God is faithful.
It is so hard to remember when things are crashing down around us, but He is.
Among the devastation that the slump in the economy is causing, there have been so many around me falling ill. Not just a cold or flu, but like, leukemia, melanoma, brain tumors. In the past month I have known or been related to someone diagnosed with one of each of those illnesses. Praise the Lord one is cancer free! PRAISE THE LORD!!!
One time, I saw someone completely delivered from a brain tumor, the doctors saw it one week and the next week, after an all night prayer service and many many prayers being lifted, it was gone. Only to return and take her life not even two years later.
I have watched a family believe with everything that their son and brother would be delivered from his brain tumor and when he wasn't I wondered about their reaction, they held so tightly to God's promises that I cannot imagine the rewards they will have waiting in Heaven. They have touched so many lives and continue to do so through their living example of faith.
I see these examples and think about how amazing and faithful God is. And I wonder how I could ever doubt. Then I remember...
Moses. He lifted a staff and God parted the sea, he walked across the dry land.
Abraham. He was told he would have descendants he could not count. Then God told him to sacrifice his son and he was about to right when he was told to stop.
The disciples. Each one left EVERYTHING they knew, to follow Jesus. Homes, families, and jobs. They were able to witness miracles preformed by Jesus, right in front of their own eyes. People were raised from the dead, healed, water turned to wine, a few fish fed thousands.
The thing that hits me in each of these stories, and several others throughout Scripture, is that even though they witnessed things that seem so completely amazing and impossible, TRUE MIRACLES...They eventually doubted again.
They are like me in that I have witnessed God's hand working through miracles and yet I doubt Him when I come into difficult circumstances again.
I pray that I can grow in faith and know that "He is before all things and in Him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:17), "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13), and that above ALL else, "neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:39)
No matter what, God is working and as long as I seek Him, I will not be separate from Him or his love. PRAISE THE LORD!!!
2.21.2009
2.14.2009
Humpty Dumpty
Psalm 71:5-8
5 For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.
6 From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother's womb.
I will ever praise you.
7 I have become like a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.
No matter what happens, He is our refuge!
I have recently been a little less than confident in some areas of my life and Thursday I was seeking guidance from the One who IS my confidence...He set the above Scripture in front of my eyes and ever since then I have been so thankful for it! I have been truly holding on to who I am in Him...No matter what the world throws at me or what pit I find myself in, I always return to the One who made me so He can put me back together again...Kinda like humpty dumpty...haha!
I just thought of that and thought it was silly but for real..."All the Kings horses and all the Kings men, couldn't put humpty together again..."
Only the KING is able to put me together...so it is Him I will seek when broken!
"Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise."
Jeremiah 17:14
5 For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.
6 From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother's womb.
I will ever praise you.
7 I have become like a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.
No matter what happens, He is our refuge!
I have recently been a little less than confident in some areas of my life and Thursday I was seeking guidance from the One who IS my confidence...He set the above Scripture in front of my eyes and ever since then I have been so thankful for it! I have been truly holding on to who I am in Him...No matter what the world throws at me or what pit I find myself in, I always return to the One who made me so He can put me back together again...Kinda like humpty dumpty...haha!
I just thought of that and thought it was silly but for real..."All the Kings horses and all the Kings men, couldn't put humpty together again..."
Only the KING is able to put me together...so it is Him I will seek when broken!
"Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise."
Jeremiah 17:14
2.03.2009
Winter doldrums
So friends...
I have been in a heck of a rut and from what I hear that has been going around...
The economy is not good in the least, there are so many people I know dealing with sickness and death and other crummy things that just suck in this world...
I have one friend with a brain tumor, not doing well, a couple I know have a daughter with Leukemia, friends are losing jobs, hours and funds are being cut back everywhere...
A friend and I were talking today about it and wondering, what is God's purpose or plan in this?
He may not have a specific plan in this for all of us, but I know for sure that we can CHOOSE to use it for Him...We can choose each day to trust in His promises and to put one foot in front of the other. Sometimes it is harder and our feet may get tired but as long as we move FORWARD for Him, we are glorifying Him...
Remember to TRUST Him above ALL!!! Keep Him on His throne where He belongs...go to Him in EVERYTHING and HE will direct you!
He is more than faithful and He will care for us as long as we allow Him...
It could be that He wants us to get back to the basics. LD was preaching about the gods of more...So often our mindset is "more of this and that will make us happy". Maybe it is time to let go of these THINGS and to hold firmly to the ONE THING that will never leave or forsake us...
I leave you with the Scripture I am currently working on memorizing!
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Colossians 1:15-20
I have been in a heck of a rut and from what I hear that has been going around...
The economy is not good in the least, there are so many people I know dealing with sickness and death and other crummy things that just suck in this world...
I have one friend with a brain tumor, not doing well, a couple I know have a daughter with Leukemia, friends are losing jobs, hours and funds are being cut back everywhere...
A friend and I were talking today about it and wondering, what is God's purpose or plan in this?
He may not have a specific plan in this for all of us, but I know for sure that we can CHOOSE to use it for Him...We can choose each day to trust in His promises and to put one foot in front of the other. Sometimes it is harder and our feet may get tired but as long as we move FORWARD for Him, we are glorifying Him...
Remember to TRUST Him above ALL!!! Keep Him on His throne where He belongs...go to Him in EVERYTHING and HE will direct you!
He is more than faithful and He will care for us as long as we allow Him...
It could be that He wants us to get back to the basics. LD was preaching about the gods of more...So often our mindset is "more of this and that will make us happy". Maybe it is time to let go of these THINGS and to hold firmly to the ONE THING that will never leave or forsake us...
I leave you with the Scripture I am currently working on memorizing!
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Colossians 1:15-20
1.24.2009
Thankful
I am simply amazed and humbled by how You work God!
This week hasn't been the easiest in my life but it hasn't been the hardest either...
I found myself feeling selfishly hopeless and in despair one night...
It amazes me how You knew BEFORE that would happen to give me a word from Beth Moore's Daniel study that very morning that would strengthen me and get me through...You put people in place at exactly the right moments to encourage me to press on and people to pray for me...
The body of Christ was engaged in the battle, when a soldier was down others stepped up in her defense...
Thank you Jesus for putting these fabulous people in my life...people I know and love as well as one I have never met and one I hadn't talked to in over a year...
You amaze me beyond ANYTHING Father and I love YOU above all...help me to always look to You...in EVERY circumstance...let me be aware of Your will for me in each moment and allow me to encourage others in their walk as I have been encouraged!
In Jesus' name,
Amen
This week hasn't been the easiest in my life but it hasn't been the hardest either...
I found myself feeling selfishly hopeless and in despair one night...
It amazes me how You knew BEFORE that would happen to give me a word from Beth Moore's Daniel study that very morning that would strengthen me and get me through...You put people in place at exactly the right moments to encourage me to press on and people to pray for me...
The body of Christ was engaged in the battle, when a soldier was down others stepped up in her defense...
Thank you Jesus for putting these fabulous people in my life...people I know and love as well as one I have never met and one I hadn't talked to in over a year...
You amaze me beyond ANYTHING Father and I love YOU above all...help me to always look to You...in EVERY circumstance...let me be aware of Your will for me in each moment and allow me to encourage others in their walk as I have been encouraged!
In Jesus' name,
Amen
1.05.2009
Philippians
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.
Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
Philippians 3:7-21
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God is SOOOO good! I praise Him for the life He extended through His son!!! Not just life here, but ETERNAL life! And my prayer is that everyone I have ever come into contact with could know the same peace and press on toward the goal alongside me and the body of Christ! The more we have pressing, the faster the work gets done and we can join Him in all His glory! And did you see??? WE GET NEW BODIES!!! AWESOME! I bet we can still zumba though, since it is fun! They aren't JUST new bodies...they are "glorious bodies like His own!" I am so excited! Anyhow, please take to heart the words of Paul here and press on, forget what is behind...nothing you can do about it now anyways, it's over!
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.
Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
Philippians 3:7-21
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God is SOOOO good! I praise Him for the life He extended through His son!!! Not just life here, but ETERNAL life! And my prayer is that everyone I have ever come into contact with could know the same peace and press on toward the goal alongside me and the body of Christ! The more we have pressing, the faster the work gets done and we can join Him in all His glory! And did you see??? WE GET NEW BODIES!!! AWESOME! I bet we can still zumba though, since it is fun! They aren't JUST new bodies...they are "glorious bodies like His own!" I am so excited! Anyhow, please take to heart the words of Paul here and press on, forget what is behind...nothing you can do about it now anyways, it's over!
1.03.2009
Jesus, hard work and coffee
Friends...I tell ya there is nothing like Jesus hard work and coffee...mix in some Christian fellowship and hard working kids and it makes up an almost perfect day! The almost is because it was 14 degrees!!! BRRRR!!!
Today, I got up, had some fabulous Jesus time, decided to make Cinnamon melts for the boys, which I botched, but they ended up being good...not my fault that I am not used to propane ovens!!! BUT it ended up being the perfect day because the Lucas, friends of Ryan's came to visit and we had 2 left and iced tea to serve them!
We didn't expect the Lucas and had planned on going to work on the house Ryan is building (Rophe House). Well, by the time the Lucas left, like 5 of Romi and Armando's friends had come to the apartment to hang out, play wii, etc. It is a big hit, I must say! Praise the Lord!!! So, we got out the door to go work around 5pm...
Needless to say, two of the boys, Arnold and Armando came to help us and boy am I glad they did! We had tons of stuff to move and they were very diligent and hardworking today! It filled my heart to see!
So then we went to McDonalds, had some big macs, fish sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, coffees, hot chocolates, and laughter and conversation...it was GREAT! So then we returned and I got an email from one of my fabulous friends whom I love (she sells Longaberger) and it warmed my heart even more to hear from her and I just had to blog and tell everyone I am more blessed than I deserve...GOD IS SOOOO GOOD!!!
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7
Love you all!
In Christ,
Amber
Today, I got up, had some fabulous Jesus time, decided to make Cinnamon melts for the boys, which I botched, but they ended up being good...not my fault that I am not used to propane ovens!!! BUT it ended up being the perfect day because the Lucas, friends of Ryan's came to visit and we had 2 left and iced tea to serve them!
We didn't expect the Lucas and had planned on going to work on the house Ryan is building (Rophe House). Well, by the time the Lucas left, like 5 of Romi and Armando's friends had come to the apartment to hang out, play wii, etc. It is a big hit, I must say! Praise the Lord!!! So, we got out the door to go work around 5pm...
Needless to say, two of the boys, Arnold and Armando came to help us and boy am I glad they did! We had tons of stuff to move and they were very diligent and hardworking today! It filled my heart to see!
So then we went to McDonalds, had some big macs, fish sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, coffees, hot chocolates, and laughter and conversation...it was GREAT! So then we returned and I got an email from one of my fabulous friends whom I love (she sells Longaberger) and it warmed my heart even more to hear from her and I just had to blog and tell everyone I am more blessed than I deserve...GOD IS SOOOO GOOD!!!
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7
Love you all!
In Christ,
Amber
1.01.2009
Another New Word!
On the way to Venice, I learned a new word!!! Ryan taught me...
The air was really thick and cold and was forming layers of ice and crystals on everything...Ryan told me that is called Hore frost...
Go ahead, laugh, I did...HARD! The comments that were made! Oh my! Anyhow...this Hore frost is fabulously gorgeous and did things to spread jollification to my heart!
I wanted to share and show a couple of pics I took...both were while we were on the road...BUT if you google it, there are some prettier ones!
The air was really thick and cold and was forming layers of ice and crystals on everything...Ryan told me that is called Hore frost...
Go ahead, laugh, I did...HARD! The comments that were made! Oh my! Anyhow...this Hore frost is fabulously gorgeous and did things to spread jollification to my heart!
I wanted to share and show a couple of pics I took...both were while we were on the road...BUT if you google it, there are some prettier ones!
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