I subscribe to the Lies Young Women Believe blog...this was today's blog.  I thought it was very fitting and wonderfully written.  Hope you enjoy :)

Redefining V-Day

Posted by Erin Davis on 02/14/1

Happy Valentine's Day. Or rather, Happy Validation Day! Let me explain.

It's taken me thirty-one years, but I think I finally have Valentine's Day all figured out. It's not really about chocolate, roses, or tiny candy hearts. It's not about cards or balloons or stuffed teddy bears. It's not about romance or relationships or having a date for the dance. It's not even about love, at least, that's not all it's about.

The V in V-Day shouldn't stand for valentine. It should stand for "validation." Isn't that what we crave most on this day? The desire for validation is innate in us all, and what a powerful desire it is! We long to know that we matter, we are valued, we are accepted, we are loved.

That's why it hurts when we don't have a valentine. We feel rejected. When others are being called to the office at school to collect their overpriced flowers, our heart aches, because we feel like no one has noticed us. When we must spend V-Day alone, we may feel lonely, but that's just an aftershock of the pain of feeling like we don't matter on a day when others seem to be validated so well. It's also why even when we do receive some love on Valentine's Day, our longing for validation returns by February 15th. No gift or card or poem is strong enough to make us feel completely secure in our quest to be loved.

I don't think the antidote is to learn to ignore our desire for validation. After all, God set the desire to matter in each of our hearts as He wove us together in our mothers' wombs. But when we look for love (and validation) in all the wrong places, things start to go haywire.

God didn't intend for your sense of worth to hinge on whether or not you are someone's valentine. It wasn't His plan for you to define yourself by the attention you receive (or don't receive) from a boy. He didn't engineer your love tank to be fueled by people or achievement or outward beauty or success. That ache in your heart is set to work like a compass to point you toward ... the lover of your soul.

The good news is that God is generous with His words of affirmation. The Bible is chock-full of descriptions of His deep love for you. He doesn't hold back. He doesn't ask you to ignore your desire to be known, to be loved, to matter. Over and over again He will willingly scratch that itch in your heart to be loved extravagantly if you'll let Him.

Here are a few of my favorite examples:

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness" (Jer. 31:3).

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1).

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Luke 12:6–7).

Zechariah 2:8 and Psalm 17:8 call you the "apple of His eye." In many Scriptures God calls you His "beloved" (Ps. 127:2, Eph. 5:1, 2 Cor. 7:1).

Perhaps most importantly, Jesus' actions, specifically His willingness to die on the cross, screams, "I LOVE YOU. YOU ARE WORTH IT!"

So pay attention to that gnawing in your heart to be loved today, sweet girl. But don't fall for the trick that any ol' validation will do. If you have a valentine today, enjoy it. Take time to smell those roses. Eat an extra piece of chocolate for me. But see those tokens of love for what they really are—pale in comparison to the love God has for you. Don't run to others for validation on this day or the next. God's banner over you is love (Song of Sol. 2:4). Sit under that banner. Soak it in, and make the choice to let it be enough.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!
 Amberly

Following Him...

My niece, Kennedy, came to the Youth Bonfire this past Friday night with her dad.  She and Camryn insist they are part of the youth group because they "come to everything."  That's actually a pretty accurate statement!!  We had several younger kids at the bonfire Friday night, because they came with their parents, etc.  After D finished preaching, most of the kids went inside.  Kennedy started that way, but then came back.  She lifted her hands and began worshiping and singing along with Rusell and her dad..."and the cry of my heart is to bring You praise, from the inside out Lord, my soul cries out."  When everyone finished praying, she looked at me and said "Do you see my tears, Aunt Amberly?"  I told her I did.  She then asked "Do you think that's because I felt the Holy Ghost?"  As we walked back to the house, she grabbed my hand and said "Aunt Amberly, I almost went inside earlier, but I changed my mind."  Then, with a huge smile she added "I think Jesus liked my decision!" 

Our little conversation reminded me of Proverbs 16:9 which says "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps."  Psalm 32:8 says God will "instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go..."  God has a definite plan for our lives.  When we establish a relationship with Him, I believe He gives us direction.  He shows us the way to go. 

Sometimes we beg Him for direction, but sometimes, I believe He directs us without us even realizing what's happening.  The secret is in focusing a whole lot on Him and just a little on the dreams and goals we have for the future.  Psalm 37:4-5 says "Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." 

Anytime we seek to be close to Him, without considering the path we may have to follow, or how getting close to Him will affect our plans (in Kennedy's case eating pizza and playing with her friends and cousin), I do believe it makes Him happy.  So, I couldn't help but agree with Kennedy and tell her that I agreed...Jesus was very happy with her decision.

XOXO,
Amberly

A New Year...

How many of you can't help but get excited about the possibilities 2012 holds?  Me either!  It seems no matter what is going on in my life, I always get excited when a new year begins.  The possibilities seem endless. 

When 2011 ended, to say that I was completely exhausted, burned out and drained of energy & passion would have been an understatement.  I felt very forgotten and frustrated.  Forgotten by God, frustrated with myself, circumstances and probably with God too.  Over the last few days it seems God has been meeting me where I am, showing me that we are never forgotten.  I read in a blog I follow about the Widow Woman and Elisha.  Then, I read my devotion for the day from Beth Moore's Praying the Word Day by Day and felt God speaking to me. 

Have you ever felt like you gave up everything for God and suffered because of it?  Maybe its just me and the Widow Woman mentioned in 2 Kings 4:1-7.  2 Kings 4 says "The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, 'Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.' 

Apparently, her husband, a man who served the Lord, died and she was about about to lose everything. She, like many of us, saw someone believe in HIM, and in the end, it seemed like it did them no good.  She felt that God had forgotten her. 

When Elisha asks her what she had, she replied, "Your servant has nothing there at all...except a small jar of olive oil.”

She felt she had nothing.  No way to make the money necessary to pay the creditors.  No way to bargain to keep her children from being sold into slavery.  Her nothing was something to God though. 

Elisha tells her, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”  I love how he told her "don't ask for a few."  My God is huge and my God is able. 

The Bible says 'she left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, 'Bring me another one.' But he replied, 'There is not a jar left.' Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, 'Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.'  God had not forgotten her and I doubt that He has forgotten about us either.  His plan is huge.  It is more than enough.  We just have to patient. 

Patience...which brings me to the next point.  I don't have very much of that.  Waiting is hard for most of us.  Patience to wait does not come from suffering long for what we lack, but from sitting long in what we have.  Ouch...I'm not anxious because I want to be in a different situation as much as I am anxious because I'm tired of where I've been.  Psalms 126:3, 5-6 says "The Lord will do great things for me, and I will be filled with joy. I will sow in tears, then I will reap with songs of joy. If I go out weeping, Lord, carrying seed to sow. I will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with me."

My prayer for 2012 is this:  Lord, please help me be willing to sow the seed of your Word and to water it with my tears, believing You in the midst of my circumstance.  If I do, You will be faithful to fill me with joy again. You will faithfully bring a harvest forth from my life. "You, the God of all grace, who called me to Your eternal glory in Christ, will restore me and make me strong, firm, and steadfast..." 1 Peter 5:10.

XOXO,
Amberly

Thankfulness...

How many of you have heard the new Natalie Grant song they've been playing on KSBJ lately?  "Alive" is my new favorite!!  Here are the words:

Who but You, could breathe and leave a trail of galaxies and dream of me?
What kind of Love is writing my story till the end with Mercy’s pen?
Only You.

What kind of king would choose to wear a crown that bleeds and scars, to win my heart?
What kind of love tells me I’m the reason He can’t stay inside the grave?
You. Is it You? Standing here before my eyes, every part of my heart cries

Alive! Alive! Look what mercy’s overcome; death has lost and love has won
Alive! Alive! Hallelujah, Risen Lord, the only One I fall before
I am His, because He is alive.

Who could speak, and send the demons back from where they came with just one Name?
What other heart would let itself be broken every time, 'til He healed mine?
You. Only You could turn my darkness into dawn; running right into Your arms

Alive! Alive! Look what mercy’s overcome; death has lost and love has won
Alive! Alive! Hallelujah, Risen Lord, the only One I fall before
I am His, because He is alive.

Emmanuel, the promised King, the baby who made angels sing
Son of Man who walked with us, healing, breathing in our dust
The author of all history, the answer to all mysteries
The Lamb of God who rolled away the stone in front of every grave

Alive! Alive! Look what mercy’s overcome; death has lost and love has won
Alive! I am His, because He is alive.

November has always been known as the month of thankfulness.  I'm thankful for a lot of things: a wonderful family, a good husband, a home, a job, a car, sweet memories of my loved ones who have gone on, but above all else, I am so thankful that I know the King of Kings.  I'm thankful that the God we serve is very much alive and aware of our needs.  He sees us where we are. He is faithful when we are not.  His love and mercy know no end.

Psalm 89 (The Message) says...

Your love, God, is my song, and I'll sing it! I'm forever telling everyone how faithful you are.
I'll never quit telling the story of your love - how you built the cosmos and guaranteed everything in it.
Your love has always been our lives' foundation, your fidelity has been the roof over our world...
God! Let the cosmos praise your wonderful ways, the choir of holy angels sing anthems to your faithful ways!
Search high and low, scan skies and land, you'll find nothing and no one quite like God.
The holy angels are in awe before him; he looms immense and august over everyone around him...
Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of God.
Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who You are, what You do—they can't keep it quiet!
Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us - You've been so good to us! We're walking on air!
All we are and have we owe to God, Holy God of Israel, our King!

Thankful to know Him,

Amberly :)

Easy? Said who?

The coming month of October is going to be a very big month in my house.  For one, we've worked for 3 years toward remodeling our home and have continually put off putting in new flooring.  Now, we've finally arrived.  As I type, they are at my house laying the new tile and in the next couple weeks will be coming in the lay the new carpet.  Its a very big deal for me.  Another very big deal is that my husband is meeting with the board regarding his ministerial licensing.  This.Is.Huge.  Several years ago my family and I were visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Alexandria, LA when a man that I did not know asked my dad if I was married to a preacher.  My dad replied "No, she isn't married at all."  The man responded, "Well, she will be."  I had just gone through a horrible divorce and had moved back in with my parents.  I took that word that day as a promise from God that he had not forgotten about me. 

All those years ago, I made a mistake in believing what God said, but not realizing the whole truth. Mark Twain said, “It’s not what you know that hurts you. It’s what you know that isn’t so.” When God called me to be a minister's wife, to write, etc., I wholeheartedly believed Him.  Yet, as most humans do, I lack patience, so I mistakenly thought that if I just followed Him the results would be instantaneous. However, several important components.  First, elapsed time.  Brutally honest - after almost 10 years of "elapsed time," I had almost given up believing this day would arrive. 


We can read through Deuteronomy and the exciting adventures of the Israelites and miss the parts that reveal how much time elapsed. Moses spent forty years in Midian working for his father-in-law. For forty years Moses led an often rebellious Israel in the wilderness. Joshua came under Moses’ tutelage at age forty-five, but didn’t take over leading the nation until forty years later. Caleb “followed the LORD [his] God fully” for forty-five years. At age eighty-five Caleb, with the help of the LORD, drove out the Anakim and took as his inheritance from Moses the fortified cities and territory of Hebron (Joshua 14:6-15). Our journey and mission with God is for a lifetime; not the overnight-instant-success-name-it-and-claim-it pseudo gospel our modern culture leads us to believe. 
The whole issue isn't completely just in the waiting either.  I didn't have the slightest idea what this one simple day would require of me.  I had no idea it would take years of labor.  If you notice, throughout their lifetimes Moses, Joshua, and Caleb weren’t sitting in rocking chairs on the front porch, sipping coffee and waiting for God to do something amazing on their behalf.  They were working hard and doing battle.  God repeatedly told the Israelites to possess the Promised Land. Possess does not mean to merely show up and move in. Possess means “to occupy by driving out previous tenants and possess their place. By implication—to seize, to expel, destroy, without fail.” God expected the Israelites to do battle for their land.  Only the Lord knows the battles we have fought due to misguided, well-meaning saints and others who allowed Satan to use them as spears to pierce our hearts. 

Why did I believe pursuing God’s mission for me would be easy? Why did I fall for the subtle, but disabling lie that if I was living God’s plan for me everything would come together easily and on my timetable? How did I miss Exodus 23:29-30, where concerning possessing the Promised Land God tells Moses, “But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.” 
The new adventure October brings will definitely be scary, but I'm thankful that I've learned two valuable lessons becauase of it.  1) Living God’s mission requires hard work...and sometimes even going into battle. 2) Living God’s mission takes time and only God knows the timetable.  Only He can truly know when we have increased enough to take possession of our Promised Land.

XOXO
Amberly 

Fashion Friday - Color Blocking

If you've been to the mall or browsed thru any fashion magazine you've probably noticed a trend called

Colorblocking.

Graphic, bold, vibrant colors being worn in "sections" on your body in the form of wardrobe pieces make up this trend. By wearing one piece (say, your skirt) in one color (say, red) and then choosing a top that's purple. That's colorblocking.

It might be wearing a beige skirt with a black sweater and a red blazer. Get the picture?
It throws "column dressing" a little off kilter so remember that in case you're a little bit fluffy.

In the case of the not-so-perfect body (okay, so for most of us!) then try colorblocking in shoes,boots or a purse like these:

So there you have it! It's a terrific way to have that high fashion look, and wearing even just one of these items will make any outfit look Fall 2011 updated!

Happy Fashion Friday Ya'll!!
Amberly

*Taken from Shari Braendal's What to Wear Wednesday blog.

In Awe of YOU...

I read a quote this morning that really convicted me…

"In some ways, it’s those of us who are most familiar with the Spirit’s promises who are in the greatest danger. Someone has said that familiarity may not breed contempt, but it takes the edge off of awe. Something like this is true about the rich texts and glory-filled promises that drop the jaws or widen the eyes of newcomers but provoke no more than a raised eyebrow in the old-timers who have ceased to dream." – Jim McGuiggan

Are we so familiar with the presence of God that we are no longer awed by it? Are we so accustomed to the small, daily miracles that happen in our lives that we no longer thank God for them? I remember teaching a Bible study once to someone who knew nothing about the Bible or God. I will never forget her reading about the crossing of the Red Sea. She kept saying “Oh wow!! That’s so cool!” over and over again. I felt so convicted that I no longer responded that way. I had heard the story so many times and it had become just another Bible story to me, not really a “miracle” anymore in my eyes.

The same could be said for reaching new souls, for outreach, for discipleship. We get so familiar with the people around us that we no longer view them as lost. Once that happens, we lose our vision for church growth, we lose our passion for teaching Bible studies and training other people to win and teach new souls. Its then that church becomes just something good people do and we begin to lose our vision, we cease to dream.

Proverbs 29:18 says “Where there is no vision, the people perish…”

I looked up the word “vision” on dictionary.com. It says vision is “the act or power of anticipating that which will come or may come to be.” Spiritually, we die when we cease to dream about growth, when we stop seeing our altars filled with hungry souls, when we become so familiar with the people we work with and see on a daily basis that we no longer see them as hungry souls.

I believe many of us were filled with a new sense of vision yesterday and I pray that we can hold onto that. May we never perish spiritually because we lacked vision…may we always be asking God to see with His eyes.

XOXO,
Amberly