Encouraging Siblings in Seeking Christ

We were blessed to hear about what the Lord lead these two sisters to do in encouraging their brothers in pursuing Christ. We encourage you to consider doing something similar with your siblings!

"We were so excited when we found out LTLM was hosting a Bible challenge this summer. Since the goal of reading and memorizing God's Word is wonderful for anyone - not just young ladies - we invited our three brothers to join us for the summer pursuit. They each invited other young men they know to be their accountability partners, and they encouraged one another in manliness and in God's Word. We were thrilled to have them join us in this mutual summer goal, and for their prize, we sisters made them a special dinner and dessert, and cards exhorting them in their journey seeking the Lord.

As the pursuit neared its end, since all of us enjoyed the pursuit so much, we decided that we would host another "pursuit" this fall so we all could continue seeking the Lord together. Again, our brothers have joined us in our fall quest, with new accountability partners.

It's been so exciting to seek the Lord together as sisters, siblings, as a family, and with godly friends! This quest to know the Lord better will never end and will span into eternity when we all bow unitedly before Christ's throne praising Him forever! Why don't you make a challenge for all of your siblings to do in the coming month(s)? May we seek His face every day and every minute He gives us! "My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times." (Psalm 119:20)"

~ Sarah and Rachael Bryant (Kansas)

Summer Pursuit Testimonies

Here are a few of the wonderful testimonies that we have received from young women who took part in the Summer Pursuit this past summer! We plan to post more in the days to come, so be sure to check back! May the Lord bless you ALL as you continue to pursue our precious Savior! He is worth seeking with all that we are!

I really enjoyed being a part of the Summer Pursuit this year! It helped me to stay in the habit of spending time with God – even in the busy summer months. It has strengthened my faith in Christ and I have learned a lot!
~ Bethany, Texas

I truly believe I fell in love with Jesus even more. I mostly learned more about new attributes of God and how forgiving He is. He’s more wonderful to me every day! I learned so much this summer – so much more about Jesus – and I can’t wait to learn more!
~ Lily, Iowa

This summer has been a wonderful summer. God has done so much in my life; so many blessings! Reading my Bible every day was very hard. I failed many times, but God gave me strength and helped me persevere even though I was busy and sometimes didn’t want to be in God’s Word. Reading everyday has helped me learn more about Who my saving God is; but there is so much more to know! Memorizing verses was especially helpful. Now I have God’s words and promises in my head with me all the time! Before I never really made myself memorize God’s Word, but now that I have, I am so glad. God has been so gracious and good to me, more than I deserve. ~ Minnesota

I was so encouraged by it, and feel that I have drawn a lot closer to the Lord!
~ Martha, Alabama

What a blessing to have a set time each day for reading His Word and also to have accountability for memorizing. Accountability really helps and it was wonderful to get to talk and be encouraged every 2 weeks when we talked! The time requirement led me to spend more time in the Word and made me more “at home” in regard to where different verses/passages are found… and opened my eyes to new ones. I’ve found many “treasure” verses throughout this summer…
~ Maggie, Alabama

I’ve been blessed by how God has used the Summer Pursuit to show me the eternal importance of spending time with Him (in His Word). Our summer was super busy with so much to do and no matter what did get done, I look at my chart and see a huge amount of total time that I know was not wasted… it was spent in the best possible way. No regrets!
~ Annamarie, Minnesota

"For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee."

~ Psalm 84:10-12

This makes us so happy!

It has been an amazing blessing to receive your charts from the Summer Pursuit and to hear what the Lord did in your hearts as you have pursued Him this summer! We look forward to sharing some of your testimonies soon!!! May this only be the start of a lifetime of faithfully seeking our amazing Jesus!

“…Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.” Hosea 6:3

His Plan is Perfect!

Dear Friends,

This past Saturday my little brother Eric was married to his sweet fiancé Anna. (You may remember both Eric and Anna from some of the young women’s conferences in the past. Eric did technology related work and Anna lead worship or played the piano.) They both love the Lord, are committed to live for Him, and are a powerful pair for His glory! I am so excited for them and what the Lord has in store for them living for Him side-by-side!

Through this exciting season, the Lord has reminded me of some beautiful truths that I wanted to share with you:

1. Jesus is fully sufficient - He is ALL that we need!
In every new season of life, we have the opportunity to cling to Jesus, know Him in new ways, and find Him to be everything we need. He has been this for me! His love is beautiful and our love for Him can grow so much deeper. As I watched Eric and Anna in love, it made me want to always be ever deepening my knowledge of and love for my Jesus. In this time, He has been meeting with me, bringing so many reminders of His love (yes, tons of heart-shaped things!), and bringing such delight as a result! He is what we are longing for, dear friends and He is so ready to be everything to us, if we will allow Him to be!
…And He never changes. So many other things in life WILL change, but He is always the same. Malachi 6:3 has been a sweet verse He gave to me during this time, “I am the Lord, I do not change…”

2. You will never regret investing in and having a close relationship with your siblings!
We have talked at the conferences about the importance of having a close relationship with your siblings. I want to tell you that in every season of life, you will see this reality more and be even more grateful for every investment you have made. When you are at home, you have a special daily opportunity to build relationships – and when you live apart, it takes a different effort. But, it is a life-long precious relationship in which to keep investing! Watching my little brother get married made me so grateful for the closeness we share and glad for every investment we made in one another’s lives… and it is to be continued, just in a new way! “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7

3. God writes the best love stories!
As you live surrendered to Him and seeking to love Him, He will allow His perfect plan for you to unfold in the area of romance. In watching Eric and Anna, I am more convinced than ever that we only want GOD’S will – HIS timing, HIS way, HIS purpose, HIS person for us (or lack thereof), and HIS glory! That is what is best for us and for His glory – and we don’t want anything else!!! His way is PERFECT! “As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” Psalm 18:30 The best place for you to be right now – and always - is loving Jesus, surrendered to Him, and living for His glory – and He will fulfill His perfect and beautiful plan for you!

The Lord bless you as you live in His sufficiency and love Him in return, invest in your family, and live surrendered to God’s best for you now and in the future!

Zepheniah 3:17, “The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

With love,
Amy

Summer Pursuit Ends Today!

The LTLM Summer Pursuit ends today! We trust it has been an amazing summer of seeking Jesus!!! ♥ (Please be sure to send in your charts by September 6th! For more information on how to send in your chart, etc. you can visit the website under "Events" and "Summer Pursuit" at http://www.lovingthelordministries.org/.) May the Lord BLESS you as you continue to seek Him every day of your life! He is the greatest treasure of all! ♥

"For I am the Lord, I do not change..." Malachi 3:6

Pause in LTLM Videocasts until October

Dear Friends,

Summer is going so fast, isn't it? I hope your summer is full of Jesus, His joy, and delight in the things that He has for you right now!

Our Lord's love is so deep. His power is so strong. His Word never fails. He is the answer to the satisfaction for which our heart is longing. He never changes. Isn't He wonderful? I love sharing Him with you!

In case you are not on our mailing list and did not get the email, I want to let you know an update on the videocasts. Our videographer (who is also my brother) is preparing to get married at the end of the month and then will be on his honeymoon into the next month. Out of respect for his very full schedule, we have decided it is best to take a 2 month leave from the videocasts. Thank you so much for understanding!

In the mean time, you are welcome to go to the videocast page (http://vimeo.com/user3463095/videos/sort:date) and watch any videos you have missed!

We look forward to being in touch with the next videocast in October! Stay tuned for the upcoming videocasts in October and November - It is a 2 part series where we take you to a very unique place and I am excited for the topic we will be covering!

Have a wonderful couple of months seeking Jesus!!! He is so, so good.

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34

With love in our Jesus,

Amy

Our Jesus is...

Dear Friends,

I pray you are having an amazing summer filled with Jesus!

As Jesus has been meeting with me this summer, my heart is welling up with His goodness and falling in love with Him more and more.

Here is a little of what is on my heart:

Jesus is all that we need
His love is all that will satisfy our hearts
His peace passes understanding
His heart is infinitely kind
His Word is totally true
His plan is sovereignly perfect
His leading is fully trustworthy
His promises are eternally sure
His salvation is complete
His mercy endures forever
...and He will be all of this and more to you, if you allow Him to be!

On to know Him more together, dear friends!

Keep seeking Jesus - He is what you are longing for!

Loving Him with you,
Amy

Loving the Lord Videocast #7 - True Beauty

Dear Friends,

God has a deep, wonderful, and extremely fulfilling message for us in the area of beauty!
When we think of beauty and we often think of things that our eye can see… But, our goal should be to learn to see and value true beauty as God sees it.

We live in a world that focuses on the external – they have no hope of eternity. It only results on shallow, temporary happiness or feeling good – and a surface beauty that quickly fades with time and age. 1 Peter 1:24 tells us, “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.”
The Lord (the One we love and are seeking to please) focuses on the internal – His plan of redeeming us from our sins and changing us into the image of Jesus. This results in true beauty - a lasting joy, peace, radiance in our life - and eternal impact on the lives of others! 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."

Together we are going to look at what true beauty is - and living in the fulfillment of seeking to be beautiful to the Lord!

I invite you to join me on this exciting quest!

Seeking His beauty with you,

Amy Vest

Prov. 31:30, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”

A Powerful Testimony

After watching the videocast "Don't Waste Your Youth," the Lord again reminded me of spending my time, energy and resources on matters that have eternal value. Recently the Lord has shown me that I must trust Him and pursue a life that is wholly consecrated, set-apart, unto Him. Everything that I do, say, think, and feel needs to reflect His life in me if I am to bring Him glory. And how the Lord has placed such a desire to bring glory and honor to Him! Through the videocast, God reminded me that there is not a moment to waste on worldly affairs. That I must set my eyes on Christ and His kingdom, rather than what I see here on earth. This is faith, to believe and be convicted into action based on the unseen. So I have surrendered all to the One whose thoughts are not my thoughts and whose ways are not my ways (Isaiah 55:8). My life is not my own, but His to do with as He pleases! I pray the Lord moves all His children to fully commit their lives to Him and live with eyes looking towards eternity! ~ Laura

The Family Summit is coming soon!

This year's Family Summit with the theme of "Christ-Centered Life Purpose" on July 15-17th is fast approaching and we are so excited for what the Lord has in store!

The Summit will include; powerful messages and testimonies, an (optional) special program for children during the sessions, time for vision casting as couples, breakout sessions for the young people, fun family activities, campfires, amazing fellowship, delicious food, and more!

There are so many incredible families registered for this year's summit and we still have some room for you to join us! We would love to share this time of seeking the Lord with your family!

If you have specific questions, feel free to email the conference registrar, Breezy, at breanna@lovingthelordministries.org and she will be happy to help you!

We'd love to have you join us and are so looking forward to all that the Lord has in store!



Here is an overview of the main sessions that the adults and young adults will be receiving from our guest speaker Dewey Novotny:

1. Taking Aim in an Aimless World.
More than anything else, world-changing impact requires the right target. The rest is easy…sort of. This is your introduction to Life Purpose Planning, the process, and the possibilities.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish…” Proverbs 29:18


2. Discover your purpose.
Life purpose is your personal invitation to join God as He works in you and through you to bring Him glory, meet the needs of people you care about, and grant you joy and fulfillment in the process. Discover, delight, and dedicate.

“Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11


3. Define your pursuit
Purpose involves people, ignites passion, and inspires pursuit. Identify your significant audience, determine your delightful and effective way to serve them, and clarify your life-changing message of faith, hope, and love. Write, refine, and run.

“Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” Habakkuk 2:2



4. Develop your plan of action
Analyze your situation and take proper action. The most excellent plans flow out of a purposeful process: Purpose first, wise stretching goals next, and then launch with powerful steps of action. Great plans are needed for great works of faith. Ready, aim, fire!

"Trust in the LORD, and do good…Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday."
~ Psalm 37:3-6


Breakout sessions include:

"Man-to-Man - After God's Plan" - Fathers and Sons - Jeff and Eric Vest

"Leaving a Legacy of Godly Excellence" - Mothers - Margie Vest

"Becoming a Young Woman of God in Today's Culture" - Daughters - Amy Vest


We hope to see you there! You can find out more information and print off a registration form at www.lovingthelordministries.org!

Loving the Lord Videocast #6 - Don't Waste Your Youth

Dear Friends,

Youth is a precious and amazing time full of great potential and opportunity. The Lord calls us spend it correctly and lay a solid foundation for the rest of our life. 1 Timothy 4:12 tells us, “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” If we do this, we will be amazed at what He will do – in us and through us! We are exciting to look at this together in this video! May the Lord bless you as you seek Him and seek to live your youth to the fullest for His glory!

The Summer Pursuit began yesterday – it is not too late to join in! We would love to have you join us in making this summer the best summer of our lives! For more information, you can visit the website (www.lovingthelordministries.org) and view the video and information here on the blog (see below)!

May the Lord BLESS you as you seek to love Him and live your youth to the fullest for His glory!

Seeking to love and live for Jesus with you,
Amy Vest

P.S. There is still room to register for the 2011 Family Summit on July 15-17th! The Lord has amazing things in store and we would LOVE to have you join us! For more information, you can visit the website – http://www.lovingthelordministries.org/! (There is a $30 discount if you register before June 12th!)

The Summer Pursuit Begins Today!

We are so excited that so many of you have decided to pursue the Lord this summer! He is so amazing and is worth pursuing with all that we are!!! It is going to be beautiful to see what He does in our hearts this summer!

"...Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth." Hosea 6:3

May the Lord RICHLY bless you as you seek Him this summer!

Announcing the 2011 Summer Pursuit - Beginning June 1st!

Dear Friends,

Each of us is always pursuing something. What are you pursuing? We pursue what we think will make us truly happy. We were created for a close relationship with the Lord and there alone will we find true satisfaction and joy. It cannot be found anywhere else.

Our life should be about pursuing Jesus - and since this is the case - so should our summer! Summer can be a special, but irregular time of year. In the midst of the varied schedules, activities, etc. it can be easy to let our time with the Lord become shortened. As a result, our soul and most important relationship with Jesus, suffer. The Summer Pursuit is designed to help us keep our hearts close to Jesus this summer and walk in the joy that results!

I would like to invite you to join me for the 2011 Summer Pursuit - a special time of seeking Jesus from June 1^st - August 31^st. You can watch the "Summer Pursuit 2011" video (above) and visit the website (www.lovingthelordministries.org) for more details. You can contact us at info@lovingthelordministries.org with questions.

Here are the basic details:
Who: You and Jesus
Where: Wherever you are
When: June 1^st - August 31^st, 2011
What is involved: 15 min. of devotions a day, memorizing 1 verse a week, choosing and contacting an accountability partner once every 2 weeks... and an amazing summer with Jesus!
When you complete the Summer Pursuit: You send in your chart and you receive a reward in the mail - in addition to the best reward of knowing Jesus!

This is going to be an amazing summer of pursuing and meeting with Jesus! Pursue Jesus with all that you are this summer, friends. He will meet with you - and you will never be the same!

"...Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth." Hosea 6:3

Looking forward to pursuing Jesus with you this summer,

Amy Vest

P.S. For special help in having powerful devotions, you can watch the latest videocast "Having Devotions that Change Your Life." (http://vimeo.com/23062783)

Loving the Lord Videocast #5 - Having Devotions that Change Your Life

Dear Friends,

I pray you are having a wonderful spring! As we enjoy the beauty of the green grass and flowers growing, may our heart's cry be that our souls would be growing even more in Jesus!

This month we are looking at "Having Devotions That Change Your Life." Our personal time of seeking the Lord is critical to a close walk with Him and to becoming like Him! If we spend this time correctly, it will change our lives. Please join me as we look at how we can pursue our Savior in powerful ways! I am so grateful to seek our amazing Savior together. Remember, He promises, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8)

The Lord's richest blessings to you as you seek His face,

Amy Vest

$40 Registration Discount for the Family Summit!

We are excited to announce that we are offering a $40 discount for the Family Summit on July 15-17th, if you register by May 31st and present this coupon or mention this offer! There is still room and we would love to have your family join us for this powerful time of seeking the Lord together as families! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

Eye Has Not Seen

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
~ 1 Corinthians 2:9

He is Risen!

It is such beautiful thing to have this time of year to especially rejoice in our Savior's death on the cross and resurrection, so that we could be right with God and live with Him eternally if we will put our total faith and trust in Him to save us from our sins!

I have increasingly seen the power of daily reminding myself of what Jesus did for me and seeking to live in that amazing grace each moment of my life. It only grows more wonderful and awe-inspiring the longer you walk with Him! He is so incredible!

May the Lord bless you as you rejoice in Jesus and what His death and resurrection mean for us who have received Him as our Lord and Savior!

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." Romans 5:6-10

Beautiful Servant's Hearts

We wanted to give you a peek behind the scenes at the beautiful servant's hearts that the Lord is using as a part of this ministry. These three sisters offered to do the mailing of the Winter Media Challenge rewards - and did it with such joyful, delighted hearts!

They were a great blessing to many and a sweet testimony of Colossians 3:23-24:

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."

Media Challenge Testimonies

We could share so many exciting testimonies that we have received from all of you who participated in the Winter Media Challenge... and have had to select just a few more to share. We pray you are encouraged!

Remember that this challenge, and everything else, is about knowing Jesus and His Word more and increasing our love for Him! There are many, many ways to do this. We need to pursue things that will help us fulfill our life goal of seeking to know Jesus more - keeping the activities, things, etc. as tools to help us towards our goal, and letting Jesus BE our goal. May the Lord bless you all so much as you continue to let this be your goal in life!

Here are a few encouraging testimonies:

“This Media Challenge has been a blessing in my life, through reading my Bible 15 min. a day has helped me gain a better relationship with my Father in heaven. I am thankful!” Joy, OR

"The Lord showed me that He can be my only Joy if I let Him. I need to rejoice in the Lord always!" ~ Angela, MN

“This Media Challenge was so wonderful for me! I spent way more time in God’s Word and with my family rather than being sucked into the computer. I learned so much from the Bible and will definitely keep reading and studying and praying. I am also going to keep staying off the computer more. I will not go back to my old ways of practically living on the Internet.” Laney, ND

“...the Lord helped me show myself that media is my slave, not the other way around. I learned a lot.” Alyssa, MN

“I must say, this has been weird. (It was hard for a while.)… When I say weird, I am referring to the fact that I do not have a strong desire to go on blogs now. This was a great idea… thanks for the chance and encouragement to take a break.” Krista, WA

“The Lord has blessed me this month giving me resistance from the TV and computer. My whole family didn’t watch any movies, so instead of watching movies, we played a lot more games together and had lots of fun.” Celia, MO

“I thought a lot about how I am using my time: Am I wasting it? Or doing something productive? Would God want me doing this? Now before I go on the computer or TV I check myself – What is my motive? If it is okay and not wasting my time, I go ahead and do it. If its not, I go do something else, like memorizing verses. I have a lot more time now to be doing things that needed to get done, or do other non-media related fun things.” Jacqueline, MN

“This month I felt a lot closer to God. I spent time with Him and had a great time. I found that daily devotionals just became a habit and I will continue. After spending time with the Lord I found it wasn’t that hard to stay off media. I have spent a lot more time in prayer and felt more at peace. I also found that when I started studying my Bible and sharing I just kept wanting more. I was murch more interested in church and the other devotional talks…” Carrie, Bismark, ND

“I really thought I didn’t use the internet as much as I did and this challenge really was a great eye opener! During this month I grew closer to the Lord and had more time to study my Bible. It also free up time to work on projects I haven’t had a lot of time for…” Cassie, ND

“I feel like I have more time to be with my family now. Now, when I have a problem, I run to God’s Word instead of getting caught up in a computer screen and it’s amazing!” Dianna, GA

"During the month of March, my heart has grown closer to Jesus by removing a substantial amount of media from my daily life. I have spent so much more time with the Lord! This was exactly what I needed for this season in my life. I have enjoyed the break from the computer. I realized how much time I really had been spending reading blogs, on my Facebook, etc. I’m so going to cut back! I have been able to read through a lot of the Bible, finding many verses that applied to exactly what I needed to hear that day! My faith has increased, my “need” for media has decreased. I’m so thankful to the Lord for what He is doing in my life. I am a work in progress!" Madeline, MN

"Wow! I am so excited about what God has done in my life as a result of this challenge! My walk with Him has been deepened. I had gotten into the habit of just reading a chapter in my Bible, zipping through a prayer, and then bouncing up to get into my days activities. But having to spend 15 minutes every day in the Bible and in prayer really helped me to put God as the center of my lie. I also started keeping a notebook where I jotted down verses from my devotions, and edifying quotes from devotional books and biographies... when (the challenge was over) I went to check out the blogs that I follow, I was very disappointed in how unedifying they were to me. I felt very detached from everything. I praise the Lord that He helped break that bond for me so that I do not feel as strong of a pull towards it. Thanks for hosting this Media Minimization Challenge. What a blessing it has been to me!" Hannah

"God has really helped me make Bible reading everyday a habit, and with God’s grace it will continue to be a habit. I realized that being in the Word everyday, drew me closer to God and made me a happier, calmer person. God has really been working on me, showing me sins I didn’t ever dream of, and helping me work to defeat them... God has given me a hunger to want to know Him more and more, a want to love Him, and a want to be with Him always. This has been a time where God has really drawn me closer to Him. I am so glad I accepted this challenge, because now I love God more and He is showing Himself to me in ways I never could have imagined." Mackenzie, MN

Wait for the Lord

"For from of old no one has heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who works and shows Himself active on behalf of him who [earnestly] waits for Him."
~ Isaiah 64:4 (Amplified Bible)

Loving the Lord Videocast #4 - The Importance of Truth

In this video I have you over to my house for lunch - and I hope you will join me. :)

The theme of this videocast is - "The Importance of Truth." So often we do not live in the fullness of all that the Lord has for us because we are believing the lies of the enemy and are not standing on the Truth of God's Word. What we believe and claim as truth shapes us and impacts every part of our being! In this video we look at this important issue!

Have a wonderful day walking in Truth!

Amy Vest

"And you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free." John 8:32

The Fruit of Seeking Christ

Here is another Winter Challenge testimony from a young woman named Sarah from Easton, Kansas ~

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33)

The Word of God, how vast! How precious! This past month, God has done great things in my heart. My prayer at the beginning of the winter challenge was found in Psalm 119:18, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” I had realized my finite knowledge and love for God's precious Word, and prayed earnestly and wholeheartedly that He would open my mind to see its treasures and that He would grow me in love for my Savior Jesus Christ. I can say that God has truly answered that prayer more than I ever hoped or imagined. How small my faith is! Toward the end of March, I found the treasure verse in Psalm 81:10 while memorizing portions from this book. It has become my “theme verse” for the month: “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it” (Psalm 81:10). God has filled my heart to overflowing! How lax I had been to seek God's Word with my whole heart as Psalm 119:2 says, yet as I did so in March, I found that my God is so faithful to reward “them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Truly my flesh rebelled against the restrictions from Internet this month, but oh, how worth every sacrifice it has been! It has been such a blessing to have the accountability and goal to work towards, and I am actually continuing the challenge for a few more weeks as I continue to seek God's will for my life. It is wonderful to be able to think on the things of the Lord throughout the day instead of having my mind constantly distracted by internet.


As I reached the end of March, I knew that I didn't want this chapter of seeing God's blessings to close. I have been realizing the importance of prayer, and how much I have lacked in this area. Thus, I made my own challenge for the month of April—to pray for a certain amount of time each morning. Already it has been such a blessing. Some of my other goals are to listen to several sermons each week and read deep biographies of great Christians. I have also set up several boundaries for myself in regard to how much time I spend online (I assigned certain days of the week for certain sites). The treasures of God's Word and a close, abiding relationship with His Son is just so precious. I can't wait to see what great things God will do as we seek Him! Faithful is He which has called us: “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands” (Psalm 138:8). Behold the things God can do when we truly “seek him with the whole heart” (Psalm 119:2).

If you did not take the winter challenge, I encourage you to pick another month this year and take the challenge—even another area of sacrifice besides Internet! It is definitely worth the sacrifice and will be life-changing. You will never regret the investment you pour into seeking the face of our great Father.

A note from Amy on the Winter Challenge

Dear Friends,

I am being BLESSED... I wish you could see me smiling as I open your Winter Challenge charts! Your hearts to seek Jesus bless me more than I can say and I praise the Lord for what He has done as a result of the time you have spent seeking Him!!!

We keep hearing this again and again:
- "I am so much closer to Jesus!"
- "I found myself doing things I really should do and that matter a lot more."
- "The pull of the computer lost its grip on me."
- "I want to keep this pattern even though I am "done" with the challenge."

For those of you who are considering doing something like the Winter Challenge, I would heartily recommend it! You will not believe what it does for your relationship with the Lord, relationship with people, and use of time!

We will be posting more testimonies in the days to come!

Know that seeking Jesus is the best thing in the world, He loves you, and words cannot measure the blessings that result from knowing and following Him!

May the Lord BLESS you as you continue to seek Him!
Amy

"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." James 4:8

A Winter Challenge Testimony

"I really felt like God prepared me going into the media challenge this month, and once I started, the spiritual opposition was something. I found it to really be a battle, as I was very ill most of this month with "nothing to do". Thanks so much for the challenge!... I learned so much this month, and now I can honestly say, I didn't miss the internet that much. Instead of internet time or movies, I found myself challenging me to see how MUCH time I could spend in God's Word each day. What a blessing! Really, the reward of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord is more than worth giving up a few other things." ~ Barbara, Bloomfield, Montana

The Winter Media Challenge Is Finished!

Congratulations to everyone who finished the Winter Media Challenge!!!

We are so blessed and encouraged by how many of you took the challenge to minimize your media this past month and to seek to maximize your love for Jesus!

It has been so neat to hear your feedback as you have found the amazing results! The Lord truly is, "...a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) and is worth seeking for with all that we are!

Please stay tuned for inspiring testimonies from young women who completed this challenge and what the Lord did in their hearts.

(Be sure to send in your chart by April 7th, so we can send out your t-shirt!)

We pray this is just the beginning of a life pattern of seeking Jesus above all. We encourage you as you finish the challenge to seek the Lord and talk with your parents about the Lord's will for your use of media and the place it has in your life - and then to establish good boundaries for yourself.

May the Lord richly bless you as you continue to seek a lifestyle to minimize your media and live in such a way as to maximize your love for Him!

Off of the blog from March 1-31st for the Winter Challenge!

Dear Friends,

We will be off of the blog from March 1-31st for the Winter "Media Minimization and Love for Jesus Maximization" Challenge! For more information on the Challenge, you can read below - We hope you will join us in seeking the Lord this month!

If you want more information on anything, feel free to visit the website at www.lovingthelordministries.org, or contact the LTLM office at info@lovingthelordministries.org!

May the Lord richly bless you as you seek Him - He is amazing!

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

With love in Him,
Amy

Loving the Lord Videocast #3 - Mastering Media for the Glory of God

Dear Friends,

I pray that you have had an amazing month with Jesus!

We are really looking forward to the launch of the Winter "Media Minimization and Love for Jesus Maximization" Challenge beginning this Tuesday, March 1st! We have been so excited to hear from so many of you who are taking this challenge and seeking to deepen your walk with Jesus! We would love to have more of you join us! For more information on the Winter Challenge, you can visit the blog or website.

In light of the Winter Challenge, we wanted to get this videocast to you early so you can watch it before you go off the internet for a month! The theme of this videocast goes along with this month's challenge - "Mastering Media for the Glory of God." I pray that you will be encouraged to allow the Lord to help you master media as a tool to know Him, share Him, and see the amazing things He does vs. allowing media to master you and pull you away from the most important thing in the world - your relationship with Jesus!

Remember, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

Have a wonderful month seeking our amazing Savior!

Looking forward to knowing more of Jesus with you this month,

Amy

Special ideas of how to use your time during the Winter Challenge

As you set this time aside to seek Jesus, here are some ideas to help you in deepening your relationship with Him!

Ideas: (You can find more ideas in the post below or under the “Encouragement” section of the website!)
- Spend time with the Lord (See the website under then encouragement section for ideas on devotions)
- Journal – write down what the Lord is doing in your heart, Who you are finding Him to be, insights from His Word, prayers to Him, etc.
- Read books that will encourage you in Jesus (see mini list of resources)*
- Fellowship – pursue relationships that encourage you in Jesus by phone calls, get-togethers, or even organizing a get-together of a few girls to encourage each other in Jesus!
- Ministry - invest your time in things that will last forever! While this is good, we encourage you to focus most of your energy this month on deepening your relationship with Jesus. (See ministry ideas below)*
- Memorize a passage of Scripture. This would be a great thing to do with your accountability partner!
- Study Bible – really take time to dig into it and see what the Lord is saying to you!
- and so much more!

*Resources: His Chosen Bride by Jennifer Lamp, Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally, Consider the Lilies by Teresa Nuckols, The Cross-Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney, Biographies of men and women who walked with God… and so many more! Again, choose ones that will help you in your walk with Jesus!

*Ministry ideas: (You can find a longer list under the “Encouragement” section of the website!)
- Help more around your home (your #1 mission field) and really take time to enjoy and encourage your family in Jesus.
- Write letters to encourage missionaries, friends, younger girls, etc. in loving and serving Jesus!
- Pray for people across the world.
- Start discipling a younger girl you know.
- Write an article or testimony from your life to encourage others in living for the Lord. (We would love to see some of these to possibly post on the blog!)
- Ask the Lord to show you ways to serve Him.

Frequently Asked Questions - Media Challenge

The main things are:
1. Stay completely off the internet and TV.
2. Pour your time into deepening your walk with and love for Jesus.

Listening to Music and Audio books:
These are fine, as long as they will really help you deepen your love for Jesus!

School or home business emailing:
We understand that some of you are in college or have a business from home that requires email. If you strictly stick to just what you NEED to do for these, along with the Winter Challenge rules, you are alright.
We do encourage you to pursue as much time as possible deepening your relationship with the Lord.

Is it okay if I use some of my email time to print off encouraging articles or do you think it would be better if I just cut of all "browsing?"
No, all browsing does need to be cut for the Challenge - but, maybe you could print things off ahead of time or go for good books!

Can I visit the LTLM blog?
We will not be posting on the blog for the month of March and the challenge requires that you are FULLY off of the internet. We are even planning to have the March videocast up on February 28^th so you can watch it before you go off!

Can I type letters or journal on the computer?
This is fine. It is internet/email that we are requiring you to stay off. But, we again challenge you to spend as much time on things that will deepen your love for Jesus vs. being busy with lots of other things. The goal is to minimize the media and maximize time with Jesus!