what are you waiting for?

January 30, 2012 in monday manna devotional, who are you becoming? with 1 Comment

People do a lot of talking. Lots of it. Just look at twitter. And blogs. People have lots to say. I totally understand that (speaking as one with both a twitter and a blog) but you probably also notice that some days I just don’t post. That’s because I have nothing to say! At least nothing to say that I think is worth bothering you with. I do at least try not to waste my time…and yours.

But I read this article today and it resonated – mostly because I’ve been hearing this from God in several different ways lately.

I think I’ve been waiting. And not the good kind.

The good kind is waiting on God. I grew up with a Dad who was a “go out there and do big things” kind of person but the trouble was that he did those things apart from God. We absolutely do need to “pursue” and “press in” – but towards God – not some goal or dream. He is the the One we should be pursuing. There is a place for our earnestness – and that’s in the hands of God. We don’t hold our tomorrows. He does. How are we supposed to know what our lives will look like in five year? Or ten years? We really can’t. Only He can. So by pressing into Him – knowing Him more deeply – only then can we be led by the Holy Spirit into what He has for us.

We will not get there by default.

Now I realize that statement delves into theology a bit and I don’t claim to be any kind of theologian. I am just a girl who loves and follows Jesus. But nevertheless, I believe it to be true.

Yes – God is absolutely sovereign and nothing can “mess up” His plans. But we can also “fail to attain” all that He has for us. We can miss God’s best for us. And that should scare us. It should scare us towards Him. You see, the default for humans is to follow the flesh and the Bible is pretty clear that the flesh doesn’t profit us anything (John 6:63). Paul talks about it as “rubbish” (Phil 3:8).

We don’t know anything. We must wait on Him so that we will know the truth (the words of life! His spirit!).

Waiting must be our posture, but there is a bad kind of waiting. The kind that I find myself slipping into on occasion.

It’s the kind of waiting that is waiting for some circumstance to change at the expense of today.

We should not be waiting around for something to change because while we wait on Him, we have something we are supposed to do today. What are you supposed to do today? Where are you supposed to spend your time and energy – today? You don’t have to worry about tomorrow or next week or next year or anything because if you can press into Him and find out what God’s desire is for you today – then you’ll be on the right path to get to tomorrow, next week, and next year.

Sometimes the “thing” we are supposed to do is a bit scary. That’s okay too. because you’re never alone in it.

Never.

So here’s to scary things, today and the One who holds it all.
~Sarah~

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totally unfamous is totally available on Kindle!

January 23, 2012 in books & faith, the writing life with 0 Comments

Last week I was very quiet because I was working to get my verse novel ready for the Kindle. Many hours and tears later, it’s finally available!

I really love this novel. I wrote it primarily because I was hearing from so many readers that wanted to know more about Beka. Well, I was actually interested in writing about Lucy – Beka’s younger sister. Totally Unfamous takes place about three years after the Becoming Beka series ends. It’s written as a novel-in-verse – which means that lucy’s voice is a bit different – but she has a voice all her own.

The cover!

Here is the description:

Totally Unfamous is a contemporary novel-in-verse about Lucy Madison, a 17 year old gymnast who is struggling to cope with a changing family and a past that haunts her. When Lucy meets Ben, she finds herself cautious and scared at the idea of any kind of relationship. But the longer it goes on, the more entwined her heart becomes and she becomes stuck – unable to move forward anywhere in her life. Lucy must face her troubles in the gym, at home and in her past if she is ever to find a hope for the future.

Intended for ages 13 and up.

Thanks for letting me share – and if you know others who might be interested – can you share it with them as well? I’d appreciate it quite a lot:-)

~Sarah~

 

 

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tim tebow & God & winning

January 14, 2012 in pop culture & faith with 0 Comments

Here’s a Saturday morning confession. I really don’t care about football. My husband likes football so it’s on in the house, but as far as being interested in it? Not so much.

But there’s an awful lot of fuss about some player named Tim Tebow. And a friend wrote a great post about it so for today I thought I’d send you over there to check out her thoughts :-)

Rachel’s Blog

~Sarah~

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puppies & the art of patience

January 10, 2012 in real life & faith, who are you becoming? with 5 Comments

 

Meet Belle. Belle is a puppy. She’s quite young. And quite cute. This is good. Being super cute is very helpful for the people in her life who walk around with Resolve and paper towels within arm’s reach. All. Day. Long.

Belle is having difficulty with the whole “where to go potty” thing. She understands about half of it – when she is taken outside she knows exactly what to do and she is rewarded with love and attention and treats.

The problem comes with the other half of the equation “where NOT to go potty”. This is the side she has not yet mastered. She has not discovered that she can ask to go outside when she has to go.

What this means for her humans is that they are on potty watch. All. Day. Long. Taking her outside at various intervals so that she can go potty where she is supposed to go potty. The humans are at her mercy as they cajole and talk in tones usually reserved only for infants as they try to explain “go here!” “not here!”

It is exhausting for the humans.

And this is why her cuteness is a valuable asset. The humans keep doing this week after week, hoping that at some point, the spark of understanding will break through her impossibly cute head.

And all of this makes this human wonder -

How patient has God had to be with me?

How often has He patiently guided and encouraged and taught as He waits for me to understand what He is asking of me?

How many of many mistakes have been wiped away by a God who is impossibly in love with me?

Oh, how great, how wonderful, how amazing is Jesus…

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the other side of Passion 2012

January 9, 2012 in monday manna devotional with 2 Comments

Forty-five thousand college students gathered in Atlanta Georgia last week and celebrated the great God we serve. That’s a great thing. Even better? They streamed the event live for those of us who couldn’t travel down there and be there in person. I missed a couple sessions that I wanted to see (they were only online for about 24 hours) but I still got to sit in front of my computer and participate.

And boy did God speak! I’m so thankful for God’s voice and for gifted teachers and for the Word of God. I will probably talk in more specifics about how it affected me but this morning, I woke up thinking about those 45,000 students who scattered this weekend and went off to their homes all over the nation.

And about the letdown that many of them might be experiencing right now.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to attend a conference like that (it’s just harder for moms with young kids to get away!) but I know the feeling of a  ”conference high” that comes when you gather with thousands upon thousands of like minded people and get pumped full of courage and passion for Jesus. It’s awesome to see the saints gathered like that. To be in the midst of that many voices.

But eventually, you have to go home. And home isn’t usually that exciting.

1 – You come home and are often surrounded by people who didn’t experience the same thing you did.

2 – You come home to the same old-same old even though you feel so different.

3 – You come home and still have to deal with the difficulties of life.

It can all lead to a bit of  a letdown. It’s normal. And understandable. But it doesn’t have to take anything away from your experience or what you learned or your re-entry back into life. Basically – it doesn’t have to be a letdown when you realize that the bigness and amazing-ness of Jesus has not changed one iota. No, you won’t have 44,999 other people singing with you as you worship. But that’s okay. You won’t have people like Frances Chan or John Piper or Louie Giglio sitting down with you to explore the Word of God. But that’s okay. There is plenty in the Word of God for the Holy Spirit to show you as you sit by yourself in your room.

The thing is, if we can learn to experience and get to know Jesus in the quiet of our everyday lives, the more we will be able to experience the highs without hitting a low. Both the spectacular and the quiet are needed for us to grow.

So don’t be afraid to get quiet with Him and see where He is leading you – today.

 

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don’t overthink it!

January 3, 2012 in books & faith, how to be a christian with 1 Comment

I love a new year don’t you? Fresh – with no mistakes in it yet! (Of course, since it’s actually Day 3 there may already be some mistakes in it – in which case you can use the original quote “Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes”.)

My middle daughter is a gymnast. She is so strong, so flexible and so good at what she does. But there are times when she holds back. When you are supposed to run full out towards a very large stationary object like a vault, you have to give it your full energy so that you have the momentum to actually go over. You can’t hold back. But she does. It comes down to fear – fear of falling, fear of not getting over, fear of getting hurt. Yet – and here is the big thing – by being afraid and holding back – she doesn’t give herself all the tools she needs (momentum and power) to do it successfully either.

And we do the very same thing. At least I do.

Today as I finished up some housekeeping details and began to turn my attention towards my writing project, I felt that niggling sense of fear. Fear of failing. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of getting hurt. I am not so different from my daughter. But instead of not running hard enough or pounding the board hard enough, I start with the questions:

Should I plot more of this out first?

Should I go back and edit what I have?

Maybe I should read this writing book first?

Maybe I need to think more about this subplot first?

Maybe I should check Facebook…

See? Even though I have all the tools I need – a good handle on the plot and characters and voice of the piece – I fidget and fuss about jumping in.

There comes a season when it’s time to stop thinking about it and just run towards it. Whatever “it” is.

When you have your heart and your will submitted to God, then running towards what He wants you to do is the same thing as running towards Him – in that perfect childhood trust – and trusting that He will catch you in His arms. Every. Single. Time.

This year, well, I’d like to stop thinking so much and just trust the One whose Hands I am in. How about you?

~Sarah~

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Giving at Christmas – when a donation is the perfect gift

December 14, 2011 in church & faith with 1 Comment

I know many believers will often give a donation to a charity in lieu of a gift. It’s a blessing to everyone involved and reminds us that as we shop and wrap (because I do love giving gifts!), that donation giving is a great gift idea as well.

Many of the more well-known causes are the go-to charities for people. You can “buy” a cow for a village, donate money for water or any number of things and all of the causes are wonderful. But today I’d like to take a few minutes to share with you about a charity you might not be aware of.

E3 Kids International is a non-profit charity that partners with communities overseas. They help provide money and materials so that community leaders can equip and educate the orphaned and impoverished youth in their area. These aren’t Americans coming in to take over – instead, E3 offers support to the community itself.

One of their partner schools – Royal Kids School – is located in Kenya.

“Ngao and Grace Mazira are the founders and directors of Mikindani Royal Kids School. Since the school´s beginnings the Maziras have envisioned showing children the love of God, with a view to raising up future leaders. Under the Maziras´ leadership, Royal Kids School is a living, vibrant example of God´s compassion to the surrounding community in Mombasa.”

 

E3 comes alongside to help with funds for water, books, computers, food, buildings, libraries and teachers. That’s a lot of stuff that’s needed!

As E3 grows, they will be able to help other African schools raise new leaders that will help transform their communities. There are a number of ways to give. You can give a one-time or recurring donation that you can designate to go to the projects you care about. You can sponsor students to help pay for their school, clothing and food. Anyway you choose, 90% of what you give goes to directly to those in need.

E3′s mission is this:

We believe in the power of education to transform lives and communities.  We strive to equip, empower, and educate impoverished youth in developing countries.  We believe in the exponential growth that results from investing in individual children and schools.  We are committed to investing in the education of children, because once they are empowered and are equipped with the necessary skills, free from the physical and emotional trap of poverty, they will continue to positively impact their communities.

In a time where there are so many causes and so many needs, then consider E3 Kids as you ponder that hard-to-buy-for person on your Christmas list. It’s a gift that gives across the miles and sows into a new generation of leaders. You can even stay up to date with pictures of students, their building projects and everything that is happening. So read about E3, get involved and give a donation today!

 

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Christmas Shopping: Books for Boys!

December 13, 2011 in books & faith, media, arts & faith with 2 Comments

I don’t have boys. So let’s just start by saying that. But I do have some recommendations for you! You’ll find that with many of these, you’ll have to order from different places – as I mentioned in my post yesterday, there are many great books out there that you will not find at your local bookstore – unfortunately.

Graphic Novels/Comic Books

Did you know there are Christian comics? Yes!

Ben Avery has quite a few Biblical/historical comics that you might want to check out! here are some available in his Amazon bookstore. Check out his TimeFlys series for younger readers. If you use the menu at the top right, you can scroll through lots of possibilities, including books that teach you how to script your own comics!

Zondervan has quite a few graphic novels, so check out their site for even more ideas.

Kingstone media has a number of both comics & graphic novels to check out.

Marcher Lord Press

Marcher Lord Press is a company that specializes in the fantasy – science-fiction – speculative genres. While you may have heard of Ted Dekker and Robert Liparulo, there are many other possibilities out there and Marcher Lord is all about bringing them to you! So check out Marcher Lord and find many different novels!

Travis Thrasher 

I mentioned Travis yesterday because his books will appeal to girls as well, but I’ll re-mention his Solitary Tales books today for the guys!

Jill Williamson

I mentioned Jill’s brand new book Replication yesterday as well, but I’m pretty sure it would appeal to the guys as well!

Stephen Lawhead

Avid readers are probably already aware of Stephen Lawhead, but just in case, I thought I’d mention he has a lot of novels that would interest guy readers.

 

Got more ideas? I’ll be glad to add to the list!

~Sarah~

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Christmas shopping list: Great books for tween and teen girls

December 12, 2011 in books & faith, media, arts & faith with 3 Comments

Books! Yes, I was one of those kids who really enjoyed finding books under the Christmas tree and since I am regularly asked for recommendations about books, I thought I’d post some ideas for you while you still have time to order!

A little-known secret: The books on the shelves of your local Christian store represents only a small portion of what’s available. You can shop online at Amazon or Christianbook.com or any online retailer. I am a fan of actual bookstores and it kills me to see them closing – yet I also know most of what I recommend cannot be found on the shelves. Can’t fix that, unfortunately.

So we’ll start with girls! (I’ll list some boy ideas tomorrow!)

For tween & teen girls:

Get this magazine for the girls in your life!

Susie Magazine
A yearly subscription makes a great gift that you can send to the teen girls in your life – content is appropriate for ages 12 and up, but I know middle schoolers will enjoy it as well. In each issue of SUSIE Mag, she’ll receive life-changing stories about faith, fashion, guys, friendship, music and more. And as a member of our online community, she’ll be part of a sisterhood of girls who are joining hands and standing tall for what’s right.

Subscribe today:
• Call 888-81SUSIE
• Online at www.SUSIEMag.com

 

Contemporary Fiction for ages 12 and up:

The Becoming Beka series

I don’t talk a lot about my own books on here because it’s weird and I don’t like hawking my stuff. But I’ll make a brief exception here because I still regularly get mail from readers who have just discovered these series and have fallen in love with Beka and her story.  So if you know and love a girl aged 12 and up, then consider this series:-)  You can read more about the Becoming Beka series here.

Buy Beka On Amazon

Jenny B. Jones

Jenny has several series out for teen girls including “A Charmed Life” and “In-Between” and several stand-alones that teen girls will love. Check out Jenny’s Website for all her book titles.

Stephanie Morrill

Check out Steph’s series “The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt” at her website.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

For the girls in your life who adore the sci-fi/fantasy genre better than contemporary, then check out:

Lisa Tawn Bergren

Lisa’s “River of Time” series is a teen time travel trilogy that lands two teens in medieval Italy. For more info, check out her website!

Jill Williamson

You can get a hot-off-the-press novel with Jill’s latest sci-fi/suspense called Replication.

Travis Thrasher

Might want to also check out the Solitary Tales series from Travis!

Historical/Amish Fiction

Wendy Lawton

If you know an 8-12 year old who loves historical fiction, have you discovered The Daughters of the Faith series by Wendy Lawton? I love all her books, and there’s quite a few in this series about real girls in history whose faith affected their lives.

Kim Vogel Sawyer

Kim’s Katy Lambright series, likely good for both teens and tweens, follows a Mennonite girl named Katy

There are lots more but this should get you started!! Chime in if there’s something you’ve loved and maybe that will help someone find that perfect something!

~Sarah~

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mean Christians

December 6, 2011 in how to be a christian, when faith is hard with 2 Comments

So the title of this could sound like I’m going to rant and complain about mean Christians, but that’s not really what this is about.

Here’s one thing I know to be true: Humans are sinful.
All of them. Me. You. People who go to church. People who don’t go to church.

One of the things I am so thankful to have learned early on in my walk with God is to never decide anything about who God is based only on the actions of His people.

I have been treated horribly be people who say they love God, read His Word and pray every day. It’s something I am not sure I will ever understand. I can’t even get angry about something without feeling guilty and having to repent to the person I got angry with. How can people who say they follow God treat people like garbage and then just go on as if nothing is wrong?

This is a question with no answer. And it doesn’t even do me any good to even ponder it. There is no answer – except maybe the one I’ve already pointed out. People are sinful. People can do mean, selfish and awful things.

But that doesn’t change who God is.

I’ve seen people get burned by Christians and walk away from God. I’ve seen young people witness such hypocrisy by those that call themselves Christians, that they walk away from the faith. I’ve seen people who have decided their worth based on the opinions of those around them rather than the One who created them.

While it is true that those who follow Christ should reflect Jesus in their actions, that doesn’t always happen.
But that doesn’t change who God is: faithful, loving, ever-patient, long suffering, good. He is the source. The creator. And yet he wants to know us intimately. He is truly amazing. Nothing changes that.

It’s so important for us to know Him. Not just be around His people. Hanging out at church or Bible Study or youth group can help you learn about God. It can help you develop empathy and love and compassion and lots of really good things. But that is no substitute for knowing Him and just spending time with Him. Just you and Him. He is the source of life.

That way, when people fail you – and they will – then you always have a safe harbor in Him. Life might press you down, but it can’t destroy you because you’ll know Him as your strong fortress. Your deliverer. Your ever-present help in times of trouble.

These words sound so simple and yet they have been tried and tested in the fires of my heart this year. So the words might be small, but the truth is big because He is big. Bigger than we can ever imagine.

For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God,
The God who girds me with strength,
And makes my way blameless?
He makes my feet like hind’s feet,
And sets me upon my high places.
He trains my hands for battle,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Thou hast also given me the shield of salvation,
And they right hand upholds me;
And thy gentleness makes me great.
Thou dost enlarge my steps under me,
And my feet have not slipped.
Psalm 18: 31-36

People will fail you. But God will never fail you. Yes there are storms that shake us. Paths that rattle us. Uncertainty that scares us. But if we are willing to trust Him and His will for us, then He will take us to places we never imagined. Eventually. That’s the journey. And I wouldn’t trade that journey for anything. So don’t ever give up on Him – because He will never give up on you.

Do not fear.

Sarah

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