“In the Night Season and All the Day Long” May 13, 2013

Several weeks ago, my Grandpa called me with the old hymn, God Leads His Dear Children Along.  God gave it to him for me, while he was praying for me one day. Friends, may I tell you just how timely this was for me? Can I tell you how much it reminded me that not only does my Grandpa love me, but God loves me and never turns a blind-eye to my situation–bad or good.

At this particular time in my life, I was feeling quite despondent. Things just seemed not to be working. Many tangible things were broken or about to give out, I was broke, I was not in a place of success in my career according to society’s rating by a long shot, most of my relationships appeared to be gasping for air,  and my college degree was still in the mailing envelope it came in over a year prior.  You know what consoled me? Jesus. Just as the song below says, “God leads His dear children along.”  God has never stopped leading me. He has allowed many undesirable things to happen and I have made many mistakes, but “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps (Proverbs 16:9).”  I can rest assured that my God will direct, and redirect my steps even when I swerve off the path or forget His promises and past provision and blessings.

Enjoy this Song by John A. Young, 1903:  God Leads His Dear Children Along

In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet,

God leads His dear children along;

Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet,

God leads His dear children along.

Some through the waters, some through the flood,

Some through the fire, but all through the blood;

Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song

In the night season and all the day long.

Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright,

God leads His dear children along;

Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night,

God leads His dear children along.

Though sorrows befall us and evils oppose,

God leads His dear children along;

Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,

God leads His dear children along.

Away from the mire, and away from the clay,

God leads His dear children along;

Away up in glory, eternity’s day,

God leads His dear children along.

Scripture Reference:  To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. -John 10:3

I am delighted to say I have no doubt that this song is true.  I have experienced it fully and I know about the green pastures and I know about the night seasons.  I know about the mountain tops and I know about the mire. The Lord is faithful to “work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).”  Praise God I am called to His purpose and by the powerful working of the Holy Spirit I can love Him with my whole self!

You know, our individual sorrow is varying, but God knows what we can handle.  He also know where we need purifying. This process of sanctification is quite difficult, but  His love can be seen more and more in each passing trial.

Free Cup ‘o Joe: kinda like grace April 19, 2012

By golly, it’s April!  Where did the time go?  2012 came crashing in with a bang and now summer is creeping up on me…better get my air conditioner charged up!  I am amazed and dazzled by the things my Creator has been up to recently.  He is constant and persistent; He is in pursuit of a  relationship that I am not worthy to be in.  This is evident through the many times I turn to another lover and the many times He welcomes me back into His loving arms.  Praise God for His grace and mercy lavished upon me every day!  His mercies are new every morning–EVERY MORNING. 

God’s faithfulness in on display every single day. Every new morning is a gift from God, and a sign of His eternal presence. ( Lamentations 3:22-23, paraphrased)

I am so thankful for this message of the Gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ that never gets old and never expires.  I am just as thankful for the process of sanctification that happens day in and day out; this means that God really is completing the work He began in me when He called me to Himself and saved me from death and despair. Because of this, I am learning and growing in knowledge and understanding of God and myself.  I am understanding more and more the Majesty and Holiness of my Lord and my great, great need of Him.  

August began a journey of, well, let’s just say sanctification 101.  Wow!  The Lord has redefined the beauty of the cross in my life and the freedom to LIVE because of the cross. No longer bound by the chains of my own sin, I can walk in joy and hope and live by the POWER of the Holy Spirit living in me.  Who knew!? 

Mankind, He has told you what is good 
and what it is the LORD requires of you: 
to act justly, 
to love faithfulness, 
and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8)

To walk humbly with [MY] God…this is something that I have found to be so sweet.  Without Him I can do nothing.  Without Him I am prideful and arrogant.  Without Him I have no hope, and certainly nothing to offer anyone else.  I fail at this miserably most often, but because I am His child, I can approach the thrown of God boldly and sync right back into step with my Father (Hebrews 4:14-16). Praise Him for His goodness and faithfulness!  He is all the things He asks of us (good, just, faithful, humble, etc).  This is why we should walk with Him.  Walking in the Spirit provides all that we will ever need, including FREEDOM:

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Now, if you have read this, I dare you to walk in the FREEDOM of the God who made heaven and earth.  I dare you to  ask Him to show you His everlasting love today.  I dare you to soak up His goodness and His promises.  This is all for you. Receive it and be blessed.  

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MAY I recall…. August 1, 2011

It’s been a while and so much has happened since I last posted, so I believe I will just pick up where I left of in May and take it one day at a time.

So May,  after my show.  Here are some photos:

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Surreal Bliss May 2, 2011

Caution:  this post is pure and strait from my brain…take it for what it is.

Last night was my Senior BFA Exhibition. That’s right folks, I am unofficially finished with ceramics at the University of North Texas.  It has been a unbeilivable four years of my life.  I have summer school to go, but I don’t really count that.  I get my diploma in August.  For me, last night was my graduation.

After spring break, I turned on the turbo jets.  Usually, this is the time of the semester when my spirits and motivation begin to wane, but this time I had an extremely motivating force behind me.  I learned the importance of having a plan that, theoretically undisturbed, will get you to the end point; the desired destination.  This concept is not one that I have understood very well in the past.  Even now as I see the results of such planning, it is hard for me to implement.  However, my BFA show will go down in Amanda Nicole Ratheal history as such a time when planning and focus paid off.  I realized that when I completely focused on that one thing until it was complete, I enjoyed the whole process so much more!  Long nights in the studio were hard, but because I knew what they would result in, they became second nature.  In the past, I have set out on projects and ideas of which I did not know the end result, and therefore did not know the means with which to get there.

It was wonderful to see all of my work assembled and together.  To see my whole body of work from four years revealed a lot to me about myself.  I enjoyed seeing the pure reaction of people in response to my art.  It is hard to describe what I do, so I believe that my show was a way to introduce a side of me that most do not get to experience fully.  When I tell people who I make rain and trees and seeds and windmills, I get crazy looks and sarcastic comments.  People do not know how to react.  At that point in the conversation, I have usually lost their attention and am not able to elaborate.  Well finally, my show was an elaboration of all that I create.  My desire is that the essence of my work was displayed and not merely the symbolic representation of its prototype in nature.  I think my artist statement can take over now, especially for those of you who have not seen my work:

My work is organic and inspired by the simple things made by my Creator.  I believe that all things, including the trees and leaves and stars in the sky were fashioned for a greater purpose than to just merely exist.  The ability to create through the use of clay, or any other material, is an honor to me and a way to express my passion for life and love for my Creator.  I see my work as not merely “mimicking” nature, but interpreting it and then making a tribute out of that interpretation.

 I make art to explore the process, from start to finish, involved in creating an object that serves no other purpose but to evoke a response by it’s viewer and mirror the characteristics of its creator.  My current work focuses on the cycle of life and creation with a few added “points of interest” along the way.  My work signifies the essence of the creation cycle and the choices and consequences of life, faith and all things in between.

 I work mainly through the method of hand building and coiling; using wheel thrown objects occasionally.  I finish my work with layers of stain, over-fired underglazes, and occasionally acrylic paint.  I choose my method of finishing based upon individual pieces and their characteristics.  I tend to break the rules when it comes to practical methods, but all for the sake of the experience and process.  I embrace the unexpected and involve the mistakes in my final products.  If I cannot learn to do this in my art, how will I ever learn to do so in life?

I am thankful for the ability to create.  I am thankful for the opportunity to have a show.  I am thankful for my supportive family that helped to make it happen.  I am thankful for joy and fullness of life that can only be found in the one Creator. He is the Artist of all artists.  My one desire is that my work points to Him and exists only to bring Him glory. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S.  All images in this post were taken by Jillian Zamora, an incredible photographer.  You should check out her website:  http://jillianzamora.com

P.P.S.  It’s raining right now. 🙂

let the show begin! April 27, 2011

Challenge February 8, 2011

While reading C.S. Lewis aloud to one of my best friends and roommate, Yandi, I realized that I miss the challenge.

I miss the challenge of delving in the apologetics and philosophy.  I miss debate and discussion with friends who also cared about something other than pop culture.  Conversations such as “what did you think of the latest Glee episode?” have their place, but what about discussion of the writings of Tolstoy or the poems of Walt Whitman?

I believe that though, disputes and uncanny debate over philosophy is futile, it is no more so than perusing through People magazine. Ecclesiastes states that “…all is vanity and a striving after the wind(Ecc. 2:17).”  However, my question is, will People magazine really challenge your perspective of life or your perception of people?

My challenge to you is to break out of your habitual routine and engage your eyes in the reading of someone who is dead.  Have a discussion about Hemingway.  Read the poems of Robert Frost.  I think you will be surprised at what these things spark up in your mind.  With this challenge set, I would like to share with you what I read the other day that got me to thinking so much about expanding the horizon of my influence again:

Friendship, like the other natural loves, is unable to save itself.  In reality, because it is spiritual and therefore faces a subtler enemy, it must even more wholeheartedly than they, invoke the divine protection if it hopes to remain sweet.  For consider how narrow its true path is.  It must not become what the people call a ‘mutual admiration society’; yet if it is not full of mutual  admiration, of Appreciative love, it is not Friendship at all…

For a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances.  A secret Master of the Ceremonies had been at work.  Christ, who said to the disciples, ‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you’, can truly say to every group of Christian friends, ‘You have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.’  The friendship is not a reward for our discrimination and good taste in finding one another out.  It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others.  They are no greater than the beauties of a thousand other men; by Friendship God opens our eyes to them.  They are, like all beauties, derived from Him, and then, in a good Friendship, increased by Him through the Friendship itself, so that it is His instrument for creating as well as for revealing.  At this feast it is He who has spread the board and it is He who has chosen the guests. It is He, we may dare to hope, who sometimes does, and always should, preside.  Let us not reckon without our Host.”

C.S. Lewis, Friendship Needs Divine Protection (The Business of Heaven)

 

All things NEW January 30, 2011

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. -Psalm 27:14

Almost a month ago, a new year began.  Almost two months ago  I was in New York.  Christmas time brought several new things:  a Keurig coffee pot, inexpensive “fake” new red TOMS, a golden retriever puppy for my Dad and on and on I could go.  Most impacting out of all of these “new” things would have to be New York.  New York gave me a revived vision, motivation and insight. New York allowed me to see more than just myself again (there will be a separate post about my NYC trip).

In reference to all of the “new” things in my life listed above, a good friend of mine reminded me that “there is nothing new under the sun.”  The application of his comment was light-hearted and ironic, but all in all it is a true statement.

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

The word new as it is being used here means “of a kind now existing or appearing for the first time (dictionary.com).”  Most often when I refer to something as new, I mean it is new to me or it is something that has been renewed.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,and renew a right spirit within me. -Psalm 51:10

The psalmist speaks of a renewed spirit.  It is still the same spirit he is talking about, but his desire is that it is set right in the sight of the Lord.  Then we have these words coming from Lamentations 3:22-24(NIV):

It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

This use of the word new, can be tied to this definition of the word:  fresh or unused.  Renewed would also work in this instance.  This is the beauty of the Gospel.  Day by day, our God is constant and his grace and mercy toward us are renewed.  This world has nothing new to offer us, but in Christ we get a fresh start.

Don’t mistake the happiness that “new” things bring to your life for the joy of being renewed day by day by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Rear View Mirror Blessings October 6, 2010

I found this little excerpt stashed away somewhere on my computer.  It’s so good to look back so that I can remember from where I have come.  It is interesting to re-live emotions from time gone by.  It is in the remembering, that God shows himself most faithful and consistent in our lives.

In The Beginning (December, 21, 2009)

Several different reasons exist for why I decided to write today. The main reason is that I feel that God is about to begin a great and new chapter in my life. One that will be filled with high mountains and deep valleys, revelations and disappointments, and salty tears and loud laughs. I believe this chapter is a pivotal one in The Life of Amanda Ratheal. In January, I will officially assume the role as the Youth Minister for my little church in Denton. There you have the subject, now onto the how it came into being.

God has been preparing me for “such a time as this” for some time now. What a journey it has been and worth every second of it. In May of this year, God told me to expect something great to happen in the up coming months….I wasn’t really sure what He meant by that. I mean, so many wonderful and life changing things have happen over the past 7 months–which one was He referring to? To recap the past months, I was working with World Relief in June and also went to pottery camp in Wisconsin. July was filled with work and relaxing. August brought school and a knee injury that led to surgery in October, September meant the anniversary of my birth and a close call for my Dad….you get the picture. A lot of little things mixed in with a few major things created a prime atmosphere for God to really go to work in my life. I like to think that “the great thing” He was talking about is the Youth Group, but I really think it is all of the events of the past semester and summer. So many lessons, so many people and have come together to allow me so experience God’s grace and perfect will in a more vivid way than ever.

The theme of the semester for me was surrender and humility. In July, I had an ear infection that took me out for a couple of days—no big thing, but I realized how much I take being able to hear for granted. After the long drive to Wisconsin, it seemed that my car began to fall apart. One thing that fell out was the air conditioner…in the middle of summer…in humid Denton. Don’t take your car for granted or your air conditioner. Then came the fateful day that my knee popped while I was playing soccer. Been there. Done that and have the screws in my knee to prove it. I had ACL surgery when I was thirteen and that’s all I could think about. Well, it was just a torn meniscus, but it still took me out of most physical activity. This was a devastation for me. You see, I like to run–a lot. Running is my release. It’s what I do when I am frustrated or happy, tired or energized. It’s how I stay in shape, and make myself feel better after eating too much cheese cake. Running was my quick fix and God took that away from me for a while. Ouch. The last piece of the puzzle, or you could say, “the straw that broke the camel’s back” was a high blood pressure scare with my Dad that put him in the hospital for several days.

Through all of this God was reminding me that nothing is mine and I don’t deserve anything. My Dads ordeal was the clincher. He is MY Dad! No, God says, I get to borrow him. He is not mine and, my time with him can be over in a heart beat. God chose to bless me with a wonderful father. God chose to show His love for me through the love of my Dad. I am so thankful for him and thankful for the time God gives me with Him. I remember realizing this in a worship service and I just broke down. People and the relationships we have are blessings and opportunities to share God’s love. They are not ours and we must surrender them to God. We deserve nothing. Our life is not our own.

Surrender. that is what He wants from me. He has wanted it for a while, and now I have surrendered. God presented the opportunity at Memorial Baptist Church for me to put into action what He has been teaching me the past 7 months (and beyond). I am excited and honored that God chose me to do this. I am not worthy, nor do I feel equipped, but I believe God will provide and He will be glorified. My confidence is in the Lord.

Fall is here! October 3, 2010

If you know me well, you know that I LOVE Fall.  I love everything about this grand season.  I feel like my soul thrives during Fall.

Top 10 things I love about Fall:

10. Chili and stew (with cornbread of course)

9.  Pumpkins (and pumpkin patches)

8.  Pinecones (collecting them)

7.  Thanksgiving (family and food)

6.  My birthday (lots of love)

5.  Perfect bicycle season (Aww….)

4.  Fallish scents like spice, and Leaves from Bath and Body Works

3.  Crisp, cool weather (see #5)

2.  Scarfs (the extent of my fashion sense)

1.  LEAVES!!! …changing colors, falling from trees…glorious!

I cannot express how warm and happy inside I am during fall.  A sense of community and deep friendship also seems to become stronger when that first wisp of brisk air fills my lungs.  Maybe it is because of all the wonderful warm drinks and tasty treats that surface in Autumn.  It’s the best time to go have a cup of coffee and enjoy good conversation.  Maybe during fall, everyone feels closer to each other.  Maybe it is this season that brings us all together.  Festivals and get-togethers around every corner! 

So please, take it all in.  Indulge in the beautiful season of fall with me….go to a pumpkin patch, ask a friend to coffee, Lay in the grass and watch the leaves falling, collect some pinecones, make pumpkin shaped pancakes for goodness sakes!  God knows how much I love fall and I believe He blesses us with the changes and beauties of fall to remind us that He alone is constant, and he loves us so very much.

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth; make a loud noise, and rejoice, sing praise….bless the LORD, O my soul….who laid the foundations of the earth that it should not be removed forever….O LORD, how manifold are your works!   In wisdom have you made them all…I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;   I will sing praise to my God while I have being.  May my meditation be pleasing to him,   for I rejoice in the LORD.   (Psalm 98:4, 104:1, 5, 24, 33)

 

The bicycle in my living room August 16, 2010

How many of you have a bicycle in your living room?  Yeah, that’s what I thought!  I am one of few who will read this post who has a bicycle in their living room.  “Big deal,” you say.  I know, it’s not that big of a deal but for me it is a reminder of something I once wanted….something I forgot about, or just lost interest in.  I am sure many of you can identify with that at least.  How many times do we set out after an idea or a goal and veer off or stop all together before we even reach the halfway point?  I am guilty of this concerning many thing in my life.  This summer, in fact, might be the record setter for failed attempts to try at something I wanted to accomplish…just ask the dead zinnia plant or the parched tomato plant sitting on my porch.  Garden fail.  Oh, and if you can find the ghosts of my 2 dead goldfish, Herbal and Essence, you could ask them about my desire to keep goldfish.  Pet Owner Fail.  There is a basket full of yarn in my bedroom and 3 half-finished scarfs that I started over a year ago.  Knitting Fail.  And that bicycle?  Well, it’s been in the same spot for at least 3 weeks…Super Cool Dentony Hardcore Biker Fail.  Then there is the guitar and the bookshelf overloaded with books and all of those empty canvases….

Ok, so I am done with the complaining and the negativity, but honestly, take a look around at how many things that are left undone just because you got distracted or bored?  You might be different from me, but I know I need to open my eyes to all that is at my finger tips!!!  I should never have to speak the words, “I am bored.”  Why?  I have all of these things to accomplish and better yet, I actually enjoy doing them!  So why do I push them aside so easily and dream of a more exciting life?  I am living the unique artsy life that I always dreamed of and yet I am not satisfied.  Have you ever wondered why?

Well, maybe it’s not wrong to want more….but you see, it’s not really more or excitement that I desire it’s depth and meaning and purpose.  Diving into more hobbies is not going to extinguish this lacking boredom that settles in my gut about this time of year, that I numb with a dose of  “well, things will pick up when school starts!”  No, I desire more.  I crave more and it’s not going to come from that bicycle in my living room. 

As physical and spiritual beings, we are created with a “hole” in us that can only be filled adequately by God.   Knowing God on an intimate level through a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ is the only way that void can be filled.  Once God has inhabited that void, He will not leave:

…neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 8:39

So, we cannot be separated from Him, but we can be distant.  It is my belief that this desire for more in our lives is in fact, our desire for God.  As a believer, that desire will not be satisfied unless I find my satisfaction in the Lord and in following after Him whole-heartedly again and again and again.  We continue to desire more because God keeps desiring more of us.  He wants a relationship with us built on now, not the prayer for forgiveness prayed five years ago.  To the unbeliever, that desire for more is your soul crying out to be filled by the Creator of the Universe and the Savior of the World.  The same is true for both groups; our yearning for depth and excitement and mystery will only be filled when we surrender and run after the Savior of our souls.  Paul of the Bible had this idea down:

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  -Philippians 3:13-14

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. -2 Timothy 4:6-8

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. -1 Corinthians 9:25

Living out the call of God in your life where ever you are at physically, spiritually and mentally is the only thing that will satisfy and bring you true  joy.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us… -Hebrews 12:1

Stay focused and run with endurance so that your life will be filled with meaning and depth and excitement.  In Christ is where all of that which we desire most deeply is found.  By no means am I telling you to scrap your bicycle or throw our your knitting and kick over your flower pots.  I am simply reminding you to not look to those things or any new hobby you can think up to fulfill your life.  Only Jesus can do that, and He does it quite perfectly without your help.