On the subject of hair...

Absolutely had to post this!!  Sunni is a wonderful young lady who attends the Apostolic Church in Beaumont, Texas.  Take a few minutes and watch this video clip. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0t_8UTJnjk&feature=player_embedded

Amazing stuff!  So proud of you Sunni!

XOXO,
Amberly

Prayer Notebook

I mentioned this yesterday when I did the post on Prayer Baskets.  This is also an idea Sis. Elms gave at the seminar this past weekend.  First, get a 3-ring binder.  Make dividers for the following sections and subsections:

Family
Include in this section names of your family members (give each household their own page).  List needs in your family members lives on their page.

Friends
List each of your friends by name and any needs in their lives.

Souls
Include a section for unsaved people you see on a daily basis or are close to.  Also remember to pray for ALL unsaved people and that the message of truth would be given to them.

Your Church
Pray for your pastor and pastor's wife.  Pray for your assistant pastor and his wife.  Make a list of departments in your church.  Some of those may be: music department, outreach department, Bible study team, bus ministry, prison ministry, ladies ministry, men's ministry, youth department, Sunday School department, etc.  List the leadership of those departments and pray for them by name.

Special Needs
Pray for important events planned at your church.  Pray for sicknesses and problems you are aware of.  Pray for people who are grieving the loss of a family member or relative.

Government
List national officials: the president, congress, senators, supreme court justices, etc.  Pray for these people that God will help them lead our country.  Pray for our soldiers.  Pray for local government officials such as mayors, police chiefs, etc.

Journal
Include a section to write down answered prayers, thoughts God gives you during prayer time, scriptures, etc.  This is an awesome thing to have written down when you go through times it feels like God isn't hearing you.  To be reminded that He has provided in the past is a great faith builder.

Have fun creating your prayer notebook!!  I plan to start working on mine today!

Love,
Amberly

Prayer Basket

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the MAP seminar in Lufkin, TX.  In one of the classes I attended, Sis. Elms mentioned having a prayer basket and gave each of the ladies a "how-to" list for making your own.  Being an organized person (or at least trying to be LOL), I loved this idea!!  Even if you are young, I think its a wonderful thing to do.  So here goes...

First, find a good size basket and then fill it with with these things:

1.  Pen, pencil, and a highlighter

2.  Bible

3.  Prayer Notebook (I'll go over this tomorrow)

4.  Kleenex

5.  Notepad

When its time to pray, just grab your basket!  You'll be all set with your Bible, pens and notepad to jot down notes, a highlighter to highlight portions of scripture that day, kleenex in case you cry and your prayer notebook to use to keep track of things God has done for you, prayers He has answered and a list of people/needs you are praying for!

Amberly

True Beauty

I hear girls comment all the time that they are overweight, don’t have the right clothes to wear or wish they had blond hair instead of brown hair; curly hair instead of straight hair.  We never stop to think that surely God knew what He was doing when He made us!  There are times I still deal with some insecurities, but at least now I have learned an incredible lesson.  While reading the Psalms, I stumbled onto a scripture which helped me glimpse God’s view of me.  It was exactly what I needed at the time. 

Psalm 45:11 (KJV) says, “So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty: for He is thy Lord and worship thou Him.”  The NIV says “The King is enthralled by your beauty; honor Him, for He is your Lord.”  According to Webster’s dictionary, the definition of enthralled is to hold spellbound.  Amazing!  The King of Kings is spellbound by your beauty!  As long as He finds you beautiful, does it really matter what the rest of the world thinks about you or even, what you sometimes think about yourself?

Psychologists today are always telling us that self-esteem is the most important thing a person has.  And, I think they usually send people to the wrong places to find it.  Self-esteem comes from security and self-worth.  We cannot be complete without God.  He is the One who completes us.  Your sense of self-worth is directly related to the Lord.  A relationship with Him is the only way to find security in every area of your life.  An example of this security is found in The Song of Solomon.  First, we need to establish that according to Ephesians 5:31-32, marriage is an earthly representation of the relationship the church is to have with Jesus Christ.  The Song of Solomon helps us relate earthly marriage to our union with Christ through a beautiful tale of romance and love, in the physical sense and also in the spiritual sense.

Please read Song of Solomon chapter 2.  In verse 1 (NIV), note that the female, or “the beloved,” speaks of herself as “a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.”  In verse 2, the man responds, “Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens.”  She was not being vain or egotistical, she simply saw herself as he saw her.  Through the knowledge that he saw her as a lily among thorns, she came to fully believe that. 

What a difference it would make in our lives if we would stop judging ourselves by what we see in the mirror!  We need to see ourselves as our Heavenly King sees us, beautiful beyond compare.  He is completely taken with you!  Always remember that “the King is enthralled by your beauty.”  He sees you as beautiful and desirable in a pure and holy way we cannot comprehend.  Let your mirror be the face of Jesus.  To Him, the most beautiful girl in the world is the bride who steadily makes herself ready for her Groom.  Jesus is not a stern dictator looking down from Heaven, making sure we obey His rules.  He is not a distant being too busy running the world to notice the details of our everyday lives.  He is so much more than someone we simply believe in to escape hell when we die.  He is the lover of your soul, your true Prince.  He is One who loves you in a way no one else is capable of loving you.  The One who has cherished you since before your life even began.  The One willing to transform you from a hopeless girl in rags into His beautiful, confident and radiant princess. 

When you are completely dedicated to Him and begin to understand His incredible love for you, you will be fulfilled and possess a true, authentic beauty that flows from deep within.  Ladies who have realized this are world-changers.  They stand out from among other young women like a “lily among thorns.” 

Love,

Amberly

Facing Fear

I have always admired Esther.  So many Biblical accounts are about men, that I really enjoy it when I read something about a woman...especially this woman.  She has always been my hero!  If you have never read the book of Esther, I encourage you to.  Its an incredible story of an amazing young lady and its also very applicable to the world we live in today.

Esther was originally named Hadassah, which means myrtle.  I can’t help imagining how differently we would view the book of Esther had it been called the book of Myrtle.  I’ve heard that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” but I’m not sure I’ve ever believed it! LOL Everyone knows Esther was beautiful, but did you know that Esther was an orphan?  She was raised by her cousin Mordecai, probably a bachelor, in the foreign land of Persia.  The Bible does not tell us how Esther’s parents died, or when they died, but some scholars believe they died at the same time.  How horrible.  Young, orphaned, raised by your bachelor cousin.  Esther probably never imagined she would deliver the Jews from being wiped off the earth for good. 

Did you know that Esther did not end up in the palace by her own choice?  The king’s search for a new queen was not a beauty pageant that Esther volunteered to take part in.  Esther 2:8 tells us that “when the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many girls were brought” to the palace.  Can you imagine?  She was a foreigner, torn from the only father she had ever known and taken to a palace full of strangers who didn’t know her true identity.  And, it only got worse. 

When she arrived, she was subjected to one year of daily beauty rituals.  This was done so that regardless of the heat, regardless of the situation the queen was in, she would smell wonderful and look great.  We all have cabinets full of beauty products, lotions for this and that, a different perfume for every season, special shampoos, but I bet none of us have submerged ourselves in oil for hours upon hours every day for months just to get rid of a few blemishes!  Esther endured some serious stuff!  After the year of beauty treatments was over, each girl was given one chance with the king.  She would never again return to the king unless he took a special liking to her and asked for her by name.  This was a very long process!  Esther had been at the palace for 1 year and 10 months before she was called to see the king!  Esther 2:17-18 (The Message Remix) says “The king fell in love with Esther far more than with any of his other women or any of the other virgins – he was totally smitten by her.  He placed a royal crown on her head and made her queen…” 

Now for the good stuff.  It all starts with Haman.  Haman was the highest ranking official in the king's government and hated Jews.  He had sent out an order to destroy the Jews and all their property.  When Esther heard about it, she sent a servant, Hatach, to Mordecai to get the whole story.  Mordecai told Hatach everything that was going on.  Esther 4:8 says, "he told him (Hatach) to urge her to go into the king's presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people."  Esther sent Hatach back to Mordecai with a message of her own.  Verse 11 says she told Hatach to tell Mordecai "All the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king."  Esther thought Mordecai had lost his mind.  He was basically asking her to risk her life.  She was scared for her people, and also for herself.  Mordecai would not be stopped.  He sent another message to Esther (Esther 4:13-14) saying "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape.  For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"  This got Esther's attention.  She replied (Esther 4:16) "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

What do you think changed her mind?  How did she get from the fear in verse 11 to the courage in verse 16?  I think, for one, that Mordecai reminded her of her heritage when he said “do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape.”  He also forced her to think of her life without him and that there were others who depended on her, by saying “If you remain silent…your father’s family will perish.”  Sometimes, we will do for others, especially people we love, what we would not have the courage to do for ourselves.  Last, Mordecai reminded her of destiny, of God’s ultimate plan for each of our lives, with this statement:  “Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”  Morst likely, even if Esther refused to help, God would have rescued His chosen people some way…but, Esther was His first choice. 

Have you ever thought it wasn’t necessary for you to do something because surely someone else would take care of it?  Have you ever been scared to let people see you for who you really are?  Fear is a daily struggle in our lives.  God knew that.  One can safely assume it’s the reason the most oft given command in the Bible is “Do not be afraid…” Fear rears its ugly head in almost every situation.  We desire to apply for a promotion at work, but we’re afraid that if we get the position we won’t be able to do the job.  We’re afraid of dying young, yet we’re afraid of growing old.  We're afraid of committment, yet we're afraid of living alone.  

Face your fears, whatever they may be.  Esther said, “If I perish, I perish.”  In other words, “I may die trying to save my people, but it’s worth it!”  When my sister and I first moved to Houston, we were both scared of every little noise we heard.  One night we were both petrified by a noise we kept hearing at the back window.  We were huddled together in my sister’s bedroom, conversing about our impending doom.  I would say, “Do you think someone’s trying to get in?”  She’d say “if they are, what are we going to do?”  To which I would reply, “If someone breaks in, they could steal all our stuff…they could rape us…they could kill us!”  To which my sister says, “Oh goodness…we only have steak knives to protect ourselves with!”  On and on we went, terrifying ourselves even more!  Looking back this is hilarious, but at the time, we were scared senseless…obviously, right?  When we finally got enough courage up to look out the window, we discovered that the noise was only a branch blown by the wind.  The branch kept striking the window and making a noise.  That night, I prayed that God would cast fear out of my life.  Ever since then, I’ve never been scared to be alone.  Through my fear, God taught me that we cannot simply trust Him not to let our biggest fears become reality.  We have to trust that if/when our biggest fear becomes reality, He will be there!  Having fear is putting your trust in the wrong source.  To have fear is to have faith in the enemy…and he doesn’t deserve that. 

We need to be fearless.  Not ignorant, but wise and brave.  Sometimes we are the only ones who can change the future!  If we don’t stand up, who will?  If this generation doesn’t share this gospel, then who will?  It takes courage to remain steadfast in truth.  Living for God isn’t easy and sometimes its downright scary!  But just as Esther was the one who could step up and save her people, we are the ones who can step up, save this holiness message and proclaim salvation.  As a child of the King, you are a princess.  Gather all the people, fast and pray, for who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this. 

Sorry for the longest blog ever LOL

Amberly

Offering...

This past Sunday morning I was privileged to hear my sweet sister-in-law sing, my older brother play beautifully on the piano and my wonderful husband preach.  It was so nice to be in service with my family.  God is so amazing in the way He orchestrates everything in our lives.  Dathaniel preached about "The Day After Christmas," and talked about how on Christmas day God gave a gift to us, and that now we should give a gift to Him through our worship.  Amanda's song went perfectly with his message.  She sang "Offering":

Over the skies of Bethleman appeared a star

While angels sang to lowly shepherds

Three wisemen seeking truth traveled from afar

Hoping to find the child from Heaven

Falling on their knees they bowed before the humble Prince of Peace

We bring an offering of worship to our King

No one on earth deserves the praises that we sing

Jesus may You receive the honor that You’re due

O Lord we bring an offering to You

The sun cannot compare to the glory of Your love

There is no shadow in Your presence

No mortal man would dare to stand before Your throne

Before the holy One of Heaven

It’s only by Your blood and

Its only through Your mercy

Lord, I come

I bring an offering of worship to my King

No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing

Jesus may You receive the honor that You’re due

O Lord I bring an offering to You

"Its only by Your blood and its only through Your mercy."  Our lives would be so different if not for Jesus.  As the new year approaches and you begin making your New Years' resolutions...decide to make next year a year of worship.  Worship can be defined in many ways.  Its not only just lifting your hands and praising and thanking God for what He's done for you.  Its also sacrificing things you enjoy to do things for God's people.   Hebrews 13:13-16 (The Message) says "So let's go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is - not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus.  This "insider world" is not our home.  We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come.  Let's take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals, but pouring out sacrificial praises for our lips to God in Jesus' name.  Make sure you don't take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others.  God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship that take place in kitchens and workplaces and on the streets."  In 2011, let's "ACTivate Worship."  Let's take our sacrifice onto the streets, into our communities and show the world how much we love Him.

Love & prayers for the new year,
Amberly

Merry Christmas!!

Sorry the blog hasn't been staying updated.  Life has been crazy busy this entire month!!  Just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!  Love ya'll :)  Hope you have a safe holiday.

Amberly