I walk out onto our back porch. My bare feet hit the cold planks. My heart is floundering again, doubting God’s calling. It’s been a few months and I know God wants me to share the work He’s done internally over the last decade. The pruning. The healing. The loving. The directing.
The sun is rising above the line of trees in my neighbor’s yard. I stop to listen. It’s early enough that the birds are still busy with their morning routines. I hear one, long shrill note from a bird that I locate somewhere in our backyard tree. And then another lets out a quieter, triple staccato from a neighbor’s tree. And yet still, another begins chattering like he must have some news to share from the night before. The more I listen, the more distant singing I hear. The songs delight me with their beauty and uniqueness. And then I hear one voice speaking from the secret place where nobody goes, as Jill Briscoe would say. He silently asks me a question. “Wouldn’t it be sad if one of these birds decided that there were too many songs being sung, all louder than him, and chose not to sing their song?”
The idea devastated me. All birds were made uniquely with a special song. They can’t all be loud and they can’t all be quiet. They can’t all chatter endlessly and they can’t all sing quickly. I know instinctively they all must sing. And then He said, “I want you to sing your song anyway.” And with that encouragement, my heart dashed its doubts and I knew that in some way, He was calling me to share more of my story.
Abiding Ministries
I’ve spent the last two years figuring out how I was supposed to do that and what you are reading right now is part of the answer.
He asked me to create this new site – a new ministry – where I will share the story of how God took a distracted, depressed, disconnected girl and taught her how to abide in Jesus. And how that made all the difference–just like Jesus said it would.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5
And not only would I share the story, but I would help other women abide in Him too. That’s the vision–provide resources and encouragement to help you stay connected to Christ.
RICH
It’s been a journey of twelve years of God teaching me and while I certainly don’t have a magic formula, I do have something to share. I love how Beth Moore always says she doesn’t have it all figured out, but she’s willing to give whatever she’s got.
The first new offering is a video-based Bible study on John 15, RICH: Discovering God’s Abundance in and Through Your Life. The words of Jesus from John 15 haunted me for months. As I studied it, Jesus says, “This. This is what I’ve been teaching you.”
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:9-11
In RICH, we talk about purpose, what abiding means, and the integral part of God’s word in our lives. We talk about the work of pruning and the promise of eternal security. So many things that I’ve seen come alive in my life the past decade.
I’m telling you, had God not intervened, my family would be fractured, I’m sure I’d be physically sick in some way, depressed, and chasing after the world.
Abiding made all the difference for me. And I want it for you too.
Feathers
As God began to show me pieces of abiding, one part of that is obedience. And as it turns out, I’ve spent the last two years hosting Feathers: Faith in Flight. I’ve already been a part of encouraging women to abide in Jesus and walk by faith. But Feathers was just a piece of the puzzle. Today, Feathers slips into its new home, right where it was always supposed to be.
So. Welcome to Abiding Ministries. The blog is here where I hope to be writing more. I foresee sharing extensively on our social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram. Right now it’s just a team of one ready to serve you, but my hands are open and we’ll see what God will do. Always waiting to see what God will do. Today? I hope He leads you to pick up a copy of RICH, take a few minutes to listen to the new Feathers episode, subscribe in email in the sidebar, and say hi below.
Amy
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