Scripture Memory Round 11

Here is my 11th memory verse for 2009!!

Just look over the fact that I never posted verses 8,9, and 10. I did them....just failed to post! :)

Ephesians 6:14-17

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

How to be Obsessed

If obsession was a character trait which one should aspire towards, I could teach the class. If it was a commendable attribute, I would be like Solomon composing the Proverbs.
My mind never stops. Short of being diagnosed as Obsessive-Compulsive, my personality snatches onto many things and tosses thoughts back and forth in my mind like toddlers playing ping-pong. I'm not sure that is the greatest analogy, but you get the point.
I make lists (yes, obsessively..); I say my plans out loud over and over; and I DWELL on something until I can put it into its proper place in my thought closet (at which time, I take it out and try it on again numerous times).

Sounds like fun, right? That's hard to admit, but I am often a prisoner of my own marathon mind.

Not only do I obsess, I am prone to addiction. When I get that one thing in my mind, it doesn't let go. God's Word tells me that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So my plan for the next few months? I'm going to find out what that means for me. I am going to dive into the meat and bones of Scripture and find answers for my life.

I need it. I need the healing power of God's Word. I don't even feel embarrassed to have this blogged to the world (well, not that the whole world reads this humble blog of mine!!) because I am convinced that I am not the only one whose mind is a raging motor speedway of racing thoughts.

So no, just in case you are wondering - I'm not having a nervous breakdown. At the moment, my mind is actually in a rare state of peace. I just want answers. I want freedom from this mind of mine -- and I will seek the Lord wholeheartedly until I find what I am looking for.

Dear Jesus - thank You for the amazing brains you have given us. I even thank You that mine has the ability to operate at high speeds :)
I know that I am not the only one of Your children who suffers from a tyrannical mind sometimes, Father. I plead with You to show me in Your Word what the solution is. Give me Your Spirit of Wisdom to discover life-changing (mind-numbing??) TRUTH. In Your marvelous Name I pray - AMEN.

Cluster of Random-ness

Rush, Rush, Rush. That's all I have done for the past two weeks. Jumping from here to the next thing to the next thing. And now, I'm at home in bed instead of at my Discipleship Committee meeting at church because I'm just plain run down. T-I-R-E-D

I haven't even had TIME to post, even if I had a minute to think about what to post. Am I whining? So be it.

Larry is out of town for work this week, so I am home with Luke (who insists he is sleeping in Daddy's place tonight). He's in the kitchen right now with his easel, simultaneously acting the role of Boots (Dora's sidekick...for those who don't know), coloring/drawing monsters, and bothering the cats. How can a 3 year old multi-task so well? I suppose he has learned from his mommy.

We are meeting Larry in Oklahoma this weekend, and we're going to see his mom for Mother's Day. I can't wait to be away from the house this weekend.....where the only responsibility will be making my bed in the mornings (and, if I'm truthful, Larry will handle that task!).

This post was rather pointless, but I wanted to prove that I was still an active blogger. To whom I was trying to prove that point is yet to be determined - but whatever.

So now I'm going to watch American Idol and go check on Luke's artistry. Apparently he just drew a picture of me......

Blessings!
Amy

Scripture Memory Round 8

I am VERY late in posting this verse. The next "round" will be next Saturday. Not sure how I missed my timing....probably because my life has been hectic (understatement) over the last two weeks.

Here's my verse:

"In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and He answered me by setting me free.
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
The Lord is with me; He is my Helper.
I will look in triumph on my enemies."

Psalms 118:5-7 (NIV)

Take that, enemies! My God is bigger, stronger, mightier than you can fathom. My God is the God of all creation. My God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God who Saves. He is always with me, whispering sweet peace to me in times of turmoil. He calms my heart when I am faced with overwhelming fear.
Fear and anxiety can never overtake me because they bow to the Mighty God I serve.
My God is a GOOD God, He is my Helper at ALL times. When I am tempted, He reminds me of my way out; when I am doubtful, He reminds me that His Presence is not based on a feeling. When I am wallowing in a deep cavernous pit, He whisks me away to a spacious place and reminds me who I am as His Beloved.

My God loves me! What a comfort!

~Amy

Living Simply

My heart longs for simplicity. To live simply in the presence of God; to live simply, even in a world of "much".
Click on the button in the righthand column for sound advice on how to live a simple life.

Happy Monday!!

Love - Amy

My Sweet Boy

I just don't know where the time has gone, and tonight I am reminiscing. Luke and I spent all day together: we went to the Houston Children's Festival, the petting zoo, Rainforest Cafe, and Katy Mills Mall (of course there had to be a mall in there somewhere!).

He is only 3 years and 3 months old, and I already find myself thinking, "Where has the time gone?" I look at his 3 ft 3 in stature and wonder where the tiny baby is hiding. He opens his mouth and tells me he wants to go to the "donut store", and I am baffled that he is no longer eating out of a jar. Luke is sitting next to me right now, begging to "help" me type. He's even learning manipulation, telling me that it's not dark outside so he shouldn't have to go to bed; telling me he IS being careful, when I tell him to quit jumping off the couch.

In the mall earlier today, he told me he was "getting very upset" as I was browsing in Banana Republic. I asked him why he was upset, and he told me he didn't want to be in that store. The child is so like his daddy already.

We were driving to church last Sunday morning, and from the backseat I hear, "Stupid lady, drive your car." Ouch. That was my son's voice.....my only consolation was that he heard that from his daddy, who often vocalizes his frustrations with other drivers.

He wears Spiderman underwear now instead of Nemo Pull-ups; He picks out his own clothes instead of waiting on me to tell him what to wear. And my sweet boy doesn't voluntarily kiss his mommy much anymore.

I pray that God will pour out His grace on this precious child; I know that I cannot hold onto him forever, but God can.

Scripture Memory Round 7!!

For the record, I'm tired.

I took Kathryn to the Britney Spears concert on Monday night - and I didn't get home until 2:30am (I had to drive her home after the concert - and turn around and drive an hour and a half back to my house). It was definitely worth it though...because I don't get to spend nearly as much time with Kathryn as I would like. She's a sophomore now, and it makes me sad to think that in just two more years, we won't have our regular weekends with her anymore. She is truly my sweetheart. I couldn't love her any more if she were my very own.

I'm also tired because living in this flesh is just plain tiring. Sometimes I feel like I am running on a treadmill from sun-up to sun-down: getting a willing-or-un-willing Luke ready in the mornings; driving to work; daily morning meetings; strategizing, organizing, planning, and negotiating; lunch meetings with more of the aforementioned; managing people and dealing with their un-ending list of issues and complaints; driving home from work; getting dinner ready (or....more honestly, watching Larry get dinner ready..but that's still tiring!!); running/working out; hanging out with Luke; getting Luke a bath; taking a shower; and ending the day with a DVR'd version of whatever the daily "show" is.
Just typing out this list brings mental exhaustion as I visualize myself performing all of these activities! But did you notice something missing? I didn't include my daily date with Jesus (which usually happens first thing in the morning).

Without that "appointment", the day is draining. I most assuredly could not joyfully and energetically face the day's tasks without being first cleansed, refreshed, filled, and clothed by the Holy Spirit. I am so dependant on pouring the Truth into my mind before I even step into the shower - that I honestly could not operate as a "whole" person without my time with the Lord. I often joke that God must REALLY like to spend time with me since I'm quite a malfunctional mess without Him.

I picked the following verses for my Scripture Memory Round 7 because Paul tells the Romans (and us) that what we set our minds on affects our behavior. When I begin the day without setting my mind on His Holiness - I default to obsessing on gratifying my flesh.....and frankly, focusing on all that my flesh wants....and how my flesh can get it....is TIRING. It wears me out. What a sinner I am! Thank God this sinner is saved by His amazing grace!

So here are my memory verses! I will be clothing my mind with TRUTH before I jump out of bed in the morning; I will be focusing on all that is holy before a word comes out of my mouth; and I will step into His heavenly Presence before I have a chance to dwell on the pressures and problems of this world.

"For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit.
Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].
[That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot.
So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him."

Romans 8: 5-8 (Amplified Version)

Catering to the appetites and impulses of my carnal nature has been a relentless, tyrannical, exhausting pursuit. May God help me moment by moment to live by the Spirit....and thus be filled with life (His life) and peace.

Amy