An Invitation

Join us
August 15th at 6pm at
 SIMPLICITY COFFEE SHOP
In Lebanon, Missouri
and hear the stories of
EMBRACING HOPE ETHIOPIA 

I introduced you to EHE just a little over a year ago when we were in Ethiopia and saw first hand the work they are doing. We want you to come and experience the work they are doing too. 

 I'm telling you, you MUST come and hear their stories, learn about these women and see what God is doing to restore their lives.  Trust me, you don want to miss it! 

The {well} call

Yesterday I had the honor of being featured on The Well Studio! This site is there to encourage and support women like you and me who want to live{well} while balancing work and pursuing God's plan for us. (check them out- you will be inspired plus the share these adorable work place Wednesdays- adorable I tell you!  I discovered The Well Studio  around the same time as the IF:Gathering and felt God pushing me.

Y'all know, seriously-I am not a writer. I have awful spelling (and by awful I mean terribly hideous) and horrible grammar ( I blame the grammar on 3 years in England during the prime years of elementary but now that I'm in my 30's and have a masters degree I am told I cant use that excuse any more). If you have noticed, I also tend to write run on sentences and use these things { } or ( ) way to much!

But, the more I read the Well blogs the more I felt "the nudge". Until finally in April I wrote from my heart and submitted it with some crazy please accept this written piece and know I am no professional. (Note- my amazing best friend Ashlee who happens to have a degree in English did me the honor of editing for spelling and function. However, I didn't hear back so I thought- Okay, not my thing, maybe the nudge was wrong.

Then last week, I got this awesome e-mail....

love love love this post! thanks for your patience in us getting back with you!!!!! we are going to get this scheduled within the next week

WHAT????????   I could not believe it....Me- the horrible speller and whacked out grammar typer... Published!!! I realize this is not like a novel or a series, however here is the deal. I was inspired, felt "the nudge" went for it and BAM... out of no where validation and confirmation! God is indeed teaching me and growing me bigger then I ever though imaginable. Now, this growth is hard, hard stuff and causes lots of anxiety for me but oh so good too. Love how God has my life in his hands!
 {Can someone please tattoo that on my forehead and my heart so I will remember
 my life is in HIS hands?-thank you}

I was super excited to share it with you. Hope you check it out and for those entrepreneurs and business peeps out there, may this encourage you to grow too!

5 ways to work a full-time job and grow a side business {well}

July 24, 2014 By Amanda Collins   <-----THAT'S ME!!!!! 

5 things that make me beautiful

Disclaimer:this is not to offend or condem, simply my own self examination of beauty. 

I saw this trending line on facebook and it stumped me. Post 5 pictures that make you feel beautiful. Facebook became plastered with women posting selfies and glammed out pictures. They tagged their girlfriends asking them to continue on the thread of posting "pictures that make you feel beautiful".

That is until one of my sweet friend really put some thought into the question. She choose not to focus on her beautiful pictures but instead the things in life that make her beautiful.

                              [While at first I avoided this knowing isn't my beauty 

                               I decided to share what I feel is.  I challenge any lady 

                               that would like to show off their beauty]

                                              -keeping her anonymous in case she wants to remain so. 

You know what she shared? 

     God's opinion
      Her church
      Her family
      Time with her daughter
      Sleep

This made me question, what does make us "beautiful" and what is "beauty". How often do we see beauty as this outward appearance- how the world sees us and defines us, rather than who we are? 

I really appreciated her take on this thread and the thought she gave to it. I think we so often times loose sight of what really makes us beautiful and instead get in our heads that our worth is created by our "beauty" and our "beauty" created by our looks. That this outward appearance defines how beautiful we are and thus how valuable we are. 

Because last time I checked I didn't pick out this face. I didn't choose to be born a red head or choose to have freckles, nor can I change having freckles. It has no determining factor on who I am or how I act other than the simple fact of melanin gathered in my skin. Why should my "beauty" be determined by something I didn't determine? 

   

                            

                                    

You know, yesterday I had an amazing evening getting to honor and pray over a sweet 13 year old girl. During this time of sharing with this new woman, the theme of beauty kept flowing in and out of our conversations. The verse was shared that really hit home with me and I hope it will hit home with you too. 

1 Peter 3:3-4

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

Then I went searching with my hand dandy glossary and found this too-

1 Samuel 16:7 

....For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but The Lord looks on the heart.

       

2 Corinthians 4;16 

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

I am one of the worst at worrying about how I look and certainly a personal offender of using more than one filter combined before I post a selfie or two. I'm not saying having pride or self respect is bad. Just thinking that maybe our looks don't really define who we are and what we can do which is our REAL BEAUTY! 

After all, at my funeral they are not going to talk about how pretty I was or stunningly georgeous, instead I hope they will talk about the impact I made and how I made people feel. 

So...What makes me beautiful???


         I am who God says I am. My family makes me a beautiful person.  The impact I may have on others. The the way I make others feel. My ability to laugh constantly {which may often time lead to snorting} 

                    

Until next time, 

   

          -Amanda 








  


        

Late night meanderings

Some things on my mind (in no particular order)
   WARING -This is what you get when I am all wound up on coffee and my ADHD is running rampant at 11:40pm.


We are already a week into July and I have very few weeks of summer left! Aahhhh.....How am I "intentionally" spending my days?


I started running again today and I feel great. For motivation, I drive where I just run to see how far I go. Something about that inspires me. What inspires you?


I love reading the #styleforjustice updates on the Noonday Rwanda blogger trip and pretending I am right there with them. Amazed at how little I really knew about the genocide that occurred. See how much you can learn too.


Because I ran, I am now hungry.


Still struggling for God's whole plan for my life. Don't you wish he could give us like little previews for where he has you going?


Remembering not to focus on my "whole life" and trying to just live in the moment and rest.


Yes, I should rest (after all I did run today) and eat.


I have only bought Starbucks once since my last blog post....When I think of starbucks I now associate it with kids, hungry and lonely. How is it I so easily forget? (And yes- for those of you thinking- my coffee money has been redistributed to a better cause).


With our garden, I have enough squash and zucchini to feed an army- so we are sending it to the army of missionaries. New tribes- I hope you like your veggies!


Embracing Hope Ethiopia will be here in a month, cant wait to share their story with you!


I really have some cute kids, just saying,


Chickens (IE- my free range chickens) are dumb. We are now down to 4, apparently they love our car tires.


Three of our four children have been in the ER multiple times this past 4 weeks and two of the four had surgery but yet not one has had a viral bug-crazy! Another tidbit, I have been to or consulted with doctors at least three times each week this summer and we don't even have dental appointment's yet.


Hmmm...how well did my kids brush their teeth?


Okay, It is now midnight, I must go to bed.


Night,


   -Amanda