You Make Me Brave- Bethel

THIS SONG!! MY NEW JAM!

A song I put on repeat ALL week. I love how Amanda Cook effortlessly CRUSHES this song.  It was a p e r f e c t song to add to my “delivery playlist” before I gave birth to Jet two weeks ago. (Which WAS one of my biggest fears that He has definitely turned into a huge victory. I should probably write a post on that. Hmm, coming soon.) Ok, so check it out.

 

Here’s just a taste of some of the lyrics:

For You are for us 
You are not against us
Champion of Heaven
You’ve made a way 
For all to enter in

You make me brave
No fear can hinder now 
The love that made a way

You make me brave
You called me beyond the shore
Into the waves

You make me brave
No fear can hinder now 
The promises You’ve made

I would love to know how He has made you brave…

In His Grip,

Amy

I am all He says I am…

 

I recently entered a pretty significant battle. Now, it could’ve been the fact that I had three r o u g h nights of sleep (sleeping in a toddler bed while my son sprawled out on my side of the queen bed- a long and kinda funny story…maybe another post) but I found myself on a Tuesday not too long ago, in a bind.

The Circle Maker

 This book written by Mark Batterson was a fantastic one. The main theme of the book is to pray and not give up. He opens with the legend of Honi, the Circle Maker, 1st Century, BC. There had been a drought in the land and Honi drew a circle around himself in the dust and told God that he would not leave that circle until He would send rain. The story goes that after some time, it began to drizzle, yet Honi stayed inside his drawn circle. He would not be satisfied until it poured rain and the land was refreshed. God honored his persistence and granted his request. The land flourished.

Now, some can jump off the deep end and say that there’s a hint of voodoo to it (drawing a circle around a million dollar Lotto ticket is not the idea here)  but I take it for what his point is: Pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17).  Be consistent in your prayer life with the LoRd. It’s like one of my favorite stories in the Bible, the persistent widow found in Luke 18. It’s so easy to ask for the LoRd for something and quickly move on within a week if He hasn’t answered the request. God is looking for a people to seek after Him. He also says in His Word, “We have not because we ask not.”  What a great reminder to continue to seek His face daily for the things He has in store for us!

In January of last year, I had the opportunity to lead a Bible study on this book with my friend Kristi. It was a packed-out class and over the 6 week study, we had many people share their stories of things they started praying for and how God was answering their prayers. It was a real faith booster. Many stated at the beginning that they easily give up on praying because they figure God hasn’t answered it yet, so “moving on.” It was amazing to see the transformation and eagerness of the women to seek the LoRd daily and wait for Him to grant the desires of their hearts.

I’d definitely encourage you to read this book! May it encourage you as you seek His face.

 

Stop Acting Like A Christian, Just BE One – Christine Caine

   This was a great read about the difference between the       external behaviors vs mindset of Christianity- such as      “being a nice person, What-Would-Jesus-Do bracelet  of the outward appearances to the total transformation of the internal heart and mind of a Christian.

Git in Ma’ Belly!

“Sickness is the vengeance of nature for the violation of her laws.”
Charles Simmons

What a day and age we live in now! I heard it said that the average person today takes in more toxins (air pollution, food, toxic insult on the body) than our great grandparents did in their entire lifetime! And even our fruits and veggies don’t contain as many nutrients as they did 50 years ago due to soil health and the crazy way our food is grown.

So let’s talk about food.

“Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food”
Hippocrates

Food should be healing and energizing. When you want to take a nap after eating a meal, something isn’t right!

Do you have allergies/skin issues? Trouble sleeping? Anxiety? Depression? Headaches? Fatigue?

Jonathan and I went totally paleo when I was 5 months pregnant with our firstborn. Cold turkey. Yeah, I thought I was going to die- we threw out everything and had no idea how to start a new diet. Note to self: preparation is the key to success. Then we noticed how great we felt, rested we slept and how queasy “cheat” food made us feel.

Now, I am not saying one diet is better than another. With the “Caveman” Paleo diet- there’s LOTS of meat and protein involved. That can be a little much on your heart and kidneys.

But the idea is:

Lean Meats Fruits & Veggies Nuts Water

So no sugar, no breads, no pastas, refined, processed anything… It’s very difficult (especially going out for social gatherings) but you feel great once your body gets used to being clean.

One of my favorite places to eat is a totally raw eatery. I love the food, feel AWESOME long after the meal is over and take home the menu to study and duplicate it later.

The idea of RAW is consuming food completely uncooked- maintaining its nutrients and enzymes that are destroyed by heat. You can heat food- but not more than 115* in the oven- so it can literally take hours to produce a meal.

Fruits Veggies Nuts Soaked/Dehydrated combos.

I really enjoy Raw desserts. I can eat them all day long. If you’d like to learn the basics of raw, I’d recommend Going Raw by Judita Wignall. There’s plenty of resources out there, just hit up your local library.

There’s tons of different “diets” out there. I think as long as you eat food as close to the original form as possible, drink lots of water and reduce your toxic load, you will feel the difference. Everything in moderation. Like the saying goes, you are what you eat. I heard it said once that every time you eat you are voting. Voting for the types of food you want- supply and demand for the grocers but also for yourself. You can choose to move towards better health or away from it with every bite.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says,”You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

I pray you would take the time to honor Him who has given us life and enjoy the benefits of excellent health!

In His Grip,

Amy

Christine Caine

I had my face melted off in early January. Trudging towards the end of my first, quite miserable trimester, I had been swimming in a sea of discontentment with a lot of things and frustrated with people- People who have failed me, that have disregarded myself or my husband, blah, blah, blah.

But then something happened that moved me towards repentance. Fresh vision. A new perspective. Even as Christians, we all need a good dose of repentance sometimes.  It says in the Word,

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…”

Ah, yes, times of refreshing… And that is a promise indeed!

This message by Christine Caine, founder of the A21 Campaign, struck a chord with me. I was reminded again that it’s not about me, my “rights”,  who owes me what, or anything of that nature- that just feeding into my own selfishness. I am called to serve others and leave the rest up to the LoRd. He alone will be my Defender. It’s the small decisions and actions I make today that will have a profound difference in my future.

Check out this session at the World Mandate Conference in 2013 entitled Anointing to the Appointing by Christine Caine. I pray this video will strike a chord in your heart and move you closer to all that He’s called you to.

 

In His Grip,

Amy

 

Books, Life’s Great Treasure Hunt.

Mark Twain once said that those who don’t read are no better than those who can’t. For much of my life, I believed that, “ain’t nobody got TIME for that!”  Much has changed since then and outside of personal mentors, I believe that  books can make an incredible impact.

End of the Spear

I love true stories. End of the Spear is one of those challenging stories of the life and legacy of Jim Elliot, a missionary to the savage village in Ecuador.  Wanting these people to know the gospel, he and his four friends spent time building a relationship with the Huaorani people and eventually set up a small camp outside the village some distance away. The tribe turned on them, brutally killing them all.

Elizabeth Elliot (newlywed to Jim along with an infant child) eventually learned the language and lived among the tribe for a few years. Elizabeth mentored one of the tribe’s women, Dayuma,  teaching her the Bible, who then became a huge influence for her tribe. Elizabeth later on in life went on to become a national speaker and writer.

This movie was amazing! How difficult it must have been to forgive a tribe that killed her husband! This story is laced with the power of forgiveness and redemption, and the struggle between self and self-less.  It’s the story of God’s unconditional and reckless love for the most unworthy: “But God demonstrates His own love for us, while we were still sinners, Christ died for the unrighteous.” Romans 5:8

Go see this film.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
― Jim Elliot

Elevation

If you haven’t heard of Elevation Worship, well, you need to.

They come out of a church in Charlotte, North Carolina and have produced multiple original worship albums that are frickity-fresh.  This church is not afraid to take risks in song writing and they are constantly pushing the arts. Jonathan and I went to visit this church last summer and were very impressed by their hospitality and openness.

And this song! One of the many I love from their albums-  I’ve listened to this song on repeat a thousand times – and when it gets to the instrumental at the 3:00 mark, I literally could blow my speakers and feel no shame… Take a listen.

 

#speakersblown

Amy

God’s NOT Dead

A movie came out this spring called, “God’s not Dead”. I’m not going to lie, I’m a bit apprehensive when a Christian film comes out. Whether it be the skill level of the actors, the cheesy plotline or even “Christianese”- the language Christians use that is not modern day vernacular- drive me nuts.

On the positive: I will say that Christian films are getting better.

I know this may offend some: there was definite “cheeseball” parts to it. However, I really enjoyed the debating within the movie and digging into some of the cultural aspects of the Muslim community: The father beating and disowning his daughter for believing in Jesus was such a powerful scene. She had no where to go but could not deny her faith in Christ. What a challenge! I know there are many people of the Muslim community that are coming to Christ and face the same consequences. It reminds me of the Rifqa Bary story a few years back who feared her life after converting from Islamic faith which made national news with the battle of custody between the State and  her parents.

In the film, the professor states that some of the biggest atheists were once Christians (which is true of Richard Dawkins, one of the most prominent atheist today); “How can we continue to believe in a good God who allows such evil to prevail?” to which freshmen pre-law student responds, “Free will.”  The professor admitted that he hated God for letting his mother die of cancer when he was 12. “She believed His ways were higher than our ways and still He took her after choking her with suffering.”

“If God does not exist, then everything is permissable.”(Dostoevsky) the students points out, “there are no moral absolutes.”    Uh, I could go on forever about this one…

Probably one of my favorite parts of the film was the scene with Willie and Kori Robertson, (famous for their reality show, Duck Dynasty), because they were so laid back and honest- no acting necessary! When being interviewed by an aggressive reporter, stated that they weren’t trying to offend anyone, they just believe what the Bible says is true. I can feel the culture shift in the last few years even more intensely against Christians. We’re not trying to offend people, just love on people and give them truth at the same time. It seems as if people don’t want to hear anything but what agrees with them, and cry “foul” if it doesn’t.

As the credits rolled, there were listings of all the court cases of universities and abroad over the “God debate”.  I know that the regulations against free speech are getting tighter and hostilities are increasing.  But in the end, I know God is in control. And my life is totally and completely in His hands. I can trust Him because I know Him, even in hard times. Can’t debate that.

I thought it was a good film. Go see it.