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In 2022, it was not common or easy to loudly live out your faith in everyday life. But for author and student, Emily Whatley, there is no other way to live. “My faith was always part of my life,” Emily says easily. As a young girl in Vacation Bible School, she remembers, “I realized I was a sinner in need of a Savior and gave my life to the Lord then.”

A few years later, Emily says she learned that, “Being a Christian is not just a title, it’s about having a relationship with the Lord.” With this epiphany came a stronger walk with the Lord and a desire to serve others in His name. “I got involved in bible studies and mission trips,” she recalls. “As I got to high school, my faith became so important to me that I had the desire to do ministry for the rest of my life.”

In the ninth grade, Emily began attending Sherwood Baptist Church where she fell in love with children’s ministry. With this passion for children, Emily sought similar serving opportunities as she moved on to college. She attended Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee where she received her bachelor’s degree in business management. Currently, Emily is pursuing her Masters of Arts in Christian Education at Dallas Theological Seminary.

During college, she found her church home at First Baptist Cleveland. However much she loved children’s ministry, her heart was pulling her in another direction. “There was just something missing,” she says. The summer before her senior

In today’s world, Emily is a “diamond in the rough”. Unafraid to swim against the tide, she lives only to please the Lord and inspire year, Emily worked at WinShape Camps for girls. “Here,” she says, “I worked with high school girls and just fell in love with that age group.” The following spring, she interned with the girl’s ministry at First Baptist Cleveland and has been there ever since.

Through these serving opportunities, Emily realized the value of her impact on young women. Challenged by the word of God to be a light unto the world, she felt called to lead by example and inspire others to love one another.

To follow the Lord when it is not popular is challenging for anyone – let alone the younger generation. Knowing this, Emily stresses the importance of loving people as we are called to without conforming to the ways of the world.

“It can be so easy to be surrounded by the world and want to be part of it, but learning to walk hand-in-hand with the Lord has been so helpful.” She encourages those around her to find strength in their daily walk with the Lord as well, because she has tasted how much sweeter life is with Him.

A couple of years ago, Emily started writing Christian

Emily knows that her relationship with Will does not complete her, but she sees the value in their union. “We are two people who could do great things alone for the Lord, but when we’re together we are even more powerful – able to achieve goals for the Lord and give Him more glory than when we are apart.” devotionals. “I’ve always been interested in creating something for people,” she shares. As a child, she loved to read and write. However, she did not grow up longing to be a writer. During the lockdown of early 2020, Emily realized, “I had so much time on my hands, I wanted to give this back to the Lord. It wasn’t anything I had been thinking about, I would just sit and write.”

By January 2021, Emily was officially launching her first published book, 30 Days of Growth. The devotional is a daily guide of how to grow your faith and be rooted in the word of God. “I love to write resources for people. Part of why I did the devotional is, ironically, devotionals are what sparked my faith. Because it was such a big moment for me realizing that we needed to spend time in the Word, I wanted to create a space where people could spend a month in the Word to create that habit. By the end of the devotional, readers will have read passages of Scripture for a whole month and will be encouraged to continue doing so.”

When asked about her target audience, Emily says, “The picture in my head was for it to be towards middle and high school girls. I could kind of see it like I was writing to my sixth-grade self. But it’s also for women in general.” The devotional serves as a resource for anyone looking to strengthen their walk with the Lord.

In the fall of 2022, Emily published her second book, Prayers from the Heart. This one is a one year weekly prayer journal designed to help believers develop a consistent prayer life. The journal is complete with a weekly scripture reference, a prayer by Emily, a place for readers to write their own prayer, and a space to record prayer requests and answered prayers.

“By the end of the year, hopefully people will see growth in their prayer life, but it’s also a way to be looking for ways to pray for people and bring people to the Father.”

Emily hopes her readers find encouragement when they look back at their prayer requests and see how God answered them.

When it comes to relationships, Emily has a healthy outlook and a solid grasp on how to keep God in the center. In 2017, Emily started dating her fiancé, Will. “He’s from Albany as well,” she says. “We grew up together at Sherwood Christian Academy and got to know each other in high school.”

The Lord’s hand was over their relationship from the very beginning. Emily prayed for Will to pursue her “just like Jesus pursues us.” But while the Lord blessed their relationship, Emily continued to learn lessons along the way.

“In high school, one’s love life is really important – and it was important to me. But

A couple of years ago, Emily started writing Christian devotionals. “I’ve always been interested in creating something for people,” she shares. As a child, she loved to read and write. However, she did not grow up longing to be a writer. During the lockdown of early 2020, Emily realized, “I had so much time on my hands, I wanted to give this back to the Lord. It wasn’t anything I had been thinking about, I would just sit and write.”

I realized that the love one is looking for is only found in the Lord,” Emily admits. Once Emily’s perspective shifted, her love for others became much sweeter.

“I was now looking to the Lord to love me unconditionally. Because of that, I could love Will better because I wasn’t putting expectations on him that no human could ever meet.”

Emily knows that her relationship does not complete her, but she sees the value in their union. “We are two people who could do great things alone for the Lord, but when we’re together we are even more powerful – able to achieve goals for the Lord and give Him more glory than when we are apart.”

With joy, Emily commits every aspect of her life to the Lord knowing that He is profoundly interested in her talents, passions and hope for the future. A daughter of the King, she clings to His promises in full surrender to the plans He has predetermined over her life.

In today’s world, Emily is a “diamond in the rough”. Unafraid to swim against the tide, she lives only to please the Lord and inspire other young girls to do the same. “Start now,” she urges. “Whatever it looks like in your personal life and the passions and goals you have, when we offer ourselves as a willing vessel, the Lord will bless that.”.