My Mountains...

My family has always loved being out in nature.  
When I was little my playground was the forest.
I grew up camping with my entire family; 

grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles 

in the Great Smoky Mountains, in Elkmont Campground.
It’s a heavenly place and one of the few places on earth where I
am truly at peace.  It is inside of me, a part of my soul.  

They are, and forever will be....My Mountains.

My Mountains

Come with me to my mountains so lofty and high.
Listen to the trees and the winds as they sigh.
Feel the damp earth beneath your own two feet.
Never was there a more glorious retreat.
The creek how it laughs as it leaps over stones.
How I love to walk down to the water alone.
The sunlight it splashes into brilliant pools of light.
There simply is not a more beautiful site.
I’ve grown up here in these mountains you see.
My soul is a part of every stone, every tree.
Come with me to my mountains so green, so deep.
Listen to the mountain as it lulls you to sleep.
The sun as it rises through the trees evergreen
A more glorious sight has never been seen.
Come with me to my mountains and see,
What God has created for you, and for me.

By: Amy Hartman York

Psalm 95:1‑7

   Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.

How many times I’ve thought, if I just had this or I just owned that, if I just had lots of money I’d be so much happier. If I was just as beautiful as her, or had his talents, my life would be so much better. But then I take a look around me, at my wonderful husband and my incredible children, and the loving, Christian family I was raised in, and I can see clearly how very blessed I am, and I wouldn’t change any of it for all the money, possessions or talents in the world! Sonnet 29 says it perfectly. It has always been one of my favorites by Shakespeare.  ~  Amy




SONNET 29

When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

~ Shakespeare

I Wore My Body Out Too Soon

I wore my body out too soon,
My knees they moan and creak.
My ankles swell, my elbows ache,
My hips and legs are weak.

I guess I should have been more girly,
And had more cups of tea.
But what kind of fun would that have been?
That certainly isn’t me!

I do enjoy a cup of tea,
Though coffee I prefer.
But sitting pretty all in pink,
No that, I must defer.

I used my body up to soon
And now I’m middle-aged.
But oh what fun I’ve had you see
And my advice is sage.

Have fun, romp, jump and tumble,
Slide and run and play!
For one day you’ll be middle-aged,
And have to sit all day!

By: Amy York
© 2012 York, Inc.

As I have loved you, love one another...

If I disagree with you it doesn't mean I hate you. If I don't approve of your behavior, your choices or your particular lifestyle, it doesn't mean I'm prejudiced. It means I have an opinion. We all have our vices, our private and public sins. We all fall short of what our creator wants for us. God gives us guidelines on how to live in a way that is best for our own good, and in multitudes of ways we each choose to go against His wishes. I'm not condoning sin, so please don't think that's my message here. Just because we all sin doesn't make it ok. But we are also called to love sinners, which in all cases is everyone of us, and despise the sin. So, no matter what the sin is, the one who sins, again all of us, is to be loved with a Christ-like love.  Nowhere does God say that cruelty, meanness, or disrespect is ok. Nowhere does God say its ok to bully, tease or hate someone who is different than you are. We are simply to love them as Christ loves us. So no matter how you feel about a particular sin, remember that God loves us sinners unconditionally. It is possible to disagree with a lifestyle choice yet still treat the person with decency, love and understanding. The bible is very clear, purposefully, about the definition of marriage, and it is also clear about loving your neighbor as yourself. When deciding what's right or wrong, the bible is the final authority in my life, period. But also understand this, we are all created by God, loved by God, and each human being deserves to be treated with basic, human decency. Whether you are a drunkard, a liar, a thief, whether you curse every other word, cheat on your taxes, gossip about your neighbor, ignore the presence of your creator, or you're a drug addict. Whether your mean, nasty, rude or crude, sexually immoral or kill, God still loves you and expects us to love each other. So, I say all that to say this, I believe in marriage as defined by the bible, and if you don't, we'll that's between you and God. But this I promise, I may disagree with your choices but I will still treat you with human kindness, decency and love. Because God loves me, even with all my faults and sins,  I will show you love.  What kind of hypocritical biggot would I be if I judged myself better than, or more deserving of that, than you?     John 13:34 A new command I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.