Give It All To Him

The Lord has really been messing with me lately. I am in a weird part of my life right now and sometimes it hard to really know what the Lord wants me to do. I struggle daily with being the woman that He created me to be. I went to the Clemson vs. Carolina football game yesterday. If you know me you know that I LOVE FOOTBALL and that the Lord will bless me with a husband who loves it just as much as I do. I love the excitement and the thrill of the game and the suspense of every play once the ball it hiked. It was also cold and rainy and I have lost a good bit of my voice. Anyways after the game we were walking back to our tailgate and I just heard Clemson fans screaming in unison the classic cheer of "C-L-E-M-S-O-N T-I-G-E-R-S FIGHT TIGERS FIGHT TIGERS FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT" They were all coming together to celebrate a victory over their biggest rival. Now here is where the weird part of me kicks in. As I listened I started to think about how excited these people including me were excited to watch the team they cheer for a dedicate a lot of their time to have a great win. Then I started to think about christians and the Victory that Christ will always have over Satan. I then started to realize how much we have lost excitement for the strength and the power of the God that we serve. I just started really pondering how we scream and yell out our lungs for the team but how we don't do it for Him. Why is this? It's screwed up if you ask me. He deserves the best and ultimate praise from His people. I have more thoughts on this subject but I am going to leave you with this to think about. what are you giving your true worship and praide to instead of to the God you claim to Love and serve. And I am not saying that you should not go to these games and enjoy yourself but just don't praise them more than you praise Him.

I mean our God is Victorious and there will NEVER be a battle or a game that He cannot conquer. He is most high and He the blessed Savior. I also really just love time with football because people are just so friendly with one another. You know to an extent there are times of fighting and anger but really when your team scores a touch down and have excitement even if you don't know the person beside you, you still turn to them and smile and highfive and sometime hug. Just think how awesome it would be if His people would come together and just love every person that they saw and just together as one body of believers and worshiped Him and praised Him with all that they have. So that they will lose their voices in the presence of their Lord. I just love the picture above because it shows unity and it is what I pray that the church and the body of believers one day might have.

(this blog is a little confusing I am sorry)

Draw Me Closer

These words were given to me and I heard them today...

For your nearness Lord I hunger
For your nearness Lord I will
hold me ever closer father
Such a love I cant escape
For your nearness I am hoping
For your nearness lord I long
I have no need of any other
I have found where i belong
Draw me nearer Lord
Never let me go
Closer to your heart
Draw me nearer Lord
In your nearness there is healing
What was broken now Whole
Restoration in its fullness
Lasting hope to all who come
In your nearness I take shelter
Where you are is where I am home
I have need of only one thing
To be here before your throne
Draw me nearer
Never let go
Closer to your heart
Draw me nearer Lord
And keep me here
Keep me here
There is no where else I would rather be
So keep me here
There is no where else i would rather be
So draw me nearer Lord
Never let me go
Closer to your heart
Draw me nearer Lord
Draw me nearer Lord

I Will Worship

I will worship the one who threw to stars to the night and i will worship the one that tells the sun to shine and I will worship you Lord. My hands I lift you, My voice I lift to you, my heart I lift to you hallelujah. I will worship the one who calmed the raging sea and I will worship the one who hushed the rage in me and i will worship you lord. My hands my I lift to you, my voice I lift to you, my heart I lift to you hallelujah. Prince of Peace ,Almighty God, Counselor, Holy One, Son of Man Resurrection and the Life, king of kinds Jesus Christ. You are faithful, I will praise you all my days. For your glory I offer you every that I am and have. I will follow you all the way. God of all creation you are awesome and you are magnificent. I will rejoice in your name oh Lord. When I see the morning rise over the mountains I see your mercy and your mighty hand. Only you can satisfy me and turn my sorrow to the sea. I was made to worship you!!! He have filled my heart with wonder and you bring to know i am forgiven and free and I will worship all of my days.

So that we will arise and worship

My only words for you today is what is said in this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qfLsi8qWK4

You Alone I Live For

"When everything feels like it could be falling apart and it's all you can do to fight tears, Worship Him. When things are great, worship. When you just feel stuck, worship Him." -AR-

Today I want to encourage you to sit and stop and worship Him. Everyone has their own form of worship. Some would say just getting lost in His word or just looking out on His creations. Some would even say it was to sit with others and give words of encouragement. If you feel lead to worship Him through prayer then pray. I want to leave you with a song that is the worship of my heart. (of course it is a song) If you decide to listen to it today I just want to ask one thing of you. Stop what you are doing and put all the work in your hands down, set aside the thoughts in your head for the 5 minutes and really experience the Lord. Let Him talk to you and let Him tell you the ways of His heart and let Him be your fulfillment. This world and today's people have truly lost what it means to "be still" we live these lives that are so busy and are so full of sin and finding joy material enjoyments that we feel the inconvenience sometimes of God. HE SHOULD NEVER BE AN INCONVENIENCE OR A SECOND THOUGHT! He should be your first and only thought. I struggle with this everyday and I am not going to sit here and tell you to do something that I am not trying myself. Everyday I struggle with striving to live a life glorifying to Him. I am in love with my Savior but I still have times where I have doubt, where I have so many questions, I have feelings brokenness, hate, healing, hurt, hunger, confusion, chaos, pain, loveless, emptiness. Today I just sat and just responded to Him today. I tried to write down everything that came to my mind when I was listening to this song. I am so grateful to serve such a forgiving and gracious God.

I put my i-tunes of shuffle this morning and this was the first song and is the song I am going to share. I know most people who read my blog that I know of, know this song verily well. But really just listen to not just the words but what the Lord is saying with the music and what is being said between the lines. I am going to post two songs today. I encourage you to listen to listen to them both. If you have not checked out or have listened to Chris Tomlin's new CD "Hello Love" I HIGHLY recommend and it and I guarantee it will change your life. It is absolutely amazing and is so powerful. It is praise Jesus for real all the time. But the 2Nd song is a song that I have had for a while and it comes back to me at various times in my life.

The first song is God of this City...Really listen to this song and let Him speak. Shut-up for one moment and give your thoughts to Him for a change. I have had to learn to do this as well. If this doesn't speak to you then I think you need to be thinking about other things you need to get right with Him because He should always be your excitement. (even if you know these songs still just listen, this is my favorite version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGkEE5dwmdY

This song is just my heart and really just brings me to a new place with Him every time I listen to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BL29sBMyjs

To end my blog today and I am impressed if you lasted this long and read all of this. I wanted to share what came to me this morning with my time with the Lord...

My God you are my God...You give me peace in times of destruction. You the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Prince of Peace, Almighty God. You are mighty to save. You are the resurrection. You fill my soul and you are my soul. You're my only purpose. You are sovereign. You are loving. You are Love. You give me courage. You are my Hands and you are my one pure and holy passion. You are my desire. You are the most majestic painter. You are creative God. You are my Maker. You are my Creator. You are my counselor. You are Brilliant. You are all deserving. You are my Joy. You give me hope. You are my Melody. You are my song. you are trusting. you are my obsession. You are worthy of all things. You are pure. You are partner. You are my Father. You are my Flame. You are my blessing. You are my only meaning. You are Real. You are my virtue. You are my freedom. You are my strength. You are my encouragements. You are my heart. I am your daughter. I am made in your image. You are all honoring. You are Good. You are unfailing. You are Emmanuel. You bring light to darkness. You are my voice. You are my joy. You the whispers of my heart. You are Grace. You are my Victory and You are victorious. You are my Risen Savior. My Jesus Christ. I am your and you are mine. You know far better than I and if destruction is what I need then I will receive it Lord from thee. I need you like burning flame. You the eye the storm watching over and its the eye in the storm only wanting good for me. All my plans fail with I see your glory. Who am I to plan and decide of my desires because you alone I live for. I am a sinner found in your presence. You are exalted and your glory surrounds you. Holy Holy is you Lord God Almighty. You reign over me and over these nations. You are the center of my life. You are Holy God over us. Once died to be my Savior. I can not understand your mysteries and that brings me excitement to search more into your heart Lord. I stand in wonder of my you my Savior. You died to save and with you Jesus you filled the hole in heart with the nails of your hands. You love and you forgive. "My Savior Loves, My Savior Lives, My Savior is always there for me, My God He was My God is always gonna be." I sit here God awaiting your guidance. I'm wanting only your voice to be heard.

The Melodies That Touch The Soul

Music is a sensation; it's a form of expression. It releases stress. It is some people's way of communicating the love language of the heart. And it is form of art and it has multiple elements or rythm, melody, harmony, and my favorite color. Just hearing the sweet, pleasing, or harmonious sounds of a song can change my whole attitude. I have had a lost of stress lately with life and a dear friend who is a blessing to my soul showed me to what is now my favorite place on this campus. It is now the home to my sould and it brings me to some of my most vulnerable moments. I love to get away from people and just be with the Lord and I have been brought to a piano. It really brings me to my face with the Lord. It allows me to have wordless converations with the Lord. He can read my heart and I can play the melodies and the harmonies of my soul through hurt, sadness, anger and happiness. It is my form of expression and praise to God my father. The Lord gave me my ear for the piano and I am so greatful. I truly believe that when I sit down at the piano and just give myself unto the Lord that He brings out my songs and HE is my melody. ( i love that). Yesterday I completely lost myself in the music and just played. He gave me the sweetest melody of His heart. This place is now my getaway and it describes His love for me, and His willingness to hold my world all together. I have come to love the piano more than ever and I love just sitting there and playing with the keys and chords. I recorded a video because I can't always remember what I play and it is dark because it is late at night and it was in the chapel and I don't know how to turn the big lights on. But I hope you enjoy this and I am a little vulnerable to share becaue I normally keep this to myself even from family. But the Lord layed it on my heart this evening to share a hidden side of my heart. The only way I could take it off of my cyberlink cam is to upload it youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3oIVdXGAxE

You're Not Alone

This song just spoke to me. It is just so true for my life and for the Love that is given by Him. I don't have many words for you today. All I ask is that you will listen to this song and let the Lord do the talking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgz_GI7h_U8

My Prayer
Heavenly Father,
I live for the fulfillment of you my Lord Jesus Christ. I want nothing more than to please you father and complete the duties of your will for my life. I am woman who has been broken but everyday I am learning that because of my brokenness I am bringing glue into someones life. Thank you Lord for Life, Thank you Lord for the gifts of your creation. Thank you for you, thank you for right now. Thank you for this day and the opportunity to know you and serve you. Thank you for your presence always. Thank you for your unconditional love and forgiveness. Help me to open my heart and know your unconditional love and forgiveness and extend it outward and to open my eye and see your light in all who cross my path today in loving, unattached service to your will. My gracious Lord I place my future in your hands and choose to experience peace within your grace, feeling joined and connected with you who have been always and will be always, and with all those who have, who do, and who will cross my path, seeing their light, being a love finder and a love giver opening my heart to know your unconditional love and forgiveness and extending it outward. Praise the father praise the son praise the spirit three in one. Hallelujah. My hope is found in you, I hold on tightly you will never let me go. Jesus you will never fail. Mercy has found a way for me Jesus you are all WE need. What a Savior you are, you were crucified and now you are alive. Your Grace has made a way to the cross. Thank you for loving me. Amen

Your Daughter,

Amy Richardson



Today I lost a good friend of mine due to a drunk driver driving into her lane. I have experienced death in my life before and I have lost friends in the past. But what is different about this specific friend is that I did not think anything out of the ordinary in our friendship. We sat near one another in choir my freshman year in High School. Yes, she was a little different of a person but I always found her to be hilarious and she just had so much joy. We never hung out, outside of school but when we were able to talk in school I had some of the most fascinating conversations. At the end of senior year she wrote in my yearbook "Thank you for never once judging me and just loving me for who I am. You have shown me a light Amy Richardson. Thank you for never throwing your beliefs in my face but allowing me to see them just by your spirit..." I wish that I could know that she has seen the light to Jesus Christ and is now in the arms of her maker but all I can do is pray that she is.. My heart is broken for her family and my heart hurts because of a loss to a good friend. I pray that I was the light that she needed to see.

KNOWLEDGE + POWER = GODLINESS

Will you obey Him when He speaks to you? That is the question that I have been struggling with and pondering over the past couple of days. Sometimes I wonder if without even knowing it have I not opened my ears to what the Lord has called me to do and I have done my own thing without having Him be the center of my decision making. I have been given a couple of opportunities to take part in this coming summer. Last summer I got the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Calgary, Canada for 8 days last July. It it was a completely different experience because I was no longer a youth on a youth mission trip where you had the mommy's and daddy's to take care of your stuff during travel and they made sure you ate and got sleep. This trip was with 4 awesome other individuals with my church and I was responsible for myself but anyways that is beside the point. I have been on many trips across the seas and within the United States and I have always left with a heart just wanting to stay and be with them. But when I left Canada I left with a heart that was not finished. I left my heart in the country and in that city. It is the most beautiful and the most majestic place that I have been. The people there are just so full of spirit and just are extremely friendly. They live in 700,000 to 1 million dollar houses, drive nice cars, wear the lastest brand of clothing and most have both parents living in the home. The crazy thing about it, is it is such a dark place spiritually. There are 1 million people in the city of Calgary and 900,000 people do not know the Lord. It amazed me because it was not poverty that kept them from knowing the Lord. They live fine lives and some live materially better lives then I but they are just so dark. I led a soccer camp the week I was there and I became close with my 4Th and 5Th graders. Especially on little girl named Brooklyn. I pray for this little girl and her family everyday. She is an amazing little girl and has some mad skills with a soccer ball. she started out in the beginning of the week quiet but as I got to know her she would not stop talking. Brooklyn is from a Mormon family. That just broke my heart because when we would have a devotion at the end of every day's camp she would say that what "our" Bible said was different than hers and was not true. When I got back in the car to head to lunch that day I could not help myself but to cry. I specifically prayed for her all week. And on the last day she invited me to walk her home (and in Canada you don't automatically have trust you have to earn it and getting invited and welcomed into someones home is a BIG deal). I felt so honored to be able to walk her home and she invited me into her home to show me her room. I was then able to meet her mom and what her mom said to me I will never forget. She said thank you because Brooklyn came home from camp everyday talking about me and that she has seen something in me and in the other leaders she has never seen in anyone else. That blessed my heart because it showed me that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing and that is shining the light of Jesus Christ. God is so powerful and so strong and it amazes me how He shows himself. I left Canada with a feeling like I had forgotten something and when I finally returned to my home I realized that was my heart. I have fallen in love with this country and it's people. These kids left an impression on my heart that will never fade. God did not only use me to teach them something but He used them to show me how much I forget how Good He really is and His Glory is so strong. I have had spiritual highs before but they have all faded down when the returning to home but it is 5 months later and I am still excited about this ministry and of Southwinds church and I pray for the missionaries there everyday. They had there first Baptism last month and I praise God for that. But now for the meaning of this post and it is because I have been offered to spend 3 months as the summer missionary there this summer working on a youth ministry. I have been praying for a long time that the Lord would show himself in this situation and in my decision making. I also might have the opportunity to work at a summer camp. I have always wanted to work for a camp and I have heard that it is an experience of a lifetime. This morning in my quiet time with the Lord I opened my Bible to Jeremiah 6:16 and it says " This is what the Lord says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the eternal path, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls" This verse really gave me a reassurance that if I truly trust in the Lord in the decisions that I make then they will be made in His will. I have a heart for both things that I am given a chance to be a part of but I am only worried that I drain out the voice of my God and fill my head with the voice of my own wants and desires. Maybe it is not my time to return to Canada just yet and the Lord wants me to experience a new setting and work at a summer camp which is where my heart was until I was offered the opportunity to return to Canada so soon. As I read this verse as I ponder every angle of it. "Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ETERNAL path - where the good way is and you will find rest in your souls." God is showing me that when He calls me to live for Him, He will bring to places- crossroads in my life- and they may not make sense to me. They may see like a foolish choice. Yet, He wants me to look at this crossroad in terms of its ETERNAL value. Sometimes that means that He will ask me to make a decision that will not seem to be the best in regarding finances, or safety or whatever. Others may think I'm foolish to follow that path BUT when I am sure of what God is asking, we need to remember Peter in Luke 5:1-11. Jesus knows the beginning from the end. I need to trust HIM. I need to follow the path that HE is asking me to walk not the path I find more comfortable or know the best. Jeremiah ends this verse with REST with my soul. That to me is a beautiful payment. No matter what success I might have had apart from Christ, there will not be that SOUL rest. So now I wait and call on the paths of the Lord whether it is to work serving Him in Canada or work serving Him at a summer camp. If you have time today or sometime this week and if you remember please pray for His people in Canada. There are a lot of needs and I pray that Jesus will be there sunshine and they will see that they are given such blessed lives and have these talents and they will come to know there creator and the God who gave them all that they have. And also pray for SouthWinds church as it reaches out to lost people and still encourages new believers. Also pray that the Lord will keep them secure with all financial needs. Here are a few pictures that just remind me of how brilliant our Lord God is and He is good to His people even when we forsake Him. Also just pray that will seek to know His will for my life and that the decision I come to make is His choice not mine.

Wonders of the World

Yesterday, I was on my way back to school after waiting in line and voting like the true American I am but anyways I spotted the most beautiful rainbow that I have ever seen. After a few moments of looking out on the rainbow I spotted how spectacular this time of year is and how we forget how beautiful this world truly is, and how brilliant the creator is. God is most creative and has the most majestic paintings. He is the artist of all artist. His painting in the sky yesterday absolutely took my breath away. The Lord created a beautiful day yesterday you saw every inch of His beautiful wonders and that I am thankful. You know it amazes me that the sunset is never the same. You will never find the sky the exact way as the day before. It is so awesome to think that God's creativity and LOVE never runs dry. I just absolutely adore and love the colors of the leaves around my school. I love to just sit outside and do my work because the scenary is absolutely gorgeous. I just wanted to share a few pictures that truly captures the greatness of God.

I trust in the election of my Lord

I have written a post but I am still debating whether or not I am going to publish it. I am a very opinionated person, and literally everyone that I have met including family, close friends, and teachers have all told me that at least once. There is a good and bad side it. But if you know me you know that I am fascinated with and love US History and American Government. Those classes in high school I left with a warm fuzzy feeling and I was the nerd who finished US History with a 100 average. Anyways today I am going to get to vote in the presidential election. And if I decide to post my opinions (which probably wont happen) then you will know my livid and hurting feelings towards this election. But today I pray that whatever the outcome is when I wake up in the morning (which I am a nerd and I have always watched the polls) I will find comfort and peace in the Almighty God who holds this country in His hands. I am trusting in my Lord that things will be alright and that His will, will be done. America has fallen short to the Glory of God. Christians have failed at their jobs and a time of persecution will come for this country. All non-believers and believers who talk the talk but don't live the life should fear the Lord, because He WILL reign again. Todays world is so much like the Old Testament in so many ways. It is time that us, as Christians speak the truth of the Lord and stop putting daisy's in the middle of the gospel. I am going to stop myself now before I offend anyone because I seem to that a lot in this specific subject.

God please Bless America

So of course you know that I cant leave you without a song. On shuffle my ipod turned this on and let me tell you my roommate and I had a time of praising God. This song made me feel better about the day. and yes I am a huge kirk franklin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGGg_bfIkUU

Happy Day!

You know things in life are not always going to be laughs and giggles but the Lord intended us all to laugh and enjoy our time. Lately I have been noticing how Christians have lost their excitement for Christ. I am not saying that in a stereotypical thing that Christians are a click but from what I have observed is that during worship why do we stand still? Why do we not scream the fact that I am alive because I am alive in Christ? Personally I am more than excited to be the daughter of the King. It brings me hope to know that I have a Savior that loves me. Wow Jesus loves me Amy Richardson, man that is freaking amazing. I cant help myself wanting to scream and shout and jump and dance (yes dance) and go crazy because their is a King that holds me in His hands. I have received grace and because of that HE HAS SAVED ME. I love my Lord and I am proud to scream it from the top of my lungs and let everyone know that He is alive in me. I love the fact the Almighty King who is bigger than all the universe made me. He loves my heart, He loves me smile, He loves my passion, He loves me in my hurts, He receives praises from my voice, He loves me so much He was willing to die for me, and for that I am changed. I JUST LOVE JESUS AND I AM GOING TO CELEBRATE IT.