Okay, I have to chime in about the Sabbath. Sabbath naps have always been of utmost importance in the Moore home. Mom was known to put a note on her door during her naptime reminding us of this fact. I’m sure I will take up this practice when I have children old enough to read. I don’t know about y’all, but I do not always wake up refreshed from my nap! More often than not, I need to have another quiet time to shake me out of the grumpies! But I usually eat a bowl of cereal in front of the TV until I snap out of it.

Yesterday I had a particularly inactive Sabbath since Jackson was sick during the night and he couldn’t go to church. After getting up about five times in the wee hours, He and I slept until 10:30! I felt like I was in college again.

By the time evening rolled around, I needed to get outside and see daylight. Perhaps I should have taken my mom’s words about enjoying a peaceful day to heart because our outing was a little more adventurous than we had planned.

Curtis, Jackson and I went for a leisurely stroll around the block – toddler in wagon, dog on leash, little plastic poop bag in back pocket because we’re responsible like that. We saw our two-doors-down neighbors greeting a visitor at their front door. I thought this might be a good time to make eye contact, smile, and wave since we’ve never properly met them. Suddenly their little black dog came running out of the house and jumped all over Beckham. Beckham went crazy because he is all about having fun and making new BFF’s. Curt stopped in his tracks so the owner’s son could catch their little dog and take him or her inside. And then our 80 pound golden retriever, a.k.a. the abominable snowman, a.k.a. jug head, squirmed out of his collar and RAN INTO THEIR HOUSE. AND CHASED THE LITTLE DOG THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVING ROOM. AND PEOPLE FLED THE HOUSE BECAUSE THEY WERE SO AFRAID. Nice to meet you, neighbors! Don’t mind us, we’re just training our dog to do some Sunday afternoon visitation!

I had such a fun birthday weekend. Friday night while Mom and Dad were at the taping, Curtis, Jackson and I went to a pumpkin patch. Jackson ran wild and wore us out beyond imagination.

Jackson did A LOT of running.

Like I said, A LOT of running.

He liked the scarecrow.

These were my pumpkin selections. Jackson was beginning to have a meltdown and the small pumpkin was about to be thrown.

Thank God for the wagons.

Must…escape…quickly!

On Saturday we headed over to the Life Today studios so that we could watch Mom from the greenroom, let her introduce Jackson to the audience, and meet some of our blog siestas who were there. It did not go as planned. We were running late and as soon as we walked in the door I took Jackson out to “meet” the audience. He is normally very outgoing and Mr. Smiley, but he got overwhelmed and started crying. He didn’t speak to me for a few hours after that. By the time we left, the greenroom had been completely toddler-proofed. He was really in no state to hang around and visit, so we slipped out after the session. I did, however, get to meet Anita from Kansas on the way out!

Mom on the TV in the greenroom.

Jackson, mad at his mother, was very enthusiastic about his daddy and his pappaw.

Mom is talking to Jackson through the TV.

That evening my parents babysat Jackson while Curt took me on a date. We went to one of my favorite restaurants in Dallas – Ziziki’s. It’s a Greek restaurant down in the Knox-Henderson area and I highly recommend it. We had Ziziki bread, chicken and mushroom fettuccine (not very Greek, but very good), and the crowning glory – baklava ice cream cake. It was so yummy!

When we walked in the front door at home, I immediately discerned that baking had occurred. It smelled so amazing! I could not believe that my mom taught all day long, then went grocery shopping, and baked me a cake. Have I mentioned before that my favorite food is cake? That was an unfortunate byproduct of my wedding planning days. I did not hesitate to have cake twice in one night. I was told that Jackson got to lick one of the beaters and that it was the highlight of his life so far. I don’t doubt it.

Let me tell you about my birthday cake. Mom bought icing and those little sugar decorations as well as color coordinating plates, cups, and napkins. She had grand visions of how it would look. Sadly, the icing did not cooperate. What was supposed to be “Happy Birthday Amanda” turned out to be “H B A.” See for yourself. You really should enlarge it for the full effect. It got us all really tickled. The cake may have lacked a tiny bit in visual impact, but it had a flavor anointing. Oh my word, it was good! I think the memory of my birthday cake will stick with me forever.

Go ahead. You can laugh with us.

One last thing. Jackson did not quite get his granny’s name down, but he did say Pappaw! He also tried, for the first time, to say/repeat “I love you.” He was practicing the sound of my mom’s name last night after she had gone, so I think we are close!

Hey, girls! I am so excited right now because (A) It feels somewhat like a
fall day in North Texas! AND (B) My parents are coming to visit this
weekend! Mom has a taping at Life Today, which is not far from my house.
Jackson and I will pick her up from the airport in about 8 hours. But who’s
counting? Jackson is suddenly saying lots of words and I can’t wait for him to
show off for her. Maybe he’ll even say her name this time!

My mom wanted me to ask you if you’d please come alongside her in prayer this
weekend for the taping. She is still amazed over the grace of God to have the
opportunity to serve with James and Betty and is getting to do the very thing
she loves most: encourage people who may never have been to Bible study in
their lives to develop a hunger and thirst to know Christ through Scripture.
She also loves the size of the studio audience and the fact that she can
actually touch the women she’s getting to teach.

In the midst of all these innumerable blessings is a very challenging taping schedule. She will prepare and deliver five different messages in a very short span of time. She also is dealing with a cold that Jackson dropped off at her house a few weeks ago. After going through the rest of the family, it finally landed on her
over the weekend. Please ask God to release her cold, relieve her cough, and
show His glory through her. You can imagine how important that will be on
Friday and Saturday when she is working her throat so hard. Even in normal
health, she is usually a bit hoarse by the end of these tapings. Pray that she will be well, energetic, and best able to serve. Mom told me that the last audience they had at a Life Today taping was her best yet. Please ask God to bring her another group like that one – very participatory and eager to get a Word. May the Spirit fall on them in an incredible way. Thank you so much, sisters. You have no idea how much she loves you. She will be greatly encouraged to know that you are praying.

There’s one other matter of prayer that I’d like to mention. We have an
extended family situation that has been a huge concern for at least five
years. Right now a dearly loved family member is in dire need of
deliverance. It could be getting very close to a life or death situation. I
know the power of your prayers because when you all prayed for my grandpa
earlier this summer, he had a recovery that was nothing short of a miracle. It
was as if Jesus pulled him up off of his death bed and gave him new life. He has not been this strong and joyful in many, many years. He is a sight to see! Praise God! And he cannot stop talking about what God has done for him. All that to say, I
am eager to ask for your prayers on behalf of our other loved one, too. I know our whole family could use an extra portion of faith and peace in the matter. As you all know, it can be hard to persevere in long-term, faith-filled prayer. May He give us all some fresh faith over our circumstances, in Jesus’ name!

Thank you, sisters! Y’all are simply amazing. And isn’t our Father the best?

We are now approaching the State Fair of Texas. You can see the giant Ferris wheel that I will never get on.

This is Big Tex. He waves his hand and talks.

This is the Cotton Bowl. It is a football field that houses the Red River Shootout between t.u. (University of Texas) and Oklahoma every year during the fair.

Fletcher’s Corny Dogs. This is the real deal.

We tried not to let the heat steal the joy of our battered and fried hot dogs. Thank God for Dr. Pepper.

The Chevrolet Main Stage. Notice that the stage is decorated with Chevys. Only in Texas.

If you ever went to a school dance in the 90s, you probably slow danced to a Boyz II Men song. And the last dance was most likely to “End of the Road.” Here are the Boyz Now Men.

They sang all our favorites and some classic Motown hits, which my mom and dad would have loved.

We had never been so hot in our lives. Here Curt is splashing some water on our little guy who was a CHAMP that day.

Little Hands on the Farm

Little Farmer Jones and his daddy got to feed chickens, milk a cow, plant carrots and harvest them, pick fruit, shear wool, load it all in a tractor, take it to market, and make a buck. It was all pretend but it was so much fun!

Jackson is buying a treat with the money he made as a farmer.

Bless her sweet heart.

I took this picture for mom because we both love baby donkeys.

130 pictures were taken at the fair on Saturday with my camera. This is one out of three that I appear in. Here I am telling Jackson that a donkey says, “HEE HAW! HEE HAW!”

Big Bird bit a girl’s finger only seconds before we took this. That’s why my boys are way off to the right.

What a fun day! We might have to go back for round two when it gets cooler. My mom was inspired by Big Tex to write this last year. Check it out. I think you’ll be blessed.

A few days ago I made (heated up in the oven) fish sticks for Jackson’s lunch for the first time. My mom is always joking about ridiculous things that should go in our baby books, so I sent her a text saying that I would have to stick some pictures of this momentous occasion in there. Let me tell you that my son loves food. There’s really nothing he won’t eat. That was until the fish sticks.

Here he is sitting down for some fine cuisine from the bounty of the sea. I took the first bite to show him how yummy the fish sticks would be.

Ooh! I love to dip things!

Open wide!

Hmmmmmmm…

I dont’ know, Mom.

Ewwwww…

I thought perhaps the camera was distracting my son from the joy of his fish sticks, so I put it down. I sat next to him and searched the Web for the perfect costume for him for Fall Festival. (I ordered a really cute one. I can’t wait!) Minutes later I noticed that all the fish sticks were gone. Then I got a clue and looked in the high chair seat. You guessed it – they were all stuffed down in there.

I would not be deterred. I broke the fish sticks into small pieces for his convenience. Then he pretended to pick up a piece between his fingers, put his fingers to his mouth, and said “Yummy!” And then he smiled and clapped for himself. Maybe I should put that in the baby book.

Here is the Nashville Deeper Still commissioning. Thanks so much for your patience! Our sweet Beth has been swamped. This comes from a blend of all three messages. It was based on the life of David and his summons of the Ark toward the end of his life.

My Dear Sister
Now it’s your turn
Take your Rhema
And obey it NOW!
No matter what awaits you
Or who doesn’t believe you
You are at a crossroad
Don’t miss God for the world!
Move past your offense
Forsake every stronghold
And go with God.
You are dearly loved
Completely forgiven
Deeply called
And thoroughly equipped
When you study God’s Word!
Get out there and live this thing
To the glory, honor, and supremacy
Of Christ Jesus, the King.
You go, Girl,
Deeper Still!
Because you are not a sissy!
God is with you
And your sister loves you.

After my high school graduation nine years ago (gasp!), I moved out of my parents’ home and planted myself in a place called Aggieland. That is, College Station, Texas – home of Texas A&M University and the Fightin’ Texas Aggies. Can I get a Whoop? Or at least an Amen? God gave me four life-changing years there. To the praise of His glory, the person who walked across the stage of Reed Arena and got her diploma in May of 2002 was very different from the 18-year-old kid who moved into Krueger Dormitory in August of 1998. Thank You so much, Jesus! I’m so happy that You did not leave me the way I was!

When I think about what God used to transform my life in those four years, undoubtedly the main factor was simply having a quiet time with Him each morning. And not just reading through a quick Scripture and a page of devotional material as I had done for years before, but a time in the morning when I settled the issue of Who was in control that day. When I faced the critical moment of choosing to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus or to the control of my flesh. God did such a work in me through my mom’s book Whispers of Hope, which I like to call The Purple Book. It’s a devotional journal that was brand-new at the time. I practically have it memorized now. I have gone through lots of devotional books over the years but it remains my favorite.

I had gotten the quiet time routine down over the years and had grown quite proud of my discipline. (Which is laughable because I never finish a Bible study that I don’t HAVE TO finish because I’m leading it. Oh, the irony of me being a Bible study writer’s daughter!) I remember a friend telling me that she had been struggling with having her quiet time lately and wondering how, this far into her walk with the Lord, she could struggle with something so basic. Awful! I know, my pride is shocking! It was a horrible thing for me to think. But don’t you worry, because the Lord took care of my self-righteous heart.

Not long after that, motherhood threw my devotional life into a complete tailspin. I struggled for a long time – longer than I care to admit – with “something so basic.” When our resource director mailed me a copy of the new devotional journal, David: 90 Days With a Heart Like His, I was tremendously excited to have a new start. I have had the most success with the format my mom uses in her devotional books and I had real hope that there might be 90 days of victory ahead of me. Well, it took me a little longer than 90 days, but the Lord won the battle for me. I just finished the book and I feel back on track in my devotional life, which means everything is going better. Hard times come and go, hormones rise and fall. But when the foundation of daily surrender and the filling of the Spirit are there, getting through the day is a lot easier and more enjoyable. Now can I get an Amen?

I had a feeling of dread when I realized I was getting down to the last 10 days of David. What on earth would I do next? I needed a devotional journal! Quick! That very day – that VERY DAY – the UPS man made a stop at my house and delivered an unexpected package from LPM. Inside was a copy of Jesus: 90 Days With The One and Only. Someone give Him some glory! I am definitely in need of some time with The One and Only! I had no idea there was going to be another devotional like David, although it does say “Personal Reflection Series” on the cover. That should have given me a clue. But hey, I’ve never claimed to have a lot of common sense.

So this morning was Day 1. What’s really cool is that I’ll be finishing up in December. It will be an extra-sweet Christmas season after spending 90 days meditating on the person of Christ each morning. I am so happy about this book that I just had to share it with you. If I didn’t know we had a devotional book about Jesus until it arrived at my doorstep, maybe you didn’t know either. My desire is never to sell you a product, but I have a feeling a few of you are like me and could use some good ideas for daily devotionals that put you in God’s Word. Maybe you’ve been using a devotional book that has really encouraged you in your own walk with Christ. By all means, share the wealth with your Siestas! Just keep in mind that the mention of a book in our comment section is not an LPM endorsement of a book or author’s doctrine.

I’m sure many of you have already seen the Nashville recap video on the Deeper Still blog, but if you haven’t you can view it here. Hopefully we will have the commissioning for you in the next few days. Have a great Monday!

Jesus: 90 Days With The One and Only
Personal Reflection Series

We have been counting down the months, weeks, days, and now hours until our Fall Semester Bible Study kickoff for Esther. Praise the Lord! It’s finally here!

Needless to say, it is a very big day for LPM. I know all my c0-workers are in overdrive getting ready to fill their various roles tonight. My mom has been studying and praying all morning. My sister will be initiated into her first “first night of Bible study” as an official employee. Diane is getting boxes and boxes of inventory loaded into her Suburban to set out at the product table. And right now our Bible study coordinator, Jennifer Hamm, is probably power walking all over that church with a walkie talkie in hand.

We covet your prayers as we prepare for this evening. Our Tuesday night Bible study is extremely important to all of us. Getting to wash the feet of these precious ladies and serve up the Word of God on a silver platter is an incredible joy and privilege. This Tuesday night teaching series will also serve as the taping for Esther. In other words, what our girls see and hear will be what you see and hear when you view the Esther DVDs one day. The taping environment brings my mom’s stress level up several notches. Please ask God to give her peace, anointing, and focus. Thanks so much, ladies!

Why don’t we just make it Pray for Your Bible Study Leader Day? I know many of your groups are just starting or have just recently started. Most of us can relate to the nervous excitement that you feel in those first few weeks. Whoever your leader is – or maybe you are the leader – lift her up by name at this time. One of my best friends, Janelle, is leading a Precepts study that begins tonight, and I will meet my MOPS leader for the first time tomorrow morning. So I will be praying for my mom, Janelle, and my MOPS leader Amy today. Who are you praying for?

Check out the updates on the Deeper Still Blog.

How many of you are going to Deeper Still this weekend? There is going to be a siesta meetup on Saturday during the break. Check out the Deeper Still blog for more info. Y’all have fun now, you hear?