So maybe you have noticed my once a day writing hasn't gone too well. Maybe jumping from once a month (mostly) to everyday is a bit much for little ol' me. My brain just doesn't have that much to say... well not in typed words that someone might want to read anyway. So my newly reworked challenge to myself will be to write at least 2 times per week. Maybe I'll even be inspired for 3 every now and then. :0) Thanks for hanging in there with me!
With LOVE,
~Amy
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving
Just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving today. I am thankful to my Lord Jesus for all of His wonderful gifts! May God Bless you richly as well.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
TOBYMAC Christmas???
I usually don't do Christmas at all until after Thanksgiving, but when TOBYMAC's Christmas in Diverse City came in the mail from my friends at The Media Collective I had to try it out. I was totally sceptical. TOBYMAC isn't who I think of singing "Silent Night" or "Away in a Manger." And he didn't sing either one..whew! He did hit some great classics like "The First Noel" and "Little Drummer Boy" (my favorite BTW.) A warning however... This ain't your Grandma's Christmas album. It was great though! I can see myself listening to these songs year-round. They have that distinctive TOBYMAC sound and thump. He has invited several artist to join with him on this one as well: Leigh Nash, Owl City, Jamie Grace, and Nirva Ready just to name a few. If you like a little spice in your Christmas music, I highly recommend you get this one. If you don't, you better sit it out. I understand some that can't stand to change the classics, but I for one love it!
With LOVE,
~Amy
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Greater Glory
The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts. Haggai 2:9
Right now, halfway around the world, a work is being done to help orphaned children gain a life. They are being given a chance at life they could have never gotten abandoned to the streets of Aflao, Ghana. Not only are they given the simple gift of a safe, well-fed life with schooling, but a chance to hear the Good News that God Loves THEM and Jesus Died For THEM. Amazing!
Even as great as all this, is there is a need for new housing and, PRAISE GOD, He is providing the need. Haggai 2:9 speaks I believe of this new home. It will be greater in bringing Glory to GOD. But not only that HE will give peace there. Hallelujah!!! Peace... It's what I desire and you desire and those sweet children desire as well. God Is SO Good!
With LOVE,
~Amy
Right now, halfway around the world, a work is being done to help orphaned children gain a life. They are being given a chance at life they could have never gotten abandoned to the streets of Aflao, Ghana. Not only are they given the simple gift of a safe, well-fed life with schooling, but a chance to hear the Good News that God Loves THEM and Jesus Died For THEM. Amazing!
Even as great as all this, is there is a need for new housing and, PRAISE GOD, He is providing the need. Haggai 2:9 speaks I believe of this new home. It will be greater in bringing Glory to GOD. But not only that HE will give peace there. Hallelujah!!! Peace... It's what I desire and you desire and those sweet children desire as well. God Is SO Good!
With LOVE,
~Amy
Monday, November 21, 2011
Today...
OK. Writing everyday may be harder than I realized. Some days are so busy I get to the end and it dawns on me that I have made this commitment and I better get to the keyboard. Like today. Well, not really like toady, I have been thinking about it all day but I never had some great thing to say. It is humbling not to be able to come up with a single inspiring or heart-stirring thing to say, but here I am anyway. I hope all 4 of my readers don't leave me for my lack. :0)
I started this challenge so that I would HAVE to write something everyday. I had in mind, though, that my posts would exponentially grow in depth and gain great audiences as people just had to share my great insights with all their friends.Oh, how I love a good dream. Here in reality though, I am learning that it takes longer than 4 days to make someone a "writer" and it's not as important how many read but that you share your heart with whoever is reading. So this is it for today! Thanks for reading.
With LOVE,
~Amy
I started this challenge so that I would HAVE to write something everyday. I had in mind, though, that my posts would exponentially grow in depth and gain great audiences as people just had to share my great insights with all their friends.Oh, how I love a good dream. Here in reality though, I am learning that it takes longer than 4 days to make someone a "writer" and it's not as important how many read but that you share your heart with whoever is reading. So this is it for today! Thanks for reading.
With LOVE,
~Amy
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Fear Not, Only Believe
But Jesus, not heeding the word spoken, saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Fear not, only believe. Mark 5:36
Oh, how often this has been Jesus' words to my heart! Yet again tonight as I read these words spoken by Jesus to Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, they prick to the core of my soul. All week I have been praying for a specific answer to a need. I can't say that I have asked boldly without wavering. Begged over and over would be more accurate. I really want to believe that God is in the process of answering this prayer, but my faith is wearing thin. Tonight though as I read these words in my Bible my faith has been rekindled. Even if His answer to my prayer doesn't come like I think it should there is no fear! Jesus has it all under control. He has my back and that is my security. He is my security. John says it best, "Perfect love casts out the fear."(1Jn4:48) Jesus is PERFECT LOVE. When our faith, or belief lies in Him, He throws away the fear, all of it.
With LOVE,
~Amy
Oh, how often this has been Jesus' words to my heart! Yet again tonight as I read these words spoken by Jesus to Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, they prick to the core of my soul. All week I have been praying for a specific answer to a need. I can't say that I have asked boldly without wavering. Begged over and over would be more accurate. I really want to believe that God is in the process of answering this prayer, but my faith is wearing thin. Tonight though as I read these words in my Bible my faith has been rekindled. Even if His answer to my prayer doesn't come like I think it should there is no fear! Jesus has it all under control. He has my back and that is my security. He is my security. John says it best, "Perfect love casts out the fear."(1Jn4:48) Jesus is PERFECT LOVE. When our faith, or belief lies in Him, He throws away the fear, all of it.
Praise His Precious Name!
With LOVE,
~Amy
Friday, November 18, 2011
What Women Fear by Angie Smith
If there is a book title that could catch my eye from across the room, it is this one. I have always had a struggle with fear. Several years ago, God miraculously freed me from the bulk of my greatest fears, but if I am not careful to guard my heart, they attempt to take over my thoughts again. As I read this book, I realized that I am not alone. I could relate on so many levels with the topics Angie Smith covers in her book, What Women Fear.
Angie covers the basics of death, abandonment, rejection, and failure. But she doesn't stop there. She digs deeper into the realms of the "What ifs" and the fear of being found out (that we aren't perfect...gasp!) One that I often still struggle with is the fear of not being significant. Angie describes tit like this:
Angie covers the basics of death, abandonment, rejection, and failure. But she doesn't stop there. She digs deeper into the realms of the "What ifs" and the fear of being found out (that we aren't perfect...gasp!) One that I often still struggle with is the fear of not being significant. Angie describes tit like this:
I don’t think I have ever met a single person who could honestly say that they never cared about anyone else’s opinion of them. There may have been situations where they were able to dismiss feedback, but it seems that no one is immune. We may be talking, working, parenting, advising, teaching, or any other number of things, but as we go through the motions we don’t know how to silence the fear:
"Am I important?"
Each chapter is devoted to a fear that I am betting most people have struggled with at some point or another in their lives. She approaches each topic with much grace as she tells stories from her life interwoven with stories from the Bible. There are moments of laughter to go along with the seriousness of this topic. She also includes a prayer from the heart at the end of each chapter. I highly recommend this book to you even if you are "fearless" maybe it will help you understand the rest of us! :0)
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Do Not Be Like the Horse or the Mule...
Psalm 32:8-11
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you. 10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.
11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
This week, as I prepared for my Tuesday Bible Study class, I came across this portion of scripture. We are studying the book, How to Know God's Will by Charles Shepson. (Which is a great book.) In the first section, the author discusses the issue of our wanting to know God's will and if He wants to reveal it to us. Psalm 32:8 states that, of course, the Lord desires to reveal His will to us. It is up to us to be receptive to Him and His instruction.
Verse 9 really stuck out to me as I read this, so I did some study of the role of the bit and bridle in horse training. First I confirmed what I already knew. The horse ins controlled by the bit when it is placed in its mouth to apply pressure to turn the head of the horse to point it in the direction the rider wishes to go. The idea is to only apply pressure, not pain, to the horse's mouth. If the horse will not respond to pressure though the bit is pulled harder, to the point of pain, to get the horse's attention.
This method of training seemed to correlate to methods the Lord has used in my life at times. There is pressure to go the way of His instruction. Just a gentle push at first and if I do not heed, the pressure increases until the pain is such that I relent to go the direction I have been resisting. But this verse reveals there is a better way! Praise the Lord!
In my study of the bit and bridle I also found a forum discussion of riding without bit or bridle. It is possible with horses and I feel it is possible with us too. The horse must learn to "hear" the communication of the rider. Maybe that is a gentle nudge in the ribs, or the way the rider leans his body or stands in the saddle. The key is that the horse is very aware of the riders instruction and trusts the rider enough to do whatever he says, even if the horse doesn't want to. In the same way, we must trust the Lord and listen closely to His instruction in order to be lead in a more gentle manner. I pray that I might be able to hear and respond in such a way that He need not use pressure and pain to achieve His purposes in me, only the gentle nudge.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you. 10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.
11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
This week, as I prepared for my Tuesday Bible Study class, I came across this portion of scripture. We are studying the book, How to Know God's Will by Charles Shepson. (Which is a great book.) In the first section, the author discusses the issue of our wanting to know God's will and if He wants to reveal it to us. Psalm 32:8 states that, of course, the Lord desires to reveal His will to us. It is up to us to be receptive to Him and His instruction.
Verse 9 really stuck out to me as I read this, so I did some study of the role of the bit and bridle in horse training. First I confirmed what I already knew. The horse ins controlled by the bit when it is placed in its mouth to apply pressure to turn the head of the horse to point it in the direction the rider wishes to go. The idea is to only apply pressure, not pain, to the horse's mouth. If the horse will not respond to pressure though the bit is pulled harder, to the point of pain, to get the horse's attention.
This method of training seemed to correlate to methods the Lord has used in my life at times. There is pressure to go the way of His instruction. Just a gentle push at first and if I do not heed, the pressure increases until the pain is such that I relent to go the direction I have been resisting. But this verse reveals there is a better way! Praise the Lord!
 |
| Note the lack of bit or bridle! |
In my study of the bit and bridle I also found a forum discussion of riding without bit or bridle. It is possible with horses and I feel it is possible with us too. The horse must learn to "hear" the communication of the rider. Maybe that is a gentle nudge in the ribs, or the way the rider leans his body or stands in the saddle. The key is that the horse is very aware of the riders instruction and trusts the rider enough to do whatever he says, even if the horse doesn't want to. In the same way, we must trust the Lord and listen closely to His instruction in order to be lead in a more gentle manner. I pray that I might be able to hear and respond in such a way that He need not use pressure and pain to achieve His purposes in me, only the gentle nudge.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Chris Tomlin
"I’ve been thinking for awhile if I ever did a ‘Best Of’ I’d want it to be called ‘How Great Is Our God’ just because of what that song has done and what that song has become globally. It’s such a privilege to be a part of a song like that. We’ve traveled around the world and done these world tours with Passion and have connected with different international leaders and sung this song in 20 languages. It just seems to translate universally, as people have picked it up in their own countries and own languages. I thought I’d love to bring in some of my friends, worship leader friends from around the world, and do a world edition of this song [to] hear it in all of these languages. So we created a track and sent it to our friends in several different countries [asking] ‘Would you just sing this in your language, sing some harmonies, whatever you want to sing. We put it together and I can’t wait for people to hear it. It’s the most special thing I’ve ever recorded. I don’t think I’ll ever record anything like it again in my life. It gives you a sense that this is the whole world worshipping God."
It is totally awesome too! Even though parts of the song are sung in a different language you can sense the worship and the adoration of Our Great God!
I have always loved Chris Tomlin and his music. He is such a talented worshipper. But it became much more precious to me when my son gave his life to Christ at an event while Chris sang "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)." I have been singing that song at church for some time and it will always be one of my favorites. It is included on this album as well.
I highly recommend picking up this collection of the best of Chris Tomlin's worship songs! And a big thanks to Media Collective for giving me a sneak peak at the album!
A Great Challenge...
I have decided to challenge myself to writing everyday (minus the Sabbath) for the next year. I have tried to set that as a goal before with private journaling but I guess I am just one that needs some accountability for follow through. To those of you who choose to follow this course I am taking, I say, "God bless!" I am not a great writer nor do I claim to have a year's worth of fabulous topics, but one can never improve without practice and you never know what you can do unless you try. So here goes!
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