ABOUT YOURS TRULY :)

+My name is erin
+I'm pretty random with my actions and thoughts
+I love to be outdoors
+I have the bestest friends in the world....the ones that have stuck with me
+I love to go to NEW SPRING! i always leave there with a new out look on things and i've gotten closer to God
+I miss my BEST FRIEND and I can't wait till she moves back
+I HATE MUSTARD WITH A PASSION!!!
+My brother and sister-in-law are the greatest people on earth!!
+My family and I are soooo CLOSE!! I love it!!
+I will graduate in August....Hopefully!
+I love to be HAPPY
+People that have bad attitudes make me sad :(
+I hate being alone

newspring :)

I went to the Newspring communion service last Sunday. I was blown away! Perry prayed that God would speak to every person there that night; I hope others got as much out of it as I did. God ruled church that night! It literally felt like he had his arms wrapped around me during the entire service. It started off with some amazing worship songs. Then Perry’s sermon was about the bondage we place ourselves in when we allow sin to rule our lives. I’ve been there and knew exactly what he was talking about. He offered hope thru Jesus Christ. He explained to the lost people that they didn’t have to life their lives wrapped up in chains…He explained to the others to leave their chains alone and not to pick them back up or get tangled back up in them. God has set us free from our chains!! He sacrificed his son…his perfect, holy, spotless, innocent son for us… the filthy sinners. Every time I truly think about that I get goose bumps. God is a loving God that does what he does to protect us and shape us to be more like him. Many people criticize Newspring for the way they do things or for the things that are said… I want to encourage those who hear the rumors or spread them to go there and check it out for your self. They had over 10,000 people there Sunday so they have to be doing something right, and I’m here to tell you that God was in that place Sunday! It was amazing…It was real… It was life changing!!!

HEAVEN

Last night stirred something inside of me… for just a moment we talked about Heaven. The first thing that popped in my mind was clouds, bright lights, streets of gold and crystal seas. We discussed why that’s the first thing that people think about when they hear the word HEAVEN and it’s because so many people stress that. Erin mentioned a great point last night that I had NEVER thought about…. When we get to HEAVEN our focus we be totally on GOD and though we will be surrounded by the beauty of HEAVEN, we won't even care because we will be in the presence of GOD. Our society is so focused on material things that we are focused on the materialness of HEAVEN rather than the fact that we are going to be consumed by GOD. I love nothing more than to experience true worship. I hope that’s what is going to be like for eternity. When I worship GOD, truly worship God I can feel his presence. I feel like he’s there holding me getting me through life. My favorite song isn’t a very popular one but it describes God watching over us while we are unaware and how he still loves us even though he sees everything… WOW. I listen to it and I never get tired of it. My favorite thing is to stop and listen to it. I close my eyes and imagine GOD guiding me, holding me, watching over me, and loving me. WOW. I hope that’s how HEAVEN is going to be. It’s sad to say this but I don’t have the knowledge to tell you how HEAVEN is going to be so please don’t tear this apart looking for mistakes because I’m sure you’ll find them. I just know that I can’t wait to go to HEAVEN to see my father who has watched after me my entire life and knows more about me than I do. He created me just the way I am, he made me different, special, and unique. There is no other person like me; I want to use the resouces he has givin me. Thank you God!! Thank you GOD!!!

Another one about ZOE!!!

ZOE is amazing!!! they came over for fathers day and we all had a blast!!! I was extra excited when everyone that held her made her cry EXCEPT for her aunt ERIN… I would hold her and she just looked at me… It made my day!!! I know she loves me :P I can’t wait to see what other little things she is gonna do to MELT MY HEART!!! This is a pic of my FAVORITE nephew feeding my FAVORITE niece. :) *cloud 9*

Avery and Zoe!!

My favorite niece and nephew came to visit us last night!!! You have no Idea how much I love them!!! They really do mean the world to me!!!! (excuse the green tent to the pics...we are not a family of aliens...My camera phone just stinks!!)

THANK YOU GOD!!!!!

Last Thursay God blessed our family with a 7 pound, health, baby!!! She is my niece and her name is Zoe!!! I can already tell that we are going to be BEST FIRENDS!!! ily ZOE!!!!

Life in general....is...um.... HARD!!!!

***Life's hard. I've heard that expression all of my life but its Nvr
Truly hit me until recently. I'm struggling so hard to "find myself" right now and I’m trying to please everyone while doing it but a couple of generations after I’m gone no one will ever know that I existed. They will Nvr know the pressures I faced and the things I've done in life. Both good and bad. They'll Nvr know my thoughts and feelings, my accomplishments or ideas. But yet I strive so hard like It's gonna make a difference. I have no idea what some of the people that have gone on b 4 me went through. No one will know about me either. It feels crazy when I think about it but maybe u don't ever think about things like that and what I’m saying is just the ramblings of a bored teenager. U may very well be right, but man, life is crazy weird… and hard, I would hate to have the responsibility of raising a kid in today’s world, I can't tell u how many times just sayin no didn't work. It takes guts to get that out and when u do it’s still not enough. Peer pressure should end with a no. That's what people teach us. Just say no, then all is well. But what happens when u keeps sayin no but they keep antagonizing u! It Nvr stop with a simple no, wow Life's hard! I'm realizing that. And some other things. I wish I could live like bubble boy! But hey, these are the good 'ole days!! And if that’s true, I’m afraid of what’s next. I read this last night after I wrote a draft for this blog and I think it fits. And the verses from proverbs tell me it’s not for me to know why these things happen
***Psalms 103. 15 (easy version)Human life is like grass, we grow like a flower in the field. After the wind blows, the flower is gone, and there is no sign of where it was. But the lord’s love for those who respect him continues forever and ever, and his goodness continues to their grandchildren
***Proverbs 3.3 Don't ever forget kindness and truth. Wear them like a necklace. Write them on your heart as if on a tablet. Then u will be respected and will please both God and people. Trust the lord with all your heart, and don't depend on your own Understanding. Remember the lord in all you do, and he will give u success.
***one more thing....Last night’s message… BLEW ME AWAY!!!No lie!! I want to take that next step and I have to make that extra ordinary effort!!!Things could be so much better, I know what I have to do!!! THANK YOU GOD for being who you are!!!

I love VOLUNTEERING!!!!

Recently I've found myself unenthused about volunteering at a learning center on my only afternoon off. I just felt like there were other things I could be doing b/c I've been so busy (summer classes, work, church, etc…..) Well God decided once again to put me in my place. One little boy in particular comes to mind, he comes to us from a broken home. He would come in talking about how his dad uses drugs and smokes cigarettes. He talks about it in a way that makes me think that he believes it’s cool to do those things. This young boy is only 3 and He's already been exposed to so much. He would hit the other kids, dance around the rooms acting up and he would be just so hateful. I got so discouraged. Then one day I was listening in on the director who happened to be working with this little boy he was teaching him about God and why we say the blessing before we eat so we can thank him. The little boy picked up on the concept and that made me ecstatic. There is HOPE for this little boy!!!! Then, yesterday I got to the learning center and another little boy was working on his arts and crafts project. he happens to be the one I mentor. He came up to me and asked what my favorite color was; I didn't think anything about it and just rattled off blue. When it came time for us to work on his flash cards and homework, he presented me with an adorable blue bracelet! He made it just for me! I was so excited! Instead of making one for his self he decided to make one for someone else!! He asked me what the other bracelet on my wrist was. It was my F.R.O.G. (forever rely on God) Bracelet. I decided to return the favor, so i gave him my bracelet since he gave me his. I got to share with him what it stood for and what it meant! How cool is that? Now I don’t look at volunteering the same, it’s no longer me giving up my afternoon off, it’s me being allowed to spend time with these GREAT KIDS!!!!! SPAZ ^*&%&^$&^%)*&^*$^%#%$^%*(&

RACISM=IMMATURITY!!!

I consider myself a strong girl so it killed me yesterday when I broke down. I sobbed forever and felt a type of anger that I have never felt before. It might just be me looking at the situation through young immature eyes or it could be me realizing it’s time to make a change. The thing that hit me like a ton of bricks, crushed the life out of me, and made me argue with someone I respect so much, is a horrid thing called racism. It broke my heart to realize that there are still hateful, hateful people in this world that would treat a person differently b/c of the color of their skin. I realize that there is an older generation that was raised to hate the specific race I’m talking about and they were even treated differently and separated by the government, but it’s a new day and age. I couldn’t imagine treating my best friend, a person that I grew up with, and sat beside every day in a class room, differently just b/c of some difference in our skin pigmentation. I mean what makes a person? I don't wanna live in a world that defines a person by what they look like on the outside. GOD LOOKS AT WHAT'S ON THE INSIDE, HE'S WORRIED ABOUT OUR HEARTS, OUR PHYSICAL APPEARANCE DOESN'T MATTER TO HIM, AND SO Y SHOULD IT MATTER TO US? It just breaks my heart for my friend that I love so dearly to get talked about like trash. I really just don't understand it. Our cultures aren't different b/c we were raised together; our values are the same, our morals are the same, our religion is the same, so we should get treated the same. It's hard enough to live in this world with all of the pressures that we face today the last thing we need is racism. So don't judge a person by their skin color, God doesn't, y do we think we need to? And my friend and I shouldn’t be forced apart or not allowed to hang out b.c. of how people will think about us or treat us. HE IS MY BEST FRIEND AND I COULD CARE LESS HOW PEOPLE LOOK AT ME BECAUSE WE MIGHT BE SEEN TOGETHER. The thing that breaks my heart the most is that people in MY FAMILY are the ones that are showing me that racism still exists in this world. :(


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“Lukewarm acceptance is more bewildering than outright rejection."

-Martin Luther King jr.

Revival

My neighborhood church had revival earlier this week. I haven’t been there in quite a few years so I decided to sit in the back of the church. A man that had bags with him sat right across from me, his jacket was old and wore out, his arms were covered with hateful tattoos, and I could tell he felt out of place. I recognized almost every one there, except for that man. He looked scared out of his mind. Then, the speakers wife walked over to him and asked if he needed anything. That’s when I realized that this man had been outside for a really long time. He had sweat dripping off of his face and he looked flustered. He asked very quietly for a cup of water. He held out his own cup, looking slightly energized. Was this the only thing that man had to drink all day? The woman returned with his cup and she had filled it with ice water. The man immediately began to drink it. The woman asked where he was from. I could barely hear him, but he said that he had walked a really long way to get there. Then he continued to drink his water. The lady left and the service started to begin. A church member got up to sing his solo and the chorus of the song mostly consisted of these words “ If you are thirsty I will give you water.” A smile took over my face but it was wiped away when I glanced over to see that man buried in his hand crying his eyes out. What was he thinking? How did he know about this small church revival? Did he have a place to sleep tonight? questions evaded my every thought. Then the ushers came around to collect money. The offering plates looked pitiful with only some change in them. And when they got around to that man he put in a dollar and all of the change that he could find out of his pockets. The questions started again. Was that all of the money he had? Did he save that for the revival? And did he even have enough money to eat with? Then, the preacher got up to speak. He began to talk about our needs in life and how God would provide for us. We have to trust in him and have faith that he will provide for us. Then it hit me. God wanted me to bless this man because God has bless me so much. I reached in my pocket and pulled out some money. I WAS SO NERVOUS about giving this strange man money. I didn’t know if he would think I was judging him. and I didn’t know what he would do with it but God wouldn’t let me be at ease until I gave that man the money. I couldn’t even sit through the service without shaking the entire pew. Then I prayed that if God wanted me to give this money away that he would give me the perfect opportunity to do it. So the service was coming to an end and I was waiting to see if God was going to give me that opportunity. Everyone started to leave EXCEPT for that man. I had no choice but to walk right beside him. It was like Gods way of SMACKING me in the face. So I turned to that man and gave it to him. I told him that God laid that on my heart and that I hoped it could meet a need in his life. His expression alone wanted to make me cry, not to mention Gods amazing power. I mean God is the one who got the news to this man about the revival and he put him there. WOW. GOD IS AMAZING!!!! I really hope that whoever reads this will pray for that man. Gods also laid that on my heart. I don’t know the circumstances but he needs our prayers!!! ily JESUS

I heart C-group!!!

Last night was AMAZING! I love going to c-group and seeing all of my friends and hangin out with them. But last night was special. Not only did it start off with my favorite snack but it ended increadable!!!! You can call me a dork, but I got EXTRA excited last night when some lady walked in with apples and caramel. Thank you AMAZING lady in the red shirt who brought the food last night, it was my fav!! ok anyways, then Scott had some unbelievable songs!!! I got holy goosebumps as i stood there and listened to the words of the songs. Everyone sounded perfect. And the songs couldn’t have been more approprate!! Thank you Scott for the leading the fantastic WORSHIP last night!!! It’s Brents turn now. We’ve been doing a study on respect. Last night’s lession was on learning what it means to respect JESUS! I thought I had a pretty good idea of what it ment to respect JESUS but Brent put it in a perspective that had never crossed my mind. We read scripture out of John and Brent took us back to the cross. He described some pretty graphic stuff about what took place when they cruisified Jesus. and after explaining it he helped us realize what was going on in JESUS’ mind while all of that was going on. He was thinging about ERIN CHASTEEN!!! While literaly being beaten to death and tortured he was thinging about me, about you, and about everyone. So I think I can give my life to him and be the best I can be out of RESPECT for the one who suffered for my sake. Thank you Brent for relaying God's message to us!!!

Recent Discovery

God has changed me. I’m not who I was. I now have this desire to read and study his word. I can’t get enough of him. I use to just get by and now I can’t wait to wake up in the morning. My life has meaning and purpose. I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do in the future if I just surrender what is already his. My life is his and if I keep it from him, it’s like I’m holding things from God. I’ve recently been praying more than ever! And my relationship with God is stronger than ever, probably because of a ministry that’s got me hooked on JESUS…..Capstone Rocks!!

But recently I’ve felt slightly out of place because everyone in my family got married so young and I felt like my social clock was ticking so loud I couldn’t sleep at night. I’m 18 and haven’t had a serious boyfriend. But I think God is revealing to me his plan for my life and right now it doesn’t consist of a husband or a family. That could hinder me from his plans. I really feel like God wants me to become a nurse so I can travel to underprivileged countries and help people both physically and spiritually. I want to completely surrender my life to him. I pray that God can use me to expand his kingdom! I pray that I won’t let my desires interfere with his AMAZING plans!! Oh and I pray that I can get through anatomy!! lol
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Please take from me my life

when I don't have to strength

to give it away to you!!!

-Third day

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

This is an AMAZING poem I recieved, so I thought I'd share it with y'all!!

When I say... I am a Christian I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin''

I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say... I am a Christian I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... I am a Christian I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say.. I am a Christian I'm not bragging of success.

I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... I am a Christian I'm not claiming to be perfect,

My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... I am a Christian I still feel the sting of pain..

I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... I am a Christian I'm not holier than thou,

I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!