{im no quitter}

isnt this hilarious? found this at wal-mart the other day. i laughed about it for a few days, posted it on facebook, sent it to friends..you know. the whole 9 yards.

lately my heart has been very heavy. VERY heavy for those who have been a Christian and no longer claim that. they treat it like another thing you can drop in a day.we give up certain foods, activities, bad habits..etc. and then also expect to just "drop" our faith? if its hard for you to leave Christianity, then maybe you DID have some faith. some love for God. some religion.or, maybe, you actually did have a relationship with Him.

i'll be honest. one of the many i am talking about is my brother. he is so mad at Christianity and Christians. here is the problem...he based it on me, family and friends.{you cannot base your final conclusion of God on humanity}. its not accurate! i personally, have messed up so many times in front of my brother. my language, my attitude, my decisions. o how i wish i  could take that all back! it kills me that people are turning away from God because of our actions. because of how we act, how we respond. but like i have said in an earlier post. {i am not perfect. i am not comparable to God's love and reasoning}. yes, i represent Jesus. i strive to do that every day. but i am not perfect at it at all. if there is ANY good in me, it is all because of Jesus working in my heart. and when i mess up, its just another time that i get back up and press on . i guess what i'm trying to reiterate is this...{do not base your final decision of God because of what people have said or done to you}.


my main question to people who are getting frustrated with the church is "what are you not experiencing? what do you need to experience to make God real in your life?" you cannot stop being a Christian because you "hate" the "church"(the BRIDE of Christ). Perry Noble said it best. he said, "to say you love Christ, yet hate is church is offensive. its like telling me you love me and want to get to know me, yet hate my wife and cant stand her. i would hurt you if you said that about my wife!"  (paraphrased)

this all makes it hard on myself as well. what are we doing as Christians that are making people fed up? are we allowing the whole influence to be based on our actions? or are encouraging engaging in the Holy Spirit! and a movement in their hearts!

its hard to see our mistakes lead people away from God. but, luckily, God does not let go.

may they, by Gods grace, see Jesus at work in many others and in their lives as well.
{Sara}

{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}

{called to ministry}

i remember the day like it was yesterday. i was at SOS in Cincinnati Ohio with our youth group, and we were doing exercises of praying over people and asking the Holy Spirit to tell us what He wanted us to tell the other person. this exercise is done with your back to the person and not knowing who they are, you have 2 minutes to pray (before you turn around)and ask God what He wants you to tell that person.

so of course, i was suspicious and  carefully picked my person. as i stood behind her, i touched her shoulder to let her know someone was behind her, and i felt this burst of energy flow between us- i then started shaking. when the woman turned around, she had to keep her eyes closed until she was done telling me...

i was told this:
"God wants me to tell you today that you are a beautiful butterfly waiting to come out of a cocoon. Its like, you are at a place in life where you are about to realize your calling, and God wants you to know that He loves you and has big plans for you. Whats going on now, is preparing you for what is to come when you burst out of your cocoon. He's got you. He has big plans for you. And He wants you to know that He sees you, recognizes you, and cannot wait to use you. He loves you!...did i get it right??" lol

of course she did!!

all day i couldn't get it out of my head...God wanted me to know that He {noticed} me. and that He was about to reveal His {plan for my life} to me. i was blown away. and felt so privileged! but more so blown away-

later that week, at a session, we were doing an alter call. a lot of us leaders had gone up front or to the sides of the auditorium to pray for students. later in the session, one of the pastors went up and said "any leaders out there that need prayer? anyone feeling called to ministry or know you need to make a life decision tonight? come up front to this corner, and we will do a "calling" prayer time for you"

i had just finished praying for a youth, and bolted up front. before i knew it, i was being prayed for. i was being prayed over and they were praying that my {ministry as a woman would be respected, fruitful and blessed}. that financially i would be taken care of and that my life would begin to take its rightful direction.

after that trip, my husband and i started dating and things were coming together. the next SOS the following year i was engaged and had just quit my previous job (which i didnt get to even do my "2 weeks notice")

again, i went up for prayer and the woman asked me some very specific questions about how much i loved children. "do you work with children?" she asked. as she was praying for me, she said she saw me teaching in a classroom with all these kids watching me while i {taught them about Jesus}. she said kids would notice me. she even pointed out a little child that would catch my heart, and she gave me specific features of a child to look for in the future, and that when I see that child, i'll be reassured that this is what i'm supposed to be doing....

...a month later i started working in children's ministry :)

what have you been called to do (loving people & sharing Jesus can come with ANY job)? actually, the real question is...are you doing it??

{Sara} 

{growing up- doing what really matters}

i like the Message version of Matthew 5:38-48:

"Here's another old saying that deserves a second look: 'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.' Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I propose: 'Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you." 

i used to have a sign in my room that said "get over it". which can be rough sometimes, right? but its true. our society wants us so badly to {get what we deserve}, {pursue for justice}, {fight for rights}...does that all really matter when this isn't even our home? we are aliens- here on earth to serve JESUS, to love JESUS, and believe in Him so that we can be with HIM when it really REALLY matters. 

when i leave this world. i will be with JESUS. i am a kingdom subject here on earth to show the love of Jesus. i am a Jesus lover on a compassionate pursuit to plant seeds of hope, faith, and love to my enemies and to help them find who Jesus is, and want to be with Him as well!

we have a BIG job! 

{blessings- to better the mood}

whew! joel and i have been having a {season} so i thought i needed to post some {blessings} that are happening lately..they may seem pathetic and simple, but hey...im trying!

1. i got a car! still needing to figure some things out, but the timing/money was perfect. and it was a major prayer request that was answered!

2. right now some close friends of mine are living in town for a while with my parents. its been really nice to see them whenever i can go over. their daughter is precious and i love my comfortable friendship with them.

3. really loving my job/jobs. babysitting is also that {extra} little blessing :)

4. i have amazing friends that care for me and send me random/loving/encouraging text messages

5. i have a husband that keeps me sane :D he is hilarious, funny, honest, and encouraging.

6. we have 8 weddings this year! its been great to be able to make some of them a little {weekend getaway}
 since we dont have the money to go on a vacation this summer.

7. my God is {GOOD}, and even though some things are happening now..i know that His promises are never taken back. i am looking forward to this list growing and growing!

whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. my Father will honor the one who serves me. {john 12:26}