Oh my...

Not a lot of time to write. At school right now, goofing off with friends while I am being depressed over homework. Guys, I hate school.

Anywho, on to better things. My God is great! He's doing wonderful, amazing things in my church. It's been hard because we've had some problems that have really been upsetting, gossiping and people leaving and whatnot, but amazing things are coming out of it. I've come to the conclusion that you can't complain about what's happening if you don't try to help rectify the problem. How sad is it that people come up with so many excuses to not serve the Lord? It makes me angry and very sad. We had the best service Sunday about using your talents, our preacher totally brought it! Totally moving, and people came down to the front to pray. How wonderful is it that such wondeful things can come out of things that seem so devestating?

I can definitely tell it's almost fall here. It's no longer 90 degrees. It's only 87 *grins*. I love this time of year. We got our Christmas cantata in yesterday, but I started listening to Christmas music last week in my car. Can't think of the artist, but their rendition of O Holy Night gives me chillbumps. I'll get back to you with the info later on.

Y'all have a great week!

~Sarah

Well, this wekend has been somewhat more relaxed. I got to sleep in today (SO EXCITED!), and have spent the rest of it helping my mom clean. I was due for a break so I decided, hey, I'll blog.

We have had our first day of cooling off here (SO EXCITED...again!). Fall is coming, but we're probably in for some more hot days. I love fall, but I only want it to be cold from Halloween to New Years. I can be miserable when it gets in the 40s and sometimes 30s in Jan. and Feb.

As I was cleaning today, I realized just how busy my family's lives have gotten. I've been remininscing over past times when we were together more, and life just seemed calmer. I do miss those times. I can get really overwhelmed at times by how much my younger brother and sister have grown. He's a junior and she's in 5th grade. He does varsity football and baseball, and she does gymnastics and softball. All extra times are mostly spent at games or practice. I spend most of my day at school in another town ( I still live with my parents because they love me and I have no time for a job because of 16 hours of school). Needless to say, it's hard finding a time when we are all at the house at the same time and not asleep.

How come it seems that the further on you get in life, the more hectic it gets? It seems to never slow down lately. And how come it always is that we come to wish that we could only go back in time and enjoy those times together like we should have then? Most times, we (or I) wish that I could go back to those time with the knowledge that I have now. Hug my granny and grandaddy again that are now gone. Be more kind to my brother and sister. Help my mom and dad more. Follow Christ more. Yet, He wants us to live in the now. There is nothing that we can do that can redo all the things of the past. But we can live in the present and work for Him.

The present is not always happy or comfortable, though. Lately I have just seemed so out of sorts with the present. I'm happy with where I am. But, I can always strengthen my relationship with Him, and not exactly sure how He wants to use me in the future. Prayers are welcome. But the kind of out of sorts that I mean is sometimes I just don't feel like I ...belong I believe would be the best word. Sometimes I just get the feeling that there is just so much more out there that I have no clue about, and I think this is when God gives me a glimpse of a feeling of heaven. Ever feel like that? When that happens, I just know without a doubt that, as much as I love it here, this place is definitely not my home. My home is with Him, and I won't ever feel like I completely belong until I get there. Not saying that I want to leave this earth anytime soon, because I feel like He can still use me, but take me on my word when I say that I will not mind when He decides my time is up (still want to say that I hope it's not anytime soon though!). I honestly find myself longing for the day when I won't have to worry anymore (which I can't even imagine!), or cry or sorrow. I'll be with my Savior and all my friends and family. And we'll be able to stay together forever without getting on each others nerves(again, hard to imagine). I can't wait until all of us siestas are up there together getting to meet up together and praise our Lord.

Love you girls alot!

~Sarah

Oh Goodness...

Y'all, this has just not been my week. I know everybody has weeks where nothing at all goes right, but it's hard to imagine anyone feeling exactly like you do or having just as bad of week when you're right in the middle of it. The only reason I got through it was by the Lord picking me up and carrying me at some points. I have no clue if it was because of the full moon or what, but Satan was out FULL FORCE this week!

I have had so much to do for school that my mind is fried. Plus, we started our practicum this week, and I'm in 4th grade this time. Apparently, my teacher does not understand that a practicum student is different from a secretary, because all I have done is graded papers, filed papers and the Lord only knows how many copies I have made! I will stop before I get agitated again. :)

Oh, and this will be funny to y'all. Tuesday night I had to stay home from revival to do loads of homework. Mind you, everybody else in my family was at the church. What happened? The pigs got out. Not 1, not 2, but 6 pigs got out of their pen! So here I am, barefoot, chasing this pig and trying to keep him from escaping up the lane. I finally herd him across the cow pasture to the pig pen, and guess what happens there? Somebody (my brother) left the water running, so when I go in the pen to try and herd them in, I sink knee deep in mud and God knows what(literally, He knows, but I ain't askin'!). I drag out my cell phone to call for reinforcements, but lo and behold, nobody will answer me because they are at church. You talking about a desperate girl, that was me. I finally got ahold of my grandaddy before he went up to sing in the choir, and he told me not to worry about them. So I hiked myself back to my house, tried washing the mudd off of me, and did my homework. Then people start calling wondering if I got the pigs back in. Ummm....NO! 6 pigs that don't listen to me? Don't think so! My brother finally came and fixed everything. They aren't even my pigs. I felt like I smelled liek pigs the whole day after.

Well, I'm not going to go on about how bad my week went, but I will tell you how gracious my God is! Literally, I was about to have a nervous breakdown (ever have one of those?) Wednesday night, when the coolest thing happened. My grandaddy text me telling me to not let people and circumstances get ahold of my emotions, which was something that we talked about in Sunday School. God knew exactly when I needed that message. Can you ay Wow?!

God is good to me. He never leaves me, knows what I'm going through and can relate. Even when I get so overhwelmed and I put other things in the forefront of my mind before Him, I'm always first in His. He loves me. I'm not nearly worthy enough, but He loves me. And that? Makes me totally happy.

Hope y'all have a blessed weekend!

~Sarah

Hectic Weekend!

Considering it's Monday, I got up at 5:30 (I know, early right?!) and it's after 9 and I'm still awake enough to write for y'all, I think I'm doing pretty dern good! To say this weekend has been hectic (and the upcoming week looks to be the same) is an understatement. We had our homecoming football game Friday night, which we won. Why on earth you have homecoming a month early in September when it is 90 degrees out is beyond me. Sunday was homecoming at church, and Sunday night started revival. Oh my goodness, I cannot describe how good that homecoming lunch was! I just looove covered dish lunches at our church. Revival ends on Wednesday. We decided instead of bringing one preacher, we would bring back all the preachers that were raised in our church. How cool is that?! I was able to go last night and tonight, but I'm not sure about the next couple of nights. I've got a lot of busy work at school I"ve got to accomplish.

I do briefly want to touch on what Sunday nights message was about. One of my many cousins was the preacher. He hasn't goen to seminary school, but boy can he bring it! The very first thign he did was ask a question. It made me think, so y'all do too. Who in the Bible has the most determination?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Ya'll I was thinking of all kinds of people. First off, I was thinking it was one of those quick questions where the anser was Jesus. Well, he wasn't looking for that. then I was thinking of Paul. Nope, wrong again. Want to know the answer? ....Satan. Yep, I felt pretty dumb after that.

The text was from Matthew 4 when Satan tries to tempt Jesus, which is a pretty dumb thing to do. If His Father can throw Him out of heaven, he's a very determined guy to keep on trying something that purely ain't gonna work! He also went on to tell a story about how he strove for 2 years to become the best archer around. He practiced hours a day, each day of the week. Finally he got there. And then he posed the question, well what if he had used that determination for God and His glory? Where would he be today? Awesome thing to make you ponder what you're really about.

HE also made a statement that I really loved. Satan is determined to destroy you, but you've got to be more determined to serve the Lord. Simple statement, but defnintely profound! I think what he was trying to get at was that Satan will do anything to make you think you don't need to be revived. He'll spit all kinds of lies to you, but you've got to see through them. Revival doesn't start within a church. It starts within a person.

I hope all of y'all have a wonderful blessed week. Hopefully I'll be able to get on more than I have these last few days. :)

~Sarah

Quick note

Y'all know what I just saw? God totally just plopped a double rainbow in my backyard. For real. The funny thing? The end of it was right on top of a cow on the other side of my pond. I wish I would have had my camera. I mean, who says God doesn't have a sense of humor? Who else could imagine a rainbow that looks like it was coming from a cow?

Did you also know that rainbows are not stationary? How, do you ask, do I know? A few years ago God was gracious enough to plop another rainbow in our backyard. This one literally looked like it was coming out of my mom's roses. It stayed there for about 5 minutes, and then started to move. My motto that day wasn't taste the rainbow, but chase the rainbow. For real, I was looking for the leperchaun (weird word. Is is spelled right? I have no clue). By the way, somebody lied. I didn't find one.

I hadn't ever seen a double one that close though. My double blessing from the Lord today. He knew exactly what I needed to cheer me up!

Love,

Sarah

My Wednesday

Did I mention that I think schooling at this point for me is pointless? Perhaps it's because I feel like the 4 weeks I've been in this semester, I've learned nothing. How sad is it that I'm paying muchos money to be bored Monday-Thursday? Needless to say, my friends and I have to keep ourselves entertained to stay awake. I know. It's sad.

We (me, and my friends Sara and Katie) signed up to work the book fair for an hour today. For extra credit only. And now that I think about it, I'm not sure it was very much bonus points. Oh well. While watching people browse, I decided I was tired of being bored, so what do I do? No, not get in trouble (which I sometimes do). Pick up an I Spy book of course! Y'all, I had too much fun with that thing! I was like a kid in a candy store. You are now reading the blog of a champion I Spyer. Yep, I WAS THAT GOOD! My achievement of the day was finding the spring on a page of an old, dusty attic. We looked for 10 minutes for that dern thing. And wouldn't you know, as soon as I very excitedly proclaimed, "I found it!," my teacher walked by and laughed at me. I thought about being embarassed, but I was too proud of myself of finding the hidden spring. Yes, I am a dork.

Remeber when I said I'm not learning anything? I forgot, I am. 7th and 8th grade math. Yes, I am for real. Now if you know how that is going to help me teach grades pre-k - 5th, will you please inform me? I'm not even learning how to teach 7th & 8th grade math. I'm just relearning it. And taking tests on it. And other people are taking the same class with another teacher, and what are they learning? How to teach math to pre-k - 5th graders. Huh? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Oh the irony. Y'all will read an update a year from now that will be titled: "HELP! I have no clue to teach students math, and I'm a certified teacher." Any prayers would be appreciated at this point. Yes, I'm serious.

One last thing. Comment from my 5th grade sister today. She said she wouldn't vote for Obama. I'm thinking it has to do with religion. Not at all. She wouldn't vote for him because he wouldn't let her play video games at school like McCain would (and George W. does, she added). Seriously? Where were these video games when I was in school? I was gyped, I guess. I love her.

Your siesta in Christ,

~Sarah

Thoughts on Deut.

Have you ever had the feeling of near complete exaustion, and then realize it's only Monday? Yep, homegirl here is tired! Could it be because today was the first day I worked out in months? Probably so. Could it be the lectures (I hate being read to, especially when it is right in front of me to read. one of my absolute worst pet peeves!) I had to endure today? Umm...yep. Not to mention one turned the lights out to read to us off of the overhead. *yawn*

Enough yawning. I do want to mention the workout story, because it is quite hilarious. You see, my friend and I were going to work out at the school gym. Mind you, we have never been to the school gym, and were quite intimidated about 1)where it actually was and 2) where to go once we went there. I know, I know. Well, the problem was solved once there wasn't any parking spots except on the NEW PARKING DECK. You see, I don't know what it is about parking decks (well, actually I do. I've watched too many CSI's and Nancy Grace!), but I'm terrified to park on them. Y'all, it's taken me 4 weeks to get where I don't hyperventilate going up the one nearest my class (don't get me started on the time I ended up on the roof of that one!). Well, this one was worse. Going up to the 2nd floor was like driving up a mountain. My friend( who feels the same way!) and I promptly started praying, and drove right back down that mountain. Needless to say, we drove a few miles out to the track where we walked a mile in the heat. I hope there will be parking spots open on the ground next time. I know. I'm a scaredy cat. :)

Now onto what I've been meaning to write about for a few days. I mentioned that I've been reading Deut. and God has been revealing stuff to me big time. For one, I don't ever remember ever having the urge to read Deut. before, but this week, I've been craving it. It's all highlighted up in my Bible in bright pink. :)

Let's start with Deut. 6:4-5:

[quote] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. [/quote]

Recognizable? Yes. Overrated? Definitely not. Used so many times most people overlook the true meaning? ABSOLUTELY! He didn't say love me with PART of your heart, soul and strength. He said with ALL of that. It requires dedication of the utmost. It is NOT something to take lightly. It is something DEMANDED of all. Yet, do most people love him with their all? No. They love him when it is convenient for them. When He fits best in their schedule. And most of all, when they are doing good. Think about it...how easy is it to love God when you know you are disobeying Him? Is disobeying even loving Him? No. My God is not a convenient God.

[quote]7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.[/quote]

Wow! This is how immersed God should be in your life, and vice versa. Parents, don't make it your children's youth leader's job to tell them about Jesus. I've seen it from people who mean well. Yes, you might go to church every Sunday and Wednesday. But what do you do at home together with your family to glorify and study Him together between the times you enter a church on these days? God doesn't care what day of the week it is. He wants you to be as focused on Him on Monday and Friday as He does on Wednesday and Sunday. He wants you to know what you stand for and make sure you spread it to the next generation! One thing that sticks out in my mind are songs. I taught music at VBS last year, and NONE of the pre-k or k students knew "The B-I-B-L-E" or any of the other common Christian songs for that generation. What was sad was that these weren't children I had not seen before. These were ones I saw every Sunday.

[quote] 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.[/quote]

God demanded this of the Israelites. These people did not have the Holy Spirit residing in them like you and I have the opportunity to. Instead, they were to make public symbols that would place them publically as God's people. Today, we have the opportunity to let Him live in us, which should make us want to live for Him. Do you ever see people who just exude the presence of God? He wants others to see Him through us and our actions! Will this always be true? No! There are more times than I would like to admit that people could look at me and not see Christ in my actions. However, I try and not to turn a blind eye to my actions. I strive daily to make my life mirror His and the choices He would make.

God is so good, ladies!!

Love,

~Sarah

Ramblings

Excuse this post. I'll go ahead and say I'm not promising it will make sense to you reading it. It will, however, make sense to me as I write, which is a weird process. My thoughts tend to get ahead of my typing and by the time I try to think what to write next, the thought flies out. of. my. head. Dern, flying thoughts. Do know that I mean well though!

Can I say that I am so excited for having a few new siesta friends? The Lord is being good to me, because He knows I need all the encouragement I can get nowadays! I also realized that I don't have to wait for friends to come to me (well, duh. but sometimes I swear I'm shy!), I can also go find some. So if I appear leaving you a comment on your blog and you've never heard of me before, I promise I'm not a crazy girl! Well, not too bad crazy. Perhaps a little. But it's all because of the coffee.

Seguing now (Now isn't that a funny word? I'm not even sure I spelled it right, which is bad for a soon to be teacher, but y'all it looks funky!) to more spiritual things. I've been reading some people's blogs, just browsing, and God's been revealing things to me. And it's great that He does that. Some of y'all out there have no clue who I am, but you don't even know how much you've motivated me already. It's such a great priviledge to have this type of godly, Christian women who share their lives and tidbits about God. I only hope that God can use me in some small way by this blog.

One thing that God had put on my heart lately is mine and His' relationship. First off, you have to know somethign about me. I have a wonderful, Christian family. I've grown up in church my entire life, heard all the sermons and Bible stories (Hey, I could probably spout off information like that in my sleep!). Yet, it's only been a few short years since I finally understood what God did for me, sending His Son to die for me. I think for so long I had relied on my family's good standing in the church to stand for mine and His' relationship. Yeah, I knew all the Bible stories, so why read them again at home? Thank the Lord He opened my eyes to what it is all about. I started reading my Bible, though not as much as I probably should have, started leading the youth group, which had fizzled out and had no leader. And my heart continually got stronger for Him and His works. I am a completely different person inside that I was 2 or 3 years ago. It is an AMAZING feeling, one I can get from only One person.

Lately though, I've been feeling His push on my soul about our relationship. I think He's making me look at it, scrutinizing it more than I ever have before. Yes, I know Him. And I talk to Him daily. But the question that pops up is, do I really understand how great this relationship has the possibility of being? Am I missing out on something spectacular all because I'm not listening enough? One thing I've realized over these past few months is how much MORE being a Christian can mean than I've realized. It's hard to put into words, but after realizing that I live completely and utterly for Him and to do His works, the world seems like a bigger and brighter place. Things that seemed so important to me now seem mundane.

Yet, for most of my life, I've modeled my relationship with Him after other people that I know. I think I've done this for so long, I see these people and their relationship with Him and strive for that(which is not always a bad thing, but not always a good thing either!). And now I want my relationship to be MORE than that. It's like He's hitting me over the head saying, "Don't worry about them! It's all about US! I'm as big as you make me, or as small!" And Lord, I want you to be the BIGGEST thing in my life. Please, don't ever let me make You smaller than You are! I want my relationship to grow leaps and bounds now. I want to open up completely to what He has for me.

Sometimes it is hard to explain to others what I mean by this. My community is an older one with people set in their ways. I'm not trying to judge their relationship, but when you admit that you don't read your Bible, you are in a rut. Well, I'm breaking the mold. And only the Lord can help me.

And now I'm getting kicked off the computer. I'm off to do homework. Anbody who actually read all of this...thanks. :)

~Sarah

Football Madness

Well, after a looong week, it's finally Friday and what do I end up doing? Going to a high school football game. And guess what?! I actually tried following the game! You have to understand, I'm am not a football fanatic. I was in danceline in high school and had to go to every single football game. Basically my football philisophy is if I cheer when my side cheers and boo when my side boos, I can't go wrong. Lol. But now my little bro is on the varsity team, so I must go cheer him on and at least try and follow the game with my little amount of football knowledge. We won, btw, but it was very nervewracking to the last second.

And I want to comment on these high schoolers that sat in front of us. Y'all, I promise they had no brain! There were all these adults sittign down behind them, watchign the game, and what do these teenagers do? STAND UP THE NEARLY THE ENTIRE TIME! And they weren't even watching the game. Now, in my earlier years, it wouldn't have been a problem because I didn't watch the game. But I was trying to watch my brother! Finally at the end of the game, after several glares and prayers, I said loudly to my dad, "I SURE WISH I COULD SEE THEM PLAY, BUT THESE KIDS ARE IN MY WAY." And, I kid you not, they looked at me and then turned around and talked some more. I will move next time.

The absolute coolest thing I've seen in awhile happened last night too. After the game, BOTH teams, including cheerleaders and coaches, got in a big huddle in the middle of the field, had a talk, and PRAYED together! It was so touching. I stopped right then and there and prayed that every single person in that huddle knew Jesus and had him in their life.

There are a few things I want to blog about, little thoughts about what I've been reading in my Bible and thoughts I've heard in sermons lately, but will have to do it later, because I need to find certain verses. I'm reading Deutoronomy and can I say that the Lord is blessing me with all the information I am learning?! He is so good and faithful to me, even when I am not always to Him!

~Sarah