Love Never Fails

This week I have thought a great deal about how truly difficult it is to really love others. Loving people like I am supposed to is a very hard thing. In English we use the word "love" to encompass many things. We use it to talk about clothes, candy, cars, people, etc.  In the Greek language there are 4 words that mean love:

• philia - the love of close friends or brothers         
• storge - the love of family
• eros - carnal or sexual love
• agape - love which seeks the highest good of others; not just friends, family, or brethren, but even enemies       

Agape love is the one that is commanded of us.  It:

• Does not depend upon the one being loved as having earned such love
•  Is not an exclusive love (brothers only), but an all-embracing benevolence
•  Is not an uncontrolled reaction of the heart, but a concentrated exercise of will
•  Is a caring love, one which becomes involved in the needs of others

A simple definition of agape love would be "active good will".

Lately, I have had to remind myself quite often that God has commanded me to obey Him by loving others His way.  In that command, He has not promised me that others will show me gratitude for it, or listen to me, or take my advice or help. There are many things I will do for others that will feel like a waste of time. People will wad up my hard work and my love and throw it away. But one thing that has kept me going this week are those 3 little words in the beginning of 1 Corinthians 13:8. I have said "Love never fails" to myself many times these past few days.

Why does "love never fail?"  It never fails because even if others do not catch the love I put out there, God does. The love I show others will never be wasted because He sees, He appreciates, He catches it.

God has called us to be lovers and we frequently think that He meant us to be saviors.  So we “love” as long as we see “results.”  We give of ourselves as long as our investments pay off, but if the ones we love do not respond; we tend to despair and blame ourselves and even resent those we pretend to love.  Because we love someone, we want them to be free of addictions, of sin, of self- and that is as it should be.  But it might be that our love for them and our desire for their well-being will not make them well. And, if that is the case, their lack of response no more negates the reality of love than their quickness to respond would confirm it.

-Rich Mullins

I will not try to take His job. He is in the business of changing lives, not me. I will listen to His calling. I will not resent others when they do not listen to me or clap for me and say, "thank you."  I will show active goodwill.  I will go out of my way to help others when He calls me to do it. I will continue to love even when I don't see results because I know that LOVE NEVER FAILS!!

Lover not a Savior,
Amy

The $5 Promise

The other day Clint and I had a long discussion about finances. In June, we lost some income since we no longer have our part-time jobs due to FCC & Northridge merging.  We talked about how to bring in extra income, ways to cut back, and things we can do to manage our money better. Money can cause great worry and trepidation- unexpected hospital bills, insurance premiums going up, salary going down because of furloughs, the boys are eating more, they need clothes without holes, they need money for camp, the list goes on and on.  We decided to pray about it for a few weeks and see what doors God would open for us instead of jumping into any hasty decisions.
A few days later I opened my Bible to read some suggested scriptures that were in our church bulletin.  I turned to Deuteronomy 28:1-12, and on that exact page in my Bible were 5  $1 bills. This is what the scripture said:

“If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. ² You will experience all these blessings if you obey the LORD your God:

³ Your towns and your fields will be blessed.
⁴ Your children and your crops will be blessed.   The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed.
⁵ Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed.
⁶ Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed.

⁷ “The LORD will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven! ⁸ “The LORD will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

⁹ “If you obey the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways, the LORD will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. ¹⁰ Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the LORD, and they will stand in awe of you.

¹¹ “The LORD will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. ¹² The LORD will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them.

I am sure I put those $1 bills in my Bible for some reason long ago, although I could not remember when or why. But how cool was it that they were on the exact page that contained the promise I so needed to hear at that moment?!?! God was reminding me that He is faithful and He will provide us with the things we need if we keep being obedient and trusting in Him. 

"The LORD will send rain at the proper time"-oh, how difficult it is to trust in God's proper time. I am a planner. I am an organizer.  That day I was in need of being reminded that God is too. His planning and His organization set the universe in motion and He knows what He is doing. Now I will do my part and be obedient to Him as He does what He has promised.

"When the train goes through a tunnel and the world gets dark, do you jump out? 

Of course not.  You sit still and trust the engineer to get you through."
-Corrie ten Boom

Trusting the Engineer,
Amy

2001- The Great Parenting Experiment Began

11 years ago my world was rocked and my life was completely changed for the better. 11 years ago today, I became a Mom. I remember the excitement we felt finding out we were having a baby.  I kept a pregnancy journal and recorded my weight and measurements. I couldn't wait to wear maternity clothes. My good friend Heather was pregnant at the same time and it was so fun comparing bodies and planning for motherhood together.  Clint starting putting headphones on my belly as soon as we knew the baby could hear in the womb at about 16 weeks. The baby was listening to Mozart every night, and then praise music on stage at church every Sunday morning and Sunday night.                                     

Clint and I were living in a little one-bedroom apartment on the side of my parents' house. We put together the crib, got all the clothes ready, put up the mobile and waited. And waited. And waited.   My due date was December 28. I was huge. Every time anyone saw me they would ask, "You haven't had that baby yet?"  We even had to put a message on our answering machine saying, "Leave your name, number, and NO, we have not had the baby yet!"  Finally, on January 3 I was induced.   We brought two outfits to the hospital- one for a girl and one for a boy. Our family was in the waiting room and when Bryce was born at 10:07 am on January 4, our mothers skipped down the hall holding hands to announce to our family," It's a boy!"  The nurses then let everyone back in the delivery room and we all held hands and our minister, John DuBose, said a prayer. Love was overflowing from that room.

It was then that the great parenting experiment began for us- and oh what a journey it has been! He did not sleep in that beautifully prepared crib. In fact, he did not sleep through the night the first month he was home. After that, the only place he would go to sleep at night was in the bouncy seat beside our bed. It was a wonderful year of firsts- smile, bath, teeth, rolling over, shots, pulling up, ear infection, taking steps, bumps & bruises. All those are such cherished memories! How we both have grown and changed since then!

Bryce means "alert & ambitious." He has definitely lived up to his name. He is smart, caring, funny, argumentative, hard-headed, loving, and passionately musical. He keeps me on my toes and has me changing my parenting tactics all the time. On January 14, 2001 we formally dedicated him to the Lord in the presence of our church family. Thank you to all who helped teach him, love him, babysit him, dance and sing with him, march around, pick grass with him, & encourage him thus far.

Ephesians 3:14-21- When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Much love,

Amy

There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. 

There are seven million. 

~Walt Streightiff 

Hello 2012

2011 was quite a year! Some highlights:

• Clint won Teacher of the Year for the school and the county
• Bryce got a perfect score on his piano guild competition- the only one of 70+ students who made a perfect score.
• Preston broke his arm jumping from one big hay bale to the other.
• Maddox started Pre-K.
• Jude turned 2 and began really talking and becoming his own little person- very determined, loving, and independent.!

This summer of  2011 closed one chapter of my life and opened another.  In May, our congregation voted to fit into a bigger part of God's plan and join together with Northridge Christian Church and use the FCC church building as an outreach to college students. I was against this plan at first for many reasons. But as time passed and I prayed and listened, God softened my heart and I slowly began to agree with the idea.     

June 26 was our last church service at First Christian Church. My Mom got a job playing the piano there when I was 8 years old. She would get there early, before anyone else, so she could practice the organ. I remember the click of her shoes and the sound of the music filling the room. I was baptized there, married there, and all of our children were dedicated to the Lord in that building. First Christian people taught me about Jesus, about love, & about the importance of a church family.

On July 3, we began going to our "new" church as the boys called it. For about 8 weeks, I would cry either on the way to church, during church, or on the way back from church. Even though I knew this was God's will, it was still very hard. Each week on the way to church we would play  "Stronger" and "Like a Lion."  These were my theme songs for the summer and fall.

"When the waves are taking you under
Hold on just a little bit longer
He knows that this is gonna make you stronger, stronger
The pain ain't gonna last forever
And things can only get better
Believe me
This is gonna make you stronger"
-"Stronger"

If I had to give 2011 a name, I would call it "The Year of God's Faithfulness."  Not because He was only faithful this past year, but because I learned about His faithfulness and learned to trust it this year more then any other thus far. I learned that living for Him is not about my comfort or sentimentality, but about how He can best use us and the resources we have to further His Kingdom. I am resolved to no  longer whine and complain about things that really do not matter when there are people dying every day for the cause of Christ.

I have chosen Colossians 3:12-14 to be my theme verse for this year. I am working on memorizing it and learning how to really dress in the wardrobe of God's love in 2012.

"So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it." -Colossians 3:12-14

I will try to update the blog more this year. I was about to delete it because it has been so long since I updated, but my heart is full of excitement for the new year and the adventures it will bring. I hope to do better about sharing this year. Thanks to all of you who have blessed my life.

Amy

"I am a Christian, not because someone explained the nuts and bolts of Christianity to me,

but because there were people willing to be nuts and bolts." -Rich Mullins