Most precious moment of my life...

I am sooo blessed by the events that took place at church tonight!

It all began when I returned home from work to find my mom and nephew there, getting ready to leave for church. Tonight was the Easter program and after having watched his "Aunt Mer" participate in the Christmas program five year old Little Ron was full of questions. Are you singing? Why not? and Are your friends singing? were just a few of his inquiries.

We arrived at church, 5 minutes late as is customary for me and my mom on Saturday night...and Sunday mornings for me! So, we found a seat quickly and Little Ron settled into my lap where he could see better...right away the questions started as he began making comparisons from the Christmas program...Where is the star? The world isn't over there anymore...(I still have no idea what "world" he is talking about).

Anyhow, I tried to hush him as others around us were most likely not interested in where the "world" was and wanted to hear the beautiful singing taking place on stage. So, they got to the point in the program during which they passed out communion. On the screen was an image of bread and a cup and my nephew of course wanted to know what it was...I began explaining in my best 5 year old language the concept of communion. They passed it out and when I passed the tray on without giving him crackers or juice he asked why he couldn't take it. I explained he needed to know what it meant and in his mind he did understand and repeated exactly the things I had told him and he tried it...He didn't mind the cracker but then only drank HALF of the cup of juice...if you can imagine that being possible with as little as they give you!

Anyhow, they proceeded to show a video I have seen many times of Jesus and the crucifixion. He watched intently as they removed his clothes, placed the crown on his head, nailed his hands and feet to the cross, and lifted it up. It then showed them lowering him to the ground and you see Mary rocking him back and forth in her arms and crying. He asked and I told him "that is his mommy." He looked at me with the big blue eyes of his and asked, what is wrong with him? It was then that I got to share the story of Easter with my nephew. I told him that Jesus died when he was on that cross. I told him it was because he loved all of us very much and that he wants us to be "safe." He got this upset look in his eyes and lowered his head and said, "I didn't want to see that movie."

My heart soared as I got to tell Him that Jesus came back to life...that He was right now up in Heaven waiting for us. He then proceeded to tell me he didn't want to go up there. I told him that I hoped it would be a long time but one day we will ALL want to be in Heaven. He asked if he could take his "freaky" the name he has for his blankey, and I told him I didn't think Jesus would mind that. I told him Jesus was right now building a big house for when he gets to move there and that we get to live forever if we love Jesus.

During this time there was dialogue I didn't get into about the "bad man" (the devil) and many other things that just astounded me and gae me so much insight as to how that little guy thinks and I was soo blessed beyond words to get to be there to answer those questions, see the look in his eyes as he was angry, sad, and defeated over Jesus' death and then filled with hope as I told him about Easter!

It reminded me just what Easter is ALL about and I am more thankful than ever that Jesus did what He did...so that me and my nephew can hope together with you for that glorious day when we will meet Jesus!

God is love...

I just wanted to share...

I am so blessed by sooo many things! God has been wonderful and I love how He pursues me and delights in me. I love delighting in Him and the peace He blesses me with when I trust Him.

I have a friend...several friends if you really want to know! HA! OK, sorry, I have a friend who is in the throws...throes...whatever...she is getting married. I am so happy for her and her prince...but it has really gotten me to thinking.

I think of how blessed I am as a single woman to be able to put ALL of my energy into what God wants. Rarely do I put ALL of my energy into that, we all struggle with that...I really just feel blessed to be able to focus on Him right now and what He wants. I am filled beyond measure with peace when I truly put my trust in Him.

I DO desire to be married one day but one thing that God has shown me is that if I am looking for a perfect love it is ONLY in Him that I will find it. The man that God has for me will not fulfill that place that God does. For the first time I am sooo glad that God has that place that nothing or nobody else can fill...I don't want anything else to distract me from Him...

I want the man God has for me to work with me to continually get closer to God and to encourage others to get closer to God. I want God to use our love as an example for others to see and know WHO the Creator and encourager of that love is.

God is love...

LONG TIME!!!

Hey friends! It has been so long since I have blogged and I just want to share a few thoughts about what God has been doing!

The past while for me has been so up and down and all around but the ONE who has remained constant is my God and Savior. I am sitting in the library typing this with tears just a streaming down my face because He is just so good.

I have struggled in life with depression at times and just being secure in Him. Recently I faced a "crossroads" if you will where I literally thought to myself, "What will I do to myself if this (a certain situation doesn't work out)???
It was in that moment that I just sat down to seek HIM because I needed answers. I heard Him speak to my heart and say that HE is the keeper of my heart and HE will care for it more than anybody else on this earth and that I need to trust HIM above all!

I was so blessed by that and up until that moment I had been questioning my relationship with Him...more than ever. I had been questioning whether I had ruined things between He and I and if I could ever be reconciled to Him. The reality of my life has been pretty dark and until now I haven't TRULY expressed to many people HOW dark it has been. I was so blown away from His answer and His speaking to me in that moment! Praise the Lord!!!

Then I was reading Beth Moore today...she took me into Exodus 15:22-27 (READ IT!!! It is 6 verses!) I was sooo thirsty, like the Israelites...Mine was a spiritual thirst. I was at a crossroads and could see that my way would have been filled with complete bitterness. As I have trusted God He has so completely sweetened the water for me and I am fulfilled in Him!

I pray that for ALL of us! Keep trusting and looking to HIM above EVERYTHING else...He is so much more able than we can imagine!

Revolution...

OK...so...I have been reading this book that is just absolutely phenomenal! It is called Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne. He is a revolution and is truly striving to live out Biblical truth no matter how radical it may seem. Every bit of the profits made from his book goes to several charities, ministries that are listed in an appendix in the back of the book along with websites to those ministries.

I am not even halfway through this book and it is causing me to ask serious questions and to make changes in my daily walk. If you don't want to change, don't read it...

I have been on what i consider both extreme ends of the spectrum of Christianity...I have been completely lost in the pit of sin and I have felt God's presence so closely that I though I could never fall again.

There have been thoughts and feelings I have had that many people might think have been crazy or not well thought out (i.e. selling my house to go to China). This book is showing me that those things are not crazy and that GOd has called ALL believers to follow Him as closely as possible. He talks about "radicals" and how many people in the Western church see him and the ministry he has started for the Lord as being radical. He says:

"I think that if what we are doing seems radical, then that says more about the apathy of Western Christianity than about the true nature of our discipleship. And this is why 'radical' has to be coupled with 'ordinary.' Our way of life was typical in the days of Marthas, and Peter's family--houses of hospitality, which was the standard call of early Christians, who abandoned their personal possessions to a new family. This is to say nothing of the countless others who gave up everything and left their homes with no money or food or even sandals to follow Jesus. Christendom seems very unprepared for people who take Christendom that seriously." (p. 30)

I don't know about you guys...I am so tired of being apathetic and settling for the things that we Westerners see as being best for us. Maybe that is why God is sending me to an EASTERN country! I just had to share this with you all and hope and pray that we can continue growing toward being radical for Christ...

Believe me...there is more blogging to come from this book!!!

In Him,

Amber

Friends and China!

I just want to say that I am so blessed by God and friends who speak clearly and in love! Actually those friends that have spoken to my heart most recently probably don't know how much of an impact that they have had, but I intend to share with them ASAP. The problem is that I have been working such crazy hours that time hasn't permitted me getting together with them. But...I am so VERY thankful for them and for the God that has put them in my life!

That being said, I have a brief China update...I have had my newsletters written for quite a bit but haven't actually mailed them all out yet because I have hand written notes and hand addressed them all....so, the official newsletters will hopefully all be mailed out by midweek this coming week. Some got early copies because I was really excited, but you will all get "official" newsletters too!

Also, if anyone out there wants a one on one meeting with me to learn more about what I will be doing with my Father in China, let me know! I will also be calling within the next months to set some meetings up with folks so I look forward to getting to share the passion my Father has given me for His work in China!

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Fabulous...

I am just feeling so blessed to be alive and to have a Father that loves and adores me so much!

I began my day by joining the gals for Bible study this morning...God's GRACE was the topic and the conversation was perfect and I was blessed by it!...then I went to the Creation museum...I enjoyed trekking through creation and the planetarium which is a MUST SEE....

Then my friends Geri and Rich preformed Gomer, a play that is about Hosea's wife...it is written and preformed by Geri, who took creative license to interpret the story of Gomer. It is a fabulous testimony about redeeming love and grace and mercy...I had seen it before but this time I was not with a date and was able to truly feel and experience the emotion that comes with knowing and feeling the grace that God extends to us.

So...I am blessed and continue to try and live under God's grace daily, realizing it is a day by day choice...

In Him,

Amber

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