Author Archives: Amy

Amy is the wife of 17 years to her own Mr. Incredible, and mom to one princess/artist 6-year-old girl and one politician/preacher 10-year-old boy. She is a recovering perfectionist that you will usually find speaking at Epilepsy Awareness programs, volunteering at her children’s school, updating her Facebook status , or writing about faith, music and epilepsy at her blog .

Unclean

Lately my mind and my “to do list” have been focused on clean, clean, clean. You see, my house could use a good cleaning from top to bottom. Especially before we drag out all of the Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations and bring in a whole new lot of toys, games and clothes. Since both kids have birthdays near the end of the year and Christmas presents will be coming in soon, it can get to be a bit overwhelming. That’s why it especially struck me when twice this week, once in chapel at school with my kids and then at church, I heard the story of the leper Christ healed.

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Popcorn

Our neighbors on both sides of our home have trampolines in their backyards. This proves to be a great attraction to many of the kids in our cul-de-sac including my daughter. I don’t mind her jumping, but there is only one problem. One neighbor has a net around her trampoline and the other does not. So the rule is, you can jump on the one with the net, but not on the other. After all, I have to do as much as I can to keep her safe, right?

Recently I walked out the front door to see a little pink bow bouncing up and down above the fence in the neighbor’s yard – the yard that has a trampoline without a net.

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Knowing His Will

For the last five weeks, I’ve been facilitating a Bible study by Kay Arthur called Lord, Teach Me to Pray. I have to admit, it’s been very challenging. Prayer is an area I struggle with quite a bit, mostly because I can’t sit still very long and my mind is always racing with the ten thousand things I have to do. I know that’s an exaggeration; it’s not really ten thousand things, but it sure does feel that way.

This past week’s lesson touched on an area in prayer I think many of us wonder about sometimes – what God’s will is for each of us.

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You’ve Got A Friend In Me

Ever heard the phrase, “a friend in need is a friend indeed”? Some believe this phrase means that someone who needs help or wants something from you will become friends with you in order to obtain it. However, when you research this phrase you will find in the 3rd century BC, Quintus Ennius wrote ‘Amicu certus in re incerta cernitur’ which translated from Latin means ‘a sure friend is known when in difficulty’. The origin of the phrase can also be traced back to 1489, in Caxton’s Sonnes of Aymon: ‘It is said that at the need, a friend is known.’

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Praying in Faith

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 NLT

One of my recent Bible readings was Acts 12. In this chapter, Herod has put Peter in prison. Now Herod was arresting those who belonged to the church and had put James, the brother of John to death already, so it wasn’t looking good for Peter. The church was “earnestly praying” to God on Peter’s behalf.

Scripture tells us the night before Peter was to be brought to trial, he was bound with chains, sleeping between two guards, when an angel of the Lord appeared, woke him up, made the chains fall from his wrist and led him from the prison to freedom right under three sets of guards noses.

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Five Finger Prayer

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Eph 6:18

Of all the spiritual disciplines, prayer is often the hardest for me. I do talk to God all day, and I guess that’s prayer, but some days I feel like only emergency prayers get tossed heavenward. You could say that God certainly gets all kinds of requests from me, that’s for sure. But somehow, I’m not so sure that’s what the scripture above means.

Recently, my children and I have been discussing prayer.

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Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness

My kids are super excited about the Fourth of July. They love the parties, the decorations, and the fireworks. They love that I pull out some red, white and blue craft for us to do. They love that we always buy or make a new patriotic shirt or outfit to wear. They love that we usually take a trip, maybe to the beach or the mountains.

But I’ve been reflecting on why they should love the fourth. They should love it not for the fun things we do but for what it stands for… freedom. I’m thinking I need to do a better job of teaching them what freedom means and why it is important.

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The Great I Am

God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation. Exodus 3:14-15

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with life or with what God has called you to do? If so, you are not alone. When Moses encountered God in the burning bush and God revealed to him his assignment, Moses was overwhelmed too.

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