it's a process

i have to admit that sometimes i can be a totally selfish person. it's easy {especially in our culture today} to get wrapped up in the things i want or the things i need without ever really considering what God wants for me or what God knows i need. please understand me--sometimes it's not about material things {although, sometimes it is} i think, though, the underlying issue is who is receiving the glory?

here's the deal...do i want and truly desire to live my life for the Lord and for His glory and not my own? absolutely. do i feel like i'm doing my best in this area of my life? i don't know. i do know that the Lord calls us to be radical in following Him...to take up our cross and follow Him. my heart's desire is that the words i speak and the small decisions {that only He knows about} i make would reflect His glory just as much as "the big things in life." my sunday school teacher mentioned something sunday morning that i know {in my head} but has stuck with me all week long. in reference to living our lives for God's glory he mentioned that when people look at us, they should see a reflection of Jesus. now, he's not saying we are supposed to be or even have the ability to be perfect but it's a process. daily i want the decisions i make; the words that i speak; the text that i post on blogger, facebook, or twitter to reflect Jesus. daily...take up my cross, die to myself and follow Him.

i'm thankful that it's a daily process that is full of God's grace, mercy, and love. my hope and my desire is that when my head hits the pillow every night that more pieces of amy will have been chipped away than the day before so that a clearer reflection of my Jesus can be seen.

"not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." ~ psalm 115:1

long time no blog

so it's been another month or so since i blogged again and i'm beginning to hate having to start posts with this sentence (not to mention, i'm sure it's poor form ;). i haven't given up on blogging it's just that all the ideas for posts in my head have never made it through my fingertips to the blog. today, i'm turning over a new leaf. here's the thing...i really enjoy writing (blogging) but often times i edit myself and talk myself out of posting. i don't mean that i have to edit myself because i'm going to blog about something offensive but i second guess myself as to whether or not i should write about that or if anyone even wants to read about this. no more. no more editing. i mean, the blog is entitled all about the alleys so clearly i should feel the freedom (with discretion, of course ;) to write about whatever i'd like since i am, you know, one of the alleys. so to catch you up on life with the alleys here's a snapshot into what's going on with us (in list form, of course).

• i feel like i've been sick 4,837 times this winter. seriously. most recently i endured (and i'm not trying to be dramatic--it was horrible) strep throat. i'm pretty sure the antibiotic kicked the strep germs out of the party but some part of whatever i had last week is still holding on and i don't know what is up with my immune system but i'm putting it on notice that it better GET IN GEAR. i don't usually type in ALL CAPS but desperate times call for desperate measures. i'm heading to walmart as soon as possible to buy every vitamin they possibly sell.


• things at work are going well for hubs. he's so smart...he seriously amazes me and he's so good at his job. the man also has the patience of job to deal with some of the issues and customers that he does. i try to remind him everyday that he's a rockstar because he totally is ;).


• my best friend in the world is moving to lima, peru. i know. i can't even believe i had it in me to type that sentence. i tend to deal with things like scarlett o'hara...i'll think about that tomorrow so seeing it in black and white on the computer screen is tough. don't get me wrong, i'm super excited for her. God has given her the opportunity to fulfill one of her lifelong dreams of becoming a missionary. the situation could not be more perfect for her and the way everything unfolded was clearly from the Lord. you can follow her during this exciting new chapter in her life by reading her blog.


• in other non-important news, i am loving the new (well, fairly new) gel nailpolish by opi. i love that it's just nail polish on my real nails that doesn't chip. i'm totally hooked.


• i've been teaching preschool choir at our church on wednesday nights and those short 30 minutes of my week, every week, never disappoint me. they are a hilarious group of kiddos who can be quite rambunctious when they want to be...well, they pretty much are quite the handful every week but i love it. we're working on learning 3 songs and a memory verse for the children's choir night of worship in may. our memory verse is in the book of deuteronomy. yes, was i even thinking when i picked a verse in deuteronomy? we have the verse completely memorized but are now spending time learning how to say, "deuteronomy." either way, they'll be cute as they can be on the stage...deuteronomy or not.


• like the new look to the blog? if you're reading through email or a reader, you'll have to hop over to the actual blog to see it. i loooove it. i wanted a fresh, new look for the new leaf i'm turning over. danielle moss did a great job. this was one of her "pre-made" templates and i couldn't love it anymore if she had designed it specifically for us!

i'll be back tomorrow or the day after (new leaf, remember?) with more exciting news or insights from the alleys.