I'm Anchored

I am steadfast, I will not be moved.
I'm anchored, never shaken. 
All my hope is in you.

¹⁶ People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. ¹⁷ Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸ God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. ¹⁹ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, ²⁰ where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. 

We have the hope of the Gospel, that in all time we have Jesus Christ as our anchor for our soul.  It is not promised to not have trials, it is not promised to be a simple thing.  But it is promised to be firm and secure!  

thatisallfornow.

Amanda

Vegetarian Nachos

So since I'm really only eating fish now and I'm trying to ween off dairy, I figured there had to be a way to still enjoy nachos! So this is what I created!

A plate full of Baked Tostitos
1 can - Organic Low Sodium Black Beans (I put a little Toni's on top)
Half of a Romaine Heart (chopped)
As much Guacamole as you see fit :)
And as much Mango Pico as you want

Needless to say, they were amazing!

 

that'sallfornow.

Amanda

Bold

So with a little over a month left before Leadership Retreat and classes starting, I decided it'd probably be a good time to really sink into the book of Acts.  I'm reading a commentary by Barclay and he points out how at the end of chapters or end of segments that the numbers just kept growing and growing and growing.  But what did that take. 

I turn to Acts 4:29 to start.
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

I met up with some girls who had graduated college a couple weeks ago, and a friend of mine asked a question.  "What did it take to sustain your faith in college?"  A girl replied, I was in a sorority and sometimes they would go to parties, but I had to be BOLD and not go, and explain why I didn't.  Other times it took me being BOLD to share my faith to anyone, especially new girls I met. 

So there I was thinking about every time, place, or thing that I could have been BOLD but I wasn't.  And then I was thinking about how in less then a month I'm going to be on campus, all over again, trying to meet people.  Sometimes I was so scared of rejection that I wouldn't say anything to anyone passing by.  But why?!!!  I've got nothing to lose, I've got a relationship with JESUS, the greatest thing in the world.  I want everyone to have it, and by me telling them about my Love, and being rejected, doesn't make me lose my Love. 

Bold, we are equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit to speak BOLDLY!  We have the greatest hope.  We have nothing to lose but the souls that we could have talked to.

thatisallfornow.

Amanda

 

To Worship You My King

It is Only a passionate relationship with God that can protect our worship from becoming mere emotional release.

 Let me start off by saying, if you haven't started reading the summer girls reading book, you should start! I read the intro and first chapter last night and am so excited!

I found the above statement in the intro of the book and was like "woah" that really is something we need protection from. However, it wasn't until I was driving to work this morning and I am guilty of that. I Exalt Thee by Jesus Culture start playing on my iPod and it immediately brought me back to SALT. All I could think about was how my worship was so directed at Him, how I wanted nothing more then to be as close to Him as I could. Yet then I realized how I don't always feel that way. How often do we walk into church, chi alpha, youth group so pumped for worship saying "Man this is gonna be good, I need this!" We've had a rough week, little sleep, tests, arguments, problems, and we say I just need this! While it's good to rest in the presence of God. Do we ever stop and think about how God needs us to worship Him. I'm just thinking about how different my worship was at SALT and how I was really singing to praise Him, rather then a time when I just needed to release, or when I needed to ask Him for things. Which isn't bad but our God needs our Praise. He needs to be worshiped.

Psalms 150 -- Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

thatsallfornow.

Amanda

My soul longs for You...

It's the end of another year of college, well almost, I have one final left. But that's close enough! I'm so grateful for the year I've had, in the little spare time I've had with finals, I've been reflecting on the last year and thinking about everything that happened. I got to witness so many beautiful things, I got to watch the Lord build my character, I got to be apart of so many wonderful friendships. 

 I got to watch the Lord and my best friend love my friend, Emily Socks who I got to watch choose JESUS! 

I met one of my best friends, who I'm so thankful to have walking beside me through life! 

The Lord blessed me with two wonderful faithful, available, and teachable friends, who I am so proud of, that I got to watch grow in the Lord. And who I can confidently say are going to make awesome small group leaders!! You have both stolen my heart! 

 And I got to live with some of the most amazing girls I've ever known! I love you three so so so much!!! 

 But I also have been thinking about how much more of my heart I could have really given to the Lord this year. How much of my heart I could really give to the Lord forever. In Hosea 2:19, the Lord choose to betroth us forever. Not just in righteousness, justice or compassion, but in LOVE. FOREVER. How often do we say, "I need to spend more time with the Lord." How often do we make time for things that aren't the Lord and not spend time with the Lord later? I'm not here to convict you of where your time goes. I am saying this though, because this summer can be crucial! What if this summer we decided to long for the Lord, yearn for the Lord, get passionate about the Lord? Can we attempt to commit ourselves to Him the way He committed himself to us forever? He handed us a life of eternity. 

thatisallfornow. 


Amanda

Running To You ...

... In the sense of first giving Your life to the Lord.

... I the sense of finding rest in the peace of His hands.

I received a letter from a friend a year ago and in the letter she was telling me about her coming to know the Lord.  One of her statements was along the lines of, "I was running back and forth, back and forth, until one day I finally told the Lord , "I'm yours' whether it is easy or not."  Finally coming to the conclusion that a life with the Lord was better even though it still wasn't always easy to give up certain things.  I'm in constant awe of this persons life now.

Walking with the Lord does not mean a life of simplicity.  It does not mean that everything is always going to be good.  But it does mean that it's guaranteed to get better.  It does mean it is going to get easier.  Because when we fix our eyes of Jesus, and when we choose to run to Him and get in His arms, we release things to Him, we trust in Him. 

There is a song called Maranatha by Great Awakening.  A part of the song says,

Cause in Your chest is where I want to be,

In Your arms I rest above my enemies.

We can find rest in the arms of Jesus from sufferings, enemies, from sin and from anything.  We can truly rest in Jesus if we give ourselves to Him. If we place our dependency of Jesus we can walk in Peace.  If we can place our dependency of Jesus, we can live a life free from the stress and a life full of joy, because we know He will take care of us, and we know that we have something much bigger to give ourselves to that all else seems to fade away.  

The old things will pass away, when we hear the name Jesus and accept Him.

that'sallfornow.

Amanda

there is power in the name of Jesus.

When driving to Dallas back on December 28th, to get to Salt 2011, the only thing I really remember thinking was, "Lord, I'm gonna need you to show up."  

I feel silly thinking that, cause put 1200 student and staff in a room, with the same purpose of worshiping and getting closer to the Lord, He is going to show up.  

The pictures I posted above are Facebook status updates, and pictures from Salt.  The Lords presence was really there, everywhere in the hotel.  Friends of mine really had life changing experiences with the Lord.  I believe that the Lord shows up, when and where ever you want Him too.  This conference was no different.  What a wonderful way, my friends and I got to bring in the new year.

There is POWER in the name of JESUS ... Why?

I think, and this is my personal opinion, we far to often look to closely at how we are suppose to live a life morally right as a Christian.  Then looking at the life Jesus lived for us and honoring it.  Reading John and Hebrews over the break, was enough for me to realize the life, which was pure sacrifice, of Jesus was just incredible.  I remember when I first learned that His ministry was 3 years long, I was just like, "How!?"  

Hebrews 12:2 says, "... For the joy set before Him he endured the cross ..."

Jesus endured the cross to defeat sin, to prove that God's law could be obeyed.  So why is there power in the name of Jesus?  

He endured all our sin, does that not take power?

He overcame all temptation, does that not take power?

He proved that God's law could be obeyed, does that not take power?

With Jesus humbling himself and coming to earth as a man, giving himself as the ultimate sacrifice, what can not be done, if it is done in the name of Jesus? 

that'sallfornow.

Amanda