Work Fiasco

Welcome back to my blog!

     Tonight has not gone as I had planned. . . I'm not trying to be a spoiled sport or a complainer, but my night at work didn't end up turning out too well. . .
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     I was working this afternoon, and I had to write on a lady's cake for her from the display case. I'm definitely not a pro, and so when I wrote on her cake I did my absolute best as per usual. When her daughter came in to pick it up (an hour and a half later than she said, I might add) she told me I spelled the wrong name. I had written "Jess" after being positive that's what her mom said over the phone. It was a pink cake after all. . . But turns out she said "Jeff". So I scraped off the frosting as best as I could and I fixed my mistake. I asked the daughter if the cake looked okay, she said "yes. thanks." and I apologized again. She assured me it was fine, and she walked out with the cake.
     No big deal, right? I guess not. . .
     Her mom called back an hour or 2 later absolutely furious. Her daughter had told me the cake looked fine, but her mother thought differently. She demanded I reimburse her for the cake or give her another one free. . . I wasn't what to do at this point, because if she thought my cake was "absolutely awful" the first time, she'd think so the second. We didn't have anymore cakes she wanted, and she insisted she needed the cake right now. So I was going to plan on paying her for the cake. . .
     I spent the last hour and a half of work completely panicked for her daughter's return.  . .


She never showed up.


     I normally would've handled that stressful of a situation well, but for some reason this one mistake broke me. I hid in the back of the bakery for a while trying to regain my senses and calm my heart rate down. By the time I was closing the bakery and the daughter hadn't returned, I tried to walk out super quick so I wouldn't run into her. I made it to my car safely  and I drove away with a major load off my shoulders. The lady had bluffed and caused a whole lot of chaos in the bakery.
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     As I write to you all about this, of course a comparison to the Bible comes to mind.
     I made a mistake at work, and when I discovered what I had done all I could do was hide and feel ashamed.
     Sound like some famous married couple in the Bible? Our great great great great great great great.......... grandparents who ate that silly fruit from that silly tree and were ashamed so they hid from God. . .
     Granted, I wasn't hiding from God, nor do I do anything wrong, but I was still embarrassed and upset for what the lady had told me about what I'd done. I hid for a while, hoping I wouldn't have to face her or her daughter.
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     I'm so glad this isn't what we have to do with God. I can mess up again and again, (either knowing I sinned or not knowing) and He will forgive me every time. I don't need to be ashamed by my mistakes, and I don't need to hide from God when I blow it. He loves me anyways.
     When I fail Him, He is faithful and comforts me in my weakness. Even when I mess up more than ever before, I can't even hide from Him. I was very comforted to know that, even though I'll mess up waaaaay more than just one time (like tonight) I never need to hide, run, or worry about God not loving me anymore. When I'm the most broken God wants to love me the most.

"But you love me anyway, it's like nothing in life that I've ever known."
-"You Love Me Anyway" Sidewalk Prophets

Sarah

A Story Of Encouragement

Hey all!

     I hope you've been having a good week! I've had so much homework lately that I haven't had much downtime. As stressed and busy as I've been, something exciting happened at work the other day.
     While I was attending the IF Conference a few weekends ago they challenged us to write down the name of someone we were going to mentor. I'd written a name down, and I'd been inviting her back to church etc. but I wasn't getting any sort of response. Then this new girl showed up to work and I was the only one allowed to train her (I was already super excited that I was requested.)
     As I got to know this girl better I learned she was a very open person, and not in a bad way. She ended up asking me what church I go to, after I mentioned I had to leave early for my Bible Study. When she asked me what my past times were part of my answer was playing music at church and in general. We talked a little bit about her history of attending church, and she said she didn't go regularly because her dad was normally busy or didn't want to go.
     I'd been praying for an opportunity to invest in someone, and God began to tug on my heart during this ordinary work shift with the new girl.
     I ended up telling this girl that if she ever wanted to come to church with me I'd love to have her come with me! She looked at me and was actually excited and said "I'd love that!" I got this burst of happiness and told her that I could pick her up Sunday morning, and if she wanted to she could even stay for Sunday School and I'd introduce her to my youth pastor if she wanted to start coming to youth group! She was really happy about this and actually reminded me herself before I left to text her later with the details for picking her up etc.
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     I'd been working hard to make things work with this other friend of mine, and I was getting discouraged that she wasn't coming to church again. Even though God calls us to be a witness to everyone, He doesn't call us to bring everyone back to Him. We are to shine His light, and show His love.
     I was getting so caught up in needing to be the one who helped this one friend return to the church, that I almost missed this opportunity to help a new friend find God for the FIRST time. I'm excited for Sunday, and I'm excited to bring my new friend to church with me.
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     One of the things we learned at the IF Conference was that after we surrender obedience to God He gives us the courage. Once I was obedient to God telling me to step out in faith He gave me the courage to go through with it and invite this new girl to church with me.
     While I'm a little nervous about how it will go, I'm confident that God is in control of this situation.
     I'd appreciate prayers for this young girl that the Holy Spirit would speak to her during the message and the worship. I'll be praying that I'm able to show her with a real friendship can be like; she hasn't had the best experiences since she moved here a year ago.
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     After this whole deal I've got more confidence to reach out to others about my faith.
     The other day I was sitting outside of my class, waiting for the professor to open the door, and some guy next to me asked me about my purity ring, believing I was married. First, I had an inner chuckle to the fact I looked old enough to be married. Ha! Second, no one has ever said anything about it before so that was unexpected!
     When I told him it was a purity ring he thought I said promise ring. When I corrected him he had no idea what that was. So I told him that my purity ring was a personal symbol for myself that I wouldn't be crossing certain lines before I got married. He wasn't quite sure how to respond, and the situation was a little awkward.
     Meeting this new girl at work changed my entire perspective on things. When I was trying really hard to change someone, nothing happened. When I gave everything to God, everything worked out. Who knew?
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     I hope this story encourages you to continue to live out your faith. Don't try so hard to change someone's life- try hard to live your life the way Jesus would've lived. I can assure you, someone will notice you're different. This girl did :)

"The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper."
-Proverbs 19:8

Sarah

My Sister Bought Me A Dozen Roses

Hey all! Welcome back to my blog.

     With Valentine's Day fast approaching I've been praying for strength and contentment in this season of singleness. Being single can already be a tough place to be, and this holiday doesn't help with that difficulty. Valentine's Day doesn't need to be a bad day for those of us who are single. God has someone so special picked out for us that we probably couldn't even handle it right now. Just wait- He'll show up at the perfect time when we're ready. In the mean time, remember the One who loves you more than anyone else ever will!
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     One of my guy friends says he doesn't like Valentine's Day because you should be loving others every day of the year, not just on February 14. Some of my other friends could care less. One of my girl friend's doesn't even understand why this is a holiday.
     Then there's me.
     I love Valentine's Day. I love how there is a day devoted to showing love and affection, gift giving (if you so choose) and spending time with the people who make you happiest.
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     This holiday brings up some painful memories for me. It was a year ago tomorrow when most of my pain began. It was a year ago that my best friend pointed out my depression to me. It was a year ago that I was trying so hard to be joyful, but the smile was so fake I could barely stop crying. That was the day my best friend told me we needed to take some space from each other. It was painful, but was it a good idea? Most definitely.
     One of the things I am most thankful for this year is friends who stood by me in everything, and a God who has shown me how He shaped me through all the twists and turns of 2016.
     I may not have a boyfriend this year, but I have a God who loves me infinitely more than any man could.
     I spent some time thinking this morning about how far I've come in a year. Last year was absolutely crazy, guys, but it was necessary for my spiritual walk. I'm trying not to overthink about tomorrow, and I'm trying to focus on what I do have versus what I don't. Remembering that waiting for the right guy is better than settling for the wrong guy is tough- But it is so important.
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     My little sister and I wanted to do something cute for Valentine's Day, so we decided rather than being sad we wouldn't be receiving any flowers from boys this year, we'd give each other a bouquet of flowers instead!
     She just got home a little while ago with a dozen roses, all arranged nicely in a glass vase that she filled up herself once she got back. They're some of the prettiest roses I've ever gotten. They smell even better!! I can't wait to go to town and buy her her own bouquet of flowers once I get off work.
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     This was something different we wanted to do to remind ourself that the only love out there isn't from boys. I need to remember to love my sister just as much as I'd love having someone special to spend Valentine's Day with. My sister drives me absolutely crazy, and there's some days we do actually pull each other's hair and scream. . . But then there's the days we cry over something cute we saw, laugh so hard we can barely get up, and hug so hard we can't let go. She's my goofball of a sister who I can count on when life gets the better of me.
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     While my Valentine's Day may be spent differently than normal, and I'll be seeing multiple pictures of the gifts everyone else received. . . I'll be smiling at my own dozen roses than my little sister bought for me thinking "I bet no one else got roses from their sister. Ha!"
     My day won't be a usual one, but we'll be making it special in our own way. I'll post a picture of both of us with our flowers tomorrow morning, but until then I'll be thankful for what I do have versus what I don't.
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     For those of you who are single, take the time tomorrow to embrace the freedom you have right now. Don't be sad you're single, be happy for those who have found God's match for them! Remember, good things come to those who wait. Tomorrow will be kind of tough for me too, but I'd rather spend Valentine's Day happy to be where I am than stressed about being with the wrong person. Don't allow your situation to define how you feel. If you want tomorrow to be a joy-filled, special day than for goodness sakes- make tomorrow a joy-filled, special day! You're in charge of your happiness. . .
     I pray that we don't degrade ourselves tomorrow, but that we embrace who we are. A wise friend once told me, (and I have a shirt that agrees) happiest girls are the prettiest. We don't need a boyfriend for us to experience true joy; that kind of joy only comes from the Father. Let your smile be so genuine and true tomorrow that people think "wow, something is different about her." Use this place you're in right now to shine your light and be a witness to those around you hurting.
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     Have a great Valentine's Day, everyone! Enjoy the sunshine and treat yourself to something you love!

"Above all else, guard you heart, for everything you do flows from it."
-Proverbs 4:23

Sarah

Relishing In His Truth- Branching Out

Hey all! Welcome back to my blog.

     This afternoon I've been thinking back on what I learned at the EFCA Challenge Conference in Louisville, Kentucky this past summer.

     I found all the sermons and promo videos on the EFCA youtube channel. I'd been wanting to listen to sermons in my free time, and there's no better content to soak up than that of Reid Kapple's first sermon at Challenge. So that's the first sermon I listened to today. These sermons are not the usual 25-30 minute sermons I'm used to from my church. These speakers were going at it for 45-60 minutes, so it does take a bit more commitment to listen to an entire sermon.

     Why do I listen to sermons that I've already heard before? Because of what they did to me the first time.

     I absolutely love listening to people who are full of the Spirit and on fire for God get up and speak about it. The goosebumps are real, friends.

     Some of the things I just had to write down and put on the back of my desk were:

• "If we reject the truth of God we will either find ourselves living as gods of our own world or machines in a godless world."
• "Knowing the WHO shapes the WHAT and answers the WHY."
• "Who we are and why we're here is rooted in who God is and what He's done."
• "We were never intended to be who we were created to live for.

     It was the best 45 minutes of my day. I can't wait to watch another sermon later this week. I plan to watch the sermons of the next conference on youtube (since I'm too old to attend again.) I've learned how to work the system hehe

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     This past weekend I was able to attend a local IF: Gathering conference. For those of you who don't know what this is, IF is a women's conference live in Dallas, Texas. It is live streamed all across the world. Some watch it in their pajamas at home, and others (such as myself) gather together at a local church to watch it in a group setting with beautiful tables and lots of yummy treats.

     It was a new environment for me: adult women, no close friends, and I took myself. This was my first conference I went to that was for young women and not high schoolers, and it was the first conference I ever went to by myself. Granted I did get to drive and sit with other ladies from my church, but still.

      I just counted the page in my notebook from the "swag bag" they gave us and, granted these are smaller notebooks, (5" by 7"-- Yes, I checked. . .) I took 22 pages worth of notes! I filled that puppy up with truth and knowledge. It was a test of my sitting still skills (something my quirky and fidgety self has always struggled with,) when I had to sit in a chair from 6-9:30 at night on Friday, and then from 9am-5:15pm the next day. They fed us lunches, so that made it all better. But my gosh! It was SO GOOD! The live stream portion was different and something I didn't quite care for, especially when the worship band would come on. It just wasn't the same.

      I've got my notebook here beside me and I wanted to give some (probably hundreds) of bullet points that stood out to me. This was a women's conference, but most of the truths apply to men and women alike.

• A group of women praying on the living room floor can change the world.
• Discipleship is doing life with others.
• Don't just pray for others, pray for them specifically by name and pour out your heart-- (Small story with this one: I felt God tugging on my heart to call up a friend of mine who moved up to college this fall and invite her back to church. I'd felt this tug since the Wednesday before at my Bible class. This friend of mine turned away from God and the church after she graduated, and I kept wanting to do something, but I'd given up. During this session I couldn't get that little voice in my head to go away, so I wrote down to call this friend on the way home. . . And I did. She had said she'd come back for church on weekends before she left- she came back once, ended up dating a not-so-great guy at campus, and we haven't sen her since. When I called I was sent to voicemail- as I expected- and I left her a voicemail telling her I missed her, loved her, and that I hoped she'd found a good church to go to. I then proceeded to bring up how she said she'd be coming back to our church and how I hoped I'd see her the next day. I had invited my friend to church, and the next morning she did not show up. She also never returned my call, not even with a text. Let me tell ya: obeying God is not always easy, but once I told myself I'd call her it didn't seem so scary. That brings me to my next bullet point. . .)
• Courage comes after our obedience to God.
• Intimacy with God > Ministry for God
• We do what we do, not because we love God, but because He loved us.
• The things I learn today are the things I'll need tomorrow.
• I'm only free to receive the desires of my heart when my desires become God's desires.
• My job is obedience to God- His job is everything else.
• Our everyday habits can be our everyday idolatries.
• Discipleship is what God wants versus what we want.
• Dare to live broken (Don't hide when you're struggling- You could be an incredible encouragement to someone else by showing that it takes courage to be publicly broken.)
• Jesus is the only one who will ever love us to death.
• God can work with anybody, all He wants is a heart of availability.
• Invest in the Word, not for if we fall, but when.
• The young sheep don't know the shepherd's voice yet, but I know His voice. Help the young sheep learn to hear His voice (I'll be writing a blog post on this topic specifically, so keep your eyes out!)
• We are only here for a short while. Don't sit on the bench; get in the game!
• Pour out to God, and He'll pour out to you to pour out into others.
• What if we walked up to the impossible just because God is there?
• When did we receive our calling to ministry? When we got saved. . . (Just let that soak in- Everyone is called to be a missionary of some kind!!!)
• They'll know how much you love God by how you pray.
• It's not about the numbers we receive with our blogs or Bible studies; It's about the 1 (God.)
• Revelation 7:12- (On the live stream there were some speakers who were multilingual, and we all read this verse together out loud. . . It was as if we were in Heaven sining together in everyone's natural tongue. It was so incredible.
• It doesn't matter if you have a doctorate degree, experience, or comfort. . . We are all called to go and make disciples.
• Pray about who God wants you to invest in.
• People need access to our lives so we can truly invest in their lives- be real and open with people.
• You lose your joy because you focus on the mission rather than following Jesus.
• Do small things well.
• You don't have to start a blog or run a huge organization, just love Jesus 100%.
• Coffee dates. Conversation. Hugs. They can change the world. (Community and investing are key.)

What Does Access Look Like?

1. Space and time
2. Stories of experience
3. Being real and vulnerable
4. Revealing your less than perfect self

Be A Disciple:

1. Learner of ways
2. Someone who has done it and is doing it
3. Intentional about community
4. Living their life on mission

Reasons our method of witnessing broke:

1. We have traded being with God for doing things for Him.
2. We're trying to go big when Jesus called us to go small.
3. We blog about sin rather than repenting from it. (I related well to that one.)
4. We love the organization or blog more than the people.

First Things To Be Put First:

1. Daily walking with Jesus
2. Loving people (What it costs us? Discipline.)
3. Jesus becomes our first love while we're on the living room floor praying
4. Turn off the noise.
5. God moves through those who know they're not qualified.
6. Be known for following God more than the TV, being on closet floors more than social media, for doing small things well. . .

     I know all of that was so much, and some of it without its context may have been kind of difficult to follow completely, but that's only a fraction of what I scribbled down in my new notebook! God moved in the lives of dozens of women this past weekend and I was super excited to be a part of it too!

      Tonight I attended a women's event at my church called Influence. The talk was about friendship, and let me tell you, it was needed. I need healthy friendships with other young women. This night gave me some amazing reminders of the friend I should be versus what type of friend to look for only.

     The focus was mainly on the verse Proverbs 27:17

Iron Sharpens Iron

I knew about this verse beforehand, but I had never studied that intensely before. It was good stuff, my friends!!!

     The month of March holds some good opportunities for me, as well. I'm jumping in on the first night of a middle school/high school youth conference with one of my best friends for the messages and music. Then the following day I'm signed up for a women's retreat at my church. From 9am-4pm I will be actively engaging with Jesus while relaxing, snacking, and visiting with my other sisters in Christ. Might I add I'll be the youngest one at this event, too. Oh well. Growing individually takes some discomfort, right? It'll be good for me.

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     I'd love your prayers for my life as I branch out on my own and continue to personalize my faith!!! I'm excited to see all these opportunities arising, and after I'd prayed that God would give me moe chances like this.

     I'd also love you to continue to pray for my friend who left for college and has been ignoring the church. I'm hoping to remember to keep calling her every weekend until God tells me to stop. . . This could be difficult as I know she'll get mad or upset, and the people pleaser in me wants to make her happy and leave her alone if she's content. I know the Holy Spirit will continue to tug on my heart if I give up. He's done it before, and He'll keep doing it too.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."

-Proverbs 27:17 NIV

Sarah

I'm Not Even Sure I'll Post This

Hey guys! Welcome back to my little world.

     I just got home from work, and I'm not really sure what to do with myself tonight, so I decided to pull out my laptop and write away. Who knows if I'll even post this- I just wanted to get my thoughts out somewhere.

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     First, I have some pictures from Winter Jam to share! As I said in my second to last post, I was determined to get a selfie with Sadie Robertson. While my little sister and her friend actually had the chance to stand in line and take a proper selfie with Sadie... This was mine. Genuine, I know.

     She may not have even realized I took a picture with her, but that's not what matters. My friend and I did the same with Colton Dixon, except we were closer and it turned out better.

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     One reason I love the Winter Jam concert so much is because of my passion for music.

     I've been singing since I was a little kid, and I've been performing for people and crowds since I was in elementary school. Over time the love for music began to grow as the pressure to do music everyone else's way disappeared.

     I no longer sing Christmas carols for the elderly with my grandma accompanying me on the piano at Christmas time. I no longer have to sing classical songs with my homeschool choir. I no longer have to put on little "shows" for my family when we have get-togethers at my house. And I no longer have to play music with people I thought were good friends, just to have someone to play along with. . .

     Now I can have worship sessions in my room alone, in my car driving, and wherever I go with my headphones. When I perform I am not trying to seek acceptance or fame/popularity. I want to share my love of music and lead people to a place of pure worship and awe at God's grace and love.

     People don't "force" me to play anymore, or beg me to sing a tune for them when I try to hide with my music. Maybe that's because they know that 1) it's really not going to happen, and 2) my music is 100 times better when it's something I am doing because I want to, not something that I've been asked to do. I'm not sure why I'm that way- most people may feel more comfortable when they know people love to hear them sing, or when someone asks them to sing a song for them. I'm the opposite. I'd rather ask to play or sing and have someone excitedly accept.

     Once I was able to quit piano lessons after 7+ years of lessons with my grandma, I took off on guitar faster than I dreamed. One of my best friends taught me 4 guitar chords, and the next time they saw me I was playing the strumming pattern to Newsboy's "Like A Lion". I began to play guitar all the time, and soon after (approx. 3 years ago) I bought my first guitar, a beautiful Taylor. During this time I'd started my first youtube channel, and I continued to grow in my love of music. I even wrote some original songs.

     That same friend and I ended up recording one of my songs and it played on the radio twice. We're a little overdue for a new song haha

     That experience was awesome. Not long after that we actually ended up performing it at an Original Works Night at a church where we live. Performing brings me joy. I love it so much. I'm not nervous, and in no snobbish way at all, I love to hear what I sound like over the speakers. I get so excited over a good mix of sound.

     My absolute favorite thing about performing? When I'm able to lead a session of worship and the audience is visibly being moved by the Holy Spirit.

     4 guitars, a cajon, and a keyboard later, I'm taking baby steps of living out my dream of making music and sharing it with the world. When I was in my early years of high school I'd argue with my mom about college, because I just wanted to become an artist and tour the world. I kid you not- I thought it was realistic to not go to college and suddenly be a famous singer.

      Nope.

     But now I'd be more than happy just leading worship at local churches and watching the Spirit move in their lives.

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     That brings me back to my love for Winter Jam. I know it sounds crazy, and a little unrealistic, but I've wanted to perform live for the Winter Jam Tour since the first time I went 5 years ago. I can't shut the dream off. It's like it's a part of me.

     When I'm at these concerts I get this feeling inside that's unlike any other: pure passion.

     Passion Conference. That's another journey I'd love to be a part of, but let's save that for another time.

     I have a passion to reach people and watch them be touched by the Holy Spirit through song. It was during a time of worship I recommitted my life to Christ last summer. It's during times of worship when I feel at peace and in awe of God. It's during personal worship evenings I have with myself that I can be brought to tears by Jesus' love.

     I keep seeing pictures with captions like:

• Use the gifts God gives you
• Don't hide the talents God grants you- share them
• God gave you talents so you could share them with others

     I don't think these pictures decided to randomly start appearing over the past few weeks. As I think about sitting down on an empty afternoon, praying for guidance, and allowing Christ to speak through my lyrics, I always seem to run into photos or posts like that. Coincidence? I think not.

     God's guidance is awe-striking to me. Sometimes things are so crystal clear, and other times I have a hard time telling the difference between the Spirit moving in me or being overly hungry (which is uncommon for me- I'm almost always eating something. . .)

     I keep telling people that I will perform live at Winter Jam someday because there is nothing telling me not to chase that dream. What are the point of passions if we aren't going to do anything with them? God gives us passions for a reason- use them for His glory!

"Give me one pure and holy passion. Give me one magnificent obsession. Give me one glorious ambition for my life: to know and follow hard after You."

-One Pure and Holy Passion

https://youtu.be/I17edLkBDCo

Sarah

Well, He Did It Again!

Welcome back to my blog!
     
     I have an awesome God story to share with you all this evening, hence the title of this post!
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     Over the weekend I discovered a really neat page on Pinterest. Its called "Her Binder Project". They have the coolest devotional pages to download for free and print off to store in a cute 3 ring binder. I've been wanting a super cute devotional that different from all the rest, and this is absolutely perfect! I downloaded the free 1 week set, and I can keep printing them off if I want more.
     I won't go too much into detail with these devotional pages, but just incase you're curious, they are different for each day, and the ones I've seen will have blocks to fill in, places to write goals for the week, scripture to meditate on, and each page is absolutely beautiful! It makes me so excited to get up and start my day! Knowing I'm going to need at least 15 extra minutes to be able to slow down and focus on this in the morning wasn't too upsetting with me, because I was so excited to begin. I already enjoy waking up at least an hour 1/2 to 2 hours before I need to leave or do anything, because then I have time to wake up, eat a good breakfast, (-one of my goals for 2017- stay tuned for an upcoming post with my goals for 2017, and how I plan to accomplish them) take time to get ready and invest in myself, and spend time in my devotions.
     I've mentioned before my devotional I do before bed, (my nice and quick "Prayers For A Teenager" or something like that-- Well, I like being able to end my day with a little taste of God, but I also wanted something more my style and easy to enjoy for my morning devotions. . . That's when I discovered "Her Binder Project." and I absolutely love their material!! I found an adorable purple binder to put my pages in, and let me tell you, I've never been so excited to wake up and make sure I had enough time to work on my devotions as I was this morning. That's such a refreshing feeling!
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     You may be wondering how the story of my cute devotional discovery is a God story. Allow me to explain:
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     In the past I've absolutely dreaded going to bed, because I suffered from insomnia and never knew when I'd be able to finally close the door on the day. Because of my loss of sleep I'd often be tired and grouchy in the morning. Over the past few months I've found falling asleep a bit easier, and getting up is usually refreshing, because I'm always ready to tackle another day. However, I'm not always excited to do devotions, especially in the morning. That would be why I've been doing my simple prayer devotionals at night right before shutting my lamp off and turning over to sleep.
     I found these devotionals on Thursday evening, and I wanted to wait until the first day of the week (according to the layout in the devotional pages) to begin my journey of devotions through this group. It was so hard not to cheat and begin right away!!!
     I found myself thinking: "I sure wish all Christians were waking up in the morning that excited to serve Christ, spend time with Him, and learn more about Him through prayer and a personal time of devotions."
     I really do wish that- So I got to thinking about ways I could make my mornings better and more focused on Christ. I know 100% that God will refuel me whenever I pour out into Him. One of these ways to "better my mornings" was through finding a devotional I'd be excited to wake up and spend time on.
     As I was getting ready this morning I sped through everything to ensure I had time to truly enjoy my time with God. As I was going through my first page there was a portion that read: "what is a quality of God you are going to focus on today?" I wrote down how I wanted to focus more on God's faithfulness. The next portion asked about a scripture verse to meditate on throughout the day. The "Verse of the Day" on my phone was Psalm 121:1-8. I wrote down the first 2 verses. "I lift up my eyes to the mountains-- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth" This is part of the monologue in one of For King and Country's songs.
     As I got to church this morning, one of the song we sang was Great is Thy Faithfulness, and as we sang that song I tried to think about the words-- God knew I'd write down to dwell on His faithfulness, and He planned the worship team to play that song! Throughout the rest of worship, we sang the songs Oceans and Great Are You, Lord. . . Let me tell you- I haven't worshipped like that in months. It was so refreshing to be able to pour out to God in that way.

     That's only part 1 of the God story. . .

     As church ended and I made my way to Sunday School, I sat down and watched a video from the series "gods at war" by Kyle Idleman.
     As I watched this specific episode on the god of power, I began to think about my own life. The man talking in this episode talked about how he needed to be knocked down from his mountain to be able to truly find God and true success. I thought about my own life and how far I came crashing down before I was able to find God on a whole new level.
     God's faithfulness, guys. . . He was guiding my through every session of counseling, every difficult decision I made this past year to better my life, and the strength He gave me to overcome/begin things that needed to happen. He is faithful!
     As I continued to dwell on this past year I was reminded once again how God used every tear that fell from my eyes to change me into the warrior He created me to be.
     Warrior. A word I've used to describe me, personally, over the past few months. "A warrior is that woman who gets up, despite the enemy trying to destroy her. A woman who declares victory before seeing it. A woman who believes she will receive her miracle because she knows the Lord she serves is alive and by her side."
     I got so excited driving away after church, just thinking about God. No one was in the vehicle with me, but I was actually laughing and cheering at how great God was. I asked Him this morning to reveal His faithfulness to me. . . and He came through in greater ways than I could have imagined.
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     Oh snap, guys! He did it again!!! I'm listening to Britt Nicole's new Deluxe Album, and the song "After You" just started playing, and I've got all the feels right now. I've included the link to the song on youtube because this song describes my situation. It's exactly what I needed to hear right now. I can't tell you enough how great God has been to me. I can't believe how amazing today was.

https://youtu.be/6Bk-MAbEiSU

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     To think all of this happened as a result of seeking Jesus first thing in the morning and actively seeking Him throughout the day. Like I've said before: We can't ask God to do great things in our life if we don't change anything about our attitude or location. If I'd written down what I did in my devotional and then just slummed throughout the day rather than looking for God in my life, I would've missed the miracle of discovery.
     God is so good. I encourage you to find a devotional, or some form of Bible study that gives you this feeling of excitement or anticipation in the morning. I love being able to go throughout my day knowing I started on a good note and didn't let anything else steal the time that I spent praising Jesus. . .
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     The last part of my God story from today is this:
     
     I've been stressing out financially, to the point where I feel nervous buying even the smallest items. Thing's add up, friends.
     First, my car totally went out of commission 2 weeks ago, and God placed my Grandma to live with us for a few months at the exact right time. She has 2 vehicles, and I've been able to use her vehicles on and off when I do all my hectic driving. (I named her tiny little red truck "Lil' Red". He's a sexy little beast who gets stuck even on the tiniest hill. His tiny chevy engine is so cute- like a kitten. I'm hopefully getting my car back this week, and it'll be brand new. Silly heat gasket has a mind of its own.
     Second, I was handed a check this evening and I was paid more than I normally would be. I was not expecting that.
     Third, I was given a raise at HyVee a few weeks ago. DEFINITELY not expecting that. And yesterday afternoon one of the bakers told me I would be training a new closing employee in the next few weeks, and she proceeded to tell me I was the best worker they have currently in the bakery and that's why she requested me to train this new employee. She REQUESTED ME!!! I'm not saying this to be cocky or arrogant, but I'd been feeling very down about work and worrying about how I was doing the past little while. That was so cool to hear!
      Finally, I was given a "Thank You" card from a family at our church tonight as well for something a few weeks ago. They sent me a letter tonight with money in it, and I wasn't expecting that either! I just looked at the money and the card and I smiled saying out loud "thank you, God."
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     I can't pay for all of college with the gifts I received tonight, but right now the stress from wondering how I'm going to make ends meet has gone down. Vet bills, unexpected car bills, school tuition, and gas bills can be a weight on my shoulders I don't like to face. But God came through once again. Shame on me for losing total faith in God that He would supply just what I needed when it was more needed.
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     I've got some great posts coming up in the next few weeks, so check back frequently! Also keep an eye on my youtube channel! I'm hoping to start uploading some vlogs I create on my commute to school with different topics, some new covers coming your way, and hopefully some better quality video, too!
     Also, I've never shared my blog specifically to any site or anything. It is public, but recently I've felt God tugging on my heart to take this blog to the next level with sharing what He's doing in my life. If any of you feel led to share a specific post somewhere, you can totally do that!

     ~ What happens on the mountain with God CANNOT stay on the mountain ~

     God wouldn't have me writing all my thoughts and experiences on this blog if He didn't want me to share it with others. . . This is a major fear I have, to open up to certain people and totally share my heart, but God is faithful in guiding me an giving me the strength to take this next step with Him beside me!

"Even when we're in too deep, we're solid like concrete. The heart break is over tonight."

-Concrete by Britt Nicole

Sarah

Snow Days In College?

Hey all! Welcome back to my blog!

     This morning I'm sitting at my kitchen counter working on school and my phone dings, so naturally I check to see what human wants to communicate with me. It was one of the girls from my speech class, and the fact she messaged me made me uber happy, because I think she's great. She informed me that our 2 hour speech class was cancelled due to the snow, and she was rather happy about it. I can't say I wasn't somewhat hoping they'd cancel class today. It's snowing outside, and I commute 28 minutes to school. . . As for my Bible class tonight? Who knows about that one, but for now I'm just enjoying my afternoon at home with my puppy and my homework.
     I'm not sure what it is about homework, but when I know what I'm doing I actually enjoy being able to sit down and accomplish my list of things to do. It's relaxing to me. I'm not the type of person who likes to wait until the last minute. I'd rather work ahead and be able to take my time and have short breaks every 45 minutes or so to rest my eyes and brain, especially with papers.
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     The other day I was at work and I had this absolutely amazing thought come to mind. Of course I forgot it by the time I got off work. Don't you hate that? Then I had another one come to mind later that evening when I got home, but I was in the shower and couldn't write it down. Gahh! How frustrating.
     But of course I had yet another thought come to mind while I was stressing to remember my 2 great thoughts that I had the day before. . .
     Why is it that we always think we'll have more time to accomplish tasks later? Or we'll remember the amazing God-sightings we see around us without telling anyone?
     While I was at work I tried hard to repeat my thought in my head so I'd remember it. I thought about running to the back to write it on my phone, but figured that I'd remember it no matter what because it was such a great thought. . . I could've even written it down quick on a piece of scratch paper and stuck it in my pocket! When I got home and went to go blog about my thought, I remembered how amazing the thought was and what a superb post I would've written with it, but I didn't remember the content itself.
     When I had my second thought I was about to reach for my phone and write it down, but then I got distracted as I went to retrieve it. I was so excited to have another post to blog about, but yet I let something get in my way of accomplishing the task at hand; writing it down so I would remember it.
     Then we have this new thought of mine I'm actually able to blog about: As soon as I had the thought I sat down and began to type right away, because the blog post was important to me. I didn't want to keep letting these great thoughts pass me by. I want to be able to look back and remember them in a few weeks or even months.
     Our spiritual lives should be the same way. When God does something amazing in our lives we should be anxious to tell others about His goodness and love! When He answers prayer in an astonishing way we shouldn't keep that to ourselves! Satan wants to distracts us and keep us from sharing God's goodness with others. Don't let him.
     We might think something so amazing is impossible to forget, but as soon as another rollercoaster of emotions, chaos, and hectic schedules arise, we'll forget where we once were on our spiritual walk.
     One thing I am so thankful for is the past Facebook and Instagram posts I have written, the journal I kept while I went through my break-up and dealt with the worst of my depression, and the scriptures I underlined throughout the process. Without all these things I wouldn't be able to stand in amazement at God's greatness, because I wouldn't be able to recall it as well . . Granted I'm not saying I want to remember all the pain and tears I shed, but I do love to see where God has brought me since then. . .
     Reading my journal can cause tears to arise, almost every time, but then I look at the last time I journaled in it. . . It's been at least 6 months since I last wrote of the pain. What does that tell you? It's a reminder of how long God has continued to bless me on this journey. I know He's never stopped blessing me in life, but I'm referring to a different kind of blessing. A blessing of joy that I have never experienced before. A blessing of growth that I've been feeling. A blessing of the testimony I used to complain I never had.
     Next time something amazing happens to you, make sure you write it down, post about it, or tell a friend, because you never know who might need to hear of God's faithfulness at that moment. And you never know when you'll come across it again. You might just find it a year from then and be able to see how far God has brought you. Give it a try and see what happens.

"He remembered us in our low estate; His love endures forever."
-Psalm 136:23

Sarah