Amy says that she created this blog to offer women a place of quiet rest in who He is. She want you to fall in love with Him more everyday. Although her blog may have been intended for women, I know a few guys who are reading it, and are blessed by what God is doing through this ministry.  There have been many times that God has used her words to speak directly into many situations I have been dealing with.

One of my favorite posts is this one called Unfinished Business.  In it she writes about houses that were being built only to be later abandoned by many different reasons.  She relates this visual to Jesus being the Cornerstone in which all other construction gets is placement and direction.  The questions posed here have giving me a lot to think about.

She asks these questions “How is construction coming? Has it been left simply as a block foundation? Are there walls framed yet? Is the lumber weathered, worn, and becoming warped? We serve a builder who only comes on the job when He’s allowed to. Are you welcoming Him to the site daily?”

These questions have challenged a lot of my motives and reasons for doing what I do.  I appreciate this gift that God has given her to touch the hearts of not only the women, but men also.

Being the Domino means being willing to be used by God for His purposes to touch the lives of others.

Beyond Sunday Morning is our “Domino” for the month of January.  We will be promoting her blog throughout the month of January on Facebook and Twitter. Whenever I started with the idea of supporting various other ministries through this feature, back in September, this was the first one that came to mind.  Amy has been a great inspiration to so many people through her ministry on her website and she has touched many lives around her with her compassionate and caring heart.  Amy was gracious enough to answer some questions about her ministry and what God is doing in her life.

Interview with Amy Dotson, RPDOTK

Tell us about your blog and why you chose the name Beyond Sunday Morning?

Its easy to have resolve when we’re still inside the doors of the sanctuary on Sunday morning, but the real part happens Beyond Sunday Morning.  That’s the life that affects others with the love of Jesus.  I know how exhausting and trying everyday life can be and wanted to offer a place of encouragement and spiritual nourishment for believers between Sundays.

Have you always had a passion for writing?

A passion for writing, I don’t know that I would call it a passion, but writing has always been easy for me.  I enjoyed writing assignments, English, and grammar when I was in school but I never wrote after high school or college.  I guess it was something God placed within me for later use, so when I began the blog, the writing part came easily, but the technology part – well, not so much!

What are some of the challenges you face when writing?

The most difficult thing for me has been time constraints.  I work full time, have 2 active kids, my husband is in full time ministry, so our schedule can be pretty hectic.  It is challenging to sit down and write and do it well without neglecting my family and home responsibilities.  The second most challenging thing is remaining focused on what God wants me to learn in the everyday to pass on to others.  Life robs so much from us if we are not constantly checking our focus.

What is Sisterhood? What can someone expect by signing up for it?

According to merriamwebster.com, the definition of sisterhood is “the solidarity of women based on shared conditions, experiences, or concerns”.  I wanted to give my readers a sense of community and decided on the “Sisterhood” as a way to do that.  I have a few new ideas in the works for the upcoming months to implement to enrich that community relationship.   As sisters in Christ, we need each other and can be more effective for the Kingdom when we are united with each other than we are when we simply go it alone.   Currently as part of the Sisterhood, the members receive a sisters name every two weeks.   They pray for their sister for that 2 week period.  Many of them do not actually know each other, or don’t know each other well enough to know specific prayers needs, so it has been amazing to see what God has laid upon hearts for prayer.  I often receive emails about an urgent prayer need from one of them that is then sent out to the group.  Many have told me that the prayers they receive back have blessed them and have helped them through difficult times.

You were the key speaker for the Womens rally at Gospel Mission this year.  What was that experience like?  Have you ever done much public speaking before?

It was definitely not a responsibility I took lightly, I did not realize how much of me it had consumed until the rally was over.  I was nervous and felt very inadequate in preparation for Unveiled Faces. Its hard to teach something you haven’t lived and I had to live out the very message I was bringing before I could teach those women.  He was still teaching me about living it out the day before the rally (and still is), but when I stepped onto the platform and the first words came out, it just happened.  It wasn’t me, because I am not capable of what happened,  it had to be Him.

Tell us a little bit about Unveiled Faces.

As women we tend to go through life living up to images we “think” are acceptable or appealing while feeling like a total wreck on the inside.  Being involved in women’s ministry and study groups, every time someone new spoke up, I was hearing the same thing.  They all say this, “I thought I was the only one who ______________” (fill in the blank).  We live such isolated lives as women even though we are very relational beings.  We live everyday with veil over our face, or a mask on to hide who we really are.  We hide those feelings of inadequacies and failure inside.  When Jesus died on the cross the veil of the temple was torn in two giving us access to God.  There is no need for us to wear a veil hiding what God is doing inside of us.  When we are transparent with one another, all masks off, we can build each other up and encourage other women that they are NORMAL.

What is the most challenging aspect of Womens ministry?

I guess the most challenging aspect would be the lack of “seeing it stick”.  There are so many tools available to us as believers, yet we live everyday life in discouragement and defeat.  It is so refreshing to see what God does in the lives of women at rally’s, conferences, retreats, or in studies, but so often we lay the tools down soon after the event, settling for so much less than what He has planned for us.  It’s easier for us to live the life we are “comfortable” with than to face the unknown factor in allowing change.

Who are some of your influences in writing?

This may sound funny, but my kids are a huge influence in my writing.  God has taught me so much about how He loves me through my relationship with my children.  I also enjoy Beth Moore studies, specifically Believing God.  Realizing what unbelief was and how much it influenced my life changed the way I view scripture, and my relationship with Him.  Lysa TerKeurst is another author I enjoy.  She writes in a girlfriend-like style and her teachings are so practical, I can identify with them very easily.

Testify Tuesday has become a regular bi-weekly feature on your website.  What  brought about your decision to start doing this feature?  How has it impacted you?

I wanted to give my readers an opportunity to share with the other readers places where they had seen God work, or lessons He had taught them.  It is such an encouragement to me to see what He is doing in the lives of other people.

What are some of projects or ideas that you have coming up next year?

I believe the Word of God is alive and active.  This year, I would like to make an emphasis on hiding God’s word in our hearts, so I plan on challenging my readers in memorizing scripture, maybe a couple a month.

If you could encourage someone right now, what would you tell them?

You have no idea how much God loves you.  When He looks at you He doesn’t see the person that you see, He sees the finished product, the you He is making,complete whole, perfect.  All because of what Jesus did for you.  You are worth more to Him that you can imagine.

If you could share a verse with someone today, what verse would you share?

Where to start – there are so many, but I think Jeremiah 29:13 applies to every situation.  ”You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ”

What do the initials RPDOTK stand for?

RPDOTK stands for Royal Princess Daughter of the King.  That is who I am is so is every other woman who is a follower of Christ.  That is my identity.  That is what defines me.  When I know who I really am, and believe it, then my life changes to match my identity, instead of vice versa.  Talk about messin’ with the enemy’s mind – he doesn’t like that!

Thank you so much Amy for this interview!  Please take some time to visit Amy’s blog – Beyond Sunday Morning.  Share what God has laid on your heart and support her and this ministry.  God is moving in the lives of so many women that have been touched and challenged by the words Amy has been given.