Amy J. Bennett

Extraordinary Faith for Everyday Life

You are here: Home / Archives for spiritual stuff

spiritual stuff

God’s in the little things

by Leave a Comment

Late, late last night I posted my Thankful Thursday list…one of them being thankful for God’s mercy and grace when I screw up so much.  This morning I was on the way back from taking the girls to school and just felt the need to be obedient to some recent pastors I’ve heard say we should listen to Christian music.  Now, I definitely listen to secular music and like it.  But I can admit my mindset is different after an hour of listening to it vs. Christian music.  So I’m on no soapbox about not listening to secular music here.  Anyway, this is the song came on the radio.  It’s East to West by Casting Crowns.  I’d never heard and it just seemed so perfect at the moment.

East To West – Casting Crowns

Here I am Lord and I’m drowning, in Your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me, I yearn for peace and rest
I don’t want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind
Keeps me awake tonight
I know you’ve cast my sin as far as the East is from the West
And I stand before You now as though I’ve never sinned
But today I feel like I’m just one mistake away
From You leaving me this way

Chorus:
Jesus can you show me just how far the east is from the west
‘Cause I can’t bear to see the man I’ve been
Rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
‘Cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other

I start the day, the war begins
Endless reminding of my sin
And time and time again
Your truth is drowned out by the storm I’m in
Today I feel like I’m just one mistake away
from You leaving me this way

I know You’ve washed me white
Turn my darkness into life
I need Your peace to get me through
To get me through this night
I can’t live by what I feel
About the truth Your word reveals
I’m not holding on to You
But You’re holding on to me
You’re holding on to me

Thankful Thursday

by Leave a Comment

  • I am thankful for God’s guidance and provision in sickness.  Specifically that Scott’s shoulder has healed so well, my Mom’s surgery went well and my grandmother’s cancer is operable

  • I am thankful of God’s mercy and grace when I’ve screwed up the 7,012nd time

  • I’m thankful that God provides patience and compassion when a certain youth member lies to my face for the 834th time

  • I am thankful for my family.  Especially a husband who loves the Lord so much and knows how to lead a family.

  • I’m thankful that God accepts praises of even those who can’t carry a tune.

Nothing like a little thankfulness to breed a little humbleness.

Mom’s surgery

by Leave a Comment

I’m sure this will affect quite a few things in the coming weeks and months so I’m reporting now my mom had a hysterectomy today.  I’m not really sure what to expect.  They don’t really go over this type of thing in s-e-x ed in middle school.  From my understanding of it, we may see some emotional effects–as if she didn’t already have enough.  Am I clueless on this process??  I know her physical recoup is less than 2 weeks so that is good news.

Dad called me this morning on the way back from taking the kids to school and said everything had gone fine.  We are headed up there when I’m done working to see her.

This morning I was ironing Emma’s skirt before school and I remembered Mom’s surgery.  The girls were in the kitchen with me so I grabbed their hands and said, let’s pray real quick for Grandma’s surgery.  I said a quick two sentence prayer for Mom and the doctors and Emma says with a smirk/giggle, “We don’t pray now, we pray at night.” I corrected and said, “No, you can pray anytime.  God likes it when you pray.”  Made me think twice about what I’ve taught her about prayer.  The last thing I want it to be is a task on her to-do list at night.

I do know her Sunday School class prays every week and several times she has told us she  asked for prayer when one of us was sick or when Scott was going out of town so I know she understands it.  I just hope I can relay the verse:

Ephesians 6:18 Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.

Entertaining angels

by Leave a Comment

Tonight Scott taught the lesson at youth. He told a (true) story a preacher once told him.  It was regarding the verse:

Hebrews 13:2 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

This preacher was walking along in town and saw a man he did not know around town (the same town I live in now which 20 years ago was very small).  He was dressed like a homeless man and stopped the preacher to ask for $1 to get something to eat.  The preacher waved him off saying he didn’t have time.  About four steps past the man, he realized what he had done and that he shouldn’t have acted that way.  He turned around to give him the dollar and the man was gone.  He said there was nowhere he could have gotten that quickly, nowhere to hide anywhere around him.  He insists to this day it was an angel sent to test how he would react.

There were two instances just this week where I felt led to give two people money or at least offer help and I didn’t.  One was in the grocery store. A man was buying some very cheap meals in front of us and he gave the cashier all change and then was scrounging for the rest.  I almost offered to pay the rest as I had a $10 bill right in front of me.  He ended up producing some $20s out of his pocket so I didn’t say anything but still, I still felt like I should have offered.  Those $20s may have been rent or mortgage money.

The second was of a man walkin on an Interstate ramp near my house.  He had a hiking backpack on, was young and didn’t look homeless exactly but seemed on a trip in some way.  He wasn’t really going anywhere and even after my van passed him and no cars were behind him, he didn’t attempt to cross the road on the ramp and wasn’t really going anywhere.  Scott and the girls were with me and it wasn’t really feasible to take him anywhere but I still felt led to stop and ask if we needed to call someone or even if he needed money.   And yet, I kept driving.

Opportunities missed that I’ll never get back and probably have to answer for in heaven.  It saddens and disappoints me that I can’t listen to His voice even in the simplest of things.

Because God is cool like that

by Leave a Comment

The other day I commented on being “in a funk”.   I specifically mentioned the need for “something to do”, not filling “full” and thinking part of the reason was my lack of bible study.  Well, last night I had some time on my hands and decided to listen to the next DVD in Beth Moore’s Living By the Spirit bible study I’ve been plugging through honestly for almost a year. 

It was about the fruit of the spirit goodness and kindness.  Specifically goodness and goodness is kindness “spilling out” and “Goodness does”.  And how God is good and one way we know He is good because of the good things He does.  And then the worksheet says “Our ‘creation’ in Christ Jesus is also good because of the good we are called to do.  God gives us something to do.”  Then I made the notes “We are called to be a benefit to this earth” and “We’re after a feeling and the works He has for us has results.”  And then also another point…”If you spend yourself…” (meaning doing good works that God has prepared for you to do) “your needs will be satisfied.”

This lesson was a word for me.  In a time when I felt empty and bored and unfortunately was looking in all the wrong places.  I love this verse:

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

God has something for me to do even today.  And it’s good works that will produce good things for someone AND it will fill my needs.  Now, I just have to figure out what I’m supposed to be doing which gets me to the numero uno “something to do”–pray!

Post Surgery Day

by Leave a Comment

Scott ended up sleeping through the afternoon after my last post.  His mom dropped by to pick up the girls so I woke him to see his mom.  Apparently she was pretty upset (read sad, not mad) that she wasn’t at the surgery yesterday morning so I thought it best she see him.  After she left, we both crawled into bed and took a 2 hour nap.  That was wonderful.

I ordered pizza and we watched Tombstone in bed.  It was sort of like a mini vacation actually.  Scott’s pills had finally kicked in and we just relaxed.

The bad part is he continued to be nauseous through the evening, not able to keep down the pizza or some soup we tried.  Everyone insists it’s the anesthesia so hopefully today will be better.

He slept well through the night except got up to take pills and was up with me this morning and even helped get Emma dress since I got a work call first thing.

He’s back in bed this morning, still feeling dizzy/nauseous when he walks around too much. 

Overall, this has gone WAY better than I had thought.  I told Scott last night I could tell people had prayed hard for us.  Our patience and overall “niceness” factor with each other was almost outstanding.  His pain was at a minimum from what I could tell and it just has been very calm and pleasant around here.  So mark this as an answer to prayer.

Talking to Jesus

by Leave a Comment

Emma went with me to the church this evening to finish up the podcast stuff.  We got out of the van and were walking to the door and she randomly says “Jesus says things to me sometimes.”  Most things Emma says usually only gets an uh-huh out of me but that stopped me in my tracks.  I bent down to her and asked her what He said.  She kinda clammed up like she was embarrased and said, “I don’t know”.  Hoping to lighten the conversation a little I just got up and held her hand again and continued walking to the church.  She says, “He knows what he says to me.” 

Hmm…I didn’t push it hoping she’d open up on her own but I really want to know what He says if He does talk to her.  Lately she’s been asking the question “What cross did Jesus die on?”  I try to understand and say he died on a tree and it was so long ago and I don’t know which tree but after He died, He rose again and went to live in Heaven but one day He’s coming back to get us.  She just says,”Yeah, I know, you already told me that.”  Well, at least I know she’s hearing me even if she doesn’t understand it all yet.  I wonder if Jesus is telling her about Him?

Laughing Your Way to a Better Marriage

by Leave a Comment

Mark Gungor is a speaker/singer/former pastor who speaks on marriages.  Somehow my parents found him on Life TV or something like that.  It was an hour or so show.  It was so funny my mom went straight to his web site and bought the 4 disc DVD set.  I’ve watched two of four of the discs and let me just say, this is HILARIOUS.  It was the kind where you clap your hands, slap your knee and nudge your partner kind of laughing.  You should watch it whether or not you have marriage issues, it is just extremely entertaining and even eye-opening.  Simple things you thought only you and your partner goes through seems to be a universal issue.  He talks in one about the “Tale of two brains”, talking about the differences between men in women in things like communication and s-e-x drive.  In the second disk it is called “Yo Momma” giving the top 5 list of ways to have the best s-e-x you’ve ever had.  Yes, it’s very entertaining and I highly recommend it…