God With a Capital G

“God, With a Capital G”

By Sevanna Shields

Emma Bates is a 5th Grader at Carmichaels Elementary. She enjoys singing, dancing, theater, and writing. With the inspiration of God’s word and through a love of writing, Emma has put together a 20-day devotional filled with fun and enlightening words to help you through your day. She recommends reading one a day and reflecting on it to get the best experience. Her advice is, “A separate thought for a separate day.” Her mother and father, Kelly and Dave Bates, have been very supportive throughout Emma’s writing process and are proud of their little girl who has some big thoughts.

The process took Emma around 2-3 years, writing on and off whenever the words came to her. Writing is not a huge part of Emma’s life and she hopes to keep it a hobby. She wrote the book entirely on her own. It originally began as a collection of personal devotions and thoughts that she had written down for her own reflections. Emma and her mother collected all of her devotions and condensed them into 20 points that she wanted to convey. Kelly assisted with a few editing changes and the printing. Emma gave the completed book to her father Dave as a surprise Fathers’ Day present. “The hardest part about this journey was coordinating the verses and the message,” shares Emma.

God, with a Capital G is a fresh, fun look into the mind of Christian youth. It provides a new perspective to remind ourselves of our path in life. The book is focused towards youth, although anyone can benefit from hearing the messages that Emma shares. Messages often get lost in fancy words and in overstatement, so Emma approached her devotions as a clear, concise, and quick way to share God’s love. Some of the devotions are funny, some relatable, and some might be the ones you’ve been needing to hear. Devotionals include, “The Bible is the Guidebook of Life” and “The Cup is Always Half Full, Never Half Empty.” This is testimonial from the young generation; what better way to break through to other youth than to be in their mindset?

The price of the book is a donation of $10 and all proceeds go towards Houses for Haiti. The Bates family attends the Jefferson Baptist Church, which works with Houses to Haiti to provide housing for those hit by the 2010 hurricane that devastated the country. The church has taken on an additional project for Haiti; President of the First Baptist Church of Waynesburg, Johnathan Johnson, Pastor John Dorean and Tiga, their Haitian contact, planned a more extensive community project. Their plan includes 12 houses, a well and septic system, a community center for adult education and tutoring, and land for raising crops and recreational activities. Pastor Dorean estimated that the project costs would come to about $100,000. A GoFundMe to build 3 additional houses, totalling $16,500, was created and more are in the works. While Pastor Dorean has left Jefferson, he is still involved in the project, leading from Oklahoma. Bridget Vilenica assists with the project in Jefferson. “I have definitely found a purpose by helping in Haiti,” Emma shares.

Emma at the Flenniken Library book signing.

Emma would like to thank God’s gifts, her Mom and Dad, and everyone who took the time to read her book. “I always thought it would be fun to share my work,” she says. Some of the fun she’s been able to participate in since writing the book was an author book signing at Flenniken Library in October. She hopes to continue doing God’s work and feels closer to him through this process. If you would like to purchase the book, please contact Kelly Bates by email kmbates68@yahoo.com.