Whew........ 10/15/2009
 
Well....here it is October. I worked so hard to get an August in and then completely missed September! lol! I've been thinking and thinking and praying and praying but I just didn't know what topic to blog about. Everytime I got an idea it would fall through one way or another. There is so much going on right now. You know the saying, "when it rains it pours"? Kinda feels like that. Now all that is going on around me doesn't concern me. Sometimes it just concerns my friends. But when someone you care about is going through a rought time it still weighs on you too. My sister is going through a really nasty situation...a friend of mine is going through an adoption that's been up and down...another friend of mine is pregnant and in the process of losing her mom to cancer(which makes my struggles feel silly and petty!)...another friend of mine who is pregnant is having some health issues...the plant where my dad works is closing next spring...a good friend of mine might be moving out of town soon...so much sickness going around right now...the lady I clean for is currently not doing well health wise and is in a nusring home and all I can think about is how to witness to her...Satan is fighting hard at church...then of course there's the ever present $ and government worries. And I'm sure I can think up some more, right? I'm not complaining though. With all of the topics I thought of to blog about I decided instead to take all of my "overwhelmedness" (just made up a new word! lol!) and then show all that the Lord is reminding me through it.
   He is reminding me first of all of His amazing love. I don't know what I would do without it. I couldn't do without it! Even when I'm struggling and allowing everything around me to overwhelm me, He is right there gently reminding me that He does have everything under control and will take care of it if I'll just let Him. Then I am constantly reminded to forgive. Circumstances that I didn't share are kinda rought right now....and it's easy to take up a grudge when I just get sick of it all. But then there's the Lord again, reminding me that I'm not doing any good by holding on to any bitterness against this person...or that person...that it'll only hinder MY walk with Him. (BTW, that was one of my topic ideas. Bitterness/Forgivness. I'm convinced that this is a bigger issue than most Christians realize and if we'll just take a serious look and forgive the ones we need to forgive, for whatever reason, then we would be so much closer to the Lord and our walk would be so much sweeter! Anyway...back to topic.) He's also reminding me the importance of prayer. Which, I have been so overwhelmed that I've allowed it all to stunt my prayer life. Reminded me how much I can do for a friend just in prayer. Along with that He's reminded me that prayer really sometimes is all I can do and not to stress and struggle trying to figure out what "Sarah" can do instead of letting God do His job. 
   So yeah...He's been talking to me about alot these last couple of days and last night I finally took it all to Him and just fell asleep in His arms. If only I would do that every night....The peace was so sweet.
    I don't know how much of this was coherent and how much just sounded like me rambling on and on...but hopefully there is something here that the Lord can use to help you out today. To remind you to trust Him with all of life's messiness. Have a blessed day with Jesus!

With Prayers,
   Sarah
 
 
Eeps! Is it August already??? Wait, you're saying that August is almost over and it's nearly September?!?!? Just give me a few more minutes, August!!! It would seem that this month is one of those months where I have no idea what to write! To be honest, I've started more than one blog this month...but, for one reason or the other, they fell flat. :-/ Hmmm.....I do have one prevailing thought these days, God is so good!!!
 Yes, life stinks. Yes, people are still people. Yes, I'm still having a hard time keeping up with my Bible and Prayers. But God is good! He loves me anyway! He proves to me day after day that He is right by my side! In what ways does He prove this? 
   Well one morning, for whatever reason, I didn't go to work (housecleaning for an elderly neighbor). What came in the mail that day? A check from a survey company I do surveys for!
   I was feeling kind of down one day...messing around on the internet...and found myself! On my good friend's blog she had posted a verse I had shared with her (and more). What a pick me up to know that I had been important to that person that day! (all to the glory of God of course :-) )  A friendship come back to bless me! (and it has!!! Many, many, many times!)
   Was grocery shopping the other day (always a fun thing...NOT!) when the Lord led me to a 20 lb box of fresh corn...for $3!!! Then, the sweet guy at the counter gave me a $1 back!!! (the Lord uses him regularly in this area)
   Was missing my mom GREATLY earlier this month (when she was with her mother who was going through a mastectomy) when a sweet lady at church took me under her wing and gave me a little "mommy" babying after a CRAZY weekend. 
   While my mom was staying with her mom, we were a little nervous about situations and relationships there. Recieved a call from my mom and was told all about the blooming relationship the Lord has been creating between my mom and her sister!
   Was in my Bible this morning and came across a wonderful verse!
"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (I Corinthians 1:25) Amen and praise the Lord! So I sent that around to a whole bunch of my girl friends. Received back a few responses of "Thank you" and "Good stuff". Got to feeling good about being used like that and then came across a verse a little farther along... "So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase." (I Corinthians 3:7) and was reminded that none of it is of me. I'm just the vessel to be used by God's mighty hand!!! "But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon." (I Corinthians 3:10b) 
   And that's not all either! The month isn't over yet! Nor the year! What amazing things will God do around the next dozen corners??? I can't wait to see. :-)
   I don't know that any of that really made any sense...I guess I didn't have a "topic" today, just wanted to praise the Lord. How about you? :-)

With Prayers,
  Sarah
 
 

   "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." 
                                                                                     Luke 1:38
   This is a verse that really jumped out at me this month at one point during my daily Bible reading. It has since become the prayer of my heart. Or atleast I'm striving for it to be. I'm sure that I've read it before, it was just the right time this time. I am the handmaid of the Lord, right? I'm saved by His blood and a child of His. But am I willing to say "be it unto me according to thy word"?  For me it was a sort of personal twist on the prayer that we all struggle with, "Not mine, but Thy will be done."  Can I honestly say, with all of me, as a handmaid of the Lord, do what you want Lord. Tell me what to do and I'll do it. 
   It has also become the prayer of my heart for other girls. For them to come to the place where they can say this and it will show on the outside. Maybe, though, you feel you already feel that way, that you already pray this prayer or something like it. But I have some questioins for you. 
   If you say, "according to thy word", does that mean if He says to change something in your life that you'll do it?   What if he says to change your hair?   What if He says change your clothes?   Change or quit your job?   Don't hang out with that person anymore?   Throw your favorite movies out?   Don't read those books anymore?   Don't listen to that music anymore?
   Some of these might seem trivial but these are all things that the Lord speaks of, addresses in His Word. All things that truly are important to Him whether or not we agree. All things that few people really want to think about and when faced with it, they tell themselves, "I'm fine. The Lord is ok with my dress/hair/music/friends/etc". But is He really?
   This verse brought up alot inside of me but two big points. All of the ways that I'm not submissive to His Word (WHATEVER that might be) and, the ways that so many girls aren't submissive to His Word (WHATEVER that might be), though we all claim to be doing it "His" way, don't we?
   We are having revival this week at our church and I have been challenged so much and in so many ways recently as God is working on my heart, working to make it truly His, showing me places where I haven't chosen His will yet. I find that as I am challenged, my prayers become more fierce for those around me too. For them to totally have His will in their life. This is where my challenge to you comes from. Because as I was, for the hundredth time, meditating on this verse, I realized how much it applies to those around me and girls out there that I don't even know, (some of you), and my heart grew heavy at the way so many are living their lives while claiming to be doing it "according to his word".  
   So I challenge you now. To look up this passage and then in prayer see what the Lord has for your life today. What little part of you heart and life He wants you to give to Him.
   "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word." Psalms 119:9
   "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 Timothy3:16-17
   "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17

With Prayers, 
   Sarah




 
 

     Well, here I am squeezing in March's blog just before March is over! lol! What a month! I have been out of town 3 times this month! Might not be much for some of you but for those of us who go on a record of 2 trips a year, 3 times in less than a month is alot!!! But I survived and in fact, had a good time. :-)
     But! On to the topic at hand! I've tossed around a lot of ideas (one of the reasons why I've taken so long to get to this) and finally, just moments ago, decided on one. The verse I'm focusing on today is one that hit me earlier this month. "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:" (Matthew 15:19). I'm sure that right about now you're thinking "What is she going to talk about?!?!?". I won't hold you in suspense, thought life. The thing about this verse that hit me was the fact that "evil thoughts" preceded all of these other horrible sins that none of us would ever consider ourselves doing. The conclusion that I came to was that it is an evil thought that precedes every sin we do. Whether great or small, a lie or murder. "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..." (Proverbs 23:7a) . Sadly, the reason why I finally decided on this topic is 1) it's one that the Lord has continually brought to mind for me and 2) I was in the middle of a little tantrum earlier today as I was considering what topic to do my blog on. Yes, I'm still a work in progress too. 
     It is true that thoughts can "pop up" without choice BUT! It is what we do with that thought that changes the outcome. "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" (II Corinthians 10:5) . Each time the thought "pops up" to tell a lie, be lazy, read that magizine or book, or just plain be grumpy, we need to take that thought to Jesus and choose Him! Life is all about choices. "The Devil made me do it" just doesn't work. A thought or idea can be offered and we can't always stop that but we can make the personal choice as to what we do with that thought or idea.
     I don't know about you but if you are as human as I am you don't like this idea much. I want to be made to do right. It's a lot harder to choose right. And I'm not talking about the big things. I'm just talking about how you react to annoying situations or, like I said earlier, just being grumpy (can you tell that's one of the things I'm working on right now? :-\ ). But regardless of human laziness, the choice is mine and yours. By the way, I sat down for a minute, read my Bible, and chose to not be grumpy. Hopefully, I can keep that up. With His help.
  So I just encourage you to choose the right thing next time an "evil" thought comes to mind. Kind of an odd subject and blog, I know. But one that is close to my heart right now. And something I am sure someone else out there is dealing with right along side me. "We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God..."  (Psalm 48:9)

With Prayers,
  Sarah