My attempt to be an authentic woman in an inauthentic world
Posted in 2022, Current Events, Faith, Grace, Gratitude, Hope, Ministry, Motherhood, Trust, missions on Nov 22nd, 2022
One of my favorite Christmas songs is “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”. One variation of this song begins with this line: “I’m dreaming tonight of a place I love even more than I usually do…”. Every time I hear this, my thoughts are instantly transported to my grandparents’ old farmhouse in Wellston, Ohio at Christmastime. [...]
Posted in 2021, Current Events, Faith, Life, Motherhood, missions on Jan 15th, 2021
Christmas day, wrapping paper scattered across the floor and turkey leftovers sitting on the kitchen counter, I sat on the couch and hit the mental replay button over the last 24 hours. Days were spent in the kitchen preparing all the yummy Christmas favorites- from sweet potato casserole to stuffing made from scratch, to pumpkin [...]
Posted in 2021, Abundance, Current Events, Faith, Grace, Gratitude, Life, Ministry, Trust, missions on Jan 1st, 2021
2020, literally, went out with a bang last night. A storm blew in yesterday evening bringing with it lightening that lit up the sky and claps of thunder unlike any I had ever heard before. Sitting around our living room with our three oldest, we all joked that 2020 was throwing a temper tantrum as [...]
Posted in Advent, Christmas, Current Events, Faith, Life, Ministry on Dec 13th, 2020
2020 can be summed up in one word: weary.
We are tired. Global economies are struggling, COVID cases are spiking, rumors of a “second wave” and more lockdowns loom overhead, and there doesn’t seem to be a finish line in sight for this marathon we’ve been running.
Besides COVID, lives have been marked with cancer, illness, death, [...]
Posted in Advent, Christmas, Current Events, Faith, Ministry on Nov 29th, 2020
Today is the first day of Advent.
We are waiting.
We are hopeful.
We are expectant.
Our world is in chaos.
We know there is a promise…we are living for that hope.
But sometimes the darkness seems too dark, and our hope dwindles.
But…
God is with us.
It was a really long time ago…the world was also in chaos.
A prophecy came.
The Lord spoke [...]
Posted in Africa, Current Events, Faith, Grace, Life, Ministry, Remain, Spirit-Filled Life, Trust, missions on Aug 28th, 2020
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23
Hold on.
When I think of what it takes to hold on – to endure, to press on, to persevere – the word tenacious comes to mind.
Tenacity is defined by Merriam-Webster as: the quality or fact of being able to [...]
Posted in Current Events, Faith, Gratitude, Life, Ministry, Remain, Spirit-Filled Life, Trust on Aug 6th, 2020
“The Lord blesses his people with peace.” Psalm 29:11
Last month I wrote about endurance: staying in the race even when our bodies feel like they are going to give way and give out. Running all the way to the end…to the joy…fixing our eyes on Jesus…and crossing the glorious finish line at the end.
We are [...]
Posted in Africa, Current Events, Faith, Grace, Life, Ministry, Remain, Trust, missions on May 2nd, 2020
“Where he leads me, I will follow.” – E.W. Blandly
Only a few weeks ago, messages from the American Embassy had become a regular and consistent presence in my inbox. Updates from the Malawi government were an ongoing alert in every social networking group I am a part of, and most of those messages appeared to [...]
Posted in Africa, Current Events, Faith, Life, Ministry, Remain, missions on Mar 26th, 2020
We just finished eating dinner. The kids are washing dishes and doing kitchen clean- up while Joel gives Jasper a much-needed bath. I’m sitting here in our living room taking a minute to collect my thoughts. It’s been a full day, even while quarantined on our compound. In between all the activities of the day, [...]
Posted in Christmas, Current Events, Faith, Life on Dec 14th, 2018
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2
I heard a story this past weekend about a man named Bob who had been blind for 51 years. After five decades of walking around in total darkness, dependent upon [...]
Welcome to my blog. My name is Amy, and I wear a lot of different hats: wife, mother, daughter, sister, missionary, teacher, friend...and the list goes on. Life is a balancing act, and one I do not excel at. I find that each new season brings about more opportunities to learn, grow and allow God to continue the refining work in me. The pages of this blog are a glimpse into the lessons I am learning and the journey I am taking. I hope you enjoy!