by Emily Howsden | Nov 27, 2017
What is your favorite thing about Christmas? Can you narrow it down to just one thing? I did my best and only narrowed it down to two things, a success in my book! As I said in a blog previously, Christmas is my second favorite holiday next to Thanksgiving.
There is so much to love about the celebration of the Lord’s birth. I think if I had to narrow it down however, I would say that spending time with family and giving gifts are two of my favorite things associated with Christmas.
I am an extremely family oriented person, and Christmas is generally a holiday that the world spends with family. I think family is one of the greatest gifts the Lord gave us on this side of eternity. Sure, they’ll get on your nerves, let you down and sometimes make life harder than necessary, but none of that ever outweighs how much I love spending time with my family.
Some things I’ve enjoyed in past Christmases are going to Christmas Eve services at church, reading Luke 2 before opening presents together, going to look at Christmas lights with my family, playing Scattergories (which we do at almost every family gathering), playing some sort of sport outside and just being together.
One thing that has added to the joy and merriment of spending Christmas with my family is the addition of my nephews and niece. I told someone the other day that Christmas just seems so much more magical when you celebrate with children, and I hold to that! There isn’t anything better than seeing someone you love take joy in something. Nothing beats seeing a baby only care about the bows and wrapping paper or laughing at something one of my older nephews says. Kids really do say the “darndest” things.
At my sister-in-law’s house, we open presents early on Christmas morning, so a sleepover on Christmas Eve usually takes place. Last year was the first year my husband and I slept over as opposed to driving in the morning of Christmas, and it was a blast.
We stayed up late playing games and laughing, then crawled in bed knowing that in just a few hours we would be woken up to open presents together.
The next morning, we all woke up and poured ourselves a cup of coffee or cider and had a Christmas morning breakfast feast. Once we all had our fill, we opened presents in our Christmas pajamas. Each person opens a present as the rest of the family watches, which I love. I love that tradition so much because I take so much care in picking out presents, I want to be able to watch people open what I chose to buy them.
That brings me to my other favorite thing about Christmas. I absolutely love giving gifts. I truly find it to be a sport of sorts. If the gift exchange I am a part of isn’t one with my family, or people I’m familiar with, I study them to find out what they would like to best receive.
There’s an art to gift giving. If you have all the money in the world, that of course makes things a lot easier. But you don’t have to have all the money in the world to pick something that someone wouldn’t normally buy themselves and surprise them with it.
The more surprised the person I give a gift to is, the more accomplished I feel. I remember spending nearly two hours in Toys R Us the first year Casey and I were married, carefully picking out toys for each of my nephews and my niece.
I have guidelines like ff the child is younger than one or two-years-old, they get a book with a sentiment inside from Aunt Emily. The book also has to some way remind me of each child. I don’t buy super noisy toys that will ruin any of my brother and sister’s lives if their child were to bring it home, however I have sent home a few “weapons” like foam swords and Nerf guns.
I generally set a budget for each person I am buying a gift as well. This is where I struggle, because gift giving is one of my love languages. Every Christmas, my parents deserve a private island, but I have yet to follow through on buying them that private island due to insufficient funds. Nine times out of 10, however, I will sacrifice getting myself something while out shopping, so I can up the budget on everyone else’s gifts. I can’t help it! And my husband Casey is adorably accommodating.
I think most of all though, I love the gift that I received when I invited Jesus into my heart. God took time picking this gift out. He set parameters, and he sacrificed the thing he held most dear in the world, His Son.
There was travel involved in that first Christmas. One could even say travel to see family, as a census was taking place and families were instructed to return to their home cities. Much like our family gatherings, people are put anywhere and everywhere trying to fit everyone in the house to sleep, although none of us have slept in the barn, yet.
The wise men came bearing gifts to the newborn king just as we do for each other. But the comparisons stop with the birth of the one true King, the Savior of the world. The greatest gift God could have ever given mankind is the life of Jesus, and eventually the death of His Son who he loved so much.
I challenge you to think about a few of your favorite things this holiday season. Is the Lord’s birth at the forefront? Is He a part of your Christmas celebrations? If He isn’t, I encourage you familiarize yourself with the story of His birth. Then, take time to thank Him for the traditions you and your family hold.
I hope you have the merriest Christmas this Christmas season. It’s only November 27, but I am excited to celebrate the Lord’s birth with my family, I hope you are too!
by Emily Howsden | Nov 20, 2017
Thanksgiving is upon us! Thanksgiving is arguably my favorite holiday, with Christmas and maybe Easter and Fourth of July falling in line behind the most glorious holiday. It’s true, at times I am completely greedy, which is one of my ugliest attributes. I can take things for granted and focus on the wrong things. But when I get it right, and focus on all that I DO have and all He has provided, I want to scream from the rooftops that, “I AM THANKFUL!”
There really isn’t anything that I don’t like about Thanksgiving. I have so many things for which I am thankful, so I thought I would list them, in no particular order, because I think it is a good practice to count your blessings.
- I am thankful for my family. I have grown up the youngest of six children, so anything besides a big family around a large table on thanksgiving, with me and my twin at the kids table seems just odd. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the constant love and support my family pours into my life. I wouldn’t laugh as much because they are some of the funniest people I know, whether their humor is on purpose or not. My heart wouldn’t be as full without all of my nephews and my niece calling me “Emmy” and wrapping me around their little fingers. I wouldn’t be as joyful because being around them, no matter the occasion, brings me such large amounts of joy I can barely comprehend.
- I am thankful for the family into which I married. Casey’s family are such incredible people. There is never a dull moment spent with them. They keep me laughing, and they feel like home, something for which I cannot fully express my thankfulness. They love me like I’m one of their own, and they are helping me become a dog person, for which I was at first, reluctantly thankful, but now enjoying. I can’t wait to spend time with them this week.
- I am thankful for my church family and home. It may not be a surprise by now, but family is extremely important to me. Living two hours away from family on both sides has its setbacks at times, but Casey and I have developed such a support group and family in Moore, we feel at home. Our family group that meets on Sunday nights is a perfect example of the Church (big C) that surrounds us and loves unconditionally. They fill my heart to the brim!
- I am thankful for my job, and my husband’s work. Never in all of my years of school did I think I would have the opportunity to report the news AND be in a God-honoring environment. I have nothing against any of my previous jobs. I am extremely thankful for them as well, but the job I have now at the Baptist Messenger is just proof that the Lord delights in granting our hearts’ desires. I never dread work. I get to do what I love with a great team, and I have a statewide platform to share the Good News, for that I am thankful! I am also thankful for Casey’s job. The fact that I have a husband who loves the Lord and works in a capacity that is serving him daily within a church is a huge blessing. I love that the staff he is a part of are so close. I love the college students we get to call friends, and I love the ministry where the Lord placed us to make disciples. It is truly an honor.
- I am thankful for my home. My husband, Casey, and I bought our first home back in March of this year, and I have never been more thankful for the Lord’s provisions. There is nothing like coming home to a place you can truly call your own. I’ve loved getting to decorate our home and put personal touches into it. I’ve loved how we get to do ministry in our home by inviting people into it. I’ve loved the simple Saturday mornings where we get to cook breakfast together. I’ve loved not having to tiptoe because someone lives under us, not having to put down a pet deposit, having our own space. I just love our home, and I am so thankful for it!
I could truly go on for days about all of the things for which I’m most thankful. Good health, reliable cars, my cat, Hagrid and even our Dog, Sadie (most times), but what I am most thankful for, now and always, is a gracious and loving God.
God’s love has changed my life. His forgiveness has made me new, and in Him I am offered eternal live. He is a gracious Father. Comforter. Redeemer. Friend. Without him, all above mentioned things cannot and will not fulfill my life. I am thankful for His provisions but most of all, His loving Sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, and the gift of eternal life through Him.
by Emily Howsden | Nov 6, 2017
As I’ve transitioned into the new “adult” phase of my life, there is one thing that I and several of my peers have come to realize, and that is relationships are hard.
Right now, I’m talking about friendships. It seems true that as one gets older, their inner circle becomes smaller.
As a child, it wasn’t hard coming up with upwards of 20 or so people to invite to a birthday party or some sort of special event. In grade school, that circle became smaller as all of us began to express interest in different activities, sports, hobbies and other things.
In high school, again the circle shrunk. My core group of friends numbered at about six or so, if I’m remembering correctly. Then everyone graduates and goes to college or enters the workforce or military, and again the circle shrinks.
By the time college comes around you’ve either made new friends that you met at college or you can call yourself fortunate enough to have some of the same friends from your inner group in high school.
As I’ve grown, I’ve seen my circle become smaller and smaller. There are many reasons for this. Time, distance, growing out of different relationships if you will, but friendship is always something I recommend to our college students at church to handle with extreme care.
It’s true, for all stages of life, that you become like the people with which you spend your time. This is where being selective is hard, but necessary.
College can be a period in your life full of memories and fun for some, but for others, this time in their life might be plagued by loneliness. In my case, getting plugged into the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) at my school was one of the best things that could have happened to me.
My best friend and I transferred to the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) our second year in college and immediately sought out the BCM. It was there that we found community with fellow believers, grew in our knowledge and relationship with God and of the Bible. We were able to find a local church home through recommendations of BCM peers and made friends and memories that I’ll cherish forever.
What a difference it makes in such a stressful time of life to have a group of people who love you and are there for you, whether that is to distract you from the troubles of college, or to push you towards your earthly goals, focused on Christ and eternity all the while.
Community is important. Finding a place where you “belong” is a common struggle among college students. This was where I felt I belonged, among a body of believers who loved me and pushed me to be my best.
It might not be the BCM for you. Maybe you are super involved in your church home, to which I say, BRAVO! My husband and I always tell the college students in our college ministry at church that they should be involved in an on campus ministry as well as a church family. Each organization will fill different needs and have its own pace in your life as a busy college student.
The relationships you make in these different instances and the level of importance in your life however is totally in your hands.
Cultivating relationships only gets harder the older you get. You have to be extremely intentional to plan time to spend with someone and grow specific relationships. It might be hard at times, and you may just wish you could sit at home and be alone, but I have never once regretted meeting with friends to talk about Jesus and life. I always come away from our meetings with my cup and heart full.
I encourage all college students to engage in discipleship-type relationships. This can mean you are actively discipling someone who is either younger than you or newer in their faith in Jesus than you, but it is equally important that students have someone who is discipling them.
I am not so far removed from college that I have forgotten how hard or stressful it can be. Having someone to ask for advice and someone who is wiser than you is imperative in the Christian faith.
Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
You won’t ever regret pouring time into a person and seeing them grow in Christ. The same can be said for finding someone who is wise and learning about life from them.
Take relationships seriously and cultivate ones that matter, because as your circle gets smaller, the body of Christ is waiting with open arms.
by Emily Howsden | Oct 30, 2017
Last week I celebrated my one year work anniversary of starting my job at the Baptist Messenger. What a year it has been!
I thought it would be fun to tell about how I came to work at the Baptist Messenger and talk about some highlights over the past year.
Where do I begin describing how much I have loved doing what I do for the past year? I have had jobs that I enjoyed prior to my job now. Specifically, the job I had before coming to the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) was great. However, I was working remotely out of my hometown, still in denial that I wouldn’t be moving back as soon as I had planned.
But the Lord had different plans. Casey and I got plugged into our church, First Baptist Church of Moore, where he is the college pastor, and we loved it. We built relationships with amazing people and began to feel like Oklahoma City, or more specifically Moore, was our home.
However, I wasn’t looking for another job. Like I mentioned previously, I was really happy with the job I had. But one night, my mom sent me a picture of a classified in the state publication for Baptists, the Baptist Messenger (*Sidenote* I remember seeing the Baptist Messenger on the kitchen table for practically my entire life. My parents are faithful readers, shout-out to Steve and Kathy!).
Anyway, so when my mom sent me a picture of the classified and said “Hey, this job description describes all of your attributes to a ‘T’. You should look into it,” I did it! You would be hard pressed to find someone wiser than my mom, so of course I did just what she suggested.
It turns out that I had a friend at “The Building,” what we lovingly call the BGCO, so I sent her a text and asked her how she liked it. She encouraged me to apply, and I did!
About a month later, I began my career as a writer for the Baptist Messenger. I have always loved journalism, so this was really an ideal career path that I didn’t know existed in the news world. A news job with normal hours, reporting news pertaining to Oklahoma Baptists, being able to talk about my faith around coworkers, WHAT?? If it sounds too good to be true to you, it did to me also.
But here I am, a year later, incredibly thankful that the Lord used my mom and a friend to push me toward the job that I love.
Over the past year I’ve been able to experience incredible things as a writer for the Baptist Messenger.
I got to travel to the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting and witness history in the making, as the convention as a whole denounced alt. right/racism altogether.
I was able to witness praises being lifted to the Lord coming from the mouths of an African American Choir, a Native American choir, the Oklahoma Baptist Children’s Chorus and the Singing Churchmen and ChurchWomen of Oklahoma.
I was able to interview faithful servants to the Lord who take part in seemingly small projects that are impacting the Kingdom of Christ for the better, like a 94-year-old woman crocheting plastic bags into mats for the Oklahoma City homeless.
I was able to do live-event coverage on social media of the 100 Years of Falls Creek celebration where so many notable things happened, my head might still be spinning.
I got to witness selfless Disaster Relief volunteers dropping everything and getting on a bus to Houston after Hurricane Harvey left residents devastated and their homes destroyed. Disaster Relief and all that they do will never cease to amaze me.
I got to stand alongside advocates for the unborn at the Oklahoma State Capitol for “Rose Day.”
I witnessed a woman missionary from Guerrero, Mexico begin a trek across the country on a bike for the “Finish Well Ride” to raise awareness for the elderly in Mexico who have fallen on hard times.
I got to regularly visit Falls Creek this past summer to write stories about a campground that my parents attended before I was born, and I grew up loving. Trust me, many ICEEs were consumed.
But over the past year, through all of the stories I’ve told, interviews done, pictures taken, news releases sent, social media posts made and blogs I’ve blogged, the common factor that I have enjoyed most are the people I have the privilege to work with.
They are fun to be around, crazy at times, and sometimes tensions run high—especially on days we go to press—but they are the best people I’ve worked with. Why? Because we are not only working for the common goal of producing an amazing and award winning statewide publication—but because we are working for the common goal of furthering the Kingdom of Christ and making His name known.
When you pair that with getting to do what I’m passionate about every day (except for Fridays, PRAISE THE LORD FOR A FOUR DAY WORK WEEK), never once have I ever regretted stepping out in faith and applying to work at the BGCO.
I have one question for you as you read this super gushy post if you’ve made it this far. Is today the day that a year from now you could say you stepped out in faith and the Lord granted you your heart’s desire? I say, go for it.
by Emily Howsden | Oct 23, 2017
Have you heard about the #metoo movement sweeping the country? In this primarily but not exclusively social media movement, those who have experienced a form of sexual harassment or assault use the hashtag #metoo as a way of telling other victims that they understand, and they are not alone.
This movement didn’t just begin when Alyssa Milano, an actress, tweeted a statement encouraging victims to stand up and speak out. It didn’t begin because of the allegations toward Harvey Weinstein, a popular Hollywood producer sexually assaulting dozens of actress for decades. It began when Tarana Burke, an activist, decided to be the voice for children, primarily children of color, who had been sexually abused.
This is something in which Christians, if you haven’t already tuned in, should be paying close attention.
Having seen reactions that range from in favor to completely in opposition of the “#metoo” movement, one thing that I noticed is that people seem to be confused about what it means. If someone posts #metoo, it doesn’t automatically mean they have been raped.
As clearly as I can explain, #Metoo can mean a variety of things that all fall under the umbrella of any form of sexual injustice. For example, I could say #metoo because I have been cat called on the streets. I could say it because I have been touched when I didn’t want to be. Thankfully, I have not experienced some of the horrors other women have, but I think most women in some way, shape or form would be able to say, “#metoo.”
In fact, in the following days of the “#metoo” movement, Facebook reported that the hashtag had been used more than 12 million times.
Incidents of sexual harassment and abuse don’t shy away from the church. Because of the fall of mankind and sin, rampant in this world, sexual harassment is everywhere. I read a statistic that said one out of every six women has been sexually abused in her lifetime. That is just women…
This means people in my church/your church, friends and family have most likely fallen victim to this atrocious sin. How can we help bring about the tides of change and offer safety, peace and healing?
First, pay attention and listen. If someone comes to you in a church setting or not, be someone in whom they can confide. It will be an uncomfortable situation. A topic you would rather not discuss. However, if someone comes to you in confidence, they need help. They need you or someone to point them to the Lord and help them heal.
Next, put safeguards in place to protect the people who step into the doors of your church. The church should be a place where people are safe. Know boundaries and draw a hard and clear line on what is acceptable behavior and what will not be tolerated.
Don’t just say you’re sorry. Do something. Actions speak louder than words. Actions in this case can even include not adding to sexual stereotypes.
When God created man, He said that it was not good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18), so he decided to make woman.
In the verses that follow, the Lord put Adam into a deeps sleep, and formed woman out of the rib of Adam, thus, we have Eve. Once Adam awoke he said, “This one, at last, is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh; This one will be called woman, for she is taken from man” (Gen. 2:23).
God made us similar; He made us alike; He didn’t make us so we would see all the differences we have with each other; He made us “bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh.”
Nowhere in the Bible does God say women are inferior. On the contrary, God fills His word with powerful women like Esther, Ruth, Sara, Rahab and Jochebed. God never says women are weak or lesser than men, why should we be treated as such? You can help by modeling respect and equality in all forms of relationships with women, today.
Next, don’t take part in any type of victim shaming, ever. Don’t suggest that because a woman was dressed a certain way, or acted one way or the other, that she deserved to be taken advantage of. It’s not right, nor will it ever be. Just don’t do it.
This is perhaps the biggest way anyone can help, pray for forgiveness and revival. Repent from the evil ways of the over-sexualization of our culture today. Repent from all forms of hate or injustice towards women, men, children and all of God’s children. Then, pray for revival.