Reflections

I have sat in reflection most of today, humbled by the fact that God called a simple shipping girl from North Carolina, via Ohio to serve His Children. It is quickly approaching 9 months since we opened the doors to the North Charleston Campus - Dream Center and it has been one amazing ride so far.

Having a heart for missions, I could never have imagined the missions field in our own back yard. Let me share a few of the things that God has put in my path in the first 9 months of ministry:

• 3 orphaned children (kindergarten, 1st grade & 5th grade) after their mother passed away and then a fight to help their dad get them back from DSS
• Ring worms rampant through Hispanic Children – translated school documents and helped get over the counter medicine
• Children that moved overnight to family as their parents get their life straightened out
• A preemie baby that has survived and put on a healthy 9 lbs. in the last month
• Baptisms - 4 Elementary/2 Middle School
• 1 Prayer of Salvation with a student at 1st Wednesday
• Prayed over prayers on elementary cross: help my mommy to stop being angry, it is quiet at home since we came to church, thanks for my new daddy and many more that will break your heart

These are just a handful and I want to thank each one of you that have encouraged me, prayed for me and walked with me through each of these. May you find encouragement that God is at work and He choose each one of use to reach the next spiritual generation.

Not Your Average Pastor

Ok...I finally had some time to look at this video. For those that think Sam Lesky, our campus pastor, is just a nice city boy from New Jersey, take a look at this video on YouTube. It gives a glimpse of what our pastor does in his spare time.

Personally, I don't know what is scarier, the fact that he eats all crazy types of game or the music in the background with a Jersey accent.

Swimming Infants

A friend and sister in Christ shot me a note with this amazing website from a clip she saw the Today Show.

Watching it brought back so many memories of growing up in Ohio, where my grandparents had a pool. I think my grandma could have helped develop this technique. I remember when my brother was just barely walking. Our grandma taught him how to float and swim, as she had with each one of her grandchildren. We all swam before we were 2 years old. It made for summers full of family fun and priceless memories.

The ISR doesn't have any instructors here in the Charleston area, but there are plenty of places that offer Swim Lessons for kids. I highly recommend taking your kids to learn how to swim early and ALWAYS have adult supervision.

Thanks Kristen for sharing this! It brings tears to my eyes to watch these kids learning basic survival skills.

You Like-a The Pizza?

Warning: The following post may not be appropriate for little eyes!



So...we were at small group last night, finishing up the 'Reflect' Series that we have been doing at Seacoast Church. The discussion at the end was light and we started to talk about premarital counseling.

One of the things that is asked during premarital counseling at our church is to make a purity commitment to each other. It allows you, regardless of the decisions you've made prior to that point, to commit to staying pure until your wedding night and I am sure that God blesses that commitment. We have had friends that have made that decision and have seen their marriages flourish.

Well...that's when the analogy hit us. I know...you're looking at the title of this post and wondering what pizza and sex have in common. Let me just try and paraphrase how it was presented last night:

If you have pizza every night the week before your wedding, do you think you're going to want to eat pizza on your wedding night?
What a great way to look at this! Pizza is one of my favorite foods, but I can't eat it every night. It is something special and a treat in our house! I hope I didn't ruin pizza night for you, but I thought this was such a great way to look at this.

I Am Wonderfully Made

I am fearfully and wonderfully made. -Psalm 139:14

This is the memory verse for our Toddlers this month and anyone using My First Look will recognize it. It's funny how God intertwines the day-to-day with scripture and someone that I consider a hero in faith forwarded me an interesting e-mail. It brought that verses to mind and talked about a sermon that Louie Giglio, who I had the pleasure of seeing at Orange, did on DVD. He speaks about how this star-breathing, universe creating God also knitted together the human body.

Louie talked about how we can trust that God who created all of this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart...how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.

Then the e-mail talks about how Louie turned this into a discussion about the creation of the body and in specifics, laminin. You can check out the video on You Tube.

Ok...if you're like me, I had no clue what this was, but my hero of faith is also a doctor, so she saw the link right away. As described in Wikipedia, laminins are a family of protein that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue. In layman's terms, laminins are what hold us together. Without them, we would literally fall apart.

So...are you interested in what laminin looks like?

Here you go:
It's not a Christian 'portrayal' of it. Look it up...this is how any scientific or medical piece of literature will show it.

GO GOD!!!

What Breed of Dog Are You

Yesterday we moved a great friend that really helped push me along the path in serving in Children's Ministry. As the house sat empty, we gathered around the floor to eat some pizza. The topics of conversation were light and we moved to the question, what kind of dog would you be?

Well...wouldn't you know it, you can look that up online. If you're interested, click here. (Warning: You do have to put in an e-mail address and will probably get spammed)

So I know you're all anxiously awaiting this one and to be honest, I am a little upset about the results. I mean...I literally detest this type of dog. The drum roll please....

Amie, you're a Chihuahua!

No bones about it, you're an energetic, devoted Chihuahua. For your breed, size definitely doesn't matter. After all, sometimes the best things (diamonds, car keys, Godiva truffles) come in small packages. Honest and straightforward, you're never afraid to speak up for what you believe in, especially if it's a cause near and dear to your heart. Having such a passionate personality can come with a few drawbacks, though. You can be moody at times, and people often find it hard to live up to your high standards. But once you make a friend, it's for life. Saucy and intense, your energy and unfailing loyalty make you a great companion. Woof!

I Love the 80's

Ok...if you've perused my blog, you know that I am a big fan of the 80's. To make it clear, I am not stuck in the 80's, only a mere fan of the era. Well...one of the 80's phenomenons was the Rubik's cube. I remember frantically trying to solve the thing and then realizing the best way to make it work: take off the stickers, apply to the appropriate position, and make it appear as if you solved the puzzle. As they say in a famous commercial, BRILLIANT!!!

So...apparently there are some youngster out there that have mastered it without pulling stickers. If you're interested, check out this video: Rubik's Cube. I laugh when the kid seems disappointed at the end of his endeavor.

5 Things I Have Learned

I don't know if you can tell, but I LOVE what I do! I know that God has called me for such a time as this and even though I loved working for Maersk, I can't imagine doing anything different right now. Here's a few things that I have learned over the 8 months at the Dream Center and thought I would share:

1. When you don't think you have enough energy to get it done, you don't! Only God can provide that kind of energy!

2. When you want to give up and run away from a new idea, DON'T! Likelihood is that God is pulling you towards it. Pray and walk towards where God is working!

3. Take time to nurture the friendships that have been through the good, bad and the ugly. They know the real you and it doesn't scare them away!

4. Know when to call in the experts. Likelihood is that you aren't the first person ever walking down the path. Find someone that has and learn from their experiences.

5. Remember that God is God and I am not!

Happy Mother's Day

Ok...so you all have really cool moms, but my mom is the coolest. I mean think about it, she has put up with me for 35 years! My mom is a director of nursing at a state-run nursing facility for developmentally disabled adults. Each day she goes into work and gives her love & affection to the nurses entrusted in her leadership, as well as every one of the clients that lives at this facility. She shows God's love in action, loving those that others tend to forget!

I am thankful that she has passed down her heart for caring for people to the next generation. She has raised two amazing kids. Yes, I am one of them. She has modeled what a successful marriage looks like...over 37 years!!! Most of all...she has shown me unconditional love! THANKS MOM!!!

You Might be a Redneck...Part 2

So I have had some time to search YouTube again on a Friday night and found another hilarious clip. It gives you an idea of what rednecks with too much time on their hand can come up with. The funny thing is...I KNOW my brother and sister-in-law would do this! Actually, I am afraid that they'll look at this, figure it out and try it on their own. DON'T DO IT!!!

So if you have a couple minutes and want a little chuckle, click here.

The Book of Life

Matthew Barnett, from the L.A. Dream Center, came to speak at church tonight. He gave a message from John 5. There was a sick man that watched people healed from a healing spring for 38 years and one day, Jesus walked up to him and told him to 'Pick up your mat & walk.'

The man couldn't do it under his own power and the bottom line that was shared is that You can do more than you can do (with God).

Cool message and although Pastor Barnett is a gifted public speaker and motivational, not the cool part. I was sitting next to one of our Middle School kids that came with the BEST STUDENT MINISTRY DIRECTOR EVER! No...it's not me. I felt God tug at me to pray for his salvation, but stubborn Amie thought to herself, "No, it must be the food I ate for dinner and not God." Well...wouldn't you know it, as they are serving communion the young man leans over to me and says, "What is that?" I call this a slap in the head direct from heaven. To make it short, I had the opportunity to pray the prayer of salvation with this young man & then watch him take part in the celebration of communion with the rest of the body of Christ there tonight. His name is sealed in the book of life! PRAISE GOD!!!

God, thank you for this opportunity. May it keep me humble and protect this fellow brother in Christ as he begins his personal walk with you. Draw him closer to you every day. Amen.

What You Learn at Church

Up early in the morning and off to church! Our fearless leaders in Elementary left me for some weird ceremony called a 'hooding' ceremony...BUT...as always the team stepped up. Thanks to the rest of the team, I had the opportunity to help out in Elementary. I teamed up with an AMAZING couple to hold the fort down and our high school worship group provided live worship for our Elementary kids.

IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!

I know I have posted before that the kids in elementary 'get it', but it was over the top to see the next generation stepping in and leading their next generation. It is humbling to know that God is a God that stays constant through the generations.

The best...I got to step in as small group leader for our lower elementary girls. They shared some prayer requests that break your heart. Not that they are bad, it is just that they get who Jesus is and I well up with tears every time they share their faith. After we were done with small group, we had some time because service was a little long, SOOOOO....we cat walked to worship music! It was a blast! When they grow up as Christian Super Models on catwalks with praise and worship music leading the way...you'll know where it started!

All in One Week

So you've checked the blog several times this week and you are thinking, "Why hasn't Amie updated her blog? I LOVE READING IT!" I appreciate the flattery and interest in my life. The reason that I haven't updated...it has been one crazy week. Here's the run down:

Monday: 5+ hours to Atlanta in a minivan with some of the coolest children's ministry peeps in the world. The plus is because of the need to stop more than we were ever allowed to as kids.

Tuesday: Full day of Orange in Atlanta learning from incredible teachers about reaching children and success in today's environment. It is amazing to see the work that God does through the body of Christ and I hope to blog more about that later. The night ended with an unforgettable dinner at Pappasito's. If you are interested about what happened, ask me!

Wednesday: Another day at Orange and confirmation that God has me exactly where He wants me right now. I gained some incredible insight on parenting skills and realized that unless the parents are involved, it will remain an uphill battle. The average kid will see their leaders in church 40 hours/year. A parent spends over 3,000 hours with their children!
(5+ hours back in the minivan)

Thursday: Back at the Dream Center and loving on God's people. We had a slow day, but it gave me time to get caught up in my weekly responsibilities and get set for a busy weekend.

Friday: No day off this Friday! I got curriculum ready for the weekend and had a great lunch with a sister in Christ. We drank A LOT of ice tea...too expensive at McAllister's if you don't!

Skipped out on Small Group because I had too much church and then ended up running over to LP to greet the Greenville Missions Team and make sure they got hooked up with Anne.

Saturday: Up early, Starbuck's coffee (logo marked out) and up to the Dream Center. Seacoast Greenville sent a youth missions team down to help in Adopt-a-Block and WE HAD A BLAST! Hit the streets of North Charleston in the A.M., enjoyed a short message and worship and then worked with their guys to clean up a yard. It was great to see the lives they touched.

Now...I am resting in the recliner and going to bed to be the church tomorrow morning! GOD BLESS!