Just Be Loved

December 22, 2014December 22, 2014 - Amy Leave a comment

Have you ever researched what your name means? I didn’t for a long time for fear of finding out that it might mean “harry goat” or something. It’s actually quite interesting to find out what the origins and variations are.

I never gave the meaning of Amy much credence until somewhat recently. My name means “Beloved”.

Dearly beloved or beloved.

I love the surprise that my name means something that I tend to have struggles with. Beloved.

Be. Loved.

I think God might just be trying to tell me something. My own struggles with accepting love stems mainly from self-love, mostly. Which in the scheme of things doesn’t mean a hill of beans compared to the love that God has for me. So why is it so hard?

This is a path that I am walking out with help of God’s mighty grace. Learning to love yourself how you are right now takes BIG grace. It takes BIG mercy and even BIGGER strength.

Just be loved. Accept it. Be loved by your husband. By your children. By your coworkers. By your friends. By your parents. By yourself.

By God.

The LORD your God among you is powerful— he will save and he will take joyful delight in you. In his love he will renew you with his love; he will celebrate with singing because of you. – Zephaniah 3:17

I recently got the pleasure of listening to Christy Nockel’s CD Into the Glorious. God knew that I needed to listen to this one. I am a big fan of her’s. We use some of her songs on our worship team at church so I’m familiar with many. In fact, one of my favorites is on this CD- “Waiting Here For You” is so good.

Some new ones on this CD that I had never heard that I now love are, “Sing Along”, “Wonderful”, and “Into the Glorious”. But they are ALL so good.

After turning on this album, God lead me to track #5 which is called “Be Loved”. There were tears. It speaks to my struggle.

Be loved. Beloved. That is what my name MEANS! I mean, God places just what we need in our path at the right time. This song washed over me like a refreshing river of truth.

If you can relate at all to my struggle, this whole album is so good for you. Highly recommended!

Track List:

Ever Lifting
For Your Splendor
Wonderful
Into the Glorious
Be Loved
Waiting Here for You
Sing Along
Love Can Build a Bridge
Your Love is Moving
Hearing is in Your Hands
Already All I Need
How I Love You

You can grab a copy of Christy Nockels’ album Into The Glorious at Family Christian for $11.99. You can also get the whole MP3 album for $9.99.

How about a giveaway so you can get a copy?!

$10 Family Christian Appreciation Certificate Giveaway

I was provided with Christy Nockels album for review purposes by Family Christian. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

This giveaway will end on Monday, December 29th at 11:59pm CT. I will contact the winner on December 30th and they will have 24 hours to respond. If I have not heard from them, I will name a new winner.

The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook

December 17, 2014December 16, 2014 - Amy 18 Comments

The following is a review and post written by my darling husband!

I have been a student of the Bible for about two years and make it a goal to dig deeper into the Word in a variety of ways: through One Year Bible daily Bible reading, Verse by Verse ministries audio Bible during my commute, and learning memory verses. So I was excited when I was recently asked to review The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook. This handbook has a load of full-color pages, color photos and illustrations, cool maps and charts, and articles by leading evangelical scholars. It is intended to help the reader grasp God’s word and understand how each book of the Bible fits together into God’s overarching purpose. It will help you more effectively interpret the Bible and apply it to your life. Below are my key takeaways.

This is not a Bible

I thought I would be reviewing a Bible, but I found out pretty quickly once getting into the book of Genesis that I, in fact, was not reviewing a Bible. Instead, this is a reference guide to the Bible — as indicated in the title, it is a Bible Handbook. This can be seen as a supplement and guide to reading your Bible, but not a replacement. I will point out that by the nature of being a summary of the Bible, it is inevitable that certain details are lost in the process.

High Level – 50,000 Ft. View

This handbook does a good job of summarizing the Bible. This would help someone new to the faith or young in the faith to grasp the vision of the overall message of the Bible and to see how the books of the Bible fit together. Each book of the Bible is almost like a cliffs-notes version of the book. Some examples of this book that I particularly enjoyed are The Grand Story of the Bible showing how the grand story is summarized into Opening, Problem, Resolution, Climax, and Closing as well as How the Bible is Organized which shows and explains the sections of the Bible (Old Testament: Pentateuch, Historical Books, Psalms, Wisdom Books, Prophets, New Testament: The Gospels, Book of Acts, Letters of Paul, General Letters, and Revelation.)

Going Deeper

This handbook also does an excellent job of arranging facts, maps, and charts of information, simplifying what would otherwise be complex. A great example of this is found in the The Beginning and The End section which gives a chart matching up events in Genesis (“The Beginning”) and Revelation (“The End”) showing how the beginning elements in Genesis find their conclusion in Revelation. An example would be: Sinful people are banished from the presence of God in Genesis 3:24; But God lives among his people in Revelation, effectively restoring them to His presence (Revelation 21:3, 7, 22; 22:4.) Digging deeper, for each book of the Bible, this handbook covers important historical context as well as information on the author of the book, the audience, the heart of the message being communicated, and any interesting / unique facts about the book. It includes letters from Bible scholars throughout. It also has Part II and Part III sections which respectively cover How the Bible Came to Be and Digging Deeper into the Bible.

In summary, this is a great and unique companion resource for the Word of God. It is easy to read and understand and is well organized. I am excited to own a copy and plan on referencing it.

Grab a copy of The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook for $29.97 at Family Christian right now!

And you might just be able to use this to do it…

$50 Family Christian Appreciation Certificate Giveaway
(can be used in-store and online)

This giveaway will end on December 26th at 11:59pm CT. I will contact the winner on December 27th and they will have 24 hours to respond. If I have not heard from them, I will then name a new winner.The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook was provided for review purposes by Family Christian. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

When the Game Stands Tall $24.99

December 6, 2014December 9, 2014 - Amy Leave a comment

Did you see When the Game Stands Tall when it was in theaters? It was out in August of this year and it got fantastic reviews! I can’t wait to get my hands on this one. It was inspired by an extraordinary true story. You know that those are always good.

When the Game Stands Tall is a true story about love, loss, friendship, and perseverance.

A high school team sets a 151-game winning streak under the leadership of coach Bob Ladouceur. But when tragedy strikes, they must find it within themselves to get back up and push forward.

It has officially been released! Head over to Family Christian and grab your copy of When the Game Stands Tall.

Get this movie as a gift or grab it for yourself! And while you’re there, check out the Tenth Avenue North Cathedrals CD! Or check out the 50% Off sale going on now through December 24th!

Tenth Avenue North Cathedrals CD $9.99!

December 5, 2014December 9, 2014 - Amy 9 Comments

I’m a really big Christian music fan. I sing in the shower. In the car. In the kitchen. While sweeping. While cooking. Pretty much doing anything. I love when a good song comes on the radio. I especially love when these guys come on the radio!

Tenth Avenue North’s latest album Cathedrals is out now! Huge fan of theirs. So many of their songs have spoken to me. This latest album had me wondering why they named it Cathedrals. I mean, I love cathedrals. They are so beautiful!

Takes me back to visiting this incredible cathedral in Poland last year! The detail and architecture in these churches are amazing. So grand and beautiful. But why name an album Cathedrals? Here is a little bit about this album:

This collection of songs explained that once we know that we dont have to save ourselves, we are freed up to be honest about our struggles. We can admit that we feel worn, and we need redemption. We are free to struggle, but hallelujah, were not struggling to be free. The band was struck by John Dunns memorable quote, no man is an island. With these new songs, Tenth Avenue North encourages us to get off our self-made islands of isolation, to break the chains of shame that have kept us there, and find communion with God and each other. Tenth Avenue North encourages us to realize Gods spirit doesn’t dwell in buildings; He dwells in us for WE ARE HIS CATHEDRALS.

I adore this statement.

He dwells in us. We are HIS cathedrals. We are grand. We are beautiful. God has paid close attention to every single detail in each one of us. Just as the builder creates the architecture of a majestic cathedral, our great Builder has created us with His incredible spiritual architecture unlike any other.

This album has their newest song on it that you may have heard “No Man Is An Island”. Such a great song.

Right now at Family Christian, you can get Tenth Avenue North Cathedrals CD for ~~25% off with the coupon code CYBER!~~ $9.99 with NO COUPON NEEDED!

Do you get the Family Christian catalog? There may be an even better coupon in there! Be sure to check out the Family Christian website for ALL the latest coupon codes. You may be able to score an even better deal.

This would make a fantastic gift idea! Hubby, if you’re reading this…hint hint. 😉

Dress Like A Veggie In Bowling Green! (And Coupon!)

October 22, 2014October 22, 2014 - Amy Leave a comment

The following post is by Gathering Grain on behalf of Family Christian. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Oh wheeeeeeeere is my hairbrush? Oh wheeeeeeeeere is my hair brush? Oh where oh where oh where oh where oh WHEEEEEEERE…is my hair brush?

Where are my Bowling Green, Kentucky VeggieTales fans at?! This may be my favorite VeggieTales song. They are all so cute. It might be a close second to the cheeseburger song.

So excited to tell y’all about this awesome event at Family Christian Stores coming up on October 31st in Bowling Green, KY!

Here are the details:

When: Friday, October 31st 2014
Where: Bowling Green, KY Family Christian Store- 2425 Scottsville Rd #100
What to do: Dress like a veggie, take a photo in-store, post it to their Twitter and/or Instagram using the hastag #FCVeggies and tagging @FamilyChristian

The grand prize winner will receive a $250 gift card to Family Christian. FIVE runner ups will receive $50 appreciation certificates.

Your child does NOT have to dress like a VeggieTales veggie, just any veggie to qualify. You must have at least ONE child dressed up to enter the contest. And ALL children that stop by during the Dress Like A Veggie Event will receive small goodies!

You can find some great costume inspiration on this Pinterest board.

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There is a COUPON! 40% Off Any Regular Price Item. Print this sucker out and take it with you when you dress like a veggie! Or use it online today! I’m already thinking about Christmas gifts so this would be a great way to save on those. Or just something for yourself. I could spend hours in there. Literally.

Coupon can be used at any Family Christian store or online and expires 11/13/14. This event is happening at ALL Family Christian stores nationwide!

The Dove Awards 2014- TONIGHT

October 12, 2014October 12, 2014 - Amy Leave a comment

I had the privilege of attending the 2014 Dove Awards in Nashville, TN this past week. It was beyond what I expected. Many of my favorites were there and some that I heard for the first time. All of which were amazing! The feeling in that arena was filled with the Holy Spirit. It was anointed no doubt. And love for Jesus was felt with each award given and each performance.

One of my absolute favorite worshipers performed and I was just beside myself. Kari Jobe sang Forever. Oh. My. Goodness. So glad I got to be there to hear it live. I love how her love for The Lord shines when she sings.

The Newsboys opened the show with Michael Tait high above the crowd on a platform. He slowly came down and they rocked the house!

The night ended with an amazing performance by For King & Country.

There is so much more here that I couldn’t possibly share. Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) won Worship Song Of The Year which I totally predicted. Ahem, yep. But I won’t give any more of them away. You’ll have to watch them for yourselves!

On TBN TONIGHT October 12th at 7PM PT/9PM CT! I know it’s late for us central timers, but it’s worth it. Bart Millard and Lecrae were hilarious. They really were and they alone are worth watching it for.

It was honestly more than I expected. I’m so blessed to have been able to go thanks to Family Christian!

2014 Dove Awards, I’m There!

September 30, 2014February 14, 2017 - Amy 4 Comments

I have some news that I have been dying to share with you and well, basically I am STOKED. That word doesn’t really do my excitement justice. How about thrilled, exhilarated, enthusiastic, or eager? Ok well if you added all those words together then you’d just about understand my excited about this announcement.

Family Christian is sponsoring me to attend the 2014 Dove Awards! Woo to the hoo! This is so huge and I am beyond blessed to get this opportunity. I keep pinching myself. I LOVE Christian music and so many of the artists in the industry so to get the chance to see some of them perform, be nominated, or win awards is like a dream come true. Eeeeeep I’m so excited just thinking about it!

This years GMA Dove Awards are being hosted by Bart Millard of MercyMe and Lecrae viagra inde acheter. I am looking forward to performances by:

Mandisa
NEWSBOYS
Kari Jobe
Natalie Grant
Ellie Holcomb
for King & Country

And there are TON more. Not to mention that I’m excited to see the following presenters:

Amy Grant
Danny Gokey
JD from Hillsong United
Colton Dixon
Sandi Patty

And hello, there are some incredible nominees, too. And I won’t even go there because there are so many.

So here is some info for YOU. You can follow the Dove Awards for info and happenings here:

Facebook – Facebook.com/DoveAwards
Twitter – @GMADoveAwards
Instagram – @gospelmusicassoc
YouTube – Youtube.com/gmadoveawards
Hashtag – ‪#‎DoveAwards‬
Pinterest – www.pinterest.com/doveawards/

But don’t you worry, I will be socializing via my outlets during the whole thing so don’t forget to follow ME!

Facebook- Facebook.com/gatheringgrain
Instagram- @amyedmiston

I actually have more than this, they are just for Pennywise Cook. It may be time to work on this a little, ya think? These two look so sad.

You can STILL get tickets if you want to go! Grab a ticket here and join me. You just can’t tell anyone about my screaming like a teenage girl when the Newsboys perform. 😉

Thank you SO much to Family Christian for sponsoring me. Beyond blessed is the only way I can describe this. Stay tuned for updates, photos, and news!

Review: Mercy Rule DVD

August 18, 2014August 23, 2014 - Amy 9 Comments

We have family night every so often around here. These family nights include a movie, playing a game, or riding bikes. We can’t forget the ice cream sundaes or really sugary junk food either! I can’t tell you how excited the girls get when they find out we’re having a family night! They know they are going to stay up past bedtime and eat junk food. Who wouldn’t get excited about that?

It’s hard to find family-friendly movies these days. Or ones we haven’t seen a bazillion times. *cough Frozen cough* We are protective with what the girls watch. Ratings for both TV and movies have become so lax these days. Seems like PG-13 has become the new Rated R. With all the foul language and sexual innuendo, it’s hard to trust even the ratings.

I was excited when Family Christian gave me to opportunity to review the new Mercy Rule DVD. Obviously, we immediately planned a family night! I made us some homemade cobbler topped with ice cream and we watched the movie together. Lights off, blankets and pillows galore, and it was a fun night.

Mercy Rule had a good story line with some suspense and even some baseball action. The whole movie was centered around baseball, which my family has no interest but that didn’t make us like the movie any less. I think the main point of the film was not to quit or give up. And also to know that no matter what the outcome of a situation, as long as you have love and family, you can get through anything together.

The film did have some references to smoking and drinking in it, which wasn’t expected, but we didn’t think it was too inappropriate. There were times when it was slow to getting to point. They used slow motion a LOT in the movie, so be ready for that. I’m sure it was for dramatic effect, but was a little confusing at times. Tim Hawkins (hilarious) is in the movie and he kept us laughing. It didn’t scream Jesus and spread the gospel like some would expect, but it is good clean family fun. Overall we really liked the movie.

I am so excited to give one of YOU the opportunity to have this movie for YOUR next family night! They are providing me with a copy to give away to one of you.

Mercy Rule DVD Giveaway

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment on this post telling me what YOUR family nights usually involve!

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Remember, each separate comment sn a separate entry! The more the better. I will be using And The Winner Is WordPress plugin to randomly select a winner from the comments.

This giveaway will end on Friday, August 22nd at 8:59pm CT. I will contact the winner on August 23rd and they will have 24 hours to respond. If I have not heard from them in 24 hours, I will name a new winner. This giveaway is open to those in the US only.

I received a copy of Mercy Rule for the purpose of review by Family Christian. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.