tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63310400151228014912024-03-14T00:06:52.871-07:00Sara's Lemonade Standrefreshing the hearts of the saintsSara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-67377639082574252252018-08-19T19:22:00.000-07:002018-08-19T19:20:35.245-07:00hi Blogspot <a href="https://goo.gl/4YpjJ7">https://goo.gl/4YpjJ7</a> sara_musgroveSara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-64814853048043480292012-09-10T13:34:00.000-07:002012-09-10T13:34:03.088-07:00A Mighty FortressWhat is your least favorite part of a church service?<br /><br />You know you have one.<br /><br />Whether you’re the person coordinating the event, behind the board in the sound booth, on stage holding a guitar or microphone, or waiting for your turn at the pulpit, there’s that moment where you have to brace yourself, wince inwardly, and take a deep breath when That Time begins. Yes, you know what I’m talking about.<br /><br />Mine is the greeting time. I can’t stand it. Imagine how Lina Lamont says it in her nasally voice in Singin’ In The Rain. I caaaaaan’t staaand it. You have to smile at everyone around you, even though moments ago you were just wondering what you were going to have for lunch and don’t know if you really want to eat at home but the hubster wants to eat out so there’s going to be an argument later. Then you have to look around to see who’s reaching out toward you to shake your hand. Shake Your Hand. Shake. Your. Hand. Because I definitely shake everybody’s hand when I see them. No! There are some hugs, friendly banter. If there is a voluntary handshake in Real Life, it’s usually one of those two-handed handshakes that just feels more sincere than its predecessor. <br /><br />And then there’s the awesome conversation that you have with a)strangers and b)friends. <br /><br />Conversation A goes like:<br /><br />Person 1: Hi there.<br />Person 2: Hi.<br />Person 1: How are you?<br />Person 2: Doing good this morning.<br />Person 1: Good, good. Glad to hear it.<br />Person 2: And you?<br />Person 1: Yes, good. It’s good to see you!<br />Person 2: You too.<br /><br />Conversation B goes like:<br /><br />Friend 1: Hi there.<br />Me: Hi.<br />Friend 1: How are you?<br />Me: Doing good this morning.<br />Friend 1: Good, good. Glad to hear it.<br />Me: And you?<br />Friend1: Yes, good. It’s good to see you!<br />Me: You too.<br /><br /><br />And then move on, and so on, and henceforth, and blah blah blah until the song starts up again and, praise the Lord, there is relief from the agony. I just spent about half an hour looking for jokes about greeting time at church and couldn’t find any. I think that is surprising. There were a lot of terrible jokes, and it kind of made me feel bad that I was making fun of or complaining about one of the aspects of a church service. See, I do try not to complain about something unless I can find a viable solution for fixing it. Unless I can change a scenario, hot glue, paint, or duct tape, or make some kind of phone call to somebody who CAN fix the broken thing, then I will try to just deal. But here’s the thing about the deal….greeting time happens in almost every church, in every service, and good luck trying to change it. And honestly, who cares? Who cares that it’s awkward, fake, and a terrible way to spread germs like the plague?<br /><br />There was a service my husband and I attended, which brilliantly avoided greeting time. I LOVED that service. You walk in the building; in the foyer was a table for making a cup of coffee. Walk into the worship center and the lights were dim, there was music in the background. You could converse with people or just take a seat. We’d have the music, the speaker, and afterward many of us would go out to dinner. Oh yes. That’s right.<br /><br />What is it about the Greeting Time that I find so terrible? Am I alone in this?! I just don’t like the close proximity, the short-lived moment in which nobody is ready to discuss how they are ACTUALLY feeling that morning, and the forced faux friendliness. If you know me, then it’s cool if we have a little or big hug and/or a handshake if we usually handshake. But if I see you at the grocery store and we chat better than we do during the Greeting Time, let’s just be done with the waxy mannerisms, shall we? Nobody needs to shake my hand, and it never ever anywhere makes me feel welcome. I don’t know where your hands have been. Were you just picking your nose? Picking the lint in your pocket? Picking something out of your teeth? Ew. I don’t want your morning’s eggs on my hands. Even if you’re nice. <br /><br />What is it about a handshake?<br /><br />I’m not criticizing the fact that new people need to feel welcome, and I do understand how necessary it is for anybody who has arrived at an event to feel invited, part of the group, and that they belong. I agree with that. But it seems there should be a better way to make that happen. I don’t know if it can happen in a two-minute segue. <br /><br />Maybe it has to do with me.<br /><br />I DO realize that most people probably don’t even blink when it comes to greeting time. For me it’s a grinding of the teeth, nails on the chalkboard, a train wreck. I think my blood pressure skyrockets when I’m forced to meet new people that are standing right behind me. Maybe it has something to do with the ensuing chaos of people suddenly talking, walking around, moving every which way. Maybe it has to do with a fear of crowds or something. Check it out; just looked up “fear of crowds phobia” and what’s kind of funny is what came up: <br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agoraphobia<br /><br />That’s right. Agoraphobia is “an anxiety disorder characterized by anxiety in situations where the sufferer perceives the environment to be difficult or embarrassing to escape.” I get that, Wikipedia. I get that. <br /><br />Now, I’m not looking for myself to have more trouble or drama than I already have, but let’s face it. Greeting time is a breeding ground for agoraphobes. Party rock, agoraphobes! Let’s hear it for the boys! <br /><br />Or girls. <br /><br />I’d rather have a quiet moment to chat with someone about what her name is, if she has come before, and what program I can interest her in. Or discuss how cute her shoes are. Or ask a question about my daughter’s teeth or health and how it relates to that person’s daughter. And a two –minute rock concert just doesn’t help that. <br /><br />Now, don’t get me wrong in that I really DO like the real moments from people that I do know. I love a hug from a friend, waving to a friendly face across the room, and laughing about my poor husband’s wonky guitar solo that we will laugh about when we go out to lunch later. (Love you!)<br /><br />I just needed to write something out about Greetin’ Time after a couple pointless handshakes yesterday. I really need to remember to put some hand sanitizer in my purse. It’s just one of those things you have to deal with, this GT. It’s definitely not a gift or talent for me. <br /><br />I am reminded of my social awkwardness at the park. It’s this innate fear within me, of addressing Strangers. It doesn’t matter if they look friendly, kind, or like airplane hijackers, there’s this inner struggle to force words out of my mouth. Blarg! When I was a child my mother called it Shyness. Now I’m searching for a name and a cure; you see, it’s easier to defeat a problem when you can give it a name. And as a leader for an important ministry to my heart, as a Christ-follower, as a mom, I need to be able to walk up to new people and not feel like Cousin It. But I’m an organizer, not a greeter.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />After months of vexation with my daughter, trying every tactic to get her to Take A Nap, I finally settled on the solution of singing hymns to her. For some reason, this works. I’m so glad. It started out with holding her down, holding her hand, and singing any song I could find in my old hymnbook for as long as it took for her to fall asleep, and now she asks me to sing songs from my book. Actually, if I leave before she’s completely asleep she will pull the book off her dresser where I leave it, and pull it into bed with her. And…. after that she usually comes to get me and asks, “What’s wrong with me?” and I walk her back to bed to see that she’s been trying to sleep on top of the hardback book. <br /><br />I thumb through, perusing the songs I grew up learning in choir, and sing what I know. I try to settle on the ones that are slower, calmer, and I have found that the ones where I sing a bit higher are the ones that work the best. Some favorites are “Be Thou My Vision,” “In The Garden,” “My God is Near Me All The Time,” and “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” <br /><br />In college we had this event called Renaissance Week, where the entire university held activities, a big dinner, some shows, and lectures on the Renaissance. I went to one where a music professor talked about A Mighty Fortress, and it was such an interesting discussion. I love learning about where stories and songs come from.<br /><br />Martin Luther wrote the words and composed the melody sometime between 1527 and 1529. Remember that Martin Luther was a German monk, priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation (Wikipedia). He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money; that salvation is not earned but a gift of God; and helped the Bible become more accessible to the common man. <br /><br />Quick facts about “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”:<br />• It has been called the "Battle Hymn of the Reformation" for the effect it had.<br />• It was a tribute to Luther's friend Leonhard Kaiser, who was executed on August 16, 1527.<br />• The words are a paraphrase of Psalm 46.<br />• Luther composed the melody, named "Ein feste Burg" from the text's first line, in meter 87.87.55.56.7. This is sometimes denoted "rhythmic tune" to distinguish it from the later isometric variant, in 87.87.66.66.7 (thanks Wikipedia).<br />• This hymn covers the full sweep of the Christian's life. In it, we find the answer to conflict, striving, spiritual warfare, and at last, victory” (<http: www.crosswalk.com="www.crosswalk.com"> 10 Sept 2012).<br /><br />One of the most significant facts I learned about the song was that not every verse ends with a cheerful note, literally, musically, and lyrically. Here are the lyrics:<br /><br />A mighty fortress is our God, <br />a bulwark never failing; <br />our helper he amid the flood <br />of mortal ills prevailing. <br />For still our ancient foe <br />doth seek to work us woe; <br />his craft and power are great, <br />and armed with cruel hate, <br />on earth is not his equal.<br /><br />Did we in our own strength confide, <br />our striving would be losing, <br />were not the right man on our side, <br />the man of God's own choosing.<br />Dost ask who that may be? <br />Christ Jesus, it is he; <br />Lord Sabaoth, his name, <br />from age to age the same, <br />and he must win the battle.<br /><br />And though this world, with devils filled, <br />should threaten to undo us, <br />we will not fear, for God hath willed <br />his truth to triumph through us. <br />The Prince of Darkness grim, <br />we tremble not for him; <br />his rage we can endure, <br />for lo, his doom is sure; <br />one little word shall fell him.<br /><br />That word above all earthly powers, <br />no thanks to them, abideth; <br />the Spirit and the gifts are ours, <br />thru him who with us sideth. <br />Let goods and kindred go, <br />this mortal life also; <br />the body they may kill; <br />God's truth abideth still; <br />his kingdom is forever.<br /><br /><br />Who’s got no equal on earth in verse 1? Our ancient foe. So why are we singing out him being so strong?! Look at verse 3: God hath willed his truth to triumph through us. Our enemy may be unequal, but one little word shall fell him. One little word, one little name: Jesus. That name, that word, above all earthly powers. Let goods and kindred go; this mortal life also. God’s truth abideth still; his kingdom is forever.<br /><br />Psalm 46 says:<br />God is our refuge and strength,<br />an ever-present help in trouble.<br />Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way<br />and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,<br />though its waters roar and foam<br />and the mountains quake with their surging. <br /><br />There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,<br />the holy place where the Most High dwells.<br />God is within her, she will not fall;<br />God will help her at break of day.<br />Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;<br />he lifts his voice, the earth melts.<br /><br />The Lord Almighty is with us;<br />the God of Jacob is our fortress. <br /><br />Come and see the works of the Lord,<br />the desolations he has brought on the earth.<br />He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;<br />he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,<br />he burns the shields with fire.<br />“Be still, and know that I am God;<br />I will be exalted among the nations,<br />I will be exalted in the earth.”<br /><br />The Lord Almighty is with us;<br />the God of Jacob is our fortress.<br /> <br />Fortress: a large fort or fortified town; a place or source of refuge or support. Bulwark: any protection against external danger, injury, or annoyance. I like the reminder, that the almighty, protecting God who was around in 1 BC, who was around in 1527, is still around and present as ever in 2012. He abideth still.<br /><br />Even during Greeting Time.<br />Even when you step in gum in the parking lot. <br />Even when the plans go wrong. <br />Even when you can’t hand her a brochure.<br />Even when you can’t find wiggle room in the budget.<br />Even when gray clouds fill the sky, masking the bright yellow sun.<br /><br />Lord Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts, of armies, from age to age the same. And He must win the battle.<br /><br />So whether the battle is internal, or external, among friends or strangers, or silly awkwardness at the park or in line at the grocery store, He can work through it. He’s the one to run to, flinging our shameful inadequacy into his arms when we forget, fail, or falter. “God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:5-7).<br /><br />Maybe today is your Greeting Time. Maybe Greeting Time is your favorite thing, or maybe you’re glad to be on stage with a microphone so you don’t have to participate. Well for those of us in the audience, I’ll just keep on singing the chords and remember that even when my blood pressure rises, there’s a stronger one standing beside me. And <i>he</i> must win the battle.<br /><br /></http:>Sara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-57991952911091780882012-09-04T22:38:00.002-07:002012-09-04T22:38:38.077-07:00A New Leg Of The TripWell, I've started something new and I hope you will stick with me. Follow me on over to my new blog,<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.saramusgrove.com/blog.html">SaraMusgrove.com</a><br />
<br />
and keep on reading. I'd love to see you over there so that we can continue the story together. Sara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-59810949137068363312012-05-03T14:17:00.000-07:002012-05-03T14:17:35.885-07:00Measured. Stored.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I like watching One Tree Hill. I admit it. I enjoy the writing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span>“You gotta open up your
heart to somebody. You gotta let someone discover how staggering you are.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span>I think we all deserve to be told that at least once in our lives.
We spend so much time trying to make ourselves better, improving upon what we
are, that we don’t see how fabulous we currently are. We are quite often small
and insignificant, a little overweight, clumsy, and forgetful, but we were made
by flawless hands. We were created in the depths of perfection, in the shadow
of unspoiled eyes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">You are staggering.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It doesn’t matter if you can name your faults or claim your
failures. That’s beside the point. David was just a kid going up against a 9-foot
tall sack of muscle and hair, and look what he did. He owned his place with his
Creator, saying, “Then all the world will know that Israel has a God, and this
whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord
saves, for the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:46b-47). I’m guessing he said
it rather loudly. I would. I mean, that is a well-phrased group of words. If
you got something good to say, be loud with it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The battle is the Lord’s. That insurmountable guilt, the fear, the
melancholy, the grime between your toes, the dusty floorboards; eh, it’s just a
little housework to the one who made it all. I’m not a big fan of housework.
And I’m not sure why dust exists, I mean, really, gross. I guess dust exists to
remind us of our vice and folly, and that even as we continue to wipe the
shelves and chair legs, so our Father wipes away our tears. Wipes away our
scandals, wipes away our fears. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span>But He made us, he keeps us, and maintains our presence if only we
stay. And I think we need to quit reminding ourselves that we aren’t worth it,
that we have to keep improving. Because it’s not really up to our abilities. We
can’t earn the privilege of being staggering. Jaw-dropping. On fire.
Compelling. We are God’s workmanship, created to do the good works he prepared
for us to do. The good works may not always feel like fun works or easy works,
and they may not be in the place where you want your work to be, but they are
prepared specifically for you. Very often I wonder about my work and if I’m
doing any good at all. Because sometimes as your toddler pushes the power
button on the computer as you are completing an order and you just want to
yell, or when the husband leaves his shoes in the middle of the room even
though you specifically put a basket for shoes by the door and you trip over
them while carrying hot coffee, or when you notice you are saying something
obnoxious and don’t stop yourself in time, it feels like pointless failure. That’s
when we need some kind of reminder that this world around us isn’t the last
word. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span>Pick up a rock and throw it. God will aim it and finish the task.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I need to make myself a sticky note and write that on it. As a
stay at home mom, there are a lot of quiet moments when the daunting tasks
easily overwhelm. So I put quotes or Bible verses around where I will see them
when I need them the most. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span>“All of your toil is ever before him.” ~ Beth Moore</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span>“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up
against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ.” ~ 2 Corinthians 10:5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span>“Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not
fight like a man beating the air.” ~ 1 Corinthians 9:26</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span>“But all this happened that we might not rely on ourselves, but on
God who raises the dead.” ~ 2 Corinthians 1:9</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(Apparently the Corinthians speak to me.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But here’s another one that applies just as well, courtesy of One
Tree Hill:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“The greatest rewards come from doing the things you fear most.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Sometimes those imaginary monsters like The Laundry Pile or
Vacuuming or Asking For Forgiveness or Losing Weight or Getting Out Of Bed need
to be told who’s boss. It doesn’t matter how tall our adversary; it doesn’t
matter how musty, ponderous, or devastating it may seem. It is all incredibly
small compared to the Lord of Hosts. You know, a synonym for “host” is “master
of ceremonies.” The person with that job knows the show inside and out, front
to back, and has a backup plan if there are technical difficulties or someone
isn’t in place at the right time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
David also said, “You come against me with a dagger, spear, and
sword, but I come against you in the name of Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel’s
armies – you have defied him…The Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll
strike you down, cut your head off… Then all the world will know that Israel
has a God… He will hand you over to us” (1 Samuel 17:45-46). Take that, toilet
grime. Take it and eat it, clumsiness, ache, hunger, rejection, despondency,
and loss. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Remember it, wear it in your heart, and do not lose grip on
the most powerful weapon that we will ever have to face the day, to continue
on; he is our Creator, our great love. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
He is staggering. And he made you, just
the way you are.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
There’s a song that I heard (probably on One Tree Hill) that
the lyrics apply here:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<i>Anything to make you smile<br />
You are the ever-living ghost of what once was<br />
I never want to hear you say<br />
That you'd be better off<br />
Or you liked it that way<br /><br />
But no one is ever gonna love you more than I do</i>
<i><br />
No one's gonna love you more than I do</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
(Band of Horses)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
And shouldn’t we remember that. Our great Host, our Maker,
our Only One; no one is going to love you more than the one who designed you. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are caught between a grassy field and a
desert, drowning under the waves, or wedged into a dark hole, look up. Pick up
a rock and throw it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
You are, after all, staggering. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Take the hand of the one who made you and walk in his steady
stride, until the giants fall away. </div>Sara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-4309719324734099982012-04-26T21:06:00.003-07:002012-04-26T21:07:47.951-07:00Back To It<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Grace and peace to you from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Praise be to the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who
comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the
sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our
comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation;
if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient
endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know
that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We do not want you to be uninformed,
brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were
under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired
even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this
happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we
have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That’s the beginning of Paul’s second
letter to the Corinthians, back in the day. Right now it is one of my favorite
passages because it’s pretty personal but full of imagery. The last two months
have been a whirlwind of teaching an online English course full time, traveling
around the state of Texas a couple times, helping with garage sales, partially
coordinating a ministry program at church, helping an in-law move and settle
into a new apartment, and trying not to let my own home turn into a dusty pile
of socks, pull-ups, and junk mail. If only we could send back the junk mail,
labeled, “spam.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I haven’t been able to think much,
let alone sit down to write in quite a while, and it’s about time to get that
going again. I still struggle with the vast library that is currently available
to the world and can’t help but think that my words and thoughts don’t really
amount to much, relatively, but I’m not going to let that stop me. Even little
words make thoughtful sentences. And to be honest, when I sit down to write a
bit, the world slows down, and a small feat is accomplished that can be checked
off the List and I feel just so very satisfied with creating and completing that
little task. The world gets a little smaller, but just a little more orderly at
the same time. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And so we get back to it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Life continues on in its whirring
buzz. The clouds drift by, the wind howls in the corner of the apartment complex,
and the black and orange butterflies continue to hatch. It’s not particularly
dramatic, exhausting, or eventful, but it’s the end of another day and as far
as I can tell all is well for now. That in itself is affirming. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The hum of the air conditioner; the
dark night floating down upon the earth; a bit of a comfort, isn’t it? Let us
once again share our comfort, our work hours, our pressure. Lessons in patient
endurance are never easy to learn, and I have a feeling that my toddler’s
naptime tomorrow will only be another hurdle. So we rest easy for the evening
and amass the quiet while it lasts. There are enough moments of dismay waiting;
for tonight we turn the blinds and lock the doors to its shadow. For we are not
dismayed; He is our God. He renews our strength in the lull of battle. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And tonight, maybe we are small
words in short sentences, arranged on the lips of the sleeping. But that’s
tonight. Tomorrow we are long-winded and silly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tomorrow we get back to it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It’s good to be back. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I hope I get to stay here awhile.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The blank page is comforting and
cozy, and I like to lounge out in the dark leather chairs. There’s a thick rug
under foot and the place smells like chocolate chip cookies. I hope you will
stay as well; we can share a pot of coffee. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And we will recover our strength,
fortify our hope, and bask in the warmth of His ability.</span></div>Sara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-23832734776618983262012-02-09T14:02:00.000-08:002012-02-09T14:06:06.291-08:00The Laundry Pile<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZAPxiPmdvfpYxe6l8iGycl9V-ONTviqqCYnLI8HYCk8OycEJ0TrlyMJB0nnrTIv5Mc88-6K29DbFFtmsPTBEEYMdELeN0uCmJECUZxTQQhhr9_fz8pHIX1p9HBfWUs4SAdAhUw667YM/s1600/laundry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZAPxiPmdvfpYxe6l8iGycl9V-ONTviqqCYnLI8HYCk8OycEJ0TrlyMJB0nnrTIv5Mc88-6K29DbFFtmsPTBEEYMdELeN0uCmJECUZxTQQhhr9_fz8pHIX1p9HBfWUs4SAdAhUw667YM/s200/laundry.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">I sat on the couch this afternoon, the gray sunlight wafting through the room, a car occasionally whooshing down the street outside the window, and the thought came to me, “I’m not doing anything.” I had finished my quiet time of Bible Study, noting Beth Moore’s words that God will make his word clear to us in his timing. The room was dim, quiet, the tall vertical blinds open against the far wall, the light streaming in, as a bird or two chirped in the tree whose remaining green leaves I could see wiggling in the slight breeze outside. Not doing anything. Sitting down and waiting, waiting for what? Am I doing anything with my life, trying to figure out ways to get my toddler to sleep, trying to find new recipes that excluded sugar or pasta, trying to find a remedy for this cold that won’t go away.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A slight melancholy settled upon the room.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And then the timer began buzzing on my phone. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The timer for the laundry. I thought, “I AM doing something. I’m doing the laundry.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The laundry is one of those works that doesn’t require a lot of attention the whole way through. Thankfully God has provided mankind with the mind to create a machine that will do most of the work for us, and the effort on my part is lugging the baskets down the stairs and across the street to the laundry room. Then lugging them back up after I’ve changed them over, and hanging or folding or airing out to finish drying. It’s an exhausting contribution, doing this with usually two or three loads, particularly after having worked out in the morning. But it’s another chance to care for my family, to care for our possessions which we have been given, and to breathe in some fresh air during the walk. But for the 25 minutes in the wash and the 45 minutes in the drier, I have a little time to sit and either clean or design or read or do my Bible Study or write or shower or wash the dishes or drink a cup of coffee or drink a smoothie or pay the bills. And isn’t it amazing that in the few minutes I have to sit, and the silence begins to settle, I begin to think, “I’m not doing anything.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s a lie we allow ourselves to think, and it’s time to stop it. I’d prefer a handful of minutes with time to reflect upon the silence than a day full of busywork, where my house was clean but my mind was unsettled. I’ve been there, I’m very good at getting there, and it’s a struggle for most of us to stay away from there. Kind of like Walmart. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m one in a vast ocean of souls. I realize this more with each passing day. My contribution to this planet may never be realized, but as I heard the lyrics this morning, “I’ve just scratched the surface of my purpose.” There is more to the silence, there is more to realizing our purpose, there is more to Life than we can accomplish in one day. So get the laundry done. You are doing something. You’re just simmering, like a stew, until you’re ready. Then get ready, because this is just the training portion. Wait until the drier stops. Then the real work begins.</div>Sara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-5046578919101758862012-02-02T14:20:00.000-08:002012-02-02T14:32:26.562-08:00...But Don’t Paint The Bedroom Pink<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvC9S142UNLHX_MlxEUVqzWnuUESwW0nuf6BzILsc2nAGEw-g_F2DcoKyKjfpxwltGvDeXOMg4jT8hhCGTXSvCuukRXDfxhqit-SOPE4t6PHEzEl2LPrdG6L2LlyCxD0Gwf3v59EsD4oM/s1600/pink-paint-heart.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvC9S142UNLHX_MlxEUVqzWnuUESwW0nuf6BzILsc2nAGEw-g_F2DcoKyKjfpxwltGvDeXOMg4jT8hhCGTXSvCuukRXDfxhqit-SOPE4t6PHEzEl2LPrdG6L2LlyCxD0Gwf3v59EsD4oM/s200/pink-paint-heart.JPG" width="200" /></a>While watching NCIS and folding laundry yesterday afternoon, Tony DiNozzo informed a character that his loved one had been murdered. I thought, “I hope I never have to be told that. It would just be terrible.” Then I did a mental double-take on myself and realized, “Oh wait.” And I remembered that gray, drizzly January day in 2001. The puddles on the ground as I stepped out of my car. The school secretary saying with empathy, “We are so sorry to hear the news….”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Last night in Bible study, Beth Moore discussed courage. We all do live in such great fear, whether it’s, “What if the chicken doesn’t thaw out in time for dinner?” up to, “Could this chicken be my last meal?” Fear of not being able to pay the bills, of driving down the road, of not having a good enough budget to last for the month, of not having ink in the printer to get that paper in on time, of screwing up our children, of being rude, of losing someone or something very dear.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">I’m still having trouble writing right now. I don’t know if it’s laziness, inconsistency, or just a sense of not having anything valuable to say. There are a lot of people out there saying something about something, and I don’t have many answers right now. But I did get a challenge last night and thought I would share it, because we are all affected by Fear, and we are called, especially us Christ-followers, to live outside of fear, outside of the boundaries we can see in this world.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">In Esther 4 we read:</div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Hathach went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. <sup id="en-NIV1984-12773">10</sup> Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, <sup id="en-NIV1984-12774">11</sup> “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” </div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"> <sup id="en-NIV1984-12775">12</sup> When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, <sup id="en-NIV1984-12776">13</sup> he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. <sup id="en-NIV1984-12777">14</sup> For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” </div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"> <sup id="en-NIV1984-12778">15</sup> Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: <sup id="en-NIV1984-12779">16</sup> “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">In Esther’s roundabout conversation with her uncle Mordecai, she began as a hesitant woman who said she could be put to death if she went to the King, who then gathered the courage to say, well, I need to do what I need to do, and if I die, I die.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Most of us don’t live with this as a daily factor.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Well, I’ve got to go to Walmart. And if I die, I die.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Well, it’s time to go work out. And if I die, I die.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Living with a sense that at any moment something terrible can happen to you is no way to live. That is allowing in a darkness that has no authority to be present. BUT things happen. Sin is present in the world. You get in so many car accidents and you get nervous when that car inches closer behind you or that other car runs that red light. There have been several deaths from cancer in my family and among friends that I have really started questioning what the heck we’re doing to cause such damage to ourselves. But can we live like that? Can we live in fear of car accidents, disease, a crumbling economy, global crisis, Slow People Day at Walmart? (Slow as in literally slow-moving. Gah. Lady with a potty-training toddler coming through!!) No. It will dissolve the trust in that firm foundation under our feet.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Mrs. Moore said in the video last night, “What if something happens? If _________, then _________.” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
What if your husband cheats on you? What if you lose your job? What if your child dies? What if there is a tornado and we lose the house? What if……? Moore went through the stages of a hypothetical infidelity. Think about it. How would you first react? What would you do? Be mad. Be really mad. And then? Be sad. And then? She said, “Then I’d lay on the floor with my Bible over my face.” I chuckled at that. But think about the stages. She said then she’d go back to teaching Bible studies (and that she’d probably still be mad and take it out on studiers by giving a lot of homework) but then she would still eventually get back to God. That what’s left at the end of our loss, our grief, our complaining, our anger, our angst, our chocolate binges, our giving up… is God. He’s there all along, of course, but at the end of all of it, is just a shedding of layers to reach the final heart of the matter, that God is all we really have. We don’t have insurance, we don’t have a nice car, we don’t have the clothes on our backs. Even if the world crumbles underneath, God is there. Even if we don’t think we can pay for groceries, God is there. Even if we have no more ability or motivation to give, God is there. If _________, then<u> God </u>. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; <br />
your love, O LORD, endures forever— <br />
do not abandon the works of your hands.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Psalm 138:8</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">The eternal God is your refuge, <br />
and underneath are the everlasting arms. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Deuteronomy 33:27a</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Before the mountains were born <br />
or you brought forth the earth and the world, <br />
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Psalm 90:2</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Deuteronomy 31:8</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">From these few verses alone, we see concrete fact that God is, has been, and always will be there, unshakeable, almighty, and the author of our faith. And so we establish God’s persona. Now how about us? We are shaken, poor, and unable. And so often misguided, feeble, and unworthy. However, those of us who trust His Word, and hold to his hope, are this:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">1 Peter 2:9</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">(God) who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, <sup id="en-NIV1984-30688">6</sup> and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father…</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Revelation 1:6</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, <br />
because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God <br />
from every tribe and language and people and nation. <br />
<sup id="en-NIV1984-30774">10</sup> You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">and they will reign on the earth.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Revelation 5:9-10</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, <sup id="en-NIV1984-25665">21</sup> nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Luke 17:20-21</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">So there you are. Even if we overspend at Kroger or buy the wrong warranty package, can’t figure out why the computer won’t turn on, or if we boil the milk over the pot, sit on a retainer, get hit in the face with another sports ball, shred the wrong document, or are overheard dispersing judgments on a sister…. We are the children of the Most High King. We are his priests, his kingdom, his bloodline.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Do we cower in fear of tomorrow or do we live “beyond the casket, all the way into the kingdom”? I think our lives may all change if we step into this reality instead of the one we can see. Sometimes we can’t see God’s love, but he is within and around us. Sometimes we can’t see his exact arms holding us, but he places people in our lives to embrace us or simply call to shake out that dark reverie. Moore also said that, “we won’t ever be in a situation where God doesn’t offer us his presence and to give courage. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the knowledge that there is something much more important at stake.” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">We all have our challenges, our callings, our individual stories to live out. We are created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Quite often those “to do” lists are challenging, and sometimes we are so exhausted we don’t want to even get out of bed. But take heart. He has overcome exhaustion. He has overcome the world. He has overcome fear, loss, hurt, grief, anxiety and anger. Take heart. Take courage. If it is having another baby, if it is eating less sugar, if it is moving to a new place, if it is making new friends, if it is finding a new church, if it is seeking God’s face, if it is not tearing out your hair when the baby poops in the bathtub again, if it is getting dressed, if it is learning to rely on His Strength, then we are able to do it, because He is there. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Chatting for a moment today with my overseas sister, I recalled a quote from my doctor during that pivotal 20-week sonogram. “It looks like you will be having a girl,” he said, watching the monitor next to me, “but don’t paint the walls pink.” Sort of anti-climactic, don’t you think? There is such a big push to “know” what your baby is going to be. Everyone gets all excited as you go to the office, the suspense building that finally, finally, you can find out pink versus blue, purple versus green, and fill the room with baby dolls and lace or dinosaurs and cars. And my doc said, “But don’t paint the walls pink.” Hey, thanks. Thanks for that not-so-pivotal answer. My anticipation balloon warped and winced, flopping down on the floor as the doctor handed me a wipe to clean off my stomach. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Our faith, our existence, our calling, is based on a firm foundation. We can most definitely paint our walls pink. We can line the curtains with purple ruffles and hot glue sequins all over the picture frames because we are His. And he is there. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Fear is that burst balloon, insinuating that we just might wait to celebrate, because you never know if or when or what might come upon the next foot fall. So this is the challenge: to paint our walls as vibrantly as we can, and to dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. Instead of hesitating upon that impending confrontation, stand firm and to throw back our shoulders. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Then <u> God </u>.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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</div>Sara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-87459299890041652492012-01-26T23:18:00.001-08:002012-01-27T06:09:39.032-08:00A New Moon<div class="MsoNormal">Haven’t written anything for awhile. Mainly because on my blog I really do want to give refreshment instead of neediness or complaining, and partially because this is a time where there is a lack of ….well, how to best put it?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There is a certain tween novel that really captures the essence of empty, passing time, with blank pages right smack in the middle of the manuscript. The words bleed off the end of one page and the reader flips to the next, expecting another sentence, as most books continue on even when a sentence or next chapter ends. So it is with blogs, news articles…until the book is over, the words continue, even if there is a passing of time in between, and the author and editor simply hope the reader notices the passing of time between, “And we pressed on through the valley of the shadow of death,” and “The sun beamed brightly over the horizon the following morning…”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sometimes there is a long pause between that shadow and the morning that can only be understood with a blank, empty passing of pages.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">So it is with us. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Empty space.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s not good for the design world. Usually an artist won’t want empty, wasted space in a collage or portrait. Now, that guy who painted the really big red square, well, except for him.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Empty space doesn’t always mean God isn’t moving within and about us. And what is so frustrating about real life is that quite often there are no good words to use to make a situation better. Sometimes there is just empty space. Sometimes a person just needs a hug. Sometimes you just cry because you miss someone, or because you are afraid of losing someone, or because you’re afraid of missing out on hopeful expectations. That is one of those vague phrases like, “a bright future” or “we’ve decided to go with another option.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This post has thus far been 320 words. How long does it take to read 320 words? It takes much longer to write 320 words, I guarantee. I almost feel like I could sit in front of this computer screen for hours more to just gain some sort of buoyancy from this leaky dinghy. Cause let’s face it, all moms are leaky dinghies. I realize that every morning at Stroller Strength when we do our cardio stop. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I was at Bible study Wednesday and Beth Moore made a point about a verse in Esther 4.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Mordecai sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. <sup id="en-NIV1984-12777">14</sup> For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The word “you” is used 5 times. Moore brought up the point, “Do you ever have that feeling that someone is saying, ‘We have a problem and you and you and you and you and you have to fix it!’ and you just feel overwhelmed?”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Quite often during the day I feel this way. When my little girl makes some sort of mess which probably causes another mess, in which I try to quickly stop the mess, causing another mess, where I and I and I and I have to clean it all up…. There are bigger things in life where sometimes those big and empty spaces just seem to loom overhead, blocking the light from the hallway. Between a person’s last breath and the shutting of the coffin; between "You're hired!" and, "I'm afraid we are going to have to let you go," and all those other marked ends of seasons; it’s a longer journey for those of us left behind. For those who continue to bake bread or put the shoes back in the closet or wipe down the counters one more time, it’s harder to keep the routine going, because we aren’t on that new journey. We are the ones feeling the empty of the spaces, the impact of one more blank page passing, and then another.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But then again, the story will pick back up. Maybe it’s been a month, maybe a week, maybe a paragraph later.<br />
<br />
<br />
We are not running aimlessly, like a man beating the air.<br />
We are created to do good works.<br />
We are learning to take those empty spaces and turn them into something even better than what they could have been. Because we don’t know the whole story, and we don’t know the story that could have been, which could have been worse than it was if we were actually the ones in charge of it to begin with. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And we don’t always have to fix something, or clean something up. Sometimes we just have to keep flipping through the blank pages until the story starts to get good again.</div>Sara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-88987478894769003112012-01-04T12:37:00.000-08:002012-01-04T12:40:30.579-08:00We Aren't Our Brokenness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pq_4FsrCS6A/TwS4cbem7VI/AAAAAAAAAEw/9LzopJL_Fyc/s1600/david.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pq_4FsrCS6A/TwS4cbem7VI/AAAAAAAAAEw/9LzopJL_Fyc/s200/david.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">While I was dreaming about crock pots last night, my cousin David was drawing his last breaths. You see, I’ve been working on a fundraiser including a lot of crock pots, and many, many details that kept my mind whirling late into the night. At the same time my aunt posted on Facebook that Dave was having trouble sleeping and for us to pray for him to have some peace. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
See, David has had brain cancer and has been battling radiation for several weeks now. This picture is from a play he was in several years back. I remember him young and strong, and I know he was and is so much more than what the cancer did to him.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The thing about being human is that it is so hard to get past what we can see and touch. We are stuck with our tangible pains, fears, and loss. We have pink coffee mugs, and thankfully a soft carpet under our feet, and a warm shower to wash the tears down the drain. But it is those hard times when you just don’t know what to say, because there ISN’T anything to say, that can actually help. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My extended family has been down various roads that led us through departures among us. I miss many of them, and wish I could have known all of them better. I was standing in my bathroom this morning attempting to get ready for the day, just allowing myself to ask God, “Why? ….but why?” And I didn’t expect answers, because let’s face it, I’m too simple to truly understand the answers. But then God brought a verse to mind. Immediately after I asked, “Why?” there was, “I have come that they may have life.” We can’t see the other side of this life, but God can, and we are promised that it is pretty awesome over there. Sometimes when God heals, he permanently heals. We are terribly broken over here, even with our creamy cheesecake, our warm sunshine, and pretty affordable contact lenses. But the thing is, over There, we don’t need contact lenses. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I read this book and while some close people to my heart think it’s no good to read, there was one part that really stuck with me. The girl in it had a literally life-altering experience because of her new husband being….not …a….warm….person….and now she was immortal. She could see better than ever before, far into the distance, able to see colors she had never seen before, understanding light and it’s dancing with shadows; she could move so fast because she didn’t have the tiredness, or weariness, or bonds of being human. She could smell better than before – scents of the smallest flower, the trees swaying in the breeze, an animal forging for dinner; she could run and did not grow tired, and could move so fast because there was no more weight holding her down. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sometimes I get so tired of wearing glasses or contacts. I get tired of having stuffy noses and headaches, and being incredibly tired by 4:00 in the afternoon. Sometimes I think about that section of that book and think, “Man, I hope heaven is kind of like that.” No more weariness, no more foggy contacts, no more tangles in my hair. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There is a Life better than most of us know, and we’re in training for it. We’re on this side of it, learning about the guy who we will spend the rest of it with, moving closer to – or away from – his heart, his presence. He is Life, and he has some for us. Now if only my heart and mouth could keep that in the forefront when those tears begin to well up.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There is more to the story than this side of eternity. We can only see this side, but what is coming is so much better. We aren’t only our brokenness. We are given strength, healing, peace, and provision beyond that which we can understand right now.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We celebrate a Healer who knows when we can’t stand being broken any longer, and cling to a Father who grasps us in his arms when we can’t stand on our own. He’s here on this side and the other side, so we let him carry us when we don’t have the strength.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Hebrews 10:23</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Sara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-45814909708326619622011-12-12T11:47:00.000-08:002011-12-12T11:55:10.783-08:00It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like....WHAT?!<div class="MsoNormal">Don’t tell anybody, but lately I’ve felt like I’m kind of going a little bit crazy. I love this time of year; the beautiful sparkly lights, the crisp, cool pat on the face when you walk out the door, and the acceptability to wear multicolored velour warm-up suits any day of the week. It almost feels like there is magic in the air and that people are nicer. But then there is a downside to all the good and happy things. There is an inner struggle between all the things I grew up thinking were perfectly normal, like Santa Claus and stockings and knowing that Bobtail was the name of the horse in “Jingle Bells;” the tangled knot begins to unwind when I start to think, “But really, this is all a clump of stupid.” If a person walked into a room, never having heard about the “traditional” “Christmas” movies and legends, they would think people were off their rockers. And stuffing stockings with junk food and candy and sugared sugar, well it only leads to obesity and unfortified immune systems. And then there are all the people out there yelling about how materialistic Americans are, how greedy the “church” is, and some nasal inner voice drones on about how I should find a good middle ground in all the chaos, about what I believe and what I think, and to not just be another voice spouting off ideas and theories and empty sentences.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And then I start to get stressed out. Am I being nice enough to everyone around me? Should I not get Christmas gifts or get them? Isn’t it nicer to send some cookies than to not send them? Or am I basically sending them a gift basket of ill health? But if God has provided certain things for me, shouldn’t it be a blessing to others to give to them, even if it just so happens that it’s December? Should I decorate with Christmas items like nativity scenes or should I start completely avoiding the whole “tree” thing because of its pagan roots? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s getting kind of loud upstairs.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">WELL.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For starters, let’s deal with the insanity. As a matter of fact, there will probably never be any final answers or conclusions to any of these issues, so it is just about time to accept that and quit trying to always be right. Moving forward from there, this life, this earth, these circles of friends and families and ideas and philosophies will all have varying degrees of truth, goodness, and mistakes. Our points of view change as we grow. My thoughts about Christmas, or the Christian walk, or politics, will probably be different next year to some degree. We learn as we go. That said, let’s take in some wisdom from Gavin Degraw.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I don't want to be<br />
Anything other than what I've been trying to be lately…<br />
I'm tired of looking 'round rooms<br />
Wondering what I've got to do<br />
Or who I'm supposed to be<br />
I don't want to be anything other than me.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Are we supposed to strive for being better? Sure. Let’s not chunk that idea in the trash can just yet. But sometimes I – and we all – listen more to the voice of anxiety telling us to be better than the voice of love guiding us to the feet of Jesus. We are made individually, with gifts and talents and a unique beauty. Each of us sees the world through different eyes, dreams, hopes, and afflictions. I think we are our best when being satisfied with who God made us to be, and cling to his gracious hand as we walk. This verse seems to have a good goal; that instead of letting the spinning wheel of confusion whirl before the eyes, or try to do what is on everyone’s “This Is Correct” list, aim for pleasing God with each sunrise and sunset.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 Thessalonians 4:11-12</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Christmas is a funny thing in my family. We are big on traditions – we bake cookies and decorate them together, go to the Christmas Eve service at church and then go out to Mexican food, we painfully sing some carols together at home, my dad strumming the guitar while we all avoid eye contacts so we don’t laugh and make the awkward situation even more awkward, and then watch the Muppet Christmas Carol. We make food loudly, bustling through the galley kitchen, we take lots of pictures, play music in the background, and play games, finding lots of time to laugh, bicker, and eat more food. With all the very very good memories are several that all fall in the running for The Worst Christmas Ever. We’ve seen some great days and some terrible moments. We’ve seen too many last Christmases, we’ve experienced great loss, and we’ve celebrated marriages and healthy babies. Last Christmas was my Grandmother’s last Christmas with us; I’d say it was her last day of good health before she died. I made her some cute coasters with Madeleine’s pictures in them. She never used them. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There was the year of the flu, the year of the Yapping Dog While David Ended Up In The Hospital And There Were No Messy Potatoes So We Went To Every Grocery Store For Ten Miles Looking For Hash Browns And Sour Cream; there was the year I went with my fiancé and we drove through the worst blizzard Colorado had ever seen….twice. There was the year my sister Bonnie got me a Nickelodeon Flash Screen which was one of the coolest toys ever, there was the year Laura Threw Her Shoe, there was the year of the Puffalumps, the year Grandmother Ordered A Beer And We All Looked On In Shock, the year of the Big Floppy Dolls…in between there are a lot of good and not-so-goods that don’t really stick. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When people in the Bible experienced trials and great blessings, they built altars at the place where the suffering, bewilderment, or provision occurred. They did this to remember exactly what God had done in their lives. They didn’t worship the altar, they worshiped the one who caused the occasion for celebration.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And then they celebrated. They sang songs, they danced, they spoke of the power of their almighty God.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I will sing to the LORD, <br />
for he is highly exalted. <br />
The horse and its rider <br />
he has hurled into the sea. <br />
<sup id="en-NIV1984-1923">2</sup> The LORD is my strength and my song; <br />
he has become my salvation. <br />
He is my God, and I will praise him, <br />
my father’s God, and I will exalt him. <br />
<sup id="en-NIV1984-1924">3</sup> The LORD is a warrior; <br />
the LORD is his name…</div><div class="MsoNormal">Who is like you— <br />
majestic in holiness, <br />
awesome in glory, <br />
working wonders?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Exodus 15:1-3, 11</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our days come tumbling upon us. We live in the temporal, watching clocks go by, rain clouds pass over, and mornings turning into evenings before we’ve even opened our eyes. There are hurried lunches, unopened bills, broken computers, crumpled receipts, smiles, hugs, long lists, and moments lost before we even know they have happened. We need time to be still, to celebrate the goodness, the glory, and the wonder of our God. No, it definitely shouldn’t be done once a year. It should be daily, weekly, as often as we can. And we should give of ourselves, out of the blessings we have received, and of our talents to help others and follow more closely behind our Savior. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If I examine my past Christmas holidays a little more closely, I can actually see more of a time of pain than that of celebration. Sometimes it is easier to let the darkness settle in than to fight, to plead for hope, and to thank the Father for all his abundant blessings. It’s not easy to celebrate death, to accept loss, and pay for flu medicine. (Not all of those in that particular order, nor at the same time. Smiley face.) But we do celebrate, and amidst all the sorrow, the joy is that much brighter. We celebrate a new life, one that surpasses this current experience, because of a love so great we don’t know how to deal with it. We celebrate hope, true joy, and the beauty in the white light of a candle. We celebrate Life – the taste of berries, steak, and the fruit of the earth; the smell of pine, of toasty cinnamon, of our loved ones; the touch of hands as we bow in prayer, the hug of family we only get to see once a year; the flicker of light and dancing shadows on a wall; the ability to imagine and remember and read about old stories becoming truths. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">These traditions we have, yes, they are man-made. The Bible doesn’t speak of Queso and Chimichangas being extraordinarily amazing, particularly on December 24<sup>th</sup>. But we need to set aside time to celebrate. And I love celebrating with my family, because every day I know I’m one moment closer to not having them close to me. Even if they give me strange things as last minute “gifts.” No, you don’t know who you are. Wink.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. <sup id="en-NIV1984-28861">17</sup> For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. <sup id="en-NIV1984-28862">18</sup> So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 Corinthians 4:16-18</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Maybe one of these days I’ll start up my own holiday with my immediate family that celebrates the life, hope and joy of my heavenly Father. Or maybe that will be breakfast in the morning. Who knows, maybe I’ll explore some more ancient celebrations like Passover or that Tabernacles Feast. I like a good feast. Maybe not preparing it by myself….but eating is sure part of the equation. And you know, next year will probably be different. Different expectations, different hopes, different lessons learned. But I hope there will continue to be celebration of life, love, of family, of the eternal glory of our marvelous, miracle-working, one-of-a-kind, pretty rad God. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: <br />
who created all these? <br />
He who brings out the starry host one by one, <br />
and calls them each by name. <br />
Because of his great power and mighty strength, <br />
not one of them is missing. <br />
<sup id="en-NIV1984-18448">27</sup> Why do you say, O Jacob, <br />
and complain, O Israel, <br />
“My way is hidden from the LORD; <br />
my cause is disregarded by my God”? <br />
<sup id="en-NIV1984-18449">28</sup> Do you not know? <br />
Have you not heard? <br />
The LORD is the everlasting God, <br />
the Creator of the ends of the earth. <br />
He will not grow tired or weary, <br />
and his understanding no one can fathom. <br />
<sup id="en-NIV1984-18450">29</sup> He gives strength to the weary <br />
and increases the power of the weak. <br />
<sup id="en-NIV1984-18451">30</sup> Even youths grow tired and weary, <br />
and young men stumble and fall; <br />
<sup id="en-NIV1984-18452">31</sup> but those who hope in the LORD <br />
will renew their strength. <br />
They will soar on wings like eagles; <br />
they will run and not grow weary, <br />
they will walk and not be faint. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Isaiah 40:26-31</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And that is why we celebrate. We celebrate the Beginning and the End, and we celebrate His coming to earth in the humble form of a baby boy. We celebrate his works on earth and his great lessons in How To Do Everything The Awesome Way. We celebrate his miracles, his healing, his pain, and his sacrifice for us. We celebrate the strength that he gives us to get out of bed every morning, and the refreshment of our souls.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
And we celebrate the hope of his return. For we yearn for his presence, and he answers; we run this race, we fight this good fight, and he carries us through with his power.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Life is full of sweet surprises<br />
Everyday's a gift<br />
The sun comes up and I can feel it lift my spirit<br />
Fills me up with laughter, fills me up with song<br />
I look into the eyes of love and know that I belong<br />
<br />
Bless us all, who gather here<br />
The loving family I hold dear<br />
No place on earth, compares with home<br />
And every path will bring me back from where I roam</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bless us all, that as we live<br />
We always comfort and forgive<br />
We have so much, that we can share<br />
With those in need we see around us everywhere<br />
<br />
Let us always love each other <br />
Lead us to the Light<br />
Let us hear the voice of reason, singing in the night<br />
Let us run from anger and catch us when we fall<br />
Teach us in our dreams and please, yes, please<br />
Bless us one and all <br />
<br />
Bless us all with playful years <br />
With noisy games and joyful tears<br />
We reach for you and we stand tall <br />
And in our prayers and dreams<br />
We ask you bless us all<br />
<br />
We reach for you and we stand tall <br />
And in our prayers and dreams we ask you <br />
Bless us all</div><div class="MsoNormal">(from Muppet Christmas Carol) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m tired of looking around rooms, wondering what I’m supposed to do and where I’m supposed to be. You know what? I think that I’d rather enjoy the ride as it came along, celebrating the weighty good and the blessings as they come along. That way at the end of the journey I don’t look back and say, “Man. I shouldn’t have taken it all so seriously.” Every day is a gift. With playful years, joyful tears, noisy kitchens, unfathomable understanding, strength and songs; we reach for our Father, and we stand tall, and in our prayers and dreams and with every breath we sing, we thank Him for blessing us all.</div>Sara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-83318588182479184482011-12-05T18:54:00.000-08:002011-12-05T18:56:15.423-08:00Shot Through The HeartI had a very bad dream the other night. It was one of those that wakes you up and you don’t really want to go back to sleep, and the images stay with you for quite some time. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m not courageous. I don’t have a job where I risk my life, I didn’t grow up around guns, and I love shows like Castle or The Closer, but would never actually want a lifestyle that frequently incorporated life-or-death scenarios on purpose. That being said, this dream really went deep down, touching on those Issues that impact your daily life in big and small ways. What happened? In the short version, I was in a situation where someone had a gun and was threatening a friend of mine, and then shot her through the top of the knee, down into her calf, and through her foot. Quite unpleasant, as an understatement.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In both the long and short versions of the dream, I hid as best I could, even closing my eyes to avoid any kind of eye contact, even when I saw the antagonist aiming, with that very set look in her eyes, her jaw hard and stubborn, full of hate and anger for anyone who had more than she did.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What was weird was then right as the gun went off, everything froze, and rewound into a second ending, kind of like the end of the movie Clue, where they go through two or three different endings that Could Have Been What Really Happened.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And in this second chance, I knew the outcome, and instead of closing my eyes, I said, “Wait. You don’t have to do that.” And then she turned to me. It was at this point in the world in between waking and sleeping where I felt a very real, comforting presence. I don’t know that I would say God was “speaking to me” but the scene turned into a lesson that really made me think, and had quite the lasting impression on how I’ve been seeing life in general.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It reminded me of this one time on choir tour when we were singing a song called, “The Peace That Passes Understanding.” We were, I guess, in a lower income housing complex, it’s sad I don’t remember things from high school, but I was kind of a hormonal zombie during that time, and right in the middle of the song, we heard shots ring out and everyone in the large room was instructed to duck down to the floor. Once on the floor, I chuckled. And several someones next to me looked on with disdain, saying, “This isn’t funny, Sara!” But come on, that’s irony for you.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And ironically enough, this morning and as of late, Peace has been the subject of thought, conversations, and church discussion. We see a lot of hurt, we know a lot of difficulty, and every day has its frustrations, even for the most peaceful of us all. Tires go flat, potty training happens, medical emergencies stop us in our tracks, and we wonder where the sunshine went. Sometimes we can choose to be calm, sometimes we just have to bear the burdens or the heartache, or yell at the stupidity going on around us. There are different ways to escape the pressure of Life, which is different than what we all thought it was going to be when we were kids, or even just a few years younger. But it never ends. We expect the rain to let up, or that something will just work out right, and when we can’t see beyond the darkness in which we sit, the weariness starts to settle in. See, movies and tv shows and best sellers all have a similar plot structure, that there is a building of action, a climactic rising of action, subplots, twists and turns, and then, just when it seems there should be success in sight, another plot twist occurs and the character experiences The Big Gloom right before a final change of heart and victory. The Big Gloom is when the character hits “rock bottom.” Usually this is where it is raining in a movie. It’s when you quit your job, climb back into bed, your insurance expires, you eat that third…or fourth… chocolate chip cookie, or throw the computer against the wall.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">You know, I’m always amused at how real life really does follow plot structure sometimes, and it’s funny. One of my screenwriting books discusses structure and outlines the rise, fall, and creation of a hero. The hero is introduced, a catalyst sets the story into motion, the character is called to face numerous training and obstacle points, sees a certain amount of success, faces nearly insurmountable failure and then overcomes it, changed into a new person, and as my book put it, “Resurrected into a new life.” See, we wouldn’t really care as much if Luke Skywalker was still a whiney teenager at the end of the series, or if the coach decided to pick up trash instead of deal with The Not-So-Mighty-Ducks, or if Edward chose to stay away. I mean, what if Indiana Jones decided to just stay in the classroom, if Harry stayed in his closet, or if Dorothy hadn’t cared too much about Toto and handed him over to her neighbor? For some of us, though, life doesn’t seem anything like a top producing movie. But really, we all face our own fair share of conflict. We all distinctly lack a perceivable happy ending. Or at least, a not-so-impossible mission.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And I see it so much, especially at this time of year. One article today named the top ten most shoplifted items of the season, items including those of filet mignon, Axe body spray, the iPhone, razors, cologne, Nikes, and the newest Elmo moves-and-laughs-annoyingly toy. The article said, “Ad Week reports that one in every 11 people walks out the door with at least one item they didn’t pay for,” and that, “75 percent of <span class="yshortcuts"><span id="lw_1322863913_2"><span id="lw_1322863810_2"><span id="lw_1322864372_2">shoplifters</span></span></span></span> are adults, most of whom have jobs.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I read a book recently, by Dee Henderson, about a woman who witnessed a murder and gained possession of a record book, implicating and exposing a mob boss. She had to live on the run, changing cities, jobs, identities every few months for over 10 years. She met a police officer who befriended her, who asked her how she dealt with such a hard life. She replied that she had learned to deal with it by expecting to face challenges instead of easiness. That when she expected conflict to arise she was prepared for it; instead of expecting every day to be sunshine and laughter, and being disappointed when it didn’t happen, to appreciate any good thing that came by with full gratitude, but to always be prepared for trouble.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When I read that, I thought, “Man, that is totally depressing. What a downer of an outlook.” But honestly, I think there is some truth to it. Expectations really can be a stumbling block. During counseling before getting married, we discussed our expectations of our roles, our lives, and our goals. It’s a pretty good thing we did that, and it cleared up several problems that would have occurred in the not too distant past. Very often when my expectations are not met, or are completely the opposite of what happens, I have a lot of trouble acting like a daughter of the King. I’m learning, still, always learning. And so I’m learning how to affect and adapt my expectations. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Disney is amazing, but it sets false expectations for real life. I expected white Christmases, happy endings, a house full of giggling children, and a family band that played a wide variety of musical scores together. After several Christmases that are separate epic failures, being hit in the face with a football countless times, a baby story that rivals most of TLC’s episodes, having an indoor wedding after planning for an outdoor one, and getting lost 75% of the time I go visit my sister half a state away, I have learned to plan for the worst. Usually. And so when we go out to a special restaurant to have a nice dinner and the restaurant is closed, we usually laugh and say, “Yeah….” and then find another place to eat. You might say, “Well, you could have planned ahead and looked up the restaurant hours.” Well yes, but you can’t change what might have been. You are in the moment, and you must react accordingly. Do you act in peace or do you throw a Big Mac sized tantrum and break something? Do you panic when you don’t know how you’re going to pay for ______? Does your soul grow increasingly tense, or do you lean on a Father whose arms are so big, he’s holding you close in every moment, even the silly ones?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I don’t say all this, and mention all these challenges, to reign in your imagination on how bad the world is. However, I do think that on the flip side of it, there is a greater Good than any of us ordinarily grasp, and it’s so much better than all the bad. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The topic at church yesterday was Peace. The four Sundays before Christmas are held as Advent, a time of thoughtful anticipation on the coming of the Messiah. We don’t use that word a lot, do we? Messiah: Our Savior, the one who raises us from the depths, the creator of the universe and all that is in it; the promised and expected Deliverer.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We wait for him to return again, but for an even longer time before us, they waited for him for the first time. He was promised to the world in Isaiah, as God looked across the blue water and the dying grasses, long before we thought about Ozone issues or the value of the dollar. Stick with me here and read this. It explains mankind’s plight pretty well:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things. No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity… So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes…</div><div class="MsoNormal">The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak…”The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the LORD.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Isaiah 59:1-4; 9-10; 15b-17; 20 </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What really struck me in this passage was the fact that God had pity on these creatures who could not save themselves. And so instead of giving up or wiping them out, he took it upon himself to put light where there was only darkness. He came in love, in humility, but with strong purpose, to bring peace between people and their one true God. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Jesus], <sup id="en-NIV1984-29470">20</sup> and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Colossians 1:19-20</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:13-14<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">God provided peace. He provided a way out, a shoulder to rest upon, a firm foundation, should man choose to accept the option. We aren’t guaranteed peaceful days, we aren’t guaranteed an easy road, but we are guaranteed peace between us and God. Which makes everything else quite a bit easier. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress… The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death<sup value="[<a href="#fen-NIV1984-17832a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]"> </sup>a light has dawned… For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Isaiah 9:1-2; 6-7 </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The heavy burdens many of us carry, the weight of an unknown future and a shifting world, is not what we are asked to bear. Yes we each have our own calling, bent towards a great variety of tasks, but in it we are given peace and strength to journey onward, and provision for each occasion. And even the difficulties and the stupid frustrations that are totally ridiculous can be kind of a great story afterward. </div><div class="MsoNormal">What’s even better is that the fullness and the bigness of God’s presence is with us, if only we accept it and dwell in it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Romans 5:1-5</div><div class="MsoNormal">Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, <sup id="en-NIV1984-28035">2</sup> through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. <sup id="en-NIV1984-28036">3</sup> Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; <sup id="en-NIV1984-28037">4</sup> perseverance, character; and character, hope. <sup id="en-NIV1984-28038">5</sup> And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We have been given the opportunity to be justified, to receive justice, and have access to faith in a God who took it upon himself to help us. Let’s walk outside of the gloom and breathe in the deep, fresh air. See, in that crazy dream, in Round Two, there was a deep calm that I had nothing to worry about. For my fears were of an earthly nature, where I was bound by what I could see, imagine, and worry about. I didn’t want to be hurt, I couldn’t afford medical bills to repair what damage could possibly be done, and the thought of being away from my daughter for either of our lives nearly rips my heart to pieces. But is that how we live our lives – do we live in fear or move forward in faith?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The “heroes” of the Bible acted more out of faith than they did by what they thought they would get out of it. “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better….The world was not worthy of them.” (Hebrew 11:39,40a, 38a) There is more than what we can see right now. Our time here is only a finger snap in the span of eternity. We may not see our hopes met here on earth. We may not get to see births of our grandchildren, or marriages or birthdays, we may not see salvation for others or even the next breath. But that’s not what this life is about. There is so much more to it than that, and we can only trust our Father has a plan of hope and of a good future that he can see and has always known.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I don’t mean to be preachy or anything. And I’m not saying that if this were a real situation I would have acted in the right way or even known what the right thing to do would have been. But moving forward in faith happens in many ways; it is making a new friend, listening to that whisper in your heart, or just not yelling when you really dang want to even though you just stepped in pee for the fourth time that day and you just want her to go IN the potty and nowhere else.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This topic has really been on my mind and my heart lately, and sometimes I get an answer and want to share it with others that may also be searching for similar answers. I mean, let’s face it, how often do we act in peace when the traffic is bad, the eggs burn, or the heater breaks? It’s hard. It’s not our first instinct. So that’s the work, to practice and share peace and calm, regardless of the obstacle, because we’re not working on our own time or with our own power. I’d rather face life standing in the shadow of my creator rather than have, “a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:5a). On a normal day I do things wrong the first time, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Maybe it’s time to use that outrageous Good and quit complaining. God’s got some great works for us to do; time to step up, open our eyes, and without trembling say, “Wait. You don’t have to do that.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Sara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-5062072300877205472010-08-04T19:21:00.000-07:002010-08-04T19:27:56.846-07:00ProcrastinationOkay, so I'm procrastinating working on a rather difficult Composition Pedagogy assignment and am posting a recipe to Sara's Killer Spaghetti Sauce. Feeds 2, maybe 3 if you add some milk or water to it.<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />1/2 pound ground turkey<br />1 12 ounce can tomato sauce<br />1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar<br />4 drops Tabasco sauce<br />1/4 - 1/2 cup cheese (I use whatever I have in the fridge, whether Parmesan or grated cheddar or mozzarella. you can't have too much cheese, in my opinion)<br />2 garlic clove pieces (or a heaping bunch of garlic powder)<br />1 teaspoon onion powder<br />1/4 teaspoon rock salt<br />pinch of pepper<br />pinch of Italian Seasoning<br /><br />Brown your ground turkey with generous portions of garlic salt/powder, onion powder, and a smidge of steak seasoning in a skillet. Add ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes. Throw in whatever pasta you like and you have a poor man's killer homemade spaghetti sauce. These are pretty much the only ingredients I have in my cupboards, but I love me my spaghetti sauce. <br /><br />Hope you enjoy!Sara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-19629199612355876172009-08-06T15:30:00.000-07:002009-08-06T15:48:01.083-07:00Break Me Off A Piece Of That Kit Kat BarWow it's been awhile since I've posted anything. My last post was the day before my life turned topsy turvy and found out I was pregnant. I'm going to try to post more often. Last weekend I was at a wedding and a lady was saying how it's nice to be able to see what is going on in other's lives; it gives a connection to people who otherwise might never know how your life is and what you're up to.<br /><br />It's been difficult to write lately, mainly because my focus and concentration have stopped working. Just as I was driving home from work, I had so many random thoughts:<br />These streets are so bumpy.<br />What does that huge D.C. stand for on that car window? DC Comics?<br />I saw Shade on that street the other day.<br />I love Sonic ice.<br />I'm glad the church has cold water when I wash my hands.<br />I wonder what time that store closes?<br />I need to go to the bathroom.<br />That car is going pretty fast. Where is he going?<br />My tongue is numb and it feels great.<br />What does Charlie want for dinner?<br />These streets are murder on a full bladder.<br /><br />And that was about a minute of my car ride home from work. Even as I sit here I'm thinking of my puffy feet and hands and that itchy mosquito bite on the back of my ankle. I told my sister, "My baby is eating my brain" and I really think it's a correct statement. Maybe she's getting a good memory, concentration, and a fabulous vocabulary, because I don't have them anymore!<br /><br />Tonight I think I will finish up thank you notes from my baby shower and have them ready to mail tomorrow. I need to buy groceries and cook dinner, but I'm tired from today. This week has been extraordinarily busy. Monday I went to the doctor and had blood taken for 4 hours; Tuesday evening I went to a women's event at the lake; yesterday was Charlie's birthday and I cooked tacos and we rented a movie and watched it, and today I am pooped. We had The Women's Lunch at noon and I began helping decorate, take pictures, and serve food around 10:00 this morning. I've been on my feet a lot today; I also had to drive around town to look for rental furniture for the church as a display piece during an upcoming campaign, so I have to say writing this blog is about all I'm motivated to do. My feet are screaming at me at the moment and I can't ignore them much longer.<br /><br />At the lunch today, though, Emily gave us a great picture about life and how it relates to a Kit Kat bar. She made the points that breaks are good and life is good. While not a universe shattering statement, I forget to remember that Life Is Good. In the middle of the heat, the uncomfortable ankles, the pile of laundry, the dusty counters, the dirty dishes, and the stinky trash in the kitchen, I forget to enjoy what God has given me.<br /><br />Life is good.Sara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-14074913803076314062009-01-21T20:39:00.000-08:002009-01-21T20:40:44.250-08:00Is This My New TV?<p><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xy-pD-M0rY4&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xy-pD-M0rY4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff99ff;"><strong>This one's for a good laugh today. Enjoy.</strong></span></p>Sara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331040015122801491.post-90669461733774070522008-06-02T13:21:00.000-07:002008-06-02T13:23:02.595-07:00The Artist At Work<p> "When we are *self*-conscious, we cannot be wholly aware; we must throw ourselves out first. This throwing ourselves away is the act of creativity. So, when we wholly concentrate, like a child in play, or an artist at work, then we share in the act of creating. We not only escape time, we also escape our self-conscious selves. The Greeks had a word for ultimate self-consciousness which I find illuminating: *hubris*: pride: pride in the sense of putting oneself in the center of the universe. The strange and terrible thing is that this kind of total self-consciousness invariably ends in self-annihilation... ...The moment that humility becomes self-conscious, it becomes hubris. One cannot be humble and aware of oneself at the same time. Therefore, the act of creating--painting a picture, singing a song, writing a story--is a humble act? This was a new thought to me. Humility is throwing oneself away in complete concentration on something or someone else. ...that special kind of creative courage which is unself-conscious: the moment you wonder whether or not you can do it, you can't."<br /><br />My new muse is Madeleine L'Engle. She wrote the above in her book "Circle of Quiet." I have nothing more to say. Just ponder. I am.</p>Sara's Lemonade Standhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03577310009123240163noreply@blogger.com0