Sometimes He has to let us fall

Love's not safe at all
Love might let you fall
Love's not easy

But it's good, it's good, it's good

Love will take your time

Love might feel unkind

Love will break you

But it's good, it's good, it's good

I know it's good

Anything good in life's

Gonna take a sacrifice

Everything you need in life

Was given by his sacrifice

I will give it all to you

I will give it all to Christ

He's not safe at all

He might let you fall

He's not easy

But He's good

I know He's good

He will take your time

He might feel unkind

He will break you

But He's good, He's good, He's good

I know He's good
~Sidewalk Prophets

One question: How many times have we fallen on our face only to look up and see Jesus reaching out His hand to pick us up?? And when you look in His eyes He asks you, "Why didn't you let me help you?? Why did you think you had to handle this all on your own?? When I am right here, I am always right here to fight for you. Do you not know how great my Love is for you??"

Live to Encourage

"Okay, when did 'Encouragement' decide to give up, jump off a cliff & drawn itself in some unforgiving body of water?? When did it become acceptable in our society to cut people down and call it 'tough love'?"

I wrote this down in the 'Note' section of  my phone about a month ago and lately I have been hearing a lot of different opinions when it comes to encouragement vs. criticism so I guess now is the perfect time to talk about this.

At our last Youth prayer meeting we studied the first six chapters of Hebrews. In Hebrews 3:13 Paul says, "But exhort (encourage) one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." When our brother's and sister's in the Lord encourage us we know we are not going through this alone. People we love and respect are going through the same things we are. We all face trials and sometimes feel that we can't go on or we can't win this battle; but Praise God we serve a God who fights them all for us. 

Now, Criticism or instruction, as some call it, can be taken in the same way if presented in a loving Christ-like manner. If you're talking down to some one 1. they are not going to listen; it will go in one ear and out the other & 2. if what you were trying to accomplish is to encourage another person try a different approach; each person takes things differently. Some criticism is good, such as, instructive criticism which my dad is the king of so I have learned to take it well. 

When I was a junior in High School I had to give an oral presentation on a huge research paper about Cesarean Sections (C-sections). My grade was a 97% I had done the best in my entire junior class and I even had teachers from my other classes come up to me during the week congratulating me on how well I did. When I got home I was overwhelmingly excited, I couldn't wait to tell anyone who would listen about my good grade. When I told my dad the first thing he said was, "Why didn't you get a hundred?" This might sound like 'talk about criticism!' But I am a lot like my dad so to me this was constructive criticism. I stepped back, thought about what I could do better the next time I had to give an oral report. Each time I got better & each time I volunteered to go first knowing I was ready because I learned something beneficial from each presentation I gave. 

I love to see the look on person's face when I give them a compliment or a word of encouragement & it seemed to be the last thing they were expecting out of their day (which, is sad) & their face just lights up. That in itself is one of the greatest rewards we can receive on this earth; to make someone understand their worth and to show them that they are appreciated. 

It's Not about me

It's Not about me, Lord

It's all about You!

It's not about my dreams and my plans; 

No matter how grand or selfless they may be.

Because, You have dreamed such dreams for me...

that are more passionate and beautiful than I could ever imagine. 

Oh! and the plans You have laid out for me...

they are so great, I am overwhelmed. 

You expect so much from me;

 but You ask for so little.

Your great Love for me has been from the beginning of time,

& it never ends.

Each detail of me, You formed with such care and devotion.

From my blue eyes to my two missing teeth, 

You created me perfect in Your eyes. 

Thank You, for always fighting for me.

Even when I felt I had nothing left to fight for...

You never let me go. 

Jealous much??

The other night my dad asked completely out of the blue and to no one in particular, "How are we going to find Amanda a church of God man?" And I was shocked speechless (which does not happen very often) waving my hands in front of my face like white flags of surrender. The only words that managed to escaped from my lips were, "No, no, no..." Which led into one of our amazing family discussions where we talked about personality characteristics, and Jealousy was brought up.
I believe that Jealous is the worst personality trait any man or woman can have. 
1. it means you do not trust your significant other
2. it means you have no confidence in yourself (don't you know your worth??)
Jealousy is suffocating and degrading. Love is earned, Trust is earned, Respect is earned: and Jealousy destroys all of that.  
On a lighter note:
When I think Jesus being Jealous for me...that's a completely different story. I am honoured and humbled that my Lord and Savior will NOT share me with anyone or anything else. I feel so loved, so wanted when I think about His desire for me to be His alone.
Sidewalk prophets sing a song called 'Keep making me', this is the chours:

"‘Til You are my one desire
‘Til You are my one true love
‘Til You are my breath, my everything
Lord, please keep making me"

And this my prayer and passion, that Jesus be my one desire, my one true love. To never need or want anyone but Him. 

Busted Heart

Lord, my heart is busted,

the shattered pieces are scattered across the floor.

The world has stomped on my heart with its steel-toed boots,

& I don't have the strength to get up off this ground.

Its all too heavy to carry & it weighs me down. 

Hold on to me, Lord!

Put me back together again,

Make me whole, Make me pure

...for You.

Hold me up!

Lift me out of this miry clay I have fallen into...

If this is what it takes for me to learn to trust You

then Lord, Your will be done.

If falling on my face time and time again is what it takes...

If crawling on my knees back to You is what it takes...

Then Lord, Your will be done.

If this is what it takes for me to trust You with my everything

...then let me fall.

As long as every time,

You are the One rescuing me.

"When I see the Blood..."

So...school haha What can one say about starting something new?? For me I feel like I am taking another step towards my future, not knowing where it will lead...but that's called Faith, right?? It has definitely been a challenge so far & I PRAISE God for this challenge. I hope it continues to be challenging no matter what position of a CST (Certified Surgical Technician) I might have someday. This is just another journey, another path I am blessed to walk down with my Lord. 

"When I see the blood, when I see the blood,

When I see the blood, I will pass, I will pass over you."

This is a song we sing at my church & the meaning is so powerful to me; its been on my mind and my heart but I just didn't know how to put it into words. 'When I see the blood...' To some people this is just a reference to when the Israelite children were slaves in Egypt. One night the Death Angel came and when he saw the 'blood' he passed over the house. 

"And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." Exodus 12:13

But to me this is a promise: "When I see the Blood, I will pass over you." That blood is Jesus Christ! That precious, pure blood that was shed on Calvary hill two-thousand years ago has NOT lost its power. My Savior shed His blood to save my soul... can it be explained in any better way?? His blood is my covering, it is my protection. His blood is my Salvation; it saves me from the temptations of the devil, the pressures of this world, and His blood saves me from myself. This world has nothing for me & as I get closer to God that becomes more & more true. Jesus has kept every promise He has ever made to me...why should I go looking somewhere else or to someone else?? They make only shallow promises they can't keep. I know where I belong, & I stand firm on a solid foundation. Like a tree planted by the waters, 'I shall not be moved'. In your name Lord Jesus

the Heart of Worship...

It's time to get back to the basics...of Faith, of Worship, of Praise.
Our pastor ripped us (I say that in the most loving way haha) this Sunday on the music we listen to & how it influences us. I felt emotionally and spiritually beaten-down afterwards but it was exactly what we needed to hear. Music has more influence over us than we would like to believe; but if we would put that passion and drive into finding Christian artists that are on fire for God, that are using their ministry and talent for the Glory of God we wouldn't have such a struggle when it comes to the temptations (musical and otherwise) of this world. 
When I think of singing praises to Jesus and offering my heart in worship I think of David on his harp, while watching his father's sheep writing psalm after psalm in praise, in honor to the One who is worthy. David didn't care if there was good beat, or if the lyrics rhymed. His desire was to pour out his heart to God in the best way he knew how. When did 'Worship' become so complicated?? It's time to come back to the heart of worship that lives inside of us.

"I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about you
It's all about you, Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the things I've made it
When it's all about you
It's all about you, Jesus"

~Hillsong

I'm not big on resolutions but am determined to travel back to my childhood and re-discover the Christian music and Christian artist my parents 1st brought into our house. Music that touched my soul before I even knew what a soul was. Music that I can worship with, Music that I can listen to in my car as I'm traveling an hour each way to school; that I can feel the sweet Spirit of the Holy Ghost overwhelming me with His presence. Music and Lyrics that can bring me closer to God.