Follow Me at MY NEW BLOG

My new blog is at thegilmoregirl.wordpress.com

I'm still tweaking it a little, but I'd sure love for you to join me there!

-Amy

Passionately Pursued Today

My daughter accompanied me to a doctor's appointment a few days ago. She was quite impressed when the doctor said my knee looked like that of 78 year old. I, however, was not as impressed! Dismayed might be a better word to describe my reaction.

When we got in the car to leave, my daughter was still in awe of the"age" of my knee. I jokingly told her that in order for me to run, I would have to be pursued by the mafia or a grizzly bear, otherwise running is out. The pursuit would have to be real or the run would not take place. Of course, we don't live in area where we're in danger of being attacked by the mafia or a grizzly bear, so I am safe for now. I hope.

But the pursuit that hopefully never happens led me to thinking about one that really does.

He would leave the ninety-nine in the field to pursue the one that was lost. He would - and Jesus does - leave those in safety and security to pursue the one that has wandered off (Luke 15:4-7). What causes this one to wander away from the others? Are they distracted? Terrible decisions? Bad friends? Whatever the reason, it's not relevant to Christ. What is relevant: This wandering child is His child, His creation and He doesn't wish that one of His children should be lost - so He lovingly pursues that one.

The thought of Jesus pursuing us is mind-blowing! There are evidences of this divine pursuit weaved throughout scripture. We can witness His unswerving pursuit of Jonah, as Jonah ran away from God, but God pursued Jonah in love. He still does this for us today. In John 4, Jesus traveled out of His way for His divine appointment with the Woman at the Well. His pursuit went across cultural and social barriers and brought a love - a salvation - that forever changed who she was. He still does this for us today.  Luke 19:10 says " For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost." The God that seeks, He is still seeking and pursuing the lost and wandering today.

Jesus wasn't and isn't passive in His pursuits. He passionately pursued and still pursues us today.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 
Two insights we can gain from this:
One: Be daily thankful for a God who lovingly pursues the lost and wandering.
Two: Be reminded of how we should gently, lovingly and compassionately pursue others as Jesus did.

He's Got This

* Okay. I know. I am not the most consistent blogger. Sometimes between family, work, church, and just life, blogging time gets cut out. I need to and want to make more time, somehow, to write. I admitted it, and now it's time to move forward.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Some people believe Christmas is the most hectic time of the year. Not me. The most chaotic, unhinged time of the year has to be the end of April and the beginning of May. State testing, class trips, school programs, semester exams, students with a sudden interest in their grades, parents hoping their children will move on to the next grade or graduate... All these elements combine to form an almost irrepressible explosion, that I, the teacher, feel the need to control. I don't want the shrapnel of crushed hopes, let downs, or disappointment recklessly flying around my workplace, so I smile and pretend that all is well in the world of education. I will do my best to muffle out the negative and control my environment as I manhandle the ticking time bomb that is the last few weeks of school.

At each school year's end, there is a raging, new surprise awaiting. No matter how much I plan and prepare... Boom! It's there. Sometimes the blast is mightier than the year before and sometimes it's just a dismal flareup. I often feel the need to retreat, but then I remember: I love what I do; and most importantly, I don't have to feel in control, because God's got this.

God is in control - in any circumstance. Big. Small. One day. Years. It doesn't matter: God is in control.  I just need relinquish whatever control I'm holding onto. He doesn't need my help. If I want to take my problems and retreat, that's fine as long as I know God is my refuge (and He may tell me to get back up and face the problem). 

The hectic times are inevitable, but so is God's ability to handle every circumstance in our life. He's got this!

"You are my refuge, my fortress, and my God in whom I trust." Psalm 91:2

"Now to him that is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us..." Ephesians 3:20

One Way to Begin 2013

I am so looking forward to getting together with a group of friends this weekend. We're going to eat. We're going to talk. We're going to hold each other accountable.

It may not sound like the perfect dinner date to you, but this "Girls Goal Get Together" is long overdue. I am tired of setting goals in my mind or on a careless sheet of paper. I am ready for someone to hear what I have to say, to listen to what I say I am going to accomplish. I am just fine with someone texting or calling me up and asking just where I am in the great progression of my goals, as a matter of fact; I think I crave the accountability.

There is a vast emptiness from knowing there is more to me and that I'm just completely missing the mark. God has designed me for more, and I am failing. I'm not saying that so people will feel sorry for me. I am saying I have failed because the recognition of that failure pushes me to seek more of Him and less of myself - because self fails.

I am ready to meet with the girls because I want my Christ-centered goals to be more than mere words or dead paper. I know my friends will hold me to my goals as they lift me up in prayer and love. And I am willing to do the same for them.

This is one way I will begin 2013.
Proverbs 27:17