Learning...

I love that we never stop learning.  Whether something is brand new, or part of our routine...there is always something new to be discovered.  The best part about it is the way God made us to learn from each other!  We learn in many different ways: through listening, doing, seeing, etc...we also teach in different ways...seems it was meant to be :)  One of my favorite ways to learn is through someone else.  In doing Bible studies, I always find some new insight into a scripture or viewpoint that I never considered before - which in turn leads me to research and more learning.  In teaching my preschoolers, I am AMAZED at how much more they observe and understand about the way things work than I do - and they have such a pure and un'tainted' way of explaining their "findings."  In my every day life with my family, I find that I have absolutely no proper understanding of truly selflessly sharing life with others - Thank God for Mercy!  Isn't it beautiful that God has given us each other for relationship, encouragement, and learning as we come together as brothers and sisters in Christ to form the one body of the Church?

Unfortunately, we don't always take advantage of this gift...or worse, we completely ignore it as we get caught up in the "business" of each day.  I hear "I'm just too busy," a lot...too much...and often from myself ... I have a truth for you my friends, God is NEVER too busy for us.  Imagine!  The Creator, the Ruler of the World, the One who holds all things in orbit...makes time for each one of us!  Yet we make no effort to make time for Him...  Let alone, make an effort for His Church, His Body, Our Brothers and Sisters, Our Fellow man...

Well, I'm sufficiently convicted.

So...what can we do?  Make the effort.  There is no such thing as too little, too late when you're held in the arms of God.  He makes all things right.  He makes all things good.  He allows all seasons.  We were made for community.  We were made for relationship.  We were made for worship. 

 "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith."  Romans 12:4-6

 ^"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."  Romans 8:28-30

Isn't it wonderful how God has worked all things together?  It amazes me every time and each time I am reminded...I learn something new.  I stand in awe of my Father in heaven as I seek to learn His ways!  I read my new favorite verses for the first time today:   "Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways." James 1:5-8  Let Him teach you something new today...ask for the wisdom you wish to receive.  I'm so excited, Lord!  What will you teach me today???

Inside out.

Man...I have GOT to get on the ball about getting this out ON Saturday...sorry for making you wait...and building your anticipation ;)

I do not have anything as wise or Yoda-like as last week...but, just as beautifully handwritten on my heart by God, to you.  Two weeks ago I wrote about choices...but I forgot one very important point...a point that HIT ME BETWEEN THE EYES this week!  Making a choice is all we need to do, yes.  HOWEVER...there are two sides to each choice.  We can choose yes, OR we can CHOOSE no....I know what you're thinking..."yeah...and?"  Example:  I have chosen to transform my health this year.  For me, that means eating right and walking to work every day...no, I mean EVERY day (no matter the weather)...At least...that's what I was telling myself.  Yet, morning after morning after morning, I find myself choosing not to...Choosing "NO."  *All the while, I am thinking I am just choosing "I need more sleep" or "I need to do this or that" or "I don't feel well, I need to get feeling better"  and so on and so on and so on...*

Saying "No" to choosing "Yes" is still choosing "No."

I can't explain why...but this was So huge for me this week!  HUGE!  And the best part?  God is there to support our struggle to choose to say "Yes" (and "No" when necessary).  Please, don't get me wrong, there are times when we need to say "No."  My small revelation was in reference to making a commitment and then finding excuses to choose no.  Am I alone here?  I'd like to think others are as "good" at making excuses as I am...  Praise God, that HE has the power to change that part of me.  So, on the road to "Transformation" there is only One God and He is the ONE source of TRUE TRANSFORMATION, from the inside out!

Far From Perfection

Hello friends!  I hope your week has gone well.  Mine was very usual...nothing out of the ordinary...bland, tepid, and apathetic(...correction: I believe that last word should read PATHETIC!)  'Saturdays With Sara' has brought me to a screeching hault at the end of this Saturday...haulted to the realization that I am nowhere near living my life for the glory of God, as Proverbs 31 calls me to.  A bitterly painful realization!  Even more painful, the realization that Proverbs 31 is an example of perfection as a woman...and I fall SO short.  As I lay reading in bed, ready to turn the lights out and call it a night, I began to think over my day...what did I do all day?  Slept until almost 11, watched several movies, played a game with the fam, did 1/2 a load of laundry...and that's about it.  Some might say, "Oh, what a wonderfully relaxing and lazy Saturday."  And they're right...LAZY.  I share this with you only because I am ashamed that it took until 12:20am Sunday for me to sit down and spend time with #1, G-O-D...the first thought I've given Him all day.  This is NOT the plan he has for ANY of our lives...

"Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him and be firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world." 1 Peter 5:8-9

Coasting through life...drifting on the waves of moments as we cruise idly on the ship of sloth...awaiting that "roaring lion" to come and have his way...  NO!  God has much greater plans and dreams for our lives and all he asks is the passion and intentionality (from us) to carry out His will!  Now, I know that not all people have the same problems in the same areas...but I am CONVINCED that we ALL struggle with SLOTH and LAZE in some avenue of our lives...think about it.  Whether it's using our spare time idly with television/games/rest or filling all our time with work/friends/family/service (while all GOOD things), we can have too much of a good thing (causing us to neglect / be lazy in another area).  God worked for 6 days (one more than most of us do) and then he rested all the while in communion with His "family" - the Holy Trinity and Heavenly hosts.  He set the model for all good things in those first 7 days!

Thankfully, God does not call us to perfection!  But, He does call us to TRY.  Proverbs 31, I believe, is the perfect example given to women of God as a guideline for behavior.  Our heavenly father know's we will fall short, it's happened since the beginning, (He wouldn't change it for the world) and that's the beauty of grace!  He knows...and all he asks is for true repentence and "his mercies are new every morning!"  EVERY MORNING!!!  But wait, there's more!  God gave us the model, then he gave us the scripture, then he gave us the Crowning Glory example: Jesus Christ!

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time." Hebrews 4:15-16

"...Grace to help us..."!!!!!  I am SO thankful that the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, GOD Himself, dwells within the confines of my sinful, mortal, fallen heart!  He's here to help me.  He's here to guide me.  He's here to convict me.  And, He's here to catch me when I fall...and I will fall...as I have today.

As mournful as I can be about my short commings, I REJOICE in days like this!  WHY?  Because it's a new chance to learn...a stopping point to look back and decide to choose a better path.  A path that leads away from ME and INTO HIM!...ending the day wrapped in His arms, blanketed with love, joy, peace, mercy, and grace.  Our God truly is an AWESOME God!

Choices, Choices...

I realized something this weekend.  Nothing new or ground breaking...but something I've known...it had been in front of me all the time, I just never gave it much thought or paid much attention.  What occurred to me was this: God wants nothing more than to help you through each and every decision of each and every day, but he won't do it for you.  I know what you might be thinking..."Really, Sara?  You never realized that before?"  But that's the tricky part...I think we all know this...we've learned along the way that our choices must come from ourselves and no one (Not even God) will make our choices for us.  Unfortunately, I think this causes many people to believe 'if they can't count on God to make their choices, they can't count on God.'  Nothing could be further from the truth.

See, I've been going along thinking that if I ask for God's help, (say to drop a bad habit) His desire IS to help, but it doesn't mean anything if I don't make the right choices.  What needs to happen is for us to remember to take every though captive and before making any decision: what to wear, what to eat, how to spend our time, how to work, what to say...we MUST consult God, search His character and then rely on Him to lead us in the right direction.  He won't do it for us, but he WILL HELP us make the right choices, IF we choose first to yield to Him!

All Things New!

Happy New Year!

I am so excited for this new year!  So excited to see what God will do to gather the body of Christ and grow His kingdom!!!  As I was reading this morning, I found this gem in Revelation:

"And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”  And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.  The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.  But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” "  Revelation 21:5-8

I LOVE that in this time of expecting the new year, that Our LORD is making ALL things new...not has made, not will make, but is making (yesterday, today, and tomorrow!)  And not only that, but His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:21-23).  Praise God!

We all love the word new.  New clothes, new foods, new travels, new car, new hair cut, new makeup, new shoes, new friends...and on and on...but do we ever stop to think about WHY we love new so much?  I can't think that it's only out of greed or pride or selfishness...although some of it is...there's an underlying reason our we crave newness in life.  I think the newness we crave is the newness of Christ!  God's word never returns void.  Even a verse yuou've read a million times can seem brand new in the right season.  God created change and the cycle of life - seasons, birth, death, technology, even washing dishes is change from old to new!  It's a yearning that's been breathed into our being since the beginning and as God is making all things new, we crave that newness in the expectaion that we will some day soon get to experience it...if we accept the gift of Christ and allow Him to indwell our hearts daily we will see the change we long for!

Until then, continue seeking Him, and he will change your heart and make you new!  I firmly believe that Christ comes to our hearts once, but that is not the end of the change He wishes to do.  He changes our hearts and makes us new in every moment that we yeild to Him and not to ourselves.  Cheers to you friends!  Cheers to the new year.  And cheers to the changes we allow in 2012!  Praise God!

Check out my new change for the new year at http://www.storieswithsara.wordpress.com/ !

Merry Christmas!

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
   and they shall call his name Immanuel”  Matthew 1:23

What a wonderful time of year!  Streets and stores and homes filled with strings of lights reminding us of the Light of the World, our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord!  What a blessing to have the God of the universe come to earth to live as a human, struggle as a human, endure pain as a human, and die as a human only to be raised from the sealed tomb and reign in our hearts and save us from our sins!

All too often we forget this precious gift...we move about our days filled with appointments and business- fuled by coffee and money, power and pride- only to find ourselves at the end of the day with nothing more than what we started with.  When Christmas comes to town, there is a change of heart, and change of pace (which really only means we move faster and become more stressed because naw we must add "Christmas shopping" to our "to-dos.")  Is this what Christmas is?  Less than a month of overstressing, overspending, overeating, and overanalyzing?...and then a month of "resolutions" to be "better" the next time around...and where do we find ourselves???  Right back where we were last year...  No.   This is NOT CHRISTmas!

Christ came to live among us so that we would have a savior who understands, who can take our hand and walk us through our days helping all the way.  A couple of weeks ago I wrot about keeping Christmas in our hearts all year...now more than ever I realize every day that I need to be reminded to keep CHRIST in my heart EVERY MOMENT of every day...to remember that whatever I am struggling with in that moment, Christ was tempted in the SAME WAY, and has the power and stregth to help me through.  This IS CHRISTmas!

Christ came to be born of a virgin as a human baby so that He could die as a man and be Immanuel (God with us) for erternity.  PRAISE God for the greatest gift ever given!  A gift that is available to ALL people...at no cost to anyone but Himself.  Best gift...best Love story ever told. 

As the year comes to a close, resolve to allow CHRIST to reign in your heart and be your HELPER through every moment of this coming year.

And the baby Jesus...

Do you have a favorite Christmas ornament or decoration?  I love putting up "all the trimmings" for Christmas!  I can never wait until after Thanksgiving...my tree is up the day after at the latest...and if it were solely up to me it would be up by my birthday (Nov. 5) alongside all the Thanksgiving decor...  The tree is by far my favorite...so many memories in one central location!  Always the first decoration...can't start the rest without it.  I love going through and studying each ornament before it goes up, remembering what it means and admiring its sparkle next to the lights...  I also love studying other people's trees...it's like a window into what really matters/means something to someone.  I can never pick just one ornament I like best...it varies from year to year and even day to day...I love them all because of the special meaning or thought that went into choosing it for the "collection."  An ornament is by far my favorite Christmas gift to give or receive.

As I was admiring my tree all lit up one evening, I had the though...what is God's favorite Christmas ornament?  I know it seems silly, and the answer seems obvious, it's Jesus Christ!  Which then led me to thinking about The Ultimate gift God sent us to "decorate" this season (and the whole of our lives)... Jesus!!! 

"And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

"For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily..." Colossians 2:9

God HIMSELF, in the person of Jesus, came to earth to dwell with man.  God spent nine months growing as a baby in the womb of a woman.  He put aside all his power and glory and might to be born as every other child is born. He spent 30 years learning and growing as every other child learns and grows.  And THE WHOLE TIME he never stopped being God...He CHOSE to become a lowly, poor human...and live sinlessly in order that each and every person He created could choose eternal life!  can you believe that???!???  It BAFFLES me!  God reduced Himself to the confinement of human skin, lay in a "manger" made out of wood from trees HE CREATED, just so YOU and I could be saved from the penalty of sin...  WOW  ...I guess that is my favorite Christmas "ornament"...  Jesus.  Not the ceramic figure of a baby, not a painting or any other manufactured "likeness"...  No...the LIVING, BREATHING, SON OF GOD who dwells in my heart and decorates my life!  And He can be the same for you!

Merry Christmas!