I will never try to portray to any of you that I have lived a perfect, saintly life.  I haven't and I know that more than anyone else.  During my long struggle with insecurity, it bothered me so much to be alone that I didn't really critique the guys I dated.  As long as they came to church, I believed they were okay.  It didn't matter if they missed services a lot, or only came on Sunday mornings, or were more interested in their cell phones than the sermon.  You would think I would have learned my lesson after going through a divorce, but I didn't, and two years after my divorce I started dating someone who was almost identical to my ex-husband, at least in the way he acted toward God.  I had been reading all these books like "When God Writes Your Love Story" and when this guy seemed interested in me, I immediately thought "he must be the right one."  It took almost a year of dating him to realize how much the relationship had destroyed me, because I refused to see what other people could see.  A minister's wife I'm friends with tried to talk to me and tell me the dangers of "missionary dating" but I chose not to see what was happening in my own walk with God.  Not until we broke up did I understand what others had tried so hard to tell me...missionary dating is wrong in any form or fashion.  Some of you have heard this before, some haven't.  So, for those of you who have never heard me talk about this, here is what I learned:

1.  Missionary dating compromises your relationship with God.

Not with me, I thought.  I still attend church, read my Bible and pray.  Actually though, my prayers were more focused on my boyfriend's spiritual growth than seeking God's will in my own life.  I spent my prayer time praying for him and spent my devotional time searching the scriptures for passages that would help him grow, conveniently ignoring ones like, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.  For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14) Yoked, I told myself, is getting married.  We aren't getting married; we're just dating.  I still experienced an inner turmoil though.  Why wasn't God changing him?  It seemed as though my prayers hit the ceiling and bounced back.  I was frustrated.  Even reading the Bible didn't bring peace, although I searched intently for verses that would ease my conscience.  When I tried to talk about spiritual things, he was never interested.  He'd change the subject.  He seemed content where he was spiritually, which I didn't understasnd.  I prayed even more for him, yet he continued to drift further away from God.

2.  Missionary dating compromises your relationship with others.

I defended his home life ("He can't help that his parents are getting divorced") and his lifestyle (He's not drinking at those parties; he just goes because he doesn't have any friends in church").  I stopped confiding in my mom and sister because I didn't want to hear their criticism of him or our relationship.  I argued with my dad and brothers about dating someone who wasn't a Christian, He is a Christian, I'd say, He goes to the same church we do.  I conveniently ignored the fact that when he came he sat on the back row and didn't get involved in the service.  I felt alone and angry.  The more my family questioned our relationship, the more I believed I had to defend him and the more determined I was to change him.  I wanted to prove them all wrong.  I wanted to show them I was right.  Why can't they just trust my judgment? I asked myself.  They just don't know him.  If they took the time to get to know him, they'd see his potential.  However, what my family saw was how everytime he had the opportunity to build a relationship with them or with God, he always had an excuse.  I was stupied enough to always believe his excuses and defend them.  They all saw right through him.  The people closest to you can see the changes happening in your life, they see the danger ahead.  Listen to their words of caution.

3.  Missionary dating leads to compromising yourself.

I didn't have sex, start drinking or attend wild parties, but, slowly, I lowered my standard for the type of guy I'd always wanted to marry.  I began to reason away the prophecies that I would marry a preacher, that I had a special anointing.  I told myself that my standards were unrealistic and too high and that spiritually strong guys didn't exist.  I fooled myself into thinking that even though this guy still went to parties on occasion, he didn't participate in anything that went on there.  How ignorant!  I believed I could teach him how to treat a lady.  I let him treat me poorly because I only allowed myself to see the person he could be, not the person he was.  When he wouldn't show up to church or church-related functions, I blamed it on everything from his exhaustion from working late to him feeling uncomfortable at church because everyone there knew about his past.  I didn't understand, with all the potential he had to be a strong spiritual leader, why he continued living the way he was.  I believed that by dating me, he'd want to become all that he could be.  Of course, this never happened and eventually I saw the truth.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain" (Psalm 127:1).  This verse helped me realize that unless Jesus was Lord of the relationship, all my efforts were in vain.  Because our relationship wasn't based on Christ, it was going nowhere.  Even though I saw potential for a godly man, he didn't want to change; he didn't desire a closer relationship with God.  You can't force those desires onto someone.  God's will is never for you to be emotionally attached to someone who isn't completely in love with Him.  You should never, ever be with someone you have to beg to come to church.

Breaking up was hard.  It wasn't hard letting go of the person he was, it was hard letting go of the person I thought he could be.  I wish I could say he changed in the long run, but he didn't.  Every time I hear anything about him or see him, he is still the same way...full of excuses for why he can't live for God and blaming everything on his past.  I'm grateful that God spared me a second relationship with a guy like that and that now I know, these kinds of relationships are nothing more than the devil's inroad.  Satan isn't ignorant.  He knows your frustration at not finding the right guy yet.  He knows that you're lonely when you look at your friends who are getting married, or in a relationship that will eventually lead to that.  No one falls overnight...its a process that starts with the devil finding a way to infiltrate your heart and mind.  If he can slowly weaken you, you will eventually give up on God's will for your life.  Satan knows something that most of us never fully grasp - we can't serve two masters.  His job is to get you to loosen your grip on God so be careful not to push God's will to the side for something that will only bring you heartache in the end.

Even though I guess you could say I was an old maid (26) when I finally found the guy God had picked out for me, I can honestly say he was worth waiting for.  If you wait on God, you will get so much more than you ever dreamed of.  When people ask what I saw in Dathaniel...I can easily answer.  I respect him in everything.  I respect his walk with God.  I love that I can ask him Biblical questions and he will know the answer.  I love seeing him sit in the same chair in the library every morning with his Bible open and his prayer journal next to  him.  I love that I can ask him to pray for me when I'm struggling, that he prays with me, that he prays for me.  God's design is that the man be the spiritual leader.  A relationship just won't work any other way.

XOXO,

Amberly

Is He Waiting for Me?

How many of you remember the old song “I Miss My Time With You?” Probably none of you, because I’m way older than most of you!  I’ve been thinking about the words to that song since hearing Dathaniel preach last night.  It goes like this:

There He was just waiting in our old familiar place

An empty spot beside Him, where once I used to wait

To be filled with strength and wisdom for the battles of the day

I would have passed Him by again, if I hadn’t heard Him say

I miss my time with you, those moments together

I need to be with you each day and it hurts me when you say

You’re too busy, busy trying to serve me

But how can you serve when your spirit’s empty

There’s a longing in heart wanting more than just a part of you

It’s true, I miss my time with you

I was reminded of the story of Ananias, found in Acts 9:1-19.  When you read that chapter, you'll notice that before Ananias ever agreed to go to Saul, the Lord had already shown Saul in a vision that Ananias was coming.  Check out The Message version of verses 10-19:

10        There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias.  The Master spoke to him in a vision: “Ananias.”  “Yes, Master?” he answered.

11-12   “Get up and go over to Straight Avenue.  Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus.  His name is Saul.  He’s there praying.  He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again.”

13-14   Ananias protested, “Master, you can’t be serious.  Everybody’s talking about this man and the terrible things he’s been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem!  And now he’s shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same with us.”

15-16   But the Master said, “Don’t argue.  Go!” …

17-19   So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said “Brother Saul, the Master sent me here, the same Jesus you saw on your way here.  He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” …

I want God to be able to depend on me that way...to know, before He even asks me, that I will do His will...for Him to let someone know I’ll be there, before He even asks me to go.  This dependability is only cultivated through a daily walk with God…through daily prayer.  As Dathaniel said last night, we are a culture with no commitment, not only in relationships with other people, but also in our relationship with God.  We have to change that.  I’m very dependable when it comes to my family, my job and other obligations.  But when it comes to prayer, I’m just as undependable as everyone else.  I don’t want to be though.  We need to walk with God daily to see the revival that has been promised to this generation!  We have to become dependable and committed to God through prayer. 

XOXO

Amberly

Fashion Friday!

The BOD-X System

Does the idea of discussing your body type make you break out in a cold sweat?  Many of us are dissatisfied with our bodies.  We don’t like our waists.  We don’t like our stomachs.  Many of us cringe at the number on the size tags on our clothes.  Are we really a size ____?  Well, before we go any further, you have to let go of those hang-ups.  Loving and accepting your body is a big thing.  You are looking at God’s handiwork. 

There are four specific body shapes.  Wherever you gain weight determines your body type.  Most women gain the majority of their weight in one of four places:  tummy, upper midriff and bust, booty and hips/thigh area, or evenly all over.  Are you nodding your head already, knowing exactly where you fit in?  It is possible to gain weight in multiple areas, such as in your tummy and in your hips.  If this is the case, then you’ll want to follow the tips for both categories.

b

Balanced shoulders and hips

Gains weight in belly

Fuller waist or muffin top

Straight figure

Not too  much in the rear

o

Overly endowed bust

Rounded on top, bust, and upper midriff area

Full figure

Nice legs

Usually size 14 and up

d

Gains weight in hips, thighs and behind

Narrow waist

Small to medium-width shoulders

Minimal bustline

Full bottom

x

Shoulders and hips are balanced

Narrow waist

Gains weight evenly all over

Balanced proportions

Do you know where you fit in?  It’s important to know your challenge areas so you can make them appear less obvious through your dress.  If you are a b, don’t wish you were a d and start belittling your booty.  Don’t be hard on yourself.  Accept who you are.  Appreciate the uniqueness with which you were made and be thankful you don’t look like everyone else. 

b Tips

Never tuck in your tops.  Whenever you tuck shirts in, attention is immediately drawn to the tummy area.  Use caution with belts.  Don’t wear them around your waist, as this will draw attention to the area you are trying to minimize.  If you want to wear a belt, make it a wide one that is slung low across your tummy at an angle.  The shirts and jackets you wear should always cover the fullest part of your body.  The perfect place for them to fall is just below your tummy.  Stay away from short jackets that hit at the waistline or just below the waist.  Stick with longer length jackets that fall right above the hips or even duster type jackets that hit just above the knee.  It is very important for you to wear the correct size, especially in tops.  If you wear a shirt a size too small, it will cling to your tummy and make it appear bigger.  Column dressing is your friend!  Wear a matching skirt and shirt, with a printed jacket.

o Tips

Whenever you’re having a day when you wish you weren’t so “upwardly blessed” remember there are a lot of women who would love a little of what you have J  The most important item in your wardrobe is your bra.  Make sure it fits correctly or you can suffer from back problems.  You most likely have great legs so knee-length skirts look great on you.  Jackets look fabulous on you, but stay away from ones that fit snug around your chest.  Always give yourself some breathing room.  Wear quarter-length sleeves so your tops look less bulky.  Swing jackets are very flattering to you.  If you decide to tuck a top in, don’t wear wide belts.  Stick with the skinny ones.  Also, prints make your chest appear smaller.  When wearing solids, adding a jacket also minimizes your chest.  Because so many tops are low-cut, you need to pay extra attention to make sure you aren’t showing too much.  Camisoles should be a staple in your wardrobe.

d Tips

I bet you have a hard time finding skirts that fit properly in your waist and your hips!  You probably always will, so find a good tailor who can fix this for you.  When you buy skirts, get one that fits in the hips and then have a tailor take in the waist for you.  Be careful not to wear skirts that hug your hips and thighs.  All this does is make you look bottom heavy.  Stay away from wearing patterned clothing below the waist.  Keep patterns on top to draw attention upward.  Short jackets look great on you, as long as you wear a flared skirt.  Stay away from V-neck tops because they make the upper body look likes its disappearing.  Opt for scoop necks and square necks.  Blouses with collars also look great on you.  Belts look amazing on you because they show off your tiny waist.  Lastly, choose colors wisely.  Be careful when wearing two different colors at the same time.  For example, if your jacket is red and your skirt is black, you will draw the eye to your challenge area.  Instead, wear a black jacket and black skirt, with a red top underneath.  Create vertical lines with your clothing.

x Tips

Most consider you to have the perfect body type.  Some will hate you, some will love you.  An x body type is very balanced and, surprisingly to others, you will have the most difficult time finding clothes that fit all areas of your body.  Many clothing manufacturers tend to make clothing for unbalanced bodies.  For instance, when looking for a suit, the jacket may fit great and the skirt may be too small or vice versa.  Find a great tailor who can do altering for you.  Most styles of clothing look good on you, but pay attention to your frame size.  If you have a small frame, you can easily be overpowered by large prints and accessories.  Be careful that you don’t appear overly sexy or sloppy.  If your clothes are too tight, you may look sexy when its not appropriate.  If your clothes are too big, you may look sloppy.  Celebrate your fabulous body but keep an eye on it as you age, you may find yourself seeking wisdom from a b or a d body type J  I smile because most of the my life, I’ve been an x body type, but because I can’t seem to control my hips, I’m beginning to identify with those d body types!

Happy Friday ladies!

Amberly

Love. Life.

Alright, Natalie has finally come out of blog-retirement!!! Yay!! Happy to finally have time to write this thought down that has been running through my brain for weeks...errr....maybe months!

Ok, ladies, let’s be honest.  How many times have you been heart-broken?  I mean…REALLY broken.  The kind of heart-break that makes you collapse onto your bed and sob your little heart out until you finally fall asleep.  We’ve probably all been there at some point or another [I know I have].  Usually, it’s over some silly boy that you will forget about in a couple of days….or just as soon as the next boy comes along anyway. [Lather. Rinse. Repeat]  J

It’s so easy to become consumed in our “lovelife.”  We are constantly searching for “the one” and always scheming, manipulating, and flirting just to gain control of a fleeting occasion with a cute boy.  But, we get our hearts broken repeatedly.  Is it worth it?? Probably not. No…definitely not.  [Will this blog stop you from liking boys….I hope not, but maybe it will change your perspective a little!]

I recently watched a movie based on the true story of Father Damien, who was a Catholic priest in the 19^th century that volunteered to go to the Hawaiian Island of Molokai. At that time, the island of Molokai had been sanctioned by the government as a quarantined area for people with leprosy.  Once someone was sent to this island, they could never leave.  They were forced away from their families and friends and placed on the island to suffer alone until their death.  The horrendous and graphic disfigurement and pain that these people suffered is almost unimaginable to someone like me.   As I watched this movie I had to resist the urge to shudder in disgust and turn it off so that I could have a peaceful evening.  Instead, I watched as this man, a simple man, sacrificed his entire life and well-being in order to minister to these pathetic creatures. 

Father Damien was urged repeatedly not to touch ANYONE, and never to eat any food that had not been prepared by his own hands.  As you can imagine, the thought of touching a person with missing limbs, oozing sores and a disfigured face is not pleasant to any one of us.  Yet, I watched as this gentle man reached out his hand to those that were hurting and dying.  He hugged them as they suffered through pain that wracked their bodies, and he held small children as they weakly took their last breath.  He made caskets and prepared their frail bodies for burial.  He discovered what loving life was really about.  It wasn’t his life that he valued or loved, but rather it was “life,” as in humanity.  He literally gave his life for those that were wounded, hurting, and alone, all because of love. 

Father Damien learned what real heartbreak was all about.  He had everyone in his life abandon him.  The prime minister actually ordered that he could never leave the island and his friends could not handle the horrific sights so they left him to suffer alone.  He suffered along with those that were ridden with disease, until he was also overcome with the disease and finally died.

When was the last time your heart broke at the sight of someone else’s pain or suffering?  Do you casually notice a homeless person on the side of the road and pass him by, or do you have tears in your eyes and say a prayer for him? Have you cried yourself to sleep over orphans in another country that have diseases and sicknesses that they will never be cured of?  Have you taken the time to hug a widow and tell her that you love her? 

Matthew 25: 35-40 says,

³⁵For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink:

    I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

 ³⁶Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison,

    and ye came unto me.

³⁷Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee

   an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

            ³⁸When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

 ³⁹Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

 ⁴⁰And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

When we take the time to see the hurting around us, we are literally ministering unto Jesus personally.  We always say, “Oh, I want to love like Jesus!!”  But really, why don’t we just love Jesus? There are opportunities all around us every day.  It’s time to stop focusing on our own “lovelife” and just starting loving life. 

Working on loving,

Natalie

Choices...

Occasionally I read novels.  Well, honestly, I read them a lot more than occasionally!  I started Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth this morning.  It’s about a lady (Riley) getting her life back together after making some very poor decisions which led to divorce and learning about raising her daughter (Gabby).  This morning I read

The divorce had changed so much about her life, and it was often the little things she noticed most.  Days now had to be planned out in advance since Jeremy wasn’t there to call when she forgot an important paper, left the iron on, or couldn’t remember if she had turned off the coffeepot.  There was no one there to help her with Gabby at night or to drive her to the doctor when she was sick.  No, now she drove herself and Gabby everywhere; she made her own chicken soup when she was sick; and when a lightbulb burned out, she climbed up the ladder to change it herself.  Life was different.  It wasn’t the one she had wanted, but it was the one her choices had made.

For reasons I haven’t found out yet, its obvious the divorce Riley went through was her fault.  Her choices led her to this place.  Our lives are shaped by our choices.  Some of us make better ones than others, but we all make mistakes.  Every single one of us has, at some point, done something we regretted.  And…generally, there is a price to pay for the mistakes we make.  Sometimes it’s a very high price.  Sometimes, it isn’t.  It really depends on the “bad choice.”  While the type of mistake you made usually matters quite a bit to people (although it shouldn't), it doesn’t matter at all to God.  He sees all of our mistakes equally and He expects the same thing from all of us: repentance.  True repentance is basically turning away from your past and deciding to make better choices. 

When we go through trials, we can learn a lot from David and his prayer in Psalm 51:

Generous in love - God, give grace! Huge in mercy - wipe out my bad record.

Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I've been; my sins are staring me down.

You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil.

You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair.
I've been out of step with you for a long time, in the wrong since before I was born.

What You're after is truth from the inside out.
Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

Soak me in Your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.

Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don't look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.

Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home.

Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.

Unbutton my lips, dear God; I'll let loose with your praise.
Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you.

I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice.

It’s all about recognizing that you are the one who made the mistake and that you can’t make good choices on your own – we need God to help us do that.  As David said, “God – make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis-week in my life.  Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me.”  Genesis-week refers to the week of creation.  David is asking God to create a new life in him.  He also asks God to breathe holiness into him.  Holiness doesn’t come naturally, its something we strive for through a daily relationship with God.  When you come out on the other side of your trial, pray as David did “Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home…”  Your testimony could easily help pull someone else from the fire.

XOXO

Amberly

Real Heroes...

We have lost some amazing people in our church congregation recently and its had me thinking about the people we pattern our lives after.  We all look to other people and admire their character, what they have, what they do, but some of us look to celebrities more than to ordinary people who do extraordinary things for God.  It really bothers me when I’m sitting in a group of teenage girls and all they talk about are celebrities and TV shows.  There is so much more to life and if those are the people you admire and pattern your life after, your life will not amount to much. 

God has placed people in all of our lives that we should look up to.  Until recently, I had 4 simply amazing Christians in my life.  My life isn’t the same without them, but through my life and the lives of many others, you can still see the effects of who they were.  My great-grandmother, Momma Mac to everyone who knew her, told the most amazing stories about living through the Great Depression and she was probably the most effective prayer warrior I’ve ever known.  A few months ago I got a phone call from my aunt.  She had been reading an article in a ladies’ magazine produced by the Pentecostal Publishing House.  The article was about a minister’s wife and she was giving her testimony.  As a young girl, she became deathly ill.  Apparently, the doctors actually pronounced her dead.  On the way to bring her body to the morgue, her dad told the driver to go to Veda’s house first.  My great-grandmother, Veda McDonald, prayed for that little girl and God raised her from the dead.  I’ve heard story after story of amazing things that happened through Momma Mac’s prayers.  Those stories continually built my trust in prayer.  I know the effects of true intercessory prayer and I also see the incredible need in the church today for ladies that really know how to pray.

My grandmother was another amazing lady God used in my life.  She went through a divorce when she was very young and raised two children by herself.  She had so much courage and really believed that with God’s help she could accomplish anything.  After my divorce, heartbroken and filled with insecurity, I moved in with my grandmother.  She refused to let me have a pity party.  There were many times she came in my room and told me I had 5 more minutes to cry and then I had better be up and smiling!  For the 6 months that I lived there, I went to sleep every night to sound of my grandmother praying for me.  Every morning we sat in the living room and drank coffee together.  She would encourage me and push me to pray more, to study more, to believe that God’s plan was so much better than my own.  She taught me a lot about enduring life and trusting God through it all.

And then, there was Bro. and Sis. Turner.  Dorothy and Joe-baby to me.  Joe-baby didn’t call me Amberly or Amber very much…it was usually Sambo and I really don’t have any idea why, but it was our special thing.  They never had any children of their own, but as the directors of the Sunday School department, they raised more children than most people do.  They loved everyone.  Really, everyone.  Race, social status, addictions, mental diseases – it just didn’t matter to them.  They loved the drug addict as much as they loved their Pastor.  I remember as a kid being terrified one night after hearing a message about the tribulation.  I was spending the night at their house, like I did very often.  Joe-baby was in “his chair” in the kitchen and I was sitting in his lap drinking my strawberry milk.  I asked him “What if I don’t know who the anti-christ is?  What if I don’t recognize him?”  Joe-baby picked up his Bible, it was all tattered, full of handwritten notes and dates that were important to him, and he said “Baby – you get in this word.  Don’t take for granted anything any minister ever tells you. You read this book cover to cover, over and over again, until you know and understand what it says.  That’s how you’ll know who he is.”  After he passed away, I looked through his Bible.  On the very first page, he had written a row of dates.  At first, I couldn’t figure it out, but then I realized…each date represented another time he had read the Bible completely through.  There were so many dates and once again he inspired me.  I decided then to read the Bible through every year – no matter what.  February 14, 2011, Joe-baby had been gone for 1 year.  I’m working on my 2^nd year of reading my Bible cover to cover. 

Another very important thing he taught me, was to live by faith, knowing that if I dedicated my life to God, He would use me to do something amazing.  Most of you have probably read Hebrews 11.  The “roll call of faith” I’ve often heard it called.  Joe-baby taught me that those men didn’t do anything more than give God control and follow where He led.  Hebrews 11:31 says “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient” and right under that, Joe-baby wrote in my Bible “By faith, Amberly…” as my own little reminder to trust God and always hunger for more.

These people impacted my life so much.  They taught me to have faith, they taught me to pray, the taught me to believe what God says, to study His word.   These are the people every young person needs to look up too.  Find the people in your life who live out the word of God…people who will teach you something that matters, who will pray with you and push you toward greatness.  There is nothing valuable to be learned from One Tree Hill or any other television sitcom.  There is nothing life-impacting to learn from any actor, actress or singer.  But there is so much to be learned from great men and women who have lived faithfully for God, through good and bad…people who know what it truly means to say “tis so sweet to trust in Jesus…”  Let those people be the ones you look up to, follow their direction, learn from their experiences and believe that you are destined for even greater things.

XOXO

Amberly