It's time to go shopping...

The day before I go to the grocery store each week I take the old, (sometimes moldy) bad food out, to make room for the new, good food. I can't eat and grow from the old food, it would make me sick. But my problem is, I don't know how to make all this good food that I need on my own. I have to go shopping!

What if you found out that there is someone who can (and wants to) replace your bad with His good, would you jump at the chance, or would you sit around in your comfortable complacency and choose not to clean out your fridge?

What if I told you that He is offering to replace your worry with His peace? What if I shared with you that He is inviting you to experience gratitude (thankfulness) instead of your complaints? What if I told you that you can experience joy instead of discouragement? I know, that His store has the freshest fruit available because I've tasted it!

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him."Psalm 34:8 NIV

I want to encourage you today that there is someone, a very big someone, who wants to bring you shopping (at His store)! He paid the highest price so you could get His food for free! If you invite God in to clean out your fridge, He won't leave you empty....

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

TODAY is a new day, now is your chance, accept His gift to wash you, to prepare you, and to fill you up with good "food"!

"This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones". Proverbs 3:8 NIV

One Step At A Time...

There have been moments in my life when God has whispered to me, "just take one step at a time, Amy". In order to share one of these moments with you, I'll have to take you on a trip down memory lane, back 6 months ago...

I was getting ready for a short term missions trip to Guatemala... I had just received the "green light" to go the night before, and now I was out on my morning run. But I was distracted, I knew I only had 3 weeks to pull all the details of the trip together... yikes! I got to the point in my run where I needed to decide if I wanted to keep going or cut it short and head for home. Lord knows, I had so much to do, plan, and pull together in such a short amount of time! p.s. Not to mention that I had never even traveled outside of the country before (when you live in Maine, Canada does NOT count!) But then something in me changed, God suddenly overwhelmed me with His presence. It was as if he smiled and whispered into my ear... " don't worry, take one step at a time". I think it was then that I felt a burst of energy, and peace come over me, and my run turned into a sprint! And guess what, I didn't have one second of stress planning that trip after that moment! Over the course of the following weeks, it appeared almost effortless how God provided more than enough money for our trip... one donation, one prayer, one step at a time (not to mention a few hundred pair of shoes, underwear, socks and even a few soccer balls donated by so many generous people). I got to leave and go with 3 girl friends to Casa Bernabe' Orphanage in Guatemala, on July 27, 2011! I was excited! We spent 8 days there. It was 8 days packed full of hard work, babysitting, gardening, devotionals, and well... trying to learn a little Spanish! Also, I got to experience a little shopping in the beautiful and historical city of Antigua. Casa Bernabe' Orphanage is packed full of God's love and 160 orphans! I can't even describe to you what it's like to go into a different culture, but I'll try... it's eye opening, it's beautiful, it's inspiring... it gave me a new perspective on how overly protected I am here in America, and how little I really "depend" on God! If you want to know more, start by visiting the orphanage at their website at foce.orgWHAT A PLACE! Thanks to my husband for the excellent video, and to my daughter Haley for singing the sweetest song for me... watch and enjoy a piece of my journey!



"We can make our plans,but the LORD determines our steps" Proverbs 16:9 NLT

One step, towards Faith... One step towards Trust... One step towards thankfulness...One step at a time!

Have you experienced a situation in your life when God has guided you one step at a time?

Practicing Gratitude...

Have you ever thought about practicing gratitude? It doesn't seem to come "natural". I know for me, I have to ask God to change my mind, to train my mind, to renew my mind. And I have to do this every day! p.s. DON'T WORRY, it's a fun thing to do every day!!!

"Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts". Colossians 3:16 NIV

Practicing gratitude every day is making a big difference in my life... and in my mind! Here's a little of what I've been up to. For the past few weeks, I have gotten into the habit of speaking OUT LOUD,

"This is the day that the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it". Psalm 118:24 NIV

I am amazed at how this starts my day off with a smile! I also, am enjoying working on my own list of "gratitudes". I have been writing down 3 gratitudes in my journal each night before I go to sleep. I have noticed that I fall asleep at peace and that I have been waking up with more joy! Here is my list of gratitudes from last night. Some are little (sometimes it's the small stuff) and some are big. I choose to write down whatever comes to my mind!

1. I am thankful that my children were happy and healthy today!
2. I am thankful for a peaceful and refreshing run this morning!
3. I am thankful for feeling God's presence and direction in my life today!

"My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving." Colossians 2:6-7 the message

What are some small ways that you can begin showing gratitude in your life? I would love to hear your ideas and what is working for you!

Make the decision today to live with gratitude!

Be The Nourishment!

"The lips of the righteous nourish many"....
Proverbs 10:21a NIV

Are you a fruit salad or a dozen doughnuts? Are you a warm bowl of oatmeal or a package of twinkies? Are you a bran muffin or a brownie? Are you beginning to wonder where I'm going with this post? This is not a post about what you're craving... or, maybe it is?

Do you bring "nourishment" into people's lives when you're around them?

So many times we can complain about how bad the world is around us instead of choosing to bring to the world what we hope to see! So, the next time that you feel a complaint exiting your mouth, choose to serve up a colorful crispy salad instead!

"Be the change you want to see in the world" ~ Ghandhi

Because of the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, we can bring good into our world today!

"So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up." Romans 14:19 NLT

What's love got to do with it ~ Part 2

Self Check! Sometimes, I have to do a self-check... OKAY, let's keep this real! A LOT of times, I have to do a self-check! What are my motives? Most of the time I do "good" things to get something back for myself. How often do I do good things when....

"But I tell you, LOVE your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44 NIV
.... when that happens?

I live a very safe and sometimes overly protected life living in America. For now, as a Christian I am not being imprisoned or tormented in any way. I get to come and go, in and out of my church building without being challenged. But I wonder, have I breezed over this verse too easily, thinking that I didn't need it... enemies, what enemies? I don't even know what persecution feels like. Let's break this verse down and see how it applies to me. Who are my enemies? I will boldly say my enemies are any one that I hold judgement towards. People like this pop up in the strangest places! The grocery store, the highway, even my own home! A lack of love can rear up it's ugly face and rest right on mine without a moment's notice! I do have enemies. I seem to be very good at creating them on my own actually. My enemies don't attack me physically, they get to me in a much more subtle (deceptive) way, they get in through my mind. My prayer today is that God gives me a vision of what His love looks like. It's EASY to "love" someone I like!

Seek God on purpose and ask Him to show you more about love today!

Let's look at what LOVE IS...
Love is PATIENT ~ Love is KIND ~ Love rejoices with the TRUTH ~ Love always PROTECTS ~ Love always TRUSTS ~ Love always HOPES ~ Love always PERSEVERES!
Now let's look at what LOVE is NOT....
~ Love does not boast ~ Love is not proud ~ Love does not envy ~ Love is not rude ~ Love is not self seeking ~ Love is not easily angered ~ Love keeps no record of wrongs ~ Love does not delight in evil.
LOVE NEVER FAILS~ taken from 1 Corinthians 13

my in between...

"Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am."Philippians 4:11-12 The Message

When I look back at my childhood one of the things I remember is that I was always excited to get to the next big thing! A trip to the playground, a McDonalds treat, a friends sleepover, a dish of ice cream (okay, so I still look forward to my dish of ice cream with Ben and Jerry). I think back and feel like I can't remember half of my childhood and I just have to wonder if it's because I was rushing through most of it... anxious to get to the next "thing".
So, now I am 30 years old and I am feeling more comfortable in my own skin than ever before! I am learning that the journey down the road is just as important (sometimes, more) as the destination. It's in this kind of moment when I get a glimpse of what real peace and contentment tastes like.
So much of life is living the "in between" time, the middle time... the waiting... these are the moments that we are truly meant to learn how to LIVE! I am learning that God is not a wasteful God. He loves to use all of our moments, the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, in my waiting I can wish for something more or I can ask Him to fill me with a knowledge and sense of His love just sitting, waiting.

"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God, may your good Spirit lead me on level ground."Psalm 143:10-119 NIV

We always have a choice to make. When discontent creeps in we can say, "welcome, come on over and sit down with me" OR we can say, "no thanks, I don't want any".

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:21 NIV

More God, anyone?

Sometimes, I feel like I am tapping into only a small part of God! This has been the consistent thought rolling around in my mind for the past week... and it's not going away. I believe that the Holy Spirit is patiently persistent! I think God is trying to tell me something...
I am now at the point that I have heard this little voice in my head enough times that I am ready to start doing something about it. But what is a girl to do? I have been a "Christian" since I was a little girl. I have had almost 30 years of time to "tap" into Him more. When I look around me at the condition of the church I wonder, what's wrong. Why is God not bigger in our lives?
First things, first. Be still my soul, I say. He is my center...He is the creator of me. He gives me the confidence to get up and go for it today! ... in me, there is a part of Him.

"So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27 NLT

He created us to seek Him, to want more God. Today I repent of any sin or stronghold in my life and invite God in to every part of me... not holding anything (anyone) back for myself. I have great expectations of a great God to show up and make Himself known today!

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

In a way, I pray that I always feel this way... a longing in my soul, to know Him more.

More God, anyone?

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation". 1 Peter 1:3 NLT