Author Archives: Amanda Manney

About Amanda Manney

Hi friend, thanks for stopping by! I'm Amanda. I am a pastor's wife and a homeschooling mom who has a passion to encourage women to faithfully step every day into what God has for them.

3 Ways to Develop Deep Friendships

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My Reminder on Sunday

Sometimes I forget how valuable good friendships are, and then something happens to remind me. This past Sunday was just that. Matt and I were tired Sunday morning after a long week. We had been dealing with a difficult situation all week and were weary and discouraged. After church, good friends of ours stuck around until everyone had left just to talk to us. They asked how we were doing, asked what our thoughts were about some things, and just listened as we talked. The longer we talked, it was like the burden began to lift. They honestly couldn’t really do anything to fix the situation we were facing, but they began to help carry the burden with us. By the end of the conversation, my friend and I were laughing hysterically. Our husbands both stopped and looked at us and asked what was so funny. It was so good to laugh! It was so freeing. I didn’t realize how tense and worked up I had been.

Friends Help Carry Your Burdens

I left that conversation and went home with a smile on my face and a lightness in my heart. Nothing had changed, but at the same time, everything had changed. Our friends had come alongside and carried our burden with us. There is an old proverb that says:

A joy shared is a double joy. A burden shared is half a burden.

That is exactly how it feels when someone carries your burden with you. It doesn’t feel quite so heavy and cumbersome anymore, and you don’t feel so alone. When you are struggling, and your faith is waning, a good friend comes along and helps carry you through. They have faith enough for the both of you.

David and Jonathon

I think David felt this when Jonathon met with him in I Samuel 23. David had been on the run from Jonathon’s dad, King Saul for a long time. He was weary, tired, discouraged, even angry.

…And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. I Samuel 23:14

David could not escape Saul. He was constantly on the run, constantly alert and vigilant. He had to be so worn out and discouraged. I find it interesting that Saul couldn’t find David, but just a few verses later, Jonathon is able to find and meet with David.

And Jonathon Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. I Samuel 23:16

Jonathon goes to David and talks to him and encourages him and somehow he fortifies David’s faith in God. That’s what really good, Godly friends do. They strengthen your faith and fortify your spirit to keep trusting God and to keep staying faithful.

Good Friendships Take Work

This week reminded me to keep working on my friendships. Good friendships don’t come easy. They take work, but they are worth it! I remember a time when Matt and I didn’t really have any close friends. We have had to work to cultivate the friendships we have now.

3 Ways to Develop Deep Friendships

Here are three things we have learned over the years that have helped us to develop these kinds of friendships.

Be hospitable. Have friends over. Make a nice meal, play games, chat over dessert and coffee, watch a movie, do whatever works for you. The more time you spend together, the more the relationship will grow. And the more relaxed you are, the more relaxed your friends or potential friends will be, and that will help to cultivate a relationship.
Be real. Nobody likes a phony. As you try to grow friendships, let the real you show. You don’t want to pretend to be somebody you are not, or you will forever have to keep that up. Let people get close to the real you, and let them decide if they want to be your friend.
Just show up. Good friends keep showing up for each other. Keep listening to your friend’s burdens and frustrations. Don’t try to tell them how to fix things, or what to do differently. Simply be a friend. Go through life together– the good and the bad.

Photo credit: Tatiana Vavrikova

Easter Basket Idea- Kids’ Devotional Baskets!

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New Devotional Baskets

We decided it was time for our two older kids, Malachi (8) and Madison (6) to start doing their own Bible reading and prayer time in the mornings. They have watched Matt and I do our morning time for years and wanted to do their own. (Read my three tips for a good morning time here). So we decided to do just that.

To make it fun, we decided to create devotional baskets similar to the one I have. We found cute baskets at Hobby Lobby in the spring shop section. Each basket was $3.99 or less for full price, but we got each of them 40 percent off! So they were all under $3.

Devotional Baskets

My two littles got to participate too. So each child got to pick out a basket and a journal. My two older kids each grabbed a story Bible too. They have regular Bibles at home, but I wanted them to get a little younger version that they could read the stories from. We grabbed these hands-on Bibles pictured below. I absolutely love these Bibles! They are easy to read for my older two. They can pretty much read them by themselves. Then I grab one and read it to my two littles. Every paragraph or so, there is a little hand. You stop at the hand and do whatever it says. It may be singing a little song, acting like an animal, pretending to be a tree growing, whatever goes with the story. All of my kids enjoy the fun. I can’t say enough good about these Bibles. Plus, they were a really good price. They were less than $15 each.

Kids’ Bible Reader

I have my kids follow a condensed version of what I do for my morning time.

Madison journaling

Journaling

First, they write down one thing they are thankful for.
Then they write down one confession from yesterday– something they are asking God’s forgiveness for.
Lastly, they write down one thing to pray for. They can write more for any of these, but this gets them started.

Bible Reading

They pick a Bible story to read for the day.
When they finish, we go through the questions and application given in the notes in the Bible.
They write down (in their journal) one thing they learned or can apply for the day.

Malachi reading his Bible

Finishing Up

We then pray and ask God to help them have a good day and apply whatever it is they learned.
Then they often choose to draw something in their journal from what they read.
Madison’s journal entry

Malachi’s journal entry

It’s a pretty simple system, but they enjoy it. They get a mug of hot chocolate when they are doing their morning time to help make it fun and something they look forward to.

Easter Basket

These baskets are a great idea for Easter. I did find a few pieces of candy to throw in for the picture, but obviously you could add colorful grass, some colored pencils, new pens, candy, anything to make it more fun for Easter. It makes it fun for Easter but also adds so much more value than just getting a basket full of candy. Happy Easter Basket Making!!

Stay Faithful Because a New Season Is Coming

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I Hate January!

It’s official. I hate January and don’t really like its cousin February. Every year I try to mentally prep myself for January’s arrival; but no matter how much I try to prepare, it still takes me by storm. Every January our entire family goes down with the flu, usually more than once. Because there are six of us, we just pass it around and around. Well, this January we stayed right on track. Our family was wiped out with the flu, not once, not twice, but three times! I finally bought a bottle of Lysol and sprayed every single thing in our entire house.

What I hate more than all that, though, is the depression I always sink into in January and often into February. We live in Pennsylvania where January and February are just gloomy, cold, wet, snowy, and mostly depressing. Every year I know it’s coming, yet every year I feel like January and February knock me to the ground.

This year was no different. Along with the flu, we have had “life” happening all around us. And you know, life is just messy sometimes. We have been in the midst of the “mess.” I knew it was all affecting me, but I didn’t know how deeply until this past Wednesday at our growth group. Somebody brought up something that was frustrating me and had been on my mind all day, and I hit the roof. I wasn’t upset at them, just upset at the situation. I tried to calm down. As I did, I looked around the room. Everybody was looking at me in shock. One member of our small group said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this worked up before. ” Another person said, “I told my husband that I bet Amanda can be vicious sometimes.”

Apparently I’m Vicious

Vicious? Vicious?! Really?? I sat there in stunned silence, silently arguing in my head that I am not vicious! We were able to turn our small group around, ending the evening on a good note. But that conversation stayed with me long past that night. Vicious? I couldn’t stop thinking about it and feeling sick. I’m a child of God, a pastor’s wife, and this is how people see me? I felt all the pain of that night sinking in. I had been under pressure for the past several weeks and it had all culminated in the perfect storm and I had exploded. You know that saying, “You don’t know what’s in a tea bag until it’s put in boiling water?” Well, who I really was came seeping out on Wednesday night and all of my shame along with it.

Have you ever had a situation like that? You are trying so hard to do what’s right and stay calm but the pressure keeps building until you feel that you can’t take it anymore and Bam! You explode. What do you do? I turned to the only One who can help me.

A Look at Psalm 88

Matt graciously took the kids for a few hours Friday morning so that I could be alone for a little bit. I began my Bible reading and journaling for the day. As apart of my reading, I read Psalm 88, and it was a balm for my brokenness. It personified exactly what I was feeling.

Psalm 88

3 For my soul is full of troubles…

4 …I am as a man that hath no strength.

7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves.

8 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me: thou hast made me an abomination unto them…

9 Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: Lord, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.

The next few verses seemed to jump off the page at me.

11 Shall thy lovingkindess be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?

12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

I’m So Broken

God used these verses to remind me that life is not about me. If I don’t get my focus back on God and off of my problems then who is going to teach God’s love to my children? Who is going to remind my husband that God has been faithful before and He will be faithful again? Who will teach the new ladies in our church the amazing wonders God did in the Old and New Testament and how He wants to do an amazing work in their life? And who will share with those still to come to our church that because of Jesus’ righteousness, He offers salvation freely to all?

God reminded me that I am so broken and foolish. Yet that’s Who He uses.

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; I Corinthians 1:27

Going Forward

So how do I go forward? First, I give all my bitterness and frustration to God. Then I look around at the beautiful life He has given me. I can see tiny shoots starting to poke through my grass outside and remember that new life is going to spring up in just a few weeks. I remember that winter will fade and spring will come. And it’s the same in my life. The things that pressure me now, will eventually fade. God promises a time and a season to everything. There is a season coming bringing new life and growth and blessing in my life. God has always brought us through every hard time before, and He will do it again this time.

photo credit: Aaron Burden

What Kind of Dad Do You Think You Have?

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My Kids’ Dad

My husband Matt is such a good dad to our kids. He loves each of them so much! One of his favorite things to do is to take them on dates and buy them a toy. As much as I try to keep us on budget and not spoil the kids too much… there is Daddy, always ready to shower them with more love, grace, and gifts.

I see this all the time with my kids’ dad. So why is it so hard for me to see my heavenly Dad this way? So many times I don’t see God anything like this. I don’t see God as my doting Father wanting to love on me, spend time with me, and shower me with gifts. Instead, I see Him more as a disapproving Dad, a Dad that focuses on all my sins, failures, and short-comings. I see the disciplinarian Dad, taking me through another trial to make me better, change me, grow me, and rub the rough edges off.

My Heavenly Dad

But God is so much more than just a strict disciplinarian Father. He is better at being a Dad than any earthly dad could ever be! How do I know this? His Word says so.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matthew 7:11

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

Sometimes I wonder if God looks down at me when I’m feeling so discouraged and unworthy of God’s love and asks me,” What kind of Dad do you think you have?”

God’s Plan for My Life

Just as Matt can see and understand what our kids need more than they can, so my Heavenly Father knows what I need more than I do. He knows that the thing I have been so afraid to do is what is going to radically change me. He knows that the prayer request I have been praying for for several years is not going to be answered the way I think it is, but His answer and plan is going to be so much better.

His plan for me involves waiting right now because the rest of the story hasn’t played out yet. If He brought it to pass now, I would only see half of the blessing He has prepared.

God’s Plan for Your Life

I don’t know where you are at in life right now. Maybe you are waiting for a relationship, and it just won’t come. Maybe you are in financial need and no matter how much you pray and work hard, you just can’t get ahead. Perhaps it’s a health problem, a relationship difficulty, a job need that seems so out of reach, maybe it’s loneliness or failure. Maybe you have convinced yourself for so long, like I have, that you just don’t deserve God’s help and love, that you are unworthy, lazy, unlovely, incapable. And the whole time, your Heavenly Father is looking down on you and asking…

What kind of Dad do you think you have? I see the full picture, and it is more beautiful than you could ever imagine! Trust Me. Believe in Me. Joy in Me. For I am your Father, and I love you more than you will ever understand this side of Heaven .

Encouragement for a Weary Heart

Sometimes I just need to be reminded of a few of my favorite verses.

The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Jeremiah 31:3

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3

As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. Psalm 18:30

So I ask you in the midst of life’s pressures and struggles, what kind of Dad do you think you have?

Photo credit: Frank Mckenna

My Top 10 Books from 2017

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I read lots of great books last year. This is a list of my top ten favorites from the year.

Fiction

1. The Harry Potter Series.

Book Title: Harry Potter

I am a little late to the party, but I picked up the first book in the Harry Potter series this year. Amidst all the craziness of people arguing whether or not to read them, I decided to read the first one to see what all the hype was about and to determine if I would let my kids read them.

It was crazy! I could not put the first book down. After reading the first book, I read the entire series in less than a month! I LOVED this series! Hands-down best fiction books I have ever read! Obviously, which is why they are so famous!

Homeschool

2. The Well-Trained Mind.

Book Title: The Well-Trained Mind

I knew I would love this book, I just didn’t get around to reading it right away. After reading it, I changed much of the way I do my homeschooling. I loved that this book is both informational and practical. It has lots of recommendations for books at the end of each section.

(This book had a dust jacket, but I hate dust jackets and usually take them off as soon as I get a book. So my apologies for the ugliness of the book.)

3. The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child

Book Title: The Book Whisperer

I read this book quickly. It’s super inspirational. Lots of stories and encouragement to develop a love for reading in children. Great read!

Non-fiction

4. Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted.

I don’t have a picture of this book because I let someone borrow it. This was a fantastic read and a beautiful story that talks about the “messiness” of ministry. Shannan Martin tells her family’s story of giving up living on a beautiful farm in the country to move to the inner city to work in ministry.

5. Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes

Book Title: Bread and Wine

I love all Shauna Niequist books, and this one did not disappoint! It is chock full of stories about gathering around the table for nourishing food and fellowship, and of course, it has amazing mouth-watering recipes.

Disclaimer: I don’t drink wine, so I just skipped the parts about wine.

6. The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Decisions and Greatest Fears.

Book Title: The Circle Maker

I love Mark Batterson books. This one, so far, is my favorite. He teaches the concept of praying circles around your requests and watching God work in your life. It was so convicting and encouraging at the same time!

7. Nothing to Prove: Why We Can Stop Trying So Hard

Book Title: Nothing to Prove

This is a great book that came at a perfect time in my life. Jenni Allen is a great encouragement to remind us that we have nothing to prove to others or to ourselves.

(This book had a dust jacket, but I hate dust jackets and usually take them off as soon as I get a book. So my apologies for the ugliness of the book.)

8. Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God’s Promises, and the Exhilarating Future That Awaits You.

Book Title: Imagine Heaven

This book changed my mind about everything I thought I knew about Heaven. I loved it and can not recommend it enough. The book is filled with stories of people who have had near-death experiences. People can agree or disagree, but I love that it gets us thinking about Heaven.

9. The Church of the Small Things: The Million Little Pieces that Make Up Life.

book title: Church of the Small Things

This book is just plain encouraging fun. It’s filled with stories that will have you reminiscing about days gone by, laughing hysterically at funny stories, and crying at tender moments. I loved that it was non-fiction but read like a fiction book.

10. The Magnolia Story.

Book Title: The Magnolia Story

Who doesn’t love Chip and Joanna Gaines? They are an amazing couple, and they produced an amazing book. You get the behind-the-scenes look at the life they created before they were famous. It’s a great read and full of encouragement and inspiration.

I am so excited about lots of new books to read this year! I have already read a few good ones so far! Happy Reading!!

What to do After Failure?

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On Sunday, in church, my husband Matt was preaching about how to handle failure. He had us stop and write in our notes where we have failed. He said that you can not move forward past failure until you have first acknowledged the failure. I stopped to think and started to write down my failures. In that moment, I felt so overwhelmed. I thought of all the ways I had failed in 2017– all the things I wanted to accomplish and didn’t, the frustrations and failures I felt in my personal life and with my kids… and on and on the list went.

Failure can be debilitating if we don’t know how to handle it.

Peter’s Failure

One of the best examples of life after failure is the story of Peter. Peter’s story is so sad, but I can so easily relate to it. In Jesus’ deepest hour of pain and need, Peterone of His closest friends betrays Him. The Bible says that Peter cursed and denied ever knowing Jesus. At that moment, Jesus looked on Peter, Peter heard the rooster crow, and in that moment the weight of his failure sank in. The Bible says that Peter went out and wept bitterly.

How do you come back from a failure like that? Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends, betrayed Him. Yet Jesus knew Peter was going to do this and gave him advice days before. We find His advice in Luke. Jesus is talking to Peter and says,

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Luke 22:31,32

Jesus says, “Simon, (Peter) Satan wants to separate you and pull you away from Me. But I have prayed for you, and when you come back to Me… strengthen your brethren.” Jesus knew that Peter was going to fail, so He gave Him what he needed to be able to make it back. “When you do fail, come back to Me,” Jesus said. “And after you come back to Me, use your failure to be an encouragement to your friends and family.”

Less than two months later, Peter preaches at Pentecost and over 3,000 people get saved!

What an encouragement to remember life is not over after failure!

After Failure

Jesus used Peter’s failure in such an incredible way. How can we learn from his example? How do you use your failure to propel you forward to accomplish what God has for you?

Allow your failure to refocus your attention back on Jesus.
Follow your failure up with a second chance. Try again.
Commit to empathy towards others, not just authority. Don’t forget where you’ve come from.
Use your failure to grow your faith.
Leverage your failure with humility and strength.

If we can take those five steps, we will be able to come back after failure stronger than ever and be ready to accomplish what God has for us.

My Not-So-Great Start to the Year

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The Ending to our Holidays

So it’s a new year, and ours is off to a crazy start! We spent the holidays in Illinois with family and drove back to Pennsylvania a few days after the start of the new year. Well, my husband Matt (who has a severe wheat allergy), got wheat somewhere on our trip and spent the entire night in the bathroom at our hotel throwing up. From there, we drove home, stopping every little bit for him to use a bathroom on the way. We finally got home, began the long process of unloading the van and unpacking the suitcases and fell into bed in the early morning hours.

The Disaster at Home

The next morning, we awoke to a disaster in our kitchen. We have had a mice problem this winter and have been repeatedly setting traps. Well, apparently they decided to throw a party while we were out-of-town. They got into everything in our pantry! We had to throw out every single item in our pantry. Frustrated doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt! Matt went out and bought more traps, we called an exterminator, and spent the next few days cleaning out every closet, every shelf, every storage bin in our house, and more. It was quite an undertaking.

In the midst of all this chaos, I took an afternoon to read a little bit to try to take my mind off all the craziness. I went upstairs to read while my kids played in the playroom. A few minutes later, I looked up from my book to see my three-year-old Maggie standing on top of the Lego table trying to jump rope! Seriously?! I told her immediately to get down. What happened next was a disaster. I watched as if in slow motion as she tried to jump down from the table. She went one way and the table went the other way. The momentum shoved her off-balance and into a corner wall where she hit her head and split it open.

A Visit to Urgent Care

So my quiet afternoon was interrupted by screaming, lots of blood, and a visit to urgent care. We spent the night in the urgent care getting four staples into Maggie’s head. That was not a fun process, and not one I am looking to repeat anytime in the near future.

Maggie all wrapped up and ready to go home.

That night was followed by a flu bug that hit our house. My six-year-old Madison threw up all the next day. Soon after that, Malachi got the bug and spent his day throwing up. With all the craziness, we didn’t do any homeschooling for the entire week.

So that is why I find myself halfway through January and just now getting a post out. Our start to 2018 has been a train wreck! I’m a little scared to see what the rest of the year is going to bring!

Success in God’s Eyes

I was so looking forward to a new year and a fresh start. This is not how I was planning on my year starting out. I can get all worked up and crazy about it, or I can choose to just accept it for what it is. I am reminded of a message Matt preached a few weeks ago.

In a message Matt was preaching before Christmas, He talked about success and what success looks like. One of the phrases he said really caught my attention.

Success isn’t achievement; it’s obedience to God.

He followed up with a few questions to ask ourselves to see if we are truly being successful.

Did I do what God said?
Am I doing what He created me to do?
Am I doing the best I can with the abilities, resources, and opportunities I have been given?
Have I followed through?

I think my picture of success probably looks so different from God’s picture. My picture of success looks like starting out 2018 with a bang. Exercising every day, eating right and losing weight, getting my entire house cleaned and organized, homeschooling each day like a pro, writing a couple of blog posts a week, working on my book, and on and on the list goes. I wonder instead if God’s list looks something like this.

Spend time with Me today.

Love your littles and take care of them today.

Encourage and love your husband today.

Notice the people who I put into your path today. Love them for Me.

Do your best to keep your home and home school running smoothly but don’t stress about it.

Rest in Me, and let Me control your life. I can do a much better job anyway.

This year, I want my definition of success to be simple obedience to God each and every day by stepping into what He has for me that day. ~Faithfully Stepping~

Photo credit: Ben White

Offering Grace When I Want to Offer Shame

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Shaming Others

Shame is so prevalent in our culture today– especially in church, which is where I have spent my entire life. Now, nobody walks up to you and says, “Shame on you. You shouldn’t have…” fill in the blank. Nobody actually says that, but it’s implied. So we walk around with feelings of shame for the things we have done wrong. We get so discouraged with ourselves, our mistakes, our failures, and our shortcomings because people keep reminding us of them.

Why is that? We are Christians. We are supposed to be walking around full of grace and extending grace to others. Isn’t that what Jesus does for us? Jesus forgives us day after day for the same things over and over and over again.

Choosing to Extend Grace

You know what’s really hard? To extend grace to someone who has hurt us. Being a pastor’s wife, I am no stranger to hurt. People say things about my husband, about me, and about our ministry. Matt continually tells me, “We have to develop tough skin but keep a tender heart.” Let me tell you– I am bad at both of those things! I am not good at taking criticism from people. People can be mean. It’s especially hard to take criticism when the criticism isn’t even true.

When I am criticized, there are two things that I am really trying to work on. Number one, I am trying to learn not to defend myself. Number two, I am trying to learn not to shame those who are criticizing me, but extend grace to them, even when they have hurt me.

Choosing to Look Past the Hurt

There is a very familiar saying that says, “Hurting people hurt people.” Whatever is going on in their own personal life is directly impacting why they are lashing out at me. I have to ask God to help me extend grace to them instead of shame. I want to tell everybody around me how they hurt me, how untrue their words are, how unspiritual they are, and so much more. Instead, I have to choose to not talk about it with other people. That is hard! I want to shame them and put them in their place, but I have to choose to offer grace instead. Grace offers them dignity by not talking to others about it. Grace is hard! But grace is what I keep asking Jesus to give to me, so how can I not extend it to others!

Don’t Let this Thanksgiving Pass You By + Free Printables

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The Busyness of the Holiday

Thanksgiving comes each year, and with it comes the crazy busyness of the holiday. The grocery shopping and last-minute runs to the store for all the things we forgot, the cooking and baking, the decorating, the entertaining, and all the special things that make Thanksgiving the holiday it is. We get so busy that often the day passes by without us ever getting a chance to thank the One who has made it all possible. It’s hard to take the time to make that happen.

Making the Time

I get it. I really do. I am hosting two separate Thanksgivings this year. One on Wednesday night and another one on Thanksgiving day, and we are heading to a third one on Thanksgiving night. It’s crazy! But somewhere in the midst of all that, I have to set aside time to thank God for my blessings. So Thursday morning, before the parade starts, before I start cooking for the day, before my kids get out of bed excited and energized for the day, I am going to make a cup of coffee, light a candle, and grab my Bible and journal and spend some quiet time thanking God for the incredible life He has given me.

I will sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:6

I was thinking this morning- what if this was my last Thanksgiving? How would I spend it? What would I change? I think I would take the time gather my littles close to me and hug and kiss them and tell them how much I love them and am grateful for them. I would take the time to let my husband know how very much he means to me. I would do more laughing and celebrating with friends and family and less complaining and getting frustrated. We are not guaranteed next year. Life is so short and unpredictable. We have to choose to make this Thanksgiving count.

Choose to Make the Time

Choose to take the time to thank God for His many blessings in your life. Be fully present this Thanksgiving with your family and friends. Don’t be so busy making Thanksgiving perfect that you forget what it is all about- spending time with those you love and thanking the One who gave you this beautiful life to live.

Free Thanksgiving Printables

Just for fun, I created the Thanksgiving printables below. The first two you can print off and put in frames for your Thanksgiving table. The third one I created is for writing down how God has blessed you. It would be a fun project for kids to work on too! I hope you enjoy them. Sign up at the bottom of the page to get the three free printables.

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!!

Free Thanksgiving Printable

Free Thanksgiving Printable

Free Gratitude Printable

Hit the Brakes: I Need to Stop Trying to Fix Life

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Being a Fixer

How many times do we take matters into our own hands when things aren’t going well in our lives? I am a fixer by nature. I naturally want to help fix people and their problems. It’s kind of my Achilles heel. So when my life feels out of control, or when things aren’t going well, I tend to jump in and start trying to fix things. The problem is that sometimes there is nothing I can do to fix it. Sometimes the struggles I am facing cannot be fixed. Only God stepping in and working in my life can fix the problem- whether it’s financial struggles, an illness, a frustration, a hurt, or an offense. Sometimes I step in and make a bigger mess of things, instead of fixing them.

Taking a Break

Last week, we were dealing with some hardships and discouragements in our church ministry. Some things had taken place and the pressures were taking their toll on us. I actually broke down and started crying at church! We decided after that, it was time for a break.

We spontaneously decided to take a trip to Illinois to visit our family. We had a few days free and felt that we could use the break and the encouragement. So we packed up, loaded the kids into the van, and started the thirteen hour trip to the Midwest. While we were there, Matt and I had a chance to talk through the pressures and difficulties but couldn’t come up with any solutions. Early one morning, God got my attention through my Bible reading.

Our kids having fun at Grandma’s house

I have been reading in the book of Genesis about Joseph. Joseph is an Old Testament Bible character that teaches us how to endure hardships. The story of Joseph starts with his brothers hating him, ganging up on him, and selling him into slavery. Thirteen years later, through a series of circumstances, he becomes second in command in all of Egypt. It is during this time that his brothers show up again in his life. The brothers are fearful that Joseph will take revenge on them now that he is a powerful ruler. I love Joseph’s response to his brothers.

And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am in the place of God?

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Genesis 50:19,20

Stop Trying to Fix Things

I love these verses and have read them many times before. But that day, they stopped me in my tracks. I felt like God was speaking directly to me.

Amanda, are you God? Are you in the place of Me to decide what is good and right? Stop trying to play My role in your life. Everything I am doing in your life is for a reason. I am orchestrating all the events in your life to shape you into the woman I have created you to be. Stop fighting Me and allow Me to mold you and change you. I can do such a better job of running your life than you can if you would just let Me.

God brought me such a peace that morning as I prayed and once again surrendered to His working in my life. I get so focused on trying to do what’s right and trying to fix myself and everybody around me, that when things don’t go as planned, it can totally rock my world. But God reminded me that I am not Him. I don’t have all the answers, but I can trust that when God is working in me, He’s doing it for His glory and for my good.

lady throwing leaves in the air