Dancing In The Mine Fields -- Daily Devotional | Everyday Christian

Dancing In The Mine Fields -- Daily Devotional | Everyday Christian

For those of you who are married, I hope you will agree me today on this post inspired by the song Dancing in the Minefields. Feel free to comment

Great Is Thy Faithfulness -- Daily Devotional | Everyday Christian

Read: Philippians 4:19

Do you remember the old traditional hymn, Great Is Thy Faithfulness? It is my husband's favorite song. In praise of God, Great is Thy Faithfulness, a hymn written by Thomas O. Chisholm (1866-1960), is a worship song that uplifts through trials and tough times. It was a result of a writer's daily experiences and realization of God's faithfulness. The tune is composed by William M. Runyan (1870-1957), with Scripture reference from theLamentations 3:22-23 (NIV) "Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; "

This sacred song has been an all-time favorite among Christians. Popular gospel singer and songwriter Beverly Shea says that it was first introduced to audiences in Great Britain by the Billy Graham Crusades in 1954.

This past week has been one of acknowledging God's hand at work in my life and in my family's lives. We know that whatever we need, God will provide. "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

However, some do not have that same hope and faith in the Lord.

I recently rejoined a online chat group that networks people together to help them save money by couponing, stocking up and cooking from scratch and using what you have on hand. My heart broke last night as I joined the discussion about possibly doing a " no spend month." What they mean by that is that one month, you try not to spend on anything other than necessities: mortgage, rent, utilities and absolutely necessary food, gas and essentials. It's a wonderful idea and it generated a great thread of discussion. However, it also brought forth the tragedy of economic crisis facing most Americans today. Some of the families who spoke up are not attempting " no spend month, " they are living " no spend lives," on a daily basis. I read heartbreaking stories of families trying to make ends meet out of $13 a week. One woman wrote in that she had 1 box of $.29 macaroni & cheese, and she planned to get several meals out of it for her and her grandson. I was in tears as I read this and I want to share with you some of my reply to these posts.:

"I'm in East Texas and I've heard about people in Tennessee living on less than $800 a year, living on their land with just a little RV, sometimes no running water or electricity.

I do realize things are getting tough for some out there, but what I don't understand...... and please don't take this the wrong way, ..........but I find so many people don't know how to get what they need when they need it.

I'm a stay at home mom with 4 kids ages 4-13, we are a one income family ( my husband does well for East Texas), we are debt free except for the mortgage, we even went almost 3 years with only one car so we could pay cash for a good used car.

I'm a Christian in the Bible Belt, hope that doesn't offend anyone, but for me personally, I've always believed if I don't have it, I don't need it and if I need it, God always provides it, and I've seen that over and over and over in our 20 years of marriage.

 

For those of you needing help with groceries: if you don't qualify for food stamps, are there food banks, food pantries, churches in your area that will help out?

Here in East Texas, I don't know of anyone to ever go hungry, our Southern hospitality here seems to take care of their own. I was appalled last year or so to find out backpacks of food were sent home with some kids on Fridays, "in case their parents couldn't feed them or didn't feed them!" I didn't realize it had gotten that bad, but my point is there should be community resources available to put food on everyone's table: pantries, food banks, churches, shelters.

During the summers, our parks host free breakfast and lunch to who ever shows up. Right now because of the extreme cold here, the Salvation Army has opened it's soup kitchen to any and everyone.

I encourage you, do not be afraid to call and check around for these kinds of services in your area. Call every church and shelter. It's ok to ask.

 

As for our family, things get tight for us as well, but God always provides. I write online for extra money. I use coupons, stack coupons, stockpile, cook from scratch and we keep things as simple as possible. At the beginning of the week, I worked on this year's budget. I love the end result, What we take in is a little bit more than what we need, just a tad more, a few $$, another way of God saying see, just what you need, nothing less, nothing more.

The rest is up to me to do the best I can with what's provided and stay on or under budget.

I plan on staying under budget as much as possible, but my heart goes out to many of you as I read your stories. I thought I was doing good feeding my family of 6 for $50-$100 a week, some of you are doing much better than I am on less and I commend you for it. However, those of you that are suffering so, please don't be afraid or ashamed to ask around for help. If you were here, I'd clean my shelves to feed you and yours. I'm sure there are others out there who would do the same."

 

Unfortunately, my post was replied back with a refusal to accept any help from anyone. See, Our God really does supply all that we need when we need it, but he may not do it in ways you are comfortable with. Sometimes, you have to step out of your comfort zone and take a leap of faith toward God and His provisions. Sometimes, God uses a neighbor, a church, family members, friends and even perfect strangers (perhaps angels in disguise) to meet the needs of His children. If God stood at your doorstep right now with a gift just for you, would you turn it away? Perhaps God is sending His gift of help to you through all these resources?

 

"We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV)

 

With that thought in mind, would you still refuse the help? I hope not. He loves you. He's always with you and He always provides for you, just not always in the way you might expect.

"All That I have needed thy hands have provided, Great is Thy Faithfulness.... Lord.... Unto..... Me."

God Knows Me By Name -- Daily Devotional | Everyday Christian

God Knows Me By Name -- Daily Devotional | Everyday Christian

Young children are fun to teach. For the most part they get so excited about the smallest things and they are easily amused and accept simple explanations about things they don't understand. To some extent, I've come to believe that simplicity is best when teaching basic concepts.

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates,"Deuteronomy 11:18-20 (NIV)

Early schools used the Bible as their primary teaching resource. It was used to teach reading, writing, vocabulary, spelling, memorization skills, some geography and history and of course theology and catechism. As old-fashioned and archaic as that may seem today, many of America's founding fathers, (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin), learned primarily from Scriptures because that's what they had available. Yet they learned enough by reading, writing and studying the Scriptures to lead extraordinary lives that changed the face of history

God Made It All -- Daily Devotional | Everyday Christian

God Made It All -- Daily Devotional | Everyday Christian

Well here we are after the holidays, back to school. For our family, that means daily doses of home-schooling. My youngest daughter is 6 years old, almost 7, and she is currently going through the Christian Liberty Press Science book, The World God Made.

It's a book designed to expose Kindergarten children to a world of basic science, explaining to them first and foremost Genesis 1:1 " In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." She really enjoys it and the lessons open up further opportunities for me to share with her some unique trivia about God's creation, such as, the waters above the waters.

Taking A Stand -- Daily Devotional | Everyday Christian

Taking A Stand -- Daily Devotional | Everyday Christian

Inspired by a series of Sunday Lessons out of 1st Kings and a sermon series from Daniel at our church, today's devotion talks about Taking A Stand. Where do you stand? Are you willing to step out and be counted?

Combine Healthy Eating With Strength Training For Maximum Weight Loss Success

Combine Healthy Eating With Strength Training For Maximum Weight Loss Success

New Art Curriculum See The Light Free Giveaway at Christmas

I haven't posted for awhile but if you haven't seen this new art curriculum that teaches the meaning of Christmas and about salvation, Check it out.

Continuing Lessons in Trust - Put It In Neutral and Coast With God as Your Co-Pilot

It's been an interesting 24 hrs here at the house.
My husband woke me up yesterday to tell me his car wouldn't start and he was taking my van to work.
Last night, when he got home, he tinkered with it and then determined we needed to get the car to the mechanic.
However, there's a problem, Money is tight right now and we don't have towing on our insurance.

My husband assured me it was no problem. He'd simply put the car in neutral, have me steer and he'd push me all the way to mechanic using my van, bumper to bumper.
I didn't think that was a good idea.

Well, needless to say, I got up this morning praying, " Lord let that car start. Let it just be out of gas. Maybe it was just the battery. Lord, I don't want to do this."
We weren't out of gas and it wasn't the battery.
So here we go, I'm behind the wheel. The car's in neutral and my husband is pushing me along bumper to bumper, and it did feel much like bumper cars.

We left the four children at home eating breakfast and I prayed all the way, " Lord help us do this. Please keep us safe. Please get us back home to our children."
We don't live far from the mechanic, but we do have to cross two major highways between here and there.
I was scared. I didn't think we could do it.
Proverbs 3: 4-5 says, " Trust the Lord with your own heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your paths." (NIV)
That's exactly what I did, behind that steering wheel this morning, every bit of me acknowledge HIM.
As we pulled into the parking lot at the garage, I started laughing and then I started crying.
" Thank you Lord, for continually telling me to Trust You."
We've been so much.
I realized something else this morning. As healing continues, I'm praying again. There was time when I had stopped praying. The hurt and the grief just overtook me. But as the Healing Begins, I find myself praying more and more
I Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray Without Ceasing." (NIV)
Phillippians 4:6-7 says, " Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God,which surpasses every thought,will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (NIV)

I'm learning. God is always my co-pilot. He is always here. I just need to put it in neutral and coast with God.
In His love,
Amy

The Healing Begins Inspiration From Tenth Avenue North's Newest Song

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark 


Not a day goes by that I don't think about the two babies we lost in the past 12 months,
Hope (8-09-09), Grace (2-13-10)


Yes, I have 4 beautiful, smart and talented children that encircle me with love.
I am so grateful to God for the blessing of my family.


I hold dear to the verse in scripture 
Jeremiah 29:11 For I Know The Plans I Have For You.


I am convinced that God has Big Plans for my life.
It is so obvious, if you are looking for it.
on my personal writings homepage 
http://sites.google.com/site/amywingfieldwritings/home
there's a journal titled Dad's Story.


It started out as a tribute to my dad after his death in May 1999, 
but continued as my own personal journal and bio as I wrote through my own life experiences 
covering so much of what God had done and was continuing to do in my life.


Everything I have experienced, seen, heard or felt, in some way or another, God has used to help others
There are so many things I wish I could just erase from my bio, things I wish I hadn't gone through, 
but I know, as I hope you do, that these tests through life only cause us to be stronger and more equipped to do what God has planned for us next.


The Apostle Paul says in Hebrews 13:20-21 (NIV)
 ²⁰May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.


and James goes on to say in James 1:2-5 (NIV)
²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 


As much as I would have preferred not to have gone through these tests and trials, I have, and God had a reason behind it all or allowed it all to happen so that He could get the glory from it.


When I started this blog almost two years ago, (originally Called To Be Momma), this Faith Journey was a joy to share. I was passionate about sharing what God was showing me through my Faith Journey.
I loved sharing all of it, the thoughts, the scriptures, the songs......
it was a joy to share from my heart to yours with the hope that somehow God would work through me to bless others.


Take a look back at some my original posts in 2008 and 2009. I had something to say and I said it. It was fun and exciting!
I love getting your feedback.
Let me know you are reading and what you think.
A writer needs that feedback.


Many of my local friends and associates here didn't understand that I just wanted somebody to listen and comment back.
As time went by and more and more occurred....
well, after a while I just felt like nobody cared.


No one cares what I think.
No one wants to read..........
This is a waste of time.
The Joy left. I left.


But you know what, it wasn't a waste of time.
As I look back over those original posts, and as I consider all the events that have taken place, all the tests and trials..... and the events yet to come,
God will get the Glory from All of It
and it is worth sharing
and if it is meant for someone special,
God will lay it upon that person's heart to read and hopefully be blessed.


I'm coming back.
I'm back.
This is where the healing begins.
Day by Day, it's getting better,
and I'm beginning to feel like me again.


It has been such a long year.
I will never forget Hope & Grace,
but I know God loves me.
He knows the desires of my heart.
He knows me.


None of this was meant to hurt me but to strengthen me and prepare me for whatever God has for me next. This story will continue.


May we all be blessed as we travel
this Faith Journey together.

Clomid Treatments Are Working

Last Friday I got a phone call from the doctor. After 3 months, the Clomid treatments are working. I was beginning to give up. We've gone through so much this past year, should I just quit trying. Yet, the test results say otherwise.
We started in early May with 25 mg of Clomid.
My progesterone levels were only at an 11 on max days, some days it was as low as -1.
It's rare, but unless those progesterone levels are 17 or higher, the body is probably not ovulating and conception will not occur.
The end of May, we went up to 50 mg of Clomid.
The Progesterone only went up to a 12. Still not enough.
In Late June, we increased the dose to 100 mg.
Last Friday, my test results came in ..... 18!
Needless to say I was excited!
It's working!!!!!!!
Could I be pregnant? Maybe
Is it possible? Yes, it's possible.
Is the wait hard? You bet.
But, I'm O.K.
I know I'm getting well, and I know that if it is meant for me to conceive and carry another child to full term, I will.
May God get the Glory.
Whatever he wants.
I'll keep you posted.
Amy