Amy

On Not Hurrying

May 6, 2014 by Amy 3 Comments

I read a book last week called Soul Keeping by John Ortberg. He quotes his friend (and author, philosopher, professor, speaker, Christian—after reading his bio, I’m feeling very left out of knowing much about him) Dallas Willard in the book multiple times speaking to how we take care of our soul saying,

“You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”

Then I watched this video with over 2 million other people. I was convicted of the time I had begun to spend scrolling through social media.

I love social media and blogging, but there is an inherent “hurry” aspect to it. There’s always something new and never a way to catch up. I knew these two ideas were connected for me.

And as much as I love writing here, many times I feel hurried and pressured to dole out posts. And then to Facebook and tweet about the post, and then check for likes and comments on the post. And on and on it goes.

So, I’ve been taking a break. I took social media off my phone. I’ve been leaving my phone in my purse. I’ve been reading more and trying to enjoy what I’m presently doing instead of trying to read more about what others are doing. I’m sitting on my back porch and soaking in some Vitamin D. I’m playing school with my daughter. I’m sitting still at red lights.

Like so many things in my life, I have to pare back to nothing to figure out what, if anything, I can add back in.

I have one more review post I’m committed to here this week (ironically, very related to this topic) and after that, I’m not sure. Maybe I just need this week off or a month off or the summer off. I’m not sure yet. I just know social media and blogging are tangled in this hurry and I’m ready to let some of it go.

Email me in the meantime if you want—maybe send me the really funny videos from Facebook I’m missing? amyjbennett AT gmail DOT com

My Yes in My Mess

May 1, 2014 by Amy 4 Comments

After visiting Kenya with Compassion several years back, Kristen Welch was led to make a difference for young, pregnant women in Kenya. She founded Mercy House Kenya which continues to thrive and grow. In fact, TODAY they move into a new house for the women.

Rhinestone Jesus is her newest book chronicling her journey from a Christian teen wearing her sparkly Jesus pin to the founder of a non-profit in Kenya.

As I read Kristen’s new book Rhinestone Jesus, I began questioning what my yes might be.

If you’ve been reading for the past 6 weeks, you might remember a post in which I wrote about coming to terms with my working mom status. It’s been such a freeing last month to not carry the weight of the false guilt. But still, even though I was coming to terms with working, I still didn’t see it as my YES IN MY MESS.

God began pressing on me, though, that indeed my yes right now was to my job in that cubicle.

But how could God ask me to say yes to that? Isn’t that the extreme opposite of any God-work? Doesn’t that reek of the American Dream that Kristen wrote against in her book? Aren’t I supposed to leave the cushy job and 401K to say yes?

As I continue to seek God, though, I realize he has been asking me to say yes all these years.

Even without my joyful yes, he’s been using my job to teach me, not to embrace, but to let go of the American Dream.

He’s taught me to live simply and give generously.

To let go of faith in income and benefits and understand it could all be *poof* gone in an instant.

He’s taught me not to rely on the security of a job and rely on Him.

He’s taught me not to chase after fulfillment in a title, but my title as daughter of the one true King.

He’s taught me to be a light for him, no matter where I go.

He’s taught me to have integrity and character in a place that at times is so very lacking.

He’s taught me to work as unto Him and not to man.

He’s taught me to put family first among so many other duties.

He’s been doing God-work all this time and I refused to see it.

God is not working in me and others in spite of my job, but directly through my job.

My yes has been a very stubborn yes, but in the past month I have been whispering a joyful yes. Yes, Lord, if you really do want me in this space I’ll do it. I’ll do it unto you until you move me.

And yes, there’s a mess in my yes. There’s laundry that sits in baskets for days and dishes that sit in sinks. There’s tired mornings and missed school functions. *I* am the mess most of the time.

I resonated so much with Kristen’s husband who wanted to leave his corporate job to devote more time to Mercy House Kenya but stays right now to make their yes possible. And I realized, my yes to my job has in part made their yes possible as we’ve been able to support Mercy House Kenya over the years. And there’s many more yeses we’ve said to help others say yes to their calling.

So, I suppose it is as they say–we can’t put God in a box. His plans sometimes don’t look like what we thought they should. One person’s yes will look wildly different than the next. Someone else’s wrong might be our exact right. We are all different parts of the body working together. Watching Kristen’s yes unfold has taught me how to let go of the American Dream while working and in doing so, my working has helped support her yes. How cool is God?

So what does your yes look like? Is it something big or maybe a little yes with a big impact? All of our yeses to God matter and make a difference.

Rhinestone Jesus is so much more than about calling. It’s about faith and parenting and marriage. I was so encouraged and I know you will be too.

Pick up Rhinestone Jesus on Amazon or any major retailer. For more posts about Rhinestone Jesus, check out the link-up over here.

I was provided a copy of the book for the review but all opinions are my own.

What I Wore Wednesday 04.30.2014

April 30, 2014 by Amy 2 Comments

Happy Wednesday to you all. It’s been pretty warm here this week, so shorts! I am so much happier without winter!

This is a Stitch Fix shirt from last year and some new shorts I bought from The Loft on clearance at the end of last season. I wore this Saturday when we went grocery shopping, helping my sister move some of her stuff into her fiance’s place (so weird!) and out to eat.

I wore this…some time last week. I’m pretty sure I was just working at home. Oh, I think this was the day I went to eat lunch with Emma at school. I had spent the last 3 days working away from home so I was ready to have a comfy day. I bought these Keds when we were in Tennessee the other week. It brought great memories back of wearing Keds as a teenager. Who else had pair after pair of white Keds??

I wore this Sunday after church. We did NOTHING aside from eat lunch at Scott’s parents and it was glorious.

Let’s connect so we can do this again Like AmyJBennett on Facebook. Follow me on Pinterest (where I post these inspirational pictures), Instagram (where you might sneak an early peek of an outfit) or Twitter.

Linked with The Pleated Poppy

A God-sized Hole

April 28, 2014 by Amy Leave a Comment

He whispers it to me on Tuesday morning, “You don’t have a parent-sized hole in your soul. Or a husband-sized hole. Or a man-sized hole. Or a child-sized hole. You have a God-sized hole.”

If you are feeling empty and tired and unfulfilled and lost and joyless, may I suggest you stop trying to hastily fill your soul with anything and everyone and finally slow down enough to feed your soul what it is meant to be filled with—God and God alone.

“There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person,
and it can never be filled by any created thing.
It can only be filled by God,
made known through Jesus Christ.”
– Blaise Pascal, Pensees

(in)RL and Ultimate eBook Bundle

April 25, 2014 by Amy Leave a Comment

Happy Friday to you! I’m sure I’m not the only one happy to see the weekend. I have two quick things I want you to know about for your weekend.

(in)RL conference is a FREE online women’s conference happening today and tomorrow. Today, you watch the webcast on your own at one of the screening times – 9am, 1pm, 6pm or 9pm EST and connect with friends, if you choose, via Twitter with the hashtag #inRL.

And then tomorrow, you can either join a meetup to watch the webcast or you can watch on your own as well. You have ZERO to lose by signing up and checking it out. I was so encouraged the last two years by this conference and did I mention it’s FREE? Go sign-up here: http://www.incourage.me/inrl-countdown

The other thing I want you to know about is the Ultimate Homemaking eBook bundle is back! You might remember my book Entangled was in it last year. They’re back this year with 78 eBooks PLUS 10 awesome bonuses which includes 10 DaySpring greeting cards, $15 store credit to HopeInk and 3 FREE eyeshadows among others for $29.97. Hello, it’s worth it for the bonuses! Plus, check out all these books you get!

If you want to check out all the books and bonuses, head over to their site. It’s ONLY available until Monday so you need to jump on this while it’s available.

So there, I hope I made your weekend even more awesome! Share with your friends so they have an awesome-er weekend too. Have a great one!

What I Wore Wednesday 4.23.2014

April 23, 2014 by Amy 8 Comments

Happy Wednesday! Already halfway through the week! Since we were on vacation and I was mostly wearing a jacket the entire time, I didn’t get a ton of pictures this week, but here’s a few!

This was my Easter outfit. I picked up the dress and necklace at The Loft outlet while we were in Tennessee this weekend.

I wore this last week out shopping for some bathing suits for the girls.

We had a special day at work yesterday and got to do a scavenger hunt. This picture is in the heart of uptown Charlotte. Have I mentioned how much I’m loving my white jeans this Spring? The shirt is a black sheer with a pleated front from The Loft. You can’t see it, but I have my animal print flats on and my matching Miche bag.

Let’s connect so we can do this again Like AmyJBennett on Facebook. Follow me onPinterest (where I post these inspirational pictures), Instagram (where you might sneak an early peek of an outfit) or Twitter.

Linked with The Pleated Poppy

When I’m Like Nicodemus

April 22, 2014 by Amy 2 Comments

I sit in Monday morning traffic, tired and wanting Spring Break back. I’m having God thoughts and pose the question that I have so many times before—God, are you ever disappointed in me? I know I mess up and so many do. How does it make you feel?

I don’t get any clear answers.

I pull up the IF:Equip daily devotional. Sarah and Rebekah talk about Joseph and Nicodemus. I hear the Spirit whisper—you remind me of Nicodemus. Nicodemus, who helped wrapped Jesus’s body after he died. I remember he was a religious leader but the rest escapes me. Usually being a religious leader with Jesus isn’t good news, but Nicodemus does clearly love Jesus by the end. Yes, Jesus, I do love you, I whisper back and hope for the best.

I get to work and scrawl out my to-do list and right in between, I jot down the name Nicodemus. I don’t want to forget to read what he was trying to tell me.

At a break, I do a search on Nicodemus and am taken to John 3.

The story starts coming back. Nicodemus goes to Jesus at night, wanting to question him away from prying eyes. He knows Jesus is from God but doesn’t understand it all. Jesus tells him he must be born again. Nicodemus is confused about what he needs to do.

And there it is, we all keep talking about what we do.

Jesus answers our question about what we need to do with what he’s going to do.

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.

His sacrifice is always our answer.

And then out of nowhere because I didn’t remember it’s John 3:16…For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son…

And here we are again, Jesus whispering to me, I love you so much I died for you.

He ignores my question altogether and reminds me it’s not about what I do or how he feels about it. It’s about how he loves me and what he did for me.

And we always stop at verse 16 but 17 comes along and tells us he didn’t come to condemn the world, but to save it.

God’s about the business of loving and saving not condemning. If we’re feeling defeated and disappointed, we’re not about Kingdom work.

And there, in the middle of a gray cubicle, I rest in his love and I rest in his work.

Spring Break 2014 in Tennessee

April 21, 2014 by Amy 1 Comment

The past week here was Spring Break and let me tell you, it was much-needed and much-enjoyed.

I worked the first few days of Spring Break, but by Wednesday evening, we were off to East Tennessee for a long weekend. My uncle and his family were there for the whole week and we totally crashed their place along with my parents (thank you, guys!) for the weekend.

We just planned to go about 2 weeks ago when I took Thursday and Friday off on a whim and then found out they were going to be there and my parents already had plans to go visit with them. It ended up being a beautiful weekend with some fun adventures.

Here’s a few of our favorite moments.

Lunch at Old Mill Restaurant

This restaurant came highly recommended by just about anyone you mentioned Pigeon Forge to.

After getting a table full of huge Southern plates, I can see why. We actually met some friends that were in town at the same time so it was a great lunch out. If only I weren’t gluten-free, I could have enjoyed the dumplings and fried-everything a little more.

If you want to experience some good Southern BBQ, I’d highly recommend Bennett’s BBQ Pit—no relation to us but I’d gladly claim them!

Horseback Riding at Walden’s Creek Stables

You might remember a post I wrote when Emma was taking horseback riding lessons a few years ago where I explained my fear of riding horses. Well, I decided to be brave and go ahead with the group ride. And y’all, it was by far our favorite hour of the whole trip.

I really thought Lexi was going to have a breakdown and insist on staying back after she got on her horse. “It’s moving!!” I felt the same way. However, after some quick reassurances from some great guides, we were all on our way down the trail.

We really had a great time. It was the perfect weather outside and everyone’s horses were well-behaved.

I don’t think any of us were ready to stop at the end of the trail. Definitely a must-do!

Titanic Museum

The four of us visited the Titanic Museum one afternoon. Lexi has been really interested in it over the last year or so, so she insisted it was a must-do. I was skeptical.

They give you a card with the profile of one of the actual passengers. As you go through the exhibit, you get to see more details about your person. At the end, you get to see whether you lived or died in the memorial room. It sounds cheesy, but it was pretty brilliant. It didn’t hurt that I got one of the richest women on board who was a famed fashion designer—who lived.

The exhibit also included a few pieces from the actual ship, which was sobering. One piece in particular has not left my mind. Someone’s pocket watch had stopped about 15 minutes after the accident and it was later found in his pocket when he was recovered. Very difficult to literally see someone’s time standing still.

I loved seeing the life-size replica of the grand staircase and Lexi declared she wanted to live in the museum. I don’t know if it was that good, but I certainly recommend it.

Titanic pictures courtesy of TitanicPigeonForge.com

Cade’s Cove

Cade’s Cove is part of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It is a valley where many of the settlers lived and where many of their building have been preserved which you can walk through.

Wildlife also roam the land. We hoped to see a bear, but instead got to see deer, a turkey and a coyote prowling in a field after some of the deer.

And of course, the National Park offers many beautiful views.

Over the weekend we also took advantage of the Tanger outlets literally right around the corner—maybe too much—and stopped by the famous Apple Barn to get some apple butter before we left town.

We just scratched the surface of the things to do in the area.

I’ve always turned my nose up a bit to vacationing in the mountains, always wanting my toes to dig into the sand, but I have to say this little vacation might have swayed me. The view from the resort pool certainly didn’t hurt.

We finished off our Spring Break with a beautiful Easter day celebrating Jesus’ resurrection.

I hope you had a wonderful break if you had one and have a great Monday!

Have you been to Pigeon Forge? Where did you go for Spring Break? Did you have a great Easter? Let me know!