This Little {Life} of Mine

In the last week

2012-02-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

In the last week, I have done three things.

But now, the midterms are done and life can go back to it's semi-normal craziness.

Excuse me while I go take a nap.

Bucket List #2 - Learn to shoot a gun

2012-02-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

So feminine, eh?

But this girl grew up watching country western's with her daddy, and somewhere along the way, got the itch to sling a gun like the rest of the boys.

Screen shot from 1953's "Shane".

All for now...

Remembering January 2012

2012-02-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

I mentioned in Friday’s post that January was quite the month. If I were a betting girl, which I am NOT, I might say it has a fighting chance at the “busiest month of life” position.

Sometimes it feels like January flew by, and other times it seems that the days crawled. Whatever the speed of time, it was definitely full.

I want to remember the ‘big’ things that happened, so I’m going to start with getting back to the Island after a short Christmas spent with my family.......

love was in the air...

New Years-ish: Love was in the air. While I was away for five short days, three of my best girl friends ‘paired off’ with three pretty great guys. So sweet how God worked it out so they could experience the beginnings of a relationship all at the same time!

Jan 2: Road trip! Four girls (three love struck) in a tiny little Honda Civic hauled ourselves over the Bridge to shop the day away in Moncton. So much fun! Not sure what was more fun -- shopping, or showing our ‘prizes’ to each other at the end of the day!

Jan 3: Back to work...year-end, catch up from being away...made for a very full week. By the end of Friday, I crawled into bed and slept until the weekend was half over.

Jan 5: Started University! Finite Mathematics didn’t seem hard until I realized we had to learn probability. Death. Gloom. Necessitating coffee more than ever. {I’ll live.}

Jan 9: Sped left for college. May better come soon because it's weird without him.

Jan 11: One last opportunity to party with the Dutchies. We had a ‘cry party’ before watching the boys play soccer, then let them in on the fun after the game. I’ll never forget how much chocolate was consumed that night, or how many tissues. Singing our favourite songs and praying for each other -- the definite highlight of the night.

Jan 12: Worst day of life. {Ok, maybe that’s a little dramatic.} The Dutchies got on an airplane and flew back to the Motherland. We waited in line with them all the way to security. There were tears a-plenty. But in the end, we practiced our motto, “smile & wave.”

Jan 17: Tias’ birthday. That was a great night. It was also a late night, which resulted in Sarah living in ‘la-la’ land for the rest of the week.

Jan 18: Host Ladies Bible Study at the Castle. I didn’t make it to the last two, and realized how much I’ve missed the interaction with the other ladies in my church!

Jan 19: Visit Hemke & Betty, otherwise known as Hetty & Bemke. I am so grateful for this couple. They are wise & godly & have earned their gray hair! :)

Jan 20: Lammert’s birthday. Back to the farm for dinner & family over. Another great, late night, resulting in Sarah living in “la-la’ land for the next several days.

Jan 26: Work. The Accounting file goes off to the Software company to be fixed. This means an Accounting freeze until they return the file.....in 5-7 business days, not including weekends or the day the file was submitted. Blah!! Bad timing or WHAT! At least this meant I could catch up on a month’s worth of filing, shredding, and other admin tasks!

----

Okay, did you make it to the end of that list? I’m exhausted just thinking about all that activity, and that’s not even it! Just the important stuff!

Life carries on....we’re already 6 days into February! While most of my time is not free, I am grateful for the blessings of work, school, church life & friends to keep me busy. I’m like my daddy in that way...can’t sit still & just get frustrated when I have to! :) In all of the craziness, God has taught me:

Trust in the Lord. Commit your way to Him. Find your rest in Him.

That’s what I really want to remember about January. So, what do you want to really remember about January?

High Five for Friday

2012-02-03T11:30:00.000-04:00

I've been following it for quite some time, and now finally, I've decided to join in on the fun!

Lauren, our lovely hostess says: "High Five for Friday is a weekly post about your five favorite things recently. it's a chance to stop and reflect on the things that you've enjoyed over the past week, which is something we should all do."

Here's my five favourite things about this week:

#1.....finding out I remember more from high school math than I thought.

#2.....watching Globe Dutch pull through with another win-by-a-long-shot, even if they usually play better.

#3.....after a crazy month of non-stop action and roller coaster emotions I was due for a whopper of a cold sore (I have a love/hate relationship with knowing the consequences of the schedule I keep). Hence, adding Abreva to my High Five list.

#4.....One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. It keeps distracting me from the things on my to-do list, but I'm okay with that. Being so blessed, pulled, taught through this book.

#5.....It snowed, alot, finally. It's actually winter now, and the groundhogs are already saying Spring is coming!

I grabbed this photo from @djnickbike.
UPEI campus during the "storm"

All for now...

Shopping Hiatus

2012-02-02T10:30:00.000-04:00

Way back when, on January 12, the Blah Blah Blagher posted about her decision to go on a shopping hiatus. You can read her story {here}.

Really got me thinking.

Hey, my closet is full. Didn’t I just buy a 30-pack of hangers a few months ago? Then how come I am scrounging for a hanger when all of the laundry is clean? (My coat closet & roommate couldn’t have absorbed all the extra hangers!?)

Part of being single means I don’t have to justify my spending to anyone (yes I realize JJ mentioned this as well.) So, it can easily get out of hand when there are “free shipping” or “40% off clearance!” sales delivered to my inbox. Or, when I have nothing better to do on a Saturday so I decide to go to the mall.

Dear inbox: I’m using the “unsubscribe” button.
Dear Charlottetown Mall: we won’t be seeing each other for a while.

No more shopping for this girl til at least the end of the quarter. I want to say until the cold weather is gone, but being an Island dweller means that’s not for another five months, give or take a few days.

I haven’t shopped since January 2nd. That’s a whole month. Yay! But I still have two full months to go to meet my goal. When I’m weak and really want to impulse buy....someone please stop me!!

My savings account will thank you.

All for now...

Today is your day!

2012-02-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

Because sometimes, we could all use this little bit of encouragement:

All for now...

{PS....thanks to @iamrachelpeters for sharing this morning on Twitter!}

Bucket List

2012-01-30T12:07:00.000-04:00

Have you seen the movie Bucket List? I haven’t. I know, I know...why am I writing about it then?

Well, the concept of having a Life “to-do” list is extremely attractive. There’s always a few things floating around in my head that I’d like to be able to scratch off that list...so why not start writing them down?

There’s something so satisfying about picking up a pen and putting a line through an item on my to-do list. Am I a crazy person? That’s okay. I’ll just add “find other crazy friends” to my to-do list.

Starting this Life “to-do” list, my very own Bucket List, got me thinking. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know if the items on MY list are also on YOUR list? And so, the following was born.

May I present...

Bucket List - on This Little {Life} of Mine

There’s no schedule for these posts. Maybe some day there will be. For now, when I think of something to add, I’ll add it! But feel free to grab the button and join up whenever I do!

Bucket List - Entry #1

Lay on a Beach in Cuba.

A good friend is heading to Cuba in a few weeks and I seriously considered hiding away in his suitcase. Except, my cousin/best friend is on her way to the Island for a visit, so I shall refrain from putting my suitcase-hiding plan into action.

This time.

All for now...

Time for a change

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

Hi!

Mind doing me a favour? Look up at the address bar in your browser. What does it say? It should say "srrraah.com" Does it? Would you mind commenting to let me know?

Blogger tells me within 24 hours of the switch, it should start re-directing traffic from mygodisfaithful.blogspot.com to srrraah.com. If you don't see the new address yet, you should soon! Like I said, re-direct. You probably don't need to update the link that brought you to this site, but it might not always bring you here. So, update your link! srrraah.com!

Also, problem.......which of course I didn't realize until much too late. All of my blog links got wiped out with the re-direct! :S PLEASE PLEASE leave me a comment with your URL if you don't see yourself on my blogroll page. Or you can send me an email: srrraah@gmail.com

In case you haven't noticed, there are a few other changes around this site. It was time for a little refresh, but I don't want to invest too much into this little blog o' mine, so I turned to my good friends Google and Picnik. Thanks, guys, once again you've proven FREE doesn't mean LAME.

(I'm going to miss Picnik when it's gone on April 19th)

All for now...

these three commands

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

{original here}

"Trust in the LORD, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Delight yourself also in the LORD,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,

And your justice as the noonday.

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him."

{Psalm 37:3-7a}

This passage has repeated continuously in my head for the past several days. The concepts of trusting, committing, and resting, while simple in theory, haven't been that easy for me to apply in my daily life.

It's hard! I want to have it my way, have it now, and dictate how it will come about. But by God's grace I am learning to slowly let go of my plans and follow His. It's a lesson that I need to learn over and over again....haven't I been in this same spot a thousand times before?

And every time, it comes down to these same three commands:

"Trust, beloved.

Follow me, beloved.

Find your rest in me, beloved."

Yes, Lord.

Amazed.

2012-01-23T19:41:00.000-04:00

I'm amazed.

Four & a half months changed everything.

We were drowning in our own lives, our own problems, and not quite sure which direction was up.
God knew what we needed was perspective, something to bring us out of our little bubbles.

So He sent two Dutchies, one blonde & one brown, both beautiful on the outside and in.

They came, they poured themselves into us and in turn we poured into them. I don't think I can stress how incredibly difficult it is for me to feel 100% comfortable & safe with someone. {Shocker? I know, I'm pretty good at keeping relationships superficial.} But these two just wouldn't accept that I had a barrier wall keeping them at a distance...they broke it down and I've been so incredibly blessed by my M&Ms!

{Just for the record, Lyddy & Rachy-Ray.....ya'll are no less amazing. God is so good to us!}

Four & a half months of spending every free moment together.

Of making dinner at the Castle...

...and eating bucket loads of bagged salad.

Of talking about important things - God things, good things, hard things,

and laughing until our sides hurt at some silly inside joke.

Of getting "good job stickers" for just about everything.

Of watching movies & eating popcorn (or chocolate chips, my blonde Dutchie!)

Of drinking Baileys & Jag because they are so yummy!

Of playing piano or guitar & singing our favourite praise songs {We ARE a Moment}

Of being the best fans that CRC hockey could have...showing up for at least the last 15 minutes of every game, of course! {I'm a much better Globe Dutch (indoor soccer) fan....}

They flew by. I thought it would be okay; I'm usually fine with people leaving (I mean, that's what people do, right, so I should be good at this by now) but it's SO HARD being apart.

It's been a week & a half, life has continued, and a lot has happened since they left on an airplane...and I have thanked God for Skype, Kik Messenger, and Facebook more times than I ever thought I would.

I'm SO thankful for these girls! We are not only close friends, we are sisters in Christ, and that is the most special bond we could ever share! THAT foundation made us instant friends & strengthened us whenever we struggled with life.

We are so freaking special, right ladies? And a kiss on the forehead and a bigbig hug for you all.

-Sar

The Small Things Blog: So what is the deal with bobby pins anyway?

2011-12-15T09:59:00.000-04:00

Hello, light bulb moment!

The Small Things Blog: So what is the deal with bobby pins anyway?: My friend Dina shared the news a few months ago that bobby pins are supposed to go in zig zag side down. It's true. I confirmed that fact...

What do a kamikaze puppy, a half-barbie, and a recorder have in common?

2011-12-06T19:00:00.000-04:00

Since it's the Sinterklaas & Christmas season, and Feije & Pete are moving back to Dordt soon, a party was definitely in order. Imagine for a minute, what sort of antics ensue when a kamikaze teddy bear, a half-barbie & a plastic recorder make an appearance......

Here's a few of my favourite shots from the party. Thanks to everyone who came out and made the night so fun!

A really full apartment!

Lydia somehow ended up with Pete's recorder...oh joy. (Trust me when I say she only knows a few songs...)

Kamikaze puppy!!

Eating! We tend to do that... :)

Klaas, being a SPED. super attractive.

Rach lookin' gorgeous!

Beautiful Martine & Marielle!

Naked barbie became modest barbie, but after an unfortunate attack, resolved herself to being headless, scandalously clad half-barbie.

Feije lovin' on Klaas.

Rach's turn to be a SPED.

It was probably a good thing we had a hockey game to go to...for the sake of the other tenants in our building!

The Season for Scarves

2011-11-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

This is the season of scarves! To celebrate, here's a video tutorial chalk-full of different ways to wear a scarf.

Enjoy!

-Sar

One Thousand Gifts App for iPhone & Android!

2011-11-22T12:41:00.001-04:00

more info {here}

While I haven't yet read Ann Voskamp's "One Thousand Gifts", the concept of gratitude-journalling (journaling?) greatly appeals to me.

Today, a 1000 Gifts photo-journaling app for iPhone & Android was released! Perfect! Now I can snap a picture on my phone, type a few words explaining why I am thankful, save, and *shazam* I've got an entry in my gratitude journal.

Click here for more information and to download the app for yourself!

--Sar

Spontaneity happens.

2011-11-18T22:49:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday was a beautiful, sunny, windy day on PEI. I was outside for all of thirty seconds when I decided that I needed to see the waves at East Point on this windy day, and within a half hour, I was on my way!

The waves at East Point are the best because two currents meet and crash at that point, and on a windy day, the waves can be massive! Here are some pictures of my spur-of-the-moment road trip.

Did I mention it was a solitary trip? Yep, me, the super-social bug, hopped in the car and spent an entire day driving around the Island by myself......and I had a GREAT time doing it! There may just be more road trips in my future... :)

Here's some of my favourite shots of the day:

looking out at East Point

East Point lighthouse

waves coming in at East Point

currents crashing against each other - there were much bigger waves but I wasn't able to capture any on camera.

a small Scottish pioneer cemetery somewhere up East. It was interesting to read the names and ages on the tombstones. One family lost two or children at once, a wee baby and a toddler. So sad!

Naufrage Harbour (so is the next shot)

When I saw the waves here, and walked along the empty beach for a bit, "How Great Thou Art" popped into my head.

"Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder

consider all the worlds Thy hands have made..."

I managed to find some real dirt roads! Felt good.

the clouds were incredible; I think made more so because of the brightly shining sun.

If you are ever on PEI, I highly suggest taking the trip up East. It's beautiful! Take your time, go on as many little back roads as you dare, because there are some pretty cool random little places to find. And no matter the weather, you will be in awe of the beauty. I've done the trip once before, in terrible, dark, gloomy, weather, and the mighty power of the elements reminded me just how frail man is, how dependent we are upon our Creator!

--Sarah

preeeetty.

2011-11-02T20:03:00.000-03:00

ScreenScape (that's where I work, btw) was recently named one of Deloitte's Top Ten Companies To Watch for 2011.

Here's the proof.....isn't it preeetty? Love the way the colours in the award match the wall/painting behind my desk.

Sometimes I share things I love.

2011-09-30T07:00:00.000-03:00

I love this! Who's with me?!

{original here}

Fashioning a replica in "me" colours...is now on my to-do list.

-Sar

My mom's cherry cheesecake

2011-09-28T19:07:00.001-03:00

There's nothing that says "happy birthday to meeeee" quite like my mom's cherry cheesecake. It has been my birthday wish since I was old enough to chew. Okay....maybe not quite that long, but long enough that all of my birthday memories have cherry cheesecake in them!

Well, there is a freshly prepared 9x13 of my mom's cherry cheesecake in my fridge right now...

...so it is officially allowed to be my birthday tomorrow.

22? Me? How'd that happen?

Have a great evening!

-Sarah

I've never been this excited for October 27th

2011-09-28T08:00:00.000-03:00

I would just like to point out that today means there is LESS THAN ONE MONTH until...

--I will spend 12 hours (both ways) in a small vehicle (somewhat similar to this)

--I will visit Quebec for the first time

--I will go shoppppppping in Montreal

--I will see MUMFORD & SONS with some reeeeally great peeps. (yo)

--Sar

A spot of tea

2011-09-27T13:03:00.001-03:00

On Saturday, Lori and I drove out to New Glasgow for breakfast at the Preserve Company. They've got this cute little restaurant overlooking the water and beautiful gardens....and they've got a whole menu of delicious tea to try. We both decided on Summer Meadow...I can't remember what was in it but oh my oh my it was delicious! :)
I love the teapot&cup combo that their tea is served in! (I don't know how to rotate the picture bc I am blogging from my phone...sorry!)

Summer's End on PEI

2011-09-23T17:30:00.000-03:00

Hello!

It’s been quite a while! My blog feels a little forgotten, and my head is swarming with all of the things that have happened over the past month, that I should write down so they aren’t forgotten, but just haven’t been able to sit down & actually form coherent sentences about!

I got back from my vacation mid-August, and what time wasn’t spent with friends enjoying the summer that finally arrived on PEI, was spent packing & organizing for our move. Yes, move. Lydia & I made the decision to leave the Charlottetown Castle for a smaller, more affordable apartment closer to the downtown core.

Just before we moved, when as much was packed as possible, the weather was still warm, and neither of us had plans, we jumped in the car & went on an adventure to Tea Hill. You can read about it here.

We moved out of the Castle/into the Dungeon (it’s a basement apartment & our friends think it’s a great name…) on August 31^st. We were so blessed to have many people offer their help! With two pick up trucks, an SUV, and our little Civic, we managed to move everything over in just two trips! We spent the rest of the night settling in – our friends stayed to help! The only rooms they didn’t unpack were the bedrooms, which was just fine by us! :-)

I spent the Labour Day weekend settling in to our new apartment. Lydia moved the living around three or four times before putting everything back exactly where it was…but at least we know that’s the best way to have our furniture arranged now! We bought a bookcase and Lydia bought a bedside table from Kijiji. All of my books have somewhere to rest that is organized and pretty! We bought a pantry cupboard to store food in for easy access, as the kitchen doesn’t have a lot of storage. I loaned Lydia my dresser because my room is quite small, brought in a storage bench & installed shelving in my closet – tada, the room looks great. I really enjoy it & my room is very cozy!

Went to the beach a lot. Skim-boarded. Had a campfire with friends. I worked. Spent more time with friends. Played Frisbee.

We hosted Bible Study & it quickly became apparent that our new apartment would not be suitable for us. Read about it here.

We started looking for a new apartment. We stopped trying to settle in to our new place. We avoided our living room like the plague in case any noise carried upstairs. We found an apartment. We move at the end of the month. More on that in a separate post! (Maybe on the Castle blog?)

Our church Ladies Bible Study started up again. We had our second Young Adults Bible Study meeting. I am enjoying both very much. There’s always something to learn, even if it’s a book or video series that I’ve already gone through! In Ladies Bible Study we are working through “Let’s Study Galatians” by Derek Thomas & in Young Adults we are watching the video series “Choosing My Religion” by R C Sproul.

Lydia cut my hair (just a trim! I’m trying to grow it out!) & put feathers in. It’s this new trend & I really like it! I have pink, purple & white. Okay, it sounds a little weird…you put what?! in your hair? But trust me, it’s cool.

Lydia & I watched North & South. It’s long, but very good!

Spent more time with friends. Played Frisbee.

And that brings me to this week…

My former boss & very good friend Lori is here to visit! She arrived on Wednesday and is staying til Sunday. We have been having a great time catching up and enjoying Charlottetown. Tomorrow & Sunday we plan to see other parts of PEI…eat breakfast at the PEI Preserve Company & maybe drive to Cavendish. Very soon we are heading out the door to a Ceilidh – an Irish music/story telling party. Neither of us have ever been so I guess we’ll find out if they are any good!!

Okay. Wow. That’s a pretty straight-to-the-point overview of my month…it’s been crazy, busy, hard, but good, fun, and quite the experience. There’s so much more I didn’t even touch on. I’ve been stretched and pulled in different directions. It’s been a lot about making choices and moving forward. And mostly it’s been about trusting God to work things out, trusting Him to know the heart, and trying to see His direction clearly.

Thanks for sticking with me to the end of this post! Heather’spost in similar fashion managed to keep things short & sweet…I’m lengthy, and learning not to apologize for it! ;)

Have a great weekend, friends! And go with this verse…

“…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 perfector 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

--Sarah

Testing testing!!

2011-08-24T19:39:00.001-03:00

SO. I decided on a phone! Went android. Bought a Samsung Galaxy S ii. Love it!
I am now testing the awesome Blogger app!
We shall see how this works :-)

Here's a pic of my dear friend Lynnette's adorable baby boy...he loves his Auntie Sarah.

No guilt

2011-08-19T09:22:00.000-03:00

{original}

I'm so awesome!

2011-08-17T09:04:00.000-03:00

I love this print. It makes me think of that YouTube video of the little girl standing on the counter, shouting out everything that is awesome. "My mom is awesome, and my hairbrush is awesome, I am so awesome!" Yeah, you have to see it to understand. Oh, oh! Found it! SO funny!

{original}

Have a great day!

let the sun shine in

2011-08-15T09:02:00.001-03:00

{original}

Dear internet world;

2011-08-13T09:00:00.003-03:00

This is my current view. Well, not quite, because I'm scheduling this post, but by the time you read this, it will be my current view. My internet connectivity is limited, and cell phone reception is spotty.

The lake is clean, the sun is warm, the food is delicious, and the folks are friendly.

I wouldn't trade it for anything.

See you in a week!

I need phone advice!!

2011-08-09T18:16:00.000-03:00

This past winter I adiosed my iPhone 3Gs for a cheaper, less involved phone. I went with an LG Banter, not a smartphone in any respects, but not the worst phone out there. Before the iPhone I had an LG Chocolate, and had constant problems with the silly thing dying all the time. I thought that by now, LG would have figured out their problem, and gave them a second chance.

Bad decision, Sarah.

Silly thing keeps freezing and dying on me. Daily! I am soooo done with it. I don't have a fixed contract with my service provider so I'm able to switch at any time, and I've been seriously considering it over the past month, and especially this past week because things are just getting worse!

I'm thinking of giving Android a try, because of their awesome google-apps syncing. Are there any Android users out there with phone-buying suggestions? Here's a few I like. If you have one of them let me know what you think about it!

Samsung Galaxy Vibrant

HTC Desire HD

Motorola Atrix

Thinking out loud.

2011-08-06T11:07:00.000-03:00

David and Saul both admitted their sins.
David found favour in God's eyes but Saul didn't...why?
David's confession led him to openness with the people, while Saul tried to hide his sin.
It's about brokenness. Contrite of heart, poor in spirit.

That's how you become a {man/woman} after God's heart.

That's hot.

2011-07-21T17:30:00.001-03:00

Check out the weather at home today...

This comic is quite appropriate :-) and made me giggle!

Here in Charlottetown, I'm wearing a jacket because there's a cool breeze & overcast skies.

I may not have a killer tan after this cold-ish summer, but I'm very grateful to be away from the oppressive humidity which so many of my friends & family are experiencing these days!

It's all about perspective, I suppose!

Social Media Yearbook

2011-07-18T16:37:00.002-03:00

[original here]

I'll never be good enough on my own

2011-07-16T12:06:00.000-03:00

Practicing piano in preparation for tomorrow's church services...this song made me think of a conversation from the other night.

Not what my hands have done
Can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne
Can make my spirt whole.
Not what I feel or do
Can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears
Can bear my awful load.

There's nothing you or I can do to get into heaven, but there is something Jesus already did to do it for us! :)

Rhubarb Cobbler

2011-07-07T19:24:00.001-03:00

Mmmm...rhubarb.

Our bathroom overlooks our neighbour's garden, in which a very large rhubarb plant has been growing, quite untouched, for the past few months.

Nearly every day, Erin looked at the plant, sighed, and said something about wishing for just some of that delicious rhubarb.

After about a month of hearing her repeated desire for rhubarb, I stumbled upon the Pioneer Woman's rhubarb cobbler recipe, and knew right away what I had to do.

The next time I saw my neighbours outside, I walked over and asked if I could take some of that rhubarb off their hands, because I had a very special roommate who greatly desired just a taste.

And friends, the rest is history...an oh, so, delicious history.

No dessert in the Castle is complete without President's Choice Creamy Vanilla Chocolate Fudge Crackle ice cream...

There was definitely more "cobbler" than rhubarb, but ya know, we work with what we have!

I brought some of the cobbler into work a few days later, and a co-worker offered to bring me some rhubarb from his property....and true to his word, he brought some! I'm still debating what to make, but this cobbler was so delicious I may just make it again!

Well folks, that's all for tonight. Excuse me while I go enjoy my last evening with just Lydia & Vern!

Gratitude is...

2011-07-06T21:06:00.003-03:00

"...learning to recognize and express appreciation for the benefits we have received from God and from others."

Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Choosing Gratitude

the life we live

2011-07-05T21:54:00.000-03:00

...a year ago, we only dreamed of the life we live today. through the ups & downs of moving so far from home, we've been together & pulled through, by God's grace & under His protection. am so grateful for the time we've had on this lovely red island. love you ladies!

Shoulda waited a couple-a-days

2011-06-24T08:38:00.000-03:00

Yet again, I'm asking myself, WHY DID YOU WORRY!?!

Everything's going to be just fine.

God already knows how it's going to play out and He's going to guide, keep, and protect me the whole way through - I know this, I believe this.

Last night, Lyddy and I, with the help of a few male friends, bought a black 2000 Honda Civic SE. It's nothing special but it's got a lot of kms left on it and it's been well-maintained so *fingers crossed* this one's a keeper. It's even inspected til next March so we don't have to take care of that for quite a while! And, the guy who sold it to us works at Browns VW, which doesn't mean anything to any non-Islander, but here in Ch'town our friends are regulars there, and we can track him down if the car's a lemon....hehehe ;)

I'm learning (slowly, one major change at a time) that there really isn't anything worth stressing over. It will work out, in time, you just have to wait a couple-a-days.

-sl

Taking things as they come

2011-06-22T16:24:00.000-03:00

I've become somewhat of a complainer of late.

My car broke down, I have to move out of my beautiful apartment, there's a twinge in my back/shoulder whenever I move just the ~~right~~ wrong way, and being an adult down-right sucks some times.

I'm trying really hard to remember this command, which usually comes so much easier for me:

"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me." - Phil 2:14-18

Bahhh. Me & Change don't get along as well as we used to.

Rag Quilts for Immanuel Christian School

2011-06-13T08:37:00.000-03:00

Our local Christian School, like any good Dutch school, held a Spring fundraising auction this spring. (This post is SO overdue....the auction was before Easter!)

Gertrude approached me about a month&a half ago to see if I'd be interested in teaming up to make some animal-shaped rag quilts for the fundraiser, and of course I said yes!

We got together the weekend before to assemble two quilts--one dog & one cat.

We were blessed to have Gertrude's sister-in-law, Jacoba, on the Island at the time. Jacoba is a whiz at quilting and it really boosted my confidence having two other quilters to tackle this project with.

Lydia had to work most of the weekend, but popped in to help where she could whenever she wasn't cutting hair!

Here's Gertrude at the machine:

Jacoba did ALL of the cutting--we are so grateful for her steady hand!

Whatever we didn't get done on the weekend, Gertrude managed to get done - the extra things, like ragging the edges, sewing on eyes, noses & mouths, and washing/drying several times to achieve the raggedy look!

Finished products! I think they are just adorable!!

The quilts sold well at the auction. A family in our church bought the cat quilt and each of their three children share it - one night per child! It's so cute :)

Happy Birthday to youuuuu !!

2011-05-15T10:04:00.000-03:00

This chicky turns 19 today!! Wahoo!!

Rachel has been such a blessing to me in the time since I moved to PEI. At a time when I was getting pretty convinced there were no people to hang out with on the Island, God placed her into my life and there has been no looking back since!

Almost every Saturday night you'll find her sleeping on my couch, and almost every Sunday morning you'll find her "stealing" my clothes to wear to church. Sometimes, she even wears my shoes.

She practically lives at our house and even has her own Castle toothbrush.

She eagerly devours anything she can to learn more about God and how to better live for Him.

We have fun adventures together, like going out to the sandbars at Brackley in our rubber boots, and getting sucked into the sinking sand, and *shh* don't tell anyone - climbing up & jumping off the dunes.

We like to go to the movies late at night, and go running in the cold & rain - and leave it to Rach to wear shorts.

Her one short coming is that she speaks like an Islander sometimes. HhhhhhST, Garaaaage, Dayad, & constant misuse of the word Whenever. ;)

Rach - I am so thankful for you & have a blast spending time with ya. Can't wait for all the good times to come.....!!!

Quiet.

2011-05-13T22:12:00.000-03:00

I ate ice cream in the living room, but it didn't help.

Our lives have been overly busy in recent weeks, but tonight, it was quiet.

No overnight guests, no company. No running, no games. Just, quiet.

"Still, my soul, be still."

Another season of hockey complete

2011-04-18T18:39:00.001-03:00

It's a little late, but yes, the hockey season has ended.

Down a few members and with a goalie who had the flu, the Charlottetown CRC team gave it what they had, and watched the season draw to a close.

We are faithful fans :-) so of course we watched their game, and for posterity's sake snapped a few photos.

Lydia, Stanley, and Erin were very excited to be at the hockey game!

Errr, Lyddy & I stopped paying attention for a while because, well, we have short attention spans, obviously, and started being, um, ourselves.

(This was our 'imitate Heidi' look....hehehe)

We got tangled. What a tragedy!!

So, no more Saturday night hockey games.

And no more Wednesday night soccer, because that season ended as well!

But I'm sure we can find something to entertain ourselves with....perhaps, a 2003 Mazda Protege5 that needs a TON of fixing and is owned by two slightly delusional ambitious young girls??

Check.

Lessons from a cardboard pizza box

2011-04-06T19:41:00.002-03:00

As many of you know, the way things panned out at the end of last summer for me prevented my attendance at Camp Tamarack. I'm SO thankful for the Hope Reformed youth group, who recorded each of the sessions & posted them online for free downloading! I'm nearly finished listening to the speeches from 2010. Tonight, I've got the privilege to listen to Rev. Vogel speak on Joy & Adversity.

The below excerpt from his speech caught my attention, as the search for joy in the world rather than seeking satisfaction through the Lord is something that has been on my mind recently. My prayer is that it will speak to your heart if you are searching in the wrong places, that the Holy Spirit will convict you & purify your life so you can find joy everlasting in the Lord of all.

over to Pastor Marty...

"...is our joy rooted in the soil of hope?

do we cultivate & take pleasure in future oriented joy?

how many of you would order your favourite pizza, and when it arrives at your home, you smell that amazing, mouth watering aroma of pepperoni, melted cheese, bacon and tomato sauce, mushrooms...how many of you would take that pizza from the delivery man, bring it to your kitchen table, open the box, take it out of the box, set it aside, and then proceed to eagerly eat the box?!

flavoured, greasy, corrugated cardboard! mmmm.

not a very smart thing to do, is it?

who in their right mind would be satisfied with the box rather than the pizza itself? but listen, how many of us are satisfied with the lesser and sometimes sinful pleasures of this life, when God offers us the certain unshakeable hope of eternal pleasures at His right hand?!

the Psalmist said "in Your presence is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore!" the pleasures and treasures of this life are like cardboard when compared to the everlasting soul-satisfying pleasures at His right hand.

so where do you look for joy? what do you find ultimate pleasure in? Christ alone is fullness of joy. the unregenerate world pursues all kinds of substitutes to make them happy. that's why so many young people turn to drugs, drinking, parties, immoral relationships. they have a longing within them for joy, happiness and pleasure, but unfortunately many young people today are eating cardboard boxes! and they end up getting severe stomach problems!

a cardboard pizza box may be a good thing, it serves a purpose, but it's not meant to be an ultimate source of nourishment! many of the treasures and pleasures of this world may be perfectly legitimate but they don't provide lasting satisfaction for us. they are so very temporary!..."

thoughts? comments?

--sarah

I like the Chtown airport...

2011-04-05T20:09:00.000-03:00

...because it always brings lovely people for a visit! :)

Thursday evening, Mom W (above) & Mom M (wish I had a picture of you, Mom M--will have to rectify this situation!!) fly into Chtown for 5 days...and our beloved Meggy flies in at midnight! We are so excited to see all three of these ladies, to catch up, and make new memories.

Before they come though, there are things to do: sweep, mop, bake, dust, wash -- not because our house is dirty (well, it kinda is...especially dusty--this house is always dusty!) but because it will fill the days until their imminent arrival!

I'm especially looking forward to the return of this girlie, whose presence at the Castle gives me an outlet for all my hugs, who cheerfully greets each of us every day...and is prone to twirling & giggling fits :)

Yes, the Chtown airport and I, we get along alright. :)

From the corners of the earth

2011-04-02T18:09:00.002-03:00

It's April 2nd, but it's still winter here on Prince Edward Island. We had a "big" storm last night, and you know that they say "winter's not over til the big storm in April", so there's hope that Spring is permanently on it's way. But this is what the water looks like at North Rustico, today.

Vern, Lyddy & I went seal pup hunting this afternoon. No matter how hard we looked, no seal pups could be found. Poor Vern, she wanted to see them so badly! She was very, very sad:

Once, we THOUGHT that we saw something out in the water, so Vern drove into a parking lot and stopped the car. It was just some seagulls, so we decided to keep on with our journey...at which point we realized that the parking lot was a river, and we were stuck.

Lyddy to the rescue, & we were on our way again, but the car was a little dirty!

On our driving adventure, we saw the ODDEST house! It's hard to see, but the house is built on a gigantic cement foundation. Not sure if they were expecting a flood or what, because the house is on a hill!

I am so blessed to live with these girlies:

Hey, Dot...I stopped in Hamilton but couldn't find ya ;)

Hear Me Roar! (Musings on Women's History Month)

2011-03-30T13:23:00.000-03:00

Hear Me Roar! (Musings on Women's History Month)

If you have a minute, and only a minute, read this article from Mary Kassian, author of Girls Gone Wise, and The Feminist Mistake--both excellent books which emphasize the importance of a woman's role in life/society!

I had the privilege of hearing her at the True Woman Conference in Chattanooga TN last March, and wowza, does she ever hit the nail RIGHT ON THE HEAD!

--Sarah

Can't wait to show you my latest project....!!

2011-03-29T19:49:00.000-03:00

....but I'll just have to wait til it's done!

A wee update.

2011-03-23T15:59:00.002-03:00

Pardon the mess...this blog is under construction. I changed the header & some of the colours, but I'm not sure it will stick around...thoughts or suggestions, anyone?

Geeked.

2011-03-18T09:54:00.002-03:00

The other day my e-mail browser crashed, and I nearly laughed out loud when this was the message I received:

Apparently, you don't just "close out of" a browser that's unresponsive, you "kill" the page. The graphic made it so much better. Are those supposed to be snowflakes?

(Pages blurred out, for obvious security reasons!)

Ya'll may not think it's nearly as entertaining as I do, but I just had to share :-)

While I'm Waiting

2011-03-17T09:06:00.000-03:00

I don't know about you, but I always feel like I'm waiting for my life to start. It's a heart issue, and a hard issue to confront, because though I am happy with what God's given me, I'm always waiting for more, for the next thing, thinking that someday I will finally be able to say "ahh, this is what life's about."

Today, amidst turbulent thoughts, this song popped into my head and quieted my spirit, so I thought I'd share.

"While I'm waiting" by John Waller

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

(lyrics from here)

Oh! The Good Ole Hockey Game!

2011-03-11T20:06:00.002-04:00

A pair of free tickets to the PEI Rockets game last Wednesday night afforded Vern & I a "date" night!

The PEI Rockets played the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

It wasn't really much of a competition.

(That's shots on goal, not score!)

We beat them 8-0. Ouch.

(Yippee!!)

&&Vern got a little bit crazy ;)

To top of a great night, we treated ourselves to Dairy Queen ice cream & burgers! Mmmm :)

Thanks for being my date, Verny!

2011-03-08T18:35:00.001-04:00

I thought this day was going pretty well. Got a bunch of stuff accomplished at work, the Cavendish Beach Music Festival line-up was announced, Spring was in the air.

That's a pretty great day in my books, folks.

And then, it got even better.

My sister Heidi just told me she's in the process of buying a plane ticket to come visit me on Easter weekend!!

Wahooooo :D

(Thank you, Father! ...& dad, hehe)

Dare I dream?

2011-03-08T15:33:00.000-04:00

Dare I dream it? Dare I say it?

Slowly Spring has begun to conquer Winter in Charlottetown.

The past few days we've had warm temperatures, reaching all the way to +10C! The snowbanks which once stood 6-7 feet tall have melted to 3-4 feet.

While I rejoice in the small glimpses of grass & the increasing signs of life, it is done with caution. Any Islander will tell you Spring has not Sprung until we get "the Big Storm in April".

Well, this girl's from Ontario, and she's holding her breath for an easy transition, without too many backwards steps.

On the Menu tonight...

2011-03-07T15:38:00.000-04:00

I don't offer to cook nearly as often as I should. There's not really a legitimate reason, either, because I both love to cook & can successfully pull it off, most of the time.

Today, however, I started my day off with a quick text to my dear Meggy (who so sweetly & lovingly cooks 90% of the time) to say "Dinners on me, lovely!" & thus set to deciding what to make.

I had big plans, but the day got away from me, things came up, problems needed to be solved...so the Inhabitants of the Castle will partake of the world's easiest meal.

It's called "Poor Man's Dinner", because it's so inexpensive to make, and only takes a few ingredients!

Start by browning up some hamburger. (But really, you could use diced chicken, beef, bacon, ham, lamb, whatever you'd like!)Drain, and line the bottom of a 9x13 pan.Sprinkle with garlic powder (or whatever spice you'd like...today I used Mrs. Dash, salt & pepper...nice'n'easy)Peel & Slice potatoes; cover the hamburger.Slice an onion, layer over potatoes.Pour cream of whatever soup you've got all over the dish. (Cream of Chicken is my favourite)Cover with tinfoil & place in the oven for 1 hour at 350F.Take the tinfoil off a few minutes before you want to eat to let it brown up.
Let it cool a wee bit before digging in, & enjoy!

Does anyone have any other meal ideas? Link up...we'd love to try your recipes!!

An Islander? ME? Never...

2011-03-01T19:56:00.006-04:00

I can hardly believe my eyeballs. Today is March 1, 2011! While this may not be a particularly exciting date to any of you, it means to me that I have been an inhabitant of the Charlottetown Castle for exactly 6 months & 1 day.

Where has the time gone?

Let me tell you 'bout a story long time ago, way down in Egypt land...er, St. Thomas, ON.

Nine months ago, if you had told me I'd be living in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on March 1, 2011, I would have scoffed. Eight & a half months ago, driving to church, I told Lydia that I had been feeling restless. I knew change was on its way, but didn't know when or where or how to expect it.

As we walked up to the church doors, Lyd linked arms with me, looked me in the eye, and said, "Why don't you come to PEI with me? I'm serious." Instantly, I felt settled. I knew that PEI, however far away and forlorn it seemed, was where God wanted me to be.

It was this peaceful, settled feeling that gave me hope and strengthened my resolve in the following two months.

My prayers of "Lord, show me your will" changed to "Lord, give me courage to follow Your calling."

When I told my parents that I wanted to move to PEI, they smiled, and said "okay," but I could tell they were thinking this was just another of my half-baked, passion-with-no-foundation plans. But, they were supportive. "If you feel this is God calling you, then go. But, you have to have a job waiting for you. A real job, Sarah, not a fast-food job. If you can get it together, you can go with our blessing."

Yikes....land a real job, half-way across the country, with no way of getting to the Island before the Fall? How was THAT going to happen? Yet, I wasn't thrown into despair, nor did my passion fizzle & die. I felt strong. I knew that God wanted me on Prince Edward Island, and I trusted Him to provide according to His will.

He defeated sin & overcame the grave. I knew He could barge through all of the obstacles that crossed my path.

A whole lotta people were praying for God's will to be done.

I sent out hundreds of resumes, hopeful at first, but after nearly two months without response, my trust in God began to slip, just a little. Was it really God's will? I had quit my job at Fresh Start; we had hired a replacement; and I had just about started training her--and yet I had no word from PEI. Silence.

Then, an e-mail. An investment company had received my resume, was pleased, and wanted to set up an interview. I jumped at the chance! This was exactly what I needed! Thanks God! Charging straight ahead, I scheduled an interview with their Toronto office, started studying answers to interview questions, bought new "You have GOT to hire me" clothes, and promptly forgot to keep praying. The day of the interview, I stopped to get gas and grab a bite to eat at the local Wendy's. I was already running late, but I have a heavy foot so I thought I would be fine to get all the way to Toronto and still make the interview.

However, in all my hurry, I managed to lock my keys in the car. AHH! I called the CAA--they told me it would be a forty minute wait, but they would rush because of my interview. Twenty minutes later, a very kind gentleman opened my car door, and I sped out of the Wendy's parking lot. I called the investment company to let them know I was running late, tried to ignore the growing pit in my stomach, barreled down the highway, and made it to the interview....a half hour late.

Politely, the team of interviewers gave me a chance to prove that I belonged with their company. I just wasn't feeling it any more. My peace was gone. I knew that I wasn't going to get the job. I wasn't even sure I wanted it--I just wanted to get to PEI. To make matters worse, when I got back in the car, I found a parking ticket on my windshield. $60! A friend had come with me to offer moral support, had parked my car in what she thought was a "free after 4:00 p.m." spot, but was actually a "no parking after 4:00 p.m." spot, and now I owed the City of Toronto $60.

Talk about a discouraging day.

Two weeks passed, with no word from the company.

Although I felt battered, a little bruised, and definitely out of sorts, I kept on. We had an apartment waiting for us. We had a church all picked out--and a church family who couldn't wait to meet us. I still felt that God wanted me in PEI, even if He hadn't laid out all of the puzzle pieces yet. This was half way into August!

I packed. I made an inventory of the kitchen supplies I'd been collecting over the past six years. I started saying goodbye to friends & family. I still didn't have a job.

Then, another email. This time, from a digital-signage company. A what? What's digital signage? Oh well, I'm getting desperate. They said I applied for a job with them in July. Really? I don't remember. It's as an Administrative/Accounting Assistant. Hey, that's right up my alley--this is looking good! They hadn't called me because they had hoped to have someone in Charlottetown before the Fall. But now they were desperate, too.

Sometimes desperation works. Apparently.

After a very casual phone conversation with their CFO, and the gushing reference (I'm still not sure I deserved all the praise she gave me, but, ya know, we are tight, so she kinda loves me) of my Executive Director, on August 18, 2010, I was offered a one-year contract maternity leave position with ScreenScape Networks. I still had no idea what Digital Signage was, but it was an answer to prayer.

Did I mention, the contract started August 30th? Umm yes, that's right! I had 12 days to pack up the rest of my life, and move across the country.

Checklist:

Cancel Camp Tamarack (the only real negative to getting this position was I absolutely had to be in Charlottetown on August 30th. I had to give up my position as workshop leader, games co-organizer, cabin leader, and hungry camper, but it was a small price to pay to follow my God's leading!)
Be surprised by a HUGE party with 50-60 friends who drove hours-and-hours to come say goodbye.
Visit the trailer, one last time.
Say goodbye to my family--that was hard.
Finish training at Fresh Start.
Pack, pack, pack.
Sleep on the floor for a couple of days because my mattress was at Lyddy's.
Spend as much time at Lyddy's parents house as possible.
Say goodbye to Lyddy's family--that was hard, too.
Make final arrangements for Island life.
Buy a plane ticket!

PHEW! I'm still surprised that the only thing that went missing in those days leading up to my Big Move is a dark blue handled hammer, belonging to my dad, which now lives somewhere on the Westerveld's farm. Sorry Dad...again.

The morning of August 28, 2010, I woke up, put the last few necessities in my suitcase, mustered up all the courage I could gather, said a tearful goodbye to my dear sister Sandra, climbed in the car with my two best friends in the whole entire great big wide world, Kara & Lyddy, and drove to the Toronto airport.

I was fine. Almost no tears at the airport as I said goodbye to Kara. It was going to be a long time before I saw her again, and I knew nothing would ever be the same, but I had to turn away, walk ahead, and follow the very strong call of God. I was strong......right up until we landed in Charlottetown. The second the wheels hit the pavement, tears filled my eyes. All I wanted to do was go back home. I wanted all of my familiar places, all of my friends, my safety net. But I blinked away the tears--God is faithful, Sarah. He will take care of you. Look how far He's brought you!

Well, I managed to keep my emotions just below the surface long enough that I actually started believing Charlottetown was pretty great.

And now, six months later, I can look back and see God in every step I've taken, every emotional high and low, every lesson I've learned, and every contribution I've been able to make to PEI life.

My job is fabulous. Our church loves us to bits--and I love them! Our pastor faithfully preaches God's Word and is taking the time to make sure we understand it so we can love Him more fully, and live God-glorifying lives. We have made good Christian friends of all ages, have figured out how to get around town (and country!), and even adapted to PEI winters! (PS, all you Ontarians who think you're so Dutch...just wait until you meet the genuine, straight-off-the-boat Dutchies out here! It's great!)

Things I haven't given into, and hope never to do: misuse the word "whenever" & pronounce "dad" as a two syllable word. My Islander friends don't hear the end of it when they use either of these words!

The time has passed so quickly. Another six months and we will no longer be the Inhabitants of the Charlottetown Castle. Each of us have different paths to follow, and God is on every one of those paths. Life constantly changes, but God remains steady & faithful...and that is the only thing you can truly count on.

Well my friends, if you've actually made it through this story, bravo! Six months. Wow.

I'll close with a verse that I used in the e-mail I sent my extended family announcing my Big Move.

"We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps." Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

--Sarah

Lyrics for tonight

2011-02-24T20:57:00.000-04:00

Cowboy take me away
Fly this girl as high as you can
Into the wild blue

Set me free, oh I pray
Closer to heaven above and
Closer to you.

Closer to you.

Verses for today

2011-02-24T08:36:00.000-04:00

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."

Philipians 2:3-4

A little later on, Paul reminds the Philipians (& us!) that..... "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

A+B= a whole lot of hope, because it is Christ who works in me to allow me to put others before myself. So really, it's all about Christ.

God's pretty great, eh? :)

dreamin'

2011-02-19T13:12:00.001-04:00

i'm gonna live where the green grass grows;
watch my corn pop up in rows,
every night be tucked in close to youuu!
raise our kids where the good Lord blessed,
point our rockin chairs towards the west,
plant our dreams where the peaceful river flows;
where the green grass grows.

(thank you, Tim McGraw)

11:58 a.m.

2011-02-19T12:02:00.000-04:00

It's noon, or thereabouts, and what have I accomplished on this Saturday morning?

baked 2 loaves of bread & 4 dozen delicious chocolate chip cookies
did the dishes
slept in
spent time in the Word
spent time with JOSH WESTERVELD!! :)

What haven't I accomplished?

getting out of my pjs
cleaning up my multiple baskets of laundry
making my bed
getting groceries

How does your day look?

Snippets

2011-02-14T18:02:00.000-04:00

I'm a do-er.

Social bug.

I see infinite potential in everyone, and nearly burst at the seams when they start to see it in themselves!

I trust wholey.

Love hard and long.

Nearly impossible for me to hold a grudge.

I give chances a second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh........time.

Hold myself up to an impossibly high standard but make excuses for anyone else who stumbles along the way.

I've come a long way from the 17-year-old girl I used to be...all by the grace of God. Perhaps knowing this, seeing His work in my life (not that I'm boasting--there is so much more work for Christ to do in me!) helps me see potential in others. I've been there. I know. I understand.

I've been forgiven much.

I'm a tough cookie, but when I've been wounded, it takes a long time for me to heal.

I am the beloved of Christ.

I'm impossibly affectionate, which poor Lyddy has to deal with--she's not a hugger, and I definitely am!

I'm flexible. This means I can fit to most situations, but it also means I have to be on constant guard that I don't compromise my convictions/beliefs to please others.

Did I mention I'm a people pleaser? Yeah, I have to be careful about that, too.

Passionate--but I'm all in, or all out--it's hard for me to pretend otherwise.

My Saviour, well, saved me. And through the work of the Holy Spirit, is shaping me (although sometimes its like, one step forward and three steps back!!) into His likeness.

My goal in life? To be more like Jesus each day. To trust God will show me the way to go. To love my neighbour as myself--visibly, externally, so they know they have been loved!

And, that, my friends--readers, if you're out there?--is a snippet of the things God's been showing me about myself. Now, to put them to use for His Kingdom!!

Amazing love

2011-02-05T20:28:00.000-04:00

It never ceases to amaze me, that just when I'm in the "depths of despair" (forgive me, Anne with an E is influencing me this evening) God can pick me up and give me focus, ahem, take the focus off of my measly self and put it right back on Him, where it belongs.

Was playing this on the piano tonight when the lyrics struck me.....

Amazing love, how can it be?
That you my King would die for me.
Amazing love, I know it's true
And it's my joy to honour you,
In all I do, I honour you.

He's done so much for me.
And for that, I am truly thankful.

In a moment, you will see.

2011-02-05T13:47:00.000-04:00

I'm not a morning person!

I'm a stay-up-and-out-late-with-friends person!

But more and more and more I'm reading the Word and realizing, it's what God wants.

God said to Moses, “Be ready in the morning and come up and meet with me” (Exodus 34:2, paraphrased).

Psalm 88, “In the morning my prayer comes before you” (verse 13). Psalm 5, “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD” (verse 3, NKJV).

Psalm 57 “Awake, my soul! I will awaken the dawn" (verse 8, NIV).

Psalm 119, “I rise before the dawning of the morning, and cry for help; I hope in Your Word” (verse 147, NKJV).

Psalm 143, “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning” (verse 8, NKJV).

So I've begun the *tough* journey of forming a new habit. Instead of letting the alarm go off for 30 minutes every morning, I get up after the first or second time, slip into my comfy pink slippers, and head downstairs for some quiet time with my Father before I head into another busy day.

And hey, it works! I feel better equipped for each day, when I've not only spent some time reading God's Word, but also spent some time praying & listening in quiet.

It's tough, saying no to sleep--especially for one whose least favourite time of day is waking up--but saying YES LORD in surrender to His way reaps so many more blessings that it's worth skipping those 30 minutes of extra sleep every morning.

The blessings outweigh the struggles, but that certainly doesn't make the choice easier at 6:30 a.m.

This, and other blessings for which I am so thankful.

2011-02-03T19:01:00.000-04:00

Early evening around here always makes me smile. It's possibly my favourite time of day.

I'm the last one home most days, and supper is usually on the table shortly thereafter. We sit around, each talking about our days, things that have been on our minds, and in general enjoying one another, closing the meal off with reading the Gospel and a portion from J. C. Ryle's "Thoughts on the Gospels". (We're in Matthew.)

This, and other blessings for which I am so thankful.

A snow day for Ontario....again.

2011-02-02T12:23:00.000-04:00

All the lucky's at home are havin' a snow day. Surprisingly, I'm not jealous. Having a snow day requires too much shifting & shuffling & cancelling & sitting around feeling guilty for not being productive, for me to enjoy them to the max. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of a snow day. Preferably though, a snow day would be planned well in advance, so work & play can be scheduled accordingly.

"They" say the Maritimes (that's me) will be hit overnight with 20-30 cm. Fine by me! The plows will be by before work and life can continue unhindered by the weather.

“Whether the weather be fine, Whether the weather be not, Whether the weather be cold, Whether the weather be hot, We'll weather the weather, Whatever the whether, Whether we like it or not.”

Ontarians: how are you spending your free day?

Egypt

2011-01-28T11:06:00.001-04:00

Click here to read the CBC report on the current violence in Egypt.

These people need Jesus so deeply, to transform their lives. Please pray with me, for rest and peace in Egypt, and for our great God to radically transform the country from the inside out.

**update** I quote Move-In's recent tweet: "Egypt experiences a "day of wrath" and needs our prayers ...http://tinyurl.com/6jwnyvw"

(well said)

--Sarah

Find me on the Island!

2010-12-11T23:20:00.000-04:00

Hey there, it's Sarah! As you may have noticed, I've been extremely absent from the blogosphere in the past, oh, four months! Well, I've moved across the country, started a new job, and am living with the three loveliest ladies there are. We blog at www.chtowncastle.blogspot.com, so come check us out, if you haven't already!

We're here on Prince Edward Island until at least the end of Summer 2011, but we will wait on the Lord's direction and timing, to see what He has in store for us!

See you around,

Sarah

Miss Mustard Seed

2010-08-03T17:26:00.000-03:00

Miss Mustard Seed is holding a give-away for her followers.

I am one of said followers.

She filled a crate with many deliciously antique, beautiful, eclectic items. Reading through the post, looking at the pictures, I'm practically drooling.

You should check it out as well! Here's the link: http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/2010/07/miss-mustard-seed-in-box-2000-follower.html

If you love all things refurbished & antique, you will DIE FOR (okay, perhaps that is a wee bit over dramatic) the items in this box.

Go, go, go...check it out!! :) You won't be sorry!!

I have been away...

2010-08-03T17:20:00.000-03:00

...relaxing with friends and family this past week. My family has a permanent trailer at Muskoka Bible Centre in Hunstville, Ontario, and I have made it a habit to spend at least one full week there every year. I wasn't sure if I would be abel to get away this year, but as soon as I heard Joe Boot was going to be one of the speakers, my plans were finalized!

Sadly, I have no pictures to show. Much to busy "doing", not a whole lot of observing! :) (the pictures on this post are from the MBC website)

And! MBC is celebrating their 80th anniversary this weekend! Check out their special website dedicated to the celebration! It is going to be a HUGE party. I'm headed back, Friday after work!

It was a week in which God worked greatly in my life. He filled me with spiritual food, blessed me with great Christian friends to spend time with, encouraging conversation, prayer times, and beautiful weather!

But alas, the week is over, our goodbye's have been said, and we have all returned to the real world to put into practice the principles we were privileged to learn last week. More on that later, I hope :)

What are YOU doing for a vacation this year?

From 1970s drab to 2010 fab!

2010-07-22T23:58:00.001-03:00

I found this side table for a steal of a deal ($7.50!!) at the local Salvation Army store last week.

I was SUPPOSED to be in there looking for something else, but the table, it just called to me!

Succumbing to my weakness for desperately needy, inexpensive used furniture,

...I scrambled to the front counter before anyone else could snatch up my precious table!

See what I mean by 1970s drab??

(And WHAT is that gunk? A lot of elbow grease went into cleaning this baby!)

I had a piece of glass cut to fit over the "engraved" section of the table, again, a steal of a deal, for only $12. Add a coat of paint (blue=Drawing Room & creme=Steamed Milk, both from Beautitone), sand it down, and spray on some sealer...and this is what you get!

But, ladies and gentlemen, I've saved the best for last! Think Mod Podge. Think lonely, a little bit boring-on-the-inside drawer... tada!

What think ye? This weakness for saving furniture from it's own unfortunate state could become a problem. If it keeps up, where will I put it all???

Satisfied

2010-07-21T08:58:00.000-03:00

Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone;
To have a deep soul relationship with another--to be loved thoroughly and exclusively.
But God says to the Christian:
"No, not until you are satisfied, fulfilled, and content with being loved by Me alone;
With giving yourself totally and unreservedly to Me;
With having an intensely personal and deep relationship with Me alone.
Discovering that only in Me is your satisfaction found
Will you be capable of the perfect human relationship that I have planned for you.
You will never be united to another until you are united with Me
Exclusive of any other desire or longing.
I want you to stop planning, stop wishing,
And allow Me to give you the most thrilling plan existing--
And that you can imagine.
I want you to have the best.
Please allow Me to bring it to you.
You just keep watching Me, expecting the greatest things,
Keep experiencing the satisfaction that I am,
Keep listening and learning the things that I tell you.
You just wait--that's all.
Don't be anxious, don't worry,
Don't look at the things others have gotten--
Or at what I have given them.
You just keep looking up to Me--
Or you will miss what I want to show you.
And then, when you are ready,
I'll surprise you with a love far more wonderful
Than any of you could dream of.
You see, until you are ready,
And the one I have for you is ready--
(I am working even at this moment to have both of you
Ready at the same time)--
Until you are both satisfied exclusively with Me
And the life I have prepared for you,
You won't be able to experience the love
That exemplifies your relationship with Me
And this is perfect love.
Dear one, I want you to have this most wonderful love;
I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your relationship with Me,
And to enjoy materially and concretely the everlasting union
Of beauty, perfection and love I offer you with Myself.
Know that I love you utterly, for I am God.
Believe it, and be satisfied.

--Unknown

This poem speaks so richly of the love God has for ME; I tear up (go ahead, roll your eyes! lol) nearly every time I read it. And the best part is that the poem doesn't get all romantic and gushy, but rather chooses to focus on the point of marriage: to exemplify the relationship we can have with God!!

the Gardens God has Given

2010-07-09T10:35:00.000-03:00

Even admist the constant construction, these beautiful flowers have managed to bloom

in our backyard at Fresh Start.

Mmm red roses. I have a bouquet sitting on my desk right now!

These are snow daisies. Doesn't it look like someone has come along and snipped up a daisy?

I love them.

Some sort of beautiful blue lily. Just love it!

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." 1 Peter 1: 22-25 ESV

Trash or Treasure?

2010-07-07T16:12:00.000-03:00

Saturday's around noon are a great time to go looking for streetside freebies that didn't sell at the grarage sale. I wasn't even looking--just driving a co-worker home, when out of the corner of my eye, this beauty screamed "take me home! love me!" Ick, I thought. The chair, full of cat hair, stained, smelly, and discarded for good reason, sat, still beckoning me to give it a fresh start. My mind set, I pulled over to the side of the road, stuffed the chair into my back seat and drove it home!

After a couple fresh coats of laying-around-from-my-last-project paint, and some clearance priced fabric, I am quite satisfied with the result!

The total cost of the project is $5.00! WOWZA!

I think it really goes well with my bed, don't you?!

Chugalugalugin' 5 miles an hour!

2010-07-05T11:30:00.000-03:00

A few Fridays ago marked the annual Shedden Tractor Pull. Growing up in a relatively small community, although I've mostly lived in the "city", attending events such as Rhubarb Fests, Tractor Pulls, and Classic Car "shows" has become a normal occurrence.

Not just a TRACTOR pull...trucks too!

My very pleasant company for the evening!!

Lyddy's Quilt

2010-07-02T13:10:00.000-03:00

There are two dearest of the dear's in my life. #1 and I spent a fantastic week in Tennesse this March. #2 just celebrated her 21st birthday!

Lydia's mom approached me, knowing fully how much I love all things pretty and the makings of such things...and asked if I would be interested in finishing a quilt that Lyd had started many, many....many, years ago.

It was the perfect gift idea! She's not hard to buy for, because we are one person in two bodies, so it's easy-peasy. However, I just couldn't make up my mind! Lyd's mom's request made the decision simple.

I set to work, gathering my materials, fixing up the machine *cough* a little late *cough*, and happily sewing away. After a few long days and one Reeeeeally long night, the quilt is finished! Not quite large enough for a twin bed, which was its original intent, but big enough for a very decent sized throw. I've been so excited to show you, I nearly blew the surprise and posted this before I gave the quilt to Lyd!

Here it is!!

It's a pattern called "Tutti Frutti", comprised of oh so many Quarter Triangle Squares.

Meandering around the border, turned out wonderfully, after only a few glitches!

Quilting in every other square:

The label:

Back of the quilt

Happiness is...

2010-06-30T16:53:00.000-03:00

...to finish a BIG project. (Check back soon, more info to come!)

...a freshly laundered, folded, and neatly put away, stack of deliciously soft towels.

...a cool breeze on a sunny day.

(this is our sky right now. beautiful, isn't it!!)

...celebrating a friend's marriage. (Photo Credit to the groom's future sister-in-law!)

...meeting new people.

...to know the Saviour. :)

Changing the life of a child, one month at a time

2010-06-22T08:44:00.000-03:00

Child sponsorship.

No, I'm not going to try to sell you on a particular program, or tell you it's the price of a cup of coffee.

However, I will share a verse which has touched my heart, and is one of the reasons I have opted to sponsor these two beautiful little girls!

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." James 1:27

I can't exactly visit these precious children, but I sure can love them, pray for them, and provide for them with the resources God has blessed me with!

For whatever reason, God chose for my life to be here, in North America, where I can easily acquire wealth and live a comfortably middle-class life. For His reasons, God allowed Leticia and Angela to be born in poor, disease-ridden countries, where finding the next meal is a big issue. God sent World Vision to provide food, shelter, clothing, and an education for my girls, and in turn, allowed me to see two beautiful little girls who send pictures and letters in the mail, further endearing themselves to me, grow up knowing where their next meal is coming from.

If you haven't already sponsored a child, consider doing so. World Vision, Word & Deed, Compassion International--they are all great organizations seeking to be the hands and feet of Christ in practical ways.

Child sponsorship is as much a blessing to the sponsor as it is to the sponsoree!

Bon Voyage!

2010-06-15T11:33:00.000-03:00

This sweet friend of mine is headed to Europe for a month this summer.

She shall surely fall upon thrilling adventures, of which I can't wait to hear upon her return!

Bon Voyage, Lisa!

Today is the day!

2010-06-14T09:25:00.000-03:00

Pop over to the Happy Little Homemaker today, to find a guest post by yours truly!

Exciting things are coming!

2010-06-11T12:00:00.000-03:00

Keep your eyes on The Happy Little Homemaker....you may see a familiar face in the near future!

A Camping We Will Go

2010-06-10T07:51:00.001-03:00

What are you doing from August 30-September 3?

"I'm going to Camp Tamarack, of course" for the win!

This is the description off the website:

Camp Tamarack is focused on exploring the Word of God through seminars, workshops, and discussions. Campers have an opportunity to meet lots of new people, and develop friendships through their cabins, sports teams, and all of the other activities.
Camp Tamarack is an annual week-long retreat that is hosted on the grounds of a summer camp with the same name. 2010 marks the 15th consecutive year that camp has been operating. We look forward to seeing you there! (because we know you want to come!)

Camp is amazing. God does big things there, each year. This will be my *sixth* year in attendance, and perhaps my last, but we shall see! Anyone 16+ is welcome to join us!

Registration opens June 15th at 8:00 p.m. EDT--be prepared, Camp is popular and fills up oh so quickly. Last year, it took a little over 24 hours to fill up! So mark the date, make sure you have computer access, and register!!

Camp's website is www.ypfriends.com/tamarack. Check it out!

Breaking the Cycle

2010-06-08T21:45:00.000-03:00

This afternoon I was blessed to spend time with two of my co-workers, discussing Biblical Womanhood (a passion of mine!)

How do we stop girls who claim to be followers of Christ, from accepting and practicing societal norms, rather than looking to Scripture to see how a Christian must live?

This question may have ignited our conversation, but a passion to see girls living for Christ, throughout their whole life and not just after they've made mistakes that have brought them to their knees, definitely fueled it.

The big, broad, answer...Christ in the centre of your life!

But I'm more for specifics...

Girls: God beautifully designed you as a woman. He laid out a pattern for how a woman ought to live and what sort of characteristics she should possess. Living within these guidelines is not restricting; they do not take away from the pleasures you may have in life. Rather, they free you to bring God glory in specific ways!

I've been absorbing all the information I can get on this subject for a few years now, and while I can not claim to be an expert, nor can I claim to have all these principles perfectly displayed in my life, it is high time that I share my gleanings with others, so they too may be driven to live for Christ as the best woman they can be!

Will you join me?

I'll warn you...these are tough principles. I struggle with them. Daily. "But for the grace of God, I am what I am." It is only by His grace that any good can come from this!

When Satan figured out that God had put it on my heart to share, to teach, to discuss, these essential truths from God's Word, a great internal struggle began within me. Bombarded with reminders of my own sinfulness, my own shortcomings and failures, I retreated into myself.

"I won't know what to say...I won't be able to say it clearly, even if I do think of something to say. I, I, I...me, me, me." Therein lies my first problem! It is not I who need speak, but God, through me (through much prayer and consideration!)

And so, after the freeing realization that my selfish fear of not measuring up was keeping me from speaking, I have once again taken up my proverbial soap box, intent to listen for God's guidance and speak the things He lays on my heart.

With love,

--Sarah

Two of my favourites!

2010-06-08T00:05:00.000-03:00

This milk & sugar set just kinda fell into my lap one day. They used to live on the book shelf in my boss's office, until the happy day when she decided to give them to the local thrift store instead. They never made it to the store. I think she saw me admiring them, and, quickly changing her mind about their final destination, gave them to me! Now they live quite happily on MY book shelf. :)

In hiding

2010-05-19T20:10:00.000-03:00

I've been in hiding from my thoughts for a while, because thoughts scare me...they lead to actions, and actions lead to change, and in true Reformed fashion, I am resisting that change.

When I pray, "Lord sanctify me"...I really mean "Lord just let me stay here, like this. I don't really want to change Lord, I just want to talk about it."

Living for God is hard! My worst enemy is ME, and when I'M not bothering me, the DEVIL is...

But the reward is great, so the burden seems light! :D

Another great read!

2010-05-10T11:33:00.000-03:00

Time to blog share! Check out http://treasureinvesselsofclay.blogspot.com// if you have a second. She's a new blogger, who writes beautifully and whose love of God shines through her writing.

PS: She also goes to my church, and most Sunday mornings can be found three pews up from me, sitting with her lovely family!

Thoughts on envy, jealousy, self-control, and the like

2010-05-10T11:21:00.000-03:00

Good morning, good morning, GOOD MORNING!

Last night, at my youth group Bible Study, we discussed the sins of a lack of self-control, jealousy, anger, and other similar sins. It was the last study of the book entitled "Respectable Sins" by Jerry Bridges.

It struck me just how relevant the study is to my life, and how a lack of self-control can lead to 'snowballing' sins. For example, if I lack self-control, I am prone to sins of the tongue such as gossip and slander. But if I control my tongue, I need not worry about such sins!

The following is an excerpt from the study guide we've been using as we go through the book:

Facing Up to Envy or Jealousy

When we are tempted to be envious or jealous, we can:

Remind ourselves of God's sovereignty. He gives us our talents, abilities, spiritual gifts, and opportunities (see 1 Samuel 2:7). To be envious or jealous of someone either eliminates God from the picture or accuses Him of being unfair.
Remember that all believers are "one body in Christ" and that each member of that body "belongs to all the others" (Romans 12:5, NIV). So, as Paul puts it, "Outdo one another in showing honor" (Romans 12:10). Instead of being envious or jealous, let's honor and applaud people because we are all members of the same body in Christ. Let's submit to each other (see Ephesians 5:21).
Know that God has a place and assignment for each of us that He wants us to fill, and admittedly some of us garner more human recognition than others. If we spend emotional energy on envy or jealousy, we lose sight of what God might do uniquely in our lives. All assignments are important in God's plan.

I confess to getting caught up in the sins of envy, jealousy, and a lack of self-control. There is nothing within me that desires to do right. It is only by the grace of God, through the grace of God, that there is any desire at all to do what is good and pleasing to the Lord.

At the end of this life, only what I've done for the glory and honour of God, and for the expansion of His kingdom will matter. With that in mind, how can I sit back and 'fluff' my way through life??

In the works!

2010-05-06T09:12:00.000-03:00

See that bed frame? It has been sitting in my basement, forlorn, but not quite alone--awaiting a transformation like it's never seen before. This simple bed frame {which, BTW cost a mere $7.99!} shall one day receive a good sanding, priming, painting, finishing...and earn its place as the head and foot to my bed!

...if only it would stop raining on the few and far between Saturday's that I am home, I could satisfy my craving for creativity!! :)

Love is Waiting

2010-04-30T16:59:00.000-03:00

I love this song...it's got this sweet, gentle flow--very feminine. it's a song in anticipation of a love worth holding onto. it's better than reading a romance novel or watching a Love Comes Softly DVD ;) It's almost like reading the love story in Song of Solomon. Except modern day. With fewer detailed descriptions. I bold/italic'd my favourite 'bits'. If you click the title, you should reach a YouTube recording of the song. Enjoy!

"Love Is Waiting"
(Written & Performed By Brooke Fraser)

In the autumn on the ground,
between the traffic and the ordinary sounds
I am thinking signs and seasons while a north wind blows through
I watch as lovers pass me by
Walking stories - whos and hows and whys
Musing lazily on love
Pondering you
I'll give it time, give it space and be still for a spell
When it's time to walk that way we wanna walk it well

I'll be waiting for you baby
I'll be holding back the darkest night
Love is waiting til we're ready, til it's right
Love is waiting

It's my caution not the cold
there's no other hand that i would rather hold
the climate changes, I'm singing for the strangers about you
don't keep time, slow the pace
Honey hold on if you can
the bets are getting surer now that you're my man

I'll be waiting for you baby

I'll be holding back the darkest night
Love is waiting til we're ready, til it's right
Love is waiting

I could write a million songs about the way you say my name
I could live a lifetime with you and then do it all again
and like I can't force the sun to rise or hasten summer's start,
neither should I rush my way into your heart

in which I shower you with long overdue photos of Nashville

2010-04-30T14:32:00.001-03:00

I took a second to flip through my calendar from the last two months. March & April passed so quickly, I hardly had time to breathe, let alone catalogue their adventures! At the end of March, my dear cousin & one of my two very best friends (she is not two people, nope, she fills two roles in my life!) and I took a trip to Nashville, TN. In a future post, I think I'd love to share about the end (read: highlight) of the entire week, but for now, I shall shower you with photos of said week.

Our journey began early early early in the morning. By the time the day ended, we had spent 23 hours awake (Kar will have to correct me if I'm wrong--the time zones really confused me!)

We flopped on the beds as soon as we made it to the hotel, but eventually decided to get all "gussied up" as some would say...

...because we had tickets to the Grand Ole Opry!

(There were some pretty great acts...very country!)

Although at the time of purchase, we didn't know who we would see, Trace Adkins and Easton Corbin showed up! Kara looooves Easton Corbin--she swears he's the next big thing, and I tend to agree with her on that point.

I'm still a little more country than that, Kar!

And I don't know about you, but I'm gonna miss this!

Enough for installment numero uno? There are so many more days and adventures to show, I want to be able to do them justice without overloading anyone!

So glad we took this trip together, Kar! Heaps of fun. I can't wait for our next adventure!!

What's it all about?

2010-04-30T09:59:00.000-03:00

Ya'll must think I never have an original thought! Truth is, I do! I just love to share the thoughts of others as well...and sometimes, they just hit the nail right on the head--so why reinvent the wheel?

The following is a short devotion we read at our staff meeting on Wednesday. Short and sweet and to the point. It's not about US; it's about HIM!

What's it all about?

It's not about following out career path

It's about following His call upon our lives Matt 16:24

It's not about our self-efforts to live for Him;

It's about letting Him live His life in us. Gal 2:20

It's not about our attempts at self-improvement;

It's about His transforming grace. 2 Cor 5:17

It's not about our self-image;

It's about being conformed to His image.Romans8:29

It's not about our abilities to serve;

It's about His power to equip us. Acts 1:8

It's not about our human resources;

It's about His sufficiency. 2 Cor 3:5

It's not about wanting the approval of others;

It's about having His approval. 2 Tim 2:15

Everchanging society: on a destructive path?

2010-04-29T14:18:00.000-03:00

Ladies, I've been listening to the Revive Our Hearts broadcasts from the past few weeks, and it has ignited the flame of modesty within my own life once again. I've made attempts to be modest in my clothing choices, and in my heart, and in my actions--now, as Paul says, I am the greatest of all sinners--and I know my choices are not always pleasing to the Lord.

One choice that has never been hard for me to make, however, is that of feminine dress. I love to wear dresses or skirts, cute shoes, buttons, jewelry, pretty colours--if you've seen my closet, you know what I mean!

Following is an exerpt from today's broadcast. Nancy Leigh DeMoss addresses the issue of modesty, and makes a few very interesting points on how the way women dress effects society's norm.

It’s another way where we as Christian women need to be counter-cultural. That’s where we fail to make a distinction between the way men dress and the way women dress. The Bible addresses this very specifically, clearly in the Old Testament and in the New Testament as well.

Deuteronomy chapter 22, verse 5 says,

A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God (NKJV).

That word abomination is very strong. In the context there in Deuteronomy, he’s talking about several things that are abominations to God. One is idolatry, sexual perversion, occult practices—witchcraft—defrauding one another economically, and in that list is this sin of breaking down the distinction between the sexes in clothing.

Can you imagine putting that on a list with idolatry and sexual perversion and witchcraft?

Now there are other things God doesn’t like, but not often in the Old Testament does it use the word, “This is an abomination to God.”

I don’t know all the reasons why, but I think at least part of it is that the fact that God created male and female different from one another is foundational to God’s whole eternal plan. When we do away with those differences, when we blur those distinctions in the way men and women look and act and conduct themselves in their roles and in their functions and even in their clothing styles, when we go to a unisex society, we have done incredible damage to the cause of the gospel and the cause of Christ in our world.

The most obvious difference between men and women is the first thing people notice: what you’re wearing. The Scripture says, “It is an abomination to God” to blur those lines, those distinctions, of men and women’s dress.

As you go back and study cultures, when you have patriarchal societies, ones that recognize the headship and leadership of men and fathers, you’ll find that in those cultures, the clothes of men and women are vastly different. But when societies become matriarchal, those are societies where women are basically running the show, where women are more dominate, you’ll find that the clothes worn by the two sexes become more and more alike.

You know what happens as women become more masculine in their appearance? Men become more feminine in their behavior.

I find Christian women today who are so exercised, and understandably, over the fact that men are passive and men aren’t taking initiative and men aren’t taking leadership. I think one of the factors here is that as women we’ve started to act and dress like men. There’s a sense in which the men are saying, “You want our place? You can have it.” And then we’re upset at them.

If we want men to be men, then we need to be willing to be women. That means feminine. Now, to be feminine doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to wear frills or pink or lace all the time. But it does mean: Ask the Lord to show you what kinds of clothing styles are distinctly feminine? Which ones are made for women?

As you make choices that are feminine, choices not to be part of this unisex culture, you’ll find that God blesses and uses you in distinctly womanly ways. As we do, that’s how we reflect the gospel of Christ. We adorn the gospel of Christ, not by being just like the guys, but by a willingness to be women and to be womanly.

Take care...

Sarah

Lifehouse "Everything" Skit

2010-04-28T15:54:00.001-03:00

I shared this video a few months ago, but it is most definitely worth sharing again!

Here are the lyrics to the song, which are just at touching as the video itself.

It amazes me at how quickly and easily I can get swept up by the world, when my heart's desire is to fellowship with the Lord!

one more...

2010-04-26T13:25:00.000-03:00

when everything else seems insignificant, and though i can see but one step in front of me, I know my purpose is to change for You, however painful it may be, the rewards unfathomable which await me, drive me on...

in which thoughts become spoken words

2010-04-26T13:15:00.000-03:00

thoughts from this weekend--a very full, thought provoking, busy weekend.

...so often we simply decorate our lives with verses and stories from the Bible, when we really ought to immerse ourselves in it. We were not given the Bible as a textbook to read once, glean a bit of knowledge, and move forward from there. NO! The Bible is God-breathed--with that thought in mind, how can I bear to set it down? How can I bear to live one day without gleaning knowledge, wisdom, from it?

...{Titus 1:10-16}

"For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. One of them, a prophet of their own, said 'Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.' This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work."

...false teachers--I am the worst false teacher that I face every day. As soon as I wake up I start telling myself things that go against what the Word of God says--like, "You don't need to read your Bible today, you read it yesterday. Besides, you're a good person anyway, you don't really need to read it every day like some people..." (example taken from Sunday's service)

...what is the necessity of a pulpit? and the reading of creeds in the worship service?

...do I give every aspect of my life to God? Am I afraid to live passionately because I'll be seen as a radical? Is God on the sidelines of my life, waiting for me to let Him be the front and centre?

...has my life become full of formalities? How do I find balance?

...am I kind to those who are unkind to me? Do I right the wrongs I have committed?

...do I long for spiritual meat and yet lap up spiritual milk, however unsatisfying?

[just some thoughts, feel free to leave your opinions! i'd love some discussion...]

I leave my desk for five minutes...

2010-04-23T09:59:00.000-03:00

...and am greeted by a beautiful planter garden from my wonderful boss! It was "Assistant's Week" and I completely forgot!

She tells me she couldn't do her job without me. What she doesn't realize is that I wouldn't be able to do this job if it weren't for her.

We are a team, bound together in Christ and in our "mercy mission" (as Pastor Ken calls it).

I don't know how many of you out there could say this, but I love my boss!

When God Hurts Your Feelings

2010-04-22T14:43:00.000-03:00

I read this devotion this afternoon and wanted to share it :) It seems so often that I find myself stumbling in my walk with God, and when I take a hard look at the why, I find it's because I'm acting as if what He's given me isn't enough....

April 22, 2010

When God Hurts Your Feelings

Lysa TerKeurst

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV)

Devotion:

Has God ever hurt your feelings? I'll be honest, sometimes I'll read those verses from Philippians listed above and think to myself, "This is a tough pill to swallow."

Content in any and every situation?

Really?

A few years ago my daughter was a state champion gymnast. To see her do gymnastics was like looking at God smile. She was beautiful, graceful, and captivating to watch.

Then one night while practicing for one of the largest tournaments she'd ever competed in, she fell. It was a move she'd done hundreds of times with the greatest of ease. But this time something went terribly wrong and that one mistake ended her gymnastic dreams.

We spent a year going from doctor to doctor only to be told she'd never be able to support the weight of her body on her injured shoulder again.

I'll be honest, this was a tough pill to swallow. Watching a 14 year-old girl wrestle with the fact that her dreams were stripped from her doesn't exactly lend itself to feelings of contentment. Now, I know in the grand scheme of life, people face much worse situations. But in her world, this was huge.

It was so tempting to want to wallow in the "why" questions and tell God He'd hurt our feelings.

Why did this happen?

Why didn't You stop this God?

Why weren't my prayers answered?

Have you ever been there? Have you ever had a big situation in your life where you just couldn't process why God would allow this to happen? Or maybe even a small annoyance like losing your keys or having a flat tire on a morning you really needed to be somewhere.

It's so tempting to wallow in the why.

Asking why is perfectly normal. Asking why isn't unspiritual. However, if asking this question pushes us farther from God rather than drawing us closer to Him, it is the wrong question.

If asking the why question doesn't offer hope, what will?

The what question.

In other words: "Now that this is my reality, what am I supposed to do with it?"

Philippians 4:8, "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things" (NIV).

I like to call this verse "directions on where to park my mind."

And that's exactly what Ashley has had to do with her dashed gymnastics dreams. Instead of wallowing in why did this happen, I've had to help her say:

This is my reality, now what am I going to do with it?

What can I learn from this?

What part of this is for my protection?

What other opportunities could God be providing?

What maturity could God be building into me?

Switching from the why to the what questions paves the road to parking our minds in a much better place.

Is it always easy? Nope.

But is it a way to find a perspective beyond situations where we feel God has allowed something in our lives we don't understand and we absolutely don't like? Yes.

I pray this helps you today. You can also download a free resource on how to change your why questions into what questions. Just go to my blog, http://www.lysaterkeurst.com/ and click on the button "When God Hurts Your Feelings."

Dear Lord, I want to process everything I face in life through the filter of Your love. I know You love me. But sometimes it's just hard to understand the circumstances that come my way. I find myself consumed with trying to figure things out rather than looking for Your perspective and trusting You. Thank You for this new way to look at things. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Application Steps:

Mentally walk yourself through parking your mind in a better place by remembering an event that happened this week and looking for God's protection, provision, and process of maturing you.

Reflections:

Am I afraid to have honest conversations with God about how I really feel about some of my circumstances?

How might it be helpful to really talk to God about things that hurt me?

Why is it helpful to ask what now, instead of wallowing in the why questions?

Power Verses:

Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." (NIV)

© 2010 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
http://www.proverbs31.org/

Faith is...

2010-04-20T23:19:00.000-03:00

...taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

--Martin Luther King, Jr.

Change of plans!

2010-04-17T15:11:00.000-03:00

Ahh, :( today is a cold, rainy day. Not exactly the day I hoped for--I had great hopes for this weekend!

However! I choose to be joyful because the whole family is home, and it is cozy as can be inside! :)

What do you do on a cold, rainy afternoon to make it pleasant??

You like?

2010-04-16T19:49:00.000-03:00

I went shopping last night. Mmmm, shopping. This delectable duvet cover and these silky soft organic sheets made themselves at home quite easily.

You like?

An {almost} perfect match!

2010-04-16T15:29:00.000-03:00

I am so excited!! A co-worker was just digging around in a box of dishes that we were going to donate to the thrift store, and she found a beautiful cream coloured plate with a floral pattern and grey-green highlights. Of course, she offered it to me and I could not believe my eyes!! It will match {almost} perfectly with my new sheets & duvet. I can't wait to show you all!

Literally. I just snapped a photo on my iPhone. It's a dark photo (the only drawback to the iPhone is there is no flash photography!) but it will give you the "jist" of the plate.

I'm drooling right now. It's not a very pretty sight. ;)

(click on the photo--it should get bigger!)

I dry up!

2010-04-15T13:10:00.001-03:00

Working at a Maternity Home can be quite interesting. Because of our clientele's challenges related to addictions, we have a policy that allows us to perform random drug tests.

Yesterday was one of those days.

(You know, back in my college days, I never would have dreamed THIS would become old hat. I never would have dreamed it into my job description at all!)

I try to catch the women early enough in the morning, but "everything" seems to go wrong on those mornings. I didn't make it in to work til 8:30 yesterday morning so I knew I'd end up waiting around for a bit.

Funny story--one of our residents saw me and said "I swear, I see you and I dry up! I just can't GO!" To which I replied, "Drink another glass of water. I'm going to sit here until I leave with what I came for."

So she did. Actually, she drank five glasses of water.

And now? Everyone has a paper trail to prove they are staying clean. Good job, ladies!

Shedding Some Light

2010-04-15T09:20:00.000-03:00

Isn't this lamp just great? I found it at the local Goodwill for, if you'll believe it, only $5.99! I have great plans for it which include a new lampshade--I know it's already pretty nice but the colour just isn't right for my purposes--and an antique style paint job. Don't you just loooove the detailing on the base?

New Arrival

2010-04-14T09:01:00.001-03:00

Kaitlyn Elizabeth

Born April 7, 2010

11:40 p.m.

7 lbs. 6 oz

21 inches long

Baby Spice is now a week old! She's adorable, and tiny, and "fearfully and wonderfully made."