Daughter of the King

New Blog Site!

2008-05-16T23:50:00.000-07:00

My new website will soon replace this blog. I have loved Blogger.com but since I bought the domain name I figured I might as well use it! Please remember to replace my old link on your blog with:

www.hisdaughter.com

my music site is still the same:

www.amygrahammusic.com

The Right Stuff

2008-05-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

So my sis texts me this morning that NKOTB is BACK ON TOUR!!! OK so I really thought I was over them but the minute I heard the famous boy beats I started bobbing my head like Debbie Gibson! The choreography is noticeably tame compared to their old stuff but I get it. These dudes are dads and only one step away from playing Vegas! Does anyone think it's weird that Jordan looks like an Osmond brother? Also, Joey's the only one who can actually sing but I don't care! I love Donnie!!! Oh the memories...listening to my well-worn copy of my "Hangin' Tough" cassette tape on my first walkman! Just think how much those posters and buttons would be worth now!

Now if I can just find my bowl hat and black vest....oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh....

What's scary is that they are all way better looking than they were as kids! Now that I am a a grown-up I can actually afford better tickets ;-) www.nkotb.com

Bush Heads to the Middle East

2008-05-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

President Bush offers to help Lebanon's army prior to his trip to the Middle East later this week:
Click here for video interview >>

Labor Pains this Week

2008-05-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

Civil War in Lebanon 49 dead
Cyclone in Myanmar 32,000 dead and more than 33,000 missing
Earthquake in China 9000 dead

And God is a merciful God? A loving God? Yes.

"Every deadly calamity is a merciful call from God for the living to repent. That was Jesus’ stunning statement to those who brought him news of calamity. The tower of Siloam had fallen, and 18 people were crushed. What about this, Jesus? they asked. He answered, “Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:4-5).

The point of every deadly calamity is this: Repent. Let our hearts be broken that God means so little to us. Grieve that he is a whipping boy to be blamed for pain, but not praised for pleasure. Lament that he makes headlines only when man mocks his power, but no headlines for ten thousand days of wrath withheld. Let us rend our hearts that we love life more than we love Jesus Christ. Let us cast ourselves on the mercy of our Maker. He offers it through the death and resurrection of his Son.

This is the point of all pleasure and all pain. Pleasure says: “God is like this, only better; don’t make an idol out of me. I only point to him.” Pain says: “What sin deserves is like this, only worse; don’t take offense at me. I am a merciful warning.”

-John Piper

3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

4Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,[a]' and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Jesus
Mathew 24:8-14

John 1:14

2008-05-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Believer, you can bear your testimony that Christ is the only Son from the Father, as well as the firstborn from the dead.
You can say, "He is divine to me, even if He is regarded as simply human by the world.
He has done for me what only God could do.
He has subdued my stubborn will, melted a rebellious heart, opened gates of brass, and snapped bars of iron.
He has turned my mourning into laughter and my desolation into joy;
He has led my captivity captive and made my heart rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Let others think of Him as they will--to me He must be the only Son from the Father: Blessed be His name.

And He is full of grace.

If He had not been, I would never have been saved.
He drew me when I struggled to escape from His grace; and when at last I came trembling like a condemned culprit to His mercy-seat He said, 'Take heart, My son; your sins are forgiven.'
And He is full of truth. His promises have been true; not one has failed. I testify that no servant ever had such a master as He; no brother ever had such a relative as He has been to me; no spouse ever had such a husband as Christ has been to my soul; no sinner ever had a better Savior, no mourner a better comforter than Christ has been to my spirit.

He is all I need!

In life He is my life, and in death He will be the death of death;
in poverty Christ is my riches;
in sickness He is my great physician;
in darkness He is my star, and in brightness He is my sun;
He is the manna of the camp in the wilderness,
and it is He who makes the feast in the promised land.
Jesus is to me all grace and no wrath, all truth and no falsehood:
And of truth and grace He is full, infinitely full.
My soul, tonight bless with all your might 'the only Son.'"

C.H.S.

Pray for the nations

2008-05-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

Lebanon Update >>

Myanmar: Pray God would open doors for the gospel to spread in spite of the devastation. As we know from the Tsunami in Indonesia natural disasters open wide doors for the gospel through suffering and death. God is merciful and gracious. Visit Open Doors Blog for more information and Gospel for Asia who has people on the ground there now.

Lebanon: Pray that through the civil war in Beirut He will open the hearts and minds of non-believers to see their need for Christ, their only safety. Please pray for our brothers and sisters at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) and the Beirut Baptist School (BBS).

Week in Pictures: Beirut Conflict

Please pray for our brothers and sisters who as I write this are persecuted for their faith. Please join with me in lifting them up to the Father and may we become closer to Him as we intercede.

Isaac

2008-05-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

This is Isaac Munthali and she is my sponsor child through World Vision. She is 11 and lives in Malawi.

Of course her name jumped out at me as I was looking for a girl! Issac is the name of Abraham's beloved son. His name means "He laughs!" in Hebrew. (Sara laughed when God told her she would have a child at 90 years old!)

God later changed Isaac's name to Israel and the rest is history...

This Isaac and her family live in a community severely affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis. In some communities, AIDS affects the entire social structure as a generation of hardworking adults is being wiped out. Frightened children and exhausted grandparents rarely have money for food, school, or medical care. Isaac is in primary school and she enjoys music. She helps at home with the gardening. She likes to play soccer and is good health.

My sponsorship commitment will help provide Isaac and her community with the assistance they need to save a generation from the HIV/AIDS crisis. World Vision faithfully uses my sponsorship support of Isaac to meet her needs and minimize the impact of AIDS in her community through tangible prevention and care programs. World Vision children and families gain access to basic needs while learning about God's unconditional love.

You can help someone like Isaac too by clicking here.

Journey

2008-05-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

So I am going on a trip. To a place I specifically prayed to go on on Jan 20th and 28th of '08 and the LORD God has opened the door wide!

I can't say exactly where, when or with who on the blog but just know that God answers prayers that glorify Him the most. There are a lot of prayers I have prayed that have not come to fruition but today there is deep contentment in my soul. He is creating in me a desire to treasure what He treasures and not what I thought would satisfy. It is so good to feast at the table of the One who provides the richest of fare!

Praises to the MOST HIGH EVERLASTING GRACIOUS AND PERFECT KING OF ALL CREATION!

Quote

2008-05-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

"Every man dies, not every man truly lives."

William Wallace
Braveheart

What we least expect... and following You...

2008-04-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

From Jason Upton's blog:

"Tonight Samuel and I read the story of ‘Jacob and Esau making peace'. The verse that stuck out to me the most tonight is Genesis 33:10, where Jacob says to Esau "And what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God."

Jacob was preparing to meet a very angry and bitter Esau, but instead was received with Love and forgiveness. I believe one of the practical ways God reveals himself to us is by countering our expectations with the "last thing we expect."

Expectations are one of the ways we feel in control of what is going on around us, but also one of the great blinders over our eyes from seeing God. Sometimes it is a fearful experience when things don't turn out the way we plan. Other times (like with Jacob) it is a great relief when things don't turn out the way we plan.

Either way, these are often the moments in life that we see the face of God most clearly."

Another Entry:

(john 14:6) "Christ claimed to be the way, the Truth, and the life. For this reason, he could never be satisfied with adherents who accepted his teaching- especially with those who in their lives ignored it...His whole life on earth from beginning to end was destined to have followers and to make admirers impossible." -soren kierkegaard

Jesus- help us follow you and not just admire you. Admiring you requires little attention to you, and almost no personal sacrifice. Following you requires my total attention and my whole life. Also, I want to follow you more than I believe in you. Believing you has not made me follow you as much as following you has made me believe you and trust you.

Jason.
One of the most anointed musicians: www.jasonupton.net

Take Up Your Cross

2008-04-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

"Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Mark 8:34-36

I heard a man talking on the radio about how a well-meaning friend, referring to the cancer that the first man's wife was battling, as "their cross to bear". The radio man said that because they had not chosen the cancer that it was not their cross. When Jesus says, "take up your cross" He is referring to how we respond to our trials.

His wife could have been depressed and complained but when his wife rejoiced and praised God in the midst of her trial she chose to take up her cross.

This really hit me...I was bought at a price. I have everything I need in Christ....this is so much more powerful than my disappointments or my emotional state on any given day.

I am redeemed by a God who is worthy of my trust and worthy of my praise! No matter the circumstances of my life, He is acutely aware of the longings of my heart and the fears as well.

He can be trusted. Praise Him!!!!

2008-04-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO STAYS AWAKE.
Revelation 16:15

I die every day," said the apostle. This was the life of the early Christians; they went everywhere with their lives in their hands. We are not at this time being called to pass through the same fearful persecutions: if we were, the Lord would give us grace to bear the test. But the tests of Christian life, at the present moment, though outwardly not so terrible, are still more likely to overcome us than even those of the fiery age. We have to bear the sneer of the world--that is small; its flatteries, its soft words, its oily speeches, its fawning, its hypocrisy are far worse. Our danger is that we might grow rich and become proud; we might give ourselves up to the fashions of this present evil world and lose our faith. Or if wealth does not test us, worldly care is quite as mischievous. If we cannot be torn in pieces by the roaring lion, we may be hugged to death by the bear. The devil cares very little which it is, as long as he destroys our love for Christ and our confidence in Him. I am afraid that the Christian church is far more likely to lose her integrity in these soft and easy days than in those rougher times. We must stay awake now, for we are crossing enchanted ground and are most likely to fall asleep to our own ruin, unless our faith in Jesus is a reality and our love for Jesus an ardent flame. Many in these days of easy-believism are likely to prove to be tares, and not wheat; hypocrites with attractive masks on their faces, but not the true-born children of the living God. Christian, do not think that these are times in which you can dispense with watchfulness or with holy ardor; you need these things more than ever, and may God the eternal Spirit display His omnipotence in you, that you may be able to say, in all these softer things as well as in the rougher, "We are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

C.H.S.
Morning and Evening

Embracing Accusation

2008-04-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

Stephen sang this on Easter Sunday at the end of the sermon. Brilliant!

The father of lies
Coming to steal
Kill and destroy
All my hopes of being good enough
I hear him saying cursed are the ones
Who can’t abide
He’s right
Alleluia he’s right!

The devil is preaching
The song of the redeemed
That I am cursed and gone astray
I cannot gain salvation
Embracing accusation

Could the father of lies
Be telling the truth
Of God to me tonight?
If the penalty of sin is death
Then death is mine
I hear him saying cursed are the ones
Who can’t abide
He’s right
Alleluia he’s right!

Oh the devil’s singing over me
An age old song
That I am cursed and gone astray
Singing the first verse so conveniently
He’s forgotten the refrain
Jesus saves!

Shane and Shane

Pages

Have you been born again?

2008-04-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

You walked an aisle.
You prayed a prayer.
You read the Bible.
You pray.
You go to church.
You try to be a "good" person.
You believe Jesus is the Son of God.
You believe Jesus is the Savior of the world.
Even the demons believe and shudder. (James 2:19)

So did I. But I wasn't born again.

If you need to know for sure see John chapter 3 and pray for God's redeeming work in your soul.

"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:3)
-Jesus

Love,
Amy

Out of the Mouths Of Babes

2008-04-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

Selah

2008-04-09T05:02:00.000-07:00

"You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light."

Psalm 18:28

A design in process

2008-04-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

For anyone who is waiting...

2008-03-29T20:29:00.001-07:00

Saturday, March 29, 2008
C.H.Spurgeon "Morning and Evening"

I CALLED HIM, BUT HE GAVE NO ANSWER.
Song of Solomon 5:6

Prayer sometimes lingers, like a petitioner at the gate, until the King comes with the blessings that she seeks. The Lord, when He has given great faith, has been known to test it by long delays. He has allowed His servants' voices to echo in their ears as if the heavens were brass. They have knocked at the golden gate, but it has remained immovable, as though it were rusted upon its hinges. Like Jeremiah, they have cried, "You have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through."3 In this manner true saints have continued to wait patiently without a reply, not because their prayers were not strong, nor because they were unaccepted, but because it so pleased Him who is a Sovereign and who gives according to His own pleasure. If it pleases Him to test our patience, shall He not do as He wishes with His children? Beggars must not be choosers either as to time, place, or form. But we must be careful not to take delays in prayer for denials. God's postdated checks will be punctually honored; we must not allow Satan to shake our confidence in the God of truth by pointing to our unanswered prayers. Unanswered petitions are not unheard. God keeps a file for our prayers--they are not blown away by the wind; they are treasured in the King's archives. This is a registry in the court of heaven in which every prayer is recorded. Struggling believer, your Lord has as it were a tear-bottle in which the costly drops of your sacred grief are put away, and a book in which your holy groanings are numbered. By-and-by your case shall prevail. Can you not be content to wait a little? Will the Lord's time not be better than yours? By-and-by He will comfortably appear, to your soul's joy, and will cause you to put away the sackcloth and ashes of long waiting and put on the scarlet and fine linen of full fruition.

3 Lamentations 3:44

There is only one thing to do

2008-03-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

I must be desperate for the Holy Spirit.

I cannot please God apart from His Spirit. If I try it is only the law and the old covenant. I am under the new covenant and I have a new heart. I cannot pray, fast, love others, witness, disciple, or build the kingdom apart from God's Holy Spirit.

I must be desperate for His Spirit in me and that is it. I cannot ever please God. Only Christ pleases God. Praise Him that I am in His Son or I would be lost!!

Wow church was good yesterday!

2008-03-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the service David said, " If you were alone in a room with Jesus, face-to-face, eye-to-eye, toe-to-toe...what would He say to you?

Then he preached from Exodus 33 and 34-about who God is and His character. Moses has just asked God to show him His glory:

"And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."

Do you see?!?!?! God says this about Himself in reference to His own glory. When you see God's character you see His glory!

The David asked us again, "If you were alone in a room with Jesus, face-to-face, eye-to-eye, toe-to-toe...what would He say to you? He would look you in the eyes and say, "I Love you." In fact I don't think He would stay in His seat! He would jump up and embrace you and tell you over and over again, "I love you. I AM JEALOUS FOR YOUR HEART'S AFFECTION!!! Destroy the things of this world that tug at your heart and return to Me."

Painting Pictures of Egypt

2008-03-04T08:20:00.001-08:00

Sara Groves and International Justice Mission

2008-03-01T13:40:00.000-08:00

Heather, D and I went to a free Sara Groves show last night at Shades. I didn't know she was working so much with the International Justice Mission! She shared some really amazing stories of what they are doing rescuing young girls from many countries from sex trafficking. She told us about Elizabeth a 15 year old girl who was on her way to Bible college was kidnapped and sold into slavery. When IMJ rescued her from the brothel they found she had written Psalm 27 above her bed. She was 15.

My favorite lyric from last night was "I can't just fight when I think I'll win."

We are called to fight. Even if we lose the battle we have already won the war. We cannot hide and refuse to fight because it is painful and it is hard and there are tears. But there is hope and we have to live as children of the Overcomer. Believers who actually believe their God when he says He will and has delivered. To give in to the enemy's lies is to hide the light of Christ under the bed. Father please help us to recognize the schemes of satan and to press on!!!!

Psalm 27

Of David.

The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, "Seek his [b] face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.

Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.

Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.

Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.

I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Beth El Shaddai

2008-02-23T20:52:00.000-08:00

D and I went to worship Friday night at Beth El Shaddai, a Messianic synagogue in Bessemer. It was a BLAST! We were there for hours and the believers are so wonderful! They answered all of our questions and gave us each a copy of the "Complete Jewish Bible". They celebrate all of the original feasts and observe the Jewish calendar. We actually danced in worship and sang in Hebrew! It was so wonderful! Please let me know if you would like to go sometime. I intend to go back soon!!!

They will celebrate Purim on March 22nd if you want to come and Passover in April (more details to come).

Sin in the Camp

2008-02-21T19:39:00.000-08:00

Sin in The Camp

"Father show us the sin that is hidden in our tents. Father show us the mercy of your grace."

Joshua Chapter 7

David Platt

Redeemed

2008-02-19T06:45:00.000-08:00

How precious these verses are to me today. From the mouth of God to the former captives who do not yet know how to live in freedom:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity.

I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

Psalm 130:7-8 says,

"O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins."

Beth asked in our study this week, "What former sins of yours has the LORD redeemed?"

To redeem something is to pay or ransom for it or to buy it back if it originally belonged to you. In Hebrew the word redeem is "Padhah". This can also refer to someone else's sin against you. (Abuse, neglect, broken promises, lies).

If you are in Christ the LORD will "redeem the years the locusts have eaten." (Joel 2:25). Just like the demon on the shoulder of the man in C.S. Lewis' book, "The Great Divorce", Jesus will take the sin and pain of your past captivity and redeem it as a white steed you will ride upon in the beauty of His presence in heaven.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has planned for those who love Him." 1 Cor 2:9

Praise Him!

Kosovo

2008-02-17T11:21:00.000-08:00

Now that Kosovo has declared itself an independent, democratic state will this open up doors for the Gospel to be more easily spread to the Albanians? I am going to research it post my findings in a future blog post. Russia and Serbia have renounced it. It may end up in more bloodshed before it is all over. But I can't think of a time in history when gaining freedom from an oppressive power didn't require the shedding of blood.

Hebrew for Christians

2008-02-09T09:39:00.001-08:00

My friend D. Watts read The Lord's Prayer in Hebrew to me last night and I just couldn't get over it. I want to learn to speak God's word in Hebrew!!! She told me about this site. The words are spelled out phonetically and you can hear someone reading it so you know how to pronounce them.

So awesome!!! I am going to start with the Shema.

I Am Not Emerging!

2008-02-08T16:11:00.000-08:00

Why do so many of the emerging church websites speak of God/Father and less overtly or not at all about Jesus Christ the Lord? Claiming to be postmodern we are still marketing Jesus and hiding Him in the closet of respectability until we feel like people are ready to handle Him. Jesus can't be handled and He doesn't need spin doctors. I know we're pretty fussy about music forms, but let's bring back an old chorus, This Little Light of Mine, and in case we've forgotten the answer to "hide it under a bushel?" is NO!

James MacDonald

"Why I'm Not Emerging" Article

Humble Orthodoxy

2008-02-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

New Attitude Conference
Humble Orthodoxy

Al Mohler, Mark Dever, Joshua Harris, John Piper, Eric Simmons, and C.J. Mahaney sharing their heart for humble orthodoxy, New Attitude, and the local church.

What is Humble Orthodoxy?

Humble orthodoxy is a commitment to believe, live, and represent biblical truth with humility.

Believe
We believe that God has revealed Himself in Scripture and that His revelation reaches its culmination in the Person and work of Christ on the cross. God’s truth in Scripture should not be redefined or reinvented. Our role is not redefine truth but to receive God’s truth.

Live
We believe that the truth of the gospel transforms not only what we believe but how we live. Biblical truth doesn’t merely inform us, it introduces us to a person who changes us.

Represent
We believe that the gospel demands humility from those who represent it. We want to represent the truth not merely as those who are right, but as those who have been rescued.

Forget reinvention. Embrace a humble orthodoxy.

Thoughts on Joel Osteen

2008-02-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

".....I was immediately struck by the difference between.....Puritan teaching and what passes for Christian teaching today. Not too long ago I read the two books written by Joel Osteen and really, there could hardly be a bigger contrast between the two. And I’m not exaggerating—they really are polar opposites in almost every way. Where Joel Osteen writes about how we are to accept that we’ve made mistakes and press on, attempting not to do bad things again, (John) Owen calls this sin and writes of how this distances us from God. He allows sin no quarter and would never stoop to calling it mere “mistake.” Where Osteen teaches that we are fundamentally good and that we should think highly of ourselves, Owen teaches that we are to fill our minds with self-abasement and thoughts of our own vileness.

Yet we are not to think these things on their own, but rather, such thoughts are to be the natural consequence of pondering the majesty and the “otherness” of God. As we ponder God we are led to see the inconceivable distance between Him and us. And from there what can we do but ponder His greatness and our comparable vileness. Nowhere do Osteen or others of his ilk arrive at such conclusions because apparently there must be little difference between their view of humanity and their view of God. We are not so far removed from Him. I am sure there are those who read this and quickly picture dour Puritans who enjoy thinking of how awful they are as if beating up on themselves is a form of holiness. But this is not what Owen says at all. Instead he teaches that proper thoughts of God and of humanity are of critical importance because only through abasement of ourselves before God can we experience humility of spirit. It is like a balance. As our thoughts of God increase, our view of ourselves naturally decreases accordingly."

Tim Challies (Great Writer-Great Thinker!)
www.challies.com

Tornado at Union University 2/5/08

2008-02-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

My friend Mark and his girlfriend Rachael go to Union. Here are some pics they took of the damage. I cannot believe no one died. Praise God!!

Quote

2008-02-06T18:57:00.000-08:00

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting;
it has been found difficult and left untried."

G.K. Chesterson

A bit of trivia: Chesterton wrote a book called The Everlasting Man.
A young atheist named C.S. Lewis read it and was led to receive Christ.
T.S. Elliot gave him the book.

(What was it with these guys and their double initial first names? It must have been the cool thing to do in England at the time :-)

"Ashes Beautiful"- ISC Finalist

2008-02-04T18:26:00.000-08:00

I wanted to glorify the Lord for a moment and let you know that one of the songs He gave me, "Ashes Beautiful", is now a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition in the Christian category. There were 15,000 entries from over 100 countries so it is pretty exciting.

(I actually forgot I entered so it was a fun surprise!)

Now a panel of judges (a bunch of famous people-maybe Jerry Lee Lewis will come to know the Lord :-)) will vote on the best one in each category. There are a lot of prizes and stuff but i am just excited that God's WORD is being lifted up!

Anyhoo, if you have a minute please click here to vote for my song for "People's Voice". This is a separate voting category for fan favorite. You can vote until the end of February.

If you want to hear the song please visit my Myspace page.
Or visit my website and click "songs".

Thanks!
Amy

The Men in My Life

2008-02-04T09:49:00.000-08:00

Roman is doing so much better and God gets all of the glory! He is speaking more English (He says, "God bless you buddy." when people sneeze) and is becoming very protective of Joshua. He helps clean the house and is actually scared of strangers now which is an awesome thing!

Roman and Mason

Joshua and Peas

Roman and Joshua

To Know Mercy is to Know What I Have Been Resuced From

2008-02-03T21:40:00.000-08:00

I am just trying to take today in....to repent and to know Jesus afresh. Oh Jesus, bless You for brokenness and fresh mercy. I heard about a young man who died Tuesday. But the truth is that he really became truly alive as he entered your presence...unchained....free from the flesh.....sadness....sin.....death. Perfected in Your presence. There he sits at your feet this Lord's Day...actually at your side. Eternal bliss and joy forever...I am so jealous and I yearn. Praise you for the souls saved because of his "early" departure. Oh to taste and see You. Oh to see You with unhindered eyes. God I long for the day I will see your face and all is won. Forever.

"To see the LORD, the promised land
where in all sins
pearly gates look bland.
And what was once a pearl
now sand
That blows away, that blows away
in light of Him."

S&S

The Best Way to Spend a Saturday

2008-02-02T11:09:00.000-08:00

Today I got up earlier than I have in months (on a Saturday) and met some friends at my church. We hopped on a bus and went to the Tom Brown Housing Project in Avondale and then headed over to Lorna Road.

Mrs. Jackson
We prayed, passed out food learned more about what our church is doing in these areas. We visited Mrs. Jackson, a woman with 11 children, 41 grandchildren and 12 great-grand children!!!! She invited us into her home and we praised God together for His Church and the encouragement He provides through the Body.

She prayed over us in a way that only a woman who has walked with Jesus for many years could.

RaRa
A member of Brook Hills went on a mission trip with his small group. They came back determined to make disciples of all nations including Birmingham. The small group began ministering and leading a Bible study in Avondale. A big guy named RaRa came to see what was going on. RaRa got saved. Now one of the biggest (former) drug dealers in Birmingham is an on-fire disciple of Christ. He says the only time he ever came to Inverness was to sell drugs. Now he comes to worship on Sundays!!! He has sold all of his ill-gotten gains, moved in with his mom and is actively trying to start his own business. A wonderful, new creation! Praise Him :-)

Pastor Torres
Afterward we met up with Pastor Torres (The Hispanic pastor at our church) over in the Lorna Road area. He and his family moved here from Venezuela (holla!) to Birmingham when God called him to preach the gospel here in the states. You might see his son Sam singing in choir (back row, big smile, very funny!) He says the work is slow but that God is moving. Our Hispanic members have the sermon translated on Sunday mornings but they long to worship God in their alengua de corazón or "heart language". We are praying for men and women to be raised up to lead worship in Spanish on Sundays.

Lessons
I cannot begin to tell you how humbling it is to realize that the men, women and children in the inner city and on Lorna Road are just like me. They do what they can to make their homes beautiful no matter how small or run-down. Dogs play in the yard, kids laugh on the playground, neighbors talk, grandmothers cook. They were so kind! Honestly their homes seemed more alive than mine. I have spent my whole life being afraid of those areas and those people and for what? Does that honor God? Isn't it just sin?

I am so excited to see where God will have me serve. (need to pray first ;-).

There is a mission field right outside my front door. If I can go half way around the world how can I not go to my neighbors? I think I will go bake something and make some new friends :-)

To Die or To Give My Life?

2008-01-31T19:22:00.000-08:00

I had a conversation with my friend Patrick at work this week. We were discussing forgiveness and grace vs. mercy. Then he said something I had never thought of:

"Most people are more willing to die for a person than they are to give their lives for someone. Jesus gave His life."

What he meant was it is much easier to give your flesh-your breath-in one moment than it is to give your life-your every day life.

It is so much easier to take a bullet or jump in front of a train than it is to die to yourself and love others when they don't deserve it. To be inconvenienced by them. To give up your dreams for theirs.

Jesus gave every moment. He took every evil word and insult. Every humiliation and every harsh blow to His holy body.

Jesus gave His life and we are called to give ours.

Running is Not Everything

2008-01-31T06:22:00.000-08:00

Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.
- 2 Samuel 18:23

"Running is not everything. There is much in the way that we select: A swift foot over hill and down dale will not keep pace with a slower traveler upon level ground. How is it with my spiritual journey? Am I laboring up the hill of my own works and down into the ravines of my own humiliations and resolutions, or do I run by the plain way of "Believe and live?"

How blessed is it to wait upon the Lord by faith! The soul runs without weariness and walks without fainting in the way of believing. Christ Jesus is the way of life, and He is a plain way, a pleasant way, a way suitable for the tottering feet and feeble knees of trembling sinners. Am I found in this way, or am I hunting after another track such as priestcraft or metaphysics may promise me?

I read of the way of holiness, that the wayfaring man, though a fool, shall not err therein. Have I been delivered from proud reason and been brought as a little child to rest in Jesus' love and blood? If so, by God's grace I shall outrun the strongest runner who chooses any other path.

This truth I may remember to my profit in my daily cares and needs. It will be my wisest course to go at once to my God, and not to wander in a roundabout manner to this friend and that. He knows my wants and can relieve them. To whom should I repair but to Himself by the direct appeal of prayer and the plain argument of the promise? "Straightforward makes the best runner." I will not parley with the servants but hasten to their master.

In reading this passage, it strikes me that if men vie with each other in common matters, and one outruns the other, I ought to be in solemn earnestness so to run that I may obtain. Lord, help me to gird up the loins of my mind, and may I press forward toward the mark for the prize of my high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

-Charles Spurgeon

Favorite Foods

2008-01-28T14:51:00.000-08:00

YUM! Where have I been all my life? These are good!

Made from the recipe in Ezekiel 4:9 (Without the being cooked over dung part!)

When I get a new jar I mix it in a separate bowl to incorporate the oil back into it.
Then I pour it back in the jar and it doesn't separate out anymore. A little pricier than peanut butter but all natural and good for your skin!

Yes, I love Lox. If you don't know what it is then you would probably hate it :-)
Tons of Omega-3 Fatty Acids!

Gotta have 'em....for my soup!

My favorite soup!

Exodus 33 and A New Question

2008-01-24T19:48:00.000-08:00

Two Sundays ago David deviated from the sermon series he had planned and opened the service up to prayer-for us to cry out for God's Holy Spirit. He revealed this past Sunday that some amazing things happened during that time:

After one service a woman admitted to him that she had planned to kill herself. She said that the people of God praying over her in His Holy Spirit had given her hope.

Another E-mailed to him that she had suffered from pain in her feet for years and the doctors could do nothing for her. A stranger reached out and touched her feet during the prayer time. Afterward the woman looked down on the dear sister who was on the floor touching her heel. She said, "The LORD told me to pray for your feet to be healed." They rejoiced together!

Now I am as Baptist as the next girl and not always comfortable with anything that seems "Charismatic" for lack of a more educated term. But I find it no coincidence that when our faith family got on our faces and asked Him to pour out His Holy Spirit He did without hesitation!

18 months ago when David Platt came to lead our church he asked our church a question:

"Will we die in our religion or are we going to die in our devotion."

Last Sunday he asked a new question:

"Will will be dependent on ourselves or will we be desperate for His Spirit?"

"Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey.
But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way." (Stiff-necked: unwilling to submit, and at the same time meant being intractable, unyielding and inflexible.)

Exodus 33:3

"Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"

Exodus 15-16

O God that we would repent of doing church in our own strength and believe Your words,

"You can do nothing apart from Me." (Jn 15:5)

O Father my lack of obedience is just a lack of love for Jesus! My Savior!God soften our heart hearts to obey!!! Soften my heart.

I am realizing that if our hearts are set on the things of this world they cannot be set on the things of heaven. If we hear that the only thing in heaven worth seeing is God and find ourselves disappointed, then must not have ever known God at all.

Video of Sermon
Audio Only

Indie Jewelry

2008-01-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

I have recently discovered a vast community of independent jewelry makers on the web. Here are some cool sites. I just ordered some silver rings from Lisa.

Other sites: www.esty.com
and www.indiecollective.net

Desperate for the Spirit of God in PRAYER

2008-01-22T15:44:00.000-08:00

David's sermon a couple of Sundays began differently. He admitted to us that we would not be using our sermon notes. The Holy Spirit had led him to share something else with us and that was"

"The Church at Brook Hills is not desperate for the Spirit of God."

He continued:

Only the Spirit of God knows the fullness of the glory of God. Anyone who wants to know the fullness of the glory of God will be desperate for the Spirit of God and they will be desperate in prayer.

People who are not desperate for the Spirit of God are content to know little about God and His glory.

We are a prayerless people.

The Spirit:

Saves us
Opens our eyes to see His salvation
Draws us
Searches our hearts
Knows our every thought
Awakens us to our sin
Convicts us of sin
Enables me to overcome my sin
Empowers me to share the Gospel

"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing of prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil. He mocks our wisdom but he trembles when we pray."

Daniel Chadwick

Plastic Jesus

2008-01-21T15:23:00.000-08:00

So there is a story behind this. Jenny sent me a funny Christmas card a few years ago with the worst looking Jesus and Mary. I laughed till I cried at her comments regarding the card artwork and I still have the card. So over Christmas vacation I was at "The Wal-Mart" in Destin and spied this lovely front lawn artifice. I thought of Jenny's card and laughed and laughed.

Now the funny thing is the next week I was in "The Wal-Mart" in Birmingham and there was a lady in front of me in line in the garden department. She was dragging a large box and I let her break in front. I asked her what she was buying....yep, the African-American version of the manger scene. One woman's entertainment is another woman's bargain! (it was 90% off!!!) Who knew Joseph wore pink!?

Bronner Burgess

2008-01-20T13:30:00.000-08:00

Here is the video from Bronner's memorial. Wow.
It is split into three, 10-min segments.

A Father's Heart: Part 1

A Father's Heart: Part 2

A Father's Heart: Part 3

In Loving Memory

"He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him."

1 Thessalonians 5:10

"How can we accept bad things as from God?" by John Piper

Bubba's Interview with Fox 6

www.rickandbubba.com

Funeral will be held at Shades Mountain Baptist at 2 pm Tuesday, Jan. 22
All are welcome.

A Great Surprise

2008-01-19T21:55:00.001-08:00

I rented this movie but almost didn't watch it. The trailer did not do it justice and I never really wanted to see it. Heather came over for dinner and we laughed and cried through the whole thing. With the exception of one unnecessary expletive it was perfect. It is a movie I will own! (Birthday gift idea :-) So much fun! I am now a fan of Jude Law. Who knew?

Snow Day

2008-01-19T10:15:00.001-08:00

Snow on my home

Snow on the bushes

Even snow on the weather widget!

Happy Snow Lady :-)

Blog Design

2008-01-18T22:23:00.000-08:00

I created this blog design in Adobe Illustrator. I would like feedback on it. Also, if you are interested in having me create one for you let me know! I would like some actual work to practice with.

I am excited to be blogging again!

Blessings!
Amy