Amy's Adventure!

Not Too Shabby Jewelry Display!

2011-10-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

There are some very creative things you can do with an old cabinet door and some old door knobs. This is one of my favorite "DIY" Do It Yourself projects this month and one very hot item when it comes to ladies who want a charming vintage piece to hang thier favorite jewelry on!

All you need is an old cabinet door or board, good glue and a little paint. I use a white paint color called Snowbound by Sherwin Williams as the base color and then I add a light glaze to the whole piece to give it that old stained look. I like to use Tea Stained Glaze by Ralph Lauren for the glaze. I typically go hunting at old home supply stores, trade days, silent auctions and estate sales for the old door knob pieces so it creates an original old home look.

So once you've got your cabinet piece or board painted how you like, just grab some good glue so you can attach your door knobs and door key plates.

You can easily make one of these jewelry displays yourself if you just take some time to do some bargain hunting, painting and glueing.

Just to the right is the finished product! My jewelry loves its new home!

Destiny in Bloom

2011-08-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to share that my latest written piece was published in a women's online magazine called Destiny in Bloom!

If you'd like to read it.....

click below....

http://destinyinbloom.com/eucharisteo/

Not too shabby....

2011-08-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally got everythng set up in the Sisters Antique Mall and Team Room!
https://sites.google.com/site/sistersdk/

Heather and I are only in our early 30's but we LOVE anything timeless and old! The new mall opened up in June 2011 and literally within two weeks all 40 boths were filled up and now there is a waiting list! We got the very last one right next to the tea room.

We had to sacrifice some extra wall space but with our creativity we made it happen! Besides if I ever heard anything coming out of the Business Marketing program at Texas A&M it was... Location, Location, Location!

Seriously, if you like antique and girly girl shopping don't miss this place in Saginaw right off Main Street! 128 N Saginaw Blvd (Main Street) to be exact! The Tea Room has amazing entrees and OMG the Cake Balls are worth the mini trip! Grab some peach or raspberry iced tea and get your porch sittin antique store vintage groove on!

Not too Shabby for the first time!

2011-07-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

I've started a new project!! It's my first attempt at taking something new and transforming into the old....let me know what you think and if you want a tutorial I actually have a class you can attend to learn!

The new is now old and it looks adorable in my vintage charm guest room!

Eucharisteo

2011-05-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

“If you want to change the world, pick up your pin and write.” –Martin Luther

Just before His betrayal and suffering on the cross, Jesus had Passover with his disciples. At the table He breaks bread with the twelve knowing the chief priests and scribes were on the hunt, conjuring up a way to arrest him that very hour. And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:19 In the original language “he gave thanks” reads eucharisteo, which means thanksgiving. The root word of eucharisteo is charis, meaning grace while its derivative in Greek is chara meaning joy. This one word - eucharisteo - encompasses a literary progression of giving thanks, finding grace and experiencing joy! Wow, what a word!

This giving of thanks is not expressed by Jesus because there is a wedding ceremony, a child to be born, the healing of a loved one or a financial breakthrough. It’s the thanksgiving just before betrayal, just before unbearable suffering on the cross. It’s the gratitude preceding the unknown of the word cancer, the response that your baby’s heart in the womb is not beating, the grabbing tightly to the pillow with tears as another friend finds her soul mate and another has her third child while you struggle to understand why you must live alone without even a date. It is the strongest soul that can look up to the heavens and find a way to glorify God when the phone rings and your son is not coming home from war.

Eucharisteo is also the gratitude that is given just before the miracle. Jesus gave eucharisteo- thanks to the Father even while the stone was being rolled away and the lifeless body of Lazarus showed no sign of life. Gratitude to the Father empowered the words…. “Lazarus, come forth!” Then there is the eucharisteo seen most often. We are all very familiar with the gratefulness that follows evident blessings in our lives. But I believe there is an even deeper thanksgiving that can follow these answered prayers. Recall the ten lepers Jesus healed in Luke 17 as he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee into a secluded village where these outcasts suffered. They were all healed and yet only one returned. “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.” So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?’ And He said to him, ‘Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.’v15-17. Made well is sozo in Greek. Sozo is translated wholeness or Salvation! This one leper gave glory to God NOT glory to his healing. His was an understanding that what he really needed was a healer, not to just BE healed. Sozo is the awareness deep in your soul that you need a Savior. When you were given what you thought would save you and it didn’t; this is where salvation and wholeness can be found.

I want to share a book with you that recently took my soul by storm. The book is called “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp. The first few pages begin with a tragic story. Ann and her family watched her younger sister get hit and run over by a truck on a dirt road just outside their farm house. Although now a grown woman with several children, she re-visits that terrible scene often in her memory and a dark cloud finds itself hovering over her daily routines. As she seeks God’s healing power, He challenges her with a unique task. One thousand gifts was a challenge to make a list of one thousand every day gifts. Her sister’s death had created a shade of ingratitude over her life. Faced with this self destructive habit of thanklessness and reaching for more, Ann finds her soul daring her to make a gift list. What initially seemed as small as a seed eventually bloomed into her greatest joy. She takes her pin and decides to describe simple things, not what you would expect, but the unexpected is sometimes glorious and beautiful. In Ann’s life, eucharisteo was the choice to bend her knees and hold the dirt in her hands on the very road where her little sister was broken and give thanks for her brief life.

A habit of giving praise and thanks can only be cultivated by the pen of remembrance. Jesus said “Remember Me” and what better way to remember who He was and is than through placing ink to the parchment and daily declaring praise to the Father? Developing the habit of recording the beauty in both the meaningful and seemingly meaningless can bring salvation to the soul. And so Ann’s pen begins to list the gifts….

1. Morning shadows across old wooden floors
2. Strawberry jam piled high on toast
3. Cry of a blue jay perched high on the spruce

“One thousand gifts” – the title - begins to make sense and my soul feels the warmth of the sun on this rainy May morning as I begin to think of my own list. I think of two beloved movies that captured this simple truth. We relate so well to “It’s a Wonderful Life” around Christmas time for this very reason. George finds his salvation in what he already has as he declares “Isn’t it wonderful I’m going to jail, Merry Christmas everyone!” Nothing had changed but his perspective had. It’s found again in “The Sound of Music”. Maria understood this healing ministry of eucharisteo well as she serenaded the Von Trapp children into overcoming their fears by reminding them to set their thoughts on good things.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with stringsThese are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bitesWhen the bee stingsWhen I'm feeling sadI simply remember my favorite thingsAnd then I don't feel so bad

Perhaps we are all only a few grateful thoughts away from our joy we can’t find in the mundane of every day. Because we are so distracted, we can’t see that it is nothing BUT mundane. In our brief journey here eucharisteo teaches us to gaze a little longer at the red robin and the food on our plate. We listen more keenly to the flap of the laundry on the line and the squeaking of the old swing on the front porch. Cricket’s chirping at night becomes a symphony and the long drive becomes an opportunity for prayer. The rain tapping on the window isn’t coupled with a complaint about how “it’s about time” but is rejoiced in just as the withered grass is rejoicing. Eucharisteo can come before the storm and after, but its end is the same – salvation, wholeness and joy.

I’m picking out a journal today; it will stay in my purse and go where I go because the list needs to become a habit. I’m encouraging you to do the same. We all have one thousand gifts and the free offer of the greatest of them all – Salvation in Christ Jesus. A gift is something you just receive. Have you received the gift Jesus purchased for you on the cross at Calvary? It is wrapped in his broken body and covered in the His blood. A well of living water pours out continually to this day into the thirsty mouths of those with thankful hearts that come back, fall at His feet like the one leper and give eucharisteo – thanks.

When fears seep into your thoughts, perhaps you will you dig them up from the root with number 32…

32. Fresh coffee dripping in the kitchen..

If it doesn’t work out with the next relationship maybe you’ll write down number 56…

56. Mom called today just to say she loves me…

And if the word stillborn, dead or cancer finds its way into your home will you sweep it out with number 77…

77. Red words in my bible this morning….

“Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3: 14-17

Who is this Christ of Christmas?

2010-12-24T10:13:00.000-08:00

Who is this Jesus? Is he merely a historical figure in history? Was he just a really good man or maybe a prophet? Not one man in history has made the impact that this man has. This carpenter shaped the face of history and therefore the path of many and the world we live in today.

He was born from a simple Jewish teenager named Mary and raised under the crafted hand of a peaceful carpenter. He studied the scriptures of the Old Testament and learned the word of God just as any mortal man. As a young boy he baffled scholars with his wisdom as he taught in the temple of Jerusalem at the age of only twelve.

He began His ministry while in his early thirties. He had no army and no revolutionary upheaval followed him. He chose 12 men, whom he called disciples, to walk the dusty roads of Israel with him. He chose these ordinary men to show us that he delights in using the meek, not those who think they have it all together. He carried nothing but the clothes on his back and a message of salvation. He healed the sick, but mostly the soul. He blessed all the children that approached him with their child like faith and summons us to do just the same.

He walked on the waters of the earth and calmed the storms with one command, not to show off his power, but to teach us to trust in it. He offered living water to a woman who could not seem to quench her thirst from the many husbands and men in her life she sought approval and love from so desperately. He pardoned the sin of an adulterous woman who had many accusers and in his mercy all he asked was that she go and sin no more.

He took what little the disciples had and turned it into a feast for the thousands that were hungry around him. He tenderly asked Martha to slow down and not be so concerned with all her preparations, not because he wanted her to pay attention, but because he wanted her to choose what was better. He created quite a scene as he turned over the tables in the temple, not in an uncontrolled temper, but out of holy anger as he watched the so-called “men of God” turn his Father’s house into a market place for their selfish gain. He did this not to retaliate, but to redirect hearts who sought their fulfillment in the emptiness of monetary treasures on earth. He wanted them to remember that the house of God is a place of worship for God, not money.

He knew what it was like to be alone as his disciples and friends abandoned him during his darkest hour. He was mocked and scorned not for any evil he had done, but because of who he claimed to be. He was spat upon, yelled at, whipped and chastised until muscles could be seen on his back. A crown of thorns was placed upon his brow and he was mutilated until unrecognizable as he carried the cross to Calvary.

He was dragged up the hill where his wrists and ankles were nailed with nine inch nails to a cross. Then they raised him up where he hung from only his flesh. It hurt to even breathe and yet he refused to take the wine offered to ease his pain. Even in the most horrible hours on that Friday he showed mercy to the thief by his side, comforted his mother knowing she was being tortured by his pain, and even begged the Father to forgive all those around him who “know not what they do.” As he breathed his last breath he proclaimed, “It is Finished!”

But what was finished? Was he referring to his time on earth or something much more? Whatever it was, it forced the skies to turn dark. The ground underneath the roman soldiers’ feet shook and trembled as he breathed his last. Something shifted in the earth and the temple containing the written Law and legalistic Pharisees was split right down the middle.

They laid his body in a tomb, but within three days the stone was rolled away; a stone that would take several soldiers to move was rolled away effortlessly on its own. Two angels remained seated on the holy place where Jesus’ body had laid when Mary returned to the tomb. The angels inquired of Mary, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is Risen!”

He was seen in the upper room among the disciples and along the shore of Galilee. He even walked and talked along the road of Emmaus and broke bread with some men who didn’t even recognize him. Many were with him the day he ascended into heaven and gave the commission for his believers to go into the entire world and preach the message of salvation for all who put their faith in him. He claimed to be the son of God, the salvation of the world, the one who would bring eternal life to those who believe in Him. He said he was the ‘One’ Isaiah spoke of that would set the captives free.

This is Christmas, the celebration of Christ. Whether or not you acknowledge him this season is your choice, but without Christ there would be no Christmas, no Christian churches, no prayers in Jesus name, and certainly no message of salvation. He came to show us not what love is, but who love is. He doesn’t require that we have it all together; he wants us to come as we are and loves us with the full knowledge of all we are and all we have done. This gospel is for the weak, the faint of heart, those who struggle with the human soul, who are driven to their knees and those who live with scars.

Who is this Jesus? Is he just a religious figure or is he the way, the truth and the life as he claimed to be? Everything in this life can be taken from you, but no one can ever take away your will to choose Christ. To this day, I think he is still posing the question as he did to Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” He stands at the door of your heart knocking. Who will you say that he is this season?

The Stained Glass Gospel

2010-09-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl, mom and dad would take my brother Tom and I to church. We went to Hardy Memorial United Methodist in Texarkana, TX. I can remember Sunday school crafts, singing in the kids choir while my mother prayed I would not lift my skirt up again in front of the whole congregation, and being thrilled when it was children's time in big church! Kid time in big church simply meant I got to go down to the front and show off the new dress I'm sure I begged my mom for at J.C Penny's over the weekend. I was a handful to put it lightly according to my sweet mother who had to put up with me. I believe she had to buy the book called "The Strong Willed Child" just to learn some tricks of the trade in how to manage miss little Amy Kidd who was positive she already knew everything. Until I turned 30 last year did I realize how much wisdom was behind my mother's repeated statement, "Amy, I have been doing this life for thirty years longer than you so I think I know a little bit more than you!" Nevertheless I was good at getting into trouble, trying to get the last word in or just flat out talking too much! I was never mean in school, I just couldn't shut up. I am sure my socialite behavior was meant to serve me well put to good use for God's purposes, but this little social butterfly had a tendency to abuse her gift at school by talking too much! My teacher sent home N's for needs improvement on my report card, but I think it just meant I "N"eeded more time to catch up with my friends at school. I mean, a lot can happen from 3pm to the next morning right? Dad disagreed because I remember getting a few hard pats on the bottom when those N's wouldn't go away.

One place I could NOT talk however was in big church. You had to sit still, listen and try your darndest not to fall asleep! I admit sometimes I did sleep but I'm sure it was an early service and my little busy body was worn out from Saturday's typical activities of swimming, biking, swing set monkey bars and running all around my huge backyard. I was sure it was a full acre. We had the biggest back yard in the whole neighborhood. One thing I could do in church though during all this forced silence, when I wasn't sleeping, was glance around and soak in the scenery. The sanctuary was quite beautiful. What I remember most were the windows. They were stained glass and they seemed to reach from the bottom of the floor to the top of the ceiling. There were five windows on the left and right walls of the sanctuary. If you followed them in order from left to right, they told a story. The story began with the first window which was a portrait of baby Jesus in a manger. As you glanced at each stained glass window you would get the next story in the life of this man they call Jesus. From the manager scene at His birth to His baptism to His journey to the cross the story unfolded on these stained glass walls. The last two windows revealed what I now understand as His ressurrection from the grave and final ascension into heaven.

As a young child seeing the cross of Christ didn't make much sense to me. I couldn't understand the point of His death and what it had to do with me? Nevertheless the gospel was being stained into my heart through these stained glass windows and a strong curiosity emerged in my soul to understand this story unfolding on the church walls I studied so hard every Sunday. There are many things along the way that would aid in my understanding of the gospel; middle school youth camp at First Baptist, FCA in high school, youth at Church on the Rock and most importantly my time studying the word in college and being part of a Christian sorority. But as a child those church windows I had to quietly observe every Sunday told a story that no eloquent sermon could. Sometimes images and paintings tell a story more vividly than any audible words can.

The craftsman of these rare and beautiful pieces of art work might have thought they were just decorating the church walls, but for me they laid a foundation of curiosity that would never leave. Art and music have a way of speaking to the soul in a way mere words cannot. Much like an act of kindness or touch of the hand can sometimes create much more comfort to the soul than lovely words. The person who created these windows has no idea the impact they had on my life, all they know is that God gave them a vision and an idea and they used their talent to glorify Him. He or she simply obeyed God and in doing so created an opportunity for God to whisper into the heart of a little girl who would treasure those windows forever.

They took on more and more significance in my mind as I grew up into a woman because God made sure that each window's story was understood fully throughout my life. For the past ten years from age 20 to 30 I have had a deep desire to study the word of God and His word has turned that story told through pretty windows into a rich relationship with Christ. I've stumbled many times along the way but every time I go back to the cross I remember His love for me and how He is truly all I need. That cross I did not understand as a child I now do. The creator God loved me so much that he gave His only son to die in my place for my sins past, present and future. To live in freedom from the entanglements of this world and the pressing weight it tries to bear on the soul is to know Christ.

I'm sure the designer of this set of stained glass windows in a little Methodist church in Texarkana, TX didn't think much of their work once it was done. I'm sure they were very proud of the beauty created but did they know the influence spiritually? God has gifted us all. Whatever it is you have been given talent to put your hands to, do it in His name. He has a way of taking a song, a piece of art, a simple act of kindness, your every day job or a cold glass of water thoughtfully offered and using it as a means of impressing who He is into the heart of others. The gospel is really just about serving and loving others. Not just those you like but Jesus said even your enemies, espcially your enemies. That's what Christ has done for us and we are to follow His example. He gave Himself up for us while we were still sinners and enemies. While rejected He still loved us. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 I am amazed by that kind of selfless love and I know it can only be accomplished by someone who knows they are deeply loved by God. Jesus knew he was loved by God and trusted His will and way even to the cross. I hope that I will always listen to that still small voice calling me and that whatever He asks me to do I will do it in His name. I'm glad the window maker heeded the call to create those beautiful windows.

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ." Colossians 3:23-24

I visited Hardy when I returned home to Texarkana a couple of months ago. There was a swell of emotion that came over me in a way I can't describe when I saw those windows in person again. I had no idea as a child how this man Jesus was going to change and bless my life. It's funny because I didn't know what Methodist meant as a child and I dont think it would have mattered what denomination or name was on the sign out by the curb because that didn't really matter. The story of His sacrifice and love painted in stained glass on those walls is what mattered. We all have different ideas about doctrine and interpretation of the Bible, but I think we can all agree that at its core is an example of selfless love through Christ and the powerful ressurection spiritually we can experience every day through a relationship with Him.

I know here recently I have been away from home trying to do life on my own. I told the Father "I want to come home" on Sunday as I sat on the church pew at Christ Chapel. Interestingly enough the sermon was about the prodigal son and His return home in Luke 15. Even more amazing was the last statement Cody made in the sermon. He said, "if you are far away, come home. The Father doesn't wait with open arms, He is running towards you with open arms. There is no place like home." Staring at those church windows that day reminded me once again, there is no place like home in the arms of Christ.

A Heart Like Mine..

2010-06-05T07:56:00.000-07:00

Do you ever try to win God’s approval? I must confess that on days when I run really hard after God I feel like “I’m sure God is proud of me today, perhaps He loves me more now and will hear my prayers more clearly?” Traveling through my motives is this idea that maybe if I please him “enough” He will crown me with those deepest desires of my heart. It’s in the scriptures right? “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4? I got that one down! But perhaps what he meant by that is “I will give you the desires of your heart.” In other words, He will put the right desires in my heart when I walk close with Him.

With this type of “performance based approval” thinking comes a nagging in my soul. What a tiresome journey this will be if I have to earn God’s love? It is no wonder so many people become weary and have no interest in the Christian life if they have this sort of mind set. I mean, would anyone really want to be in a relationship where everything depended on their performance? One of my favorite songs is by Miranda Lambert called “A Heart Like Mine”. The lyrics are..”Cause I heard Jesus, He drank wine and I bet we’d get along just fine, He could calm a storm and heal the blind and I bet He’d understand a heart like mine” I love this because Miranda gets it, the fact that God loves her just as she is, tattoos, cigarettes and all her mess!

It has taken time and a lot of work on my part to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to rearrange my thinking. The years of brainwashing and the message, “Do this and don’t do that” from many pulpits has left a scar of performance etched deep into the heart of many believers. This false theology indoctrinated within the Christian paints a picture of a God watching every move we make, ready to pounce us at the first mistake. All the while, scripture paints a very different picture.

According to the Bible, God never intended for us to feel condemned. In fact, Paul said, “There is Now therefore NO condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 He says ‘Now’ because after Christ died on the cross for our sin and rose again, those who believe in His death and resurrection for their debts are forgiven-Completely. Do you get this? Do you really comprehend that when you accept the sacrificial work of the cross over your life that Christ Jesus comes to live and dwell in you and God no longer sees anything but a forgiven child? Read this carefully… “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11 If you could just begin to comprehend the power that has been given to you as a gift in Christ, you would never operate the same on a daily basis.

Christ, His ministry upon this earth and the sacrificial death he chose to painfully endure on the cross demonstrated for us how much He loves us. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13 The Bible tells us about a God who loved us first, while we were still in our sin. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 He doesn’t love you after you accepted Him, but while you were or are rejecting Him. He is the one who bore our pain and suffering so we would not have to. It’s a gospel full of stories about the kind of Father God truly is. His word says from the lips of David in the psalms, “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me.” Psalm 27:10 Yes He is Holy, Just in all His ways and to be reverenced and feared; but we must rest assured that if we do feel His wrath and chastisement, it flows from a heart of a perfect loving Father. Our discipline from Him is for our ultimate good. He is the One watching the horizon for his prodigal sons and daughters; praying daily for our safe return despite how long we have left his side to pursue what we deem is best for us. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and will wait for you as long as it takes. “Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” Isaiah 30:18

We must not forget that we also have an enemy that is against us as well. Our battle is not against one another but against powers in the spiritual realm. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 One of our enemies' best tricks is to make us hate one another instead of seeing the deeper root of sin that corrupts the personality and character of people around us. If we can see clearly enough to hate the sin and love the person, the enemy loses. If our own evil pride can get us to harbor unforgiveness against someone then we are trapped and kept from experiencing God’s forgiveness, love and joy. That’s just what the enemy of our soul wants so you will have no peace and therefore will never come close to fulfilling the purpose God has for your life. Yes God has a specific purpose and calling for your life. You have a purpose in Christ. “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.” Psalm 138:8

The spiritual forces of wickedness are always at work; doing their best to carry with them just enough light to make the case look appealing. “For Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14 The little bit of false light creates an atmosphere that lures us in and once caught in the trap, robs us of a life Christ offers. Wisdom is replaced by “just do it” mentalities and “have it your way” philosophies. We just follow the ways of the world and what “the kids are doing” rather than making choices in light of God’s word. All the while these mediocre ways of living and temporary fulfillments are completely destroying the foundation we could have our lives built upon. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” Matthew 7:24-26 I liken each of our purpose to the idea that we might be able to play a piece of sheet music on our particular instrument, but He is the entire orchestra and creates the music itself. We just get to play a part. But every time we get close to His presence and hear the musical piece in its entirety, it is a symphony of beauty; the kind of music that moves the soul like none other. It is the kind of music that makes you cry; but these are tears of joy.

As CS Lewis says, “It’s as if we are children making mud pies by the shore side when God has offered us a holiday at sea.” There is so much He has to offer us but we just don’t take it. Trust me, I am preaching to the choir on this one. Why God has given me the ability to place on paper the very truths from His word and yet I struggle to fulfill them myself is again a mystery to me. And yet it points itself once again to a God who alone is wise and a student who is constantly learning. Why I ever leave His side I do not know. Paul understood this struggle when he said, “But I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” Romans 7:14-16 It’s a constant struggle, this life, but one worth fighting for. But the good news is He will fight for you, you need only be still and look to Him. “The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14

I am a perfectionist at heart and so I feel I must do it well or not do it at all. This creates a woman who throws in the towel some days because she has already compromised while other days began with coffee, Bible in hand and much prayer so that I am feeling oh so “very spiritual” and ready to sprint! The problem with sprinting is that if you are prone to falling, it really hurts when you do! Talk about falling flat on your face when you feel you have it all together. I am learning that this journey is not a sprint and the terrain is certainly not flat like a track on a field. I have realized that this thing is really a walk. Maybe even a crawl. It’s a terrain that looks more like an uphill trail among rocks and tree roots ready to trip you. But we have a best friend who has come along and asked us if He can carry our load. Christ Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

If we will look for Him we are promised to find Him and He will carry our burdens for us so we can focus on the trail before us taking one step at a time. This is definitely a step by step thing. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 which means He shows you one step at a time daily, not the whole picture-so stop asking Him why and when and just walk with Him one day at a time.

I love that movie “What about Bob”. It makes me laugh because the psychologist, played by Richard Dryfuss, thinks he has it all together. He is a successful author of a new book called “Baby Steps”. The purpose of the book is to aid unfortunate emotionally unstable souls to have greater stability to live out this thing called life by doing it step by step. One of his new patients is Bob. Bob is very troubled and fearful of so many things but as the movie unfolds he begins to enjoy his life and find freedom from his fears by taking these “baby steps”. Of course he ends up stalking the family of the psychologist and driving Richard Dryfuss’ character crazy. Literally crazy! In the end the whole family and community love Bob and the psychologist ends up insane. I laugh every time I watch it. But it’s so true; we have to do this life in “baby steps”. Spiritual growth is not something you arrive to one day, it is a constant dependence upon God daily and it grows much like we do from children to adults-very slowly. And you can guarantee it will at times be painful. But the price of progress far outweighs the results of a life lived in compromise and without faith. Yes the price of progress is pain, but we have an understanding God in Christ Jesus who will give us the grace and strength we need to endure whatever He calls us to.

If I had my way, I would already be married and have two kids by now. I want boys. There is something in me desiring to see a bunch of strapping young men running around my house, wrestling, tearing things up, playing football, playing guitar and making me laugh with their newest jokes. That is what I want; a family. I desire a man to love on all my life and children who look like us. But God has not allowed it to happen that way thus far. However, I seem to have power in my life despite my unfulfilled expectations because I refuse to go to the pity party the enemy keeps trying to invite me to. I have to believe that there is a purpose in my times of loneliness that are going to far outweigh the story I could write. Through not having things my way, falling on my face and growing in my faith; I am daily reaping testimonies of His faithfulness. I’ve learned how wonderful it is to be alone but not be lonely. You can either ask God to work through your misery and make it a ministry to love others or you can stay in your misery. I’d rather let Him turn my ashes into beauty. “To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3

Just a prayer away we have a loving, forgiving God who longs to be gracious to us. Will you just let that soak in aside from your performance up to this point in your life? The truth is He loves you despite the facts surrounding your life with regrets, mistakes and fears. You don’t have to perform for God. He desires that you obey His word because it will lead you into a life you truly desire; but He is a gentleman and will not force Himself upon you. The invitation is there, so what will you do? “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:8 I know when I doubt God’s love for me I just say out loud-despite how I feel, “You love me God. You love me.” I dare you to say this to Him out loud when you doubt. I think you’ll hear His Spirit whispering, “I always have…always will”

Cause I heard Jesus, He drank wine

And I bet we’d get along just fine

He could calm a storm and heal the blind

And I bet He’d understand a heart like mine

-Miranda Lambert “A Heart Like Mine”

"This is the way...Walk in it" -Isaiah 30:21

2010-05-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

Just do it!

Have it Your Way Right Away!

Why Wait?

Do these phrases sound familiar? I can drive down I-30 this afternoon and discover there are so many things I "need". I didn’t know I was so unhappy? According to the ads planted along the highway, I need to find love, eat more whaterburger, get my skin fixed, drive something sporty, get a breast enhancement, lose more weight and have more beer so life we will be more fun and enjoyable.

As a Christian we are commanded not to conform to the pattern of this world but that can be so hard with so many cultural messages telling us a different story. God wants us to stay close to His path so we can walk in His beautiful will for our lives. In the fast and evolving world we constantly have to make more choices as more opportunities are presented to us. I imagine a crossroad and the sign you can’t quite make out with your eyes says “Wicked, Twisted Road to the left and Life Abundantly the right.” Surrounding the path to the left are advertisements promising happiness, fulfillment and just plain fun! But the bottom of each sign there is a disclosure you can’t really read because its so small listing the hundreds of consequences that will occur eventually.

It’s like those quick disclosures at the end of drug company commercials. They cover their tracks by communicating as rapidly and quietly as possible the fact that you could, well, DIE from complications from this drug if you do not consult a physician. And so it is with the temporary pleasures of this world, although most of the time no one bothers to really tell you what could happen if you choose not to wait and to indulge right now. Why wait? I’ve heard that one a time or two. From the one night stand invitation to that quick fix hit. We all are tempted each day to make hasty decisions at the cost of an ego stroke and quick fix. Surely this will finally make me happy right?

I don’t think you will find the three phrases I first mentioned in the scriptures anywhere and yet we agree with them all the time in how we respond, what we invest in and how we live. The world calls out to each of us begging for us to give in to temporary pleasures, to make impulsive choices based on emotion rather than Godly wisdom; neglecting to remind us that it could cost us the course of our very lives. God doesn’t put restrictions on us to spoil our fun but to preserve our ultimate good will. It’s like George Strait says, “There is a difference in living and living well.” He might be talking about finding that special someone but I know in my heart through experiencing heartache with men and the unbelievable filling of God’s love in my heart that it is God alone who really makes a life lived well. There IS a difference but will you choose it?

When we trust in Him and walk closely with the only One who can really satisfy our longing hearts He never disappoints. His answers to our prayers may be no, yes or not yet; but you can trust He has your best interests at heart and is the very essence of love we long for. It is for freedom that Christ came-our freedom from strongholds and things that try to master us. One thing I have learned though Godly freedom is that what is permissible may not be beneficial. Small compromises when added up are not so small and can direct our lives without our permission. "Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything.” 1 Corinthians 6:12

The Bible has a question for you. “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.” Isaiah 55:2 There are messages from ads, magazines, TV and movies constantly and intrusively telling you what you need and what you need NOW. These ads call for freedom. They say if you have this then you will be free, satisfied, fulfilled, happy, running your life and in control. In reality the only one not in control is you when you are being mastered by anything but God’s Spirit. The last thing any of these temptations bring is freedom. They want to enslave you. People do not get entangled in strongholds because someone said, “One day when I grow up I want to be an alcoholic, obsessed with pornography, overweight and sick, or in debt.” No, it is a slow and undetectable process the enemy of our souls has for centuries been scheming at. The world sends a message of freedom but as soon as you are close enough the chains are wrapped around your soul. Its end goal is bondage and you my friend become the fooled.

So why do we spend our money on what does not satisfy? Somewhere along the way we are becoming convinced. The truth of Gods word takes a back seat to what everyone else is saying. The Bible gives us clear warnings about the enemy and his schemes, but we are not deceived if we know His word. 2 Corinthians 2:11 “in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”

Let me give you an example. Sexual innuendos are everywhere and nothing about them reminds you about the context in which God created sex. We don’t even get a message at the bottom of the screen stating, “Sexual activity with the opposite sex outside of marriage may result in years of heartache, unplanned children, sexual frustrations, damaged relationships going forward and maybe unwanted sexual diseases. Other side affects may include depression, stronger temptations in other areas of life, broken marriages and well, perhaps slavery in general.” God is all about sex, trust me, but He desires we have it in the context of marriage because it doesn’t bring about the “side effects” I just listed. This is just one example of the many ways the enemy of this world tries to enlist us in the army of hard knocks and regret.

I pray you will remember that "there is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death” Proverbs 14:12 and that Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy but I have come to give you life and to give it in abundance”. John 10:10 He loves you. Will you consider the narrow road to the right when you come to that crossroad again? I promise He will not disappoint.

"Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it', Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left." Isaiah 30:21

2009-09-09T19:52:00.001-07:00

I heard a sermon recently that I know was a timely spoken word from the Lord. He had been massaging my heart in some areas of my life that needed reconciliation and this was the balm of healing he gently applied through this man's obedience to share the truth. Hard truth, but that's the best kind. You know, the word says wounds that hurt cleanse away evil as do stripes the inner depths of the heart. God had something to say and I was, for once, really listening. It wasn't just for me though, hence the reason I share it with you. This message was the momentum and encouragement I personally needed to let go of the rope of control. I'm just praying with all my heart some of you, if not all, will receive this idea in the powerful way it influenced me. This idea about death and dying, if communicated correctly, loses its sting and you realize how much you need it and truly long for it. Death has a resurrection theme playing in the background of each of our lives begging us to die to ourselves and to our agendas; to ways of being that have created anything but real fruit and character in our life. Oh Spirit of God, lead me in this I pray.

The sermon was called “I Hope You Die". Now this caught us all off guard as we sat in our chairs wondering who this guy from the Potters House was and would he really have anything to say? Tim Ross was not only an amazing speaker that brings truth but hilarious too! Oh how I wish I could remember all the things I gleaned from his sermon. I wish I was half as witty as well.

I Hope You Die

We as people want to live. We are always trying in some way to really live. We want to have life and to have it abundantly. But what happens when death is necessary? What happens when you try so hard to live what you think is a great life and then you realize it didn't work and now you are at a place where you need to die? I'm not talking about death as from living and breathing to physically dying with no heart beat. No, I am speaking of the slow process of dying to your own ideas and behavior, the conduct you have bowed low to that the culture has formed in you and you didn’t even know it. Even now you don’t realize there is a better way because you are so convinced. Have your decisions made apart from God really served you well? Are you really living? Really?

There are many people in the church who want to live, but not many who want to die. Death is necessary. God understands that. He knew it in the garden with Adam and Eve. They wanted to live what they believed to be a better life than God had provided and so they ate off the tree God forbid. They had the whole garden to enjoy but the enemy convinced them that God was holding out on them. Has someone told you God is holding out on you? The Lord actually says to them in the scriptures, "Who told you that you were naked?" Their shame soon became apparent and it wasn’t conceived until their sin and rebellion entered into existence. For the first time they are convinced they are naked. Their sin has exposed them. So the lies take root and there is a separation from God that can only be reconciled through the shedding of blood and a sacrifice. God makes a sacrifice so he can be close to them and enjoy fellowship with them again. The first animal is slaughtered and clothes are made from the sacrifice. God wraps them up in the grace of an animal's skin, an innocent animal who did not do a thing wrong.

The Bible is as much about death as it is about life. Sacrifice is its theme. God demonstrates this again and again throughout the Old Testament. He summoned the Israelites to build a tabernacle with a most holy place for sacrifice. The Levitical priests take their place in the temple behind the curtains and sacrifice an animal in order to make penitence for the sins of the people. In the Jewish culture, sacrifice is a way in which God is allowed to come close to His people. He is not bloodthirsty, but he is Holy. The Mosaic Law is thus created and every year there is a sacrifice made for the atonement of the people. Can you imagine if you are among the people and every year you are on pins and needles hoping that the priests sacrifice is acceptable, because ifs its not, everyone dies. Can you imagine the fear and constant concern whether or not you have been made right with God? I am pretty sure that would be something they all had on the calendar! Can you imagine banking on one sacrifice once a year for thousands of years? Every seed of the lineage from Abraham leading up to Jesus was waiting for one ultimate sacrifice, the Messiah.

We were so glad Jesus was born and enjoy the idea of him as a baby in a manger among wise men with the bright leading star in the sky. We are so grateful he healed the blind, lepers and all who were sick. We love that he was a party man that turned water into wine. We are warmed in heart at how he loved children, gave us the Sermon on the Mount and in awe that he raised Lazarus from the dead; but we really hoped that he would die. We are so grateful for your life Jesus, but without your death there is no atonement for our sins. We are dead in our trespasses unless you bring us to life through your death!

All creation groaned in hopes that he would die. All creation longed for one ultimate sacrifice. We love to talk about God’s glory and dominion and power, but you have to understand that his power and dominion and authority manifested not in his life but in his death! Jesus knew his purpose was to die. Peter got frustrated with the Lord when he hears of his death and he rebukes him saying, ‘I’ll never let it happen Lord!”. Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me Satan!” You see, when you know your purpose is to die, you cannot let anyone around you convince you to live. You must lose your life to find it! When you realize that what God wants from you in life is for you to die, then you must get away from people who love to preach self preservation.

The symbol of our salvation is not the nativity scene. We don’t see those on top of churches. We see a cross; the place of his death. Adam is sent out of the garden in his sin, but his seed in Jesus enters into the garden to die. “But wait”, you say, “He died on the cross?” No, he died in the garden of Gethsemane first. When you make up your mind to die, your body soon follows. If you don’t make up your mind now then you will be ‘double minded and unstable in all your ways’, the bible says. You will never fulfill the purpose God has appointed for you until you die first. You get up daily and die. Jesus said it perfectly, “I would like to go a different way Father, but if this is what it takes then not my will but your will be done.” Will it be easy? No. Our Lord was sweating blood making this decision, but he made it. He made up his mind where he would take his last breath. I know he wanted to give up on the whipping post as chunks of his flesh were being taken out of his back with every blow, spinal chord beginning to show through the bloody skin. He should have blacked out, but he said in his mind, “I can’t die yet.” Jesus is nailed to the cross; he is lifted high and stretched wide. After hours of torment and allowing the sins of the world to pass over his body he finally gives up the ghost and says, ‘It is Finished.” His body is taken down and his body is wrapped in a death cloth then placed in a grave with a tomb sealing it. Three days later, he got up! He literally folded his clothes and walked out of the grave. He got up with all power in his hands. Jesus understood something; he knew he could endure the cross because he knew that his best life was on the other side of his death. If you don’t get on your cross and die, you cannot look like him or be the person he is calling you to be.

He now sits on the throne at the right hand of the Father looking down at his children saying to each of us by the wind of his spirit, “I hope he dies. I hope she dies. They want to live life more abundantly, so I hope they die.” He peeks over the balcony of heaven and hears us saying we want to live life to the fullest, but he also sees how we are still trying to do it on our own. He asks the question, “Why do they want to live life apart from me? Why do they want a job or marriage they cannot handle without me? Why does he still struggle with that situation without me?” You see, we want to create our own lives and get God to co-sign on it and grant our wishes like a genie in a bottle. We want our own agenda and then we want him to stamp it with his approval. “This God is what I want you to endorse.” We want five steps to a turn around, three steps to a new life and Jesus says take one step and die! We have a lot of Christians in church who want to live but not many who want to die.

He wants that little stuff, the stuff you don’t want anyone to see. You are naked before him. He wants that bitterness towards the father who disappointed you. He wants the anger towards that relationship that failed you. He says, “Why don’t you give that to me so I can bless you with real love?” You are the most successful in your company, but he sees that you are still broke because you are so insecure you spend it all before you even make it. He says, “Why don’t you die and let me fill in the holes in your soul?” You are not going to get what you want trying to live your life; you will get what you want when you die to your life. Your best life is in your death. You were not meant to live like you think.

One verse real simple
11 This is a trustworthy saying:
If we die with him, we will also live with him. 2 Timothy 2:11

2009-08-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

"Barricaded By Truth"

Key Verse:Psalm 51:6, "Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place." (NIV)

Devotion: I am almost certain you have heard the story of the Titanic. I regret to inform you that I saw the movie in the theater not once, not twice, but three times. I am such a sucker for a romantic story and there is something about tragedy that strikes at the core of my being and reminds me I am not immortal.

According to the movie script, popular legend, and as described in the popular press of 1912, the ship was said to be "practically unsinkable." The Titanic was 882 feet long, 92 feet in breadth and weighed 52,310 tons or 117,174,400 pounds! Unsinkable was not an unusual term back then; for decades, ships had watertight compartments to limit flooding in case of an accident, and the press used this phrase often.

The Titanic hit an iceberg and the impact created punctures in the six forward compartments of the ship. These small punctures along the sides of the ship were enough to cause vast amounts of water to begin flooding the compartments. Even though the Titanic had a full set of pumps, they were not large enough to handle the vast amount of water that was entering the holes in the hull. What is most amazing to me about this tragedy is the limited size, in terms of damage, that caused the devastation and destruction of such a massive ship.

I believe there is a great analogy in this story. There was no storm that night; in fact, it was an unusually calm sea, which is why it was hard to see icebergs without any water to break against their base. This made me think, just because things are calm around you does not mean the enemy has not punctured the sides of your life with sin. Those small fractures in the side of the ship had slowly let in enough water to sink the ship.

In the same way, when we allow what we view as "small sins" into our lives, we will inevitably go down as well. Satan and his hosts of wickedness want us to think that certain sins in our lives are not as bad as others. He even disguises himself as an angel of light to deceive us (2 Corinthians 11:14). We can hold onto sin, not knowing the damage it is really doing in our lives.

The exciting news is that it doesn't matter how much the storms of life rage around us, as long as we accept the work of the Cross of Christ for our sins and turn away from each of them, we will not go down! God destroyed sin's control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins (Romans 8:3). Whether the waters we are in are raging or calm, it is possible to stay afloat by allowing the Holy Spirit to seal us and lead us into all truth (John 14:17).

The Bible says the truth will set us free and will help strip the weights of sin that hinder our growth In Christ (John 8:32, Hebrews 12:1).All the water in the world cannot sink a vessel, if it doesn't get inside; just as all the trouble in the world cannot hurt us, as long as we don't let it inside. God desires to barricade your heart, mind and soul with His truth. But, you must let Him into every crevasse of your vessel so He can seal every inch. Will you let Him in? He is the greatest protection against this world when its waters beat against you. He stands at the door, like a gentleman, knocking. Will you let Him in?

My Prayer for Today:Father, You have promised to lead me into the kind of truth that will set me free from the sin that tries to take me under. Please seal me with Your Holy Spirit of Truth so I will be able to stand against evil and sin that try to invade. I want to be a vessel of purity and righteousness unto You. I now claim my freedom in Christ. Barricade my heart with Your truth. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

No such thing as perfect love...

2009-03-08T10:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I watched a really good movie, one of those that you just have to let go and allow the tears to flow because there's probably more working out of you than the storyline anyway. I had recently decided that when a song comes on I love or when something makes my eyes well up, I'm not holding back! So you 'll probably see miss Amy Elizabeth dancing, crying and laughing a little harder these days. I know what you're thinking closest friends of mine, "Now how could that girl possibly dance more?" Oh but I can! And I can cry with the best of em too. Scarlet O'Hara has nothin on me. Sometimes I just have to have a cryin jag as Rhett Butler called it. But maybe that's not a bad thing, maybe I just feel a lot more than some people. I'd rather live a shorter life feeling something than a long one with everything stored up on the inside.

The movie I rented was "The Secret Life of Bees" and it was one of those stories that I think will stay with me for a while, bug me and nudge me when I'm being selfish. The little blonde girl and maind character Lily is played by Dakota Fanning. She is a character torn in her soul to say the least. She was so young when her mother died that she can't seem to figure out if her mother loved her or not. "My whole life has been nothing but a hole, where my mother should have been. It always left me aching" There is just not enough evidence for Lily between her alcoholic abusive father and many missing pieces to rest in the knowledge that her mother loved her. She figures that will make everything ok if she can just figure out if she was loved. I don't want to give too much away but there was one scene and quote that stayed with me all day and it keeps whispering for me to go deeper.

August, the character played by Queen Latifa, has a conversaton with Lily about her mother. While confused tears water the big blue eyes of Lily's face, August says gently, "Honey, there just aint no perfect love. There is nothing perfect, there is only life.” You have to understand that the power in this statement strikes deep into the core of a litle girl who expected to be reprimanded. You see, Lily had been telling lies because she felt like the truth would "ruin everything". So when she confesses her dishonesty she expects August to provide her with the empty phrases that people usually offer those who are upset. But instead of offering false expectations to Lily, August offers sharp-edged wisdom about life and its tragedies. She seals her words while wiping a tear away from her face and holding her tightly. Her words were not drowned in the bitter sweetness of “it's all going to be OK.” Rather, August guides Lily into accepting the realities of life. Having felt the bee stings of life down her own rough road as a black woman among prejudice, she knows its much more important that Lily learns how to deal with the good and the bad that come with life. I think she was trying to make sure Lily understood that even when a person loves you, life can make that love imperfect. Her mother was human and made mistakes. I think we could all fill in the blank with something we have been convinced will make everything ok.

If I was in August's class of "Lovin People 101" I would barely pass! I always want to fix, give the perfect scripture and "well maybe you should have...blah blah blah" church folk speech when the deep wound my friend is trying to keep from killin her really just needs me to apply a good amount of pressure with the truth about life and a good firm hug. Jesus said, "In this world you WILL have trouble, but do not lose hope for I have overcome the world." Deep wounds need pressure and I am learning that my band-aid therapy doesn't "comfort those who mourn and weep with those who weep". People don't always need you to pull them up from that muddy mess because sometimes they are not ready. So until they are, you just gotta sit right there down in that pit with them and get your clothes all dirty. Why? Because some things in life, like getting your white dress all muddy, don't really matter. "But lifting someone's heart? Now, that matters." People don't feel God's love when you try to fix it, they feel it when you sit and hold them shaking your head back and forth sayin "I know what you mean and I am dirty too."

After you pick your friend up and help dust them off, then maybe you can go sit on the porch swing with a cup of tea and help your brother or sister figure out the potholes in thier life and how to avoid them. Scripture and truth that hurts will eventualy build a bridge over those troubled waters, but somebody has got to help pick you up just so you can at least start walking towards that bridge being built. That's what I want to do, dust some folks off and help people start walking again. I'll let God do the rest cause I know He hears our prayers.

I agree with August though, there is just no perfect love down here on this earth. But I do believe there was a time when there was. He didn't stay all that long but He finished the work God sent Him to do and left us with the hope that one day He will wipe away all the tears from our eyes. He stuck around long enough to show us how to love one another. I guess we just need to get to work. His love is perfect just like grandma's biscuits in the morning, so I just know if you can get a waft of the smell from the kitchen, it will fill your soul. And that's just it. I know my cup has got to be full if I want to pour anything out. I'm thinking there is so much more and so I am praying God will keep showing me who He is and how much He loves us.

So when a Lily crosses my path and she can't figure out if she's loved or not, I suppose regardless of her life story up to that point, I could just start loving her and persist in it. Besides, I've already got a leg up according to Miss August. She says "women make the best beekeepers, 'cause they have a special ability built into them to love creatures that sting." I think God has that special ability too, to love human beings that sting one another.

"August reminded me that the world was really one bee yard, and the same rules work fine in both places. Don't be afraid, as no life-loving bee wants to sting you. Still, don't be an idiot; wear long sleeves and pants. Don't swat. Don't even think about swatting. If you feel angry, whistle. Anger agitates while whistling melts a bee's temper. Act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't. Above all, send the bees love. Every little thing wants to be loved." -Lily Owens

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above,

Would drain the ocean dry.

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretched from sky to sky.

Sore fingertips...

2009-02-01T08:24:00.000-08:00

Well, after a few months of practicing I can finally play some good ole country songs on my new guitar. There is still a lot to be perfected but I am having a lot of fun learning new songs and being able to sing along to my own accompainment. Nothing seems to beat sittin round with Ginny Lynn and Jenn and being able to jam with them. I don't know why I waited so long to pick up a guitar, but now that I have I can't put it down.

Thanks to my dad I have learned some great ole blue grass tunes and thanks to guitar chords on the internet, Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum now have a complete last resort for back-up when they go on tour! That is, if they limit the concert to three songs! haha

I got a chance to visit the Grapevine Opry last night and I have to say I like it a little better than the last venue I used to sing at. Ginny introduced me to the band and backstage crew and they asked me to send them my demo. So, with my rough left hand tipped fingers crossed I am praying for the stage to take me back soon! I miss it so much!

Valentina was asked to smile...this is what I got!

2009-01-27T10:01:00.000-08:00

What a stinkin lil blessing this girl has been for our family. Valentina can put the kid stars to shame with her sassy dance moves and expressive "I can tell the camera is on" faces. And all under the age of two going on 12! Veronica, her mom, constantly says she is really my child since she seems to be made for the stage! Thank you lord for such a wonderful gift! I am sooo wearing my hair like that tomorrow!

A first time for everything....

2008-09-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

With friends in so many places, music and singing updates to share, my newest risk taken this month and many newly written devotionals...I have finally entered the blog world!

Welcome to Amy's Adventures!