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!

Growing in Loving the Lord

Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to: "...love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30)

Here are some practical ways to grow in loving the Lord:

~Make Him and loving Him your #1 priority and focus – in every area of life! Start your day with Him and keep Him as most important in all details of your day. Something that has really helped me is the moment that I wake up (or am coming into consciousness) to turn my heart to the Lord and tell Him good morning and that I love Him. Then I roll out of bed and land on my knees. It starts your day out right and sets a good patter for the rest of the day!

~Daily spend time with Him. Remember that your walk with the Lord is a relationship! It takes time and energy to deepen a relationship. Your personal time with the Lord is a critical key to growing in your relationship with the Lord. Remember that He is real and is right there with you when you are having your personal time with Him! If you have not been faithful in your personal time with the Lord, you can start today! The Lord is waiting for you with open arms.

~Read the Bible daily. It is your spiritual food and without it your spiritual life will begin to starve! Through the Bible you come to know the Lord better and know how He wants you to live. It is the Lord’s letter to you. Read it carefully, He has lots to show you! It has the answer to every question and is the final authority for our lives.

~Prayer is so important. It is so vital that your talk with someone that you want to get to know better! Share your heart with the Lord, praise Him for Who He is, confess and ask forgiveness for anything that He show you in your life that is not pleasing to Him, ask for His help to obey, and listen to what He wants to say to you. Seek to really come into His presence with your heart prepared to meet with Him.

~Walk with Him throughout the day. Remember that the Lord is always with you and that walking with Him does not just end when you leave your quiet time! Walk through your days with the Lord. You can always talk with Him.

~Carefully choose things that will help you in your walk with the Lord and not pull you down. What you watch, listen to, enjoy, etc. will make up who you are and directly impact your relationship with the Lord. Don’t take your choices lightly! What I always like to ask myself about things I am considering watching, reading, listening to, enjoying, etc. is, “Will this draw me closer to the Lord or distract/pull me away from Him?” If it does not seem definitely one way or the other, it usually means that is would be a good idea to pass on it. (Those things only waste time and really can be a distraction from what is good.) It is good to hold things up to the light of God’s Word and see if they match up with what He says is right. (For example, try Phil. 4:8-9.) We really should just fill our lives with what the Lord says is right.

~Time. You can use your time in ways that will either encourage you in the Lord, waste your time, or do damage. Your time is so valuable and the way that you use it shapes your life. Spend it on the Lord, what He says is right, and what will last for eternity.

~Friends. The friends that you have will drastically impact who you are and become. Choose them so carefully! Allow the Lord to be your best friend and choose friends who will encourage you in the Lord (instead of encouraging you towards TV, makeup, nail, wrong, attitudes, boys, etc.).

~Fellowship. It is so important that we spend time with people who are seeking for the Lord and will help us on in our walk with the Lord! If you do not have regular contact with other like-minded girls, you might want to think about starting a Bible study.* This can give you encouragement in seeking the Lord as you have fellowship with other girls who are desiring to follow Him.

~Ministry. It is so important that once you find true satisfaction in the Lord, you pass it on to others. There are so many opportunities to share the Lord and serve Him! Some things that you can do include: Serve at home, encourage siblings, younger children, friends, etc. in the Lord (share about what the Lord has been doing in your heart, memorize Bible verses together, study the Bible together, etc.), help out at church, and start a discipleship group/Bible study for younger girls.*

*Due to the need for material for Bible studies and discipleship groups for girls, we videotaped 2 of our past conferences and put them on DVDs and VHSs with companion handbooks. People have used them for girls’ (or mother/daughter) Bible studies and other girls your ages have used them to start discipleship groups for younger girls. If you are interested in using them, you can find out more about them on our website at www.lovingthelordministries.org!

~Get a vision from the Lord for your life! When your focus is on Him alone, you will not have other things clouding your vision to see clearly what the Lord has for you. Don’t waste your life with a clouded vision. God has great things in store for you! If you will seek Him and live to love Him with all of your heart, He will give you a vision for your life that is beyond your wildest dreams right now.

~Allow Him to work in your life and make Himself real to you. Never stop the Lord from working in you! It may not always be the most comfortable, but it is always for your best! Seek to know the Lord in deeper ways each day through your personal time with Him, reading your Bible and other books that will help you grow in the Lord, etc.).

~Accountability. I would so strongly encourage you to find someone to hold you accountable for seeking and loving the Lord! It will help you stay on track more than you could ever imagine!

The more that you come to know the Lord, the more you will see how wonderful He is. As a result, you will more naturally tend to love Him. Remember that loving the Lord and knowing Him is the greatest thing in the world and the only place that you will find true fulfillment! He loves you so incredibly much! Seek to love Him with all of your heart –You will never regret it!

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” ~ Philippians 1:6

Announcing the 2011 Winter Media Minimization Challenge!

Here is a video announcing the 2011 Winter Media Minimization Challenge! More information coming next week! We would love to have you join us as we minimize our media for the purpose of maximizing our love for Jesus!



Details for the Winter Challenge 2011 – Media Minimization and love for Jesus Maximization:

In seeking to know and love Jesus more, a huge thing for our generation is to discipline our time spent on media – specifically the computer, internet, and TV - seeing that it can really rob valuable time that could be spent deepening our love for Jesus and truly living for Him!

It is something that needs to be mastered for God’s glory and our good!

So this challenge is for the month of March 2011 to focus on minimizing the time we invest in media and using the time instead on things that will help maximize our love for Jesus!

It is going to be AMAZING and I know the Lord is going to move in powerful ways! This is not going to be super easy – but, it is going to be GOOD for you and so worth it!

I am challenging you to do this - I am doing this with you and am really excited about it! I really believe God is going to do phenomenal things!

Here are the details:

Dates: March 1-31st, 2011
Who: Young Women ages 11-31 (ANYONE can take this challenge – these are the ones to whom we are offering the reward!)

Rules:
Stay off:
Internet, Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, all social media, TV, Movies, Video/Computer games, YouTube, GodTube, etc. (This includes ALL OF THESE THINGS on your computer, TV, phone, ipod, etc.) 

Computer details - You are allowed:
- Up to 15 min. a day of personal email time, 6 days a week, for a total of 1 ½ hours of EMAIL ONLY time each week.
- 5 min a day, 6 days a week for emergency internet time (i.e. getting directions, ordering), for a total of 30 min. a week.
- Sunday – Stay off the computer completely.

Do:
- Watch the “Winter Media Challenge” Video on our videocast page.
- Talk with your parents about taking this challenge. Ask for their support and prayer.
- Print off the Winter Challenge chart from the website – www.lovingthelordministries.org. (Post about the Winter Challenge on your blog or Facebook and encourage your friends join you in this, too! You can provide a link to the video and information as you let them know that you will be off for the month of March.)
- Find an accountability partner to connect with by phone once a week to make sure you are both on track, to share what the Lord is doing in your hearts, and to pray together.
- Spend 15 min. (or MORE) of personal time with the Lord each day of the challenge, for a total of 1 hour and 45 min. a week for a minimum – you can spend as much time with Him as you want!
- Spend your other time on things that will help you in loving the Lord and living for and serving Him. (We will have this suggestions/recommendations posted on the blog – check them out, they will be a great help in maximizing this time for deepening your walk with the Lord!)

Send in your chart:
Once you have completed the Challenge on March 31st, send the chart to the address on the chart by April 7th and we will mail your reward to you.

Rewards:
- Best of all, a closer relationship with Jesus!
- An exclusive LTLM designed t-shirt

Let us know that you are taking the challenge:
Email us at info@lovingthelordministries.org and let us know that you are taking the Challenge with us!

Questions:
If you have questions or a special situation that comes up, you can email us!

The Lord bless you as you focus on Him this month, friends! He has amazing things in store! I am eagerly anticipating it.

Remember that, like Hebrews 11:6 says, “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Have a great month minimizing media and maximizing your love for Jesus!

2011 Family Summit - "Christ-Centered Life Purpose" - July 15-17th

We are thrilled to announce that this coming summer on July 15-17th, 2011 we will be hosting another Family Summit, with the theme of "Christ-Centered Life Purpose."

It has been our desire to be able to encourage whole families in seeking the Lord, serving Him, and gaining a vision for living for Him together. That is the purpose of this Summit. We were overwhelmed by the response from last year's summit and our desire is to build upon what the Lord is doing in this year's summit by helping families gain vision for and live out their God-given life purpose.

LTLM and the Vest family are so grateful to have Dewey Novotny joining us as our main speaker for this year's Family Summit! Dewey, creator of the Life Purpose Planning Program, is an encourager, writer, and international speaker that is passionate to see others discover, define, develop and deploy their life calling and purpose. He looks forward to helping families and individuals discover their life purpose at the Summit!

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!

The Family Summit will be held at the beautiful facility of Camp Lebanon in Upsala, Minnesota. Camp Lebanon is a special haven to pull away and experience the presence of God, the beauty of His creation, and a refreshing atmosphere. For more information you can visit their website!

We are so excited for what the Lord has in store and would love to have you join us!
For more information and to download a registration form, you can visit our website and look under the "Events" section at www.lovingthelordministries.org! We encourage you to register early, as space is limited!

We encourage you to register early, as space is limited! We are so excited for what the Lord has in store and would love to have your family join us!

May the Lord bless you as you seek to raise your families for His glory!

"Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 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."

~ Psalm 37:3-5

"Loving the Lord" Videocast #2 - A Relationship of Love with Jesus

Dear Friends,

I am so grateful for the privilege of walking in the love of our Jesus and loving Him together!

In this video I take you out for cocoa and we talk heart-to-heart about this topic! Oh sisters! When you are truly walking in this relationship of love with Jesus, it transforms your life!!! I encourage you to watch this video with an open heart and act on what the Lord shows you. He is waiting to meet with you and show you His love in a real way. As you know His love and love Him in return, you will never be the same!

Special note: This videocast is longer. Future videos will usually be much shorter.

We would love if you would write and share your testimonies of knowing the love of Jesus and loving Him in return by emailing us at info@lovingthelordministries.org!

Remember, " 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

Loving our amazing Jesus with you,
Amy

P.S. We apologize for the delay in getting this videocast out to you!
P.P.S. Stay tuned next week for a special mini-video announcing an exciting upcoming opportunity for you!

February Videocast Coming Soon!

The February Videocast is currently being completed and should be up soon! We apologize for the delay!

I Know Whom I Have Believed

"...I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." ~ 2 Timothy 1:12

Videocast Follow-up

Dear Sisters,

I hope you are having an amazing week in Jesus!!! He is amazing!

It has been so sweet to get your emails… I LOVE getting to be in touch this way! I feel like we are able to share heart to heart, even if we can’t be right with each other. I love hearing what the Lord is doing in your hearts and lives! So, do keep them coming – and again, even if I can’t answer, I do read and love them!

For those of you who are wondering - YES, feel free to post these videos on your blogs, Facebooks, etc.! We want to encourage as many people in Jesus as possible! There is a little share button with the little social media icons at the end of each post that you can feel free to use! (To embed the video on your blog, just click the embed button on the video and it will copy the code that you can past in a post.)

I am praying for you as you continue to seek Jesus! It is the most incredible adventure of all time. He is so worth seeking and I just love knowing that we are doing it together! No matter where you are right now, THIS MOMENT is the time to seek Him!

Ooh - and we are so excited about the next videocast coming in February on loving Jesus! There is a special surprise that goes along with this month’s video! You are going to have to stay posted! I am super excited for what the Lord is going to do!!!

Have an incredible day loving Jesus!

With love as your sister,

Amy

Loving the Lord Videocast #1 - LTL Intro and Heartbeat

Dear Friends,

We are so excited to release the first Loving the Lord Videocast to you!

It has been an amazing joy to meet many of you around the world at conferences, groups, speaking engagements, over the internet, and more. Your hearts for the Lord are incredible and bless us so much! We really want to continue to share this journey of loving and seeking Jesus together – and are excited to have these videocasts as a way to do just that!

For those of you who we have never had the chance to meet, know that we are so excited to have you joining us and look forward to seeking and loving Jesus with you!

Like I say in the video, just pretend we are sitting down talking heart-to-heart over a cup of cocoa! You are close in my heart, I am praying for you, and I love you so much! I am so excited for what the Lord has in store as we seek Him together in these videos!

I’d love so much to hear your thoughts, questions, and feedback!!! If there are any topics in particular or questions you have that you would like for us to seek the Lord on together in these videocasts, I’d love to know! Please know that I cannot answer all emails, but know that I LOVE hearing from you! So, please write us - You can send your emails to info@lovingthelordministries.org!

May the Lord bless you and meet with you as you watch, friends. Know that you are loved by your Savior and He is right by your side. He is amazing! May He pour out His grace on you as you seek and live for Him!

With much love in Jesus,
Amy

P.S. Next month we are going to look at “Having a Love for God That Cannot Be Quenched” and I am already excited for it!