#231 - In Need of Some Confidence Today?

Proverbs 14:26 - In the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children shall always have a place of refuge.

Proverbs 31:30 - Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised!

Today, are you in need of strength? Are you in need of strong confidence? Are you in need of just a knowing in your heart that everything is going to be OK? Maybe it's financial struggles, health challenges, relationship issues, marital struggles, tiredness, weariness, job challenges, lack of fulfillment, a family health challenge, a child who has gone astray from the Lord. Have you been doing things right and feel like it hasn't paid off? Have you been following the Lord, being faithful, and feel like it hasn't gotten you anywhere. You look at people who have done it "their own way" and feel like they have just catapulted in success and happiness. Do you need a strong confidence? Do you need that knowing that GOD is still GOD? That God is still on the throne and blesses HIS children for their faithfulness and obedience?  


Friend, God still is on the throne. And, God has a strength waiting for you that you've been desiring. He has that strong confidence available for you that you have been longing for. In 1 Chronicles 16, the chapter is filled with David directing the people to give praise to God... and HOW to give praise to God.  

1 Chronicles 16:7:12 - That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the LORD in this manner: ⁸ Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. ⁹ Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. ¹⁰ Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. ¹¹ Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. ¹² Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.....

As I write this, the song playing has these words ringing. "Shout out to God with a Voice of Triumph, Shout out to God with a Voice of Praise!" Are you waiting for that strong confidence? Choose today to receive it through reverent worship! Like in 1 Chronicles 16, Give praise to the Lord! Sing to him! Tell of His wonderful acts! Remind Him of what He has done for you! Give Him glory. Look to the Lord and HIS strength. 


Get alone. Allow yourself to have a time in reckless abandon to praising Him! Allow yourself to be taken away in worship. Allow yourself to get on your knees, to worship, to adore, to honor your Heavenly Father for all He has done and all He is doing. Maybe with your eyes, you do not see it. Maybe like Thomas, you want to put your fingers in the very holes of Jesus to know what He did was real. Maybe you want to SEE that God really is working.... but friend, allow your time in worship to SHOW God, to prove to Him that you CHOOSE to trust, even when you don't see. That you CHOOSE to trust, even when you can't touch the hole in his side, the holes in his feet & hands. Allow your worship to be a sacrifice of praise that says, "GOD, I trust you and what you are doing! I trust YOU and where you are taking me, even when I don't SEE the outcome yet. I surrender all to you."


As you praise Him, receive the peace and strong confidence that He has waiting there for you at the alter of praise. Everything IS going to be OK. Cast all of your cares upon Him, for He DOES care for you! Receive your confidence from His throne today!

#180 - Reverent Fear of the Lord

Good morning! Happy belated Mother's Day to all you moms out there! :) I pray you had a great day. I had a great day getting to spend time with my two favorite boys! :) Tyler Sr & Tyler Jr!

OK... let's get going today... more of a look into the life of who this Proverbs 31 woman is...

Proverbs 9:10a-11 - The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of Wisdom... ¹¹For by me [Wisdom from God] your days shall be multiplied, and the years of your life shall be increased.

Proverbs 31:30 - Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised! 

In Proverbs 9:10, the Hebrew further describes "fear" as: awesome thing, respect, reverence, piety. We're talking about having the utmost respect for the God Most High! The King of Kings. Though we can cry "Abba Father" and cry out to him as a Father figure, we also have a healthy respect for Him, there is a humility that would cause us to bow at His feet because He is so great. A worshipful respect, a worshipful honor, to hold Him up, highly exalted. This is honoring to our Father. I'm just briefly reminded of how Sarah called Abraham "lord" with a lower case "l". Now, don't get me wrong... I'm not going around calling Tyler, "lord", but the same feeling behind it is one of respect. A respect and honor. I know I have times with Tyler, where he is more of the person where I sit on his lap and get a hug, but equally so, I know he values and appreciates it when I show him respect as head of the home. When I value his opinion and recommendations instead of always "questioning" or "second guessing."

Bottom line, what is a great benefit to having a reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord? Proverbs 9:11 lets us know the great news! Those who fear the Lord, honor Him, respect Him, THEIR days shall be multiplied, the years of their life will be increased! Imagine this... living a good life, living a long life because you are a "good person", but then you add honor, respect, fear of the Lord to the equation and the already decently "long life" that you have is extended! Your years are increased! Time with loved ones is extended! Time to accomplish great things for the Kingdom, time to pour into your grandchildren or great grandchildren is increased. TIME. Fearing & honoring the Lord gives you a precious commodity that so many people long for more of, TIME!

Our Proverbs 31 friend has figured out a way to accomplish this. Proverbs 31:29 tells us that SHE excels them all! She excels ALL women! Verse 30 explains WHO will be praised. It's not the woman with a 6-pack set of abs, though our Proverbs 31 friend is in good health and physically fit. But it is the person who above all else, honors, respects & fears the Lord.

I took time this morning to just think about what that really means. What does it mean to "fear" the Lord, or show Him "reverence." I came up with a list that I think is a good start. Let me know what you would add.... what do you think?

• Obedience - One who is obedient to His Word shows him honor and respect. One who follows His commandments for our life. 
• Study - One who honors Him by KNOWING and STUDYING His Word. His direction for our life. 
• Love - I'm reminded of Jesus talking in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. In Matthew 5, Jesus talks about loving those who love you, don't even SINNERS do that? Jesus says, "But I tell you, Love your enemies & pray for those who persecute you." Later it talks about whatever you do for someone else, it is as if you are doing it TO Jesus himself. How are you treating even your enemies? Those people who get under your skin? The potential "thorn" in your side... how are you praying for them? Are you wishing evil upon them? Are you even praying for them? What does your heart look like when you pray for them? Ask God to give you compassion for them, to show you more into why they are acting as they are. 
• Praise - Honor & fearing the Lord through praising Him! Thanking Him. Through song, through your words, through offering thanks. 

Honor, respect, fear, obedience... I desire to let my Father know that I honor Him above all else. That I don't put anything in front of Him. That I fear Him out of respect. I humble myself out of respect for ALL He has done for me. For sending His ONLY Son just for me! In return, He blesses me & you even further by increasing the years of our life. What a blessing. 

So... today... can you attempt to honor, respect or fear the Lord in at least ONE way? Show Him today that above all else, like the Proverbs 31 woman, that you too have a reverent & worshipful fear of the Lord. 

#173 - Praise as Sweet as Honey!

Good morning! I pray you had a great Easter! Time to enjoy family, food & a celebration of our ALIVE JESUS!?! :) What a blessed time. We had a great time visiting with family, and I must say that my mother-in-law, Jeannine, outdid herself with an UH-MAZING lunch yesterday! It was pretty awesome. What a blessing to have home-cooking! It really does beat any restaurant! Thanks J! :)

Let's get started:

Proverbs 25:16 - Have you found [pleasure sweet like] honey? Eat only as much as is sufficient for you, lest, being filled with it, you vomit it.

Proverbs 25:27 - It is not good to eat much honey; so for men to seek glory, their own glory, causes suffering and is not glory.

Proverbs 31:28 - Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of and praises her.

Proverbs 31:31 - Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates [of the city]!

In our Proverbs 25 verses, both talk about honey. Sweet, honey. In the Hebrew, that is exactly what it means. Honey means honey. Unlike some other words in the Hebrew, it does not give us a plethora of other definitions of the word. Although, verse 27 does take honey and compare it to men seeking their own glory. It compares it in the latter part of the verse as something that men/women can crave. Notice. Recognition. Praise. Admiration. It compares the sweetness, the gratifying feeling that "praise" brings, that recognition brings.

So... we have two avenues to walk down on this one. We can first walk down the avenue that is just a blanket fact. Craving pure honey, sweets, sugar, desserts. Desiring and filling oneself with these pleasure in excess is highly not recommended in both verses. Proverbs 25 verse 16 does not say that sweets, desserts are bad, but it recommends using wisdom when eating them. Eat ONLY what is sufficient for that sweet tooth, pull the reigns back from allowing yourself to indulge.

OK. One word: GUILTY! Here we come, off of a great holiday.... for me, a week and a half of baking just because I felt like it! Baking, leads to needing to get rid of the "baked goods." Right?! Have you ever been eating, and you are no longer hungry, but you just want to eat more anyways because it is so good? You don't desire more, but you know that once you leave, the yummy treat will be all, so, you indulge! Guilty! Our Proverbs 25 verses remind us of to hold back! Consequences? Vomiting. Not feeling good. Feeling heavy, bloated, maybe depressed. Self-control is an underlying theme in both verse 16 & 27. I heard a trick from Dr Duke Johnson about desserts. He said to enjoy them, but to eat the best bites first! The first bite sends a "sensation" signal to your brain like, "Ooooh! This is so good." The taste-buds are heightened. Then the 2nd bite, the sensation signal that is sent to the brain isn't as strong. The 3rd bite, less strong. And before you know it, you get to the last bite and sure, it's still good, but not "THE" good like the 1st bite. So... make the 1st bite the best! He said, after having several of the best bites, you can often push the rest of the "cheesecake"back. You've already eaten the best bites of it, now just the "scraps" are left over.

That was a bit of a tangent.... but, hopefully one you can use. I'd like us to take a look at the Proverbs 31 women. Proverbs 25:27 compares eating honey, consuming in it's sweetness to seeking glory. Everyone loves to be praised. Everyone likes a pat on the back, appreciation, recognition - whether in private or public. I was even reading about potty-training this morning.... to have a POTTY dance after your little one goes potty as a way of praising them, or showing them they did a good job. Now... I'm not recommending that YOU adopt a "potty dance" (that would be funny though, especially if you don't have a little kid!)... but look to what the Proverbs 31 woman did! Two things happened for her to receive praise. FIRST: her children & her husband praised her. She was praised by those closest to her. Not praise sought out, praise that was freely given. SECONDLY: her WORKS praised her. She let her accomplishments speak for themselves. She did everything to the best of her ability, and she let the quality of her work speak for her. The quality of her work, the consistency of her work, the results of her work, she let her results, her work speak for themselves.

Allow your family, friends, co-workers to do a "dance" for you! Allow them to sing your praises. Allow your works to do a "dance" for you. That you do such great work, that it shines through. You receive praise, recognition, but in a way that is received with humility. Others given instead of self given.

So... if you want praise, let your work shine. If you want praise, sow praise. Praise others for their good work. Create your own "dance" for your friends and family when they do good! Praise others and you too will get praised! Praise... as sweet as honey!

#159 - Give Your Battle a VOICE!

GOOD MORNING! It's a bit chilly out there today!! Is it where you live?? Yesterday was rainy and cold, definitely an indoor day. We enjoyed the weekend in Indiana doing business & visiting my family.... got home around 2:00 am yesterday after a 13 hour DRIVE! Yes, DRIVE! Even with a 1 year old! Wow! Quite amazing, I know! Tyler Jr was quite a trooper, such a good little traveler. Nonetheless, after getting home, bringing some stuff in, and finally getting to bed, we were rolling upon 3:00, so TJ & I slept in yesterday! He didn't wake up until 11:30!!

Well, let's get going and see what the Lord has to say today! :)

Psalm 29:2 - Give to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness or in holy array.

Psalm 29:3a, 4a, 5a, 7a, 8a, 9a - The voice of the Lord...  The voice of the Lord...  The voice of the Lord...  The voice of the Lord...  The voice of the Lord...  The voice of the Lord... 

Psalm 29:11 - The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace. 

As I began into my Quiet Time this morning, like usual, I first pulled out my journal and began to journal. I couldn't help but look back over the month and be thankful over all the things the Lord has done. The little things and the big things. How HE has completely just provided. I was reminded of how our Father provides by getting a package off the front porch this morning. It was a package for Tyler Junior! A pair of shoes & a summer outfit. He does not even know it, but he is completely provided for! All his needs are met ALL the time! And if he had any needs, he would have grandparents falling in line to meet them, to bless him, dress him, feed him, do whatever to provide for any and every need. As that was my "before" experience before my Quiet Time... I started out with just a grateful heart, thankful how the LORD provides! Through one means or another, He provides, He comes through. His grace, His mercy and when it doesn't make sense on paper, it's by His grand Provision! Like Psalm 29:2 says, Give the glory due HIS NAME! Give Him the glory that HE deserves! We all have things to be thankful for, health, finances, family, relationships, protection, clothes, a warm home, living in an area that HASN'T been hit by a Tsunami or earthquake. We have SO much to be thankful for. Give Him the glory due His Name! Give Him the glory! 

Thank you Father! Thank you Lord! We PRAISE YOU right now! We PRAISE YOU for all you have done! Thank you Father for providing! Thank you for protecting! Thank you for your hedge of protection! Thank you for being great and mighty! Thank you for allowing ME to be your child, for allowing me to be an heir. Thank you Lord for sending Jesus. Thank you that I, with the mistakes and all I have done, thank you the you have given ME a second chance. Thank you for forgiving me, redeeming me! Thank you Father for forgiveness! Father, I PRAISE YOU! You are SO worthy to be praised!! Thank you that you are Jehovah Rapha, God our Healer! Thank you that you are Jehovah Jirah, God our Provider! Thank you that you are Jehovah Nissi, God our Victory, our Banner! You are God our Peace, Jehovah Shalom! Thank you Father! We praise you! You are so worthy to be praised! 

As we read further in Psalm 29, out of the 11 verses, 6 of them begin with "The voice of the Lord." As I read these... they revealed something MIGHTY that the Voice of the Lord brought forth. ie: Makes the wilderness tremble, Splits and flashes forth forked lightning. The verses remind us how POWERFUL the Voice of the Lord is. As I was reading them, the immediate thing that popped up in my spirit was this, WE, YOU & I, are made in the very image of who these verses are talking about! We were made in the image of God. Where it says the VOICE of the LORD is powerful, we could also substitute this: THE VOICE OF AMY is powerful! The VOICE of Deb is powerful! The Voice of David is powerful! The Voice of Stephanie is powerful! Put your name in there! As children of God, WE were made in HIS image! When we committed our lives to Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we were given a power that can only come from heaven. We were given power and authority to operate in strength on this earth! And, we can read verse after verse in Proverbs and throughout the Bible on how powerful our Words are, the strength that our Words hold. Even God did it to Abram in the old testament. Abram & Sarai, married, no children and past child baring years, what did God do? God SAID, I change your name to ABRAHAM, which means Father of many Nations! I change your name from Sarai (which means quarrelsome) to SARAH, which means Princess. In a time that they did not have ANY children, and were getting old into years.... old? Yes, even as old as 90 years old! Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 before they had their first child, Isaac! But, WORDS! Words are powerful! Putting VOICE to our situation is so powerful!

Still a bit uneasy on accepting it? Fast forward down to Psalm 29:11... what does it say there? The LORD will give unyielding and impenetrable STRENGTH to HIS people! One way He gives us this strength, is through our ability to TALK! To give VOICE to a situation! "My God supplies all MY needs according to HIS riches in glory! I call my bills paid!" - "By Jesus stripes, I AM healed! I call this headache GONE in Jesus Name!" - "I have FAVOR in the sight of God & man, therefore, in this situation, in this meeting, I THANK YOU God for FAVOR! Unmerited Favor!"

The Lord gives STRENGTH to HIS people! Begin today with your Voice! Satan can't hear your thoughts. You can't fight your battles in your mind, with your thoughts, you MUST give WORDS to your battle! You must SPEAK! Give your battle a VOICE! In your voice is STRENGTH!

#132 -Clippings

Good morning! Well... Tyler Jr got his first hair cut last night! Bye bye curls! :-( It was so cute, but just getting too long. In a way, it was sad to see the cutie curls get snipped off. It was actually a perfect segway into today's devotion: CLIPPINGS. So.... let's get started.

1st Clip of Tyler Jr's hair. January 26th, 2011

Proverbs 27:1-2 - DO NOT boast of [yourself and] tomorrow, for you know not what a day may bring forth. Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.

Proverbs 27:21 - As the refining pot for silver and the furnace for gold [bring forth all the impurities of the metal], so let a man be in his trial of praise [ridding himself of all that is base or insincere; for a man is judged by what he praises and of what he boasts]

Proverbs 31:28 - Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of and praises her, [saying]....

Let me start of saying this...sometimes transparency stinks! Ha! Why?? Well.... here ya'll are out there and get to read about ALL the times I drop the ball!!! Isn't that great?! It's kind of no fun sometimes to reveal the "reprimands of Amy" or those times when I mess up... fall short... drop the ball. And... here we are again. Insert foot in mouth Amy!

Do you ever have those times when you just wish you could take the words back in? They go out, and you think, "Man... could we just rewind? Can I just get those words back?" Then, if it's actually in TEXT, in writing.... then you definitely can't hide from it. Sometimes words spoken fade a little bit, but if it's in writing, it can continue to be re-read and re-read. 

Well...here's the story... I was excited.... actually, excited wouldn't be the phrase that would accurately describe it... JACKED would be more like it! The beautifulness of social media. I received a direct message from a SUPER-HERO of mine & my husbands. Someone we respect extremely. An awesome person of God, mentor, someone who has the fruit on the tree.... someone in life where we want to be, where we will be. Basically the message was an invitation to a special meeting (that was sent to me but directed to Tyler). I showed Tyler and we were both JACKED! This person is typically out of reach for us, so it was such an honor, and really, the FAVOR of God working in our lives that they would invite us. Well... here goes Amy, like a little school girl. I was so jacked and thanked the person and also mentioned several bits of positive 'activity' that "I" have been doing lately. Isn't that lovely. Well.... I didn't think about it at the time. I was still to JACKED to give it a second thought! Until.... doesn't the Lord have great timing how He does things. I wake up this morning, get in the Word and BAM! Can't hide from the Word! Being corrected by the Word. Receiving a rebuke from the Word! But, PRAISE God! I can and will receive correction! Let's take a deeper look. 

Proverbs directly said, don't BOAST about yourself. Let ANOTHER man praise you, not your own lips! Why is that so important? Quietly working, quietly being diligent allows one to be lifted up by another. Let's look at what happened to the Proverbs 31 woman.... here she is, being DILIGENT in ALL of her work. The woman is UH-MAZING! She's buying up real-estate, helping the poor, being an entrepreneur - sewing items and SELLING them, planting vineyards, and the list goes on. She is diligently working, being productive. Her eyes are not on herself, and IF they are at any point, she is not verbalizing it, she is not praising herself or saying, "HEY! LOOK AT ME! LOOK WHAT I'M DOING!" And at the end of the day, look what happens! Her children rise up and call her blessed and her husband praises her! I can see her children, in front of their friends bragging on their mom. I can see the Proverbs 31 woman in town with her husband, on a date, walking arm in arm, and he sees some of the town counsel members (since he's known at the city gate and sits among the elders), he says, "Hey George, Bill, let me tell you what my wife did. Let me brag on my wife for a second...." Meanwhile, she sheepishly smiles, her cheeks turn a light rose color, and her husband brags on all that his wife has accomplished. All that she has continued to do in silence, quietly being diligent about her work, she is now being PRAISED in public. 

It also reminds me of what I read a few days ago. Could I not have taken a hint then? Proverbs 25:6-7 says, Be not forward (self-assertive and boastfully ambitious) in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men; For better it is that it should be said to you, Come up here, than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, whose eyes have seen you. Basically, don't elevate yourself. In this verse, don't assert yourself to a high position that you feel you deserve, as then you may be DEMOTED IN PUBLIC. Instead, take a lower position, that you may be brought to an ELEVATED status in public, while others are watching. I've also heard it said, "Don't read your own press clippings." That's when you get in trouble because that place is the beginning of when pride can sneak it's way in.

Praise the Lord for the Word! I can receive correction. Forgive me Lord! A great lesson for me this morning. Diligently quiet. Diligently working. My new mantra! ;)

Have a blessed day!

_______________________

Enjoy the pictures of Tyler Junior's first HAIR CUT! Mama's DOLL BABY! :) 

"Bye bye curls." - Will mom be OK with it is the question!?

My doll baby!

Clip clip. Snip snip. TJ did pretty good with Ms Stacy!

No more curls.

Mom's NEW Little man! :) Off to "Save the World!" :)

#124 - Be Liberal with your Praise

Hello! I pray this finds you having a blessed day thus far! Columbia is still partially shut down due to the snow. Kids are still out playing, sledding & building snowmen. The sun has finally come back out and graced us with pretty blue skies. I would anticipate the snow is on it's way out. As for us...Tyler & I went OUT last night to dinner while "the boy" went to his normal babysitter. Yippee! The occasion? We were celebrating my finishing my first book. 


Anyways... let's get started. Let me put out a reminder of the reading schedule and let you know again how I do my reading. You are obviously welcome to do whatever works for you! I typically am reading with the expectation that the Lord will reveal something to me. I usually start with the Proverbs for the day (ie: today is January 12th, so I read Proverbs 12), then I either go to the daily Proverbs 31:10-31, and may continue with the Psalms schedule (ie: for today, Psalm 12, 42, 72, 102, 132 - basically starting with the day "12" and adding 30). Well... sometimes I don't get all the way through Psalms. Like today, I didn't even get to Psalms. I got to Proverbs 12 and 31, and that was all. The Holy Spirit revealed to me what I needed to hear today out of just reading that. So... I say all that to say this, don't feel pressured or condemned if you don't read "everything"! We do not walk or operate in a spirit of condemnation, and that includes when you read the word. Some days, you may only have time to read ONE verse.... that is OK too. You do what YOU need to do. God can use one verse to change a persons life. If you do only read one verse, choose to meditate on it throughout the day. While you drive, allow your brain to go over the verse. Think about it. Ask the Holy Spirit for insight into the verse. Allow it to churn. As you meditate on the Word, the Holy Spirit will give you insight. Will remind you of a story that may relate to the verse. Maybe make one word jump out to you, and you later look that word up in the dictionary to get a deeper meaning or clarification on the verse. Maybe you look up the verse in the Greek or Hebrew, to get it's original context. I'm just saying there are multiple ways to "skin a cat".... (yikes... hopefully none of us are really literally doing that!) .... there are multiple ways to get in the Word... and THIS way works for me. I read until the Holy Spirit flags a verse for me to meditate on. Then... that verse usually is the key verse in the devotion I write. So... without further ado, let's get in the Word.

Proverbs 12:25 - Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but an encouraging word makes it glad.

Proverbs 31:12 -  She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her.

In the King James Version, Proverbs 12:25 substitutes the word anxiety for "heaviness." Having a heavy heart. Have you ever had a heavy heart? Well, last night as Tyler and I sat at one of our favorite restaurants, Carrabba's, talking about my book, and talking about our year. I have officially been out of Corporate America for a FULL year. Due to God, and the income we derive from our business we have had on the side of our jobs for the last 7-8 years, I was able to resign. Retire. Choose to do something else. Whatever you want to call it, I have now been home raising our son, and doing whatever I want EVERYDAY! Tyler pointed out something pretty neat. He said, "Amy, do you realize in the last year you have really only had 2-3 bad days?" He was absolutely right. Really, almost every day over the last 365 has been AWESOME! Blessed! Where I have just loved the day! Quite different than my experience in Corporate America.... where sometimes people I worked with, bankers would make me cry. On a few occasions clients made me cry. They would say things so mean or expect so much, that I just broke down. Some people were just mean. Or the constant flow of emails, voicemails, phone calls, appointments, price comparisons, rate reviews, servicing calls, DEMANDS, DEMANDS, DEMANDS. "Amy, I need this! Amy do that! Amy, get this done! Amy, I need this ASAP! Amy, I need equipment and I want you to GIVE it to me. Amy, I want this for free, I deserve it!" AHHHHHHHHHHH! People expecting something for nothing. Or MANY times people expecting me to make an emergency out of their poor preparation. Since they didn't plan well enough, their problem was now suppose to be my emergency where I DROP everything else I was doing to accommodate them and get them out of the BIND they put themselves in. One word. STRESS! 


Well.... I went from a constant state of frustration, to a world of bliss! I never knew that every day could really be awesome! Well... yesterday was ONE of the few days that was a kind of bad day. For no real major reasons... it was just a day that I felt I was in a "funk." Part of it was that I was re-reading a part of my book that was re-living some bad things. It's the part in any "Cinderella" story that had the baggage. It was hard for me to "go back there." Relive. Remember. And... it put me in a funk, my heart was most definitely heavy. I couldn't put my finger on it until we were at dinner. 


With all that said, the point is, Be Liberal with Praise! Be Liberal with Encouragement! Just when I needed it... when I needed a little help, a little boost getting back to my "happy place," I got a FaceBook message from a friend of mine who lives in Charleston. She didn't know I needed encouraged, but she just told me how much she has enjoyed reading this blog. She told me it was funny, witty & refreshing. Words that I really needed to hear, that really refreshed me. Thank you Carmen! :-)  


Liberal with Praise. Any time I have a good thought run through my mind about someone, I try to tell them immediately. The other day I was at Dick's Sporting Goods, I saw a woman who was very pretty. I didn't know her, had never seen her. I just opened my mouth and said, "You are so beautiful. You have such a pretty face, you could be a model." She smiled and blushed a little, and thanked me. I would bet those words made her day. Maybe she had gained a few pounds over the holidays and was feeling frumpy. Or maybe she had a frustrating conversation with her daughter. Maybe she was stressed out because she spent too much money on Christmas gifts and was now having to scrimp. Or maybe she was JUST FINE and happy. I have no idea! But, I do know that it is Biblical to encourage people. It may have been just the words she needed to pick herself back up and feel good about herself, to turn a corner and begin back on the path of being productive.


That's what Carmen's words did for me last night. They were encouraging and really helpful to me! I woke up this morning feeling great! No funk! Just great.


So today.... who can you be encourage? Who do you have kind words for? A stranger? A friend? Family? You may think they "have it all together." You may think, "Oh, they do not need encouragement, they already think they have it together. I don't want to make their head big." Well, you never know, but they may be the VERY person that needs some kind words. 


Food for thought. Who can you encourage today? If you think something kind, SAY IT! Be Liberal! 

#99 - Praise Him with your WHOLE Heart!

Good morning! :) So excited... going to order Tyler Jr's 1 year old pictures in a little bit. He got them taken yesterday. They were so cute! I will definitely share when I get them because I will have the CD of all the pictures! :-) They were cute. He was a bit exhausting when I was trying to pick them out because he was ALL over the place, but we had a good time nonetheless. 


Let's get started today! :) 

Psalms 9:1 - I WILL praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth (recount and tell aloud) all Your marvelous works and wonderful deeds!

Psalm 99:3,7 - Let them confess and praise Your great name, awesome and reverence inspiring! It is holy, and holy is He! He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept His testimonies and the statutes that He gave them. 

This morning as I was writing my book (51,500+ words! Whoop!), I was reminded of how good God is! I'm finally in part of the book that is the "fun part".... the part where the "dream" is becoming a reality. The achievement of the desire is coming to pass, and isn't that what we all desire? Those dreams, wishes, wants to come to pass, to be a reality. Well, as I'm re-telling the story of the journey of Tyler & I meeting, courting & obviously eventually getting married, I'm reminded of all the amazing things God did during that time. How He used people in instrumental ways. Just looking back and remembering the feelings I felt, and how at times I was completely on Cloud 9. It reminds me of how easy it is to forget all the awesome things God does and continues to do in our lives. When we are actually living "in the moment", it is often hard to see the "how" of His hand moving, or the "why". Why are things happening the way they are? Why are things taking so long to come to fruition? God what is taking You so long? Have you ever thought that? Or asked those questions? I know I have. 


Well... this morning, reading in Psalms reminded me of how pleasant it is to praise the Lord with my whole heart! Honestly, sometimes I forget to do that. To recount and verbally thank the Lord for all the marvelous things He has done in my life. To recount and retell of the good things God has done in my life! Even retelling the testimony of what God has done in my life. Taking me in a point of my life where I was in despair, where I was crying out to the Lord, where my heart was hurting and longing for a long-time desire to come to pass. And then, in God's amazing way, that long-time desire came to full fruition.... maybe not in the timing that I had expected or wanted, but this dream and desire being fulfilled. Praise the Lord! 


It's good to remember the good things God has done. It's good to remember about WHERE He has brought you from. How far you have come. What He has done! It's kind of like, when you are in life the phrase, "it's hard to see the forest between the trees." When we are living life, it's hard to see the many blessings God has done because we are in the midst of "living", accomplishing & being. 


Today.... I would encourage you.... reflect on the goodness of God. Verbally outloud, recount the good things. Thank Him for what He has done! Maybe it's your marriage, your children, your house, vehicle, health, supplying your needs or wants in a certain area. Thank Him! If you are driving down the road, I encourage you to turn on the radio, turn off the CD, and just spend some time PRAISING GOD with your WHOLE HEART! Tell Him of how good He is! Tell Him of how much you love him! Remind him, recount what He has done, the VICTORIES He has brought you to. I guarantee, it will bless HIM and it will bless YOU! 


I'm getting ready to go do that right now! I'm going to pick up the CD from the boys pictures and spend some time just blessing the Lord! Praising Him for all the good things HE has done! Have I arrived yet? Have I accomplished all that I want? Am I where I thought I would be at this point in my life? The answer is, No. But, I am on my way, and I have to believe that God has a greater plan in my journey. That just like the victories that I have experienced, and looking back on the sweetness of them, I will also look back on the areas I am pursuing now... and when the victory is there, I will see the goodness of God's plan. In the mean time, I'm just going to bless Him with my thankfulness. I'm going to praise Him with my whole heart! I love Him so much and He is so good to me!


Bless you! Have a blessed day! :)

#85 - I love you because....

Good morning! It's going to be a great day! Amen? Amen!


So... I began reading today in Proverbs and then I just felt the urge to read Psalms backwards. Not literally.... but to start at Psalm 134 versus starting at Psalm 14. I did and the Holy Spirit told me that's as far as He wanted me to go. So... short read today. Psalm 134 only has 3 verses.

Psalm 134:1-3 - BEHOLD, BLESS (affectionately and gratefully praise) the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, [singers] who by night stand in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in holiness and to the sanctuary and bless the Lord [affectionately and gratefully praise Him]! The Lord bless you out of Zion, even He Who made heaven and earth.

Affectionately and gratefully praise. 


I was reminded of a frequent conversation that Tyler and I often have..... at least weekly, if not daily. It goes something like this. 

• "Do you like me?" 
• "Yep!"
• "Why do you like me? Tell me." 
• "Well... I like you because your cute. I like you because you brought me a butterfinger. I like you because you love Jesus. I like you because you read books all the time and are always growing...."
• "Yah? You like that? What else?"
• "Yep! I like my husband growing. What else? I like you because you let me be a mama and you let me stay at home with my boy. I like you because you are out chasing our dream and making it happen. I like you because you provide for us. I like you because you're HOT!"
• "HEY!" 

It may continue... or that may be the end of it.... but pick a day, any day, and it is often that one of us asks the question, "Do you like me?" Then it is followed up with the wonderful, famous question of most 2 year olds, "WHY?" 


As I read the Psalm today... the WHOLE Psalm focused on the action of blessing the Lord. Praising the Lord. And since we use the Amplified Bible... it goes further to say affectionately and gratefully praise. 


I will be completely honest... I don't bust out in a "Praise & Worship" time every morning during my quiet time. I'm sure it would probably be good to do, but I don't do it. I remember a time where Tyler and I were praying and needing a breakthrough in a certain area of our life so we committed to praising through it. Every morning for 30 days, we got up, put on praise and worship music and praised God together for 30 minutes. We may have lifted our hands, got on our face before God, some mornings our songs were accompanied with tears. We spent time praising and thanking God. It was actually pretty wonderful. We looked forward to it. 


As I was asking the Holy Spirit about it this morning I got a pretty eye opening response, "I like you to thank Me. I like you to have a grateful and appreciative heart. I like you to tell Me! Amy, you were made in MY IMAGE. You like people telling you good things about you, where do you think you got it from?! ME! I love my children telling me all the things they are thankful for. It blesses Me."


I began telling God my list today... and thanking him! It began like this:

• Lord, Thank you for that cutie picture of Tyler Junior, and the nice frame.
• Thank you for his play room.
• Thank you for giving me creative ability to paint.
• Thank you that the valance turned out well and it looks cute.
• Thank you a for my yummy water with raspberry joint health twist tubes. 
• Thank you for Tyler Juniors blue car. 
• Thank you for my health.
• Thank you that I have an awesome husband!
• Thank you that I get to stay at home!
• Thank you that You hear me and I can talk to You!
• Thank you for blessing our business with growth.
• Thank you my family and how awesome they all are. 
• Thank you .........

And the list goes on. 


We were made in God's image! It's sometimes amazing to think that things we like are no coincidence. He likes it too!  


Today maybe you could take some time... either put on a praise and worship CD.... or stream it on Pandora or You.Tube, and sing praises to God. Worship Him. Tell Him how wonderful He is, how much you love Him. Or make a list... maybe you write it down in a journal..... or maybe as you drive down the road you just have a conversation with God.... you just spend time thanking him for everything! Thank him for your car, whether it's good or bad, Praise God you have one! Your Job! Your children! Your spouse, friends, family, house! Praise the Lord! Thank Him today. All that you are thankful for, or all the reasons why you love Him! "I love you because....." 


And the greatest reason of all.... I love you because you first loved me and you sent Jesus to die for me. Thank you that you loved me enough to give me life! Thank you for my salvation!

#41 - Praise & Validation

Good morning! Lovin my morning. God is so good & what a blessing to fill a day with thankfulness!!! I am SOOOO thankful to be able to stay home and be a mom! I am so thankful to be able to do what I love every day! To be a mom, get in the Word without a "watch" tied to my time, to be a wife and make Tyler lunch... to go see my boy smile when we go in his room in the morning. BLESSED!! Thank you LORD!!! I'm SOOOO thankful! I'm thankful to be able to pursue my passion of writing, something I have always loved and am now able to do it. What are you thankful for? In the amplified version, Proverbs 27:22 ends with this, for a man is judged by what he praises and of what he boasts. Well, I PRAISE THE LORD for LIFE! I PRAISE THE LORD for the ability to breathe and the ability to PRAISE! I BOAST at how good my God is! I BOAST that HE is JEHOVAH JIRAH, HE is the Lord my Provider - not our business, not Tyler's job, not my books, but GOD IS OUR JEHOVAH JIRAH! I BOAST in that! He has all the money in the WORLD! He is a wealthy Dad and provides all my needs according to HIS riches, which are abundant! I BOAST that my God is JEHOVAH RAPHA! He is GOD MY HEALER! He has healed me of everything. My knee is healed in Jesus Name because of my JEHOVAH RAPHA! I walk in divine health! Tyler Jr walks in divine health! He doesn't need to be healed, because he doesn't get sick! What's better than being "healed"?? Never getting sick or hurt to begin with!!! DIVINE HEALTH! That is how we live! We walk in divine health! I boast in my Father for allowing us to do that! What a great day to PRAISE THE LORD! 


Well, let's get into some Word this morning! :) 

Proverbs 27:2 - Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.

Proverbs 31:31 - Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates [of the city].

So... our verse in Proverbs 27 lines RIGHT up with what I have been reading in the book I'm about to finish, Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. It is most often a "guy" book, but I picked it up for several reasons. A friend of mine said it was one of her top 3 favorite books (she's the one who read between 50-75 books last year)... also, I know how much my husband liked it, and I have a boy now! I have a little guy who will grow up to be a little boy who will grow up to be a Godly Warrior for Christ. What a better way to learn about a boy, than to read about how God designed you MEN! To learn how you think! It has been very insightful! 


It reminds me of a few stories that relate to our verse for today. One which came from Wild at Heart. John tells of a time which he went rock climbing with his sons. His son, Sam, got to a rock and was unable to get over a ridge, he hung there and the longer he hung, the more scared he became. Then, the tears began to come. As John assured his boy, he said, he knew of a rock climb that may be more fun, they could go try that one instead. Sam said, "No, I want to do this one." As his dad coached him through some of the rough spots, verbally helping him to get to the top, as he was close to the top, his dad said something that would ring in his ears, "Way to go Sam. You're a wild man." The book goes on to talk about how boys need praise from their fathers. Boys need to hear validation from their dad. Especially as they are in their pivotal years, they need to hear that "they have what it takes," "they can be a man." Later, Sam came up to his dad and asked, "Dad, did you really think I was a wild man up there?" Sam came back looking for that validation from his dad, looking for that assurance, looking to hear that he had what it takes, looking for praise and assurance as he was being ushered into the years of change where he would go from boy to man. 


I remember Tyler telling me of being a boy, only in elementary school and playing in a football game. As maybe an 8 or 9 year old, he jumped into the truck with his dad after finishing his game, happy as a clam because they had a great victory, and Tyler had a touchdown. As he jumped in, he asked his dad, "Dad, did you see me? Did you see me run that touchdown? Dad, what did you think?" enthusiasm was bursting as little Tyler asked the question of his daddy. Looking for praise, looking for validation. His dad responded, "Son, I don't want to ever hear you say that again. We do not talk like that because it sounds like you are bragging and we do not brag." They road the remainder of the drive back home in silence. Tyler's balloon deflated. His face sullen. The one and only person he wanted to please, his dad, deflected his excitement and the joy of victory was now meaningless. 


I think both of these stories tell a lot about Proverbs 27:2. Let another praise you and not your own mouth. Someone else, and not your own lips. In the first story, the dad took the opportunity to praise his son when he saw he had a great opportunity. He saw a chance to build his son up, to encourage, to speak words into his life that would lift his self-image, that would help him to look at himself in the mirror in a positive light. He saw the opportunity to praise and he took the opportunity to praise. He is building up a man, not a girl, but a man. Helping him to see that he can do it, he has what it takes to "conquer the mountain." Not just the mountain that they were actually climbing, but any mountain. He was instilling a "you can do it" mentality in his boy. In the second story, Tyler was deflated. :( Though his dad taught him something very valid and important, something that even goes along with Proverbs 27:2. Let another praise you and not your own mouth. He was teaching Tyler the importance of not being boastful. Something that does indeed need to be taught. Although, he missed a valuable opportunity to praise him, to build him up, to let him know he is capable of anything. Now, if you know Tyler's dad, he is a big, grown teddy bear! He is an amazing man of God, a man that loves the Lord passionately, a man that would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He is so full of love, all 6 feet 5 inches of him! He makes Tyler look little. Though this moment was a very memorable one for Tyler in the sense that he didn't receive the praise & validation he was craving, his dad did pour many good things into him throughout his childhood. Tyler's parents poured many good things into all the kids! One stat that is pretty astounding, how often do you hear of 3 kids, popular, attractive, fun, athletic ... 3 kids from the same family waiting until their wedding day to have "relations" for the first time!? That is a statistic that is very rare in this day and time. So, Tyler's parents poured a lot of good stuff into them as they grew up. 


Our Proverbs 31 friend... check her out... everyone enjoys praise, enjoys being elevated and encouraged. Well.... look at our Proverbs 31 friend, she is praised at the city gates. At the entrance of the city, people praise her. I can see it now... as you are driving into the city... there it is a billboard of our Proverbs 31 friend... her new invention, her new product that she has made, her philanthropic services she has created to help the needy. There at the city gates her "works" go before her and she is praised. But lets not forget a VERY valuable lesson.... one of the most common ones we have probably all heard; sowing and reaping. If you look up several verses in Proverbs 31, you can see that SHE has sown! Proverbs 31:18 - her lamp does not go out at night of trouble, sorrow, doubt, distrust - she is helping people at all hours of the night. Proverbs 31:20 - she opens her hands to the needy, she reaches out her FILLED hands to the needy (whether in body, mind or spirit). Proverbs 31:26 - on her tongue is the law of kindness. 


Our Proverbs 31 friend receives praise from others, but look what she has done first! SHE GIVES PRAISE! Just like if you sow corn, you reap corn. She has sown praise, and now she is reaping praise! 


Today, find someone you can praise. Is it your child? Your spouse? Praise them. Notice the good things they are doing. Is it your son? He needs validation, especially as he is young, and even as he gets older. Something a boy desires more than anything is to know that his dad is proud of him. To know that his dad loves him, but most importantly to know his dad respects him for what he is doing. Sons of all ages crave this validation. And, I believe daughters do too. They want to hear that they are "doing good", "making a difference." Find someone to praise today. The person at the drive-through window. You may be the first person to praise them ALL month! They may not get it from parents, co-workers, or anyone. Your praise may keep them going. Tell them they are doing a great job. Tell them you appreciate them. Or even you like their hair or smile. Find something to praise!


Praise & Validation. This is one way to grow up confident, godly men and women of Christ. 

 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Ephesians 4:29