Author Archive

This One’s For the Birds

Jackson and Bibby out in Bibby’s backyard throwing the red ball to Star who retrieves it and drops it at our feet no less than thirty times. Jackson keeps glancing at St. Francis statue in flower bed right beside us. Has no idea who the dude in the robe is. Bibby can tell his mental wheels are turning. He keeps throwing ball. Finally stops and stares at St. Francis, brow furrowed, giving the scene some deep thought. Obviously reflects back on the pictures in his Jesus Storybook Bible that Daddy reads him every night. Finally breaks silence:

“Bibby?”

“Yes, Baby?”

“Birds love Jesus.”

Killed me. I’m not letting anybody tell him that’s St. Francis out there. It’s Jesus from now on. After all, who else dresses like that? And, anyway, the birds love Him.

And speaking of birds, one of our most popular LPM staff members who is famous around here first of all for her prayer life but second of all for her hilarious, endearing malapropisms (as in, “I’m just saliva-tating for a work of the Spirit!”) and who will yet remain unnamed, was standing next to me yesterday after I dropped a beautiful glass statuette gift we’d just received on the marble floor in ten thousand pieces. Crestfallen, I said, “I’m such an idiot.” To which she said with all the love and emotion and encouragement in the world and in front of most of the staff, “You are most certainly not! You are blessed and highly feathered!”

Yes. Feathered.

Amanda posted this for me because I’m not good at downloading pictures but it’s from me. Your own Siesta Mama. Although Amanda is blessed and highly feathered, too.

Jackson with the St. Francis/The Birds Loving Jesus statue on Easter

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Converge!

Hey, Siestas! I can’t believe I’ve let the 1st of December hit before inviting you to please come Converge with us! I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to serve with my dear brother, Travis Cottrell, and our LPL praise team at this Christmas celebration in Houston, Texas. AND, if you think you can bear it, God opened the door for us to have as our special guest vocalist (drum roll please), the reigning Queen of my IPOD (cymbals and dance), CeCe Winans! Don’t even tell me you can resist that kind of joy.

Our hope is to see lots of people converge in the Berry Center that night that normally might not worship and get in the Word together. We’re planning to make Jesus some room and get a fresh glimpse of His glory. We’re counting on being on His Christmas speaking schedule this season. The evening just wouldn’t be the same without a heaping helping of Siestaville. (I just got a flashback of a bunch of our Canadian Siestas at a recent event with their Canadian flags. Yes, they gave me one and, yes, I stuck it in my big hair. I wish so much it weren’t so far and you could wave those flags in the Lone Star State, eh! We’d welcome you with open arms!)

If the trip is at all doable, you can throw some great Tex Mex and terrific Christmas shopping into it. There are sales all over Houston, the malls are fabulous and it’s not 105 degrees. Nor are you liable to get snowed in. THIS, Siestas, is the time to come to Houston, Texas! No hurricanes in sight. Just a Lone Star that we hope will shine bright over the city that night.

Come on and join us if you can, and if you can’t, we’ll miss you and take a raincheck. Sure love you darling things.

*Click here for FAQ’s*

*Click here to order tickets*

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Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Let the giving of thanks and the feasting begin! Happy Thanksgiving week, everyone! LPM is closed for the week, so I’m not sure how much activity there will be on the blog. I definitely want to take advantage of our five days off. What a blessing! You know what is so awesome? My hubby has these five days off, too! So for the first time in our marriage, we have a whole week off of work to just spend at home. We are normally in Wyoming or Missouri for Thanksgiving, but this year we just get to have a staycation.

I feel certain that these three things will happen this week:
1) Our Christmas lights, Clark Griswold style, will go up. Curtis normally does this over a span of several days. Our little oak tree was completed last night. I’m looking forward to seeing his “vision” for our new house come into fruition.
2) I will make butterscotch haystacks with the intention of taking them to our neighbors. Hopefully I won’t get lazy and keep them all! That would not be good for Pregnant Girl’s figure.
3) We will get some work done on Jackson’s big boy room and the baby’s nursery. And by work I mean we will order some furniture, which we should have done long ago.

As for the rest of the Moore clan, my parents have been at their ranch since Friday. I spoke to my dad this morning and he said they weren’t ready to come home and, in fact, they just wanted to live there forever. (My mother later debunked this statement. They’re coming home tomorrow.) I simply cannot imagine my mom living in a place where there are no people to witness her good hair days and well accessorized outfits. She needs witnesses! And I’m not talking about deer, steer, and wild hogs.

Melissa and Colin are saving their travel days for Christmas, so they are not coming home for Thanksgiving. We’ll miss them so much, but they will be spending Thursday with some dear friends and will have a blast.

Also – this is so exciting – Curtis and I are expecting to get a phone call any day that his sister is in labor with her firstborn. We can’t wait to meet our sweet little nephew.

Have a great Monday, friends!

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Intro to Esther

Some of our LifeWay peeps let us know that as of yesterday, the Intro Session for Esther was the number 1 Christian “album” on iTunes. Isn’t that wild? Way to go, Mom! Lissa and I always knew you were a rock star!

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Jackson’s Red Banoon

Yesterday after church, Curtis, Jackson and I had a yummy lunch at Luby’s Cafeteria with all the other church-going folks on this side of town. As we were leaving, Jackson was given a big red balloon on a string. It was his joy and his delight. Let me just say that his joy and delight are fragile things. Having seen this particular joy swept away in the wind too many times before, I tied the balloon onto his clothes to keep him from losing it. Of course he had a fit about that. My banoon, Mommy! My banoon! He wanted all the control in his sweaty little hand! To my very great surprise, the balloon actually survived the trip home. It was still intact this morning and he enjoyed several more hours with it. He loved it so much. I cringed though, seeing my son get all of this happiness from something so fragile and temporary. It would only be a matter of time before it popped or sprung a leak out of nowhere. Then I’d have a sad, sad boy on my hands.

I think God must look at me in the same way when I’m trying to get my joy and happiness out of earthly things. I wonder if He thinks, Oh, baby girl, that is so temporary. It’s already got a leak in it – you just can’t see it yet. Find your joy in me! I’m everlasting! My unfailing love it what your heart truly seeks.

So today I’ll remember that my beautiful white house, compliments I may get because of this or that, my cute new maternity clothes, the holiday atmosphere that will soon surround us – all of these things I like and love so much – are about as safe for my heart to depend on as a simple latex balloon. These things add color and festivity to my life, but they are not sturdy enough to support my soul. There’s only One who is, and He’s more than willing to do it for me! He wants to! Thank You, Lord!

What a man desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar. (Proverbs 19:22)

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption. (Psalm 130:5-7)

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. (Psalm 33:18)

In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you. (Psalm 33:21-22)

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Last Day of Filming and Help With Your Questions

Woo hoo! The Moore family is celebrating today because we are getting our wife/mom/Bibby home tonight! Today is the last day of taping (intros and outros) for Breaking Free. Mom told me that the weather has been absolutely perfect for the intros and outros, which have been filmed outside. So that is a big praise. Thank you – each and every one of you – for praying for this taping. It has been a big undertaking and the Lord has shown His sufficiency and supremacy.

It helps to go over blog housekeeping guidelines periodically since (thankfully!) we have new readers joining us all the time. Your sisters at LPM are happy to help answer your questions as best as we can, but the blog is probably the least efficient way to do that. So if you have a question about anything, please use the Contact Us page on our web site instead of asking it in the comments section. There is a permanent link to it on the left side of our blog for your convenience.

I hope you all have a beautiful, peaceful, Christ-filled Monday!
Love,
Amanda

PS – I thought you might like to see the little diva boots that Aunt Melissa got Baby Girl! They’re so adorable!

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Power Outage

UPDATE: The power is back on! Praise the Lord! Thank you for your prayers!
Prayer Warriors, there’s been a power outage in the sanctuary at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church. It happened in the beginning of the filming of Session 9. They’ve sent everyone away for an hour. Please pray! Thanks!

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Message Preparation

Hi friends. Mom and I have been sending text messages back and forth for the last few minutes. She’s having to prepare four messages today to get ready for tonight’s and tomorrow morning’s sessions. I don’t know how she does it! Only the Lord! If you wouldn’t mind, would you lift up this preparation time to the Lord?

After these sessions, she will stay in New Orleans and film intros and outros until Monday. Looking at it that way, she is about halfway through. I’m sure she could really use a big gust of the Spirit’s wind to carry her on. Thanks for investing in this taping with your prayers, sisters!
We love you,
Amanda

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New Orleans Update

I just got to talk to my mom and wanted to give everyone an update. It sounds like things are going very well so far at the Breaking Free re-taping. Mom said it was a true miracle of God, possibly even a sign of the return of our Lord, that she has stayed within her 60 minute time limit for all three sessions. (Kidding. Let’s not get a letter circulating!) That has never happened even one time in all of her tapings! When she goes over her allotted time, it always makes things harder on the editors and on Beth herself because they have to hack away at the lesson. So praise God with us for this miracle and let’s ask Him to keep it up!

One prayer request for today is for plenty of energy and rest. Mom slept very little last night. She went to bed around 11 p.m. and woke up at 2 a.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep. She really struggles with sleep after she teaches at night, whether at a Living Proof Live event, a taping, or even Tuesday night Bible study. She gets really wired and her mind can’t stop teaching. She is teaching two sessions each evening for this taping, so it’s twice as challenging. Even though she’s tired, she is in very good spirits and is believing God to give her everything she needs for tonight.

Please ask God to keep her in good health. Also pray that all 11 sessions will have the full energy of the Holy Spirit. Pray that not one of them will drop, in Jesus’ name!

Several of our siestas are attending the taping, including JennyHope, who keeps everyone in stitches. I’ve even heard a rumor that she may have bequeathed a jumbo pencil and back scratcher to Beth. (Maybe she will enlighten everyone who wasn’t at the Siesta Fiesta as to the significance of this gift.) If any of our other siestas attending the taping are online today, let us know you’re there. Mom wants a list of names!

Y’all should know that my husband Curtis is normally the first person to complete my mom’s Bible studies (that we know of), but we think JennyHope is going to have him beat on Esther. Jenny has confessed to having stalked her LifeWay store until she got her copy. I’m not sure Curtis is going to do Esther: It’s tough being a woman. But if he does, he can write “It’s tough being married to a woman” on the cover.

Thanks for your prayers, ladies! They really do make a huge difference. We love y’all!

PS – We should be hearing from Melissa soon!

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Batman Forever!

These are not the best pictures, but I thought I’d share some from our church’s annual Fall Festival. Jackson wore a Batman costume and HE LOVED HIMSELF. He really had no idea what he was, but he was completely energized by his built-in muscles, cape, and mask.

Right before the fun began.

Batman flexing his bat muscles.

One of the highlights of Batman’s night was a baby pool filled with balls. He worked himself into a frenzy. Look at his red face.

As I ironed my son’s costume that evening, I realized I should have dressed as Alfred. But that would have been quite a stretch for Pregnant Girl.

Upon seeing the two firetrucks, one with a giant ladder reaching into the sky, I asked Jackson if this was the happiest day of his life. He said yes.

My, how things change! Look at my child’s face. Sheer terror. Someone blasted the other fire truck’s horn when we were standing right by it. It was L-O-U-D.

Don’t tell Jackson that the Batmobile isn’t an inflatable red car.

Batman’s smooth exit from the Batmobile.

What can Batman conquer next?

Here are some pics from Fall Festivals Past, AKA “the years when mommy got to dress Jackson however she wanted.” We are currently in the superhero-for-boys/Disney- princess-for-girls years of toddlerhood.

The first year Jackson was a frog.

Last year Jackson was a golfer. I could have eaten him up with a spoon.

Next year I’ll have another little one to dress!

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