GREAT NEWS!!! Our original seminar is back on. Tommy Hays of Messiah Ministries is able to come after all - so please save the dates and pray for a wonderful anointing on March 19 and 20.

VOICE OF JOY                        MINISTRIES                                                        annual spring seminar presents                                                                           

IN IT TO WIN IT!!!                                             March 19 and 20, 2021                                                              Cornerstone Assembly of God Church                                                                          2035 Old Lexington Road, Danville, KY

TOMMY HAYS will be our main speaker, JEFF ROGERS, TOM LANE, and AMY BARKMAN  will also share. MARIE GARLAND will lead worship. CHARLENE LOVETT AND TIA FAULK will have a skit and music.   Friday hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.  Saturday hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There is no cost for admission. Lunch will be available both days for $8 which includes, soup, sandwiches, salad, dessert, drinks are water and coffee which are also available all day.

This is a very important meeting at this time in history, helping us to receive inner healing, redemption from the past, and empowerment to be all we are created to be.

    

 To register, which is necessary for seating and food preparation, or to ask questions,  call  or text Amy Barkman at 859 583 2005, send her a private FB message, or e-mail at amyb_love @att.net

 Wow! I'm excited. I had forgotten about this blog post I had - and haven't posted on it since 2018. Now I have some exciting announcements.

 The last thing I wrote on here was about my talk "Progression of Perfection" and I gave the talk in 2018 at our spring seminar and then in 2019 at the Aldersgate Renewal Ministries national conference in Springfield, Ill. A pastor there said "You need to be teaching this everywhere". Since I can't be everywhere, I wrote the book which came out in 2020. You can find it on Amazon with my other 8 books - 1 more Christian non-fiction, 3 Christian mysteries, 1 Christian women's fiction, 2 Christian mid-grade fiction and 1 kids Kentucky historical fiction.

The second good news is that on Saturday, March 20, 2021 we are having a one day conference "THINK KINGDOM" from 9:30 am to 6 pm in Danville at Cornerstone Assembly of God church. Admission is free and lunch of soup, sandwiches, salad and dessert is on site for $6. Speakers will be Jeff Rogers, Director of Wellspring Prayer Center in Lexington, KY, Tom Lane, Pastor of Cornerstone, and me. Music will be by Marie Garland, Charlene Lovett and Tia Faulk. Donations will be taken to cover costs.

The third great news is that we our having our annual seminar "IN IT TO WIN IT" with Tommy Hays of Messiah Ministries, Jeff Rogers, and me on Friday and Saturday June 25 and 26. Musicians are the same.  Both day hours are 9:30 am to 5 pm. and Friday night from 7-9., Admission is still free and lunches are the same cost.

I sure hope to see you there and will be writing on the blog whenever I feel I have something to share. During the shutdown last summer I loved doing the live "Love Talks" with Amy on FaceBook. Some of them are on youtube.

Hope to see you soon. In His Love, Amy

The Progression of Perfection

I'm so glad to be back with my blog. For one thing, the Voice of Joy Website belongs to someone else and I have no access to update it  - and the person who can is extremely busy. So I'll use this blog spot (now that I figured out how to use it again - I'm so technically challenged!) to share and give information about retreats, seminars, meetings etc.

To start out re-blogging, I think I'd like to share something the Lord showed me last year. We know that when we are born again, we are not automatically perfect - not by a long shot! So below is a "Progression of Perfection" so we can obey the commandment Jesus gave us "Be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48. Perfect means whole and complete. So we fallen humans start on a journey.


THE PROGRESSION OF PERFECTION: LORD, LOVE, LIFE

LORD: 
1. Salvation - Recognition of Imperfection (Sin is 'missing the mark of perfection')
2. Receive - Mercy and Forgiveness through Jesus' sacrifice for you.
3. Learn - Commit to learning God's Word

LOVE :
1. Recognize and Reject Idols - Anything that is more important to you than God
2. Forgive - Learn to forgive self and others (not excuse bad behavior - send it to the cross)
3. Relationship - Develop loving intimacy with God

LIFE:
Awareness - Be aware that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit in the earth
Receive - Receive the gifts that the Lord wants to give to you and through you
Obey - Be increasingly aware of God with you every moment; hear and obey His voice.

GLORY!!!

I'm looking forward to the Voice of Joy Ministries Women's Retreat this year. It's titled "Through the Looking Glass" and is about the Glory of God. Glory is God's Presences manifested in the physical realm. As we look at the glory of the Lord, like looking in a mirror, we are changed to be like Him from one degree of glory to a greater degree of glory by His Spirit. (II Corinthians 3:18)

We have three speakers besides me - speaking 15 minutes each about the mirrors we look into: Linda Henson, Becky Webber, and Marie Garland, who will also lead worship. We will have a craft, fellowship, worship, lunch, and ministry time. I fully expect this retreat to be a life-changer for participants.

The retreat is at Faith Fellowship Church, Jane Trail (a block in front of Walmart), Danville, KY on September 7 from 10 - 3/3:30. Doors will be open at 9:40. There is no charge but there will be a love offering opportunity to give for retreat and other ministry expenses. Voice of Joy will furnish meat and drinks, and participants bring vegetable, salad, or dessert for lunch.

Seating is limited so let me know by FaceBook private message or by e-mail amyb_love@att.net if you want to reserve a place for yourself, family and/or friends. God bless you!

For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. II Cor. 4:6 

I am going to stop saying "I am the world's worst blogger." And then maybe I will stop being it. :-)

In my post of May 4, I didn't complete telling what happened to me on April 28. After I had that encounter with the Lord that humbled me with realization that Jesus experienced separation from the Father so I/you/we could experience His Presence, something else happened.

I cried out "My God, my God - why have you adopted me?" And His response was "I adopted you BACK."

And I could see it - how the DNA and genetic code for each of us was originally in Adam and we were the Father's family and He loved us before we came into the world. But the true us's were kidnapped through the sin of our first parents and we were born perverted from who we were originally designed to be.

But now we are adopted back by the loving Father, cleaned up by the blood of Jesus, baptized in the Love of the Father through His Word and the Holy Spirit. We are beloved children of God. As I heard last weekend from a preacher, "When you believe in Jesus, you are saved. When you realize that Jesus believes in you, you are transformed." Jesus died to bring His brothers and sisters back to our Father. And one wonderful prophecy is that He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul and be satisfied. (Isaiah 53: 11) Satisfy Jesus by receiving the knowledge of the Father's individual, unending, overwhelming love for you!

I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou has sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.  John 17:23

My God, my God!

I was in wonderful meetings all last weekend and felt that peace that passes understanding. Then on Sunday night, as I walked from one room to the next in my home, suddenly I was so aware of the loving Presence of the Father that I cried out "My God, My God." And then I recalled Jesus on the cross crying out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And I realized that I was experiencing the exact opposite of what He did on the cross. Because He experienced the absence of God which I deserved, I experience the Presence of God which He bought for me. How amazing is this Lord we serve!!! How great is His mercy, and love, and desire for good things - for us! The words from the song "He Touched Me" leap to my heart "I can never cease to praise Him. I'll shout it while eternity rolls!"
More than anything, I want to fulfill the first and most important commandment. How about you?

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Matthew 22:37

Names

I have changed my internet provider and naturally had to change my e-mail addess. It was more difficult than when I first got one back in the 1990's. More Amys in the world, I suppose. My new one is amyb_love@att.net  That is amyb with an underline and then love and at att.net.

After it was set I looked at it with joy because it says "Amy be Love." But immediately I thought of all the times Amy does not be Love but be's something else like irritated, impatient, or offended. However I'm keeping the name and hope to grow into it completely. I learned long ago that a name means the nature of something.

I recently saw some of my cousins for the first time in over 50 years. Their first question was why I changed my name from the one I had for 39 years. And I told them.

First, my parents were expecting a boy and didn't have a girl name picked out so it was a month before my name was submitted to the authorities. I've wondered if during that month I chose one for myself.

Second the person I was excelled in failure of all kind. My two athletic parents were horrified at the clumsiness I exhibited at a very young age - and kept!
 
My name was the same as a movie star who was a sex symbol and in 6th grade, the boys would roll their eyes and say "Woo hoo!" when they said my name.

Me with that old name failed in almost every area of life. One night when I was in my mid-40's, I dreamed that God said "I have given you a new name." I was excited and asked what it was but heard only silence. The next night I went to a ladies weekly prayer group and one woman said "I had a strange dream about you last night. You were preaching and saying, "I am Amy." I couldn't imagine myself preaching but was thrilled at the new name. When I got home I looked up the meeting and it means "Beloved." Yay! Four years later I changed it legally.

My cousins understood -they all had a few self-image issues themselves. Don't we all?

The new e-mail address gives me a constant challenge to remember not just to be loved but to love others as I am loved. GOD IS LOVE - that is His nature and it is our new  nature also.

I'm determined to live it out and I hope you are too!

Please use the above e-mail address to contact me since I haven't yet learned how to change the automatic website information. I said yet because I am more confident these days :-)!

God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. I John 4:16

Blood Covenant

I really enjoyed my own sermon this morning. It seemed like I was seeing Jesus’ perspective and then His sense of humor as I taught about the Blood Covenant.

We often don’t receive what He bought on the cross for us is because we don’t understand what a Blood Covenant is. We are used to contracts in which we find loopholes,  or just out-and-out break. Covenants and Promises are not as solid for us as they should be.

Blood Covenants were the way of life for many people back in the “old days” and in some places today. Two persons or families or tribes entered into an agreement to help each other, the promises were listed, and they sealed it in blood, their own blood. Often they drank each other’s blood. And the covenant was sealed to their descendents for generations. Anyone who didn’t honor that covenant was subject to be put to death, even though it may have been their great-great-great-great grandfather who made the agreement in the first place.

The difference with God’s Covenant is that He didn’t allow His people to drink blood. They walked in it, sprinkled it on altars, and put it around and over doors but they were forbidden to drink any blood at all. The soul life is in the blood according to the Bible. We at this point in history know that means the DNA, including the physical and mental traits of the being whose blood it is. God didn’t want us becoming like sheep or cattle - or other people. So drinking blood of any kind was forbidden.

When God brought His people out of Egypt, He had them sacrifice a lamb and put the blood over the door, and they ate bread and herbs along with the lamb. The angel of death passed over the houses where the blood was. When God’s people were delivered out of Egypt, we are told there was no one sick or weak, the Egyptians gave them lots of gold and other expensive things, for forty years their clothes and shoes didn’t wear out, and God fed them miraculously. They began celebrating that “Passover” time annually - remembering what God did for them - health, provision, protection deliverance.

When Jesus came along, He preached the good news of God’s love and brought about many healings, deliverances, and miracles of provision. His twelve disciples and many others believed that He was the Messiah, the One sent as the Savior. Then one day He said something astonishing. We read it in the 6th chapter of John.

 Truly I say to you, except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you.

WHAT??? Cannibalism? Drinking blood? Who is the Son of man anyway?

 Whoso eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed.  

He's talking about himself? This man could not be from God! Eat his flesh, drink his blood. GROSS! And forbidden by the true God.

He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eats me, shall live by me.  (John 6: 53-57)

He did it again!!! No way! We are leaving this crazy man who will probably be struck by lightning any minute now !!! And they did. (John 6:66)

Jesus turned around to the twelve disciples and asked if they wanted to leave too. It’s interesting to find out that not a one of them said “Of course we don’t want to leave you, Sir. We love you.” They stood there and Peter said “Lord where would we go?” They knew He spoke truth but...

Can’t you just imagine later when the celebration of the Passover came and Jesus was with the twelve as they remembered what God did for their forefathers? He picked up the bread. “Take and eat; this is my body.”

Do you think there were audible sighs of relief? If I’d been there, there would have been from me. YAY! We don’t have to be cannibals after all.

And then, He took the cup... “Drink...this is my blood of the new covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

WOO HOO!!! We just drink the fruit of the vine, not the blood of a man. What a relief!!!

And Jesus said “When you do this, remember Me.”   (Matt. 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, I Cor. 11)

From now on you don’t have to remember how the angel of death passed over the firstborn of Israel because of the blood. Because of Jesus’ blood, you are now a part of the Firstborn who died in your place so you can have eternal life. Remember.

From now on you don’t have to remember how the Egyptians gave gold and expensive treasures to God’s people, and how they were fed with manna in the wilderness - the Messiah became poor so that you can become rich. Your needs will be met according to His riches in glory. Remember.

You don’t have to remember how no one was sick or weak as they came out of Egypt. He bore your sicknesses and carried your diseases and by His wounds you are healed. The prayer of faith in that promise will heal the sick. Remember.

Deliverance from Egypt was a type or foreshadowing of your deliverance from this world and it’s bondages. The Passover meal of remembrance was a type or foreshadowing of Holy Communion where we are to remember all that Jesus did and bought for us in the New Covenant.

It’s a Blood Covenant sealed with the Holy Blood of Jesus Christ. And God will never break it. Ever. Remember.
And Receive!

gods of this world

About 16 years ago I taught a study on the gods of this world and how dangerous it looked that our society was following Israel’s mistakes in worshipping them, under the deception of political philosophies.  I remembered that teaching last week and looked up the handout. I was horrified to see how very much we had increased that worship in our nation.

We need to remember that we are not wrestling with flesh and blood. Politicians, government officials and the media are not our problem. We are wrestling with principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this world, who use both the ignorant and the sold-out to bring about their will in the earth.

Christians need to ask for grace, mercy, forgiveness, deliverance, and wisdom for human beings and fight against the demonic strongholds that use them as puppets.

GODS OF THIS WORLD

1. Molech – King – Chief Diety of the Ammonites (Ammon – Tribal Culture)   

And you shall not give any of your children to sacrifice them to Molech, nor profane the name of your God. Lev. 18:21

And they built the altars of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to sacrifice their sons and their daughters to Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.  Jer. 32:35

Thou hast searched me, and known me…For Thou hast made my inward parts; Thou hast knit me together in my mother’s womb; I will give thanks unto Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well. My frame was not hidden from thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance, and in Thy book they were all written – even the days that were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.                Ps. 139: 1,13-16

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.”        Matthew 25:40                                                                                                                                                               Today – Abortion, Infanticide, Pedophilia, Child trafficking

  

2. Ashtoreth – Increase – a Sidonian diety ( Sidon – lie in wait and take provision)                                                     

And they forsook the Lord and served Baal and Ashtoreth. Judges 2:13

If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, put away the strange gods and Ashtoreth from among you, and prepare your hearts to the Lord and serve him only, He will deliver you…I Samuel 7:3

For the love of money is the root of all evil. I Timothy 6:10

“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

Today: Socialism, Corporate and Personal Greed, Financial Dishonesty

3. The Baals – Possessor, Master, Husband, Owner – Canaanite god of fertility –  Master of the Flies, Possessor of a Village, Possessor of the Accursed

And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother…for he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the Lord God of Israel…    I Kings 22:52,53

And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God…and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.  II Kings 17:16

Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit which are God’s.  I Cor.6:19,20                                                                                               Today: Sexual Sin of every kind, Physical Addictions

4. Chemosh – Subdue, be Powerful

Will you not possess that which Chemosh your god gives you to possess?  Judges 11:24

The people of Chemosh perish, for your sons and daughters are taken captive. Jeremiah 48:46

Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for He cares for you.  I Peter 5:6,7  You judge if it’s right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God. Acts :19,20                                                                                                                                                                                    Today: Government Control, Tyranny or Controlling Spirit of any kind, public or private

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph. 6:12

Squash the ANTs

"The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds...casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."                                     II Cor. 10:4,5 
I was studying a book and cd by Dr. Daniel Amen the other day and he told the story about a boy he counseled who had negative thoughts constantly. That same day he went home and there was an ant invasion in his house and as he frantically tried to get rid of the ants he thought “This is how that boy’s mind is.” And he came up with an acronym ANTs - Automatic Negative Thoughts. I shared the following material at church and with a group of women at a Christian rehab center so thought I would also share it here. It’s taken from Dr. Amen’s material but I reworded some things and added the scripture verses to kill the ANTs with, and the FEAR acrostics (can’t remember the sources.)      
                                   
                                         Automatic Negative Thoughts
       Some breeds of ANTs you may recognize:                                                                          
1. All or Nothing “Since I messed up this time, I won’t ever be able to do it. Might as well not try.”

2. Always/Never “I’ve always been this way.” “Nothing will ever change for me”

3. Guilt “I should have...ought to...shouldn’t have...” _______ “Therefore I deserve:

4. Labeling “I’m...a jerk... lazy... fat... loser... slob... wimp...stupid... have no control over:___________ ” I’m _______________________________.

5. Fortune Telling “It will never work for me...Nothing ever changes...It’s in the cards...my destiny. It never fails..._________________________________

6.Mind Reading “My boss/spouse/friend/coworker/pastor etc. is mad at me/ hates me/doesn’t love me anymore. I know because they didn’t (or did)___________________

7. Blame “It’s in my genes...My parents taught me to act this way... If I don’t ____________ others will_____________”

FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real        
             Feeling Estranged And Rejected

Truth

“I will never leave you or forsake you.”Hebrews 13:5 “Confess your sins and He is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you of all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9 “If God be for us who can be against us? Romans 8:31 Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

Childishness?

I have always loved Cinderella. The Disney movie came out when I was 7 years and 1 month old. I thought at the time that the best thing in the world would be if I had a movie theatre in my home and a movie camera and the reel from Disney, and could watch Cinderella anytime I want. I never thought that would happen but guess what? On my kitchen counter is a miniature movie theatre called a dvd player and right beside it sits a dvd of Disney’s Cinderella.

In my room I have a replica of Cinderella’s castle along with other castles, and several coaches, the kind Cinderella rode in. And I have the Cinderella story figurines and several Cinderella dolls. Put up - where I can get to it anytime I want - is the Cinderella “play castle” (like a doll house) that my husband bought me when we went to Disneyworld in December. That was the same week that my three daughters surprised me with a luncheon at Cinderella’s castle, including a picture of the four of us with Cinderella - because they knew there was nothing I would like more!

I’ve really questioned myself on my indulgence in this childhood fascination and also worried that I am way too much of a romantic. But the Lord showed me something this week and I am grateful to Him.

I’ve always known that the books Heidi and Pollyanna had a great deal to do with who I became. Much more than the Bible - which I didn’t read until I was in my twenties. But I realized some years ago that those two books both quote the Bible and are parables - stories of Christian girls who overcame some tough circumstances with the help of the Lord. They adopted attitudes based on Christian principles and taught me how to walk in love - as well as I was able at the time.

But what about Cinderella? This week when I was questioning the Lord about whether my Cinderella collection is wrong, He showed me something. When I think about the movie, it’s not the romantic dance with the Prince I remember; it’s not the scene where the fairy godmother transforms her into a beautifully dressed young lady ready to go to the ball. What I remember most about Cinderella is her gentleness when abused, her self-control when fussed at and lied about, her happiness about a made-over dress, her ability to sing and rejoice in circumstances of poverty and overwork. She got angry and she got sad, but always she had hope - and kindness.

No wonder she was my heroine. Heidi and Pollyanna came later, but Cinderella was the first one who showed me a lifestyle of hope and kindness, who showed me that a choice of goodness will result in joy.

And I realized that when I look at my “childish” collection, that message is what resonates in my heart.

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1:2,3

Ripples of Energy

I have a sign in my kitchen that says “I’m not weird. I’m gifted.” It was given to me by a friend, a very optimistic friend, and I look at it often, hoping it is true.

I, who made my worst grades in math and science, read quantum physics. Not real often but as often as I can make my mind work well enough. It all started during a drought in central Kentucky and I’d been praying for rain. I was at a yard sale and saw a 3rd grade science textbook. Thinking maybe it might be easier for me now that I was much older, I bought it. One of the first things it taught me was that all the water that was ever on the earth is still here. We are an ecosystem. No water molecules are lost. Water is recycled: steam, vapor, ice, back to water.

Wow! How had I missed that? That meant that I could be bathing in molecules of water that Jesus walked on, or was baptized in! Or drinking water that He changed into wine that eventually ended up being water again. It gave me faith to speak to water clouds and tell them to come to my area. And they did!

That little bit of information made me hungry to know more. Especially since a few years earlier, while I was alone floating on a raft on Green River, I experienced the Lord saying to me, “When you understand how the place where I live works, and how the place you live works, and how you and I can be in both places at the same time, you’ll begin to see miracles. And they won’t seem like miracles at all.”

Now you can understand why I look at my kitchen sign often.

Anyway, I began a treasure hunt among science facts that eventually led me to quantum physics. It’s important to be very grounded in the Word of God to read books on quantum physics because it’s understood and written about by many new age aficionados

That doesn’t make the facts less true; it just means we must always begin with the Word and see if the conclusions drawn match with what we KNOW to be Truth.

Yesterday, I was reading a book that described some wave functions and compared some things to a pebble being dropped in a pool and rippling out in all directions. Water again! And I know that Jesus is preparing and cleansing His Bride with the water of the Word. And I knew that the human body is approximately 2/3 water in makeup.

Suddenly I could see it. His Word, when dropped into and received in our hearts, starts waves of spiritual energy - faith - that ripples out in all directions to bring that Word to pass. Our wills, minds, emotions, bodies, and circumstances will change to conform to that Word. And, I believe, that energy can flood out to others in life changing ways as well.

So make waves! Start the ripples of energy! Drop the Word of God in your heart: read it, ponder it, speak it, expect it to be made flesh. And then watch Him work miracles.

And tell me and others about what happens!

“... Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25b - 27

Watching out for Whales

While cleaning out file cabinets I found some of the humor columns I wrote for the local newspaper years ago. I think it was in the late '80's. One really made me laugh so I thought I'd share:

WATCHING OUT FOR WHALES AT LEAST TWICE A YEAR
In my own personal vision of heaven, I see the greatest mansion, heaped full of the biggest rewards, sitting on the highest pinnacle, nearest the heart of God. It is populated with church nursery workers, elementary Sunday School teachers, and children's ministers. Eventually each one is released from his or her straight jacket, able to stop babbling incoherently, and free to enjoy the surroundings.

Having learned from reading the story of Jonah, who got swallowed by a whale because he didn't go where God told him to go, I minister to children about twice a year. God seems to understand that's all I can handle because so far I have not had any whales come to gobble me up.

Recently I made on of my semi-annual "insurance against being whale food" endeavors.
Several churches in a nearby community held an all day youth gathering and I was to speak to four different groups for 40 minutes each. The first seminar was a piece of cake and I relaxed and prepared to enjoy the day.

Then I went to the room set aside for 10 - 12 year olds. After ten minutes I had them all seated on the tables. (You notice I wrote 'on' not 'at'.) Before I could start my presentation, a charming bright-eyed lad named Chris spoke out.

"What I want to know is this: We call God 'he' so he's a man, right? Now, what I want to know is, who does he have sex with?"

After explaining the difference between spirits and bodies, I headed back toward my subject. By then 25 minutes had passed. I sat a chair in the midst of us and they all correctly guessed that it was to remind us that Jesus was present. Then I asked how we knew that, when we couldn't see Him.

I was encouraged when Chris said, "I know he's here because I'm here."

"But HOW do you know?" I was delighted that Chris would be quoting from the Bible and proving my point for me.

He answered, very seriously, "Because when I got up this morning, Jesus put a gun to my head and said, 'Come on boy, We're going to that church thing.'"

When the session was nearly over, I said I thought there was something we needed to do before we dismissed. Chris nodded wisely and said, "Yes, I know. Pray ... for me."

Concluding that there was no one present who was adept at casting out demons, I fervently asked the Lord to keep us all out of trouble for the rest of the day, especially Chris, since everyone might not enjoy him as much as God and I did.

At lunch there was much discussion about how to improve the afternoon sessions. Some of Chris' peers suggested hanging him by his feet on a tree at the far side of an empty field. I could tell by the gleam in the eyes of some of the adults in charge that they thought it was a case of "out of the mouths of babes" and I quickly mentioned that often great saints hide for many years behind a facade of youthful folly.

When I left before the evening session, Chris came running up, threw his arms around me and said, "I'm going to miss you." I was deeply touched and flattered until on the drive home it occurred to me that he may have been genuinely afraid for his life without me around to defend him.



What is funny is that now, over 20 years later, one of my greatest joys is that in the last year, we have children in my church and I do a children's message each Sunday. And I'm excited about the "Fun To Be One Club" book series, which are for mid-grade children. I'd forgotten about Chris; I just might have to write him in as a character in one of the books. He would be in his thirties now. And I now pastor a church in that county. I can't remember if I changed his name back then - to protect the guilty. Who knows? He could be a pastor in that same community. Wherever he is I pray for him and all the honest and exuberant children like him, no matter what age they are. I hope he and they and I all escape the whales.

Book Contest

Board to Death: A Trio of Mysteries in the Dangerous Games Series releases today. My “Victim” is the first story in the book, followed by Debbie Roome’s "Mind Games", and Tracy Ruckman’s “Sentenced.” This book was so much fun to write. I’ve written several fiction books but this is the first time I had a hint of what God must feel like. I created these characters and then they proceeded to take over their own lives and surprise me! I hope you check it out and let me know if they surprised you too.

We're having a fun contest to celebrate, and will be giving away 8 digital copies of Board to Death.

To enter the contest, just leave a comment telling us what your favorite board game is, and why. If it's not a widely-known game, tell us a little about it. Then, be sure to leave your e-mail address so we'll know how to get in touch with you if you're a winner.

Two from each blog will win, and you can enter once at each site. You'll get one extra entry for each method you use to help promote the book - you can blog about it, tweet about it, or post it on Facebook. Just be sure to leave another comment with a link to your post to get the extra entries. Your comments/entries must be posted by Saturday, October 1, 11:59 p.m.

Thanks for helping spread the word about our fun book.

Here are the sites where you can enter:


Debbie Roome
Tracy Ruckman
Write Integrity Press

and my website here.

Here's book blurb and the video trailer is below.

Baby Boomers Polly Nichols, Lindsay Wilson, and Gretchen Anderson may live worlds apart, but they have one common hobby – a penchant for board games.

Polly’s serene Kentucky campground turns sinister when the manager is a VICTIM of murder.

In New Zealand, Lindsay’s life is turned upside down when MIND GAMES and evidence drag her into a murder case - as a suspect.

At the Kettle’s On Campground in Georgia, Gretchen matches wits with a murderous wordsmith intent on winning the latest game of SENTENCED.

You’ll love the games, the characters, and the stories – and we promise, you won’t be BOARD to Death!

To our readers: Our characters are Christians, just as the authors are who created them, so their lives and their stories reflect this viewpoint. We hope you enjoy our fun and unique stories.

As Little Children

Today I was asked by my District Superintendent about the state of my soul. The only thing I could think of is that my soul right now feels like a little child at several Christmases all rolled into one. Every area of my life is bearing fruit of dreams given over to the Lord and thought gone forever. But Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

My “Everyday Spiritual Warfare” book is endorsed by some of my favorite internationally known ministers and writers, published and available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com and I’m having a book signing for that in November. It will also be for sale at an event I’m directing for the Lincoln County Arts Center in December “Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas.” I’ve written a skit for that too - another praise report.

I have two more books out in the next 3 weeks. Well, 1 and 1/3. My novella “Victim” is a third of the Christian Murder Mystery trilogy “Board to Death” with Tracy Ruckman and Debbie Roome, and is already available by Kindle and will soon be available in hard copy through the online markets too.

Then by October 15, “Which Witch?” a mid-grade Christian fiction about Christian kids fighting witchcraft in the classroom, will be out. And the Fun To Be One Club - which has had many deaths and resurrections since 1979, with all ages and all races, comes back to life in “Which Witch?” and there will be an online FTBO Club site for both kids and adults to join in an affirmation of our oneness in the Spirit, along some fun and interaction. The survey readers are boys and girls from fourth through eighth grade and their responses have brought tears of joy to my eyes.

Three new members joined Mortonsville United Methodist Church last Sunday - and that makes six within less than 5 months. Amazing - in our little church which doesn’t even have a parking lot! Just a whole lot of loving people. And since last January I’ve had the privilege of needing to have a children’s message each Sunday when for years we didn’t have any children. (By the way, I found out that the adults like that message as much if not more than the grown up ones :-).

Saturday October 1, is Voice of Joy’s annual women’s retreat “A Day in Narnia.” Speakers will be two of my daughters, Ginny Smith and Beth Marlowe, one of my granddaughters, Maggie Tirey, and me. Narnia and family and loved ones attending! How good can it get?

Jesus said “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3
Hmm. Could it be that I feel like a child at Christmas now because somewhere along the way, I changed and became like an obedient child, gave up my dreams, and wanted only His will?

I did. And He is giving me back all the desires of my heart, purged of wrong motives and filled with humility and pure joy.

Happy Texting!

Now I know why James said that we should say "if it's the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that" (James 4:15). How many times have I foolishly said that I WILL write this blog regularly?

Okay, I've learned my lesson. I'm not going to say that anymore. It's been a month and a half since I've written a blog. BUT God's will for me for that time was that I completely revise a book I'd written, "Everyday Spiritual Warfare" which will be available for sale on Amazon in a few weeks. AND He helped me write a novella that a different publisher requested. I just finished that tonight.

But today while I was driving, I had a thought - not enough for a book or even a sermon, but just enough of a thought for a blog.

I realized that God used to send His Word to His people through others who spoke it or wrote it down, just like we humans used to have to write notes or letters to people in other places, or send messengers or both.

Later, God sent Jesus and then the Holy Spirit to communicate directly to us. Just like we eventually got telephones and could speak directly to people.

After home or office telephones we got cell phones where we could speak directly to any people anywhere, from anywhere - just like God speaks through His Body when He send us out to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom.

Then the cell phones added texting. Hmm. It's like we have gone back to writing notes instead of talking, but still it's very immediate and personal.

And that's like the Bible. The Scriptures are God's texts to us. Immediate and Personal if we'll read them. Hmm again! They are called texts - "the original words of something written or printed, not a paraphrase..."

So from now on you can think of your Bible as God texting you - open up and read so He can make it immediate and personal!

Happy texting.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." II Timothy 3:16,17

Mercy and Judgment

I want to make two announcements before I get into today's message. Any day now the "address" for this blog will change. It will be www.amybarkman.com and will open to the blog as well as contain all the Voice of Joy Ministry and other pages - accessed by clicking on the name of the folder at the top of the blog page. Also sometime in August my husband will begin video recording "Parlour Talk" which will be me discussing the Word from my parlour - picture is above - where I spend time alone with Jesus as well as with others in His Presence. Please pray for that venture. Gary says the Lord told him to do it so I'm going to cooperate!

Now to the blog for today.

Yesterday was the Sunday before Independence Day. I signed up nearly a month ago for my church to be part of a program entitled Call2Fall which asked for commitments from individuals and churches to spend at least 5 minutes on their knees Sunday, July 3, in personal repentance and prayer for our nation. Over a million signed up - and since that included churches which could have populations of hundreds or thousands, no telling how many people knelt to intercede for our nation. I truly expect to see revival sweep the land as a result of this effort.

I began several weeks ago talking about repentance and revival from the pulpit. I handed out two sheets of questions to ask ourselves and let God's Spirit show us where repentance and purging is needed.(If you'd like copies of them, e-mail and ask and I'll attach them and send to you.) On July 3, seven people in Mortonsville United Methodist Church led us in prayers for:
Repentance & Revival among Christians
God's Power poured forth in and through the Body of Christ
Evangelism & Lost Souls
Respect for God's Word in the Church and Nation
Standards of Morality in the Church and Nation
Godly Government
Economy of the Church and Nation

After the prayers, I called for those who could to come forward and kneel to pray. I purposefully went to kneel at the first pew and did not look to see who did or did not come because I didn't want to be tempted to judge those who didn't. Later on I said to Gary "I don't want to know who did, but were there many who came to kneel and pray?" He said that with the exception of himself (in a wheelchair) and two other people for whom it is impossible to physically kneel, everyone in the church went up to bow in humility before the Lord. It's moments like that which make a pastor's heart beat quickly with joy.

I led in prayer also and prayed something that has never come out of my mouth before. I can only believe that it was the Lord leading me to pray that way. I've always been very much a believer in "Mercy rejoiceth against (or over) judgment" James 2:13. I love knowing that God loves to show mercy instead of judgment. My favorite beatitude is "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." Matthew 5:7. Knowing that I need lots of mercy, I have been quick to show mercy to others! But Sunday morning I prayed a little differently.
"Father we hold up those in this nation that are the enemies of Your standards of morality, enemies of Your Word, enemies of the freedom on which this country was founded, enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. For those who are Your enemies in ignorance we ask for Your mercy and that You send Your light to shine Truth into their hearts, and prepare their hearts to receive truth. Upon those who know what they are doing, who have chosen to be the enemies of You and Your people, enemies of Truth and Freedom, we ask You to bring judgment."

Frankly, I was in a state of shock the rest of the day. I've never ever asked for judgment to come to anybody, even those who have hurt me or my family.
But when I think of those Christian settlers who came to this land so they could have the freedom to worship in whatever way they chose - and when I hear that Christianity is the only faith that is being persecuted and mocked and even forbidden in places- I hurt. When I think of all those who gave their lives to protect our Constitution which is based on God's Law, and how often judges today rule against that Constitution, how often I hear it said that our Constitution is outdated - I hurt. And if I hurt, I know that the Heart of our Lord hurts first.

Please pray for mercy for all people but for those who see no need of mercy, those who are purposefully the enemies of God and His Word and His Law, pray that judgment comes to hinder their influence so that JESUS IS LORD over our country.
God bless you, and God bless America!!!

Human

"Life" in a fallen world happened to me big time since I wrote last. I got an infection, went to the Drs office twice, ended up in bed all this week, and didn't get to go to Annual Conference or my castle. :-(
I felt stressed about not being able to go, and then guilty that I didn't spend all my time fighting with the Word. Instead, after a brief prayer and devotional session each day, I watched children's movies on dvd and read cozy mysteries. In my dreams I continued to plan the Narnia retreat and invented a computer program (a joke to anyone who knows my technical ineptness) but it was only while I slept that I was useful in any way.
I apologized to the Lord for not being more proactive in fighting sickness, but He didn't seem to be as upset with me as I was.
He seemed to recognize that I am human.
Human - what a study in contrasts a human is. Even the worst of us have some kindness at times, and even the best of us can be terribly self-centered.
And when you add the New Creation nature from Jesus Christ to the mixed up fallen personality, you really have an interesting specimen.
Those of us who have been born again by His Spirit are being transformed into His image. But it is definitely a process!
I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that the Word of God drives out sickness and disease. I know that if I keep my eyes on Jesus I am changed into His image - and He was not ever sick until the day He took your sickness and mine into Himself on the cross.
And yet I put aside my Bible and picked up the mystery and the dvd control. Why?
Because it was just easier, that's why. It took no mental or physical energy. I did pray, "Lord You are the healer. I know the end of the story but You'll have to get me from here to there cause I can't. I'm too tired."
"Too tired." He brought those words back to my mind today. And reminded me that sometimes I do "good deeds" beyond what He tells me to do. And then He forced me to question my own motives.
Hmmm.
Well, there is nobody else to do them. How do you know if you leap in and don't give somebody else a chance to do them? Well, I made a commitment. And what if you can't fulfill that commitment? Uh, then I would have failed. So?
Then He brought to my mind a scene from years ago. My parents were avid square dancers and they introduced square dancing to the Frankfort Country Club back in the early 1950's. I loved watching them and even got to go to a dance with Daddy once when my mother was too busy working on her Master's Degree.
In the early '90's it was advertised that there would be square dancing lessons here in our community. I asked my husband if we could go and take them.
Gary: No
Me: Why?
Gary: I don't know how to square dance.
Me: That's why we would take lessons.
Gary: But I might make a fool of myself.
Me: So?
Gary: Somebody might laugh at me.
Me: So?
Gary: Then I'd have to shoot them.
We didn't take square dancing and I've always been sorry. Now I don't know if Gary just didn't want to do it or if he really was hindered by pride.
Pride, the original sin - of the devil and of humans.
Someone mentioned humility on FaceBook today. I commented. "Just when we think we have achieved humility, we get proud of ourselves for being humble. Sigh!"
The Lord didn't cause my sickness and infection - they are part of living in a fallen world. But I want to thank Him for using this time to remind me that I am not yet perfected and need to take time to rest and become like a child, trusting Him to bring me to perfection and help me relax during the process.
He reminded me of an incident in 1980. I was at a time of great frustration and ready to quit some things that I knew He called me to do - because I couldn't control several situations. The KJV version of Galatians 2:24 came to my mind "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Some other versions say "live by faith in the Son of God" but this one said "live by the faith of the Son of God." When I read it, I had a picture come into my mind of myself lying flat on a raft and I couldn't see where I was going but Jesus was right behind me and the breath of His Spirit was blowing my raft to the destination He chose and could see. All I had to do was rest in Him.
May you live by His faith. And don't forget to play.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you. I Peter 5:6,7

More Adventures in the Kingdom

I mentioned in my last post that I'm planning a workshop on stress management, "Peace! Be Still." And I'm looking forward to sharing what I learned as I earned certification in that subject through the American Association of Christian Counselors. The date and place are still to be determined. I believe this subject affects every person because the biggest cause of stress is....
money or the lack thereof? No. Family relationships? No. Career problems? No? The biggest cause of stress is.....................Life!!! And we all have to deal with that.

I've also got some personal adventures coming up in the next few months - next week I'm going to the Kentucky Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. And I was thrilled to find that the most reasonably priced hotel listed was the Drawbridge Inn - which looks like a castle. When I traveled for the Commonwealth of KY I stayed there when duties took me to that area. It made me feel like a princess - to stay in a "castle." My oldest daughter Ginny and I went to England for three weeks in 1999 and toured lots of castles. When my wonderful husband picked me up at the airport on my return, he told me that he had reserved a room at the Drawbridge Inn for the night "to make the homecoming from England not such a drastic change."

Then in July I am going to another UM event, the Aldersgate Renewal Ministries Conference in Dayton, Ohio. I'm riding up there with a good friend who is a pastor in Florida who had me come and do a workshop at her church several years ago - in the Florida Keys. I commented at the time "It's tough work but somebody has to do it!" :-)

Shortly after I made those arrangements Ginny called about her first grandson's birthday - my first great-grandchild. So I will be flying out from Dayton to Utah to celebrate with the newest generation in our family!!!

Then the next big adventure, that I know about, will happen on Saturday October 1, 2011 at Faith Fellowship Church here in Danville. It is Voice of Joy's annual women's retreat and this year's theme will be "A Day in Narnia." YAY! Talk about adventures!!! I was in my 20's when I discovered C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. And by now I have read all seven books at least 12 times each - I lost count somewhere along the way but know several of my favorites have been read 14 or 15 times. Two of my daughters have already agreed to share their insights into at least one of the books that influenced their early years. I can't wait!!! I've already started collecting decorations - things like...but then if I told you and you decide to come, they wouldn't be a surprise!!! In Narnia you don't just feel like a princess, you discover that you are a queen, under the King of Kings of course!!!

I truly hope that all my brothers and sisters in the Kingdom have wonderful adventures like I do, even in the midst of "Life!"

"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:6

Life With Jesus

Wow - what a time I've had the past few weeks!!! I'm not even going to apologize for missing two weeks of writing this blog. When you are where Jesus is and has called you to be there with Him, life is exciting.

Friday May 20th I attended Messiah Ministries' Fountain Prayer and Praise service in Lexington which included a Blessing Ceremony for newlyweds David and Linda Moore and then I hosted a reception afterwards with the help of my good friend Jo Clem. On Saturday May 21, I drove to Union College and hosted an informal get-together for the school I graduated from - Appalachian Local Pastor's School. Sunday I preached at church and Monday I packed.

On Tuesday May 24, my husband Gary and I headed out to Georgia to visit a dear friend Tracy Ruckman and her husband Tim. We had a wonderful, blessed afternoon, evening, and Wednesday til after lunch with them. Then we headed to Pigeon Forge, TN where we spent two nights. Gary shopped and I completed my course - by DVD - on Stress Management Coaching through the American Association of Christian Counselors.

Friday we drove on over to Gatlinburg and settled in for four days. Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday we attended the Gaither Family Fest where laughter and worship are continually dancing around the throne of Love. We go every Memorial Day weekend and hope we never have to miss it. But it's not for worship wimps. There is usually a 4 hour service on Friday night, 2 hours Saturday and Sunday mornings, and 3 1/2 hours Saturday and Sunday nights! One minute someone may tell a joke and the next you may be standing with 7,000 other Christians singing the Halleluiah chorus. Shortly after you sit down a Bluegrass group complete with banjos and wash tubs may entertain you, and right after that you might enjoy a powerful offering of Italian opera, followed by being led in Because He Lives by the composers.

I can't say enough about the awesome experience of the Gaither Family Fest. For someone like me who formed the "Fun To Be One Club" back in the '70's, to be in a group that large made up of Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, Pentecostals, 7th Day Adventists, Lutherans, Independents, Charismatics, and every other 'brand' of Christians you can name, all worshipping the King of Kings together, is pure heaven. Well, yeah, guess it's just like that, huh?

Monday we stayed around Gatlinburg - I slept til 1 p.m. and Gary slept til 3!!! Our first year there for Family Fest we headed home on Memorial Day but since it took 5 1/2 hours of being in bumper to bumper traffic to go the distance that usually takes 30 minutes, we agreed we would never do that again but would wait til Tuesday.

Tuesday we headed home at 11 a.m. but since there are so many wonderful places in that 30 minute drive to Interstate 40, like the Christian Book Discount Warehouse, the Tool Discount Warehouse, a Christmas decoration warehouse, a china and doll outlet - well, we finally reached the interstate around 5. Yes, it took 30 minutes longer than the drive on Memorial Day but we spent most of it having fun! Then of course we had to stop at the Lake City Cracker Barrel for supper. I kept asking Gary, "Do we really have to go home?" But he kept saying, "Yes." So here we are.

Now that I'm here I'm not really sad. I'm looking forward to being back in the pulpit at church. I'm planning a workshop "Peace! Be Still" on stress management - God's way. And I'm working on the Woman's Retreat which will be "A Day in Narnia." How fun is that!?! The speakers this year will be my daughters and me. I'm really excited about it.

Life with Jesus is so wonderful. Oh, yeah, that Monday that we hung around Gatlinburg, we stopped into a gallery and I bought a painting. It is already hanging in my parlor where I have my quiet time and meet with friends for prayer counseling with the Lord. It's a picture of Jesus holding hands and forming a circle with a group of children and they are dancing. He is smiling as are the children and the adults watching them.

When I look at it I see us - you and me and all who love Him. And I think of the song "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will go strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."

I hope you are enjoying life with Jesus - even if you sometimes have to sleep 12 to 14 hours after the dance!

"Lord, show me the path of life; In Your Presence is fullness of Joy." Psalm 16:11