Oh the winter. The cold, the bundling up, the icy roads, the scraping car windows, and the dreary days.

There are two songs that help me through the seemingly endless cold and lifeless season.
1- Even the Winter by Audrey Assad
2- Every Season by Nicole Nordeman

You see, little blessings still come wrapped up with the falling snow and freezing rain.
Even though church services were cancelled I will get to spend personal time in God's Word.
Even though I'll miss being with my brothers and sisters in Christ, church getting cancelled will allow me extra time to work on an assignment that I was really stressing over.

God sends the cold and the warmth. We need this time of frozen quietness as much as we need beautiful sunny days.

Mewege, that bwessed awangement

Are we asking ourselves the right questions when it comes to "the right age" for marriage?

I don't think there is a right age for marriage. I just know that marriage between two stable Christians seeking to serve God together is good. It is good regardless of age.

Within these past 10 minutes I have seen two articles posted on Facebook about the case for marrying young/early. What are the odds! haha.

I actually support both sides of this. I have nothing against getting married young, so long as both parties have had proper counseling and preparation. I support young marriage especially for the fact that it might be our society's one hope of getting us out of this increased-age-of-adolescence trend. Both the blog posts I just read already have mentioned the fact that adolescence has been extended even past college graduation. This is a problem because young people are shirking from the responsibilities of adulthood and avoiding becoming productive members of society.

Marriage in general is being delayed. I believe this is reflective of the value the American culture is placing on marriage in recent years. For that reason, I support early marriage (of well prepared couples) as a countercultural statement, and to hopefully show the rest of society the high value of good marriages. 

On the flip side of this, I would not go around saying that people in general should marry young. Sometimes the timing of marriage is beyond one's control. Instead, I advocate trusting the Lord in this area. Yes, He may bring along someone you meet your freshman year of college. Or, as is my case, you reach your twenty-first year and still have not met anyone to spend your life with.

Reasons other than immaturity can delay marriage, such as commitment to doing missions. Hey! The mission field could be the perfect place to meet a future spouse! A person seeking to spread the Gospel and put the needs of the Kingdom above their own should be highly commended.

Another point I wanted to touch on was someone's claim that early marriage guards against sexual immorality. In a sense, yes, it does. Obviously, a couple can be freely intimate with one another in the context of marriage, therefore eliminating the immorality of having premarital sex. However, that is not the be-all-end-all of sexual immorality. And it certainly should not be a sole reason for a couple to get married young. Getting married does not automatically remove all temptation for sexual immorality. A married couple also must guard against the immorality of adultery and infidelity, just as an unmarried couple must guard against the temptation of physical intimacy prior to marriage.

Perhaps instead of saying I support young or early marriages, I should say I am an advocate for NOT delaying marriage. There is really no reason to date and date and date the same person for years on end unless there are kinks being ironed out (counseling, finding employment, etc.). There is no reason for someone to completely shut out the possibility of marriage while they are in college.

Pretty much, if you are trusting in the Lord, and following His guidance you can't go wrong!

but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.

1 John 2:5

Why do we blog?

It seems like every time I log on to Facebook I see a friend of mine posting a link to some blog post or article. Hey! I even do it, too, sometimes!

These become especially prevalent surround controversies in the media such as the recent Phil Robertson, A&E, Duck Dynasty, homosexual fiasco.

This always amuses me because I get the impression some people think blog posts are credible sources, or reliable professionals that everyone should read and listen to and take their side. Coming from the "blogger" side I can attest that is not true! I am just here posting my thoughts and feelings and hopefully encouragements for you. Many of my blogging friends would probably agree that, no, we are not professionals giving advice.

That being said, the emergence of blog posts on Facebook and Pinterest gets me to thinking, "Why do we blog?"

What compels us to share our thoughts with the Internet world? Why do we promote it on Facebook? I don't have an answer, but this is a good question for me. It helps me to get to the root of my motives for posting. Whether here or on Facebook.

Do I aim to change someone's mind? Am I passive aggressively pointing out a frustration I have with somebody?

I think one HUGE reason is that we simply want to be heard. We desire validation from others who feel the same way. And with every comment and "like" we get that validation. We get a sense of fulfillment that someone is listening to what we have to say.

And nothing is inherently wrong with that at all. But I must make sure that I seek to find my worth in Jesus Christ and talk to Him before voicing my opinions to others.

Unique Mac 'n Cheese Recipe!

Hey everyone! Emmy here.

Do y'all ever make spaghetti for dinner one night and end up with tons of left-over, plain noodles? Do you ever want to eat them but don't know what to eat them with or how to prepare them? Don't want to eat them plain? I've got an idea you might want to try next time!

I recently made spaghetti for dinner, for our family. We ended up with lots of left-over noodles! I found a container of them in our refrigerator. I thought, what could I make out of these, that's a tasty yet filling lunch/meal idea? And then it hit me! I'll just make a quick mac 'n cheese! Want to learn how?

What I used:

• left-over, plain spaghetti noodles from fridge
• Fiesta blend shredded cheese (we use great value, the Wal-Mart brand) 
• 1 slice of provolone cheese
• 2 splashes of half & half cream
• microwave :)

What I did:

1. Microwave cold spaghetti noodles in microwave safe container. (I microwaved them for about 45 seconds-1 minute)
2. Take container of noodles out of microwave and add some shredded cheese, mix/fold in with fork.
3. Reheat warm noodles w/ added cheese, for about 20-25 more seconds.
4. Take out of microwave; tear up provolone slice and mix in. (add more shredded cheese if desired) Throw in a couple splashes of half and half cream. This will help add a creaminess to the noodles, and help the cheese not to stick & thicken up so much.
5. ENJOY!!!
   

We are on Twitter!

Hello everyone! It's Emmy. We are still here!! So sorry about abandoning this blog for a while. We hardly ever get around to posting on here anymore.

Just telling you all we're on Twitter! I made the Twitter for both my sister & me, but I'm usually the only one who checks it/uses it.

Find & follow us! Search the name Em Henderson or the Twitter handle: @Eli_and_Em

See ya!

Quiet Time is a Good Thing

I read a lot of articles on popular Christian websites. They appeal to the trendy, young, twenty-somethings group of Christians. Maybe what you'd call "hipster". ;) Fun stuff a lot of the time! I sometimes find myself reading those articles and wanting to post in response, though. Challenge the thoughts. It worries me where young adult Christians are getting advice from sometimes. But at the same time I don't want to become a cynical critic, ya know?
For instance, tonight I found someone writing about how the popular "quiet time" notion just didn't work in his schedule. The first red flag that went up was that he only used one tiny portion of a verse in Psalms to support his entire article. However he gave some excellent ideas about other ways to serve God, seek God, and grow closer to God throughout our days. For example, he suggested making exercise time a prayer time as well.
But all that got me to thinking of all the places in the Bible it mentions devoting special time for prayer with the Lord. Several of the Psalms talk about rising early to talk with God. Even in the Gospels, we see Jesus Himself rising early and withdrawing to a quiet place for prayer. I think that is such a precious example He set for us.
Granted, I am NOT one whose example you should follow. I am still working on establishing a time for devotion. Usually, like to try to read in the morning before I get going with the day. And I've found that this funny, awesome thing happens when I give God the firstfruits of my day- He multiplies my time.
Don't think that I am saying following a quiet time regimen makes you a good Christian. For we are told in Romans that our lives- the day to day interactions, everything- are to be worship to God. But quiet time is a good practice toward that. It shows God that we seek Him, and that we ask Him to guide our day. It gives you something to have in your mind to think on as you journey through life. I sincerely believe it is a very good thing.