When our daughter was little, she had a thing about hearing our instruction and finding the cutest way to circumvent it. We laughed, but we soon realized it did her heart no good to do a good thing instead of the right thing. I'm sure, like me, you have found yourself doing good things instead of the right things that God has called you to do. Two things. That's it. There are really only two things we really must do in life.
I received the following question that I answered in my monthly, “Ponderings of the Heart” column: Dear Ami, Philippians 2:3 tells us to “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Is the latter part of this really healthy? If you avoid looking at or considering your own value, aren’t you undermining your own emotional health? Signed, Confidently Humble
Having received the following question, I responded via my column in the His Favor Newsletter: Dear Ami, I understand the importance of forgiveness, but is reconciliation the same thing? Must I reconcile with everyone, even unsafe people? Signed, Cautious…. Wow! What a sticky question! Come read my response at amiloper.com
I have highs and lows like nearly every other person on earth. I know that no matter how pumped I am today, in a few days I may feel completely deflated. It’s called life. Because I know this about myself, I prepare. But all my efforts to keep my attitude good and keep going are hampered if I am not also doing one very important thing. Come read about the secret sauce that keeps me going!
I relish meandering through hours of recorded decades of my littles growing and then having littles of their own. A more difficult time to relive was our granddaughter’s stay in the NICU after birth. We are grateful that our little Princess shows no signs of her early difficulties with her lungs, but it is painful to see the videos of her hooked up to IVs, breathing tubes and oxygen tents. Read about this journey and what it taught me about receiving healing from the Presence of the Lord!
We have all heard how the Lord can do wonderful miracles for people, can thrust them into their Promised Land and the giants simply let them in and hand over the deed to the land. It happens. But then there are other times, the majority of times, when blessings come at great cost or after great battles in which nothing came easily. Does that mean God wasn’t in it?
What does it mean to prevail? Sometimes we think it is a big win over a big challenge. What if there’s more to prevailing? What if you could win your battle even when you don’t feel that you have strength to hang on? Read this blog to discover what it means to PREVAIL!
My Dad was working with me one evening when I was little to learn to ride a bike, holding onto the back of the seat as I tried to coordinate pedaling and steering. Suddenly, I noticed a football-sized boulder to the right of my path. It scared me though it wasn’t on my path, so I kept my eyes on it as we approached. But somehow, the more I stared at that rock, the more I diverged toward it! Finally, I hit the rock and fell. That’s when Dad said something that has always stayed with me...
I was a frilly little girl, and yet, I would stand for a whole match at my Grandpa’s elbow as he sat watching boxing on TV. The saddest thing to watch was a man up against the ropes, getting smacked relentlessly, his gloves at his face, bent, cringing from the blows. That image keeps coming to mind in this last couple of years. Many of you can relate. Read the full story at amiloper.com
My Dad was otherwise the picture of health when, at the age of 59, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. When he told us, it hit with a shockwave, a numbness cultivated by denial and ignorance. I was barely in my 30’s and had no inkling of the devastating ramifications he was facing. Dad’s ways of coping with the diagnosis were… unique. Come read how Dad coped, from the odd to the brilliant.
"Dear Ami, Does the Bible explicitly prohibit sex before marriage? I believe that Biblical sexual purity means abstinence before marriage, but my cousin brought up this issue as a challenge, and he uses it to justify premarital sex. Signed, Perplexed"… Come see how I answered this intriguing question at amiloper.com
Everything in the process of developing and refining seems to take much more time and effort than I had bargained for. But my Abba Father, the Potter, knows what He is doing..... Read the full blog to learn about the essential journey of process and how we can trust the Potter in the midst of it.
After 30 years of marriage, the Hubs and I both have had wonderful days and some exceeding trying days. The other night, we were reminiscing a bit, reminding each other of the beauty of our love story. He mentioned regretting one particular shortcoming of his. I mirrored his statement with a regretful statement of my own shortcoming. He shrugged. Then he said the most profound thing....
Maybe you’re a flexible person. I’m not. I have gotten much better at rolling with it. But it has been a process. Relinquishing control is hard for some of us. Trusting is hard for some of us. I began learning of the destructiveness of control in my teen years. After all, if you want something done right, do it yourself, right? Wrong. My attempts at controlling life led to a life out of control.
What started as a common illness with the doctor’s admonition to rest for a few weeks has become a two-year battle against a fatigue that has tethered me to my home and drained me of energy. Yet in God's great redemptive power, He’s let my heart grow and learn, even while my physical body has been battered and weakened. Come read three of the things the Lord has taught me through ongoing illness and fatigue.
What is this Christmas going to look like? Will my people be able to get together? If you are a Believer in Jesus Christ, you know your joy is found only in Jesus. That beautiful truth doesn’t exactly stop the aching loneliness of being alone and bereft of your beloved traditions. We need more than the words of this sentiment. We need a way to access the felt truth behind the sentiment.
This year has kicked me in the teeth. It has ripped my heart out and stolen my breath away. It’s been hard to see the light of day. But, like a Divine appointment, a book with wisdom for the broken came into my life this year and has given me a tool that has helped to keep my head above water.
What is unique about the towns of Santa Barbara, California and Solvang, California? Both are beautiful towns, singular in their style, but neither one started out that way. These two gems in central California were transformed into what they are today by surprising circumstances. Come read what transformed them and why the same things can also transform your life!
