Ladies! I woke up today so excited so many of you wanted to join us in studying God’s Word through #Refocused! I was tempted to run straight to my phone/computer to add and friend all of you. BUT I wrote this study for a reason. I wanted to LIVE by God’s priorities for my life, not my own. So I spent my first few moments thanking him in prayer and focusing in on Matthew 6:33 for the day:

“Seek Him first, and His righteousness, and everything will be given to you as well.” (My favorite verse).

Then I tried to live out the model he’s given of Him, then my husband, then my children and home, then this bible study! So I finally got around to adding more of you after lunch. I just made this video explaining the first day of study which starts on New Year’s Eve. I will be posting everyday, usually VERY EARLY in the morning. Everyday means ever day of study. So that’s New Years EVE and NEW Year’s Day, then every Monday-Saturday in January. On Saturdays I will be adding the file for the week ahead. I’ll post tomorrow about setting yourself up for success to complete this study! But for now, I’m off to #refocus on my children playing their new Christmas toys. 🙂  Enjoy your evening everyone!

I have a present for you, if you want it…

It’s the 1st week of a 4 week bible study, starting New Year’s Eve.

This study was birthed from Matthew 11:28-30: MSG

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

I started asking Jesus to help me learn to live freely & lightly. He told me to REFOCUS in on the priorities He has given me in this season of life. Duh, right? But also to keep pursuing my God given dreams & passions at the same time. Now this will take walking with Jesus.

I thought no better time than the New Year to REFOCUS on who God is, who I am, and my priorities!  I knew the passages I wanted to revisit, so I decided to write my own study instead of look for one that fit.

PLUS- I wanted to add in some bible illustrating that is so fresh and popular right now.  You have to try it if you haven’t  already.  This week in this study is a good place!

Ways to Engage

On Facebook-Message me to be added to the private group where I’ll be posting videos and blogposts, and you will be encouraged to post how God is speaking and moving in your life.

By Email/blog- Follow my blog to receive it by email.  You can comment below or email me directly to connect.

Maybe 2016 is the time to recommit to studying God’s Word!

Click the link below to print.

Week 1 of 4 is below!
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(Look for pictures below in my Instagram feed. Ain’t nobody got time to post pics in the post. At least this  mama doesn’t 🙂

It’s been over a week now since I’ve been home from Haiti, and it already feels like a distant memory. It seems like it literally is three worlds away.  It was so weird to just jump back into the hustle and bustle of everyday life the day after our plane landed around midnight on a Sunday night.  The next morning I almost forgot to take my kid to preschool.  The urgency of daily life rushed in and the thickness of the Spirit of God seemed to slowly fade out.  (Seemed to being the key word here).  I’ve had such a hard time putting into words what I experienced there because there is no way to do it justice.

I just wish everyone could go.  I’m Me is an awesome servant-hearted ministry on fire for loving the people of Haiti with the love of Christ.It’s not  a far trip and it’s on the cheaper end of a mission trip.  BUT I know not everyone can go, this is my compulsion to write this blog post.  I feel blessed to the core of my heart that I was able to go, and I want to bless others with at least a glimpse of the face of God in Haiti, and challenge others to pray and give so that His hope will shine brighter there.

Let me start of with the low parts, the dark scary valley before we move to the mountaintop.  The first full day we were in Port a Prince (where we stayed during the trip) we went to Cite de Soleil, which is known as one of the largest, poorest, most dangerous slums in the world. “The area is generally regarded as one of the poorest and most dangerous areas of the Western Hemisphere and it is one of the biggest slums in the Northern Hemisphere,”  (Wikipedia). I was so stoked when I heard we were going here.  I miss walking along the shacks in Uganda and I could not wait to go and love on some of the poorest of the poor.

However, my excitement turned sour, into bitterness at being brought through this part of Haiti as the 20+ entourage of white rich folk walked through to do what I felt like was basically look at their poverty. (Hold this thought).  The first hour we walked we just waved at people, smiled, a small amount of kids came up to say hi.  One ran and hugged Nick’s leg.  But for the most part, I was pissed because I just wanted to do something.  We stood around for a while watching some hogs take a mud bath in the sewage ditch while a local prepared some sugar cane for us to buy.  I noticed a nicer looking walled building that had the words “academy” “fitness” “restaurant”  on it.  It definitely stood out among the shacks.  We entered into it and it felt so different inside its walls.  There was the aroma of hope- and soon we saw why.

We were greeted by a Haitian pastor who ran this church, school, fitness center.  He was from the neighborhood but had been adopted by an American Citizen from Tennessee.  We walked through the school and  interrupted the classes to greet the kids and take pictures with them.  They were so beautiful.  Not just because of their big brown eyes and smiles, but because their faces shined hope in one of the darkest places I had ever walked through.

Our spirits were already feeling lifted, and what happened next sent them soaring.  We walked back out into the street and the stench almost made me gag.  It was so different out there.  Hope was so close, but it seemed non-existent.  Before we walked 100 yards, kids started flocking toward us.  They held our hands, they ALL asked us for money or water, or something.  But we just smiled and hugged them and held their hands as we walked.  Later that night on the rooftop of the guesthouse we debriefed about the day and we talked about why the children flocked to us.  They saw the love of The Father in us.  We weren’t scared to walk through their everyday hell.  Because we knew the Lord had gone before us, I had no thoughts for my safety when our Haitian guide, Anthony, bought some Rum and shared it with the gang leaders as a peace-offering so we could walk down their streets welcomed.  These people were just people.  We are really in all in search of the same thing.

Two mothers asked us to take their children.  Like forever.  This shocked some in our group but it didn’t surprise me at all. I had grown people in Uganda ask me if I could  adopt them and take them to America.  But this gives you an idea of the desperation  these precious people feel.  Can you imagine?  Loving your child so much that you would entrust them to a stranger with no adoption agency or orphanage in sight, just to give them hope.  Even though it didn’t shock me, it still crushes my heart.

We were told that school time was over, thus the many children who had been hiding in shame for not being able to afford school and others who had to work instead of go to school were now on the streets.  They kept flocking to us and walked us all the way to the end of the street.  One little boy held my hand the whole way.  He couldn’t speak English and I couldn’t speak Creole, but we understood each other.  He was six or seven.  His name was Woncus.  We hugged at the end of the street and as soon as he turned around he swiped a bottle of water out of one of our pockets.  It was empty though.  I still felt discouraged that I couldn’t at least give him some water per the ministry’s policy.  But the desperation was so great, I now trusted their intent because  Woncus might have been jumped for the bottle of water, doing more harm to him than good.

If I thought I was discouraged when I left Cite de Soleil, I didn’t know the true meaning of the word.  The next part of our trip is the part that my heart most breaks over.  But, to protect the people involved, it will be in a password protected post or an email.  So if I have your email address be looking for it.  Especially if you have a burden for the orphan.  

I leave this post with the verse I heard during my quiet time the morning we visited Cite de Soleil:

Psalm 12:5

The Lord replies:

“I have seen violence done to the helpless and I have heard the groans of the poor.  Now I will rise up and rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.”  

This verse is the reason I could ride away from the worst slum I’ve ever experienced and have hope in my heart.  I had heard some of the groans of the poor that day.  I heard Woncus even though I couldn’t understand his words, I knew what he meant.  I couldn’t do anything to lessen his strife. But God has heard him.  How can I not entrust Woncus to the one true Rescuer?  I wouldn’t even know what his rescue would look like.  Sometimes our part in the rescue is simply being a light in the presence of darkness.

Amy

Psalm 23
A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This chapter makes you think of funerals, right? Me too. But what a waste that is. This chapter is for the land of the living. I came across it twice this week, once in a book I’m reading, and once in my children’s Bible. Any time this happens I make sure and take note as I take it as a message God’s trying to get me to hear.

I had every intention of waking up early enough this morning to spend time digging into this chapter and praying over it before everyone else in the house woke up. But I’m out of the habit of waking up early my 6:30 alarm hasn’t gone off and several days.

Before I knew it the hustle and bustle of the day was in full force. Breakfast had to be made and everyone in the family had needs and voices that needed to be heard. We had a wonderful plan for the day of going swimming at the gym and then taking the kids to a surprise.

As I told my girls about our plans for the day all of a sudden I felt dizzy and saw green stars when I looked at them.

And then My Shepherd said it’s time for you to lay down. Before I knew it I had one little girl singing me lullabies and one fetching the hairbrush so I could try to put her hair in a lopsided bun amidst the green stars I was seeing. I think sometimes God allows us to experience difficulties just so we will slow down and really listen for His voice. If you’ve never experienced A migraine let me tell you it will make you lay down, just as the psalm says.

I didn’t feel like I was in a green pasture. My head was throbbing. I was so lightheaded that even if I wanted to there was no way I could get up.

I knew it was exactly where God wanted me. Still and quiet and needy of Him. Of course I prayed that Jesus would heal me. And I know he will in due time. But I told him I trust him and I surrendered these ailments to him. He has a purpose and a reason for these debilitating headaches that make me lie down and make my day stop.

Suddenly I had time to sit still at his feet, because I was unable to stand on my own. Funny how it takes that sometimes to get us to that quiet place before him, humbled at his feet.

I listened to Psalm 23 on repeat on my phone as I memorized it. I pushed my plans of training for a triathlon, finally taking my Christmas tree down, and plans to take the kids to a movie out of my head. God is in control and for some reason he decided for me that all that had to come to a hault that day.

The green pasture had had for me was a fluffy recliner with sweet African girl rubbing my arm, singing me lullabies.

The quiet waters He led me beside were in the bubble bath with cucumbers on my eyes.

He refreshed my soul with a quiet house when Nick took the kids to the gym and I was able to hide his word in my heart.

What green pastures has he made you lay down in lately? Did you feel his presence in the dark valleys? Is your cup overflowing or half full?

His goodness and love will follow us all the days of our lives. These troubles are temporary in light of eternity, no matter how heavy they feel.

Amy