The Same All The Time

This is actually a post from a friend, but I found it SO encouraging that I wanted to share it. It spoke to my heart so much and was exactly what I needed to hear! I hope you like it and it speaks to your heart the same way it did mine...

"The Same All The Time

For I know that sometimes the things that we think are for sure

They fad like the ending of day

Sometimes the things that we think are secure

Pass away

For I know that sometimes the things that we seek and we find

Break both our hearts and our mind

But Lord, you are the same

The same all the time!

I pray that as anxious and uncertain as my heart is I can find rest and peace in knowing that my God is the same all the time. No matter how sad or scared I may be... He is here.

Even know right now my heart is very sad. I do have some encouragement to share! God wants to do so much more in our lives than just grant our desires. He wants to give us what we NEED. To simply provide what we want would be much too easy for our heavenly Father. AMEN!

I read these words today and they truly shook me. " Why do we love Christ? Simple- because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). That is what makes His love so beautiful. He loved us when we didn't care a thing about Him. He loved us so much that, "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). God loves us anyway and PURSUES us continually until we finally love Him back!"

To know that God is pursuing us no matter where life may find us right now makes me have so much joy! Praise God! Happy, sad, scared, depressed, sick, tired, worn down, God is still pursuing your heart and mine. He wants to connect with us no matter where we are!"

--Thank you for your words Savannah!!

I Made It!

Well..I can safely say that I made it through my very first night shift EVER! Honestly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (which is what everyone said). I thought it would be incredibly hard to stay awake because for those of you who know me, know that I am definitely a morning person and have been for the last 2 years. So, I wasn't really sure how this whole night thing was gonna work for me, but it may end up being ok. It wasn't too hard to stay awake as long as I had something to do, then around 4:00 am I started feeling sleepy but that's when other patients started rolling in, and gave me my "2nd wind" so to speak. The drive home was the WORST though! I was SO sleepy by that point! But once I finally made it in the bed, sleep was pretty good. Hopefully tonight will be the same! I am so appreciative of all the encouragement that I have gotten from everyone including friends, co-workers etc. Thanks!!

A Few of my Favorite Things..

I don't know what has compelled me to write another post...maybe because I'm bored..who knows. But I have seen others do this and thought it would be neat. These are some current things that are staple items (things that if I were to have to do without; it would be hard to function). Here goes...

1.) My Phone-The Blackberry- I admit that I don't know what I would do without my phone. Some people can't stand cell phones and think the world would be a better place without them (since we were able to exist without them for many years before), but for me...it is one of my only ways of communication. I keep my appointments in my phone, I text (like a madman) on my phone...I don't know what I would do without it.






2.) MY iPod- I am a lover of music. I find TONS of meaning in music. I think lots of times
others can say/express what I'm feeling better than I can. I carry my iPod in the car with me (since I have a 45 min drive to work), I play it while I am getting ready or just hanging out, while we are making dinner at home...whenever I can really! I am constantly on iTunes downloading new music and I am always finding new songs and artists that I fall in love with. My new current finds are:
*Belief-Gavin Degraw
*Something I Said-SafetySuit
*Closer to Love-Mat Kearney
*Be There-Howie Day
*Her Diamonds-Rob Thomas
*My Baby Blue-Dave Matthews Band
*The Funeral-Band of Horses
*Can't Help Falling in Love-Ingrid Michaelson
*Turn to Stone-Ingrid Michaelson
Those are just a very few of many!

3.) Chapstick- I keep a tube of chapstick in
my purse, in my pocket at work, beside my bed...I ALWAYS have chapstick. And it MUST have SPF especially for the summer months because the worst is getting sunburned lips! I can't stand it when my lips are dry, hence the fact, I ALWAYS have chapstick.

4.)It's A 10 (leave in conditioner)- I use this on my hair EVERYDAY. My hair is naturally
wavy/curly so it gets so many tangles while I'm trying to brush it out. This stuff works WONDERS. If you have a problem with tangles and it takes you forever to brush out your hair, this is the product for you! love it!











5.) COFFEE!- I don't know what it is about mornings, but I HAVE to have a cup of coffee
RIGHT when I get up in the mornings. That's the only time I drink it, but I crave it when I wake up in the mornings. I don't even think I drink an entire cup..EVER..but boy that's the very first thing I do when I get up (besides use the bathroom) is make coffee.







6.) Moxi Box (or better known as TiVo)- I love to watch TV but can never seem to find the
time to actually be at home when my favorite shows are on, so this is a PERFECT invention for me. My roommate and I are always coming home and watching shows that were recorded days before. If I didn't have this, I would never be able to keep up with TV!

7.) My Camera- I absolutely LOVE my camera and I take it everywhere with me. Actually, it
lives in my purse because I never want to pass up a moment for a great picture. I love taking pictures and capturing special moments!







8.) Lotion- I know, I know, sounds crazy, but after working in Labor and Delivery, around
babies so much (and this is the only lotion available there), I have grown to love Johnson's baby lotion. I wash my hands SO many times throughout the day that they get incredibly dry, so I keep a small bottle of this in my pocket and it makes my hands feel so soft. Not only can I not stand having dry lips (hence the chapstick) but I cannot stand having dry hands!





I know this post may be kinda cheesy, but whatever. Looking back at my list, it's kinda sad that most of the items are electronics. Makes me wonder...what would I do if the power failed and all we had was running water and candles??

Facing the Giants

I finally watched "Facing the Giants" last night. I know it has been out for a long while now, but I finally watched it and I must say, aside from the cheesy acting at times, it was a GREAT movie. It brought up quite a few points that I feel like I need to consider in my life. For those of you who haven't seen the movie or don't know what it's about; it's basically about facing your giants. It's about loving God no matter what. Loving and praising God in the good times and the bad times; whether you win or lose. At one point in the movie, a man is telling a story about 2 landowners who had been praying for rain because there had been a drought in the area for years. Here is the clip from the movie..I don't think I could do it justice...


That was such a great point to me because I think so many times we ask God for so many things that we aren't ready for and we don't even realize it. Whatever it may be, I think we all need to start preparing ourselves for it because I have learned that God has our best interest in mind and He is not going to give us something if our hearts aren't ready. Lots of times we agonize over handing something over to God because we think we can handle it better when often times, the minute we finally relinquish it all...that's when BIG things happen. I know it's a constant struggle of mine, but it's definitely something I'm working on.

Patience in God Comes Great Reward

Waiting...such a hard thing to do right? There have been so many seasons and situations in my life where God has told me to "wait", mind you, I don't have the highest patience threshold either, so that makes the waiting EVEN harder. I'm sure that's what God is trying to teach me each time. Maybe He knows that patience is a hard thing for me to learn, so He is trying to give me bits and pieces of it here and there, so I can gradually learn to be patient..but let me tell ya...for me, it's HARD. Although someone told me just the other day that patience in God comes great reward and I do know that to be true, it still is incredibly hard to be patient at times. I know there are many instances that I can look back on now and realize that even though in that moment, God did not give me what I wanted (or thought I wanted), eventually...I got what I needed and then maybe a little later...He blessed me with what I asked for in the first place. I remember in nursing school ALL I wanted to do was work in Labor and Delivery..that's ALL I wanted to do. I simply COULD NOT find a job in that area when I finished school and the frustrating thing was, most places wouldn't hire new grads. So, I ended up getting another job, which I liked, but it still wasn't exactly what I wanted. Now..here I am almost 2 years later with a job in Labor and Delivery at a great hospital. Although it would be nice not to have to drive 45 mins to work, I still love it! The job is everything I thought it would be and more! All I know is that now I can say, that is an instance where for whatever reason, God didn't give me exactly what I wanted right when I asked for it, but now...I have it and it's wonderful!

The other Sunday, Bro. Steve gave a great message on Jesus and the Garden of Gethsemene. After listening to that sermon, I felt like I was more able to identify with my Jesus. I don't know what it never hit me like that before. Sometimes it takes someone saying just the right thing for the light bulb to go off and boy it did! He talked about how Jesus went through depression-so will we. In Mark 14:33 it says, "He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled." (emphasis mine). His friends were about to desert him, He would be arrested etc. Our Jesus went through depressing circumstances, so will we. Then Bro. Steve went on to say that Jesus didn't get everything He wanted from God-neither will we. WOW!! that hit me like a ton of bricks, but it's true! In verse 36, Jesus cries out "Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." We know what happens, Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but he cried out to God begging him to take this burden from him..He didn't want to do it, but He wanted God's will to be done. Bro. Steve also said that Jesus struggled with surrendering to God's will for His life. One thing that stuck with me that Bro. Steve said was

"Tell God what you want, but take what He gives."

We are not wise enough to know what is best for us. We think we do sometimes, but ultimately, God sees the big picture while we only see what's happening right now.

It had always been hard for me to grasp the idea that Jesus really knows what I'm going through and it's ok to cry out to Him when I'm hurting etc. But the truth is, we can run straight to Him...He knows..He agonized in the garden...He felt depressed...He knows what it's like to have friends bail out on Him when He really needed them..He knows what it's like to pray to the Almighty Father and not get what He wanted...He knows what it's like to wait...He knows what it's like to feel physical pain...He knows emotional pain (think of Peter denying Him and Judas betraying Him). Now, I really know that when I'm hurting, all I have to do is cry out to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because He knows it all. I need to allow Him to just hold me because His word says "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5) That's my little lesson...here are a few other things....

As most of you know,I am living with Natalie Bennett and it's going GREAT!! I couldn't ask for a more awesome roommate! We compliment each other so well, and that is such a blessing in itself b/c I think the older you get and the more set in your ways you get, it gets harder to live with someone else if you are used to being alone. Natalie makes me feel SO welcome here. She is constantly telling me that she loves it that I live here etc. On the job note..I got hired for a night shift position (which is quickly approaching and I'm getting VERY nervous a/b it), BUT I took a day shift position in the L&D OR, so when I can start that, I will work days 6a-6p. Right now, they are very short staffed on nights, so I will probably have to work nights through most of the summer until they can get people trained. Doesn't seem too bad, but we will see how I adjust to this whole "night thing". Hope everyone had a great memorial day weekend!

A Few New Things..

A few things have changed recently, so I thought I would give you an update. I know I may have mentioned before about not really knowing if I wanted to buy a house or rent for a while and try to save for one..well...it just so happens that I found a roommate about 2 weeks ago, moved in last week and am SO glad I did! Natalie Bennett is my new roommate and it's so neat how it all worked out. We just went to lunch one day, (neither of us actually looking for a roommate)...we got to talking and she mentioned that she already had a place, I came to look at it and it was perfect! I moved in last week and so far we have had a blast! I have only moved out once before for about a year and had to move back home, even then, I lived by myself. I have always wanted to have a roommate (chosen very carefully) and now I have the chance and it just really shows that God works even in the small things.

On another note...I am still really liking my job in Labor and Delivery. I actually go to nights next week and I have to admit...I'm kinda freaking out a little. Not b/c of the job itself, but b/c I have become such a morning person over the last couple of years that I'm worried this night shift stuff will turn my world upside down. Lots of people say they love nights, but I guess we will see how it goes. Anyways..I know it isn't much, but just thought I would give you a little update on what's going on in the wonderful world of Amy. Have a great week!

Remembering to Breathe....

Do you ever feel helpless? I mean, completely helpless? Like you absolutely don't know what to do? The kind of deep feeling in the very pit of your stomach that won't seem to go away that sometimes is accompanied by that lump in your throat that never ceases? The feeling like you have to keep reminding yourself to breathe? Yeah...well..that seems to be the feeling I have today. Although, all day I have just spent so much time reading God's word and trying to let His words comfort me and for the most part, they have. Psalm 143 absolutely blew me away when I read it. Isn't it funny how you may have read the Bible cover to cover, but then you stumble along a verse later that you may have forgotten and how refreshing it is when you do?? Psalm 143 is lengthy but this is what it says,

"O Lord, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to me relief.
Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.

The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.
So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me dismayed.

I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hand have done.
I spread out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

Answer me quickly, O Lord;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me.....

Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord,
for I hide myself in you.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good spirit lead me on level ground...."

This Psalm is such a cry out to the Lord! It's exactly how I feel right now! David is crying out and asking God not to bring him under judgment for his sinful nature for he knows no one is good enough to be in His prescence and he confesses his sin that the enemy is constantly pursuing him and it hurts him to know that what he does is so displeasing to the Lord. He even is so bold to say, "Answer me quick, O Lord".... WOW!! That's how I feel at this very moment! I want the Lord to breath through me, the speak to me, to guide my steps, to show me what He wants me to do. I think so many times I go to God in prayer and I feel like I can't say those types of things to God, but that shows me that I can! I can cry out to Him, I can ask Him to reveal anything to me, I can beg Him for mercy and quick answers! He is my heavenly Father and because Jesus died on the cross, I am able to do that! How awesome is that?!?!


Something else that really spoke to me was in the book of Hosea. I got in bed last night and flipped to this book...I think sometimes we forget about the small books in the Old Testament, but Hosea really is a great love story. If you have ever read or heard of "Redeeming Love", that books was based off the book of Hosea. Something in Hosea caught my attention along with something I had written in my Bible next to that verse a while back. Verse 6-7 says,

"Therefore I will block her path with thorn bushes;
I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.
She will chase after her lovers but not catch them;

she will look for them but not find them."

And next to those verses in my Bible I had written, "God says He will thwart our efforts to find life apart from Him. He does this in order to wear us out, get us to turn back to Him in thirsty longing. He often takes us aside from every other source of comfort so that He alone can have our heart's attention". I felt like that was God telling me that I need to be totally complete in Him before I can be ready for someone else. It's like I have all this "junk" that I thought I had dealt with and apparently, I haven't. You know sometimes we think we have given something to God to quickly realize it's right back in our hands? And that's not God's fault by any means...we are totally the ones to blame. Have you ever felt like your walk with God isn't what it could or should be? I know I have felt like that before and sorta feel like that right now....I heard Brother Steve say in a sermon a long time ago that God isn't the one that "moves"; we are. God stays still while we go off and frolic and do what we will and He is there the whole time and then welcomes us back with open arms. How awesome is that? There is a song by Mark Schultz called "Back in His Arms Again" and in the chorus is says,

"I believe that He loves where you are,
I believe that you've seen the hands of God
I believe that you'll know it when you're back in His arms again.
I believe that He never let you go, I believe that He's wanting you to know,
I believe that He'll lead you til you're back in His arms again."