October 18, 2007 at 9:42 am · Filed under Faith, I think...

TV….we’re cancelling our subscription to cable! 

We’ve done this once before and loved it.  We had time to play, read, clean, eat together, and, yes, even to TALK ::gasp::  I highly recommend turning off your television most days of the week.  Not only are there horribly vile things on tv but it becomes an addiction!  I’m not kidding!  It’s very VERY difficult to turn it off:  Even for “legitimate” reasons like watching the news.  We don’t NEED the tv, what did they do back before televisions?  They worked, spent time with family and God.  You know how eveybody says “Man, if I only had an extra hour in my day!”  Well, turn off your TV and you’ll have more time than you ever thought. 

Christians, we should be even more wary of watching tv.  The Bible says to put nothing before God and that we should do all things to glorify God.  I would venture to say, in my own opinion, there is only a .001% chance of us finding ANYTHING on tv that actually glorify God.  You may ask “but what about Christian programming and all those tv preacher”?  Might I remind you what the Bible says in 1st Timothy “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” I’m not saying that ALL of the preachers on tv don’t glorify God, but there are very very few…VERY FEW. 

Think I’m kidding?  Check out this study put out from Berkeley:  http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/03/10_amtv.shtml  When considering only the amount of time spent on an activity, the researchers found that, on average, Americans spent 170 minutes a day watching TV and movies, or nine times the number of minutes spent on all leisure-time physical activities combined.Ok, I’m off my soap-box now.  I pray your day is going well!

Love ya!

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Something To Say…

June 7, 2007 at 10:17 am · Filed under Church, Faith

What makes somebody a Christian?

  • Go to church when I can.

  • Don’t cuss?

  • Don’t drink?

  •  Good person?

 

 

I KNOW most “Christians” today aren’t Christian at all. 

 

How do I know this? 

 

 

“Not everyone who say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven…” – Matthew 7:21

 

 

If you knew me in high school you can remember that I professed to be a Christian.  I was not a Christian in high school – I was a false convert.  

 

I never lived like a Christian but claimed it because that’s what religion my parents told me I was.  This was my life and what I believed:  I did not read the Bible more than once a month (and that was on a good month), I prayed only when I needed something, I believed that I was going to Heaven because I confessed to be a believer and was a “good person”, I didn’t give a second thought to the Trinity, to the holiness of God, the sacrifice of Christ, to regeneration (I’ll talk more about this later); I couldn’t have even stood up for my faith if I ever had to. 

 

 

Sin didn’t mean anything to me for the most part; I didn’t understand that to hate somebody was to commit murder against them in my heart – why didn’t I know this?  I followed the heresy of the “Christian” church that America has swallowed hook, line and sinker; which preaches a cotton candy, feel good, gospel that strays away from the TRUTH about sin, hell, repentance, regeneration, and the wrath of the Almighty God.

 

Now, what do I mean by heresy of the “Christian” church?  I am talking about the view that if we are good enough we will get to Heaven; that if we pray a certain little prayer and “accept Jesus into our hearts” that we will be saved. 

 

 

” I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you would present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service…”  -  Romans 12:1

 

 

He wants more than our hearts, folks, we can’t just pray a little prayer and continue living as if nothing happened, you know, except that now we go to church and pray sometimes.  When we are truly saved we are a different being, the worldly things we once enjoyed become disgusting to us and we are ashamed of them; we STRIVE for purity and holiness. 

This is all I have time to blog today – look for more on Salvation in my next blog.

Grace and Peace to you,

Amanda

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May 23, 2007 at 2:21 pm · Filed under Church, Faith, Family

Let me ask a question…

Why is it so hard to change when you know it is what you NEED to do?  I already listed the changes I want to make but for some reason I am dragging my feet and doing what I’ve always done.  There are some major things I need to change in my life that would greatly improve the quality of life not only for me but my family.

  • Be a good steward of what God has blessed me with.
  • Be healthy.  It’s not so much about losing weight, it’s about doing what is good for my body.
  • READ THE BIBLE DAILY – PRAY DAILY – NO EXCUSES. 
  • Take pride in my home by picking up as I go, not waiting till I HAVE to clean it.

Other than that, things are going well in my little world.  I finally got Wild Man’s doctor’s appointment scheduled so that we can get him back on his much needed meds.  The Hubby’s second job died out (long story), so he’s looking for another one.  The Personnel Committee at church has interviewed three possible youth ministers and we have two to go.  One of the three is already FAR ahead of the competition…as far as I am concerned we should just go ahead and hire him…but, it’s all about who God has for our church and His timing, not mine.  Nursery Committee is pretty much at a stand still.  The women’s ministry is going well, we had our first actual meeting this past Sunday.  It went well, even though only half of the women who committed to the group attended.  I feel completely unequipped to be the facilitator for the group – I am not good at spurring converstaion or discussion, not good at keeping it up or staying on topic, I am REALLY not good at making any good points that mean something.  I am, thought, being obedient and I know Christ will see me through and I pray that He would speak through me!!!

I caught my kitchen on fire yesterday.  That was….exciting?  I was using a burner that we never use, which is behind the burner we always use for frying foods (when we do).  Well, there had to have been some grease on the burner because I am standing 2 feet away chopping onions to put into the spaghetti sauce and notice black smoke and I turn around to find the stock pot with *only water* in it was right in the middle of all the smoke.  I pick it up and put it in the sink only to turn around and fine FLAMES coming from the stove.  Flour does not sufficate fire – it only catches on fire.  Praise God the State of TX made us get a fire extinguisher when we were going through the adoption process!!!  It is the only thing that put out that fire.  Good news is, nothing was ruined or damaged outside of my pride, dinner and the burner. 

 That’s all for now!

Amanda

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Urgent Prayer Request

May 11, 2007 at 1:01 pm · Filed under Faith, Uncategorized

Please be in prayer for Christians in Pakistan.  Our brothers and sisters in Christ are going to be, if they aren’t already, under HEAVY persecution according to this article from www.abcnews.com:

Threat to Christians: Convert or Else

May 11, 2007 10:53 AM

Habibullah Khan Reports:

Threat_to_chris_mn Christians in the tribal Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan have received threatening letters from Taliban groups informing them that they must convert to Islam within 10 days or else.

The letters were sent to churches and homes. Thousands of Christians live in the province, which is largely controlled by the Taliban and tribal authorities after the Pakistan government removed its troops from the area last year.

The Taliban religious police have been cracking down in the area ever since. Girls’ schools have been burnt to the ground, video shops have been blown up, and there have been threats to local barbers whom they say insult Islam by shaving beards.

The police are reportedly investigating the source of the letters, and a local police official told the Associated Press that security has been stepped up at local churches.

The law-and-order situation in the Northwest Frontier Province has been steadily deteriorating. Within the last couple of weeks, there was a failed assassination attempt on the country’s interior minister, a suicide bombing in which almost 40 people were killed. Earlier this week, a former minister and the leader of a secular party were killed.

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thiryone

May 10, 2007 at 10:20 am · Filed under Faith

thirtyone is the name of the women’s ministry at my church.  God has done such an amazing work with this ministry!  The kick-off for the ministry was this past Sunday and we had 14 people, and I know of 3 that couldn’t attend!!!  For my teeny tiny church, that’s awesome number!  

Let me tell you a little bit about the ministry:

It is based on the model: Love God, Love People, Serve the World (if you have read Simple Church by Thom Rainer you should recognize this). 

Love God:  This is our weekly Bible study.  We come together to LEARN about Christ and grow a more intimate relationship with Him!

Love People:  This is our monthly fellowship and outings to conferences and retreats.  Here we meet and grow relationships with eachother, hopefully spurring mentorships, etc.

Serve the World:  This is where we come together as the body of Christ to help our community and church family when they are in need - not for or own glory but ONLY for God’s glory!!!

Why the name thirtyone?  Proverbs 31 is where we can learn how to be the women God has called us to be not what the world expects us to be.  We are doing the study The Virtuous Woman: Shattering the Superwoman Myth by Vicki Courtney, it is a study over Proverbs 31:10-31.   

I pray that God would be glorified through all of this!  Also, be in prayer for me through this – I am facilitating the study and am coordinating the entire ministry. 

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From Here – To There

May 9, 2007 at 11:12 am · Filed under Fitness Fiasco

This is where I am:

  • 5′2″
  • 210 lbs
  • Size 20
  • Workout once a week
  • Rarely eat healthy

This is where I want to be:

  • 5′5′ (Hahaha, I know it’ll never happen!  What’s wrong with wishing?)
  • 135 lbs
  • Work out 4 – 5 times per week
  • Healthy eating is a way of life

What This Means:

  • I need to lose 75lbs
    • 25lbs by August 1st
    • 25lbs by November 1st
    • 25 lbs by February 1st
  • Cardio
    • 45 minutes
    • 3 times per week
    • move to 4 times after first 25lbs
    • 5 times after second 25lbs
  • Resistance Training
    • Video at home for first 25lbs
    • 2 times weekly in the gym for second 25lbs
    • 4 times weekly for third 25lbs
  • Healthy Eating
    • Drink 8 cups of water daily
    • One cup of sweet tea daily
    • Majority of meals are fresh vegtables
    • Lean meats baked, broiled or grilled
    • Participate in weight watchers with friends 

Ok, so that’s my plan! Pray that God would bless me through this FiAsCo, that I may glorify Him the whole time, and that only He would get the glory in the end!

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Should I be worried?

May 8, 2007 at 3:31 pm · Filed under Faith

As a believer I know that when I am doing something in God’s will satan is going to do all he can to make me stumble, get discouraged and pretty much just cause me heartache.  Am I doing something against God’s will and should I be worried since I have not received any attack from satan since the kick off of the women’s ministry? 

 I have had some small things, more like annoyances since the minstry kicked off:  money is very tight and we’re struggling a bit to make ends meet this week and the senior adult women of the church don’t seemed at all thrilled about this new ministry being born.  Would these be considered stumbling blocks?  Hmm…just something to pray about I suppose.

 Also, I have been reading a blog by an old high school acquaintance named Sarah.  She’s so wise and spiritually mature, I just love reading her musings and her walk with the Lord.  Here is an example of some of her writing that really stuck a chord with me:

“I mean, Christ displays unlimited patience to us and all of our continous faults and mistakes. I can honestly say that I am learning patience. But really, how patient is patient enough? And I’m good with being patient on my time schedule….but God’s time schedule, I am learning, is a lot different. I think in terms of weeks and He thinks in terms of ridiculously long years. I think in terms of hours and He is considering how many months. It’s frustrating when I know what’s going on and I just can’t get there yet. I am confident of what is going to happen, I just can’t do anything about it.”

Anyway, I long to be this intuitive.  I want to yearn for Christ and His word…I want to understand His word in a deeper more intimate way.  Its like we have this great friendship but I want so much more.  I know it’s not Him who is holding it back – it’s me.  I know I am a sinner and will be until the day He returns, yet I am to strive for perfection.  How perfect are we supposed to be, we are human and cursed since the fall of Adam.  I know there is sin in my life that is keeping me from falling deeply in love with Him; I just pray that it will be revealed to me sooner rather than later so I can fall more in love with my Savior.

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The first…

May 8, 2007 at 9:29 am · Filed under Uncategorized

This is my first blog ever outside of MySpace.  I hate to admit this but…it’s true!  With that said, bear with me as I learn the ropes to blogging.  Also, I don’t claim to be an expert in anything!  All I know is that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of all, that I love to take care of my family, serve the Lord, clean, organize, embroider and play a good game of Scrabble.  I am very opionionated, love to discuss hot topics from the Christian worldview, and I am not afraid to tell you what I KNOW is the truth. 

There are many things that I am working on in my life that I will be blogging about.  First, I have a goal of losing 80 pounds the good old-fashioned way – eating well and exercising often.  Second, I am working on being a better follower of Christ and leading the women’s ministry at my church.  You’ll be hearing quite a bit about these topics, with the exception of personal information shared at the women’s ministry meetings.  Third, our son was diagnosed with ODD, ADHD, SPD and a pretty significant speech delay. 

A little bit about me:  I am a 23 year old follower of Jesus Christ.  My husband and I have been married for three years.  Just last year we finalized the adoption of our three year old son.  We have a one year old Lab puppy, who we’ve yet to fully housetrain (shame on us). 

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