Monday, September 29, 2008

Faith Lifts - I'm Not Strong Enough!

Have you ever faced a struggle or crisis in your life where you cried out to God? "I'm not strong enough. I can't do this. Can you take this burden away from me?"

To read the rest of devotion, join me at Faith Lifts.

Sweet Blessings,
Amy

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Trading My Sorrows



One day this week I was really overwhelmed with the fact Spencer's seizures have increased so much. I kept questioning God, wondering what He's up to. You see, I know He doesn't waste anything. If He is allowing the seizures to increase and continue it is for a reason. I'm not sure what the reason is but He has a good one... because He is good. 

Anyway, I was having one of those days where I was crying out saying "Just give me a verse. I need something." This is what I found.

When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love O LORD, supported me. When my anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. Psalm 94:18-19

He is the one who gives joy even in the midst of our circumstances. 
I'm trading my sorrows for the Joy of the Lord!




I'm singing this with the Women of Faith singers this weekend!

Have a blessed weekend!
Amy




Thursday, September 25, 2008

Women of Faith - Here we come!

I probably won't be able to post much this weekend or next week. I'm headed to Women of Faith in Atlanta on Friday and Saturday and to CLASS on Sunday through Wednesday. I'm excited to see what God has planned. I am in desperate need of some spiritual renewal ladies and I am going expectant.

I'm also excited to spend time with some new friends and some old!
Carol and I are headed out tomorrow and will meet Janet and the other Carol at the conference. Then on Sunday, I will pick up Melissa at the airport to head to Canton for CLASS.
I know we will have a blast. I'm excited to meet Melissa in person after getting to know her through the blogging world.

I'm so excited to be attending WOF again this year. I actually had decided not to go because of finances and CLASS being right after. I didn't want to be gone from the kids that long. I was whining and complaining about not attending because it would have been the first year in the last six years I wouldn't be there. Then, I got a phone call from Carol D.... she had four tickets and a hotel... was I interested in attending? Greg said go. I was blown away. God knew I needed this time and He provided a way. Isn't He awesome that way! 

I will post TSMS on Saturday and I'm over at Faith Lifts on Monday. Then, I will share all of my wonderful pictures and stories about my fabulous weekend when I return :-)

Please pray for Spencer to not have any seizures while I'm away. (By the way... we saw the doctor yesterday and he increased his medication and put him on one new med. We also started the process to get tested to see if he is a candidate for brain surgery.  I will keep you all posted as we find out more.) Also please pray for Greg since he will have the children all weekend. He's a pro, so I'm not worried. I'm a little upset that I'm missing Mary Lyndsey's actual birthday. It's on Monday. I can't believe she is going to be 5! Of course she has snack for her preschool class on her birthday and class pictures... both while I'm away. You can add her hair to your prayer list too... that is the one thing daddy is not great at doing. I can't wait to see what these pics will turn out like :-) She and Spencer are excited because GrandDee and GrandJudy are coming to stay with them this weekend too. I know they will be spoiled when I return. 

Anyway, thanks for all of your emails and prayers about Spencer. Please continue to lift him up in prayer. See you Saturday at TSMS. In the meantime... here's a look at where I'll be this weekend!

Sweet Blessings,
Amy


Tuesday, September 23, 2008

What a party - and other random things!

I know I haven't been around the last few days. It's been kind of crazy here. We had ML's party on Saturday and the girls had a blast. We enjoyed having family here and ML loved all of her new gifts.

You might remember I prayed that Spencer wouldn't have any seizures on Saturday during the party. Well, he didn't have any on Saturday... but he had one on Friday night, two on Sunday and three yesterday. We finally got an appointment with the doctor sooner. You might recall we had been praying for a quicker appointment. We had moved from Oct. 27 to Oct. 1. Today they called and moved us from Oct. 1 to tomorrow. I know prayer works, and I thank all of you who prayed for us to get in to see the doctor sooner. Now I'm asking you to please pray for the appointment to go well and for us to make good decisions on how to move forward with his treatment. (and you can always pray for no more seizures!)

I don't have much time to post tonight, but I wanted to share these pics from the birthday party. Also, I'm sorry I didn't get around to everyone's post on TSMS Saturday. Like I said, it's been crazy here. I usually try to visit everyone, so if you were new this week, (there were several of you) and I didn't get by, I'm sorry. I'm so glad everyone who joined in did, and I hope you will all come back next Saturday. I think we had an all time high on TSMS this past weekend. I'm thinking of doing another give away when I get to 50 people. Ya'll spread the word!

Blessings to you all,
Amy

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - On My Knees

Hi Friends!
So glad you stopped by for another week of Then Sings My Soul. I'm posting a little early because we are having a birthday party for Mary Lyndsey tomorrow. We also have a Birthday party to attend. Don't you just love it when everyone in your child's class has a birthday in the same month?! We get hit in September and October and don't have any time to recover before Christmas... and Spencer's birthday is in December. I'll be buying presents for the next three months.
Anyway, before I talk about the song I'm posting this week, I'd like to ask for your continued prayers for Spencer. We just had another seizure about an hour ago. We didn't have to use the rescue med because it backed off. I'm holding my breath tonight that we don't seize again. I really do not want to take another trip to the hospital. It hasn't even been a week since we were there. And... I really don't want to interrupt Mary Lyndsey's party tomorrow for her sake. I think she already feels like Spencer gets more attention sometimes.
For those of you who have been praying for us to get an earlier Dr.'s appointment... your prayers were answered. We got a phone call today and they were able to get us in October 1 instead of October 27. Keep praying for no more seizures. Also be in prayer for us to have wisdom about some upcoming decisions about his treatment.
OK... I know you came by for the TSMS post, so here it is...
The song I'm posting this week is "On My Knees" by Jaci Velasquez. This used to be one of my favorite songs. I was reminded of it this week as I've tried to spend more time in prayer.
You might remember a few weeks ago I talked about being "prayed out" or just tired of praying. Well, it's interesting that about that time, I started having trouble with my right knee. I can't even hardly walk up and down the stairs in my house without being in major pain. I used to laugh at my grandmother and my mother-in-love when they complained about having to walk up and down the stairs in my house. Now I know why they avoided it. I went to a PTA meeting at Spencer's school on Thursday night and it was downstairs.... down a lot of stairs :-) I started to look for the elevator because I almost couldn't bear the thought of the pain I knew I was going to experience going down them.
Sometimes when I'm walking, it is almost as if my knees are going to give out and buckle underneath me and I am going to hit the floor. I have to wonder if it isn't God trying to tell me to "get on my knees" and if I continue to be so rebellious as to not spend some more time there, He will put me there. See, I've been trying to stay busy and distracted instead of dealing with some issues head on with God. He does have a way of getting out attention doesn't He?!
So, I guess Jaci says it best... the way to survive in laughter and in pain is to be on your knees.


I hope you all have a blessed weekend!

Amy


Thursday, September 18, 2008

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Have your kids every totally embarrassed you with their comments? I know mine have from time to time. I often tell people I hold my breath when Spencer talks, because I never know what is coming. And he talks a lot. It's a wonder I haven't passed out by now :-)

Not long ago, someone asked him what his daddy did for a living. His response - "he sells drugs". (My husband is a pharmaceutical sales manager) He then added... "he manages other people who sell drugs too so they can make a lot of money." So glad their wasn't a cop around on that one :-)

His answer went along great with the next question they asked which was - what do you want to be when you grow up? His response - "a movie star, a scientist or a preacher. I haven't decided because God hasn't told me what He wants me to be yet."

I thought about all the funny things my kids say and the questions they come up with. Tonight's questions from Spencer and Mary Lyndsey included...

Is God bigger than our house?
Does Jesus ever stand up or does He just sit on His throne all day?
Does Satan have red teeth?
Are there some pigs who can really fly like flying fish or flying squirrels or do just birds fly?
Does God ever get tired?

And those were just while we were getting ready for bed. I need to write every question down for few days. I bet I could fill up a notebook very quickly.

I was chuckling to myself about their funny comments and remembered the show "Kids Say the Darndest Things." I went searching on You Tube and found this clip. If you need a good laugh, it's worth watching the full 7 minutes! Enjoy!

Wishing you a laughter filled day.



Sweet Blessings,
Amy

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Midweek Motivation - A Note of Encouragement

midweek_motivation_button.jpg
What do you find most often when you go to your mailbox these days? Probably the same things I find - sales flyers, bills and magazines along with a bunch of junk mail. Occasionally though while leafing through the stack, my eyes will fall on an envelope different from all the rest, a handwritten note addressed to me. My heart always skips a beat as I excitedly search the upper left hand corner to discover the identity of the sender.
To read the rest of this devotion, click here.
I'm over at Writer Interrupted today with Midweek Motivation.
Please come join me.
Sweet Blessings,
Amy

Monday, September 15, 2008

Faith Lifts - Learning to Obey

I'm over at Faith Lifts today. Come join me.


Do you ever have those days when you feel you could be a much better parent? Maybe you’ve yelled too much or not spent enough quality time with your kids. Then the guilt kicks in and you make the decision to try to do better. You make a vow things are going to change.

To read the rest of this devotion, click here.

And please be in prayer for Spencer. We had a status seizure yesterday morning at church and spent the entire day in the hospital. He is staying home from school today to rest and recover. Thanks,

Amy

Sunday, September 14, 2008

And the Winners are...


I know I should learn to do that random number integer thing in order to do give aways and I promise I will try to learn how it works in the future, but for today, I did it the old fashioned way.


For the last three weeks, if you signed up with Mr. Linky and wrote a TSMS post, I wrote your name on a little slip of paper and put it in a bowl. If you left a comment on my TSMS post, I wrote your name on a little slip of paper and put in the same bowl. If you wrote an extra post telling about TSMS and sent me an email to let me know you did, I wrote your name on a little slip of paper and put it in the bowl. If you sent me an email and told me you had the TSMS button on your side bar or if I saw it there when I visited your site, I put your name on a little slip of paper and put it in the bowl.... I've had a lot of little slips of paper floating around. LOL

I promise they all made it into the drawing. Some of you are in there 8 times!


I know that was probably the hard way to do it, but you are talking (blogging with) the girl who until recently still did cut and paste with scissors and glue :-)


Just a few minutes ago, once I was sure everyone was in I drew the names for the CD winners from all the little slips of paper in the bowl.

I know you are excited to find out who the winners of the CD giveaway are so...

The winner of the Chris Tomlin Hello Love CD is Sita at Sita's Sanctum.

The winner of the Selah Greatest Hymns CD is Andrea at Mommy Snacks

The winner of the Natalie Grant Awaken CD is Peggy at Mazes, Messes, Miracles and aMazing Grace.

The winner of the Stephen Curtis Chapman Greatest Hits CD is Cathy at Melodies and Hymnsongs.

The winner of the Selah Hiding Place CD is Earthmommy at Shores End
If you all will email me with your mailing address I will send on your CD's as soon as I receive them.
Hope you have a blessed week!
Amy


Saturday, September 13, 2008

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Music Giveaway Weekend

It's finally here... the big music give away weekend. I know you all can't wait to see who wins... but you will have to wait just a little longer. There's still time to included in the drawing. If you leave a comment today you will be entered or if you link a TSMS post today you will be entered again. To see all the ways you could be entered in the drawing go here. I will compile all the names tonight and announce the winners after midnight.

It's been a long week. Spencer and I traveled to Indiana on Wednesday and Thursday for an Epilepsy Advocate event so it went by really fast. I can't believe it's Saturday already. I had planned to post more all week, but never got the time. I'm a little worn out and hope to get some much needed rest this weekend. 

I decided one of the best ways to get energized is to sing about Jesus.  I was trying to think of an upbeat, fun song to post this weekend and then I remembered this one.




It's been a long time since I heard it and when I found it on You Tube, I had to laugh. It still makes me want to dance and sing along. Hope you enjoy.

By the way... I love Jesus, yes I do, I love Jesus... How about you?



Monday, September 8, 2008

Mission Monday

My friend Peggy at Mazes, Messes, Miracles and Amazing Grace has started a new Monday meme called Mission Mondays.
She quotes Rick Warren in the Purpose Driven Life as saying we were all made for a mission. She would like for us to write about life message or mission. It can be a short term or a long term mission. It can be a personal mission or a mission of someone else or organization that you feel is important and would like to share about. You can find all the details here.
I'm a little late getting this up today but I wanted to join in and spread the word about this neat new meme. Anyone who has read my blog for any length of time knows that my son has epilepsy, and that epilepsy awareness and education are very important to me. As a matter of fact in November, which is Epilepsy Awareness Month, I will be featuring famous people who have epilepsy.
My family is very active in a group called Epilepsy Advocates. It is very important to us change the stigma attached to epilepsy so that Spencer will be allowed the same opportunities as everyone else. There is a ton of information on the Epilepsy Advocate website which you can link to from Spencer's picture on the sidebar.
I encourage you to go visit Peggy, see what some other people's missions are, and join in on spreading the word on what ever you feel your mission is.
Blessings to you,
Amy

Sunday, September 7, 2008

In the News

A few weeks ago a reporter came to our house and interviewed us about receiving our Canine Assistance dog Lucia. I think he had seen our press conference when we went to Chicago back in April and realized we lived in Gwinnett county, so he contacted us to do an article for the Community section. I wasn't sure exactly when it was going to run... but this morning I opened up the paper to find this...

It was a great article. Thanks Alex! If you would like to read the entire article... click here.
Sweet Blessings,
Amy

In the News... continued

In the News Continued... I also meant to post the video from the press conference back in April from Chicago but never did... so here it is.
Amy


Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

I found this fun little look-alike thingy over at Faithful Chick.
It was too tempting to pass up. I just had to see who I matched. I had to look some of these people up, but here goes...

Glenn Close - yeah, I can see me in Fatal Attraction.
Sarah Michelle Gellar - I would so like to kick butt like Buffy.
Mira Sorvino - I'm not sure if I plan to attend my high school reunion or not, (20 years this upcoming summer by the way) but I most definitely could eat just candy corn with no fat grams to lose weight before I attend.
Ricki Lake - I would love to have my own talk show.
Anna Kournikova - had to look her up, but just know I don't have an athletic bone in my body so I could not be a world famous tennis star.
Kristin Cavallari - my reality is crazy enough without being on a reality TV show.
Jennifer Beals - one word - Flashdance... splash some water on me baby :-)
Nicky Hilton - Always wanted a sister - but maybe not Paris.


MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Family roots - Printable family tree

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Selah

Welcome back to another Then Sings My Soul Saturday!  A little housekeeping about the music giveaway before I share my post. If you need the details about the drawing for the music to be given away next week at TSMS, you can click here to read last week's post. All of the details are posted there. 

Also, some people have been adding their links and comments to the Inaugural Edition of TSMS. That's great except for one thing... no one else can find it unless they go back to that edition. You need to link your post to the current week's TSMS Mr. Linky. Otherwise, I'm the only person who sees it unless someone is going back through old posts.  

By the way, some people are still linking to their blogsite and not to their TSMS post. What happens when you do this is... if people are looking through Mr. Linky on Sunday, and you have a new post up on Sunday, they have to scroll down to get to the TSMS  post. To link to your specific TSMS post, click on your title so the TSMS  post is the only one showing on your screen. Then, copy and paste that url into Mr. Linky. Clear as mud... good. Seriously, if you have questions on how to do this, just email me and I will try to help.

OK... now down to business. This week I'm featuring Selah. I have two wonderful CD's to give away by them next week. One is Hiding Place and the other is Greatest Hymns. So, I'm going to highlight a song from each CD this week.

The first is "Be Still My Soul." I love the words to this song. They have really spoken to me tonight as I began to look for a song to post from Selah. In the middle of all our craziness and busyness this past week, Spencer had more seizures. We had to administer his rescue med again last night. The seizures have been really out of control lately. And I can't get a doctor's appointment until the end of October. 

Today I sort of reached the point of feeling completely defeated. I pretty much always have a good attitude about dealing with epilepsy and try to keep the viewpoint that God brings something good of every trial we must face. I know this to be true, but today, I didn't feel it.

There is only so much a mama can watch her child suffer and not start to get mad. Today I was there... feeling mad, and overwhelmed and not quite sure what to do. I really didn't even want to pray about it. I'm sort of all prayed out at the moment. I spent the day trying to stay distracted with errands. I felt if I let my mind go there and I got into a conversation with God, it wasn't going to be pretty. My grandma taught me if you didn't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all... so basically I wasn't talking to God at all... because I didn't have anything nice to say. 

Have you ever been there? I was basically just being rebellious and resisting God. I sort of felt paralyzed with fear. I've always kind of thought in the back of my mind, "it's going to get better." You know, kind of like getting over a cold. You can console your child when they are sick with a stomach bug or a head cold that it will pass, and they will get better; but today, I really just lost hope. I thought to myself... "it's never going to get better." I was hardening my heart - being stiff necked. And we know what happens to stiff necked people right?! (Exodus 32:9)

Then, tonight as I was listening to these praise songs by Selah, my heart melted. I was reminded of Exodus 14:13 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

The very people who had held them in bondage and slavery were pursing the Israelites, God's chosen people. They felt trapped, paralyzed with fear... but they were exactly where God had led them. They became scared and cried out in anger to Moses against God. And Exodus 14:13 was how Moses answered them.

I was reminded the LORD is on my side. He will fight for me. I need only be still in Him. My job is to bear patiently the cross of grief or pain that is mine. He has led me to exactly where He wants me. I am to leave it to Him to order everything that happens and to provide just what I need. He is faithful. The waves and winds of every storm still know His voice rules them. He controls them. Listen to the words...

Be Still My Soul - Selah - Greatest Hymns


The other song I want to highlight is "All My Praise." It reminds me I am to praise Him not only in green pastures, but through darkness, pain and in the valley. He is Holy. He is Lord. And He is worthy of All My Praise!





Sweet Blessings,
Amy



Thursday, September 4, 2008

Mary Lyndsey's First Day

I know I haven't posted in what seems like forever, but in my defense, we've been a little busy! (Just the usual for the Wyatt's)

Mary Lyndsey started Pre-K this year. Her birthday is September 30, so she just barely misses the Sept. 1 cut off to start Kindergarten. She is in a 4K class but will turn five in just a few weeks. I can hardly believe she will be five! We are busy planning a ballerina birthday party and I found the coolest ballet slipper invitations at Target today!
Here she is on the first day of school looking all grown up! She was very exited about a lady bug she found on the flowers, so I could hardly get her to look at the camera.

Spencer started back in Occupational and Physical Therapy this week and he also started Tae Kwon Do lessons back. In addition to that, Mary Lyndsey started back in tap and ballet and I started teaching Bible Study again this semester.  And... Awana has started back. We are finally back into the full swing of things. I was hoping to have more time to blog once the kids both started back to school, but it certainly hasn't happened this week.

Just wanted to post a quick update about what we've been up to. 

I hope to be back tomorrow, but if not, look for TSMS on Saturday! It's almost time for the great music give away!

Blessings to you,
Amy

Monday, September 1, 2008

Faith Lifts - Are You Laboring Today?

Today many are celebrating Labor Day and enjoying a day off from their normal work week. Some have been looking forward to this long holiday weekend, because it provides an opportunity for rest, and rest is what many are seeking. But they are also seeking a full life, which is why they labor so hard. 

To read the rest of this devotion, come join me at Faith Lifts today!

Have a restful Labor Day!
Amy