From the 2024 Summer edition of The Journey

Written by Emily Dinsmore with Caroline McCrorey

Finding That Jesus Brings Fullness of Joy

I grew up in Maryland and went to a catholic school and mass every Sunday with my family. I knew about God and believed He existed but thought it was more about following a bunch of rules rather than a personal relationship with the Lord. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I started to see the difference between just believing and fully surrendering. I thought for a long time that following Jesus was legalistic but turns out that following Jesus brings fullness of joy!

Psalm 16:11 “you make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Right before my senior year of high school, a field hockey teammate and friend, Kendall, invited me to a beach retreat with her youth group from church. On that trip my perspective on what it meant to know God shifted. I learned more about Jesus and how He wanted to have a personal relationship with me. I also learned about how much He loved me.

It was from there that I continued to attend youth group on Wednesday nights with Kendall. Through this time the Lord continued to draw and soften my heart.

It was a Wednesday night in December of 2008 when the Lord saved me! Our youth group participated in an event called “The Gather” where multiple youth groups came together for one night. It was held at our church and our youth pastor spoke at the event. He gave a beautiful presentation of the Gospel and it was that night that I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior.

Romans 10:9 “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

For the first time I understood beyond just my head knowledge, I also understood with my heart and soul. I understood that we are all sinners in need of a savior. Faith and repentance are inseparable experiences from the Lord’s grace. So, I confessed and believed.

Romans 3:23-24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”

I Don’t Always Have to Have it ‘All Together’

Later, after I was saved, I found out that my friend Kendall had been praying constantly for my salvation for months; she would write her prayers for me in her journal. There is so much beauty in living on mission for Christ and I am so thankful that my friend Kendall did just that.

After coming to Christ, my whole life changed for the better. I was no longer living for myself; I was seeking the Lord and to glorify Him in everything that I did. The first few years of faith I continued to learn and grow. I am thankful for the way others faithfully walked with me and guided me in those early years and even now today.

Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

A common misconception in salvation is that once we know Christ, life is always perfect. It is true that there is so much joy in our salvation, but we are still living in a sinful, broken world. Things aren’t always perfect, but the beauty of the Lord is we don’t have to rely on our own strength. Day by day, we are dependent on Him. We can trust Him in all circumstances because we know He has our best intentions at heart, even if we don’t understand in the moment.

Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

I am thankful that I don’t always have to have ‘it all together’. I am thankful that Christ died for me. I can rejoice in the simple truth and have a hope that is unshakeable.

Sharing the Gospel Through Coaching

I moved to the High Country in Fall of 2017 when I was hired at Appalachian State as an assistant Field Hockey coach. I had applied to a number of universities, but the Lord made it clear that this was where he wanted me. I have always been passionate about sports ministry – because of my teammate, Kendall. Coming to App State was an opportunity to share the Gospel through coaching. I have been blessed to serve as a coach and in the college ministry at my church.

Our theme verse for our college ministry is Acts 20:24: “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” I pray that my life as a coach – and in general – would exemplify this mission. I want to testify the gospel of the grace of God!

Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

I just finished my first year as head coach. Thankfully, I was an assistant coach here at App State for six years before becoming the head coach and it helped prepare me for this new role. The Lord has used the past year to sanctify me and is continuing to.

I don’t have it all figured out, but I have an anchor which is my strength day by day. While there have been challenges at times, I have seen the truth of Numbers 6:24-26 in so many ways as I have stepped into this head coach role.

Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Yes, this new role has been very demanding. Yes, this new role consumes more of my time and energy. I can often find myself attempting to rely on my own strength to get through the next task instead of relying on the Lord. I have had to pray through saying no to more things and for wisdom as to not put too much on my plate. Being in this position has really taught me a lot about dependency on the Lord and how to walk in obedience.

My Mission Field

1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.”

My job as coach is my mission field – on and off the field. I want to honor and glorify God in all that I do and be a light to my team. My team here at App state is a gift. The Lord has entrusted me with them and I want to love them like Jesus loves them. I love my team dearly only because I have experienced the greatest love of all from what Christ did for me on the cross.

It is my greatest joy to serve the Lord here at App State, even when it is challenging. Spending time daily in the Word and in prayer is the only way I am able to live out my faith. It has to be through his strength and not my own.

Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

As a staff, we pray every morning. It has been such a gift to start the morning this way and pray for our team on a consistent basis. C.S. Lewis says this about prayer, “I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me.” We are called to constantly be in prayer as we walk with Jesus. In the song Lord I Need You the opening lyrics state,

“Lord I come,

I confess,

Bowing here I find my rest,

Without you I fall apart,

You’re the one that guides my heart.”

We are helpless without Jesus. We need Him every hour of every day. He is the one who guides our heart and He is the one worthy of all of our praise.

It is my prayer that when others see me they see Christ. The only thing I want to be known for as a coach is how much I love Jesus. For me, it is not about the wins, the awesome plays, or the stats, but rather, how I am able to minister to my team.

As humans, we naturally talk about what we love. I pray that I would talk about Jesus more than anything else. At the end of the day, I want our team to know that I love them deeply and that the root of that love comes from God first loving me.

My faith impacts the way I conduct myself in all spheres of life. I truly want to be the hands and feet of Jesus wherever I go.

1 Corinthians 10:31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”