by Amy | Oct 18, 2013 | Blog, The Art of Faith, The Art of the Moment
Tonight Practically Canada is expected to get mixed precipitation. As in rain…mixed with snow. It’s only a matter of time now and winter will be upon us again.
I love fall and I hate to see it come to a close. I’m a fan of sweater weather and the smell of dry leaves. I like the eerie feeling in the air as things begin to close up, grow dark and quiet for a long winter season. I like cemetaries and the way they look with deer peeking out from behind grave stones and crow circling overhead. I love the colors and the flavors and the spooky side of this time of year.
So I thought I’d take this opportunity to put together a little image essay. These are a few things that caught my eye as I walked around my block. The beautiful thing about photographs is that you can savor a moment forever. This way, even if snow falls tonight, we’ll still have the color of the leaves, the smell or fresh apples, and the sound of crunchy leaves lingering in our minds.
by Amy | Oct 4, 2013 | Blog, The Art of Faith
The problem with knowing a subject really well is that after a while everything we see about it seems the same. We start to read about it, whatever it is, then our eyes glaze over and we start skimming…because we have it in our heads that we’ve already seen that, heard that, know that.
That’s the problem with being raised as a Christian. Okay. That sounds bad. Being raised in a Christian home is a good thing. Definitely a good thing.
But when we grow up going to Sunday school and VBS and hearing about God over, and over…we get this idea in our head about God and stop seeking to understand Him more. We can develop a tendency to read our Bible and simply be refreshed on what the “story” is. Yes, Jesus walked on water, He calmed a storm, we know about Cain and Able and Joseph and his runway-worthy robe. When we think we “know” God, we stop trying to know Him. These words become stories. The chapters become anecdotes, reminding us of things we already know.
Just a few nights ago I was chatting with my small group within the high school Youth Group at our church. We’ve been studying how we can be better at reading the Bible. In our groups leaders were asked to pitch a few questions to the teens. Earlier in the evening, we all read a passage from James. One question we asked them was, “What does this passage tell us about God?”
When I looked at the questions, I gravitated toward the others on the sheet. Things like, “What’s the main point of this passage?” or “How should our attitudes and actions change after reading this?”
But when we started our discussion, I was surprised when the majority of my group said the question about what the passage tells us about God was their favorite. One girl explained why this was. She said that constantly asking ourselves what an individual passage says about God will continue to push our faith. We’ll continue to grow and understand Him better. Forcing ourselves to pinpoint what a small section of Biblical text says about God will help us examine Him without the context of everything else we have learned in the past.
Brilliant.
I couldn’t agree more. Every chapter, every book, every passage of the Bible speaks of our God. We can learn something about God, whether it’s His character, His plan, His love–from everything we read in the Bible. I encourage you to choose a passage and look upon it with new eyes this weekend. Isolate just a wee bit of text and ask yourself what it says, just that text, about God. You might be surprised at what you learn.
Amy
by Amy | Oct 1, 2013 | Blog, Context, Devotional, The Art of Faith
Sometimes there isn’t a whole lot to say. Sometimes a profound and mind-blowing thought will just wander its way into your head. There’s no solving it, or changing it, or unthinking it.
Last night I had one of those thoughts.
It came to me while doing our nightly Bible study. There was no specific passage that brought it on, but I’ll leave some scripture at the end here to back it up.
It was a thought about life. And how miraculous the human life really is.
As humans we all have a start date, but no end date. Sure, it’s true that we will die one day. Our bodies will wear out and we will cease to exist here. But we, as mortals will never be snuffed out. Our death is only the beginning of the rest of our existence. You see, mortals are built to last an eternity. Not our bodies…no, but our souls…yes.
An eternity. That’s a never ending time frame.
So it blows my mind to think that the core of my very being had it’s start on December 28, 1986 {okay, 9 months before that even}, but my soul will never have an end date attached to it. There is no expiration date. We live on a timeline that only moves forward, on a line that goes on forever. It’s not something that we earn, or choose. It’s our design. It is this fact {yes, it’s a fact} that separates us from every other creature on earth.
Let’s move one step further. Now realizing that our souls are a very miraculous thing {that could not have been thrown together by any happy accident}, think about conception. What a miracle it is that as a woman carries a baby, not only is that being soon to be an independent being, but she is also carrying a vessel with an eternal capacity. Amazing.
What an amazing privilege to be a person. To be mortal. To be human.
So what does this knowledge mean for us? We will live on after we pass from this life. And our choices here in this world will dictate how our eternity is spent. So while we are here living the beginning of our days we must be conscious that our actions, our decisions, and our time effect more than just today or tomorrow. They will change our timelines and point our forever toward light or darkness.
Having the privilege of this knowledge changes the way we view others. This never-ending timeline business is not just for you and me. It’s true for the guy who cut you off on the road, and the lady who paid for her latte in pennies, and the best of this world, and the worst of this world. It’s true for the born, it’s true for the barely conceived, it’s true of the dying, it’s true of the unreached. Doesn’t that give you new eyes as you look upon each other? Shouldn’t this realization cause us to love each other more deeply, and swallow our pride/anxiety/fear long enough to encourage one another toward an eternity of joy?
I think so.
But like I said it’s just a thought.
Amy
PS…here are a couple verses that back up the whole “humans are eternal” thing. These are all linked to chapters or passages so that you can read them in context. There are many more verses that support the fact that humans are made for eternal life. This are just a sampling.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 {Commentary on this one here.}
Matthew 18:8
Matthew 25:46
John 3:16
1 Corinthians 15:51-58
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Titus 3:71
John 5:11-15
by Amy | Sep 24, 2013 | Blog, The Art of Faith
Remember high school? Well, to be honest, some of you are probably still in high school. That’s okay. This will apply to you soon enough. Because as all of us HS alum can attest to, the years after graduation go faster than free hot dogs at a baseball game.
{Then: looking awkward, doing something weird.}
{Now: Looking awkward, doing something weird.}
{In high school your name probably flowed right into another. That other was your best friend, your slumber-party companion, your cram-for-test partner, your secret keeper. Your names went together because you were together. At the end of my high school years I was Amy-and-Krissy. And that was fine. Krissy and I were different on a lot of levels but somehow, we became nearly inseparable senior year. I could probably count the weekends she didn’t sleep over on one hand. .
Anyway, one day you’ll be sequestering yourselves in the family room with a fire in the fireplace, pop corn, and hot cocoa on a bitterly cold January night. And the next day you’ll wake up and realize that you have been friends for more than half of the years you’ve been alive. You have literally spent more time knowing each other than not. On that day, you’ll start to feel old. But it’s okay, because I’m slowly learning that it’s better to feel old alongside friends who truly know your soul inside and out, than young alongside people you can’t be genuine with.
I can hardly remember a time when I wasn’t able to speak totally candidly to her. Whether it was about a ridiculous dating situation circa 2004 over Taco Bell, or finding a definition of “success” circa 5 days ago. But the best and greatest thing about this friendship is that even though we have plenty of nostalgic ammo and could reminisce for days, our conversations always seem to stay current. Our visits are always refreshing and invigorating. When we part ways again {because we always have to eventually} I go back to my routine feeling realigned and challenged. The good kind of challenge. I think it’s beautiful and rare to find a friendship that can whether puberty, college, marriage and multiple moves. And I think the key to finding this type of friendship is to surround yourself with people who have qualities you admire. Eventually one of those relationships will click, and you’ll find yourself, like I do, having a hard time remembering when it didn’t exist.
If you think for a minute, I bet you can name-ties that you know. I can: Susi and Lyn; Ann and Terri; Warren and Lauren. You might even be lucky enough to pair yourself off with a few different names. What I’m getting at is this: Life will often call us to part ways from our pairing. And because this friendship is so stable and so easy to pick back up it is easy to neglect it. Don’t do that. Let’s not take our greatest friends for granted. Who haven’t you called in a while? Shoot them a text, give them a ring. God has called us to be creatures of fellowship. Take time to nurture the blessing of friendship.
So raise a glass {of whatever you are drinking at 3:30 in the afternoon} and remember the great friends you have in this life. God has called us to a life of fellowship, and we should never take our greatest relationships for granted.
Amy
by Amy | Aug 9, 2013 | Blog, Context, The Art of Faith
Some of you may know that I work with the high school youth group at our church here in Minot. I love it. For a lot of reasons. It’s such an exciting time in life, the kids are fun, they keep me current, they know how to do adorable things with their hair and wear to find the cutest dresses in town {okay, not the boys…}. But I also love being around this age group because they are old enough to really grasp spiritual lessons. They are old enough to ask critical questions and seek out Biblical answers…and young enough to be excitable.
Last school year our church was without a youth pastor. So the youth group relied on volunteers to run the show. I’m so happy to tell you all that the church has hired a new pastor of student ministries…and he is awesome. And so is his wife. The kids adore him, his teaching is solid, he knows tons of fun games, he’s an all around keeper.
So, it’s been a while since I blogged a devotional…and last night’s discussion with the youth was just so awesome I had to share it here with you. These are mostly thoughts from Sam {the new YP}, so don’t go thinking I’m a genius. I’m simply a vessel to carry the message across.
Last night he started devotional time by telling us that the Bible will blow our minds. It’s a statement I totally agree with. It’s blown mine on numerous occasions. It’s a perfect document. Complete and complex. Clever, current and {most of all}, living. If it hasn’t ever blown your mind, I encourage you to spend some time with the good book. Read it. Read commentaries. It’ll happen. Your mind will explode. In a good way.
The passage Sam focused on was Matthew 22:15-22. For those of us who grew up in VBS, this is a familiar story. Jesus talks about paying taxes. It’s pretty famous really. I’ve quoted the NIV below. But here is the gist. Jesus is asked if, since we belong to God, that we have to pay taxes. He asks to see a coin, which has Caesar’s face on it…then tells them to give Caesar what is his, and God what is His. Make sense?
Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
Now, let’s take a step back. {Get ready for that mind blown moment when you realize just how amazing and perfect this Word is.} Take a look at Genisis 1:27.
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
After looking at these two passages and discussing them a little, Sam put them together…it went something like this:
So…Jesus says that the money for taxes was Caesar’s because it bared his image. Then he tells us to give back to God what is God’s. What is God’s? What in this world bares His image?
These instances happened several thousand years apart. The Bible is perfect. My mind blew up when he made this connection.
Think about it. Are you a tax evader when it comes to the Kingdom? We all bare God’s image. There is no way around that truth. Think critically and pray critically about what you need to give back to God.
Amy
by Amy | Jul 9, 2013 | Blog, The Art of Faith, The Art of the Moment
This is Kate and Jacob. Aren’t they precious? They are getting married in October and I am so very excited for them!! Kate and I have gotten to know each other over the past year through our women’s Bible study at church. This is what marriage is about people…two people, committed to loving each other and glorifying God through their union. It’s awesome.
Now, I must say, this was one of the most adventurous sessions I’ve ever shot. We started our session in a local park. But that didn’t last long because the mosquitoes chased us away. They were so bad I couldn’t even stand still to take a single shot. They were flocking to my fingers, my legs, my hair. They looked like clouds of gnats…so gross!
So we ditched that idea and headed to a sandy bank by the river. I laid out some plastic and a quilt for the happy couple to sit on. When I was finished laying out the quilt I about pooped my pants when I saw a special visitor right next to us…
YIKES! It’s a GIANT snapping turtle! So scary. {I’m a whip, okay?}
So again, we took just a few and left. But first we picked up a couple cans of bug spray.
We smelled bad, but at least we didn’t get any more bites. Okay, now to the real stuff.
Jacob is a golfer and soon, they will be taking up golf together. In fact, the couple is so enthused, that Jacob actually hid Kate’s engagement ring in a set of clubs he bought for her birthday. Adorable.
As I alluded to earlier, one of my favorite things about this couple is their deeply rooted faith. I can tell you from experience, a couple who lives in the Word will grow to have a strong marriage. When their wedding was 150 days away Kate and Jacob began reading one Psalm each day together. On the day of their session they chose to do their daily study in front of the camera.
You can see more from this adorable session tomorrow on the Facebook page!
Amy
by Amy | Jun 28, 2013 | Blog, Devotional, The Art of Faith, The Art of Living
When I was in elementary school we had a weird school counselor. Things about her are a little blurry. So for all I know she really wasn’t that weird. But at the time she seemed like an odd duck. I don’t remember much about her, not even her name. There are four instances I remember clear as day. She’d come into my first grade classroom on occasion and here’s what stands out to me.
She had some video about a girl and some magical horses that she made us watch. The horses were white and locked up somewhere and only her confidence and self esteem could unlock them. I hated it and thought it was super lame.
One day as an ice breaker she asked us to go around the room and name our favorite show. Every single member of my class said “Full House.” Every. Single. One. {In fairness it was 1993.}
Whenever she left the room she had us wave goodbye by wiggling our index finger at her. Like it was quieter than a regular wave or something. Again, I–the first grade critic–thought it was lame.
The last thing I remember about her is the “Glass Half Full” lesson. It was probably on one of the days she was showing a segment of that magic horse movie, because I clearly remember that she had a half glass of water sitting on top of the VCR on the TV cart.
She pointed to the glass and asked how we would describe the glass. She called on a few people. I was one of them. Now, I was a bright, if cynical, seven year old…so naturally I answered that the glass was half empty. The others said the same thing. She was pulling teeth trying to get someone to answer that the glass could be “half full” instead. It was awkward to watch…
“Now, can anyone think of another way to describe the glass? Anyone?”
Eventually some genius did come up with the idea that it could also be seen as half full. And on went a lesson on positivity and magic horses. After the answer was discovered I just remember thinking that we should have just called it “half a glass of water.” None of this full or empty business. That was lame.
Anyway, as my experiences with the school counselor allude to the fact that I can be a “glass half empty” type of person. I don’t tend to think of myself as a pessimist exactly. As the years have gone on I’m become pretty savvy at seeing the sunny side. Tonight, though I want to tell you about a glass in my life that is half empty.
The first night after Derek left, I sat on the bed and counted out some change. One coin for each day that he’d be gone. Give or take a couple. I just had to see the days in some tangible form, silly as that sounds. I scooped them all up and put them in my prettiest glass…an opalescent depression glass my mom bought for me at an antique shop. At the time this mandatory separation thing seemed really ugly, so I wanted to house it in something beautiful to remind me that even the darkest situations can turn into blessings if we continually praise God in all situations.
Anyway, each night before bed I take a coin out and put it back in my change jar. That first night was so hard. The glass was full, but boy did it seem “half empty.” Even the first week, I could barely see a drop in the level. One by one. Logically, I knew eventually the glass would have to empty down to the very last penny. But it seemed like every night it was as full as the day before.
Then. Finally I started to see a difference.
Now, that glass is more than half empty. But my glass has never felt more full. This deployment is more than halfway over and God has used this time to bless me tremendously and allow my heart to grow in ways I didn’t even know possible. Not only am I not miserable, I’m joyful.
Just proof from a cynical kid that “half full” isn’t always the best.
Amy
by Amy | Jun 21, 2013 | Blog, The Art of Faith, The Art of Living
Summertime tends to make me a bit nostalgic. It’s like Christmas to some extent. The smells, the trips, the food…they all remind me of happy times gone by. Being off of school, sleeping late, days at Lake Michigan, watermelon on the patio. I spend a lot of summer moments remembering being a child.
One annual summer event {that happens no matter what state I’m living in} is Vacation Bible School. I can remember a time when I didn’t even know what VBS stood for. Now, tens of years later, it’s just part of the summer time routine. Whether I can volunteer or not is usually hit or miss. Depending on my work schedule…and up until this year our summer moving schedule. But it’s always the same. Around the middle of June colorful signs appear in church lawns advertising a fun week themed around a beach, a ranch, pirates or an African safari. As you drive through town you can see kids throwing water balloons in the parking lots, getting sprayed down with hoses during some crazy relay race, and leaving churches with their hands full of amazing crafts.
This week wrapped up our VBS at First Baptist Minot. I helped out just the teensiest, tiniest bit. Coming by for only an hour or two each day. Just long enough to grab one of the snacks from the kitchen {ahh, church kitchens…} and snap a few photographs to document the occasion.
This year it got me thinking about the people who really influenced my faith as a child. People who took time out of their schedule to help me make crafts that my mom was sure to “love.” People who put on funny robes to tell me Bible stories and made up motions to catchy songs. I’ve been reflecting on the adults in my home church this week. Not only those who helped with VBS but the ones who taught my Sunday school classes, who directed our Children’s Choir, or who spent one Saturday each month with me at a club we called “Christian Critters.”
Now that I’m an adult I realize just how hard it can be to do those things. It’s not always fun, it’s not always convenient. Waking up early, clearing our plans, going to meetings, staying after church, showing up before church. It’s all work. And kids are not always on their best behavior, or openly grateful for your commitment. I know I didn’t always show my gratitude.
But the work of these men and women is priceless. The hard work of the adults in my childhood left memories that I still remember today, 20 years later. They are lessons that I teach children today, and I’ll teach my own children in the future. Children’s ministry volunteers cut and craft and pray and sing and dance. They create an atmosphere that allows children to learn and grow in faith. I have a vivid memory of my kid’s choir director, Sandy Metcalf, teaching us about the fruit of the spirit each week after we’d finished our songs. She gave each of us a little terracotta pot with some of that paper Easter basket grass in it. Then every week she’d give us one more fruit of the spirit. It was a little piece of construction paper cut in the shape of a fruit glued to a Popsicle stick. Each one had a label on it: Love, peace, kindness, gentleness, self control, patience, joy, goodness, faithfulness. In the end we all went home with a “garden.”
Take some time to reflect with me on the people who worked so hard to shape the faith you have today. We owe them our lives.
Amy
