She Blogs

Let Your Light Shine Down

amandalayne — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:45:05 +0000

How do you look to others? Does it matter to you? Sure, on the monthly (more often bi-monthly) occasion that Jeremy and I get to go out to dinner I want to look especially nice but that’s not what I mean. I want my heart to shine when I am just sitting in a room. I want it to be obvious that I am a Christ follower.

I am constantly trying to mold myself into a better person. Whether it is by exercise, better food choices, asking for forgiveness, or taming my tongue and I have to say that it has been a hard journey. Not that I’m finished on my journey by any means but I feel confident on my path and am moving forward. I guess we just need to decide what our goals are. We need to decide what we want to be and the best way I can do that is to reflect on what our Pastor taught on last year – what do you want people to say about you after you die? This is what I want:

1. She loved Jesus and it showed.
2. She loved everyone and she loved them completely.
3. She was an amazing wife, mother, daughter, and friend.
4. She forgave and asked for forgiveness easily.
5. She helped anyone she could.
6. She always had the best of intentions.
7. She was quick to listen and slow to speak or anger.
8. She was patient, peaceful, and full of joy.

Now, obviously I have a lot of changes to still make but making this list allowed me to see where I have room for improvement. I know in this time of bucket lists and other goal oriented lists that this may not be the most important thing in your life right now but this is where I am. I don’t remember where I heard this, but someone told me that when you do die you are not going to be concerned with your material possessions or your to-do lists. You are going to be concerned with your relationships and those in your life you love the most as well as those you have yet to forgive.

In closing, I would like to share with you a short prayer I found in one of my Grandma Elliott’s Bibles after she passed away:

Lord, help us to live every day as we will wish we had when we die. Amen.

This small piece of paper in the sweetest handwriting I have ever seen struck me. The simple-ness and truth in this prayer is so powerful in my life. Do you have family and friends that have passed on? When you see their pictures or someone asks about the pictures, what do you do? You speak about them. You pass on their legacy. Just the other night, I was asked about a picture of my Grandpa Elliott, and I had the opportunity to tell that person that he was the most wonderful and patient man I have ever known. Just thinking about my Grandparents will make me tear up but speaking about them often makes me need to leave the room. They were that great. What will your grandchildren remember about you?

In Repair

amandalayne — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:05:16 +0000

I often have a heavy heart but this morning I feel like I need a wagon to pull it around. There are a lot of significant events happening in my life right now and I feel pulled without an ability to control anything and am accomplishing nothing. I do not have the ability of releasing the reigns but I think this is exactly what God is asking me to do. I am learning that I am not in control ever and that I have only been taking credit for my successes or those of my family. I see that God has been leading me and though I may take this opportunity or that option, it is in fact Him who has given me these opportunities and options.

God placed me in a study based on the book by Francis Chan entitled Forgotten God. Honestly, I was drawn to this study for a few really crappy reasons:

I wanted a cool study – new and popular
Francis Chan rocks (maybe it’s the Asian thing. lol)
It had really cool artwork on the cover (shallow?)

However, as God does, I was totally blown away by what I found myself digging into. In the first week of the study, I was taken through Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, and Ephesians all showing proof of believers receiving the Holy Spirit. While I was in Romans, I hit hard on Romans 8:6-8:

The mind of a sinful man is death but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

Galatians 5:19-23 list out acts of sinful nature being: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like; whereas, when one has the Holy Spirit and lives in line with the Holy Spirit’s desire, one will experience: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Ending the day yesterday, God gave my husband and I a special gift. After the kids were in bed, we began talking about a couple texts we had sent each other earlier in the day. It started with Jeremy asking how my day was going, how I was feeling (just had surgery and have been restricted due to pain when I do a lot of activity), etc. and I had responded that he probably shouldn’t expect the housework to be completely finished when he gets home. Knowing we had plans that evening with our friends, Jeremy began getting irritated since he knew I wasn’t feeling well and there was a lot of housework to do (which he hates letting pile up – God love him). Knowing that I would do everything I could to get the housework done if he showed me his irritation really just made him more irritated. And then, as he later described it, there he was sitting in a job trailer with tons of guys smoking and cussing around him, a wave of instant calmness, peace, understanding, and love swept over him. He then text-ed, “I’m sorry. Forget what I said. We will go to small group and the housework will get done. Our friends are more important.”

So, this amazing book that I chose for all the wrong reasons ended up actually choosing me. God not only met me where I am in life and is changing me internally and, in turn, externally, but is also working in my husband. Love is infectious and this is no greater love than the love of God.

Suncrest trumps Super Bowl

amandalayne — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:58:44 +0000

So it wasn’t a normal Sunday morning. This morning marked the first morning in probably two years that Jeremy and I were not on to serve in the Go ministry at our church where we have the absolute pleasure of leading these amazing two thru four year olds into becoming more familiar with our Father, His Son, and the Holy Ghost and I have to admit not waking up at 6:00 a.m. was kind of nice (but I did miss those kids terribly this morning). We strolled in a little late for second service, dropped off Miles at his class and made our way to our seats (another not-normal thing is we had Vaughn with us since we had a bad behavior report from his Sunday school teacher last week – yes we punished him by taking him to the “big people church” and I see how that isn’t very right – but keep reading because God always has a plan). So we are walking in to the sanctuary and are OVERWHELMED at the attendance. People are adding more chairs in the back and the energy is higher than normal. I walk up to check the front seats (because usually no one wants to sit next to Greg) but not a one was to be had. We found a couple seats and squeezed in during the last of the worship songs and knew that this was going to be an eventful morning at Suncrest.

Greg Lee, our amazingly warm, caring, somewhat funny (ha), and completely relatable pastor, taught on baptisms this morning. I knew this service was coming up as we were rounding out a series called “Not a Fan” where you are asked to have that “determine the relationship” conversation and decide if you are just a fan of Christ or truly a follower. Two baptismal pools were available along with towels, bags, and anything else one would need for people who decided at that moment that they are a follower and wanted to be baptized. I heard that during first service there were 17 baptisms and I’m not sure how many there were during second service but it seemed like 50 to me.

Needless to say, I cried the entire service. I watched not only one but two of my small group members be baptized as well as children and adults. All ages coming to God. So absolutely amazing – and from the turnout, I think our community not only needed this opportunity, but wanted it. It is so moving to see that many people decide in that moment (although I’m sure some were ready in their mind ahead of time) that they wanted to be baptized. That was such a personal decision for me a few years ago and my heart overflows with joy for each and every one of them in knowing the peace that they are experiencing right now in Christ.

Thank you, Suncrest, for creating this moment for not only me and the others in the church but also for my son Vaughn who was sitting next to me – taking it all in. I will forever be changed just watching what happened in at Suncrest one snow covered sunny Super Bowl Sunday in Indiana.

Hello world!

amandalayne — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:39:47 +0000

I have a lot of thoughts and this is where i will be placing them (the nicer ones at least). lol