{Lord, save him}

what a month! life is flying by, but that's because life has been so much fun!

monday, joel and i went to chicago for a cubs game. we love the cubs and i LOVE wrigley field. its such a fun environment. they really do a good job to make it entertaining and lively.

after the game and dinner, we went to walk around millennium park before our train back. (we had over 2 hours to kill!) as we were walking along, we passed a homeless gentleman with a dog and they were both sleeping on the side of the street. as we were walking past them, i thought to  myself, "that poor guy and his dog..." BUT the lady behind me mumbled under her breath, "Lord, save him...."

{{{{{{TRIGGER}}}}}} its like that phrase set off an alarm in my heart. in a split second, i wanted to cry, and my sorrow for this individual was crazy and insanely large. as we kept walking, my heart started beating so fast and i knew the Holy Spirit was working. in that split second, i realized something...that phrase called ME out to do something. i was to be the one who did something, because i represent JESUS. i felt like that phrase awakened my whole being. it awakened who i am designed to represent and the image i was created in. it was like the lady was whispering to me "...you represent Jesus...DO SOMETHING"

i have never had that reaction before. the last time i gave my food away on the street was because a man followed me from the restaurant to a coffee shop and asked me for my leftovers...sounds horrible, right?

so i asked my husband and friends if it was OK that i gave away our {amazingly wonderful} cheesy bread from dinner that we were saving for our snack on the way home. i went to give it to him, and he was appreciative. then as we were walking away, God told me to give him some money. i asked my husband how much we had...and we had a $20 and a $1. well, of course then God says, "really? you cant give up a $20???"

so i went back and gave it to him. he then got up and gave me a hug. we talked about his situation he was in and gave him some encourgement. his dogs name was stella and she was a rescue. as we were talking, a lady walked up and stated, "ugh..that poor dog! is she OK?" and i thought to myself..."what about HIM? you stop and give your full bottle of water to a dog, yet this man is dying of thirst?" it was heartbreaking. he promised he would use our money to buy himself something to drink :)

lesson learned. God calls us out when we least expect it. He calls us out using others responses to tough situations. We must ALWAYS be attentive and aware of what God may be wanting to do.

PS i only lasted 2 days on juicing :) but i love using it to supplement!

{Sara} 

{mary&martha}

i read luke 10:38-42 recently about an account about mary and martha. i had to chuckle, because i can relate to this story so much! a sisterly quarrel :)
 martha has Jesus over for dinner, and gets upset that mary (who is sitting at Jesus' feet listening to Him talk) isnt helping with the prep. she goes to Jesus and says "Lord, dont you care that my sitster has left me to do the work by myself? tell her to help me!"

 Jesus replies, "martha, martha...you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. mary has chosen what is better, 

and it will not be taken away from her"

 ummm...embarrassing! i cant imagine! martha just got "boom!"ed.
 i just love this account. first off, because this is such a sibling thing to do ;) and also, its so true what we do in our Christian walk sometimes. we can get so caught up in what others {arent} doing in our eyes. we can be so judgemental about others and their personal relationships with Jesus. when i catch myself personally wrongfully accusing, i am reminded that i do not know their heart...only God does.
 i was thinking about what sister i would have been, but then i realized i have been both. i have been so caught up in serving and being busy with helping others, that i realize i haven't spent time with the ONE whom i am doing all that service for.
 in ministry (all Christians are called to ministry wherever you are), its so important to remember to rest at the feet of Jesus and just listen.
 all this to say... we are each at a different place in our relationship with Jesus. we need to watch our hearts and make sure that they are not only in the right place, but sitting at the feet of Jesus.

{my never changing faith}

i just returned from our Vineyard Regional Conference (which was amazing) and was excited to share with everyone what happened. well, now i feel that i am not ready for that! its kind of like a fun secret :) but i will say it was more detail on my calling as a Christ follower, so that is so refreshing!

my post this time is  more about those who have given up the good fight. who have thought they have ran the race, but didnt. those who thought they "tried Jesus" but didnt fully get the experience that would put a desire  and yearning in their heart.

i want to share with you more about my relationship with Jesus and the change He made in MY life:

it breaks my heart to see people frustrated with Christians. i will type it again...it breaks my heart to see people frustrated with Christians. in general, and we are all guilty of it, we put human beings on such a high platform sometimes. which is great, right? because it helps us set goals, define who we are, and achieve more love and respect for those around us. everyone expects everyone to 'practice what they preach' and if they don't, we get mad. we get really mad. because we are humans who are disappointed in a human. i guess the thought that always comes to my mind when i am ridiculed is, i am human. i will fail you. please please please do not depend on me! as a Christian, i do know i have a calling, a purpose and the Bible is very clear on that. if i am doing good, it is only because of my Jesus who helps me, and if i am failing, it is because i am human who is full of error.

it hurts me. it offends me. when people talk about my best friend, Jesus the way they do. it hurts when they slander my Heavenly Father, and it hurts when they mock the Holy Spirit.{i have experienced the Trinity in a way that has made me fall even more deeply in love with God and people. i have realized my purpose, who i am in Christ, and self worth. i have had conversations with a God that to a lot of people seems ridiculous. i have encountered a God who is reachable.}

i read a post of a friend that wants to get Jesus out of his mind. he cant believe how hard it is to get out of the mindset of Christianity. that isnt being brainwashed, what he is experiencing is a God and a Holy Spirit who wont let go because He loves that man so much. 

with humans, we are so adamant about getting to know the person fully before we "judge" them. its offensive to even say something about someone without knowing that person. relationships are encouraged so that we can understand one another more deeply and love each other. this is the same for God! the full Gospel is a story of a God who wants a relationship with us. He wants us to know Him. He wants us to experience Him! if you are mad and bitter at a God who IS love, then you have not built a relationship with a God of whom you can slander and ridicule. 

Isaiah 37:9 {For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land}
John 1:3-5 {Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. in him was life, and that life was the light of men. the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it}