faith walk...

As I sit here with crutches, I am trying to clean up my email inboxes and convert them to a new geek gadget service I am working with. EVERNOTE.COM more to come on that.
But I just found notes from a Sunday school lesson I did last year. I'm posting this to my site because for me Back to school time is always a good time to re-evaluate everything.

These notes came from the last time I had to endure foot surgery. Why foot surgery Amy-Jo? It's because my feet just weren't created to last the long haul. In fact I was told I have the feet of a 60 year old woman. So if you see a 60 year old woman with feet half her age---tell her to give them back.
Also my feet got out of line because I took poorly formed feet and pushed them to their limits with track in highschool and college soccer. Now as an adult they won't let me do what i need them to do. I had a hard time moving from pain to surgery to healing to walking forward again. It was quite a hard time for me.
The phases that I went through were as follows:


ignoring: I didn't want to notice the pain so I just kept pushing through.
correcting: I went to extremes in college even with physical therapists creating a bulky plastic protector that was taped to my foot instead of surgery that was needed.

numbness: Finally my foot would go numb from bones moving out of place and pinching on nerves.
surgery: It became mandatory for surgery and a re-allignment and removal of some bones.
crippling: I had a time of complete immobility and had to use crutches.
baby steps: I had to re-learn how to walk and ended up limping for quite awhile.
practice: I had to practice and continue to walk to keep moving forward and stop limping.

To me this was as much a faith journey as it was a physical journey. As I wondered if I would ever be able to walk again...I spent many moments talking with God about it. It became an illustration of my own walk with God.

Where are you on your faith walk?
Is there a question that is crippling your relationship with God
Are you ignoring your relationship with God
Are you numb
are you stalled
are you moving?

Where are you on the journey?
the terminology "relationship with Christ" is not found anywhere in Scripture. We made that up. Instead of that, the Bible talks about a "walk." But here is the interesting thing: the word "walk" in Hebrew means "human locomotion without any indication of destination." So evidently a walk with Christ is more about the process than the end. To walk with Jesus is not to look up every 5 minutes asking, "Where are we going? What is my job going to be? Who am I going to marry? Where am I going to live?" It is to walk. Those questions come up in the conversation as you move together.

I hope you have some time as this new school year begins to think through your walk and talk with Him about it on your way.

What is Twitter Amy-Jo and why do you do it?

A picture that encapsulates 3 of "my loves"

Darrel. iPhone. Mac. (Jesus was unavailable for this photo op in case
you were wondering as He is still on the list too)

AJ GETS A BAD CASE OF THE GIGGLES...

Today I had a hard time doing a simple Staff intro video that we are using for a DVD promo of our student ministry. All I had to do was say my name, my title, and what I get to be a part of as a Student ministry staff member...but all that came out was giggles that would not stop. This was take 13 I think :) Why do "the giggles" over take me every once in awhile? Oh well...laughing is good for the soul :) I invite you to laugh WITH me not AT me.

Mymissionfufilled.com

I am proud of this missions organization for putting together this new website called "mymissionfufilled.com"

Today this was the devo that came across my screen written by Phillip Nation and found on mymissionfufilled.com

I'm passing along some of it to you in hopes that you check it out for yourself and that it causes you to re-order and re-value your thoughts today about your purpose in life as I did.

We should all ask ourselves the obvious question: What is for the purpose of my life?

2 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV) states:

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”

The call upon us today is not to do religious activities—even good deeds. It is to live for the glory and excellence of God.

Peter’s inspired letter to the early Church was addressed to men and women young in their faith and persecuted in life. Yet, the emphasis of his letter is not on escaping hardship, but on magnifying the glory of God in the midst of it.

The mystery of participating in the very nature of God is just that—a mystery. We see from the totality of Scripture that focusing on God is the only way we could ever escape the corruption of the world and our own souls. Our redemption comes because of God’s love for us, and at the same time magnifies God’s glory.

Today, we will all complete work of some sort; school, job, life at home. And we must ask ourselves the question: Why do I do this?

We may do these things to feel better about ourselves or to help others. These reasons are often common of any religious or nonreligious stripe. Ultimately, Christians must do everything for the glory of God. Peter pointed this out in his first letter, as he taught about the use of our spiritual gifts (1 Peter 4:11 ESV).

In fulfilling a missional life, we are tempted to see the end product in the physical results. I do not minimize aid given to widows, orphans, and outcasts. I celebrate the redemption of a friend snatched from the darkness of sin’s judgment. But I want the glory of God to be supreme in our minds and hearts. G. Campbell Morgan once said, “The greatest passion of the heart of Christ was not the saving of men, but the glory of God. And then the saving of men because it is for the glory of God.”

This week’s devotional exercises:

Take a few moments and think about your motivations. Then, answer these questions:

• What “good” things do I do that take me away from the more purposeful things for Christ?

• When I care for others, what is my primary focus? Christ or the person?

• Does the thought of living for God’s glory satisfy? Why or why not?

• Take time this week to read Jesus’s prayer in John 17 and meditate on the connections between God’s glory and His love for the church.

hello Roomba. Of course you can vacuum our home.

Meet our Irobot Roomba. I haven't decided on a name for our new homecleaning helper. I will be working with Darrel to determine what we will call it. Currently we have locked it in the guest bedroom and it is either hard at work or a very unstealthy ninja is tripping all over the place up there trying to steal things. I hope it's just the Roomba bumping into walls and going under the bed destroying dirt and grime. Thanks to Darrel for allowing this to become a convenience to our home. It makes it easier for me to vacuum when all I have to do is push a button. I'll let you know how it does.

Commentators...anyone else loving the random comments of the olympics?

I think I am loving the Olympic commentators more and more as these games go on. Mainly because I think they forget they are on mic and they seem to be tired and familiar with the crowd.
Darrel and I enjoy the sporting events but really are enjoying commentating on the commentating.
For example, a commentator just stopped finishing his sentence in the middle of a thought leaving us the viewer to wonder "what the end of that thought was". Or when the commentator clearly bragged that he had already run the marathon route that the current runners were running. Or when they clearly use dramatic words when a mistake is made. Things like "oh that was an utter travesty." or when an amazing performance is made: "wow he is magical"
Or we felt odd as we listened to the commentators comment on the legs of a male gymnast as being like two pillars of cement. Why did we need to know that?
Is it just me that is enjoying the commentating? Please share.

Let's leave the "georgians" alone...I recently read the CNN news that states as follows:

I recently read the CNN news that states as follows:

• North Georgia men say they stumbled upon body while hiking in forest
  
• They also claim to have spotted three similar living creatures
  
• The body of the furry half man-half ape is 7 feet, 7 inches tall, they say
  
• Men won't reveal Bigfoot den's location because they don't want others disturbed

I disagree...this is not bigfoot...it's probably just an area in Georgia that grows people to a large size and possibly in this area of Georgia they ignore social norms of removing unwanted body hair on the face back and overall body. Regardless of their height and ignoring of social norms...let's not label them BIGFOOT okay? :)

a day with my best friend

The day started out a bit "dramatic" from my perspective. I woke up to an empty house. I remember Darrel telling me where he was going and that he would be back but when you are on crutches and you wake up alone you forget that you were told you were going to be alone for a bit and you panic. I proceeded to begin the chore of getting ready which essentially feels like the biggest project of the day. I then was worn out and worked my way down the stairs to rest on the couch. I finally was tired of being alone and decided I would try to drive to a starbux only to be caught by Darrel coming into the house as i was trying to leave. Thankfully I did not do proceed with my escape plan but rather allowed my husband to take care of me because he does such a good job.
I was still feeling a bit "woe is me" and so I flopped into a bean bag and dramatically expressed that I was to be left there until the weekend passed. Shortly after my emmy award winning dramatic interpretation of a whining wife, darrel suggested we go to Franklin Mercantile. What a great day after I got over myself. We had tomato basil soup...we had wonderful conversation...I just love being able to look at something and then laugh with Darrel knowing that we know exactly why something was funny without saying words.
We then went for coffee and sat and talked more. Then we went to Philanthropy to look around and ran into a student for a short visit. It was a good little outing.
Now I'm back on the couch and in better spirits as Darrel goes to hang out with some guys for a fantasy football draft party. Supa fun!

perspectives from the couch...

As the surgery medicine has worn off, I have had some unique perspectives from the couch as I reflect on all things. :) I got really crabby and upset short after my surgery and just really "inconvenienced" at all that I was going through.  But today I think I woke up.  I realized I was spewing "no hope" sort of sentences when I have so much to be hopeful of.  For one...this surgery was way better than the one I had in November of 2006.  I am thankful that I don't have to wear a humongous astronaut boot with this surgery and thankful that when the dr got in to my foot he didn't have to reconnect tendons like he had thought.  Instead he just moved...fused...wired...screwed...and shorten bones so that they work better together and hopefully will allow me to run again in no time.  

I am thankful that I am on a better road to recovery than last time.

I am thankful for my husband.  WOW he is amazing.  I love him and I love that we can flirt and joke over the silliest things.  I love that no matter how bad I feel...he can look at me and really think I'm beautiful.  I love that I can look at him and say "hey, let's move." and he simply says---"okay where?".   I love my husband.

I love my mom. I love that I can call her and ask her to remind me to take pain medicine and she doesn't make fun of me.  I love that we can make tea together on the phone and talk about nothing and yet feel like we've talked about everything.  I love that I can share with her what God is doing in me and I can share the ucky stuff that I don't want to share with people and she can pray with me and tell me to pray when I don't want to.  I love my mom.

I love my dog.  He has not left my side since the surgery.  I think he is beginning a ministry to handicapped people---starting with me.  Such a funny dog.  

I love purpose and hope that God gives us....I came back from Guatemala and Chicago changed.

And questioning some things about the way I have been ordering my life.  I can't go back to the way I have been doing things...and God is calling me to re-value and re-order some things that got a little out of whack.  Not huge stuff....but just some things that God and I needed to talk about.  I love getting to see people God uses that inspire us to be more like Christ.  I'm thankful for new friends and old friends I met and made on the last two missions experiences.  The song posted below by Sara Groves has been the best thing I know to help me come to grips with what God is doing in my heart and I want to share it with you.

SURGERY...a great way to end your summer.

If surgery ever had to come up with a tag line...I think they would use the below picture of me before I went into foot surgery today and add the line: "surgery...a great way to end your summer".
Everything ended up great with my surgery today. I am still numbed up and can't feel anything which has allowed me to go through bouts of great joy and plumb to depths of great crabbiness. Bootcamp made my bones supah strong! So hopefully I won't have to be 6 weeks Non-weight bearing. But that is yet to be decided.

It also was a great thing to go to surgery today because my Guatemalan bug rared it's ugly head and started to begin "Montezuma's Revenge" until I asked for a little anti-nausea medicine to be mixed into my IV and provide the ultimate "kill two birds with one stone" lil special treat. YAY!

Apparently as I woke up I constantly asked the doctors if I was in Guatemala and if we were doing Construction. I don't believe this but everyone says this was the case.
Oh well...the journey begins---6 weeks crutch it up time!

Home from Guatemala

SHALOM SCHOOL from the top floor

IN THE SHADOW OF MENORAH....

Last picture on the area our team helped to pave and stamp...in the shadow of the menorah that stood over the plaza of Shalom Baptist School....I had to have a picture.

CAMP WONDER YEARS