Friday, April 30, 2010

God's Call Speaking at Shoreline Retreat



I posted about this earlier this week but wanted
to post it one more time so that we can be covered
in prayer. Every time I speak, I ask for prayer
because I would never want to share God's Word and
truth with others without being covered in prayer.

We will be speaking Friday night and Saturday:

If you could lift us up in prayer, it would be so
much appreciated!

Friday night: Alisa is speaking

Saturday Morning: Mariah is speaking

Saturday afternoon: Zsanae and I are speaking.

Please pray that God will work in mighty ways in our
lives and in the lives of others! I pray that He
will work in your life in mighty ways as well!

This is the verse I lean on when I speak:

1 Cor 2:4,5
"My message and my preaching were not with wise
and persuasive words, but with a demonstration
of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might
not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

6th Grade Softball Project


Last week I did an interview for a 6th grade GATE
Passion Project with Jessica (to my right in the
yellow shirt). She had to video tape
an interview and brought along some softball
friends to take part in the interview and ask
questions. They had a lot of realy good questions!

They asked when I started playing and how I
was invited to make the Olympic Team. They also
asked if it was hard not to get mad when a
teammate would make an error. I told them
that whoever makes the error feels horrible so
we need to encourage that person. They also
asked about how to respond when you are not
playing well. I told them that you need to
use your failures as learning experiences and
try to make adjustments. This game can be
hard- really hard at times. We need to remember
it is just a game. When you are not doing well,
go back to the fundamentals and focus on what
you can control. It's all about the little things.
If you do the little things right, then you will
start to have success. We can control our focus,
attitude, how hard we are trying and how we treat
our teammates. I had a good time talking with these
girls- I could see how much they love softball
already! I hope Jessica gets a good grade and I
hope the girls put this talk into action on the
field! Having fun is the #1 tip I could give to
all of them!

Monday, April 26, 2010

What the Bible says about your HEART

The Bible talks A LOT about the HEART! In fact
the word heart occurs in the Bible 836 times
in 775 verses! That is A LOT!

What does it say about the heart?

Well, here are just a few examples:

Deut 4:29: ". .seek the LORD your God, and
you will find Him if you seek Him with all
your heart and with all your soul."

Deut 6:5: "You shall love the LORD your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, and
with all your strength."


Deut 11:6: "Take heed to yourselves, lest your
heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve
other gods and worship them,"

Psalm 81:12: "So I gave them over to their own
stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels."

Proverbs 4:23: "Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life."

Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all
things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"


Luke 6:45: "The good man brings good things out
of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil
man brings evil things out of the evil stored up
in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart
his mouth speaks."

OK, those are just a few of the examples, but
clearly even just these few show that there
is both good and bad in our hearts. In one
verse it says the heart is deceitful, but in
the next verse it talks about it being the
wellspring of life. Luke 6:45 rings true for
what happens in our lives when we become followers
of Jesus Christ and allow Him to lead in our
lives. It says that good comes out of a good
heart and evil comes out of an evil heart. Even
the kindest people have evil in their hearts
(pride, anger, lust, etc) until Jesus comes in.
The funny thing is that you don't think there is
evil in your heart until you make Jesus the Lord
of your life. When I did that, I started to see
how sinful I really was and how much I needed
God to change my life from the inside ( my heart)
out. My thoughts, words and actions slowly
began to change and much more good was coming
out of me when I started living my life to honor
God. I still struggle in areas and ask God to
cleanse me and forgive me and most importantly
change me in those areas. I want my speech to
glorify God, and I want my actions to glorify
God. The hardest part is trying to have all
my thoughts glorify God! I am a work in progress,
but pro-gress is all about moving forward and
making changes in a positive direction.

So about our hearts, what goes in is what is
going to come out. What are we listening to,
watching, thinking about, spending our time
and money on? What goes in, will come out.
God promises that if His truth (Bible), His
love and power, and His Holy Spirit are in us,
GOOD will come out of our HEARTS! And it tells
us that what comes out of our mouths will prove
that good is in us. Wow, convicting and a good
challenge for all of us to put more of God's
Word in us so that's what comes back out. Will
you step up to this challenge? I WILL! Let's
do it together!!!

Let your HEART testify to how great your God is!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Shoreline Women's Spring Retreat

This upcoming weekend I will be speaking at
Shoreline Women's Spring Retreat with my
girls from God's Call.



We are so excited to see what God is going to
do. The theme of this event is "Growing Deeper"
and we will talk about the steps that it takes
to grow deeper in your relationship with Jesus
Christ and flourish in your life! God desires
for all of us to thrive and to blossom, but
sometimes things get in the way of that happening.
We can all be encouraged to prepare the "soil"
in our hearts to receive what God has for us.
We need to "keep the pests out of the garden"
and "have proper nutrients" in order to grow
strong.

My topic is "Flourish in the Garden". I will talk
about flourishing "God's Way" which is very
different than the world's way. When we flourish,
We: 1. Shine God's Beauty all around us; 2. Are
a Sweet-Smelling Fragrance; 3. Help Others To
Flourish; 4. Are a Covering for Others; 5. Leave
a Legacy that people remember for a long time.

God put some pictures in my mind about His creation.
The idea of different flowers that together make
a garden colorful and beautiful; just like God's
children with their unique giftings. The smell from
a flourishing rose is so amazing! Our words of
truth can be so refreshing to others. A field of
wildflowers reminds me of the picture of unity
when believers join together. A strong tree
provides shade for others who are weak or weary-
and our prayers are heard by God and we intercede
for those people who are lost and hurting. When
our time is over on this earth and
flowers start to fade, the memory of what we've
left behind will impact those whose lives we've
touched! They will remember God's beauty and love
in our lives if we live a life that is flourishing
for God!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Hard Work Pays Off (And Falls Off)

OK my husband is probably going to kill me
for posting this but I just have to do it
because I am so proud of him! He has been
working so hard to lose weight! Actually
he and a group of friends have been working
hard- and the weight is falling off of
them! I wish I had pictures from other
people taking the challenge in the "Belly
Beatdown" as they call it! Yes, they even
have a blog and every week they weigh in
and the % of weight they have lost is
reported. The competition started in Jan
and ends May 14th. They have to lose a
total of at least 10% body weight or they
lose the TV for a full month! Talk about
incentive! Well, you can see how hard Tommy
has been working (and maybe even how much
he LOVES his TV :) ), but either way- it
is paying off! He has lost almost 30 lbs-
all by watching what he's eating- and with
Nutri-System. Maybe we can get him on a
commercial one of these days :)!

I just thought I'd post a before picture:
Christmas 2009

and after:




Easter 2010

Hard work and Team work will always lead you
to positive results!

Friday, April 23, 2010

First Pitch at Angel Stadium

A couple weeks ago I was invited to throw out the
1st pitch by ASA (Amateur Softball Association).
It was ASA night at the ballpark which means there
were lots of little softball players in the stands!
A group of softballers were able to go out on the
field and field some balls in the outfield, and
another group was able to go into the Angels dugout
and get a bunch of autographs. The So. Cal ASA
group works hard and does so much for our great
sport of softball. I had a really good time. Here
are some pictures of the night!

"Aunt Robyn" (Worth Rep and family friend) was a part
of ASA night and played catch with the softball players
in the outfield. She made Luke very happy by bringing
him a birthday gift to the field!

Robyn and I became friends when I started speaking
at Opening Day Ceremonies and when I was under
contract with Worth. She is like one of our family!

The boys and cousin, Tristan, waiting in the stands
while we were hanging out on the field.

Walking out to the mound

I tried to have good form and throw it easy and my
plan back-fired! I short-hopped the catcher! I'm
throwing it as hard as I can if I ever get a chance
again!

Apologizing to Terry Evans for giving him a
short-hop! Those are the worst to catch!
He was a good sport!

Making friends :)

Talking with Arte Moreno (Angels Owner) and
ESPN Basketball Analyst, Doug Gottlieb (he
was the "official" 1st pitch of the night).
They were both very friendly. Arte Moreno
went to college at the U of A like I did and
is a proud fellow Wildcat!

Robyn took a picture of me with Doug.

When I was signing some autographs for the
softball girls, a security guard came and
said that Ben Sheets said to come over to
the A's dugout when I had a chance. Ben
is a pitcher for the A's that I met in the
2000 Olympics. He pitched the Gold Medal
Game for Team USA that year when they won
the Gold! We hung out with the baseball
team and Tommy Lasorda at those Olympics.
It was so fun to catch up for a few minutes.
He reminded me that it's been 10 years since
those games! Crazy!

I took a couple pictures with the softball
players who went out on the field.

And signed a few autographs.

Then the fun began!!! We went up to the ASA
Suite for the game. We had lots of yummy food and
all different kinds of dessert!

My nephew, Tristan (1), had fun running all
around the suite!

It was fun to hang out with my sister's family
for the night!

I had a great time and am thankful to So. Cal ASA for
asking me to throw out the 1st pitch! I'll always
remember it.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

A Biblical Look at Earth Day


I saw this posted on Facebook by Bridget and
after reading it, definitely feel exactly the
same way about the earth and what the Bible
teaches about it so I thought I'd share it.
(Thanks for sharing Bridget).

How 'Green' is God?

A Biblical Look at Earth Day

These days, it is very popular to “go green,”
and many will be observing Earth Day on April
22 in various ways. What is God’s perspective
of this? Read below to explore what Scripture
tells us about how we are to care for earth…and
one another.

By Joy Allmond

The very first thing the Bible tells us, in
Genesis 1:1-2, is that God created the heavens
and the earth. Later in the chapter (1: 31),
Scripture tells us that His creation brought
Him good pleasure.

We Are Earth’s Stewards

Everything God does is primarily to reveal
His glory, but it is also for the benefit
of those He loves, which is everyone. One of
those things is His creation of earth. In the
first part of Genesis 1:28, God tells Adam and
Eve, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the
earth, and subdue it.”

One of God’s many gifts to us is our land.
Earth is crucial to our very livelihood, as
it houses food, such as fruits, vegetables
and meats for us to eat. It also produces
water, which we could not live without
consuming. It is clear to see that earth
is quite valuable to God, not only because
He created it with His very hands. He also
values it because it sustains life for the
created beings He loves most – you and me.

He has given us the responsibility to plant
the food, raise the animals and keep the
water clean, all for our own good and
sustenance. But, the most important way we
can maintain His creation is through spiritual
preservation – investing our time, money and
other resources into things of eternal
significance: souls.

Our Place

While God takes pleasure in our stewardship
of His creation, He wants us to take care of
one another first. We must be careful not to
place more importance on plants and animals
than on human life. And we must refrain from
giving nature God’s rightful place in our
lives – the center of our worship.

In the second part of Genesis 1:28, God tells
Adam and Eve to “Rule over the fish of the sea
and of the birds of the air and over every living
thing that moves on the earth.” As humans, we are
created in God’s image. No other living being –
no plant or animal – has this quality. So, as we
bear this divine image given to us, we are to
rule over God’s created order.

While this does not give us the right to destroy
earth through carelessness, this passage contradicts
the school of thought by some conservationists that
humans have no dominion over nature, that humans
and nature have equal footing. Furthermore, we are
blatantly told in Matthew 6:26 that God values us
more than His own creation:

“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow,
nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than
they?”

As believers in Christ, we are heirs and stewards
of the beautiful creation God has given us. But,
we also need to live in a way that is consistent
with God’s heart and mind. Human beings are much
more of a precious resource to God than the rest
of His physical creation.

Besides, “Christ died for us while we were still
sinners” (Romans 5:8). That is the ultimate
indicator of our value. To God, we are worth
the life of his perfect Son.

*All Scripture references are taken from the New
American Standard Bible.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Just some thoughts

Life is short, so live it to the fullest.
We are not guaranteed tomorrow. What difference
are we making today? Don't live with regrets,
love with all your heart, laugh often, learn
through the hard stuff, but always keep your
eyes on the prize: Eternal life with the
Creator God, our Heavenly Father. There is
only ONE TRUE God, and that is the God of
the Bible. He created the heavens and the
earth and He created you and me! He loves us
and desires to be close to us. He wants the
very best for us. He just wants us to seek
Him with all our hearts, with all our souls
and with all our minds. When we do that, our
perspective changes to His perspective. We
see more clearly, the way we are supposed to
see things. By drawing close to God we realize
how much we need a Savior and how much we
want to change so we can always bring glory to
God.

When we die, we won't worry about what we were
wearing, how expensive that car was, how we paid
the bills, how big our house was, how perfect (or
bad) our kids acted, what grades we got in school,
how much money we made and the list goes on and
on. All that will matter is if we knew and
trusted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.
That's it- nothing else will matter. We can't
take anything with us when we die- only people
will go, so let's live out a life that shines
for Jesus so they will follow Him and inherit
the kingdom of God when they die too.

Why this post? I have known a number of people
who have died young. God knew that was the time
for them to see Him, even if it was too early for
all of us. It reminds me to live in a way so that
I am ready to see God at any moment. Just this
weekend a friend from Bible study had a huge
scare- her husband collapsed and had a heart
attack while running (he is a police officer).
He is recovering (Praise God!) and she is trying
to get rest (she is pregnant). At one point he
was on life support. The Dr. said that it is a
miracle that He does not have brain damage, kidney
damage (he had kidney failure), and heart damage.
Our God is a God of miracles! That is the God I
serve, follow and love! He has given life to each
of us as a gift. Use your gift of life to be a
blessing to others! Show them Jesus- nothing else
will matter in the end.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Cardinals T-Ball


Drew's team is the St. Louis Cardinals. He is having
fun with his new friends on his team. He picked #20
to be like his mom!

All the kids sit down and wait for their turn to hit.
Can you imagine the chaos if we let 12 little 4 and
5 yr. olds just hang out together in a dugout?!

Once they hit, they run the bases. Drew likes to do
a Home Run trot to each base and has no concept of
the word "sprint".

On defense they take turn playing different positions.
Sometimes they think it's tackle baseball and then
they remember that the other player in red is on the
same team :)

Fielding is getting better. The form is there, now
we just need to work on moving to the ball when it's
not right to them.

Throwing is getting better every day. Drew does a
good job of keeping his elbow high but likes to
throw it in the dirt a lot! Sounds like ME throwing
out the 1st pitch at Angel Stadium last week (pictures
coming soon).

The kids are learning a lot this season. Today we had
our first pizza party and there were 10 little ones
running wild at the pizza place. This is just the
beginning!

GO CARDINALS!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Letters to God



Tonight I went to see the movie, "Letters to God"
with a couple friends. I had heard it was a very
good movie put out that shared messages from
the Bible but had no idea what the movie was
actually about.
As I sat and watched this movie about an 8-yr.
old boy fighting for his life with cancer, I could
not help but think of the people I have been
praying for who have also been/are in the battle
for their lives. I cried (A LOT) and as
a mom I just wanted to come home and hug my boys.
I wanted to tell them, "I don't care how naughty
you are at times, and when I discipline you it's
because I love you, but I want you to know most
of all that I love you with all my heart!"

Many times I feel like I'm constantly having to
tell them to pick up their toys and stop talking
back and to stop hitting eachother. Well, I am
doing that constantly because I have three energetic
and strong-willed boys. I just want them to know
how much they are loved. I want them to grow into
godly men and learn lessons now so they won't have
to later.

After a movie like that, PERSPECTIVE is the word
I walk away with. At the end of the day and at
the end of our lives, all that matters is who
God is in our lives and who we shared God's love
with.

It makes me think of

Brielle Murray who was recently healed of her
cancer

and also

Daisy Love Merrick (5) who had a tumor removed
last summer and is just finishing up her chemo
treatments

and

Dylan Davis (3 yrs.) who had a tumor in his leg
and tumors in his stomach and is now finishing up
chemo treatments and has no more tumors

and

Charles Luna (in his 40's) who had a brain tumor
removed and is on the road to recovery!

God is good, no matter what we go through. He is
with us and wants to help us through it all. Life is a
gift from God. Thank Him for it and all the other
blessings. . .I know I will!

A Note of Encouragement

I have had opportunties to talk to people of all
ages in many different places and I wanted to
share a note I received last year from a HS
student in NY. I believe God allows me the
opportunity to share His love with others and
believe that seeds are planted each time we
share about Him. Many times I don't know how
it affects people and I just pray that God will
work in the lives of those I spoke to. This was
one of those times that a young girl took the
time to share what God had done in her life when
I spoke. I was so encouraged by this!

Leah:
I would first off like to thank you for coming
out and speaking at our school and coaching our
softball clinic. I would personally like to say
that you are an amazing inspiration. I have
accepted Jesus into my heart, however over the
years I have strayed away from that path. Hearing
you give that speech at our school really made me
realize that everything is possible through Christ.
You are 100% right we can make a difference, and we
should never give up on our dreams. Seeing all
that you have gone through and accomplished is just
amazing. You coming to our school was just the push
I needed to lead me back to Jesus, and have Him back
in my life. I would just like to thank you for
opening my eyes once again to having faith in my
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, from the bottom of my
heart, Thank You.

*She also enclosed a picture we took the night before.
This is a note and picture I will keep as an
encouragement to me.

I was so thankful to receive this letter. We never
know how our words will impact others. This is a
reminder to keep speaking truth, love and Jesus to
those I meet. Encouragement will always lift us up
and remind up about what is most important.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Team Frostbite Softball

This weekend I worked with a Chino Hills Girls
Softball 10&U Team. I am friends with the Millers
and go to church with them and Mackenzie is on this
team.

We started with throwing and defense and then we put
them on the field and I threw front toss to the hitters
so we could do game situations. I always try to tell the
girls that it's all about FUNDAMENTALS! Afterward I spoke
to the girls, took pictures with them and signed autographs.

It was such a clear and cool evening! After we finished
at the field, my husband, kids and I all headed to the
Millers house for some amazing ribs and dessert! A great
treat to end the fun day at the field! Good luck Team
Frostbite!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Little extra Birthday fun for Lukey

On Thursday, Luke's actual birthday, we spent the
day at the beach with friends and family. It was
the most beautiful day to be out by the water!

We went to Red Robin on Friday for a Birthday lunch,

and a Birthday Sundae!

On Saturday we finished Luke's celebrations!

He finally got his wish for cupcakes for his birthday!
Thanks to Grandma, they were looking very cute!

He made another Birthday wish!

And he enjoyed his night being a Big 3-year-old!

On Sunday, my awesome Mother-in-law, Suzanne, celebrated
her Birthday! We love you! Happy Birthday Mom/Nana. We
wish we could have seen you on your birthday but we will
have to wait til June! Looking forward to spending time
with the whole family in Florida!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Heart of a Princess Event: Coming in May!


May 21: 7-10pm; May 22: 6-9pm

A group of High School/College Girls are putting
on an event for Jr. High and High School Girls!
Ontario Christian High School is hosting the event
and it is only $5 for both nights! We will be posting
information soon on Facebook and printing flyers to
hand out to everyone you know! We will have amazing
worship both nights, speakers, interviews, Q&A session,
and discussion time! We are going to get REAL and talk
about the challenges we face in the world, but also about
how to overcome these challenges and be victorious through
Jesus Christ!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Happy 3rd Birthday Luke Matthew Amico!

3 years ago today Luke was born on Easter Sunday
(April 8, 2007)

Today we celebrated

Luke's 3rd Birthday!

One of the main things he kept asking for was "Balloons"!

And we got him a bike to match his older brother's bike!

His brothers loved singing "Happy Birthday" to him!

And we did too!

Today is his SPECIAL day! He was excited about the bubbles
from his friends, Hudson and Bryson.

We spent the day at the beach today and had perfect
weather! He was with friends and his cousins. His
other birthday request is "cupcakes" (coming on Saturday)!

Happy 3rd Birthday Lukey! We love YOU! Our life would
be so boring without you!!!