Summer Challenge Ends Today!

Today is the last day of the Summer Devotions Challenge 2009!

We pray that this has been a rich summer of seeking the Lord and can't wait to hear what He has done in your hearts!

Please be sure to send your charts to us by September 6th, in order to receive your reward! For more details, you can visit www.lovingthelordministries.org! (Please be sure to write a testimony on the back of the chart sheet!)

Know that the greatest reward is a deeper walk with the Lord and the riches of spending time with Him!

May He richly bless you as you continue to seek His face!

Here is a special verse to ponder as we conclude this challenge, but allow it to be only a springboard into a life of seeking the Lord -

“Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” Hosea 6:3

Who Holds First Place?

Stop at this moment... and ask yourself, "Who - or what - holds first place in my heart?"

Let's allow NOTHING to take the Lord's rightful place as first in our hearts!!!

Colossians 1:18, "...that in all things he [Jesus] might have the preeminence."

Nothing is too hard for the Lord

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?"

~ Jeremiah 32:27

Last week of the Summer Devotions Challenge!

This is the last week of the 2009 Summer Devotions Challenge, friends! (The last day is August 31st.) We love hearing your reports of what the Lord is doing and encourage you to finish strong!!!

This is a powerful testimony we received from a young woman named Emma who has been doing the Summer Challenge:

"The Lord really showed me a few times throughout this summer, that I really need to trust Him more and not rely on my own understanding and what I think is right. He also showed me that He wasn't first in my life, and that I had competing affections, mostly fictional books. After I prayed about this and asked Him to help me have more of a desire to read His word (and not other books) and seek Him more, I realized I actually started spending more time in the Bible without trying too, I started learning more then I was before, and I wanted to read more because all of the sudden it seemed easier to understand. I'm so thankful that the Lord answered my prayer, because it has made me see some things in His word and learn more then I thought I could!" :)

May the Lord richly bless your last week of the Challenge!

Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

Start Your Own Loving the Lord Fellowship Group!

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Loving the Lord Girls Fellowship Groups Network! Many young women, mothers and daughters, and church groups have already started these groups and it has been so beautiful to see the results. Now we are launching a Network to support you in this quest!

We strongly believe in the importance and power of seeking the Lord, studying His Word, and sharing fellowship with others who are seeking to love Him. After conferences, we continually hear people express the desire for continued encouragement in seeking the Lord and fellowship with others heading in the same direction. We have found these groups fulfill all of these things and constantly hear incredible responses from those who have participated in them!

These groups take many forms:
- young women's fellowship groups - an older young woman discipling a group of girls
- small groups - mother and daughter groups -one-on-one discipleship study
- Sunday School classes - and more!

So, we encourage you to seriously seek the Lord and consider if you should start a LTL Fellowship Group in your area! Below we are providing information on how to go about starting a group!

You can visit our website and read the information on how to start a group under the LTL Groups section. www.lovingthelordministries.org

The LTLM staff is here to support you in any way as you look at starting a group. If you have specific questions or prayer requests, feel free to contact the Loving the Lord Fellowship Group Facilitator, Elizabeth at elizabeth@lovingthelordministries.org !

Know that you are in our prayers!!! May the Lord richly bless you as you seek His face.

Introducing Amy's Assistant - Elizabeth

It is with so much praise to the Lord that I introduce you to my new assistant, Elizabeth! She is a precious young woman with a heart for Christ, a desire to live a life that is set apart for Him, and a passion to reach young women for His glory. She has been a sweet part of LTL Ministries in the past and it is going to be an incredible blessing to have her even more involved in the days to come! I am so grateful to the Lord for providing for the increasing needs of the ministry through her willingness to serve. So, please join us in welcoming Elizabeth to the LTLM staff team!

Walking with the Lord and Knowing His Love

We are always thrilled to receive testimonies and articles from young women who are following after the Lord! This is an article from a 17 year old young women named Rose, who writes to us from Austin, Texas. Thank you so much for sharing with us, Rose!

Walking and Tripping

This afternoon I took a walk with my four-year-old niece through the woods behind our house. She was so cute and seemed to enjoy every minute of the walk.

As we were coming out of the woods and down a slope in the path she tripped. I pulled up my hand so that she wouldn't fall. She quickly regained her footing and we finished our walk without further incident.

It hit me that this is similar to what God does for us. We reach up with all our might to find the hand of God. He joyfully takes our hand. “Let’s walk together,” He says with a smile. I readily agree. We begin to walk, hand in hand. I'm filled with joy and love.

At first He leads me through woods. “Stay on the path.” He gently reminds me. “And you won't get hurt. Remember that I love you.”

We continue to walk. I get a little tired. The way gets dark. But I still keep in step with Him. Then the trees begin to thin. The sun hits my face like the heat from an oven. The ground slopes down. We begin to walk a little faster. My heart begins to race. Yet His voice and hand lead me on, “Come, this is the way home.” I walk on, beginning to lose my breath.

Then I trip. I forgot the hand that holds mine so firmly. I sin.

Yet His hand still holds mine firmly. Instead of slipping away His hand pulls me up. He lifts me up so that I don't fall. “I'm here,” He says. “I'll keep you.”

So we keep walking together.

Even in those times when I let go of His hand and utterly fall, He stops and calls to me with love. He gently picks me up and carries me close to His heart until I can walk again.

How great and unsearchable is this love that God has given to me, that He holds my hand and walks with me. And He carries me when I fall, no matter what I've done. How great is this love that the Father has lavished on me!

So glad to be in touch...

Dear Friends,

It has been a full and fast summer - and, I trust, a good one for all of you! It blesses us so much to continue to hear about the amazing things the Lord is doing in your hearts and lives!!! Our Lord is so amazing and wants to draw us so near to Himself! Please keep writing and sharing!!! Know that you are always close in heart and we are praying for you!

This summer has been a good and very full one for me. With a different schedule, travels, family time, weddings, etc. in addition to ministry preparation for the coming year, I have not been as available to post on the blog as I would like. But, you can start looking for more regular posts again in the days to come! There is so much to share with you about what the Lord has been and is doing!

Here is a glimpse of what we at LTL Ministries have been up to this summer:
- Concluding so many sweet things from the past year of ministry
- Seeking the Lord for a vision and His will for the coming year
- Planning for the coming ministry year
- Setting up conferences, studies, etc.
- Helping young women start their own LTL groups, host conferences, ministries, etc.
- Updating our records and mailing lists
- Preparing all kinds of new things for Loving the Lord Ministries
- and more!

So, we are so happy to be in touch and look forward to posting much more soon!

On to love our Savior more together!

With so much love in Jesus,
Your sister
Amy

"Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." Hosea 6:3

No eye has seen...

Isaiah 64:4, "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him."