by Emily Howsden | Mar 6, 2017
I promise, I won’t only post about being a homeowner and all that comes with it for the rest of my days. However, that is the season my husband and I are in, so I’m going to have to ask you to endure another home-owner blog!
Previously on Millennial Monday, I discussed the stressful process of buying a home. It was a roller coaster of emotions and hearing “No” from the Lord more than once was something I don’t want to quickly experience again.
This week, I am going to address whether to buy that fixer upper or that new construction home and how being a good steward with our money, as the Lord commands, should be a deciding factor in this process.
The Lord challenged me early in our house hunting. The temptation to always want more and the best of everything is something we as Americans and first-world citizens need to confront rather than ignore.
Those who have been pre-approved to buy a home know, when you apply for a home loan, you are generally approved for a loan much larger than what you might be able to afford. This is where that greedy monster can sneak into your thoughts and wallets.
For my husband and me, we wrestled with buying a brand new home and having to be on really tight budget vs. buying an older home and putting some TLC into it, making it our own in that way.
Have you heard the phrase “house poor”? House poor usually means the home you are in costs so much that you can afford to do little else besides make your monthly mortgage payment. Due to guidance and wise advice from those we respect, Casey and I were able to avoid this. Praise the Lord!
In Titus 1:7-9, the many traits of Godly wisdom and discernment are discussed saying, “Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”
We are managers and overseers of God’s household, which includes our finances. In how we handle our finances and make decisions, we are called to be blameless, not overbearing, not pursuing dishonest gain, etc. These were things Casey and I took into account when we bought our home.
Our home was built in 1983, with the kitchen and bathrooms being remodeled in recent years. All the house truly needs is a fresh coat of paint and some small updates here and there. Even with this smaller amount of work (which, trust me, does not seem small as you are painting a 1,500 square foot home) we were tempted to throw caution to the wind and buy a brand new home.
This is when my mom brought sound advice to the table. She asked us if we want to pay one time for the updates we wanted or pay for the already updated home throughout the duration of our home loan?
We did the math and over time, the amount of money which might seem small to look at monthly, was astounding how much we would save by buying a most affordable home.
Have you ever found yourself in this kind of position? To spend more and get what you want when you want it or to patiently wait and do it yourself was the question we had to ask ourselves.
We feel 100 percent at peace with our decision, to buy the most cost-effective home. Our home is so lovely and bursting at the seams with character and now, our very own personal touch!
None of this is to say that if you buy a brand new home you aren’t being a good steward with your money. In our case, to get everything we wanted in a home, it meant the home we would purchase new would be a pretty penny. That is why we chose the latter.
I encourage you, if you’re making a big financial decision that will impact your finances and day-to-day life for years down the road, prayerfully consider all options. Are you being a good steward with what the Lord has given you? Can you call yourself blameless and free of not pursuing dishonest gain?
I hope you can, friend! That’s all the time I have—there’s a paint brush calling my name at my new home!
by Emily Howsden | Feb 27, 2017
Over the past several weeks and months I have been thinking a lot about prayer. I have several prayer warriors in my life who seem to have a direct line to the Lord, and I have always admired them for this superhero-like power.
As I was thinking how amazing it would be to accomplish so much with my prayer, I became convicted. I realized that I have been taking for granted what a privilege and unique opportunity prayer is.
So I took action. I talked about my feelings and how I needed to make a change in this area of my life to a group of close friends. From there, I began actively looking for opportunities to pray as I go about my day.
Sometimes I will admit, prior to my little revelation, I got bored with prayer. I felt like I was praying for the same things over and over, and if I am annoyed with how similar my prayers were, I should spare the Lord. I was wrong!
However, to add variety to what I was praying, I reached out to the largest and most easily accessible audience I know — Facebook. I felt that maybe I had become stagnant because I grew tired of praying for myself. Looking towards others and praying for the things they voiced was incredibly edifying.
I made a simple post asking how I could pray for anyone. I will admit, I was surprised by the response. People with whom I haven’t spoken in years responded asking for peace, strength, healing, etc. I see these people post often about their lives, and it hadn’t occurred to me once to stop and say a quick prayer for them and then go about my day.
One thing I had told myself in the past is that prayers need to be well thought-out and organized, and a specific time needs to be set aside to do it. Of course, I know this isn’t how prayer has to be, but that is how I have done it most of my life, with casual prayer sprinkled in between, like while competing in a sporting event or before a test.
But I found that when I chose to keep prayer on my mind and by getting literal notifications on Facebook of prayer requests, stopping immediately to say a prayer was one way I could help those around me.
I have been challenging myself to look beyond me and my inner circle and think about how others’ lives are going. This is one way I’ve been able to do that. It has removed a film from my eyes, whereas before I was looking at others as just people, and now they are my fellow conquerors and co-heirs of Christ.
I challenge you, when you tell someone that you will pray for them, stop that moment and do it. I am guilty of throwing this phrase out flippantly in the past.
A friend of mine recently asked the question: Who are we to flippantly reference the reverence and holiness of prayer and then not come through and fulfill our promise? Is that not disrespecting and taking advantage of the holy and unique relationship we have with our Creator through prayer?
People need to be loved; they need to know they are loved and cared for, not only by their Creator but by people here on earth. Offer to pray with someone when they voice a trying time their going through. Right then and there, just do it!
Praying for someone is one of the kindest and considerate things you can do for someone, and it gives you an opportunity to talk to the Lord. Take full advantage of this gift He has given us brothers and sisters!
by Emily Howsden | Feb 20, 2017
Take a second, look at the people around you. You’re so different, right? There are Moms, Dads, Grandmas, Single people, Millennials, etc. But the truth is, you’re all alike.
This past weekend at Sunday School with the college ministry at my church we discussed Ephesians 2:11-22. This passage is all about unity in Christ as believers and how we are all one in Christ.
This topic may sound like a broken record, but every time I think I’ve been there, read that about a passage in the Bible, the Lord completely rocks my world by presenting a completely different message through said passage.
Here it is – Presidents Day 2017, perhaps a day in which we may look back in the distant future and say it was one of the most divisive times in our country.
Democrat, Republican, Immigrant, Man, Woman, Black, White: these are all descriptions of which we identify and categories that bring division to our country and world.
Paul, who wrote Ephesians, contradicts all divisive labels. In Eph. 2:14-16 Paul says, “For He is our peace, who made both groups one, and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In His Flesh, He did away with the law of the commandments in regulations, so that He might create in Himself one new man from two, resulting in peace. He did this so that He might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross and put the hostility to death by it.”
Did you catch that? Through His son, Jesus, and His body on the cross, all barriers are broken.
As the lost world continues to drive it into our minds that we are all different and no one of us are alike, the Lord reminds us time and time again that we are one flesh as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Hostility and division have been put to death by the Lord’s reconciliation and peace work.
Verses 19-22 continue, “So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. The whole building is being fitted together in Him and is growing into a holy sanctuary in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.”
What stood out to me in this passage of Scripture is how, as individual Christians, all of our talk about who is acceptable as a race or not is completely squashed.
Paul basically said to the people of Ephesus, “Don’t you see? The Lord has taken our sinful and divisive nature and made us one, to fit into one temple, and belong to and dwell in one spirit with Christ Jesus as our cornerstone.”
All other arguments fall short. We are one in Christ, and to effectively share His Gospel, we must see all whom we encounter as simply lost or as a brother or sister in Christ. It should be our goal to win their souls to our side of eternity rather than prove who does or does not deserve certain liberties here on Earth.
I encourage you to read this passage of Scripture to gather your own interpretation and then act on it. The time to act is now. It’s never too early to share the Gospel with someone who is lost.
by Emily Howsden | Feb 13, 2017
It seems a bit cliché doesn’t it? I’m writing about love the day before Valentine’s Day. However, I cannot image not talking about the love the Lord has for us on a holiday that has people around the world thinking about love.
“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked” (Luke 6:35).
“Love does no harm to neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 3:10).
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7).
Do you think God wants us to love each other? He calls us to be above the hate in this world and love each other unconditionally. This is one of the many reasons I enjoy Valentine’s Day.
Sure, it can be a blast when you have that special someone with whom to celebrate. But if you’re one who doesn’t have a significant other this holiday, consider the gratification that comes from pouring love into someone else’s life regardless of your relationship status.
Today, with so much hate talk and opposing opinions that cause severed friendships and relationships, choosing love is the only option when it comes to what the Lord tells us.
There are a couple of things you can do to show love to those around you this Valentine’s Day and I want to challenge you to do at least one to brighten someone’s day.
- Make them something! This is a simple way of showing someone that you thought about them and care about them enough to make something with your own two hands for them. For me, I like to bake for people. There are only a few things that I can successfully bake, so I stick to those few things for the safety of the people around me. I also love sending cards to those around me, so this is the perfect opportunity to spread a little Valentine’s love.
- Do something for them! This can be for someone you live with, a family member, house-mate or even a husband or wife. There are no limitations to whom you can bless with an act of kindness. Do the dishes, clean the bathroom (yuck) or fold some laundry (double-yuck). All of these are things we all can admit we don’t take joy in doing, so it would mean a lot to do it for someone to show them you care. And I’m pretty sure it WON’T kill you.
- Make a stranger smile! This is a little broad, I get that. But so many times during our daily routines we encounter people we don’t know. How nice would it be to leave that stranger better than we found them? Buy a coffee, compliment them in some way or even just smile at them in passing. These small things may seem a bit silly, but I can assure you they don’t go unnoticed.
Be the light to those around you by showing love, not just on Valentine’s Day, but as I like to say especially on Valentine’s Day! Make them wonder what is different about you and tell them that while you may not know them specifically, there is someone who knows and loves them immensely. For those who you know and love, be sure to tell them just that!
by Emily Howsden | Feb 6, 2017
Super Bowl Sunday has come and gone. As Americans look back on the hottest topics of what was, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on all of the enjoyable moments had.
One of my favorite things about Super Bowl Sunday is the opportunity for outreach outside of the church’s doors.
To be invited into someone’s home and eat their food as you gather around a sporting event is an excellent way to reach people from all walks of life who need the Lord. The road to reaching the lost isn’t always easy, but on Super Bowl Sunday, that’s my idea of fun and easy outreach!
It was a whirlwind of a game. For a little while, the game was uneventful and looked to be a blowout. This is when I was thankful to be in such great company. However, the game turned out to break records.
Spoiler Alert ** if you didn’t watch, don’t continue reading. The game was the first Super Bowl in the History of Super Bowls to go into overtime. The Patriots came back from what many thought was a sure-fire victory for the Falcons, and claimed their fifth Super Bowl victory.
That being said, I’m here to discuss the most enjoyable moments of the game, super bowl activities or what seems to be a crowd favorite this year — the halftime performance.
When I asked people my age, most replied that their favorite part of the Super Bowl was the halftime performance by Lady Gaga.
Most were pleasantly surprised by the overall cleanliness of her performance and the fact that she began the performance by singing patriotic songs. Personally, I was impressed that she was performing live rather than lip-syncing to a track.
My brother said it best, “Everyone expected shenanigans out of Lady Gaga, and she flipped the script on them, very well played, just like the game.” Let’s face it, Lady Gaga has a reputation of being extremely odd and sometimes inappropriate. There were still questionable lyrics in some of her songs, which she did do some editing due to it being a live television performance, but there was no nudity or stuff that makes for bad dreams.
While I as a Christian may not agree with most she stands for, I do respect Lady Gaga as a musician and performer and recognize the gift with which the Lord has blessed her.
Others said they enjoyed the commercials, per usual! Some claim to just watch the Super Bowl for the commercials, and I fear those people may have been a little disappointed this year with a few exceptions.
Buick had a commercial that got everyone at my watch party audibly laughing, as did a Skittles commercial. Most at my watch party were also intrigued by the Stranger Things 2 trailer as well. With the exception of a few, most of the commercials seemed to be void of political agendas, which was incredibly refreshing.
What did I enjoy most? I enjoyed getting together with people in my church family I love. The food that many had prepared was decadent, first because of the yumminess and the second because it’s not every day you can eat a bacon wrapped lil’ smokie with a brown sugar glaze. Can I get an amen?
I haven’t watched an NFL game all season, but if I had to pick a first and last, last night was the perfect one! The fact that the game turned out to be such a good one was another reason why most look back at the game, whether the team they were rooting for won or lost, can appreciate the efforts by both teams.
Overall, a good time was had by many. I do have friends who didn’t care about the game at all and went about their Sunday evening as usual, and I think that is perfectly fine, too. I do, however, feel bad for them missing out on the yummy treats that could have been.