Haley Palmer and Tim Russert

Haley Palmer, a twelve-year old, beautiful young girl with CF who was awaiting a transplant, passed away today. You can visit her family's website here.

Tim Russert, the standard for serious journalism, died today, as well. I've always followed Mr. Russert's career and deeply admired his abilities. I actually had a dream a few months that Tim Russert passed away, so one can imagine my shock when I learned about 3:00pm that my dream had come true. All of this has me thinking about a lot of things...and in the midst of it all, I all know is that no matter what I'm doing, I want to it well, as unto the Lord...and maybe, just maybe, the journalist within me isn't done yet. I may never be a Katie Couric, but I do have a lot left within me, that if properly harnessed, can impact the world for Christ. I've already seen it happen in the past; we all know it's happening now through Breathtaking, and I think there's even more to it all than I knew before today.

Father,
Show me your wisdom....all I want is YOU.

Amber

P.S. Vacation is going well...lots to think about.

A New Beginning...

....To live is Christ and to die is gain.

I must remember that, even when my schedule seems impossible, my desires try to overwhelm me and my enemies try to discourage me.

Father,
Thank you for fresh beginnings, for new starts, for time with You.

*If y'all comment and let me know that you actually read this thing, I'll start writing longer, more personal posts, I promise.

I need You, oh I need You.
Every hour, I need You.
Oh bless me now my Savior,
I come to You.

Busy Week

Hey, everyone! I'm sorry I'm not doing a very good job keeping up with this blog. I'll try to do better, I promise! :) I have been doing a better job journaling, though. Too bad you all don't have access to my hand-written journals. They're filled with secrets. Just kidding, really.

There isn't anything too 'earth-shattering' going on in my life right now, honestly. I'm just learning how to love Jesus and His people better (oh sanctification) and trying to take better care of myself, too. I haven't necessarily gotten rid of a bunch of activities, but I am learning how to prioritize my time and say 'no' when many people think I should say 'yes'. I've read a lot of books lately, which has been absolutely wonderful, just let me say! One book I won't be reading and/or recommending is The Shack. First of all, I don't have time, and second of all, I know just by reading about what it's about that I wouldn't agree with it.

I encourage all of you to be discerning of what you read. The Word says we are held accountable for what we put in our mind, does it not? Sure, I read a lot of books from a lot of different authors, including at times books that I would never recommend to others but feel I need to expose myself to so that I am able to educate myself about what others in the Christian community are thinking (ex: Emergent material).

I by no means agree with the majority of what Emergent authors such as Brian McLaren or even Rob Bell say, but I do know how powerful their brand of 'Christianity' can be to the intellectually-stimulated. The only way I would suggest that one read The Shack, McLaren's books, Pagitt's books and or anything else from the Emergent crowd is for the sole purpose of discerning what this movement is all about and not for the sake of jumping on the bandwagon. Reading this kind of literature is not for the faint of heart and definitely not something I would recommend for new believers or those who are in a challenging part of their faith walk. I think we all could benefit, though, from knowing the doctrines being taught 'in Jesus name' (i.e. the Emergent stream, Gospel-lite stream, social gospel, etc.). We live in a time of syncretism, and we as believers of Jesus Christ and His saving power on Calvary, need to be able to stand up for Truth!

For me, right now I'm so busy with so much stuff that I'm focusing on filling my mind with the Word of God first and then books who speak Truth second. There's just not time for anything else. Not to say I think reading other things is wrong, as I just admitted I've done it many times, but it all goes back to priorities and the conviction the Holy Spirit has placed on me for this time in my life.

I don't know why I just told all of you all of that, but y'know, you wanted a post so now you have it! :)

Love and appreciate you all!

Amber

Non-profit coming!!

Important update:

Greetings, my friends! I wanted to let you know that as of yesterday, April 28, 2008, the Articles of Incorporation for Breathtaking Ministries, Inc. have been turned in and are now being processed by the state of Ohio! Breathtaking Ministries, Inc. should have 501©3 status by the end of May!

PRAISE THE LORD!

I want all of you to know that it’s not about ‘becoming a non-profit’, me (certainly not me!) or even the name ‘Breathtaking Ministries, Inc.’. As the Scriptures say, we are to die to self daily and continue to be conformed to our Savior, Jesus Christ. This whole ministry is about proclaiming the Lord’s glory by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ (us being saved from eternity apart from our Creator by grace through faith alone for the glory of God) and a proper theology of suffering. If I’m dead and gone tomorrow, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the message of God’s sovereignty and goodness amidst human suffering must go forward. Breathtaking and Breathtaking Ministries, Inc. are just two ways – of thousands – the Lord has ordained for this to occur.

I am just a mere vessel that is daily falling facedown before Him. I’m by no means perfect or even close. I can be the worst of Pharisees, the prodigal and/or the older brother in one day, and always very unworthy of the calling He has placed on my life. That’s why I need Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit working inside of me every single moment of every single day.

Your prayers sustain me!! THANK YOU for being willing to partner with me, as I proclaim who Jesus is and His desire to set us free (Is. 61:1-3) and not Amber Metz, Breathtaking, or Breathtaking Ministries, Inc. Again, if you still have questions regarding what we’re all about, please check out ‘The Mission’ on Breathtaking Ministries’ website. Also: I unfortunately didn’t receive any testimonials regarding how Breathtaking or Breathtaking Ministries, Inc. has encouraged or impacted lives. I know that we’re all on this together, and that you guys do believe that God is using this ‘proper theology of suffering’, so please just tell me how! J I don’t want endorsements for my self-esteem or even really ‘endorsements’ for Breathtaking. I’m looking for how the Lord has shown you what a proper theology of suffering looks like through the reading of the Word and the concepts brought up by the ministry. I hope that helps.

Please email me if you have any questions!!

*Please let me know how all of you are doing so I can pray for you efficiently!!

Help!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

G’morning, y’all!

I have a busy schedule ahead of me today, so I wanted to get this e-mail out before I forget! First of all, THANK YOU for praying for Breathtaking Ministries!! The Lord is moving in my heart and giving me more discernment when it comes to my personal life and the life of the ministry.

PLEASE DON’T STOP PRAYING!!

Some of asked other (not nearly as important) ways you can help the ministry right now:

A) Consider giving a word of testimony to Breathtaking Ministries regarding how Breathtaking and/or Breathtaking Ministries’ message of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ through a proper theology of suffering (i.e. the idea that God is sovereign and good no matter what our earthly circumstances and works everything out for our good and His glory) has impacted your life/relationship with Christ. We would like to use these testimonials on the new website and upcoming media tools!!! If at all possible, at least 10 different testimonies are needed!!
B) Get the word out!!
C) I know I’ve said it before, but write a review for Breathtaking on Amazon’s and/or Barnes and Noble’s website.

Email me at amber@ambermetz.com with any help you want to offer/questions you may have.

ABOVE ALL, JUST KEEP PRAYING!!!!

Back!

I'm back after spending a wonderful weekend at Liberty University with my friends, Leanna, Amber and Heather. Our mutual friend Jessica Baughman was kind enough to take us in! Here's a picture of all of us with Mark Hall, the lead singer of Casting Crowns. Mark is an incredibly humble man of God; that is what I admire about him and why I'm including this picture.

Me, Leanna, Mark, Jessica and Amber

While I was in Lynchburg, I was also able to catch up with my former youth pastor, John Harney, and his wife Angel. They both had a tremendous influence on me my freshman and sophomore year of high school, and it was a BLAST seeing them and their adorable children, Spencer (6) and Zach (4). I wish we had taken a picture! Ooops!

On a more important matter, I had a really refreshing time with the Lord while I was gone and feel more focused in a lot of areas in my life. Prioritizing is my #1 priority this week. I'm going to be looking at my daily schedule and seeing what needs A)eliminated B)moved to once-a-week and C)enhanced/re-focused. It may not make much sense to anyone but myself for now, but hey, that's ok! Please pray that I am open to the Lord's wisdom, as I seek HIS FACE above all else, even with the day-to-day grind. I didn't realize how much "stuff" was taking over my life until I really started analyzing what I do every day. Sure, most of it seems like very real, pressing matters, but is it? Does every email have to be answered right now? Does every phone call and voicemail have to be returned right away? I don't think so. Hitting closer to home, should checking my Facebook 3 or so times a day really be in my list of priorities? Absolutely not.

So, yeah, I'll be reading the Word, meditating upon it and praying a lot this week when it comes to how I organize my life. So many people want a piece of me right now, and there's just not enough 'Amber' to go around for everyone, I'm afraid. My Lord comes first. My family should come second, which doesn't happen often - at all. My inner circle comes third, which I put ahead of my family all too often. Of course the ministry the Lord has entrusted to me is right up there, too...but if I'm not completely in-tune with the Lord as my Lord (meaning 'Master'), I have no idea what to do or how to fulfill the calling He has placed upon my life.

I'm called first and foremost to be a daughter of the King, not just the 'Founder of Breathtaking Ministries'. If tomorrow the ministry has no partners, everyone forgets about my vision and stops praying, I'll be okay. You know why? Because I listened to the Lord 3 1/2 years ago and have been on a wild ride ever since. I know the Lord's voice. I heard my God and have been walking by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7) ever since. If you think I know what I'm doing, you're wrong. At the same time, if you think I don't know who my God is and who I am in Him, you're wrong again. I know Whose I am and I'm very sure He'll complete the work He started in me, whatever that may look like. As long as I continue to be obedient, I'm destined to do His will for His glory and His alone.

Tomorrow is web-site work. Lord-willing, that'll be done soon; it's just another thing I'd like to see crossed off of my list of 20,000 things to do. Before all that, though, I'll be spending my morning with Jesus, my best friend and One who doesn't contact me by just email or phone. He's the only One who knows my every thought, my every action past, present and future and still loves me more than I could ever imagine.

Thank you, Jesus, for setting me free. I am Yours. I am Yours.

Amber