all will be w e l l :

1 o' clock on a Sunday afternoon : finishing a blog that had been brewing in me for months. I was treating this long, thought out blog as if it was going to be the finest bottle of wine. Then, I deleted it. Erased every last word. Why? It's the p a s t .

I had written out pretty much this blog about my bitterness about being passionate about determining justice not just locally, but worldwide and no one else caring. About how I always seem to be different. About my frustrations as to why I am the way I am.
Until I realized that I simply must embrace the curiosity & passion that I have towards life. I have my whole life to work out these issues.

I can't deny that there are millions of things on my mind right now. & honestly, as everything is changing again. And I have absolutely no idea what is supposed to happen next.

I know that:  all
                             will
                                     be
                                          well.
What DO I know? I know that there is nothing I love more than: going on adventures. spending time with people, investing in them. attempting to teach myself acoustic. 3AM skies. being by myself. being with people who think along the same lines as I do. coffee at any time. capturing a moment in time and feeling like you have actually captured a moment so well that you can feel the emotion in the picture. new beginnings. inspiration. crying. passion. bliss. mountains. grace. Andrea Gibson. insanity. Charles Bukowski.

I know that I have complete freedom to be myself. & even more, I know that people have the freedom to judge me, but what I have that makes that okay? I have the knowledge of knowing that at least I'm doing what makes me happy and at least I'm leading  a life of integrity.


I need a new breath. A new horizon.
& it's coming...
                              oh, it is coming.

“to
solve simple problems: that’s
the most
satisfying thing, it
gives you a chance and it
gives everything else a chance
too.

we were made to accomplish the easy
things
and made to live through the things
hard”

“I’ll embrace dreams again when I can breath again                                                         
                                                        & at that point I won’t be needing them.

It became clear to me that I was fighting a war I couldn’t win…you don’t make it on your own merit;
                         only royalty inherits the Kingdom.
 
& that’s a system good intentions can’t help.
 
Your courage is not good here so don’t try to excel- 

what a sad day when you realize 

nothing

can               

change.                     

The revolution didn’t leave you- it never came.

It’s all a joke:
there are no heroes, just those of us with high hopes
(its just not that simple)

I’m not trying to save it all- 

I 

           just 

                             want 

                                             to 

create                                                                                

a                                                                                                 

        

r i p p l e.                                                                    

Risk Love 2012

What a week! God was surely doing big things. Though, I only got to participate in two events- I knew God was moving through LifePoint all week long! I feel so blessed to be able to be apart of Risk Love 2012 and furthering His kingdom.

"..  and we are homeward bound.

& I... I want this more than life.
To touch something real..
Will help your wounds heal .."

One of the two things I had the opportunity to do was clean up good ol' Northwestern High. My family & I did this last year, and we were so happy to do it again. I took a break from working for a little while though and snapped a few shots and prayed over all the lockers and desks(my personal/little way of risking love.)

I invite you to be praying that God will be moving through Northwestern. & that those students and teachers will be supremely blessed. Also for all the places that Risk Love took our church this week.

Let our movement be permanent and strong.

Let it be evident that God is alive and full of love. & grace. & peace.

Let our freedom through Him be evident in our daily lives.

Let our actions come from an authentic heart.

Let this fire not die out- but grow brighter.

                                                                        & brighter.

                                                                                     & brighter.

Until the whole world is singing- 

Hallelujah.

 * I, Emily McCormick, took all of these photos.

Be blessed.

& I will wait, I will wait for You

Those days that you just simply want to be done. Done with what? School, this town, this heartache. That is, definitely, today.
But I think I'm so tired because I'm trying so hard to move on from the past, trust completely in God and my heart isn't even breaking for my own but it's breaking. It's breaking for the hearts that don't know of the higher and holier God that is yearning for them. It's that there are still  starving people not even around the world, but in  OUR OWN community; the injustice with all the wars in Syria, Libya, Rwanda, Uganda, & so on; the ridiculous quarrels and competition between companies even.

If this is our society now.. what about our society, say 10 years from now? 

(Will it still be countless promises for change?)

The solution though.. is so, so terribly simple.

It's to love. 

It's to live out compassion. 

& our passions God has given us.

To put aside our judgements, our hatred, our pride, our sinful nature and love. Can we do it though? Can we rise to the challenge of rebelling against our own society?

That, friends, is why I am just exhausted and ready to be finished.
Ready to have my degree so I can give people hope & heart to go another day. But to not go another day without Him.
Ready to leave everything behind & get out of the comfort zone of my home.
Ready to stop wondering why in the world I hear so many people, day-to-day, saying how they want to be the change and start living their lives differently but are too distracted by their boyfriends, girlfriends, technology, their school, their social life, cars, money- to act on their words.  Have you ever wondered that?  
Am I really the only one who wants to see a movement? 

Not just change- not just tattooed words on bodies that are hoping for inspirations.

Not just change- not just lyrics in a song saying they are going to be best.

Not just change- not just making famous pieces of art of a child that is starving and hoping maybe somebody will get something out of it.

Not just change- not just saying empty words like "Tomorrow I will do something to make a positive influence not only in God's kingdom but in this world full of broken people."

A. MOVEMENT.
A movement that will change this world forever. A movement that will change lives when you tell people why and who you are getting that verse permanently seared on God's temple for. A movement that will show the emotion in a person's life of poverty, it will show that yes, they are starving but no they do not want your pity, they want authentic care. A movement that won't mean just becoming something great or making more money than those people that put you down once- it will mean that you are going to become a better person yourself and forgive that person and love on them.
A movement that will mean you will stop what you are doing right then and there and do something different to make a positive influence.

People will not remember the words that you have said, but they will, I guarantee they will, remember the things that you have done. They aren't going to remember when you simply said something about volunteering or reading your bible or having authentic worship- they're gonna remember when they see you being Christ's hands and feet.
If you aren't "religious"? It still applies to you. Why? Because you cannot deny that you don't see the poverty of a child who is supposed to be 10 years old but could barely pass for a 3 year old and say your heart isn't moved in a way you cannot ignore. You can still do something. Whether you donate, go there, volunteer- it's up to you.

But please. Let's stop these empty promises.
Act. Create a movement. It's never too late. Right now. Move.

Tired? Yes. Passionate? Definitely. Alone on this? Quite possibly.
Am I giving up? Definitely not.
(I wait for the day that He gives me rest, but I refuse to stop trying even for a minute. 
I may be done with today but He isn't done with us.)

“Then this humanlike figure touched me again 

& gave me strength. 

He said, ‘Don’t be afraid, beloved... 

Peace. 

Everything is going to be all right. 

Take courage. 

Be strong."

It's time to begin again.

It's been decided. I'll be walking across the stage in June 2013
My  2 year plan. 24 months. is being put into 5 short months.. I have this. Or, I hope I do.
& even on days that I think I don't have it, any of it, I'll flaunt it like I do until the end of the day- when I can take my hair down, end up on my knees, praying for help to get over this day, for strength for the next, and hope.

Maybe this is good though...
Deciding to stay away from any kind of relationships.. Focusing on my education.. Getting my license.. Finding a job..
& so on.

As back and forth as I have been lately about everything- I need to rest secure in Him. not him. or her. or you.

in Him.

"let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him;

for He shields them all day long."

I was able to escape to the beach-just overnight for the weekend- and I'm so glad that I did. If you've been reading my blog for awhile: you know that the beach, salt water, sand- it's my outlet. 

I'm coming back home though
& I'm so happy that God is willing to set this heart free once again...
& that He doesn't judge.. and only loves..

All this time I knew I always was able to come back here to this place of redemption and sanity.. & be on my knees, broken and abandoned- but with hope because my God.
well, He never, ever fails. & hasn't left my side since day 1.

remind my soul..

that I am Yours..

I am forever Yours...

Idealistic, Realistic- love.

Growing up I surprisingly enough didn't dream what my wedding would one day look like or what my wedding dress would look like. Or even what the guy would look like whom I would marry.

That hasn't changed much- even to this day.

Instead, I grew up reading the Magic Tree House books and I would dream about going on adventures. Adventures by myself, mainly. But as I grew older I started to understand the want for a companion. My dreams and the way I would ideally think about my life would consist of a tall, strong, intelligent man-whom I felt safe with- we would travel and go on adventures together. Whether they be adventures to Circle  K late at night for Ben & Jerry's or adventures to Moscow to discover their culture. We would go on adventures. 

& we would be madly in love in that way, we would both have a passion for seeing the sparkling greenery of Ireland,
the lights of Japan,  
the amazing stars of the Grand Canyon,

the northern lights..

That's what I've always dreamt of, even to this very day. But most importanly, he would love me. He would love my independent, quiet, wanderlust heart that may be such a mess sometimes and have a huge wall around it... But he would be able to break that down.

Our love would be more beautiful than any wedding I could begin to dream of.

Our lives would be exciting every day.

Our lives would be putting curiosity into action.

Our lives would be spontaneous and passionate.

Above all of this though, we would be happy.
I would make him feel silly, curious, and more loved than he has ever felt.
He would make me feel soft, feminine, and that I was enough for somebody.

My prince charming isn't dressed in a suit and tie, or a jersey, or khakis, or a baseball hat.
He just has a heart for adventure and for me.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1- go.

That's it. Summer is over. 

My high school career continues and my "college career" begins in less than 24 hours.

Ya know, it's weird.. being the one who's getting asked "When do you test for your license?" "Do you have any colleges in mind yet?" "Do you know what you want to do?"

I feel no where near that old. I don't know if it's that being this age isn't all it's cracked up to be? Or I've just been counting down the days so I've been prepared for it.

Nonetheless, I'm ready for my Junior year. For my first term at community college. I have literally been counting down the years.. months.. weeks.. days.. and now it's tomorrow. My countdown is almost up!

I have a feeling these next two years are going to be big. Big things are going to happen. It's going to require a lot of late nights, no sleep, hard work, and balance. Since I had so many things I wanted to do, I thought I would make a list. Even though, you may not care to see them- here are my goals for before I graduate high school:

1. Get my license in January.

2. Get a good job in February.

3. Visit University of Maryland.

4. Pass all of my classes with a B(at the least).

5. Decide my major.

6. Get accepted into University of Maryland.

7. Have my graduation announcement say: "Emily successfully graduated with her AA in ______, she will be furthering her education at the University of Maryland in the Fall."

Start strong, end stronger.

I've gotta say though- I'm going to miss summer nights by the fire, rainy days watching movies, sunny days by the water, traveling, etc. Summer of 2012 has been the best time I've had in awhile. Memories I'll never forget, without a doubt. 

I've learned this summer that the things you do matter a lot more as you get older. My choices, my actions, what I say- it matters. I may be figuring out life slowly and how in the world I'm going to accomplish all of these goals in two years.. but I'm ready for it. 

This is the beginning to the end. 

I'm ready. 

The countdown is up.

5.

4.

3. 

2.

1.

GO.