we hang out with than to be
pulled up or encouraged by them,
When you think
about it, in a way, we are yoked to our friends. When bulls are yoked
(bonded together by wood), if one decides to pull another way from the
rest of the team, it just doesn't work. The same goes for us. If we are
"bound" to friends that are going the wrong way, as much as we don't
want to go, we're still going to be driven down the wrong path. We need
to be so careful concerning whom we spend the bulk of our time with
because, whether we like to admit it or not, our friends majorly affect
how we live our lives. As my dad says, "We are who we hang with."
Verses:
2 Corinthians 6:14-15, 17, 7:1
Galations 5:7-9, 13-16
Ephesians 5:5-11
1 Peter 2:11-12, 17
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