by Emily Howsden | Jul 31, 2017
The past week has been a chaotic one. Last Sunday, my brother Joel was found in his apartment by his fiance, mostly unresponsive after he suffered from multiple seizures in what doctors think was a 24-hour period. He was rushed to the hospital, put into the Intensive Care Unit and then the acute care unit, where he has remained for the past week.
Thankfully, he is still with us today. His doctors say he is extremely fortunate, considering his kidneys and liver nearly failed, which would have resulted in a scary fate for my brother. The Lord was watching over him and spared his life, and for that we are incredibly thankful. However, Joel’s battle is not finished.
On his road to recovery, his memory has been greatly affected. His short-term memory needs much improvement, and he needs constant reminding of things that he used to know and recall with ease. This is such a hard pill to swallow for both Joel and my family. Imagine seeing a family member struggle to remember your name or have no idea what you did together just a week ago. It has been extremely taxing and a period of trial for all involved.
This is when the Lord led me to an article by Joni Eareckson Tada. Tada is one of my favorite childhood author/illustrators. One of my favorite books throughout my childhood was “The Great Alphabet Fight,” by Tada and Steve Jensen. I specifically remembering marveling at the illustrations and letting my young mind soar with imagination as I flipped through the pages of the book.
My mom shared with me that the person who drew these pictures did it with their mouth. “What!?” was my appropriate response. She explained that the woman who illustrated this book had been in a swimming accident that broke her neck, leaving her unable to use her hands, so she learned how to draw by holding pens and pencils with her teeth. She also explained that through that process, she became a great woman of faith, sharing her story with millions of people.
Enter today, where I’m scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, as I often do, to find inspiration for “Millennial Monday” content. I see an article titled, “Reflections on the 50 Year Anniversary of My Diving Accident.” I knew immediately that this must be an article by Tada.
Oh how I needed this article after the events of the past week. Tada discussed how the past 50 years of her life have not been easy ones and what she has learned in those times. Her wisdom resonated with me, as my brother Joel and my family are in the midst of an unexpected, tragic event.
Tada said, “It sounds incredible, but I really would rather be in this wheelchair knowing Jesus as I do than be on my feet without him.” That is a hard statement to grasp. It made me ask the question to myself, “Would I rather be handicapped with Jesus, than completely healthy without Jesus?” My answer is a resounding yes.
As my brother has struggled to regain conscience, kidney and liver function and basic functions we take for granted, I couldn’t help but wonder how on earth he or my family could get through this time of trial without the Lord guiding us and offering hope in a dark and scary situation?
Our family has received an outpouring of prayer and love from our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Doctors have remarked that they have seen people die from lesser causes than my brother’s. They have said his quick progress is remarkable and unexpected. But I know why Joel has exceeded expectations — because we have the Lord on our side.
When we hurt, suffer and experience pain on this earth, it causes us to get down to the basics of who we are and what we believe. Tada said in her article, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (Ps. 119:71). I won’t rehearse all of suffering’s benefits here. Many of you know them by heart. Like the way God uses suffering to shape Christ’s character in us (Rom. 8:28–29). Or how it produces patience (Rom. 5:4). Or how it refines our faith like gold (1 Pet. 1:7). Or gives us a livelier hope of heaven (James 1:12). And on and on.
“However, if I were to nail down suffering’s main purpose, I’d say it’s the textbook that teaches me who I really am,” Tada wrote.
Who I am, who the people in my family are, who Joel is, are Christ followers. Without our Father in Heaven, no one knows what the outcome of this tragedy would have been, but we’re thankful that He is the great Healer and Protector of His children.
I encourage you, if you have the time, to read the Tada’s words on suffering and how she faced losing almost all of her mobility, and I encourage you to take comfort in 10 words that she said changed her life, “God permits what he hates, to accomplish what he loves.”
by Emily Howsden | Jul 24, 2017
Often as Christians we are encouraged to be big picture thinkers. Don’t focus solely on yourself or those directly surrounding you, but have a heart for the world. I absolutely agree with this. It is imperative that we as Christians “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)
However, all too often one demographic slips through the cracks of the Great Commission from our Lord and Savior. A group of people that we see regularly and love passionately, but sometimes forget completely, our families.
This applies to those whose family members have accepted Jesus as their Savior and those who have not.
I was recently at a family reunion on my Mom’s side of the family, the Steiners. At the reunion, we wanted to celebrate my Grams’ 80th birthday, and she had one wish: to have devotions and share time each night. As we sat around the room, numbering at about 35 people, my Grams shared her life story.
What a powerful moment it was to hear about the moment my Grams came to know Jesus, the same night my Grandpa did. To hear how the Lord had protected them, along with my Mom and uncles from incredibly dangerous situations, and provided for them in times of need, it impacted me.
To hear my Grams tell the love story of her and my Grandpa and then their love story with the Lord completely overwhelmed me. I never got to meet my Grandpa Loren. He died from cancer before I was born, but I have grown up hearing about his legacy and what an incredible man he was. I see the fruits of his labor in my Mom, in whom, no matter how hard I try, I can’t find one fault. I see how dearly my Gram’s loved him and misses him, and wonder at what he would have been like. But because my Grams took the initiative to share her testimony, for one of the first times, I feel like I know him now.
All of this made me think about my siblings, cousins and parent’s stories of salvation. I was shocked that I couldn’t tell you how some of them came to Christ, I just knew they had come to Christ, no specifics. Then I thought about all of the strangers and people with whom I am entirely less familiar that I have told about what the Lord has done in my life. Think about that for a second in your own life… I can’t speak for those of you reading, but in my case, the strangers outweighed my immediate family members.
While this is extremely unfortunate, the good news is we can change this. This year at work we have focused on sharing your legacy. This initiative starts at the home. It is imperative that we know the journey of those before us in our families for reasons like, learning from past experiences and trying to follow in their righteous footsteps.
Inversely, for family members that are not believers, the relational part of your evangelism is already done for you with your family members. You know your family members, and they know you. Share your salvation story. It might be incredibly difficult, as sometimes things are with our loved ones, but think about the responsibility you have for their eternity.
I once heard a speaker say “How much do you have to hate someone to not share the Love of our Savior with them?” This hit my right between the eyes. I thought to myself, “I don’t hate anyone, especially my family! I couldn’t love them more!” But have I shared the Gospel with them? Thankfully I can call all of my earthly brothers and sisters, my brothers and sisters in Christ as well, as well as my parents. But I have a way bigger family than just them, I need to get to work.
I encourage you to, as you seek the lost and seek people to make disciples, start at home. Don’t neglect the people under your roof and closest to your heart. It is equally important that they see your “love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Gal. 5:22-23) This goes for estranged family members as well. Sometimes because of the overwhelming amounts of love that exists between family members, we can hurt each other the most. I implore you to make those relationships right with each other, and with the Lord.
No earthly struggle or argument is worth eternal separation. You should want nothing more for them than to see them on streets of gold shouting the praises of our living King, our Lord and Savior, together in eternity.
Take the initiative and start the conversation with your loved ones today, don’t let family fall through the cracks.
by Emily Howsden | Jul 17, 2017
This week my husband and I will celebrate our second wedding anniversary.
There are so many things we’ve learned and experienced in these two years of marriage that I will forever cherish. People always say, “The first year is the hardest.” Maybe we had it easy, but I have yet to experience a year of marriage that wasn’t all I have dreamed of and more. So, I’m going to talk about what I’ve learned in these two wonderful years being married to my best friend.
Marriage is one of the things I am most thankful our Heavenly Father designed for us to enjoy and experience here on earth. Thankfully, the Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to be married to my one-of-a-kind husband, Casey.
Some may say that each day of marriage is an adventure. While I have found that to be true, I have also learned that whether you are on an exciting adventure, or coming home to each other after an eight or nine hour work day, marriage is extremely fulfilling. Some of my favorite times being married to Casey have been spent at home, just the two of us.
I have never felt for someone the way I do about Casey, it’s hard to explain exactly how I feel about him. He is kind, good, loyal, loving, caring, he is my encourager, my teammate, he embodies all of the best traits. He is eternally minded. He is a disciple and a disciple maker. He is my home away from home.
Our relationship started out of attraction and compatibility and has grown into something so much more.
If there was a word greater than love, I would use it. It’s a feeling that is hard to comprehend. There isn’t a thing I wouldn’t do for Casey. I not only enjoy being with him, I feel like I might explode sometimes because of how much I love him. When we’re apart, I miss him. I cherish him. I have seen him at his worst, cared for him when he’s sick, and I have accepted his flaws. Dodging the hard or ugly parts of each other simply isn’t an option. We must acknowledge those things and face them head on.
When God created man he said, “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18) Not that it didn’t before, but this verse means so much more to my married self than it did to single self.
As husband and wife, Casey and I are better together. We encourage each other to be the best forms of ourselves. When either of us stumble we are there to help each other up. A verse we had as a part of our wedding ceremony, Ecclesiastes 4:12 is a constant reminder of how we are to make each other better and stronger. It says, “And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.”
Additionally, Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” When your marriage relationship is one that is established on the love and truth of Jesus Christ, it creates a oneness that is unparalleled.
That’s not to say those who are in Christ won’t experience trials. As Christians we are to expect hardship, our path is not an easy one. I do think, however, when we go through trials together rather than alone, it is more bearable.
In our first two years of marriage, we graduated college, moved three times, my dog-loving husband got me a kitty (that’s true love), bought our first home and travelled many places. There have been many changes and many huge decisions made. All of these experiences have been so much richer shared with Casey. As we approach our third year of marriage, I can’t wait to see what the Lord has for us, as long as we abide in Him, I know we can face anything, together.
by Emily Howsden | Jul 10, 2017
Each week as I write this blog, I ask myself, what is it about Millennials that puzzles other generations? Sometimes I can’t imagine a thing. Other times, a million things come to mind. This week, one thing that stands out specifically that might be puzzling is the need for a meaningful career over a career chosen out of necessity. In addition to that, how we choose to spend our money, however little the amount we may have.
I take a look at my friends, the people I graduated with and even my Millennial co-workers and the jobs we hold, and overwhelmingly, we have chosen jobs that mean something to us. Some have even taken severe pay cuts in order to work in a place they truly enjoy.
Of course, there are exceptions, as there are with people of any generation. For the most part, however, this is something I see time and time again.
Wealth can be fleeting, as we all know. The Brookings Institution noted in a report, “Almost two-thirds (64 percent) of Millennials said they would rather make $40,000 a year at a job they love rather than $100,000 a year at a job they think is boring.”
What kind of job bores a Millennial? This Millennial bores at the thought of doing work that means nothing to me. I have had jobs in two other industries now, both respectable jobs with work that wasn’t far from what I do now. However in my current position that I love, I feel and know that I am working for a greater purpose.
Each day I get up for work and feel great about what I am doing, who I’m working with and the higher cause that I am taking a small part in accomplishing, spreading the Good News to all the earth. I never imagined I would be so fortunate in my career.
It is becoming commonplace for my peers to graduate college and start their own business ventures. Rather than working for “the man,” Millennials want to create things and be a part of building a business from the ground up. On top of that, they want their businesses to mean something.
This wanting more doesn’t stop with our jobs and careers. It trickles down to how and where we spend our money as well.
We want to buy from companies with a cause. Is your company a green company? They pay attention to the earth and its resources? Great! Does your company donate a product for every product purchased? Awesome! I have personally spent more money on my glasses because I knew that buying one pair of glasses for myself ensured someone in need somewhere else in the world would get a pair for free.
The days where name brand clothing was most popular are nearing an end. Millennials are taking pleasure in thrift shopping or buying clothing that can almost be considered disposable, but it’s cruelty free and made of only the purest materials. I can’t say I’ve gone that far, but I am outnumbered among the people my age in that category. Where I am alike is my love for finding a great deal. Compliment my shirt, and chances are, I’ll tell you where I bought it and for how much.
That brings me to my next point. Millennials love transparency. We are a generation of “oversharers,” to a fault at times, I will admit. When we can walk into a workplace and feel like we can relate to our boss or other superiors, we are more comfortable and more likely to perform better.
Has anyone ever really enjoyed the intimidation factor of the big scary boss in the corner office that you avoid at all costs? No, that doesn’t make for a healthy work environment. We respond well to feedback; we are people pleasers. It’s easiest to please people when you know exactly what they want. It’s really a win-win situation for both boss and employee.
These are just a couple of things in the workplace and in the consumer marketplace that I’ve pointed out. Granted, not all Millennials are cut from the same mold. There could be someone my age reading this that completely disagrees. But as a Millennial, I will graciously accept that they are entitled to their own opinion.
We are a generation that craves originality and relationships. Hopefully, through my transparency, you know more now than when you began reading about just a few things that make us Millennials tick.
by Emily Howsden | Jul 3, 2017
Tomorrow is Independence Day, and let me tell you, I’m excited! The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. I proudly declare my patriotism and love for what I think is the best country in the world.
Some things I have been considering lately, however, are the parallels between the United States of America and Christians. Here are a few for you to mull over:
- America, like Christians, is held to a higher standard—and like Christians, our great country fails at times. We don’t get it right all the time. America didn’t get it right on some things from the beginning. When it comes to slavery, there is nothing more despicable than one human claiming ownership over another, over differences in pigment in their skin. We still don’t get things right today with political decisions on both political sides. Financially the amount of debt our great country is in is extremely troubling, and I believe all parties are in some way responsible for that amount of debt. Thankfully, God is a God of mercy and grace, and He provides ways out of our mistakes and wrong doings even in the most deplorable and seemingly hopeless situations. If only we look to Him…
- America, like Christians, has freedom—Our great country was established on the principle of freedom. Freedom of religion, freedom of speech and so many more freedoms that we often take for granted. There is often talk that America isn’t as free as it claims to be. This falls on deaf ears for me. Americans freely worship who we please, Americans freely scrutinize the leadership in our country. Americans live freely, however they choose to live. Americans dress freely, eat freely, among many others things. We have liberties that people around the world would only be so fortunate to experience. We should be grateful of these freedoms.
- America, like Christians, has sacrificed greatly to be where it is today—“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Many men and women have sacrificed their very lives in order for Americans to live as freely as we do today. The bravery and love that it takes to voluntarily put oneself in harm’s way, so that not only their loved ones, but total strangers could be safe, is one of the greatest sacrifices any one man or woman could make. God made an even greater sacrifice when He sent His only Son to die that we might be able to join Him for all eternity one day. Jesus made a sacrifice. He laid down his life for us. This sacrificial love is the greatest love the world has ever known.
I encourage you to think about the freedom we have not only as Americans, but the freedom we have in Christ as his children. All forms of bondage and captivity were broken when he shed his own blood for our gain. What a privilege it is to call myself both an American and a daughter to the King of Kings. This Independence Day, and every day, I thank the Lord He allowed me to be born in this wonderful country that I love. God Bless America!
