Leaning On You

May 13, 2015 - Amy 1 Comment

Between the peaceful moments of opening my eyes to a new morning full of possibilities and mercy, to closing my eyes and leaving my cares behind as I drift off to sleep, I find myself struggling with the worldly things. Things that are so unimportant, yet feel as though the world itself will end if I don’t figure them out right. now.

You know the things.

The ones that pretty much suck the life out of my body as though it was a bag of lunchmeat being put through a FoodSaver. You can watch every ounce of air slowly being siphoned so that nothing gets out and nothing gets in. These very things that I nonchalantly might say don’t bother me, find a way to push the buttons that I pretend I don’t have.

I often feel like siphoned salami. Not a very pretty analogy, but true to the way I really feel.

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:7

It’s in the middle of the mess (there is always a mess) and among the mishaps and crazy that I find the very end of myself. Well hello there scraggly, beat down, and frustrated lady. We meet again.

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. – John 6:63

Can you relate? That place during your day when it feels as though Satan has placed you at the top of his list. The place where even the stranger who doesn’t see you smile at them and doesn’t smile back at you can make you curl up and cry. I end up in this place all too often.

I imagine Jesus watching over me as I have my little pity parties. (Heh, I’m sure that He gets a kick out of my toddleresque tantrums) How He must grieve to see me overwhelmed, stressed, and consumed by the cares of this world.

Then I imagine myself walking over to Jesus and leaning on His shoulder. He wipes my tears and tells me that I am His daughter. He reminds me that a dirty kitchen, a garden full of weeds, and a stranger that doesn’t smile at me means nothing in the light of eternity spent with Him. I tell Him that I need Him more than He will ever know. Of course, He tells me that He knows everything and that I didn’t even have to say that and then I giggle. We have a little heart to heart and my day is immediately better.

I lean on Jesus often. It sometimes takes getting to the end of my rope. To the place where I can no longer stand. Let’s lean on Him. His arms are everlasting. When all else fails, they will still be there spread wide for us to take refuge within. Deuteronomy 33:27 says, The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. He drives out the enemy before you; he cries out, ‘Destroy them!’

Can I get an AMEN?! The fact that He is eternal means that will always be able to lean on Him. What a comforting thing to reflect on when you’re in the middle of one of “those days”. The enemy may have you at the top of his list, but Jesus has you IN HIS ARMS.

One of my favorite worship singers, Christy Nockels, came out with a new cd recently and I was floored to be able to review it thanks to Family Christian! Christy’s songs have a way of simply leading me to His presence. Let It Be Jesus, I think, is her best yet!

The entire cd is amazing, but my favorites are:

My Anchor
The Wondrous Cross
Let It Be Jesus
Jesus, Rock of Ages
Leaning On You, Jesus

Leaning On You, Jesus has become my fave! I’ve got this one on repeat in my car right now. You can bet I have some serious mini worship sessions! My girls love it, too. 🙂

WANT TO WIN A COPY?! Family Christian gave me one to give away to one of YOU!

You can purchase a copy of Christy Nockels, Let It Be Jesus along with a ton of other awesome music over at Family Christian!

This giveaway will end on Wednesday, May 20th at 11:59pm CT. I will contact the winner on Thursday, May 21st and they will have 24 hours to respond. If I have not heard from them, I will name a new winner.

I was provided with the Christy Nockels CD for review purposes and provided with another for a giveaway. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

CLOSED More Than Sparrows {Giveaway}

October 27, 2014November 4, 2014 - Amy 22 Comments

This giveaway has ended.

I’m really not that old. However, when I start to think about high school and middle school, I’m reminded of how long ago that really was. I had a lot of fun during those years. I made some of my life-long friends then. That’s even when I met my husband! Some friends would come and some would go, but the true ones always stuck around. I remember our sleepovers, football games, and talking on the phone for hours.

A real phone, by the way.

We weren’t lucky enough to have cell phones then. Our phones had cords or ranges of 200 feet. It was a good way for our moms to keep tabs on us come to think of it! We definitely couldn’t go very far.

I also remember that those years were very hard. There was a lot of pressure to fit in and to be considered “popular” was an achievement. A girl’s identity begins to form around this time. So many changes take place and things seem really intense. Everything is intense. Feelings, thoughts, words. It’s a pivotal time in a girl’s life.

When I was 11, my parents got divorced. It was by far, one of the most devastating experiences of my life. It came at the worst possible time for my self-esteem. I felt lost. My dad wasn’t around anymore like I was used to. The world’s influences spoke so loudly. I didn’t go to church anymore. I began to look for my value in the approval of others.

I had no idea that the One and only approval necessary had already been granted to me.

Young women need so badly to understand their worth. They need to know that beyond the social pressures, expectations, and cliques, that God is doing a marvelous work within their lives. He has a plan and a purpose for every single one. He also sees each one as beautiful.

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. – Matthew 10:31

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I got the opportunity to read the book Free To Be Me by Stasi Eldredge recently. Can I just tell you that this book is everything I needed to hear when I was letting the world tell me how it is. Stasi does an incredible job of using her past hurts and mistakes to really speak truth into young women’s lives. Even as a grown woman, I found lots points that I could use reminders of.

This book is for teenagers and would be a perfect gift for a daughter or niece. Any girl that you know really. I will saving this book for both of my daughters to read when it comes time. Such a fantastic resource that I only wish I had when I was that age.

I’m giving one away to one of YOU thanks to Family Christian!

Free To Be Me Book Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway will end on Monday, November 4th at 12:00am CT. The winner will then be chosen at random by Rafflecopter. I will contact the winner on November 4th 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 Free To Be Me for the purpose of review by Family Christian. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

The Current DVD Review/Giveaway! CLOSED

October 14, 2014October 22, 2014 - Amy 27 Comments

Here’s another Christian movie review coming to you thanks to Family Christian!

I’ve talked before about how difficult it can be to find good family movies these days. But I’m so thankful that more and more Christian movies are finally popping up. Not just films with generally good messages and life lessons, either. Films with the message of God’s love are finally hitting the scene. Woohoo!

My husband and I got the opportunity to watch the movie The Current. I was a little concerned with the acting in it at first, but once I looked past that I enjoyed it. The Current is a sorta coming-of-age story that digs into the big question that so many ask, why do bad things happen to good people? It’s about a boy who moves with his family to live on a campground and meets a friend who forever changes his life. There’s a bunch more to it, but I wouldn’t want to give it away.

I found myself both laughing and shedding a tiny tear at this film. And it totally made me want to go camping. Ok, like a teeny tiny bit. Ok, not really much at all. Bugs, ew.

My girls are a little young to understand this one, but if they were older I’d have no problems with them watching this. It had a great message! SO, you want to win a copy of this DVD for yourself?!

The Current DVD Giveaway

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This giveaway will end on Tuesday, October 21st at 8:59pm CT. The winner will then be chosen at random by And The Winner Is wordpress plugin. I will contact the winner on October 22nd 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 The Current for the purpose of review by Family Christian. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.