Today I’m excited to introduce you to my new friend, Heather.  Heather is a wife, mother to a beautiful 6 year old girl and a 6 year cancer survivor.  Heather’s remarkable journey and faith serve as a reminder to me that you can never take life for granted, that each day is a gift, and that being a victor means never giving up–even when all the odds are stacked against you.  I’ve asked Heather to share her story here.  I am also putting up a link to Heather’s blog so that you might continue to be inspired by her testimony.

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

My entire life, I’ve been an optimist. In my opinion, as long as you are alive the glass is half full. It is this personality trait that has often inspired others to tell me that I see the world through rose colored glasses. I’ve never disagreed. At the age of 36, I was having the best year of my life. It was 2005 and it was the 21st of November; almost Thanksgiving. That was the year the holiday’s had an even deeper meaning for me than they had in the past; I was a first time mommy to a brand new baby girl who was only three and a half months old.

Yesterday, in worship, I was reminded once again of the central role gratitude plays in our walk of faith.  A wonderful, vibrant, faith-filled woman of our congregation gave the message and spoke of her father’s terminal illness and subsequent passing.  Through all of the devastation of the illness and the grief in his passing, she never gave up her faith, but rather, used her faith to see her through this most difficult time.  She prayed for God’s strength, for his comfort, for his presence and received all of those gifts and more.  It wasn’t easy, and she acknowledged that it was a long time before she felt real joy again, but even in the midst of despair she felt God’s presence with her.

In the 4th chapter of the book of Philippians Paul writes:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (4-7)

Whenever tragedy strikes our lives, when the road seems to be all uphill and we just want a flat stretch of land to run it is tempting to turn our hearts away from God.  How can we be grateful for lives that are at times so full of pain and suffering and anxiety and the unknown?  How can we be grateful when our hearts are broken, when our spirits are shattered, when our souls are downcast within us?

Something that struck me in our speaker’s story yesterday was a conversation she recalled with her father in which her father, shortly after his diagnosis, pondered the question that is so paramount when tragedy strikes: “Dear God, why me?”  In looking over his life and all that he had experienced, all the joy he had received, his response was not why me but, “Why not me?”  If we think we, as Christians, will live pain-free lives of holy bliss then we have not done much reading of the gospel.  Jesus himself said we would suffer.  We are not immune to the tragedies of life.

And yet, there is another promise to remember; the promise of peace.  Jesus tells us that bad things will happen, yet he also tells us (through Paul) that the Spirit will bring us peace in our times of darkness. We have David’s exhortation in the 23rd Psalm that, “even when I walk through the darkness of death, God will be with me.”  God will not abandon his people.  And that is precisely what we have to be thankful for.

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.  Job 23:12
It was the second part of this verse that struck me this morning, “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.”  As some of you know, I like food a lot.  I enjoy thinking about what I’m going to eat throughout the course of the day.  I look forward to eating out at a nice restaurant or cooking a nice dinner with a decadent dessert as much as my boys look forward to getting a new Alivin and the Chipmunks toy.  It’s probably fair to say that my mouth doesn’t water over reading my Bible as much as it does over the prospect of a “Monster Cookie” at Cheddars!!  And yet, it’s the bread of the Bible that’s going to strengthen, enrich, encourage and sustain me over the course of my life, not the cookie dripping in fat and sugar. 

This verse doesn’t have to be talking about food alone, however.  Our “daily bread” could be a myriad of things.  Maybe we treasure our money, or treasure making money, more than the words of God’s mouth.  Maybe it’s our job that is calling us away from God’s Word, or our busy schedules, or our kids’ busy schedules.  I think that most of us could point to something (or many somethings) in our lives that we treasure more than time with God.  But when we take the time to carve out those quiet places of reflection, when we make a conscious decision to put God first and to treasure his Word more than the other things in our lives, then our lives become more fulfilled, more enriched, more focused and more productive than before.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21, Luke 12:34

Jesus knew the absolute importance of placing God first.  He knew that what we value, what we spend our time and energy on, would make it’s way into the very fabric of our being.  And shouldn’t the very fabric of our being be made from the One who created us in the first place?

In this New Year, I want to treasure God’s Word above all else.  I want to let God lead and follow where he goes. 

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

When Chris and I first had children we decided that we were not going to do Santa with them.  It was actually Chris who felt most strongly about it and I just went along for the ride.  Five years later I have to say that I really enjoy our no Santa policy.  It simplifies Christmas and, for me, helps keep the focus on Christ.  Don’t worry, I’m not some sort of Santa hating zealot.  I respect that others really enjoy having the Santa experience with their children.  It’s just something we’ve chosen not to participate in.

That said, when our five year old came home from preschool yesterday and told me that his teacher had told him Santa was real and he lived at the North Pole, I was stumped.  As I looked at his sweet, innocent, eager little face I just didn’t know what to do.  Childhood is so fleeting anymore.  If I told him Santa wasn’t real, would that be just another pin prick in the fabric of his innocence?  On the other hand, could I suddenly change course while Chris was at youth group and start a new tradition of Santa with the kids?  What to do?

In the end, I decided to go with the tried and true method of a quick nougat of truth followed by immediate deflection.

“Honey, Santa’s not really real, but there was a St. Nicholas who lived a long time ago and put presents and candy in kids’ shoes to show them God loved them!”

“Saint Nicholas put presents in kids’ shoes?”

“Yeah, they left them outside on Christmas Eve and he would come and put presents in them while they slept.”

“Wow, that’s funny.  I want to put my shoes outside on Christmas Eve!  Can I do that and you put presents in my shoes?”

Yes!  Awkward situation averted!!  Of course, I did have to tell him before school today that the Santa’s not really real thing was a secret between us and not to tell the other kids because some parents like pretending Santa is real.  Did I do the right thing?  I don’t know….but waking up to a shoe filled with goodies would be petty cool! 🙂

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

Lately, I’ve been feeling like I had my life more figured out at 25 than I do at 35.  Please tell me I’m not the only one!!

To read about a change of plans, go over to Seeds of Faith where I’m posting today.  It’s a cool site full of encouragement for the journey.  I’m also linking up at Graceful.

Blessings and Peace this Monday!
Sara

As I was reading the first few chapters of Matthew I was struck by how God moves through time, sometimes LOTS of time, to accomplish his purposes.  I was especially interested in the lineage of Christ. Throughout the lineage of Christ, we see the passing of a faith from generation to generation.  Through all of Israel’s ups and downs, there were people who took to heart God’s command in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 to pass on the commandments of the Lord.  Take a moment and think about your own lineage of faith.

1. Who were/are the people in your life who have passed on the knowledge of God to you?  In what ways has your faith been passed down to you through the generations?  In what ways are you passing your faith onto future generations?

Some of us come from a long line of faithful witnesses who lovingly and steadfastly passed down their faith.  And yet for others of us, that faith was something we had to seek out on our own outside of our family tree.  If you look back at some of the names in Christ’s lineage, you will find some pretty nasty fellows who, according to the books of 1st and 2nd Kings, “did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”  And yet, God was able to bring Christ to us through them, in spite of their determination to turn from God.  In the opening chapters of Matthew we see God’s master plan coming together in some very unexpected ways.  As Priscilla Shirer states, God goes “BEYOND the beyond” in working out his master plan!

2. How has God surprised you in his plans for your life?  In what unexpected ways have you seen God working to bring about his goodness?
Finally, in chapter 4 of Matthew we see God’s proclamation at Christ’s baptism, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.”  In this moment, we see an innocent Jesus taking on the sin of humanity–becoming the substitute sin offering for us.  He knows how this all will end, and yet he is willing to take that first step which will ultimately lead to the cross.  And taking that step of devotion and obedience pleases God, for that is what God desires from each of us.

3. What steps do you take in your own life to show your devotion and obedience to God?  Have you felt God saying to you, “This is my daughter in whom I am well pleased?”  If the answer to that question is no, then take a moment today to give yourself that affirmation.  Because it is true.  You are God’s daughter, and God is pleased with you.

Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him.  Deuteronomy 8:6

Blessings and Peace,
Sara
 

Each year our United Methodist Women’s group has a program entitled “A Call to Prayer and Self-Denial”.  During the evening we look at a particular issue that is affecting our world and learn about ways to get involved to make a change for good.  This year, the focus was on the global water crisis with an emphasis on the damaging effects bottled water is having on our world.  Yes, you heard right, bottled water is quickly breaking down our planet!!

Here are a few quick facts:

1. Each year there are 3 billion pounds of waste from bottled water!!  As most of us know, plastic is not biodegradable.  Where does that plastic end up?  Much of it finds it’s way into our oceans, streams, rivers and lakes where it breaks down enough for fish and animals to eat it.  Slowly and surely, the plastic we discard is making it’s way back up our food chain.  That thought gives me pause as I bite into a piece of chicken.

2. Making bottled water wastes water.  It takes 3 times the amount of water to produce the bottle as it does to fill it!!  Plastic production requires the use of water, as does filtering the water that goes into the bottles.  40% of the water used to make one bottle of water we pull from the gas station is simply poured down the drain.

3. Making bottled water wastes oil.  17 million barrels of oil are used in the production of bottled water each year!!  Look at a bottle of water.  Imagine seeing 1/4 of that bottle filled with oil.  That’s how much oil went into the production of that bottle of water.  That’s what we’re drinking.

4. Bottled water is not held to the same FDA test standards as tap water.  There are more stringent government regulations on tap water than bottled water.  Bottled water companies are not legally required to divulge the source of their water.  AND, 40% of all bottled water sold is actually tap water!!

5. Producing bottled water dries up sources of water for communities and farms throughout the country.  If we continue to consume water at the rate we are currently consuming, it is only a matter of time before communities in the United States are affected by the global water crisis.

Here are some resources if you’d like to check the facts.
water.org
onedrop.org
onlineeducation.net/bottled_water

I am committing to end my use of bottled water.  Would you do the same?

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

P.S. Posting tomorrow about the global water crisis.  Will you pledge to no longer buy bottled water?

My husband just finished a message series called “The Prayer Project”.  I have to confess that prayer is probably the weakest part of my daily walk with God.  This series has challenged me to be more intentional in my prayer, to communicate throughout the day with God, to praise God and to surrender myself to his will through prayer.  Yesterday, Chris finished up the series with a sermon titled “Pray With”.  The basic message was that, as Christians, we are called to pray with and not just for other people.  It’s one thing to tell someone that you’ll pray for them.  It is another, riskier, more meaningful act to stop what you’re doing and pray with them on the spot.  I, and others in the congregation, resolved to be more intentional about praying with others.  However, God wasn’t done.

That evening, I went with some friends to a Brandon Heath/Brit Nicole concert.  During her performance, Brit Nicole spoke of the power of fear in our lives to keep us from doing God’s will.  She said that just that day she had been out shopping and felt God calling her to pray with a woman in a store.  And yet, her fear prevented her from doing what she felt God calling her to do.  Remembering Chris’ sermon, my friends and I exchanged meaningful looks and laughed at God’s ability to continually weave messages into our lives.  And yet, God still wasn’t finished!

After the concert we stopped at a Taco Bell for a belated dinner.  While we were eating we entered into a conversation with a woman working at the restaurant.  She shared with us her struggles of being a single mom, working 7 days a week and barely making ends meet.  As many look forward to the upcoming holiday season, she is dreading it because she doesn’t have enough money to do much for her three children.  She shared with us that last Christmas, in fact, their dinner consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with macaroni and cheese.  My friends and I looked at each other.  We knew what we needed to do.  At 10 P.M. in Taco Bell, we stopped and prayed with this young woman.  We got her contact information to see what we could do to make this Christmas better for her family.  As we were leaving one of my friends made the comment that this woman was an angel sent by God to test us and see if we were listening to his words.  I think that instead, God was giving us a gift.

Blessings and Peace,
Sara