Simplifying… me

Embrace the past
Embrace tomorrow
Embrace the joy
Embrace the sorrow
Embrace the simple
Embrace the uncertain
Embrace the weathered
Embrace the new again
All the days ahead
Are made what they will be
By all the days behind.
The gift of what seems too hard
Appreciated for what growth
Awaits on the other side.
The goodness of it all
The excitement, challenge, stretching, breathing in grace and peace
Found in [...]

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Peter walked on water.
I see this story as a vivid depiction of the realities of walking by faith.
Think about it.
Peter wanted to be where Jesus was, and so he climbed out of the security of the boat and took his first step onto the water. And then, when the wind began to pick up speed, [...]

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In the cold, damp, dreary cell, after the dinner hour had passed and the quiet of evening slowly and silently settled in, I wonder – as Joseph processed the happenings of the day – what thoughts and feelings, emotions and curiosities wandered through his mind as the sun sank its way into the night. Once [...]

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I’m a simple girl.
Maybe “average girl” would be a better way to describe me. Truly. I was never the super star in school, in sports, in anything. I usually found myself somewhere in the middle. Plain Amy. Brown hair, brown eyes, mediocre basketball skills, and boasting more B’s than A’s on my report card. I [...]

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“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

Photo Credit: Gaylon Wampler

I don’t always understand the journey of the day.
The sideways paths, the detours, the moments that slip away.
But I know the One who holds the hours in knowing and capable hands.
Which gives me assurance [...]

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Leaving.
We all leave at some point in our lives.
We leave a job. We leave a career. We leave a home. We leave a school. We leave an activity. We leave a group. We leave a grade level. We leave an identity.
It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do…eventually, we all leave.
I made a [...]

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“…and after you have done everything, to stand…stand firm…” Ephesians 6
It’s never easy, is it?
The curveballs that come our way, the challenging people we engage with on a regular basis, the quick swipe through our social media accounts reminding us that we missed out on something, or we are obviously not as happy and fulfilled [...]

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We strive. We push. We plan. We pursue. Through blood, sweat and tears we power on to meet our goals, fix our problems and cling to control.
In our striving, pushing, planning and pursuing, we oftentimes find ourselves empty, weary, angry and spent.
We gained, but we also lost.
Ambition will eventually fade into either self-reliance and pride, [...]

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“Our significance is measured by the size of the cause that we live for and the price we are willing to pay to accomplish it.” – John York
Two years ago I felt a little nudge. Not just me, but my husband, Joel, as well. It was subtle at first – like someone tapping on my [...]

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