May God Heal Our Land
Genuine repentance always opens the way to restoration. I feel that one of the saddest realities of life this side of heaven is the way we can drift away from the Lord when all is well in our lives. When we have full bank accounts, good health, and other temporal blessings, we can become like the rich fool in Luke 12:16–20, self-satisfied and self-absorbed. As the parable shows us, that kind of heart orientation can have eternal consequences. We see this reality play out in nations too. For instance, when the economy is booming and we live in [...]
A Dream Come True!
The Lord has done great things for us, And we are glad. —Psalm 126:3 Something very exciting happened. I received the author copies* of my book! I’ve been anticipating their delivery for about a week, since my publisher, Post Hill Press, emailed me to ask for a good mailing address. Over the past few days, every time a package landed on my porch, I snatched it up and eagerly looked at the recipient’s name. Thus far, all of them had my husband’s name, not mine. So, when a tidy little box with my name on it arrived the [...]
The Rejection of Knowledge
Are we seeking true knowledge or mere information? Last week, I blogged about my daily Bible reading and journaling habit. However, I have a confession: I don’t spend as much time reading my Bible as I can or should. Do I read it every day? Yes. But am I investing as much time in it as I do other activities, like watching YouTube, playing games on my phone, or falling down research rabbit holes? No. What if, instead of queueing up the next video the algorithm recommended to me, I listened to beautiful hymns? What if, instead of [...]
A Daily Habit
Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. —Psalm 119:11 I started my first diary in December 1989. I’d received one for Christmas that year—the kind with a small lock and tiny key. It was one of my favorite gifts and initiated a lifelong love of journaling, although I’ve never been consistent with keeping a daily journal. Like many people, I can keep a bad habit going strong forever. But establish a good habit? Not so much! About a decade ago, I asked God to help me establish a daily Bible [...]
And God Relented
It’s an honor to pray for God’s enemies—and for ours. As a follow-up to last week’s blog post, I wanted to share another excerpt from my forthcoming book that relates to the topic of praying for our enemies. We’ll again revisit the Old Testament, but this time we’re delving into the story of Jonah, arguably one of the most famous prophets. May Jonah’s story challenge and inspire us to better see others as the Lord sees them. With love in Christ, Amanda xoxo So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and [...]
Never Too Far Gone for God
Do you ever feel like someone is a “lost cause”? Do you think you are a lost cause? In 2025 I’ve been using A Year in the Old Testament for my morning Bible time. The book follows the lectionary readings for the church year, which includes a psalm, passages from the Old and New Testaments, a brief meditation on the readings, and a short prayer. I’ve loved many things about this approach, including learning more about the church seasons, festivals, and commemorations, as well as seeing the way Scripture so beautifully weaves together. Last week’s reading included passages [...]
Guarding Our Hearts and Minds
What do we allow to steal our peace? I’ve dealt with anxiety for most of my life, and I know I’m not alone in this struggle. I hear from many people who are anxious about lots of different things, including the state of our country. This compelled me to write about this topic in my forthcoming book. Over the past couple of weeks, horrific acts of violence have stunned our nation. Families have had loved ones tragically taken away from them, and our hearts break alongside theirs. It’s understandable that these kinds of situations can cause people to [...]
Learning to Love the Wait
Be still, and know that I am God. —Psalm 46:10 (NKJV) Stories of my childhood are rare, and I have few memories of my life before age five. Recently, my mother shared an early-life anecdote with me: You sat on the floor, on your baby blanket Ma crocheted for you. You were chatting on your little phone and working on a wooden puzzle. The dog kept rolling her ball to you. You’d continue chatting and roll the ball, then get back to your puzzle. I watched you doing all of this for a few minutes and shook my [...]
Doing What Is Good, Right, and True
True greatness comes from a heart aligned with God’s will. A major focus of my forthcoming book is biblical leadership, especially for civil authorities. What are the characteristics of a biblical leader? And who serves as an example of such a leader? Sadly, when we read through the Old Testament, particularly the books that cover the monarchy, every single human ruler placed over the nation of Israel—and later the divided kingdom—fell short. Even King David, called “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22), succumbed to his sinful nature, leading to both personal and national [...]
My Cup Overflows
My cup runs over. —Psalm 23:5 (NKJV) This week’s post will be short and sweet because I’m attending the Henkel Conference, an annual event held at my church. My husband always does an amazing job curating speakers who dive deep into what’s going on in our culture. Their presentations both challenge and encourage Christians to keep fighting the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12). After the conference ends, my cup overflows. There’s something so life-giving about spending time with like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ, having meaningful conversations and enjoying one another’s company in between sessions and over a [...]