/a man da/ latin | Worthy of love, loveable

Hi ~ My name is Amanda.

Names have power. All throughout the Bible, this fact is evidenced through the careful choosing of the newborns’ names. One of the most memorable examples is found in Matthew 1:23,

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).”

This child turned out to be God Himself, having sent His Son as a baby to live among His creation. Jesus was born, lived a perfect life, ministered to many, then died as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. After three days, God raised Him from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sent His Holy Spirit as a Comforter to us. Jesus will return again!

In the meantime, those of us who have trusted in Him as our Savior have a role to play on this earth. Before Jesus ascended to heaven to take up His rightful place at the right hand of the Father, he gave His followers this command:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

I put my faith in Jesus at a very young age. So young, in fact, that I do not even remember the exact moment! I am confident that that moment occurred, though. My parents were excellent examples for me and taught me well how to grow in love for God. At the age of eight, I felt that I understood enough about my faith to take the next step and get baptized.

I was in love with the Lord. I was so excited to tell people about my faith! As the years went on, however, that excitement wore off. I became worn down and weary of the things of this world. Though I still went to church every week, I became distracted from the love that had been so characteristic of my early years. I instead began seeking out worldly love in the form of friendships.

From the age of about eight to eighteen,