A Resurrected Life

It is Monday morning. Most of America has spent the previous day gathered with loved ones, dying eggs, stuffing baskets & hosting egg hunts. Many entered a church to hear a message on how Jesus was crucified for our sins. And left feeling encouraged.

Now it is Monday.

And most, are back to the same life they were living Saturday.

He is a God of transformation.

But how many of His people are living a life transformed?

We go through routines, do the necessary and then keep living the same life.

But if we are truly following Him, nothing will look the same.

Your old life will be laid down. And your new life will begin in Him.

He will take you to places you’ve never been.

He will change your thoughts. Your heart. And your actions.

There will be a noticeable change in your life when you begin to live A RESURRECTED LIFE.

For too long, God’s people have been complacent.

We have drifted along the shoreline, at times coming back to Him but allowing the current to take us off course.

How long will this go on?

How much will it take to bring us a place of repentance & dependence — a willingness to invite His forgiveness into our darkest places & to follow Him, wherever He leads.

If we keep doing things the same way, nothing will change.

We have to be willing to do it differently.

To make a change.

To experience something new.

You’ve read the words: lay hands on the sick and pray for healing —

“they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” — Mark 16:18

But have you done it?

You’ve read the words: cast out demons —

 “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils”  — Mark 16:17

But have you done it?

We read His words.

But how often do we actually do what they say?

It really is that simple — read, then do.

After all, it’s a simple gospel.

If you are reading this and have a tug in your Spirit — listen to Him.

Do what He says.

And begin to walk out a RESURRECTED LIFE IN CHRIST.

From His heart, to mine, to yours,

Amanda

 “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

— Mark 16:17-18

New Wine, New Mind

“And no one puts new wine into old wine skins; or else the new wine will burst the wine skins and be spilled, and the wine skins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wine skins, and both are preserved.” ~Luke 5:37-39

What if new wine = a new mind?

When I returned home after attending the Isaiah 61 conference, my mind was exploding with new thoughts. New ways of thinking. And saw this world through a new lens: His Kingdom.

It was as if everything was suddenly clearer and the colors more vivid. Like when Dorothy left her childhood home and opened the door to the Land of Oz for the first time.

I was overflowing with fresh revelation, knowledge & wisdom. Walking in a deliverance which had shaken off hindering spirits and operating at a pace & level unlike any I had previously experienced.

And then the battle began…the battle for control over my mind.

Old ways of thinking, patterns of thought, were fighting hard to keep residency in my mind. But I had returned with a new wine, a new mindset, and therefore, I needed a new wine skin.

If I went back to my old ways of thinking, the old mindset which was really full of half-truths & doubt in God’s word, the new wine skin (mindset) the Lord had gifted me during the conference would be ruined.

So little by little, day by day, the Lord began to help me see that the power of His Kingdom is just a thought away. It’s in our minds. Our mindset. And our thoughts. Which is why He tells us to take every thought captive.

“We demolish arguments & every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”

~2nd Corinthians 10:5

As the days passed after the conference, my old way of thinking was at war with the new thoughts, the truths, which had been planted in me. The season after the conference was spent overcoming this battle.

But as we know & read, God is faithful. And He has continued to reveal with each small battle that He has already overcome the bigger one.

Before attending the conference, my thoughts centered more around doubt than faith.

Is He really going to do that for me?

Is He really going to come through again?

Is He really willing to receive me for the 100th time…?

But the truth is what is written: “I am your fortress [psalm 18:2], your stronghold in times of trouble [psalm 9:9].” “I will rescue you from every snare of the enemy [psalm 91:3].”

The question we need to ask ourselves is: how much do I really believe that?

Do I really believe God will make a way in the wilderness?

Do I really believe God will protect me from a deadly disease?

Do I really believe He loves me unconditionally?

Or will provide in times of despair?

These questions can really cause us to see some ‘truths’ lurking in our mindset that we may not want to admit.

How much do I really trust Him?

How much do I really believe Him?

How much do I really turn to Him?

When I came back from spending a week at a conference which focused on spiritual warfare & deliverance, I knew His truth. But the longer I was away, the more the doubt of that truth began to try and occupy my thoughts again. Something went wrong and I might think: Lord, are you pulling away from me?

But the truth is, He is always near. He is always present. And He loves us more than we could ever imagine this side of Heaven.

Walking in those truths is the journey — the journey we are all on to come to know Him, to turn to Him and to give our full selves to Him.

He is His word.

And our job is to begin believing it. To walk it out. To trust when everything seems to be going wrong, He is still causing it to work for our good. To seek His comfort. And keep His truths in our mind.

The next time doubt comes whispering into your ear, take that thought captive, bring it to the Lord and tell the spirt of doubt to leave in Jesus’ name.

From His heart to mine, to yours….

Amanda

DELIVERANCE — Is this for REAL?!?

ISAIAH 61 CONFERENCE

Church of Glad Tidings — Yuba City, California

“Instead of shame & dishonor, you will enjoy a double share of honor. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.” ~Isaiah 61:7

Tears stream down my cheeks as I recite the words Alicia is saying: “spirit of rejection, get out in Jesus’ name.” Suddenly, something grips my throat and I feel scared. She can see the fear in my eyes and eases my spirit by speaking directly to the fear and assuring me I am safe.

I’m in the midst of what I would consider my very first true deliverance session. It’s unlike any prayer session I’ve sat through before. The Spirit of the Lord is present, not that He wasn’t in previous prayer sessions, but something is different about this one.

After sitting with the Lord and asking Him, I realize, it’s because the woman walking me through deliverance has experienced it herself. She is able to navigate me through the foreign waters because she herself has navigated them.

Years ago, when my foundation of faith was first being established, I was taught this wisdom from a woman I would consider a spiritual mentor in my life: “you cannot lead a person someone you haven’t yet been yourself.”

To lead a person to forgiveness, you must have walked through forgiveness first.

To lead a person to deliverance, you must have walked through deliverance first.

Alicia has been delivered. And continues to be delivered. On a daily basis. Deliverance isn’t a one-and-done type of event. Deliverance is a continuous experience. Something we need to walk through continuously as we draw near to Christ, conforming to His likeness & image.

Before today, doubt resided in my mind, resisting the idea of what deliverance really was. People falling over, screaming, writhing like snakes … is that for real, Lord?

But as faithful as the Lord is, He showed me first-hand how deliverance is not only real but vital.

“For there is nothing hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come out into the open.” ~Luke 8:17

As I entered the prayer session, I knew some of the baggage I was carrying: past pain, heartache, spirit of rejection … the list goes on. But what I didn’t know was there was so much more hidden deep inside which would become evident and brought out into the open.

As Alicia prayed over me, asking God for discernment, she began to pray against any blood sacrifices which were performed from past generations in my family.

Blood sacrifices?! What??? Is this for real?!

But deep inside, I knew it was.

As she began to pray the words, the demonic spirit which was stuck in my throat, desperately clinging to stay inside, clinched my throat. Everything constricted in my esophagus and I knew she was onto something.

Tears streaked my cheeks and fell to the floor as she continued to pray for any curses spoken over myself or previous generations to be broken in Jesus name. And for any blood sacrifices to be broken off in Jesus name.

My body was responding to the truth in the spirit.

Whether I believed the curses were true or not suddenly became a moot point. I couldn’t deny how the Spirit of God was affirming her discernment and my body was confirming it.

A strange cry came out of my throat. It was a sound I’ve never heard myself make before.

We continued to pray into the areas I knew I needed deliverance from and those which were hidden and perceived through discernment of prayer.

Our session concluded with an inner-healing exercise where my current self went back to the first moment I recalled in childhood of feeling real hurt & lack of safety. For me, it was the playground in 4th grade at a school I attended for a matter of months. The first time I experienced real bullying.

She walked me through an exercise where I stepped into that moment and spoke safety and love to the little girl inside me who was on the receiving end of so much hate. We invited Jesus into the moment and the little Amanda in me, that fractured part of myself which had been cut off for ‘safe keeping,’ was finally healed and brought back into restoration with who I am today — a woman who knows God loves her and is protecting her at all times.

To some, my experience will sound non-sensical or sensational. But it is to you, I write and share this experience.

You cannot lead someone somewhere you haven’t yet been yourself. So if you want to lead others to love or forgiveness, you must first go there yourself.

And if you want to lead others to freedom, YOU MUST FIRST GO THERE YOURSELF.

From my heart to yours,

Amanda

God is BIG Enough

Name brands are all around me as I sit typing in the Westin lobby. Signs of wealth & affluence abound. The sheer dollar amount to stay at this hotel alone is indicative of the wealth of those staying in it.

Outside, my attention is drawn to a homeless man passing by. And I can’t help but notice the stark contrast — inside, people are paying $20 for a burger, $50 for buckets of mimosas & roaring in laughter as they sit gabbing with family & friends.

Yet outside, a man is passing by, without a place to lay his head at night. 

He lingers near two women who are removing their thick jackets as they bend down to lower themselves into the vehicle the valet attendant just brought around. The woman standing on the sidewalk with closest proximity clenches her body and keeps her head facing the street. She is aware of the homeless man’s presence. And I imagine, knows his request. 

Matthew 25 begins running through my head — “For I was hungry and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and you didn’t visit me.” 

When the Lord is asked when did these moments occur, He replies, “…when you refused to help the least of these my brothers & sisters, you were refusing to help me.”

Don’t lose sight of the intention behind this messaging — I’m not telling you to help every homeless person you see nor that the women’s actions were wrong — but there is something for us to pause & consider — when we stand before God, will He say these same things to us? Will He show you the areas you did not help another?

When the scene with the two women played out before me previously, my spirit felt a nudge to speak to the man. But I didn’t. I sat there and watched. And then he was gone. God’s conviction got a hold of me and I asked Him to have the man pass by again if His will was for me to talk to him.

And here he came, the same homeless man came strolling by on his city bike.

This time, I couldn’t just sit there. God was calling me to move. So I stepped into His word and put them into action. 

Trey is a homeless man living on the streets of Austin, TX. When I first approached him and asked his name, he eyes grew wide and he was hesitant to speak. Before I could respond, a young woman who works at the Westin Hotel, Chelle, approached us, seemingly trying to figure out my intention. 

I began to share with Trey how the Lord had highlighted him to me when he passed by the first time and how I had asked the Lord to have him stroll by again if it was His will for me to speak to him.

Tears welled up in his eyes as Chelle exclaimed, “see I told you! God is working in you and sees you!”

Little did I know Trey had heard the exact same words I just uttered months ago from the young lady who joined us. God was speaking to this man. Going after him to bring him back to the 99 and we were baring witness to it.

A few feet away a man stood by watching; he had given his claim ticket to the valet and was awaiting arrival of his vehicle. On his sweater in bold capitol letters read the word: LOVE.

As the three of us laid hands on Trey and prayed over him, reminding him that God really does see him, and knows him and wants to prosper him, the presence of the Lord was so strong. There was a thickness in the air around us and little bumps popped up all over my body indicating the Lord’s spirit was with us. 

After a few minutes passed, Trey composed himself and stood from the city bike he was riding. He lifted his eyes and hands to the sky and began to praise the Lord. Then as he looked back down at us, his reply was, “you have no idea how much this has changed my day and my thoughts.”

I glanced down at the black rubber bracelet on his left hand and read the words printed in white ink aloud: “GOD IS BIG ENOUGH.”

There it was. Right there on his wrist — the message God wanted him to see and know — God IS big enough. He is big enough to see him. He is big enough to hear him. And He is big enough to move mountains to reach him. 

Whatever area of life you aren’t believing God is BIG ENOUGH — think again. Realign your thoughts with His word because surely He loves you enough to be BIG ENOUGH for whatever lack or circumstance you’ve found yourself in. 

From His heart, to mine, to yours….

—Amanda

Will You Marry Me?

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

As a young girl, this question is one we think of, dream of, and often anticipate with eagerness as our youth turns forward each year. In America, especially if you were raised in the 80’s & 90’s, scenes of Prince Charming whisking his princess off to a land far, far away to live ‘happily ever after’ were embedded into our minds and our futuristic thinking. 

Most girls my age (I’m 38 as I type this) dreamt of what their proposal would look like, the details of their wedding and the ‘happily ever after’ awaiting them on the other side of ‘I do.’

But what most of us didn’t factor in was the human element. A fantasy was presented to us and we fell in love with an idea. In the end, most of the women I know have walked out some form of disappointment within their marital relationships.

And often times what’s missing isn’t the perfect scene, the perfect ring or the perfect man, what’s missing more often than not is RELATIONSHIP.

And I don’t mean a relationship with your spouse or boyfriend. 

I mean a relationship with the Father who Created you. Who designed you. And who gave His son to the world for you.

Yes, YOU.

He gave his one and only son over to this world for YOU.

It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it? A Father, who created everything under the sun, and above, allowed His one and only son to be sacrificed, ridiculed, persecuted & tortured because of His love for you.

But it’s true. 

And it’s written in His Word. 

And He’s only asking that you seek Him…”seek my face and you shall find it.”

He’s right there, in front of you, down on one knee asking: WILL YOU MARRY ME?

When we talk about the Father’s love in this way, I’m not referring to the type of love you know on earth. This isn’t the love you have with your husband, your boyfriend or your friend. 

This is a love which surpasses ALL of your understanding and works in the most mysterious ways.

It’s a love which shows up CONSISTENTLY and NEVER lets you down.

It’s a love you can turn to in the midst of ANY storm and find comfort. 

It’s a love you can lean on, depend on and trust.

It’s a love which will NEVER return to you void.

And it’s a love which will NEVER forsake you. No matter how far you’ve strayed.

Life is going to serve up closed doors, failed relationships and faulty love.

But when we learn to step into an intimate relationship with Jesus, when we turn to Him and the Father to meet every single one of our needs, wants & desires, our ability to be intimate with others opens up to a deeper level.

That disappointed bride no longer looks to her partner to meet her needs but instead turns to her Creator. The one who designed her every facet of being. 

She leans on Him for comfort, counsel and guidance. She turns to Him for provision. And she seeks His wisdom when making decisions.

She takes the weight off her partner and places it on the one who can bare it. 

She fills up her ‘love tank’ with the Holy Spirit and pours it out over her helpmate.

She looks up to the sky to see His image and knows she’s loved beyond all measure. 

She depends on her lover to meet her every need.

“Who is that girl, arising from the desert, clinging to her beloved.” Song of Songs 8:5

She’s the girl who married Jesus. Who made Him her bridegroom. And who seeks His intimacy above all others.

She the girl who’s ready to find her helpmate. 

And the one who walks through the world healed from all of its scars.

If you’ve found yourself in a season where this speaks to you, take time. Time to be in His presence. To walk through the wilderness He’s calling you to. And to cultivate a relationship with the one who will meet every single one of your needs. 

He’s right there, waiting for you, down on one knee waiting for you to turn to Him. 

Will you marry Him?

From His heart to mine to yours,

Amanda

If you’re ‘looking to get lost in a good way,’ check out Big Bend Cabin in Terilingua, TX: www.bigbendcabin.com

Photos taken at Big Bend Cabin in Terilingua, TX.

Cabin in the Desert

Get lost in a good way.

“My ways are higher” (Isaiah 55:9), says the Lord. 

And boy did He show us just that. 

In June 2021 a door opened to His Collection. It was unexpected & better than our thoughts could have imagined (Isaiah 55:8).

Earlier that year, Amanda & Jenny sat in prayer, laying down their will for the company and asking God to reveal His.

They knew in their spirit God was taking them to new heights and was beginning to do something new (Isaiah 43:19) but they didn’t know how to get there or the exact direction God was calling them to walk in just yet. 

So they prayed. Listened. And took action in the direction He faithfully provided.

What came next was a beautiful testimony to Ephesians 3:10-12 — 

“The purpose is that through Messiah’s community the multi-faceted wisdom of God might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places, which is in keeping with the eternal purpose that He carried out in Messiah Yeshua [Jesus Christ] our Lord. In Him, we have boldness and access with confidence through trusting in Him.”

As the girls sat that day in a local coffee shop, praying and listening for God’s wisdom to be revealed to them, they heard the direction they were intended to go. 

The desert.

 Jenny began to research West Texas, an area she had felt led to for years, and as faith would have it, she came across the site for The Big Bend Cabin, Boca De La Roca, located in Terlingua, TX just 5 miles outside of Big Bend National Park.

Putting God’s word into practice, she knocked on the door and before they knew it, the door was open to them (Matthew 7).

The Holy Spirit had led the girls to a cabin which not only set the scene for their upcoming desert themed photo shoot, but it also provided a testimony of how faithful & wonderful our Creator is.

Ross, owner of the Big Bend Cabin, first felt the call to move out west in 2013. He even knew he would someday have a vacation rental property in the area.

In 2015, he came out to the Big Bend area to begin moving forward with his calling. In 2016, his family left their city life behind near Dallas, TX and began planting roots in West Texas, just outside of Terlingua, TX.

Ground was broken to begin building the cabin the following year in 2017 as well as the birth of Ross’ first born. By the time the cabin was finished in 2020, Ross fathered 3 children with his wife and completely overhauled their lives to reflect the calling God has placed on his life.

During the building process, Ross’ relationship with our Creator only grew stronger. God continued to show him the way and guide the process by supplying his every need. According to Ross & his wife, they counted over 15 variables which were out of their hands. Things like the land purchase, the building of the cabin, monetary provisions, and things which just ‘plopped in their lap’ at just the right moment to help aid in the completion of this project. 

When Ross shared his testimony with us, he explained how God’s hand had always been in his life but through his wife, her family & the process they walked out with this cabin, he became a follower.

“Thanks to God using my wife's family to explain the truth, talk about doubts/questions I'd had about God/Jesus for 25 years, and me witnessing living examples of what a follower of Christ should be, I came to believe in Jesus Christ around 2013, but didn't know Him until January 2019, and I was then baptized in March 2019. Long story short; I finally stopped running from His call, and stopped holding on to sins/desires that kept me from taking a "leap of faith". At that time, I realized that there was a difference between hearing God and listening to God (which results in obedience)... I decided to listen in January 2019.

God's hand has been on/in my life since I was born, and for many many years in my teen/adult life. I knew it, and could clearly see it, even back when I wasn't a follower of Jesus and back when I didn't have a whole lot of regard for my Creator. I thank God all the time that He didn't take my life during the times of disobedience, disbelief, and at times outright arrogance. I thank Him that he had mercy and patience.”

We may not know all of the reasons God led us to Ross & his cabin just yet, but one thing He has made clear is the blessing it is to share the story of how the Holy Spirit touched Ross, his family, and led us to the sharing of this testimony.

The rest is yet to come….

From His heart, to mine, to yours,

Amanda

To learn more about The Big Bend Cabin, visit bigbendcabin.com/

Back to the Beginning...

Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. — Isaiah 58:10

Over the course of the past 4 years, I have had some major encounters with God and experienced true intimacy with His Holy Spirit. As I reflect back over the time, the memories and the moments, what stands out most is their simplicity.

There weren’t any flashy lights involved. No music set prepared. Nor a stage. 

Prayer during Childrens Centre Los Niños Thanksgiving basket distribution in a grocery store parking lot in Bulverde, TX — November 2016

What was present, without fail, was the power of prayer. 

Prayer always led the way. Every time the Holy Spirit showed up and showed off, prayer always came first. 

And with prayer also came an expectancy to see His miracles. 

I’ll never forget the day when the Lord showed off through avocados. 

I was grocery shopping with Lupita, director of Childrens Centre Los Niños, a nonprofit serving families primarily in Comal County, for their weekly food distribution the following day. And per usual, we went in without a list made prior fully dependent on the Holy Spirit to show us what to buy and how many of each. This is common practice within their ministry. 

You pray, ask and expectantly wait to hear the answer.

This week’s answer was especially rare because it included avocados. While many don’t bat an eye when buying this healthy fruit, for a ministry operating 100% on donations, budgeting normally didn’t allow for such luxuries. 

But this week, we both clearly heard: AVOCADOS.

The next day, as the families came one by one to pick up their produce & meals, His miracle was revealed. A mama walked through the door and the moment she saw the avocados, she broke down crying. 

The avocados :) during Childrens Centre Los Niños’ weekly food distribution in Bulverde, TX — March 2nd, 2018

Unbeknownst to us, she had cried out to the Father the night before longing for avocados. Her salary didn’t afford her the ability to spend money on such a highly priced fruit and she had been longing to not only eat them again, but also to share the fruit with her children.

And as our Father so faithfully will, He answered her prayer through our very own. 

He blessed us with the opportunity to not only lean on & depend on Him for the answer, but also to witness the miracle He was working through our hands and feet that day.

He cares about the details. The details of our prayers. Our heart. And our thoughts.

He doesn’t care what your stage or home look like, how new your flooring is, whether you have the best sound equipment or furniture, a prepared message or a matching outfit. 

It’s the details of our heart that matter to Him. The secret places we keep hidden from the world. The cry of our insides to know Him and turn to Him for ALL things. 

Bible story time during Childrens Centre Los Niños’ ‘He is Risen’ event in Bulverde, TX — March 23rd, 2018

And the details of our time. 

Our present time on Earth is a gift from heaven. How are we choosing to spend the precious time we have been gifted?

Are we choosing to walk out His word, laying down our lives in order to serve His children? To spread the good news and lead others toward salvation?

Or are we choosing to spend His precious gift on ourselves and our worldly desires?

The world will pull us in so many different directions. And rarely will that direction draw us closer to our Father. It more often than not will lead us toward the warning God gave in His word: “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world,  you do not have the love of the Father in you.  For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” — 1 John 2:15-16

If you’re reading this and you feel the conviction or a stirring in your spirit, stop what you’re doing and PRAY. 

Ask Him what steps He’s calling you to take. Ask Him what He thinks about you. And as you listen for His answer, remember, He is FAITHFUL. And His promises are true. 

Lean in, press in, pray and wait with expectancy to hear His answer! 

Step by step, day by day, He will cause us to draw near. He will align our steps with the path which was originally intended for us and walk us out of any place we’ve traveled which wasn’t ours from the beginning.

From His heart, to mine, to yours,

— Amanda

Kingdom Minded

Matthew 6:33

So above all, constantly seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness, then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly.

3/30/21 — 3:03 AM

I awoke to find the fire I had set at 2PM yesterday fully ablaze inside the trash can I was burning miscellaneous items in earlier that day. 

Nothing had been added to the can since it’s last deposit and when I went to bed that evening, there were no signs of life as the top layer sat singed & hot from the day’s flames.

Now it is night. 

There is a light drizzle outside, 

and a slight wind. 

—

It’s no coincidence I saw this flame tonight.

It is a reminder of what we see in the natural not being representative to what’s going on in the supernatural.

Like a person wearing a mask or walking out a false identity, the outer appearance doesn’t truly reflect what’s hidden just underneath the surface, beyond our sight.

We become cloudy as the years go by. Often wearing layers of decay & hardness placed upon us through pain & hardships. We become heavy and dark due to trials we have walked through. Whether it’s an absent father, an overweight childhood, an addictive gene, or even an act of evil which touched our life, pain comes for us.

Pain is inevitable. 

We spend years of our lives trying to avoid pain. Doing our best to tip-toe around it, ensuring our toes do not touch it’s dark waters in an effort to save ourselves from what we see lying ahead. We make choices which we believe will take us further from it. We cut ourselves off from others who we believe cause it. 

We teach our children not to run with scissors because surely that will end in pain. Severe pain. And we do our best to model all the behaviors we know which walk us further away from it.

But in the end, pain finds us. 

Sometimes due to our own accord, and others, by something completely out of our control.

It is something we must ALL walk through. 

The world will teach you to avoid pain at all costs. Or encourage you to feel it in order to hit that next fitness goal. Pain = muscle.

But what does the bible say about pain? What do the scriptures teach us? 

When we look to the life of Jesus, we see a testimony which leads to the ultimate pain. A pain he kew was coming and yet continued to walk toward. A pain so severe it lead to his physical death.

And what did Jesus say when he was at the highest point of his pain threshold: “FORGIVE THEM FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.” (Luke 23:34)

Even in the midst of what must have been excoriating pain for himself, Jesus called out to his Father for forgiveness. Not forgiveness for himself, or his closest friends & family, but forgiveness for his enemies. The ones who didn’t believe, who were responsible for his physical death and the mockery he was enduring. (Luke 23:35-36)

As a crowd stood watching life leave his body, shouting profanities and gambling over his clothing, he asked Father God to forgive for he knew the ones causing his pain truly didn’t know any better.

That is what a Kingdom-mind sounds like and the way one thinks. That is what being Kingdom-minded is all about.

It defies odds. It surpasses logic. And it acts on behalf of a Kingdom greater than what our eyes can perceive on the surface. 

It aligns with a burning fire deep within, hidden under the surface of our pain, awaiting the day winds of change are breathed upon it, igniting the burning embers planted deep below the surface of our skin.

Let us remember, we are ‘clothed in Strength & Dignity’ (Proverbs 31:25) and are called to advance a Kingdom which is far greater than anything our eyes can see on Earth.

—

“So above all, constantly seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness, then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly.” ~Matthew 6:33 

—

From His heart to mine to yours,

Amanda

Taking it Back

Genesis 9:17

“Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is a sign of the covenant I am confirming with all of the creatures on earth.” NLV

Almost anywhere you go today, the image of a rainbow can be found. From children’s clothing & television shows to flags, stickers, banners and images of little Leprechauns standing near a pot of gold, the rainbow is known by many.

We know the rainbow through the Land of Oz where Dorothy travels to the other side of a rainbow only to find herself on a quest to discover there’s no place like home.

We know the rainbow through the symbol of homosexuality & gay pride displayed on stickers, flags & apparel representing a person’s sexual identity or preference.

We know the rainbow through Irish folklore & the endless pursuit of a Leprechaun seeking to find his treasured pot of gold.

And yet even though this sacred symbol is seen in so many different places today, rarely do we see it depicted in its original design as the reminder of God’s covenant between mankind & the earth.

Scripturally, the Rainbow represents God’s promises. All of them. And it is shown with 7 colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green, Indigo & Violet. 7 is the number of completion in the scriptures and on the 7th day, God rested.

When we see the rainbow symbol outside of Biblical context, it is most often depicted with a 6 color spectrum instead of 7. And the color most often left out is INDIGO.

A quick search for “the spiritual meaning of INDIGO” yielded this result:

“The color indigo is the color of intuition and perception. Powerful and dignified, indigo conveys integrity and deep sincerity. The color meaning of indigo reflects great devotion, wisdom and justice along with fairness and impartiality.”

For years the symbol of the Rainbow has come to mean many things and has drawn attention away from the original design & meaning of a Rainbow: a 7-color spectrum of God’s Promises.

Every time we see a Rainbow, just as God is reminded of His covenant with Noah & all of his descendants (Genesis 9), we too are to remember the faithfulness of God & the promises He gave us to rest upon as the storms of life come and go (Psalm 23).

From His heart to mine to yours,

Amanda

Nonprofit Spotlight: Operation Underground Railroad

OURescue, Operation Underground Railroad, founded December 2013

Operation Underground Rescue is an organization which began December 2013 and since being founded has helped to extract 1,000’s of children & unveil those behind the sex trafficking pandemic touching the lives of millions of families around the globe.

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“In the past six years of existence, O.U.R. has rescued3,800 victims and assisted in the arrests of more than 2,100 traffickers around the world. The partners we are empowering have collectively helped rescue the lives of more than 10,000 survivors who were enslaved, exploited or at risk.”

“SINCE BEING FOUNDED,

we've gathered the world's experts in extraction operations and in anti-child trafficking efforts to bring an end to child slavery. O.U.R.'s Ops Team consists of former CIA, past and current law enforcement, and highly skilled operatives that lead coordinated identification and extraction efforts. These operations are always in conjunction with law enforcement throughout the world.

Once victims are rescued, a comprehensive process involving justice for the perpetrators and recovery and rehabilitation for the survivors begins.

It is time for private citizens and organizations to rise up and help. It is our duty as a free and blessed people.”

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And just how did this amazing organization come to exist? 

Meet Timothy Ballard, a former special agent who is now using his gifts to serve others (1 Peter 4:10) in this world: 

“Timothy Ballard is the Founder and CEO of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.). Ballard spent over a decade working as a Special Agent for the Department of Homeland Security where he was assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and deployed as an undercover operative for the U.S. Child Sex Tourism Jump Team. He has worked every type of case imaginable in the fight to dismantle child trafficking rings. Ballard has worked undercover in the United States and in multiple foreign countries to infiltrate child trafficking organizations. In this effort, he has successfully dismantled dozens of these organizations and rescued countless children from sex slavery. He is an expert at managing Internet investigations, particularly those dealing with file-share networks where pedophiles and traffickers go to trade in child pornography. He has trained hundreds of law enforcement officers and has testified before the United States Congress on best practices to liberate children from sex slavery. “

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100% of proceeds from the online store for the month of August will be tithed to Operation Underground Railroad.

Human trafficking has been hidden in our plain sight for too long and it is time to bring forth awareness, resources and an end to this evil plaguing our world.

In the early summer of 2020, an online predator tried to come after my 10 year old son. He sent him explicit text messages and even tried to bate him into sending photos of his younger sister who was 4 at the time. It was an extremely eye-opening experience to walk through and one which caused a great agitation in my spirit.

When I began to share the experience with others, I was taken aback by how many of them also had their own personal experience with this and how many of them have been bated themselves through their social media profiles.

Teens were telling me how older men reach out offering money to them. Asking for photos or time in exchange. So bold. So wrong. And so common.

And what I started to notice was how even though the majority of people I spoke with (nearly 100 then) had some kind of experience related to this, no one was talking about. No one!

So I started asking God how this could be? How could so many be being affected by this yet not one was voicing it out loud or sharing their experience with others in warning. And then God showed me: Through this silence, the beast of trafficking is given room to grow. And invade. And destroy.

And it is through our voices, our platforms and our influence, we can bring forth God’s intended victory and that is what we are aiming to do by partnering with OURescue and supporting their work to help cast light into this darkness coming after our children.

Please support the mission of OURescue by purchasing online from His Collection Apparel during August 2020 and by sharing this message. 100% of proceeds from our online store for the month of August will be tithed to Operation Underground Railroad.

Learn more about OUR here

Christ and Contrast

And they shall teach my people the contrast between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. ~Ezekiel 44:23 KJV

A beautiful mix.

The dark clouds. The light clouds.

They are beautiful together.

It’s in their contrast such beauty is being created.

After all, isn’t our Creator a God of contrast?

Light & dark.

Fear & fearless.

Pain & healing.

Suffering & redemption.

Blood & oil.

…and it’s in the contrast we often times see His word walked out best:

A single mom tithing from what little she has. The prominent business man bending down to help a homeless person. A young man holding open a door for an elderly woman.

We have a God of Contrast. Who is all and created ALL things. And it’s in the mix and unity of these contrasts, the beauty of His creation shines best. So it’s only natural contrast would also be a point of attack.

In the past, and currently today, contrast has been a means to create division in our lands:

Black vs. white

Good cop vs. bad cop

Masked vs. unmasked

Right vs. wrong

Careless vs. cautious

Left vs. right

All angles and attempts to create chaos and division amongst God’s children.

But thank goodness God already told us in Isaiah 54:17:

But I promise you,
    no weapon meant to hurt you will succeed,
    and you will refute every accusing word spoken against you.
    This promise is the inheritance of Yahweh’s servants,
    and their vindication is from me,” says Yahweh.

So those things that want to eliminate contrast: Persecution of Jews. Enslavement of blacks. Racism. The belief any one people group is superior or more dominant or belongs, are all various means of cutting out contrast and therefore, cutting out our Creator.

We have a God OF ALL THINGS. And ALL COLORS. We have a God of intention who uniquely designed each of us. And we say to the weapon of division trying to wreak havoc and chaos in our lands, NO MORE!

NO MORE!

NO MORE!

No longer will we allow contrast to divide us!

We are in a season of REBUILDING.

RECONSTRUCTING

And REIGNITING!

Lord, we use the tools & weapons you’ve equipped us with: our Faith, our proclamations & decrees, our praise and our prayers to speak directly to the spirit of division and tell it: NO MORE!

Thank you for what you are showing us. Thank you for Your Perfect sky. Thank you for this image you are painting. Thank you for Your words. Thank you for perfect timing. And thank you for Your divine protection. We call down Your Army of Angels to fight this battle with us, Lord.

From His heart, to mine, to yours …

Amanda

Mirror, Mirror on the wall ...

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?

Growing up as a little girl in America, this famous line becomes somewhat engrained in our minds. Along with the connection it makes to the idea of vanity. And sin.

An evil queen whose misappropriated priorities place a love for herself and her own reflection above all she has the power, opportunity & responsibility to influence in her kingdom. She becomes so obsessed with her own reflection, she is willing to sacrifice another’s life to ensure the answer to that time old question, “who is the fairest of them all” is her. At all costs.

And while this villainous plot may seem so far fetched today, the question raised is: is it? Is it so far fetched from the reality many of us live day to day? With each post, story and selfie, how far are we actually from the same vanity and sin which ruled the queen in Snow White?

During a very dark season of my life, when I didn’t know Jesus, or have a relationship with Him, I was that queen. My priorities were off. My values broken. And I was living a life where sin, just like the evil queen, ruled me.

It wasn’t until an unexpected visit from an ex-boyfriend forced me to look into the mirror and see the stark contrast of who I once was versus who I had become.

That moment was THE moment when a great shift began to take place in my life. It was unwanted. Unexpected. And uncomfortable.

And rattled me to my core.

When I forced myself to look into that mirror, the reflection I saw staring back at me then, scared me. I was almost unrecognizable from the girl I once knew in my youth.

And in that moment, I was gifted the opportunity to choose: would I continue to walk down the path I was on, one which brought death & decay to my life and created a reflection which I could hardly stand to see?

OR, would I choose life? And love? And Jesus?

From that day on, my steps began to move away from sin and closer to Jesus. And what He taught me along the way is, the answer to the time-old question: “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all,” is Jesus. As we begin to walk toward Him, we become more like Him.

And pretty soon, when we ask that question again, the answer becomes, ME.

The more of Him within us, the more we begin to reflect Him. His love. His beauty. And His light. Translucent Bright. Reflective. And clear.

If you are reading this and you are in a stage where that question makes you want to turn away from the mirror, this is your invitation. Your invitation to draw near to our Lord. To grow in relationship with Him. To begin to hear His word for you. To tap into the dreams He has for you and the desires He planted inside you. This is your opportunity to lean into trust. To step into faith. And to experience what it means to stand on His word.

The greater you know Jesus, the more He is inside you and the more beautiful you become.

Eventually you will look in that mirror ask: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” And the answer will be YOU. Because Jesus is living inside of YOU and you are His reflection to the world.

You are going to see a victory in your life. He is waiting to shine through you and pour His love into and through you. Take a step toward Him.

From His heart, to mine, to yours,

Amanda

Season of Waiting

“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.” Proverbs 3:13-14

Sue Monk Kidd, author of Secret Life of Bees, The Mermaid Chair and numerous other works, discusses the importance of waiting and listening in her book, When the Heart Waits, Spiritual Direction for Life’s Sacred Questions. 

With her usual wit, humor & intellect, Kidd presents the idea of how we are a fast-food society, programmed for speed & we must learn to pull away from all of that in order to wrap into the waiting stage God demands of us in order to transform into the new creations we are called to be. 

But the problem is, waiting goes against what we hear from everywhere else: “Do more, make more.” “Work hard, play hard.”

In order to transform into the version of ourselves we know exists within us and who we’ve always dreamed of being, we have to turn away from all of the demands of the world and tune into a greater power directing our lives. 

I’ve experienced many seasons of waiting. Waiting I neither wanted or enjoyed fully as it was taking place, but even through the discomfort and as it was occurring, I could tell something was shifting inside me. That I was growing. That while the waiting felt unnatural and uncomfortable and unknown, those things were also the source of strength found during these seasons, which inevitably, we will all encounter: A season of waiting in which you are being called out of the routine you designed and into an unknown one.

At first, it doesn’t feel right. And often it brings up feelings of negative emotions. 

But once the initial discomfort settles, the waiting becomes easier. It becomes something else. An equipping, transforming from passive to active. No longer are you waiting for something to happen, instead you are waiting. It becomes what you’re doing. And in that doing, you gain strength. You gain wisdom. You gain patience. And endurance. And steadfastness. You learn about joy. And develop gratitude. So when it’s time to stop waiting, you’re ready and able to fully receive all the joy and light life has.

It’s during the waiting, we begin to really listen. To tune out the world and tune into what God is dreaming about for us. What’s on His heart for ourselves, our family, our community, our country.

Let us be active in our waiting and seek all that God has for us.

From my heart to yours,

Amanda

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

   he leads me beside quiet waters,

   he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

   I will fear no evil, 

   for you are with me;

   your rod and your staff, 

   they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

    in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

    my cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me

    all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

    forever.

Nonprofit Spotlight: See how God is working through CCLN!

Children’s Centre Los Niños is the nonprofit we featured & tithed to during our launch event in December 2019.

We continue to help support their mission through our long-term tithing collaboration through The Loft Coffeehouse, a retail location located in Spring Branch, TX, helping to give back to their local community.

Childrens Centre Los Niños: a community-building, Christ-centered non-profit located just north of San Antonio.

Nonprofit Spotlight: Childrens Centre Los Niños

Childrens Center Los Niños, a nonprofit whose mission is to: Empower Children to Love God and grow in the knowledge of our Risen Lord.

This nonprofit is especially close to my heart and deeply woven into the fabric of who I am today, my relationship with our Risen King and a testament to what happens when we walk closely with those going through crisis or hardship pointing them to Christ and resources along the way.

When I met CCLN, it was in the parking lot of an old grocery store. They had 16 white laundry baskets lined up along the painted lines and were filling each of them with food for the Thanksgiving which was coming up that season.

My children and I showed up having no idea what all would be taking place that day, nor the role this nonprofit would end up playing in our lives. As we began to help them sort the food and fill the baskets, families began to arrive. And as each one did, we were invited in to prayer for them. At the time, open public prayer was completely foreign to me. I barely knew how to really pray in that season.

But as God’s words were spoken and released upon the families and we witnessed the impact this food and these people were having on so many in the local community, a town located in the Texas hill country, my eyes were opened up to miracles and began to see how God was working in and through others.

For the next year, I attended all of their events, photographing the work being done and documenting God’s movement. He placed it on my heart to share the images with the nonprofit and so I did. And with each event, I went deeper and deeper into the knowledge of His word.

And as promised in the Bible, the storm came upon my own life. And I saw how the house I had built was made of sand instead of stone. And in one season I went from serving to being served. They walked along side me just as I had witnessed and photographed for so many others pointing me to resources and Christ. And that season, that season of pruning, of painful pruning, I learned how to sing. I learned how to lift my voice and praise the Lord for ALL that He was doing for I trusted it was for my good. Even when I didn’t understand or welcome the change.

He built my trust, laid a new foundation, one which is on His solid rock and began to build my pillar. I began to build my life upon His love, a firm foundation. And I placed my trust in the Lord. And began to walk the race He was calling me to.

Childrens Centre Los Niños is a pot-luck style family. They believe we ALL have something to offer and EVERYONE is to bring something to the table. The meal is not complete until ALL parties have arrived with their unique gifts and in diversity, we create unity.

They walk along side families going through crisis: divorce, substance abuse, death, generational poverty, etc., pointing them to resources and Christ, just as Christ walks along side us. They teach children the power of prayer by holding community events in which the children receive answers to their prayers through anonymous donations.

Each year they host 6 community events and host an Immanuel Summer Academy which children can attend during summer months to receive food, fellowship, clothing and tutoring.

Each community event hosts a pot-luck style family meal, a clothes closet for families to shop from, food baskets, a bible sand story for children and other crafts for the children.

During the school year they offer families weekend food care packages ensuring children who would normally go hungry over a weekend return to school well fed and ready to learn.

Everything received and given is a gift from God and is taught to the children.

Forever will they remain in my heart. For only Love Remains. Thank you for walking out the Gospel so well within so many. You are truly empowering children to Love our God and grow in the knowledge of our Risen Lord.