Whew! It's been a While and a Whirlwind!

Hi Everyone!! I just noticed that it's been 30 days since I wrote a blog posting!! December came and went and my head is still spinning!

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and are anticipating God's plans for 2012.  This past month for me was spent singing and sharing my testimony and shopping, cooking and wrapping presents!

I find myself reflecting a little bit over the past month and year and find I'm a little blown away at God's goodness, grace and love.  God blessed me with the opportunity this year to see women of all ages come to know Jesus as their personal Savior, He allowed me to lead women in Bible studies and He gave me a renewed vision for His call on my life and vision for ministry and He allowed me the privilege of guiding and counseling women facing overwhelming circumstances to seek His wisdom and guidance in their decisions.  He blessed us with provision during James' job loss, He covered us with protection over our health, and surprised us with unexpected gifts from His children who just knew there was a need.  He showed me a glimpse of my future which gave me comfort that He has my "now."  He kept a roof over our heads and showed His love in ways that just don't speak adequately with words.  There is peace in the midst of storms, joy in the midst of heartache, patience in the midst of difficult relationships, forgiveness in the midst of hurtful words, grace in the midst of selfish desires, hope in the midst of broken dreams, mercy beyond being deserved and love beyond measure. 

We've seen friends step forward to offer help in raising money for this amazing Mission trip to Israel.  We've seen family and friends step forward to offer counsel when roadblocks seemed to shut doors.  We've been prayed for, prayed over, and prayed with so many people with regard to hard, hard things.

I think what I remember most about 2011 is that it's been a hard year for so many people that I love.  I've seen such loss, such heartache, such sickness, such hurt this year...these are people who love Jesus and are deeply committed to Him.  I believe that this may be God's boot camp for His army of believers.  If you talk with any soldier and ask them about boot camp, it's not an easy training at all.  There are long and hard workouts, there are obstacle courses, there is intense warfare training, there is intelligence training, there is desensitization, there is physical, mental and emotional strengthening to be able to defend against any type of enemy.   Stands to reason, then, that if God knows we need to be strengthened to be able to defend against our enemy, Satan, we might need to endure some hardship to strengthen our walk -- our spiritual legs, our mental strength and sharpness and our emotional stability -- after all -- the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy -- and lurks around like a prowling lion...or slithering snake.  He is smart, cunning, and evil and hates not only us as humans, but he hates the Spirit that dwells within us.

So, if you've endured a season of trials, pain, hardship that seems worse than ever - thank God for it.  Why? Because HE loves you enough to want to put you through His personalized Boot Camp in order to strengthen you and make you more like His Son, Jesus. 

I'd like to offer a challenge to you for 2012.  I'd like to encourage you to keep a prayer journal - when anyone asks you personally to pray for them, write down their name, request and the date requested and pray for them.  If possible, ask them to keep you posted with regard to their request and record how God answers - He always answers - it may not be yes, no or maybe - but He will answer - even if there is silence -- sometimes that just means to wait on Him.  Record your own requests too and date them.  As God answers your prayers, go back and record those answers.  At the end of 2012 on New Year's Eve,  go back and take a look over the journal and reflect on God's faithfulness and how He answered your fervent prayers of intercession and the prayers of your heart. 

I believe that if we'll do this and commit to it, we'll see some amazing things begin to happen and I KNOW we will see more of God and His Mighty Power.  Will you join me??

I'd like to leave you with one of my favorite blessings.  May 2012 be the year that takes your breath away as you see God's goodness, grace and mercy!! May laughter cover you and follow you each and every day...

"May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you and give you peace."

Have a blessed New Year's Eve....Happy New Year!!!
.

Sowing in Tears and Reaping with Joy

Hello my dear friends!

I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you ate enough Turkey and Dressing and fixin's to hold you over till Christmas!! Don't you just LOVE it!!! :)

I know it's been forever since I posted a recipe so I thought I'd put a quick one up for y'all before I write today's devotion.  It's so easy it's almost shameful....and it's so healthy and perfect for this time of year.

Quick & Easy Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

3 Small or 2 Medium boneless chicken breasts, cooked and diced (I used Tyson Grilled & Ready)
2 T. Butter (unsalted)
2 stalks celery, cut in large sections
1 medium onion halved
1 medium lemon, halved
1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
1/2 bag frozen mixed veggies (I used corn, sweet peas, carrots)
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock (I make homemade but if you don't have it, use Organic or a Homestyle chicken stock) - you want it to be thick and hearty.
1 quart water
1 cup dry pasta (any type is fine -- macaroni, ziti, bowtie, something kind of large)
salt, pepper to taste
Greek seasoning to taste

Melt butter in Dutch oven and saute chicken breasts just to heated through.  Throw in celery, onion, lemon, garlic and stir well.  Saute until softened just a bit (you will remove the these things, except chicken when the soup is done so it's not necessary to chop them up.  In fact the soup won't be as good if you do, so plan to remove them before serving.)  Throw in frozen veggies and stir well.  Season with salt, pepper and Greek Seasoning to taste.  I used a couple of Tablespoons of Greek seasoning and about a teaspoon of salt and pepper....I'd rather need to add more than add too much.  Pour in stock and water and bring soup to a boil.  At this point if you want to make this a crock pot dish you'd want to transfer all this to a warmed crock pot.  Add noodles and cook on low until ready to serve (4 to 6 hours on low, 2 to 3 on high)-- your noodles will be more like dumplings, which is the plan - not a mistake.  If you want your soup ready sooner, leave it in the dutch oven and add the noodles about 20 minutes before you plan to serve the soup.  Soup is ready when noodles look like dumplings. 

To serve -- remove large veggie pieces of celery, onion, and lemon.  Garlic should melt into the soup but if it doesn't, remove it too.    Great with cornbread, toasted French bread or any type of wheat cracker.  Wonderful on a cold, rainy day.  YUM!! 


Now to our devotional....My Monday Bible study group is such an inspiration.  They are so patient to let my passion for teaching take over sometimes when they could all easily teach themselves but they are just the most lovely group of ladies with such diverse backgrounds but they leave me awe-stricken at time at their depth and passion for knowing God intimately.  I love them so much.  This week, we studied the last part of Psalm 126 and focused our attention to verses 5 and 6 --

5 Those who sow with tears
  will reap with songs of joy.
⁶ Those who go out weeping,
   carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
   carrying sheaves with them.

We spent a lot of time talking about what it means to sow in tears.  Or "sow with tears".  There was some commentary regarding how so many Christians "eat the seeds" rather than sow them.  What does this mean?  If you are a believer, you will experience hard times or hard things in your walk with Christ.  Jesus tells us we will and that suffering is part of sanctification in Him.  We are encouraged to "count it all joy when we encounter various trials so that the testing of our faith will make us stronger and more like Christ."  But how in the world can we be joyful, when we are sowing in tears.  How can the hard things in life bring a harvest of joy?  This just doesn't make sense.  Isn't it human nature to want to "draw in" or "hide away" or "keep to ourselves" when we are hurting?  Yes it is. 

But if we'll fight that urging and rather share our hurts with others, whether in asking them to pray for us or encouraging them in their own walk by telling our story and sharing how God brought  us through, we begin to sow our seeds of faith rather than eating the seeds and letting them go nowhere.

Satan loves to isolate God's people.  If he can use shame, fear, pride, secrets, false humility to cause us to hide in our pain, then we waste an opportunity to share in our sufferings with others.  We become prey to the enemy because it's there that he begins to paralyze us and cause us to think about our own problems and elevate them to a higher place in our thought processes than they really need to be.  We become more self-involved and wallow in self-pity, despair, depression, etc and can be held prisoner to our own thoughts and sense of hopelessness.  But if we will allow others to share in our hurts, embrace our tears, and be open and forthright in our failings, we then allow them to minister to our wounds, and in turn we share an opportunity to not only let others use their gifts to sow into our lives but we sow our tears into their lives  but when God moves, we also have a chance to share in the "joy that comes in the morning" and thus reap a harvest not alone - but along with others who have shared in our lives...and our sufferings.

There's another principle here too.  Think about the parable of the seed that Jesus told in Luke 8.  In this parable Jesus tells of seeds and how they fall in different types of ground -- dry, fallow ground, good ground that grows thorns or fertile ground that bears good fruit.   Sometimes in our own lives we hear God's Word and it falls away and we miss the message.  Other times we hear it, apply it for a while and then let it go when things get tough or life gets busy and hard.  And then we might hear that same word again and this time, our hearts are right and the Word gets in and grows and bears fruit - and thus a harvest of joy comes.  That's a personal application of sowing seed of God's Word into the life of a Christian.  

Think about those folks who come to church every Sunday.  They bring their Bibles, sing the hymns, listen to the sermons, maybe even take notes.  But when church is over, they leave, Bible closed, no more singing, forget the sermon and throw the notes away, never applying or using what they heard.  They are merely "pew sitters" who attend out of habit with no conviction...Pastors sow these seeds in tears...

Then there's the person who comes to church every Sunday.  They may even be involved in a ministry like the choir or Sunday School or other ministry.  They are faithful in attendance, appear to worship and gain a deeper understanding of God's Word in their attendance.  But during the week, there is no application or conviction of the teaching in their lives.  When the bad days come, they become angry, bitter and critical or maybe they change their church membership because someone hurt their feelings or they didn't like the preacher's sermon....they become like the seeds that grow in the thorns but the weeds and thorns of life end up choking out the good things they've learned and they never become healthy or fruitful...such a wasted life...again, pastors sow their seeds into these lives with tears...

But then -- someone comes along and they soak up the teaching of God's Word like a sponge.  They get involved and share their gifts and talents and resources generously.  They share their lives with others, they give of their time to further the Gospel and they passionately grow deeper and deeper and closer to the Lord and they are thriving and healthy Christians -- their lives aren't perfect, they may not have a big bank account, but they understand giving and sharing and loving...these are the harvest of joy ...these are the people whose lives bear fruit.  These people are just like the others, but what is the difference?  They not only swallowed the seeds that were sown into their lives but in swallowing the seeds, they also began to bloom, grow and sow seeds themselves.  The others simply swallowed, digested and discarded the seeds, never re-planting for a new harvest...and basically the seeds died on the vine.

Now let's get really practical with this.  I'm going to use the example of getting in shape but you can apply it to any area of your own life that might fit.  Let's say that I decided to get in shape by eating right and exercising.  I bought a whole bunch of books and magazines and read them from cover to cover.  I believed what they said.  But that's all I ever did.  I just read the books.  I never changed my eating habits or exercise habits but I gained a whole bunch of knowledge.  It's likely that I gained more than that but the outcome I wanted, getting in shape, didn't happen.  Why? That seed fell on dead, fallow ground and dried up as useless knowledge.  (Know anyone who has read every self-help book there is but they are still paralyzed with the same "issues"? -- same principle applies here too.)

Ok -- let's say I read the books and magazines, believed what they said and applied their suggestions to my life but when I got sore, or the weather got bad or someone invited me for a great lunch at my favorite restaurant and offered to buy dessert -- I didn't have the self-control to resist the temptation.  I quit exercising and found myself once again with tight jeans and low self-esteem because of my weight issues....Well, that seed started out growing well, but when things got tough or temptation crept in - or boredom -- what happened?  The old habits came back and the seed's growth was stunted.

BUT -- let's say, I read the books and magazines, believed what they said, applied their suggestions to my life and persevered -- believing the end result would be a harvest of joy -- through thick and thin -- sore body and blisters -- sooner or later, this lifestyle change would pay off and what would happen?? A more fit, healthier body would bring a big smile to my face and a smaller size to my jeans...thus a harvest of joy.

So if you'll allow me to challenge us all today, I'd say let's make a better effort at keeping the ground of our lives fertile.  Let's be sure that we have a teachable spirit, a heart to receive and give and minds that allow us to see the bigger picture.  To do this we must fight the instinct to be embarrassed about the hard things of our lives.  We must fight the urge to hide our insecurities or imperfections from others.  We must be willing to take a risk that someone else might benefit from our stories and struggles and might have a word of encouragement to give to us if we'll allow them in.  Let's also be willing to let other share their sufferings with us without passing a hammer of judgement on them.  

I'm very certain that in my own life there was a time when I was quick to judge and not so quick to forgive.  I'm also quite certain that my wounds made me defensive, scared and selfish too.  But maturity and deep struggle in my own life have brought me to a place where I now see that God's way is to sow and to share.  If I can sow my life into someone else's and share my story, I know now that there is someone else who might just need to know that their "troubles" are safe to share and carry to God as well.  Does this mean letting go of discretion?  NO.  Does it mean that we tell all the gory details or embarrass others and ourselves by telling everything we know?  NO -- but what it does mean is that we become transparent -- and leave behind that false image of trying to be what we're not and appear as if all is just fine when it's really not.  It also means shouting for JOY and telling others when God allows a harvest in our lives and in those we've shared with.

Be willing, able and ready, dear friend -- if you sow in tears now and your life is really hard -- hold fast to the promise that if you keep sowing, searching, learning, sharing and giving -- you WILL reap a harvest of joy in due time and you (and I) will have a much deeper understanding of God's goodness apart from the circumstances of our own lives -- and we'll give Him credit for the harvest when it comes in and live joyful, fruitful lives that glorify Him.

I pray you have a blessed week!!! Until next time, Amy

To be thankful...

Good morning, noon, evening!  I hope you've all been blessed in some way this week.  I love this time of year.  Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  Easter is my favorite but Thanksgiving runs a close second.  I love everything about it -- it's not as commercial, it's not over done with decorations but the food is fabulous and realigning the perspective of thankfulness is a great exercise.

I'm a Facebooker.  I'm hooked, I admit it and I probably need a 12 step program to get away from it.  But lately, a lot of my friends have been posting their "thankfulness" in their statuses each day.  I've seen everything from deeply introspective thank-you's to some that are just fun and funny and honestly, I've loved them all!  I decided to get in on it and it's been a wonderful way to keep my attitude in check as the stress of the holiday season closes in.

This past week, I had the opportunity to share my testimony and music with a group of ladies in Pensacola and in Foley, Alabama.  God blessed me beyond measure by allowing me to see His Harvest of three lives asking Jesus to be their Savior.  Praise You Lord.  I'm so thankful to have had this opportunity. Not only that, it was just beautiful down there and we got to visit with some dear friends, Lisa and Al, and spend the evening laughing and catching up with them.  What a joy!

I've never considered myself much of a harvester.  I've always been comfortable in sowing seeds in God's great fields.  But I must admit, to see and know that someone has just given their life to Christ brings a joy that goes deep into my soul.  It's something that I can't fully explain and I don't want my readers to think for a minute that I'm boasting about my part in it at all -- I think what I find so humbling about it is the fact that there were so many who came before me who sowed seeds of the Gospel, watered with truth, fertilized with love and encouragement and at just the right time, God saw the fruit in the heart of these ladies, and I had the opportunity to be there for the harvest!! I just had to be available and ready and He showed me His Handiwork!! That's pretty awesome isn't it!

You know, I really believe that's the key to living fruitful lives.  Being available.  If we'll just make ourselves available to God's plan - and be willing let Him guide us, use us and speak through us, then we are rewarded with peace, contentment, hope and joy apart from our circumstances.  It's almost as if we get to see the big picture or at least a little glimpse of it.  Does that make sense? 

I think sometimes we try to hard to figure God's will out.  I think maybe because we can talk and have opposable thumbs (however your spell it), we carry around a "god complex" and try to force God's hand when there is really no need to do so.  Why?  Well, I don't think it's always with selfish motives or irreverence.  I think it's because we hunger so badly to know God that we toil and spin to try to figure Him out rather than just resting and trusting that He is God.

I know that has been true at least in my own life.  It started when I was in high school.  When the talk of what was God's will for my life (Christian-ese for what I was gonna be when I grew up) began.  Oh that I had known at 17 years old that His will for me was not just a profession - His will for me (and you) was to live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with my God....Malachi 6:8.  Sure - I should have sought Him for career choice, choice for mate, church membership, etc. - but His will is so much larger than those things and much simpler at the same time. I did seek God for those decisions, but honestly, I did so with pleasing man in mind.  If I'd only known that sitting at His feet, getting to know Him first and intimately was more important to Him - if I'd only known how that could have made so much of my life fall into place according to His Word (Matthew 6:33), I wonder if I could have saved myself so many tears, frustration and prodigal choices along the way...then again, maybe this path is the one God chose for me...overthinking even that would be wrong at this point in my life because His Word tells us that He leads us into the wilderness...Deuteronomy 8:2.  We believe a lie if we think our lives as Christians should be immune from dry seasons or hard things...This Scripture attests to that fact...

So, as we approach this week of Thanksgiving, I'd like to challenge us all to be thankful beyond the material blessings of our lives.  I'd like to challenge us to find ways that God has blessed us that go beyond the obvious.  I'd like to challenge us to be thankful even for the hard things, the wildernesses, the trying times of our lives and at the same time, I'd like to offer an encouragement to live out Matthew 6:33 -- "Seek first the Kingdom of God and all His righteousness..."  Let that be top priority -- be willing to be used of Him and to know Him intimately and in doing so "all these things (provision, direction, fruitful lives) will be added to us."  This is a promise...a covenant - between 2 - ourselves and our God.  In the busy-ness of the holiday season, let's try to be more like Mary and less like Martha -- doing so allows us the opportunity to see God at work in the Harvest as well as gives us a chance to be available to be used as vessels for His Spirit to flow from and through as He sees fit.  If we are so busy "Martha-ing" around, we'll miss it -- we won't see Him at work and we'll lose out on getting to see a harvest of some sort - be it a new believer or a brother or sister get back on track or a miracle of healing, etc.

I pray you'll have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and that you'll enjoy those God places in your path both now and throughout this wonderful holiday season!!  I'm going to post some more recipes soon as well as some tips and tricks too -- I know it's been a while...


Blessings!! Amy

The Power of Prayer and Laughter

This has been one of those weeks that I marvel at God's goodness.  I know I should marvel at His goodness all the time, but this week has been particularly abundant in my own life.  I'm not deserving and don't understand His choosing of the timing but all I can say is, "Wow!"

We've experienced the joy of good friends who are willing to give of their time and talents and resources to assist with raising money for this mission trip to Israel.  We've experienced His provision in truly miraculous ways.  We've seen a rainbow covering our city.  We've been blessed by a generous church supporting us in ways that I cannot begin to fathom.  I received an unexpected offer of employment that caters to my travel schedule.  I received encouragement from people who have been praying and have seen evidence of God's hand over our lives.  Unexpected phone calls to share good news have come, cards in the mail, conversations with strangers who want to know how things are going with regard to the mission trip ... so much more it would take volumes to write it all!

One of the most amazing things I've experienced is a simple answer to a prayer for restoration of laughter.  Psalm 126 speaks of restoration and joy and laughter is the theme of this passage.  I mentioned briefly last week that I was so ready to laugh again and God heard my prayer.  I have laughed until tears have rolled down my cheeks at simple things - good things, good friends, funny comments, precious pets and simple things literally all week long.  God's Word speaks of the health benefits of laughter and I can attest to it.  Proverbs 17:22 says “A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.”  I'm learning daily that my circumstances don't dictate God's goodness.  That joy resides in the bones when I give my life fully to Christ and trust Him no matter what my earthly situation may be.  I'm learning that even my smallest of prayers are heard by God and they mean something to Him.  He heard my seemingly insignificant request that I was ready to laugh again and saw that my heart needed to be merry and He made it happen. 

A young friend wrote today that she could "only pray" on her profile.  She has had a whole host of health problems and deals with pain on a constant level.  Her life is desperate at times because of the pain and seeing her post made my heart hurt because she is so dear and so is her family.  But I also found myself thinking, "You know, she's really at the best place she can be if she's out of any other resources but prayer."  That means that God has literally stripped away everything but Himself in her life and she now has the perfect set up to tap into her Great Physician, her Provider, her Savior, and her King.  She now has access to a heart that can be painfully honest with her Heavenly Father and she has access to the most powerful weapon in her Spiritual armor -- prayer. 

So many times, we say things like, "I can't do much, but I can pray for you." or we'll say, "All I can do is pray."  I wonder if we really realize what we are saying with comments like that.  Are we diminishing the value and power of prayer or are we saying that we are not humanly able to do anymore and as a last resort we're going to pray?  If so, we need a radical change of thought!  Friends, prayer is a mighty tool and is powerful against the enemy's schemes.  Not only that, it's our blessed opportunity to have a conversation with the ONE WHO CREATED THIS UNIVERSE AND US!!!  We have a blessed opportunity to pour out our hearts and talk with the Lover of our Souls.  We have the power to crush the enemy, Satan when we draw our weapon of Prayer.  We have a hot-line with no need for a phone or priest to cry out to one who gave His Life for us.  Oh the goodness of God that He would give us this privilege!

If you've found yourself in a mindset of thinking that prayer is your last resort, maybe today is the day that God says - make it your first resort forevermore.  If you've felt like your prayers are hitting the ceiling, maybe it's because God is waiting for you to believe that He will do as He promises and that He loves you.

We can speak prayers over and over and over and over and not believe that God will move - or we can pray with a believing heart that He hears even our smallest of prayers and that He will act according to His will and that He promises that He wants the best for His children - not the worst. 

Remember, there's prayer, there's faith, there's trust, there's hope and there are covenants all through the Bible -- God keeps His covenants always - He cannot lie and He cannot fail.  If we can grasp that He lives in us -- LIVES in us - then we must believe it and believe that his residence in us means that we cannot fail either.  Don't walk around with a failure mentality.  Yes, life will be disappointing at times.  Yes, hard times will come.  Yes, we will hurt, be sick and die.  But we were made for more.  We were made to reflect God's glory in all circumstances not just the mountaintops.  We are made to praise Him.  We are made to laugh because of His goodness.  We are made to love others because of the deep deep love He has to pour out through us and to us.

May I encourage you to hit the restart button on your perspective today?  May I urge you to access the power of prayer as your first option because it's your best option?  May I challenge you to ask God to show you His goodness.  He will, you know...He promises.

Here's Psalm 126 (NLT) -- Read and enjoy -- and know that you are dearly loved!! Have a great weekend!!


When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem,
      it was like a dream!
 ² We were filled with laughter,
      and we sang for joy.
   And the other nations said,
      “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”
 ³ Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!
      What joy!
 ⁴ Restore our fortunes, Lord,
      as streams renew the desert.
 ⁵ Those who plant in tears
      will harvest with shouts of joy.
 ⁶ They weep as they go to plant their seed,
      but they sing as they return with the harvest.

Molly's Adventure...all we like sheep.

Good Morning, Afternoon or Evening Everyone,

I pray you have had a peaceful night of rest and that this day is blessed with grace, goodness and peace.  I haven't slept much this week.  I'm not sure if it is the excess caffeine or if I've allowed the enemy of stress into my mind or if my sore muscles from climbing a ladder for many days in a row have been the culprit (likely all three) but I definitely haven't gotten my 6 to 8 hours per night this week as recommended by "they" - whoever "they" are.

Earlier this week I wrote about thorns and the hedge of thorns that God places around our lives.  I wrote about the correlation of those thorns to the painful things of our lives and related them to Jesus' crown of thorns.  Something that hit me this morning was that sheep are prone to stray.  God references His children to sheep quite often in His Word and knowing that sheep aren't the brightest creatures of God's creation should keep us ever mindful that being affectionately called sheep by our Creator isn't a compliment.  They have brains the size of walnuts, they can't figure out how to get up if they fall on their backs, they have no sense of direction and...they are prone to stray.

Could it be that because of our sheepish nature, we NEED a hedge of thorns?  Could it be that the "ouches" of our lives come because we run into that hedge and get stuck and hurt because of our need to stray?

I've been helping a dear friend get her house ready to go on the real estate market and she has the sweetest little dog.  My friend works as a teacher and has left her sweet dog, Molly, with me during the day as I've been working at her house.  For the last couple of weeks, Molly has been so polite and has waited at the door to get her little leash on to go out to get her business done.  But this past Tuesday, Molly had a need to stray.  She bolted out the door and acted as if she was going to be well-behaved and walked with me into the garage all the while having a plan of her own as soon as she could break away.  She decided that when we left the garage she would walk over to the grassy part and sniff around a little bit.  Then she walked slowly but just ahead of me where I couldn't catch her and then all of a sudden she took off to the woods.  She was on a grand adventure!  I called her and she wouldn't come.  I offered treats and rewards of good behavior if she would heed my voice.  But she acted as though she was completely deaf.  All of a sudden I heard her cries.  She was crying as if in great pain - it got louder and louder and all I could imagine was that she had walked up on a copper head snake and he had sunk his fangs into her and filled her with deadly venom.  I called her name over and over running to the woods.  Suddenly I heard another dog bark and then a human voice saying, "I've got her!  She's ok! She's just a little bit scared!"  My heart started beating again.  I walked to where I could see and there was my friend's neighbor holding Molly in his arms.  His big chocolate lab was standing there with him and across the fence was his guard dog, a German shepherd.  He saw all that had happened and said that Molly had crossed the fence line and the shepherd stopped her and rolled her a little but didn't hurt her.  Molly was trembling and looked to me with great relief.  I put her leash on and we peacefully walked back to the house after an exchange of thank you's and my heart started beating at a normal rate again.  Molly, a drama queen, was still whimpering from the event and found herself drained of all energy by the time we got back to the house.  She dropped in weakness and just had to have a nap from all the trauma.  She needed to be assured that she was ok -- and after a good rubdown with a towel and a lot of petting, treats and making sure that I wasn't mad at her, she drifted peacefully off to sleep safely behind the clear doors of her home and on her soft little bed, surrounded by all her toys.

I didn't think about the significance of Molly's adventure until I began writing today.  Aren't we just like her?  We walk along with God, cooperating with Him and all is going fine, even if our circumstances aren't perfect - we at least feel safe knowing He's there beside us.  We pray regularly, read and study His Word, hear His voice and then we begin to walk on our own - we can still see Him and are sure He is right there with us and then we stretch our legs just a little and walk a little further up the path and then we see an opportunity and believing we'll be just fine we run like the wind on an adventure of a lifetime -- and then, we cross the line.  The big dogs see us and come after us -- oh they may not make a deadly blow but it scares the living daylights out of us or they bruise us just enough that it hurts a little (or a lot) - and then the shepherd lovingly picks us up, holds us in His arms and brings us back inside the hedge of thorns where we can rest again.  He puts another thorn in the hedge just to remind us of that journey and how painful it was to us...and to Him.

Molly may decide to get out again and run on her own - but aren't we as willful as she?  She may not run over to where that big dog scared her but she will look for other opportunities.  She didn't plan to stray - she planned to play.  She loves to please and is a good dog...most Christians want to be good sheep too.  But when we worry, fret, lose sleep, wander in our own thoughts, spend without consulting God about it, speak without praying over it, and all those other temptations to sin - we stray.  Sometimes it takes a good scare to bring us back into the fold.  Sometimes it takes a little hurt to remind us that we need our Shepherd.  Sometimes we need Him to carry us back to our own hedge of thorns to remind us just how safe we are within His hedge of protection.

Friend, cry out to the Father, just like little Molly cried for me (really I think she wanted her Mama).  Cry loud when the big dogs come after you.  Cry and tell Him your hurts, your fears, your pain and your sorrow.  Cry and tell Him you have strayed and you need His rescue.  Cry and tell Him you need His protection.  He will hear you and come to you and will rescue you from harm.  He is your shepherd and will not rest until you are back in the fold.

Maybe the lost sleep I've experienced this week is because I've allowed my own mind to wander into the wilderness of my circumstances.  Maybe in doing so I've experienced the fear of the big dogs in my own life coming after me, too.  Maybe losing sleep has offered me the chance to cry out to God and have Him rescue me from my own wandering thoughts...if you are where I am, then I encourage you to be still and let Him teach you through His Word and likely a circumstance you've experienced this week as well....

May His Words encourage you in your journey today: 

"But he was pierced for our transgressions,he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all"  Isaiah 53:5-6NIV

Double Duty today

Hi Friends,

I pray you are having a lovely Monday!  I used to dread Mondays -- the stress, the work week starting over, all that stuff -- but now I love Mondays because of the blessing of the ladies in my Bible Study group.  They are amazing - deep, thoughtful and have a fire burning in them to passionately grow in Christ...gotta love Mondays with a combination like that!  :)

I titled this blog "Double Duty" because I'm including a couple of recipes at the end...just so that makes a little bit of sense and because it's Halloween, I thought a fun and easy snack food and a quick dessert might be in order...hope you enjoy them!.

Today, in Bible study, we talked about something that I'd like to share with you.  We are doing Beth Moore's "Stepping Up" study but we are taking it very slowly and we've all been amazed at the things that God is showing us through His beautiful Psalms of the Ascent and the feasts and celebrations that are part of the Jewish faith and traditions.

Out of our study of Psalm 125 today came the topics of trust, God's protection and attention, and His power over evil.  Timely subject given the time of year don't you think??  Beth makes a statement in one part that I found to be quite profound.  "Beloved, if God isn't more powerful than all the combined evil in the universe, then we are a pitiful people indeed."  Isn't that so true?  Sometimes we can get so caught up in and focused on the resident evil that dwells here and affects us, that we forget that God is completely aware of all of it and has already overcome it all.  It's so easy to become short-sighted when there is a major crisis, tragedy or injustice in our close circle and we can quickly give up or worse, get so angry that we lose control of rational thought or action.  We become incapable of forgiveness and fall into the trap of trying to fix or control things ourselves.  Ever been there?  I know I have.

Toward the end of our time today, Beth wrote about the hedge of protection that the Massai people in Africa put around their camps to keep the prowling lions and predators away.  It's basically a hedge of thorns or thorny bushes that repel dangerous animals.  As long as the people stay inside those thorn bushes, they remain safe from the attacks of the vicious and hungry animals.  The next word picture she paints is a picture of the crown of thorns that Jesus wore on His precious Head.  She asks us to put those tough situations, those people we are concerned about who are either lost or saved inside the crown of thorns to gain a visual image of their protection because of our prayers.  But as I was preparing for today's lesson, God began to show me something more about that crown of thorns.  Because Jesus was our sacrificial lamb and there is so much significance of the details tied to prophecy, His life, death and resurrection, I began to wonder if His crown had a deeper, more personal meaning than something that was jammed into Jesus' head by cruel men.  Of course there is obvious significance of the pain of the thorns in his head, the blood shed, the crown for a king, the tears, etc.  But if we look at that crown as a symbol of the hedge of protection around us, I'd like to suggest that each thorn represents something painful in the life of a Christian and maybe even our sin that pierced His blessed head on our behalf.

Could it be that each of those thorns that God uses to build the hedge around us is the pain in our lives?  Could it be that the reason for the pain is to protect us from the things we cannot see - the war around us that isn't flesh and blood -- but principalities of darkness and evil (Ephesians 6:12)?  If you were to write down the hurts and pains, sadness, bad things, unrealized dreams, disappointments, etc. in your life, would you be able to see that God protected you not only in the bad thing - but from something worse because of it?

Here are some examples from my own life that might help you to see where I'm coming from...

If I made a list of some of the disappointments in my life I could list things like, "death of a loved one, loss of beloved pets, not making cheerleader in high school, loss of a young friend and godly father of 3 at the age of 45 to cancer, loss of my father to liver cancer, my father's incarceration at 82 years old, my husband's unemployment, my own deadly infection from surgery, perfectionist nature, self-scrutinizing to a fault, eating disorder as a teen, depression, major financial difficulties, etc. etc... but if I step away from it and look at it from an "aerial view" outside my circumstances - could I see that God protected me from something much worse than those painful things and drew me in closer through that painful protection?  Could it be that the memories of those painful things in my life serve as a reminder that I am protected by His thorns?  Could it be that those thorns in our lives prick our hearts when we try to stray and we're reminded that there's an enemy lurking outside that protection?

I'd like to encourage you to take a look at this picture -- and write down the big things in your life that concern you right now -- whether it's a health issue, financial issue, a lost friend or family member or a saved person or family member who God has laid on your heart ...write that down in the middle of that crown.  And then focus on the thorns - begin to name a painful event or thing in your life at each thorn -- the big pains on the big thorns and then the smaller hurts on the smaller thorns.  The thorns that point inward toward the center could be the "active hurts" or things that concern you right now.  Maybe they are on-going.  Don't hurry through this exercise.  Ask God to show you how He has formed this hedge of protection that surrounds you.  One of the ladies told about Corrie Ten Boom learning to be grateful for fleas because the soldiers wouldn't come in to take or attack them because of them.  Maybe there are irritants in your (or my) own life that God has placed there for our protection like those fleas.  They are annoying things (or people) who just won't go away...but hover constantly and maybe even bite or suck life out of us just like those fleas. 

Remember that God's thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways and though the "blessing in the thorns" is very poetic, it's also very real.  I'd have ruined my voice if I had been a cheerleader in high school.  I had no idea that God would call me to sing for His glory - but He knew and preserved me for such a time as this.  God has told you no as well.  He's allowed hurt for your own good too.  There are lessons to be learned in this crown of thorns - this hedge of protection.  And I believe that it's significantly big to God that we learn them or they wouldn't be such a graphic picture of the pain that Jesus endured so we might be saved...to satisfy the debt for sin.  Those thorns weren't splinters - but even splinters hurt too. 

I'm not seminary educated nor do I call myself a theologian by any stretch of the imagination.  But I believe the Holy Spirit teaches His children according to His will and today I believe this came from Him.  I'm at a bittersweet place in my life and I know that God has placed a hedge of protection around me and around those I love.  I believe I could spend hours or even days looking at the painful things in my life through spiritual eyes to see not just a crown of thorns but a true hedge of thorns that have protected me since I invited Jesus into my life as a young child.  I believe that tears would flow down my cheeks to see the love that has been poured over my life in this protection and I believe the same would happen to you if you went through this same exercise.

Looking back can be painful especially to those who have experienced trauma, abuse, illness, abandonment, etc. as children - but the fact that you're reading this tells me that you are a miracle if you were victimized as a young one.  All of God's promises are true, dear friend.  God sees and knows the evil that lurks in the dark places of our lives and on this earth.  Allow His light into that darkness and His protection to cover you and surround you through your pain.  Psalm 125 is so relevant to this world today -- give it a good read -- and be encouraged, loved, and blessed by doing so -- May God bless you this day and always!!  Keep reading...here are some fun recipes for tonite or anytime, really!

Easy Caramel Corn - by Sandra Lee of Food Network's "Semi-Homemade"
2 bags microwave popcorn (lightly buttered is best)
1/2 stick unsalted butter (4 tablespoons)
3/4 cup sugar
3 T. water
1 1/2 t. cinnamon

Pop popcorn in microwave and toss in large bowl (or 2 bowls -- don't over fill -- you need room to mix caramel)
In a small saucepan, melt butter on medium heat.  When melted add sugar, water and cinnamon and stir well.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for 4 minutes without stirring (increase heat if necessary).  Remove from heat and pour half into the popcorn (drizzle around over the top).  Toss with a wooden spoon (IT's HOT!!!)  Pour remainder in and mix again.  Toss to break it apart and keep going till mixture cools to touch.  Serve when ready -- DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Easy Blueberry Shortcake Sundaes  - by Amy Drinkwater

1 box Blueberry Muffin mix (I recommend the one with real blueberries and streusel topping)
1 bottle blueberry syrup or diluted blueberry jam
Vanilla Ice Cream
Whipped topping (I like the kind in the can - Redi-whip)
Toasted pecans, fresh blueberries for garnish (mint too if you'd like something green)

Make muffins according to package directions (don't use paper muffin liners) or pre-baked muffins - just won't be as good....trust me!  While still warm, not hot, split muffin horizontally (lift off the muffin top) and put a little bit of the syrup onto the bottom part.  Top with a scoop of ice cream and place muffin top on the ice cream.  Top with Whipped topping and drizzle syrup over this to run down sides.  (Hint: holding spoon about 4 to 6 inches above this will let a lighter stream flow and a prettier presentation.  Sprinkle nuts, berries over the top and finish with a pretty sprig of mint for garnish.

Makes an ordinary breakfast bread into a lovely quick dessert that's quite yummy too!

Blessings!!

Roses & Chocolate Mint

Happy Weekend Everybody!! I hope your football team won today and that you've had a chance to get out and enjoy this gorgeous weather!  I think I say this every time I write but I absolutely LOVE this time of year!!

"For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper and not harm you - plans to give you a hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11

I had such a great time today with the Ladies of Stockdale Baptist Church at their mini-retreat!  What an awesome fellowship of women who have a heart for ministry and missions!! They thought I was there to minister unto them - but I promise, I'm the one whose cup overflows.  WOW!! I felt like a part of their family and as if I had known them much longer than half a day!  Thank you for such a wonderful time of worship and for your support of my trip to Israel....I pray the Lord will return your sacrifice 100 fold!

Speaking of Israel, I'm not sure if I have told you all about that yet!  I'm so excited to tell you that God has opened up the windows of Heaven and poured out a blessing that I honestly did not have the room to receive!  I'm completely blown away and cannot begin to even tell you how grateful I am for this wonderful opportunity! 

To those of you who have already heard the story, I hope you'll enjoy reading it again and to those who are hearing for the first time, you just won't believe it!  It all started with a conversation after choir practice in the parking lot with our church's Minister of Music...

We had just finished up choir practice and I had stopped to thank Dale for letting me share in leading worship for the Contemporary service the previous Sunday in the absence of our worship leader and pastor's wife, Kim, who was in Peru on a mission trip.  We were talking about missions and he shared that he was getting ready to travel to Cape Town South Africa on a mission trip and said that I'd be shocked to know what he was going to do -- he would be playing his saxophone with a big band!  I squealed with delight at this opportunity and he said I needed to check out the web site of the organization who is putting the trip together and pray about being a part of a trip myself.  (side note:  I NEVER began to imagine that God would call me outside the walls of this country to go on a mission trip - never hoped for it, never dreamed about it but always thought it was wonderful that OTHERS would go...)...but that night it was as if God struck a match in the pavement and lit a fire in me that went from my toes all the way up through my head!  It was as if He was bringing to light the very thing He had shown me I was going to do about 10 years ago...and I'd just kind of let it go as maybe the future or maybe it was done at Carnegie Hall....but oh no!! Carnegie was an amazing trip, an awesome privilege and an honor beyond imagination -- and it was most definitely a gift from God -- and we DID share the gospel in a secular environment...and it was a mission trip...and I was blown away at that opportunity...but WOW!! What has transpired since then gives me chills even to this day.

I went home and got online and checked out the web site that Dale suggested and read about all that was being offered and decided to send an email to request some more information.  I found myself intrigued by the different countries and asked about the trip to Scotland/Wales.  That same evening I received a reply that the Scotland/Wales trip already had a vocalist but that they would love it if I'd pray over and consider another trip either in 2012 or 2013.  So we began a conversation back and forth and I was left with the impression that all the big band trips had signed up their vocalists and that I'd be waiting until the trips for 2013 were listed.  But then I decided to ask what I thought was kind of a naive/stupid question.  I asked about the trips that carried an orchestra -- if they ever considered taking an vocalist for those.  Again, I got an immediate reply and there was instant interest in looking into this possibility.  Keep in mind, that at this point these guys hadn't heard me sing - all they had was a web site where they could hear my music and a link to my Sunflower Ministries web page.  I knew at this point that God was at work but I didn't really have a clue yet as to what He was up to....

So I go back to their site and begin to look at the offerings for orchestral trips and I kept going to the Israel link.  Over and over I'd visit that one and every time I'd read about it, my heart would immediately beat faster and I found myself strongly wanting to go on that one.  So I sent the email.  A couple of days later I received a reply and the guys asked me to forward some of my music to them and they would pray over it and asked me to pray over it and we'd put our heads together as to how this might work.  I mentioned Israel at this point but they really didn't talk about that so much - they were more interested in my interest in traveling with their orchestra.  Ok - so I get the music to them and get the reply that they have received it and really like what they hear and want to continue talking about which trip I'd like to be a part of. 

A week passes and I didn't really hear anymore.  Another week passes and I'm busy so I didn't think much more about it -- and then one evening I decided just to send a quick follow up to see where we were.  Still didn't hear anything... I absolutely refused to get discouraged and told the Lord that I was going to trust Him with this because He was the one who opened the door...I was willing if that's what He wanted...

Ok, so about another week later, I finally get a reply...the timing on this was amazing.  I had had such a bad week.  I wrote about being in that meeting where I felt the presence of some strong spiritual warfare - materialism against trusting God for provision -- and that day we emptied out the last of our personal resources to pay bills for the month.  I had had several encounters with situations that just brought me down, but I also was excited because my high school had put together an alumni reunion for all classes that coming Friday evening and had asked me to sing the National Anthem to start the game.  What an Honor!! And I thought that maybe that was the reason for the spiritual warfare.  I battled such perfectionism while I was in high school that I was honestly nervous about performing for my peers...funny how that stuff creeps up on ya!

Anyway, the game was great and it was so fun to see so many faces from the past.  Mom went and had a great time too!  When I left the game, my phone beeped and I noticed that an email had come through!  It was the first reply that I'd been waiting on!  The guys loved my voice and wanted me to seriously be a part of their team and told me they only carry one vocalist per trip and mentioned Guatemala to me.  I looked back at the web site and realized that the date was just a little sooner than I felt like I could do, and I knew that trip wasn't the one I'd been called to do.  I wrote back and shared my reasons for selecting Israel (I'd just been to a Rosh Hoshanah (Jewish New Year) service at Temple Beth Hall-el (Messianic Jewish Temple) the week before and have been doing MANY Bible studies that have centered around Israel, their ceremonies, traditions, etc...and I just believed that it was the one that kept jumping out at me -- and it truly was.  I was driving home at this point so I didn't really check my phone anymore for about 20 minutes.  When I was pulling into the subdivision where we live, my phone beeped again, and it was the reply that made my heart leap into my throat!!  It was from Camp Kirkland telling me that I was going to Israel!!! I sat in my car and cried...I couldn't even move -- I was praying, crying and laughing all at the same time!!

When I finally gained my composure, I came inside and floated up the stairs to tell James (my husband).  He was watching a movie when I walked in and I said, "I'm going to Israel!!!!  YAY!"  He looked at me and I could tell he was thinking, "Amy, I don't have a job!" -- and I said "YAY!!  again" -- I could also tell he was just a little bit sad and I said, "James, you can go too if you want to -- and he at that point said, Amy, I think that'd be great, but we need to see about getting you there first.  Y'all -- that's so amazing to me!  I never dreamed that I'd be going much less that James would even be interested in going -- God is amazing and so wonderful!! Jeremiah 29:11 is absolutely true and bigger than we can begin to dream!  I know the timing of this news comes at a very serious time for us financially but what it has done for me has completely changed my relationship with the Lord forever!  What He did was give me a glimpse of the future.  In doing that, He assured me that my present was safe with Him.  No, our circumstances haven't changed yet, but with God all things are possible and if He needs me (or us)  to go to Israel in 2012, then He is going to take care of us now.  Our circumstances do not measure God's goodness or faithfulness -- He is both good and faithful regardless!  So let the naysayers remain silent -- This is an awesome thing and we are praising God for it!

Ok, that was a week ago...Today, I spent the morning with these precious ladies at Stockdale Baptist Church.  I shared this with them, and had been praying this week about financing this trip to Israel.  I have a year before I'll be going but I'm responsible for 100% of my support and it's due in bi-monthly increments.  I've begun sharing this with different folks including my pastor and staff and have asked them to pray that God will show me ways to raise this support and that He will send others to become a part of this effort.  The ladies of Stockdale blew me away -- 2 of them stuck money in my hand -- and hugged my neck and said this is for your trip...many purchased CD's which will go toward financing the trip as well.  Others have offered prayer support and encouragement and I am completely humbled by it all....

Let me tell you about this trip!  It's amazing.  We will be all over Israel - from Jerusalem to Galilee, Bethlehem to Capernaum -- we'll take communion at the Garden Tomb -- we'll visit the scale model of the temple and pray at the Jerusalem Center.  We'll be doing concerts to share the gospel to support and under gird the Baptist missionaries with financial support and anything else they might need while we are there.  We will build relationships with musicians, churches locally and will share our own stories of how Jesus has changed our lives.  We will be there 10 days and I know that when we return, we'll never be the same.  We will step on soil that Jesus' beautiful feet walked and his DNA exists there.  We will visit places where he and the disciples and apostles taught and where He defeated satan by rising again!  I'm so excited I can hardly breath -- we'll be able to share the gospel with people who God loves dearly - the Jewish people - and His children there too.  We will be there as ambassadors to support and encourage his servant missionaries there. 

You can be a part of this trip too!  If you have an interest in going -- there is a need for both musicians and non-musicians -- If you have an interest in supporting my trip financially - you can do so online - every penny is tax deductible.  If you can't go or give, but you'd like to be a part of the prayer team -- get busy!! We NEED YOU!!  I'd love to have you as a part however you are able -- here's the web site -- take a look and see where God leads.  The main site is: www.globalmissionsproject.com  if you want to just take a look around but if you'd like to give toward my trip, click the link below.

Amy's Trip to Israel.

This link will take you where you can give to my trip.  Just enter the information requested and be sure to select ISRAEL for the trip.  I'd like to thank you in advance for any amount you can give. You can also give through First Baptist Church, Pell City, Alabama if you'd like to -- just be sure to designate it on your check by putting "Amy Drinkwater's Trip to Israel".  I'll need to raise approximately $4500 total for this life-changing trip.  Remember this is 100% tax deductible. 

I appreciate your love and encouragement and prayers more than you could ever know.  This season of my life has been an adventure that's for sure - and I appreciate your faithfulness in praying and reading this blog.  I will post exciting updates as they become available.

You guys are great and I love you so much!! Thanks for letting me write about my crazy life and God's love!! Have a wonderful day of worship!  Blessings!  Amy