Happy New Year!

So maybe one of my goals this year should be blogging more often! :-)

I'm excited about this new year, hoping it will be better in many ways than 2008 was. Not that this last year was bad, but it was just so...busy, what with planning and preparing to move, all the decisions about the house, actually moving, having a lot of out-of-town guests, hosting events, getting settled and buying furniture and decorating and, and, and... In the midst of all the activity, a lot of important things kind of got lost in the shuffle, like being more intentional in my relationships -- my relationship with God, my relationships with family and friends. I want to be more intentional this year...to not just let life swirl around me!

I want to learn to like exercising, because I am WAY too sedentary. I won a free six-month membership to the health club my church owns, and as a part of membership you get three free sessions with a personal trainer. So I met Andrea this week and she is going to help me figure out a good workout routine tailored to my fitness level and goals. I'm glad, because I don't seem to have the motivation to design an exercise program on my own!

Most of all, I really want to have a deeper hunger and thirst for God's Word and for communion with Him...I want my prayer life to become more vibrant! I have so much "head knowledge" about the Bible and prayer floating around in my mind...I need to grab a hold of it and pin it down in my heart, so it becomes part of the fabric of my daily life. I want to live out what I know. I want to start running purposefully in the race again, instead of just skipping along staring at the flowers on the side of the track.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

~ Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)

There are so many other goals that I could name for this year, but that's the most important...throwing off the sins and weights and distractions that slow me down and instead choosing to run this race of the Christian life with endurance, living by the Spirit and daily coming to Christ to let Him fill and lead me. May 2009 be a year of great spiritual growth for all of us!

Hope...

During a recent worship-based prayer gathering with two friends of mine, the Holy Spirit kept bringing up the theme of hope. We read passages like:

Psalm 71:4-6
"Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
For You are my hope, O Lord GOD;
You are my trust from my youth.
By You I have been upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.
My praise shall be continually of You."

Psalm 33:16-18
"No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.
Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy."

Romans 5:1-5
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

1 Peter 1:13
"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."

Keeping that last verse in mind, an acronym for hope came to me while we were praying:

Having
One
Perspective --
Eternity!

I love this simple reminder.

And I love that biblical hope is not just wishful thinking ("Oh, I hope it will happen..."); it's a confident expectation that what God promised WILL come to pass! This hope is the anchor that keeps us from drifting away in doubt and discouragement when life gets tough. In fact, I think God's Word has something to say about that very thing!

Hebrews 6:17-19a
"Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."


This hope anchors my soul:

...when remodeling projects seem to go on forever and a day!

...when I'm faced with new and challenging responsibilities in ministry.

...when the price of gas and other costs of living keep rising and rising.


And this hope anchors my soul:

...when I watch the news and hear about devastation, despair, and other discouraging things around the world.

...when I see people I love making destructive life choices that don't honor the Lord.

...as Andrew and I approach our 13th wedding anniversary as a childless couple.


The world doesn't understand how we can still have hope in spite of both the minor irritations and the serious concerns of life. To me, it's simple: having one perspective -- eternity. When I make a conscious effort to look at the circumstances of my life in light of eternity, God's Spirit whispers encouragement to my heart: "Yes, this isn't all there is! Look up! Look ahead!" My life is eternal, and my time here is but a breath in comparison to what awaits me! I trust with all my heart that my Heavenly Father, who loves me so much He sent Jesus to die for me so I could be a part of His family, is working everything together for my good and His glory, and that fills me with such peace and joy!

I pray that these thoughts will be an encouragement to you as well. I leave you with a final benediction from God's Word:

Romans 15:13

"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."

The Enduring Things

This poem by my favorite poet, Grace Noll Crowell, really expresses the cry of my heart today...I want to tear the grappling hooks of the world and its trivialities off my heart, thus to go forth, unhindered by worthless pursuits, to seek only the things that matter in eternity...

"The Enduring Things"

I will lay hold upon enduring things.

I am wearied with the din and noise and fret.

About me close, distracting, meager things

Grapple my soul -- Lord, help me to forget
The clamor of it. Grant me peace that stills,
Deep peace of quietness, and hope that cheers.
I lift my eyes to Thy strength-giving hills,
Steeped in the light of far eternal years.

I will lay hold upon enduring things:
Faith that illumines though the eyes be blind,
And joy continuous, a heart that sings,
And love that suffers long -- yet still is kind.
They are such paltry things I've bartered for,
I am soul-sick with the weariness it brings.
Now -- with high-lifted face I turn me, for
I will lay hold upon enduring things.

I had to share this...

One of my favorite bloggers is Ann V. over at Holy Experience. She never ceases to amaze me with the beautiful way she writes about the things of the Lord.

I thought Ann's blog entry for today was especially worth sharing (although almost anything she writes is...I'd encourage you to read through her archives).

"When the Artist captivates, beauty rousing us from lumbering, slumbering ways, we spontaneously desire to emulate His brushstrokes—to walk and create and live like He does. We kindle, wanting to be like the Artist. To co-create beauty and holiness with Him. When the love that exudes, drips, floods from all His work wakes us up, we too fill with a love that is His. What law cannot wring out, gazing at Creator's beauty ignites. Esteeming God as Creator, knowing Him as Painter, Weaver, Poet, the Color-Saturated, Singing, Dancing, Joy-Soaked One, transforms us in the ways we yearn for."

Click here to read the entire entry... (Some soft piano music will come on, so be aware of your speaker volume!)

I don't know Ann personally, but her words minister to me. What an amazing thing that we can use this medium of blogging to touch hearts and lives, pointing them to the One who gave us the gift of language and, more importantly, the gift of His Son.

It's a beautiful, sunny day here in my home city, and I am thankful to be alive and to belong to Christ!

Lake Tahoe and a letter from God...

I just got back from our church's annual Women's Prayer Encounter. A prayer encounter (or prayer summit, as they are often called) is when a group of believers goes away for a few days to seek the Lord and His will for their lives, to worship Him, to draw close to Him in a way that's hard to do back home surrounded by the noise of our daily lives. There's no speaker, just a leadership team of facilitators who meet before each session to pray about how the Spirit will lead our times together. There's lots of worship through song, lots of Scripture, lots of tears, lots of joy! The bond of love that is formed and strengthened with our sisters in Christ is something the world could never hope to understand. Truly a blessing!

So I, along with about 90 other women, went up on Friday to a beautiful conference center right on Lake Tahoe, on the Nevada side, and we couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather or gorgeous scenery. God's creation is stunning!

As part of the day yesterday, we had what's called a "Code of Silence," where we go out for an hour or so and are not to talk to anyone else -- just get alone with God somewhere and see what He wants to say to us. I sat on some steps overlooking the beauty of Lake Tahoe...sparkling blue waters, with the stately pines surrounding it and the majestic mountains off in the distance. It was an amazing backdrop to my time with the Lord...

Speaking of time with the Lord, that is something that I've really neglected lately. I mean, I think of Him throughout the day, and read His Word when I find the time...but had really gotten spiritually lazy and out of the habit of spending focused time with Him and in His Word, just being with Him and listening to Him. I was feeling really convicted about that, and during my quiet time yesterday afternoon, I remembered what I'd recently heard a speaker recommend. She said that often when she's alone with God on a personal retreat, she'll take out her journal and a pen and just ask God to write her a letter, praying that she'll be open to hearing what He wants to say to her. I decided I'd like to try that, so I got my pen out and just prayed that God would show me what He would say to me if He wrote a personal letter just to me.

Before I knew it, the words just started to flow. It wasn't "divine inspiration" or anything mystical like that...just His Spirit prompting me with words from His heart to mine. I know what He wants from me...I just needed to hear it from His perspective! He reminded me of how much I miss out on when I don't spend time with Him each day, and how much He loves me and wants to just "hang out" with me, so I can get to know Him better. After I finished writing, I really felt that I needed to share it with Alice, our lead facilitator, so after last night's session I sought her out and read the letter to her. She felt strongly that it was something that would benefit the other ladies in attendance, and asked me if I would read it at our final session. I had sensed she would ask me to do that, and I was prepared if that's what God wanted me to do!

So today at our final session, Alice asked me to stand and share the letter that God gave me. I wanted it to be an encouragement to all of my sisters there that God desires the same thing from them, and loves them just as much. I was only a little nervous...a few times I noticed my hands starting to shake a little, then I thought about the Spirit just kind of surrounding me like a hug and wasn't nervous anymore. I found out later that my sweet roomie, Cathy, was praying for me while I shared -- I had a suspicion that might have been the case! :-)

Anyway, after the session, so many ladies came up and told me how much they appreciated me sharing the letter, and that God had used it to convict or encourage them. Several ladies asked for copies, so I decided to post the letter here on my blog so that they could come and re-read it and maybe print it out if they want to. I pray that it is an encouragement to you, and that we will all be drawn to desire to spend time with Him more and more, and not to keep Him waiting while we go about our daily lives. He deserves so much more than being put on the back burner, and I pray that I will give Him the position and priority He deserves in my life! Thank you for praying for me in this!

So here's my letter from God. Of course, my version says "Dear Sarah," but I've made it generic so it can apply to any woman who reads it!

God's peace and joy to you,

Sarah <><

______________________________________________________

My Dear One,

You are beautiful to Me. More beautiful than gorgeous lake Tahoe or the majestic pines surrounding it or the snow-dusted mountains in the distance. You are special -- you are Mine, and I make no mistakes. I made no mistakes when I created you, and I am making no mistakes in how I'm allowing the circumstances of your life to play out. I do all things well.

I love you -- so, so much, my darling girl. I know you feel defeated in those areas of your life that seem so hard to change, those habits that are so ingrained in you, those ruts that seem so hard to get out of. But be encouraged, my dear -- I am available. I am here. I want you to come to Me for the strength and motivation you need. I want to help you. But first, you need to come to Me.

Head knowledge alone isn't going to help you change. Neither can you rely on the fumes of past experience with Me. My mercies are new every morning. Each morning that you fail to spend time with Me, you miss out on the "something new" I had for you that day. Make Me a priority, dear one. I am worth it. And when you begin to do this, all the other things will fall into place. You'll have the energy and motivation to do all that I've called you to do. You'll be less inclined to fill your mind with things that crowd My Spirit out. You'll rediscover the joy of your salvation. Just come to Me -- every day; make Me a priority.

It's really as simple as that. Don't try to complicate it with feeling like your time with Me has to be spent a certain way. My Spirit will guide and direct our times together. You only need to come. I long to develop our relationship -- it's what I died for, this privilege of fellowship with you. Yes, you will know Me fully in eternity. But don't miss out on the joy of choosing to know Me better here and now. As the song says, this world is empty, pale, and poor compared to knowing Me.

Don't dwell so much on your failures -- dwell on Me instead, and all those things will fade in the light of Who I am. I love you so much. I long to bless you beyond your wildest dreams with true spiritual blessings in Christ. All I have is yours. I stand ready to give you so much good stuff -- eternally good. All you have to do is ask. Come to Me -- I'm waiting. Don't keep me waiting for long.

Your Faithful God

Currently reading...

The Great Omission by Dallas Willard.

What a thought-provoking and convicting book...this book is all about learning to be Jesus' disciple, or apprentice...learning from Him how to live the Christian life. It's about learning to incorporate the spiritual disciplines of solitude, silence, and fasting, among others, into our lives on a consistent basis. I'm not very far into the book yet, but it's one I need to read slowly, to pray through.

One thing he pointed out is the heresy that we can just enjoy forgiveness at Jesus' expense (have Him be our Savior) and then have nothing more to do with Him (not have Him be our Lord)...he referred to people who do this as "vampire Christians," telling Jesus, in essence, "I'd like a little of Your blood, please. But I don't care to be Your student or have Your character. In fact, won't you just excuse me while I get on with my life, and I'll see You in heaven."

Definitely a lot to think about and pray about in this book! Any of Willard's books are highly recommended!

It's so sad that so many Christians go through life with little to no understanding of the deeper Christian life available so readily to all of us, if we'd just choose to pursue it. I, for one, don't want to miss out on this great adventure, which is like nothing that the world has to offer!

Modesty

I recently discovered a blog called The Rebelution, written by the twin younger brothers of Joshua Harris, who wrote the well-known book I Kissed Dating Goodbye. These guys recently conducted a modesty survey of Christian guys (geared at helping Christian girls understand how the way they dress affects their brothers in Christ) -- they'll be releasing the results of the survey on Valentine's Day, but in the meantime, they're posting some of the responses they received from Christian guys who took the survey.

This post from a brother in Christ gives a great analogy to help us as women understand how important modesty is. The site seems to be geared to younger, single Christians, but I think that the importance and value of modesty applies to us as women our whole lives long. I love a good analogy, so this post was really encouraging.

I strive to dress modestly, but from time to time I need to stop and evaluate my wardrobe...and my reasons for wearing certain things. I look forward to reading the results of the survey at The Rebelution, and being reminded of my responsibility as a woman to dress in a way that would make it less likely for my brothers in Christ to fall.

Christians and Entertainment

I came across this great article at a blog I stumbled upon today. The author (another Sarah!) expressed my thoughts so well on this subject that I am just going to link to her post. What are your thoughts?
_________________________________________________

WHAT'S HAPPENING TO MY GENERATION?

What’s happening to my generation? (Long pause for thought) Our society has become a wicked society, like the days of old, like those mentioned in the Bible, like Sodom and Gomorrah, and like the wicked nations God wiped off the earth. Many young people constantly poison their minds and their spirits with lust and evil thoughts, evil entertainment. Where anything goes as long as it’s labeled “art” or “a movie.” Do Christians no longer know how to discern between good and evil? ...click here to keep reading

Walking in the Light

"If we walk in the light as He is in the light...the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."
1 John 1:7

"The love of God working in me causes me to hate, with the Holy Spirit's hatred for sin, anything that is not in keeping with God's holiness. To 'walk in the light' means that everything that is of the darkness actually drives me closer to the center of the light."

~ Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Feeling Grateful Today

As I've been going about my day today, I've realized that I tend to take so much routine stuff for granted, things that I just always assume will be there. But today, in light of what's going on in Lousiana and other states, I've been silently thanking the Lord for things like:

• A roof over my head, clothes to wear, and an abundance of food to eat
• Clean water for drinking and bathing
• A reliable postal system
• Being able to go to the bank and make a deposit
• Being able to fill my car with gas (even if it was $2.89 a gallon)
• Reliable electricity
• Having the means to care for and feed my cats

I can't imagine having all this and more yanked out from under me like those people have...I know God would provide and meet our needs, but it would still be traumatic. I wish there was more we could do for those left homeless by this storm.

As the old hymn reminds us, we should "count our blessings, name them one by one." Truly, we don't deserve all the good things God has given us so graciously. This storm also reminds us that earthly possessions are temporary, and helps us fix our eyes on eternity, where we have "an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for us." (1 Peter 1:4) Thank You, Lord!