The most wonderful time of the year....

One of our favorite things we like to watch on TV are the sports interest stories like ESPN's 30 for 30 or the "feel good" stories they do during College Game Day. These stories inspire us, encourage us, and give us hope. Well, it is that time of year when we get celebrate the beginning of the greatest story ever told. This is my favorite time of year, not because of the presents or the cookies or the lights, but because we are reminded, once again, of a story that inspires us encourages us, and gives us hope.

"And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there were no room for them in the inn.
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lords glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. "Do not be afraid!" I bring you you good news of great joy. The savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord-has been born today in Bethlehem" Luke 2:6-10

Like every great story there is an exciting beginning, an emotional middle, and a powerful ending. The story of Jesus is no different. The birth of Christ meant the birth of hope for nation: the Savior had been born. The one that was going to lead them. The one that was going save them. The one that was going to bring to life their hopes and dreams. THE MESSIAH. This truly was the good news that would be the world great joy.

Oh and the joy continued with this amazing life. The joy of seeing dead come to life. The hope of seeing blind men see. The dreams of seeing a man calm the storms after he walked on water. This baby that was once born in a manger truly is the Son of God. He truly is the Savior of the world.

And then the unthinkable happened. They crucified this man on a cross. What happened to our Savior? What happened to our hope? What happened to this good news of this great man that would bring us great joy? What happened to our dreams? His disciples had left their family's business and their families.  People left careers. All for the hope they put into this one that was born that day in Bethlehem, but now he is dead and so were their hopes, dreams, and thoughts of restoring their nation and their lives....or so though they thought.

What people saw as an ending, God saw as another beginning: Our beginning.

Three days later this man rose from the dead...And the beginning of a new relationship with God our Father was born. The beginning of a relationship with Jesus, the son, was born. Our new life of hope was born. Hope that relationships can be saved. Hope that even though loved ones may die on this earth that we can see them again in heaven. Hope that when bad things happen, God will use those for good. Hope that we can love one another with unconditional love. Hope that our loved one will come into a relationship with Jesus. Hope that we are LOVED.  He conquered death. He conquered hopelessness. He conquered loneliness. He conquered fear. He conquered worry. His life was resurrected and so was ours.When he rose...so did our hopes and dreams that we thought were dead.

I don't know what the Holiday season brings for you: joy of seeing family, pain of a missed loved one, excitement of church services, feelings of loneliness. BUT what I do know is you are welcomed at the manger because of what happened at the cross.

Here is to the celebration of beginnings: For Jesus and You!

Merry Christmas

What Kind of King are you?

The most tragic stories in the sports world are the athletes with all the talent in the world throw it all down the toilet because of the decisions they made. You hear it on the radio, you read it in the newspaper, you get it over your twitter fee: "John, the starting receiver for UCLA, was arrested for drug possession again. Billy, center for the Florida Gators, was kicked off the team for driving under the influence for the third time." And on and on an on....I always ask myself, why do some kids make it and others don't? Why do some kids "get it" and others don't? How can kids with equal God-given gifts, equal talent make a name doing what they love and others are willing to throw it all away? How could they waste the opportunities God has placed before them? I know every athlete and every person makes bad choices, but what does it take to screw up everything God has given you. As I was reading about the lives of Saul and David, these same questions kept coming up. They were both chosen by God to be King. They were both given great gifts and opportunities. They both disobeyed God. So why did God find favor over one and and not the other? Why did one succeed as king and one failed as king?

Let me give you a little background on each one of them...

Saul:
-Dad was wealthy
-He was tall and handsome
-Didn't have a religious background
-very insecure
-He was paranoid
-When he was Chosen to be king, they couldn't find him because he was hiding

David:
-Son of a farmer
-To the eye of people he wasn't anything special which is why God said, "Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart." (That's like saying..."She has a great personality...."
-Grew up hearing about the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
-When he was chosen to be king, he was working in his father's fields tending to the sheep
-Was called "a man after God's own heart

As we see, they didn't have a lot in common. But it wasn't their differences that made one succeed and the other one not. It wasn't their background that made one a great King and the other one not. It was all about the heart. It wasn't just about their actions (because they both screwed up) but their hearts. It wasn't about their "good" intentions but their hearts. It wasn't what they did, but the heart behind why they did it.
For instance in 1 Samuel 13 before they were going into battle, they were supposed to offer a sacrifice, but Saul didn't want to wait on Samuel so he just did it himself. God was not happy...not because what he did, but why he did it. God knew Saul made the sacrifice, not out of love for God, but because he wanted to win the battle. Saul didn't want God, just victories from God. In 1 Samuel 15, Saul disobeys God when he was suppose to destroy everything in battle, but Saul kept the best of everything for themselves. When Samuel confronted Saul, Saul's reply was "But we were going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God."
Once again, we see there is no personal relationship with God himself...it's "your God" not "my God." He even consulted a Psychic when he felt God wasn't listening. Everything Saul did was about Saul. Even though he was chosen by God to fulfill God's mission...he never fully surrendered to doing it God's way.

If you want to see the heart behind David and his relationship with God, just read the book of Psalms.
                   "The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all I need...O Lord, I give my life to you. I trust in you,
                    my God....Show me the right path, O Lord, Lead me by your truth and teach me, For
                    you are the God that saves me. All day long I put my hope in you...."
When David committed aduletry and murder to cover it up....
                 "Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great
                  compassion blot out the stains of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from
                  my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night....Oh give me my joy
                  back, you have broken me- now let me rejoice..."

Do you see the heart difference?
Saul pleaded to Samuel
David pleaded to God

Saul sought council from a psychic
David sought wisdom from God

Saul was sorry
David was repentant

Saul was desperate
David was broken

Saul wanted God's favor
David wanted God forgiveness

Saul wanted victories from God
David wanted God

We have all been given the opportunities to do great things for the Kingdom of God. We have been chosen to share in his Kingdom by our relationship with the King of Kings..Jesus. We get to be co-heirs with Christ in the Kingdom of God. Now what will we do with it? Will we hide behind the baggage when God calls us to do something or believe so much in the power of God that we are willing to fight a giant? Will we have so much faith in our God that it covers the insecurities of ourselves? Will we believe that we have been chosen by God when we have been overlooked by people? When we pray, will it be to tell God what we need or ask God what He wants? When we make mistakes, will we make excuses or fall at the feet of God ask to God to not just forgive us, but to change us? Which King will you be....

King Saul OR King David

Are you superstitious?

I have spent the last four months studying 1 and 2 Samuel and can't wait to share with you all that God has been teaching me (some good, some of it painful, some of it convicting...welcome to the party). You got a taste of it in the last post about Samuel and discipline...and this week will be about the Israelites and superstition. We live in a world that is extremely superstitious...heck, I am writing this post 2 days before the holiday that is about black cats, the day of the dead, and if kids don't share their candy something bad will happen to them (oh...is that just in our house?). The world of athletics has superstition draped all over it. You have the baseball player that takes 15 minutes between each swing because he has to go through his entire ritual. You have the football player that hasn't washed his socks the entire season because they are good luck (say extra prayers for that momma). You have the softball players that have to say the exact cheers at the exact time every single game. Right now the world series looks like it is made up of the entire cast of Duck Dynasty because the Red Sox players won't shave their face until after season. The world of sports does some crazy things in hopes that doing that one thing will help them win. Sound strange? What is stranger is we treat God as that pair of socks we don't wash so we can win or that rabbit foot we carry for that little extra luck. The Israelites did it then, and we still do it now. We see in 1 Samuel 4 that God's people (the Israelites) were at war with the Philistines. The Philistines had attacked the Israelites and won (vs. 2) and the Israelites started questioning why they had lost... "Why did the Lord allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?" Then they said, "Let's bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies." (vs. 3) They needed a win...they needed something good to happen to them so why not take God with them into battle this time. Yes! That will do it...if they do something for God he has to do something for them. Does this sound familiar? It should, we still do it all the time. We think if we do all the right things, all the time...nothing bad should happen. We keep track of how much we go to church, read the bible, do good things, all in hopes that God is keeping track to. All because one day you might need something and God will step in because we have done so much for him. Or maybe we don't spend one minute of the day with him and then something bad happens and then we think.."I am losing, I better start talking to him again." The crazy thing if I were to ask you, "Do you talk to God more during good times or bad?" I would guess your answer would be during bad times....and yet we asked God why bad things happen to us. Ummm... (I know! That one hit me hard) We are doing the same thing as the Israelites...we want something from God when we should just want God....Not what He can do for us but in us. We do those things to get closer to God not get something from God. Its not just what we do, but the heart behind why we do it. When we treat God as our Santa Clause to give us what we want or a rabbits foot to give us a little luck we will lose just like the Israelites. Yep...they lost the battle and the Ark of the Covenant. God is not something we need some times, He is a God that we need all the time! But when we honor and respect God as our Father, Jesus as our Savior, and the Holy Spirit is our leader we can't help but win...all the time. That's right win...all the time. This doesn't mean bad things wont happen or times will never be hard. It means we can still have joy during struggles because we have God. It means will can still have peace during the pain because we have God. It means we can still of hope in tough situations because we have God. There is hope in Jesus...not luck. There is peace in Jesus...not luck. There is strength in Jesus...not luck. I will take Jesus over luck any day...all day!

Hugs are not important, but necessary

I don't know about you but for me parenting is the hardest, most awesome, overwhelming, fulfilling, tiring. crazy, fun, discouraging, encouraging job there is. And when your husband is a football coach, you have more children with more struggles than you can count. Right now, we have a former OU softball player living with us and our other guest bedroom is occupied at an given night of the week with current or former football players. So you can say our house is a little crazy.  I want to introduce you to a man who took people in and taught them things of God, his name was Eli. Eli was the priest of Israel along with his two sons when a boy by the named of Samuel came to live with Eli and learn about God. Eli did some great things as a man in ministry, but failed as a parent in the home. You see, Eli's two sons stole, cheated, and seduced women all in the walls of the church. And Eli did nothing: "Eli was old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel..." (1 Samuel 2:22)  Well Crap, God has got my attention. Because how often do people outside our home get our best: our best attitudes, our best attention, our best selves while those in our homes see the short tempered, tired, overwhelmed person. All because we are trying so hard to put on the "we have everything in order" face on. Anybody else? We know things arent great in our home, but everyone thinks It is so we are good. Oh, but we are not. Because although people don't see, God always does. "Then the Lord said to Samuel, 'I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. I am going to carry out all the threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn't disciplined them." (1 Samuel 3:11-13) There is it...did you catch it? Did you see the dirty word? The whole reason and area that Eli failed and if we don't learn from Eli....we will to: as parents and followers of Jesus. It's kinda like when I take my kids to get their shots. It's never pleasant, but it is necessary. Nobody likes shots and nobody likes discipline. Because like shots, we view discipline as something painful and negative situation. BUT DISCIPLINE is not just important it is NECESSARY in all aspects of life. But for the sake of not wanting to turn you off from the rest of this blog post because nobody wants to hear the word discipline, we are going to exchange "discipline" for "hugs"
There are 3 areas of "hugs" the bible teaches us about:

1) We must HUGS our children (To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child Proverbs 29:15). I am not here to debate how you hug your children but just to remind you that it is necessary. Why? Because it is from us they learn obedience, honesty, and respect and it is from us they need to learn that there are consequences when you don't show these things. And if we don't teach them that as our children, the world will teach them that as adults. And I don't know about you but I want my children to be respected in their professions, loved as someone's spouse for 50 years, and have a heart after God's.

2) God HUGS us. ("Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good." Deuteronomy 8:5) I tell my children all the time..."Because I have lived longer, experience more, and learned much...I know more." Well, God is the beginning and the end of time. He has experienced everything to everyone. And He knows all, is in all, and created all therefore he knows all. And when I get off on my own path because I think I know the way, He gently reminds me with a little HUGS that He is God and I am not so get back on the path....MY path.


3) We must have Spiritual HUGS
Just like athletes training for their sport we too are in training. Athletes have to be disciplined in their training. ("Athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize, but we do it for an eternal prize. 1 Corinthians 9:25) And we too, have to be disciplined in ours. Notice it doesn't say Prisoners. Athletes don't have to train and don't even have to play. There are some athletes who don't practice and just show up for the games. There are some athletes who are covered in all the right equipment, but never step foot on the field. Those athletes that train and are disciplined in their training do it out of love of the game. There are people all the time that don't want to "practice" Christianity and just show up for the big Heaven game. There are people who covered with the Christian lingo, but have never had a conversation with Jesus. We don't do Spiritual HUGS like reading the bible, going to church, and praying because we have to BUT for Love of Our God.

We learn from Eli, that HUGS is not only important in our lives, but necessary. And so is discipline:)

Behind the Bench

It's here...the time of year where single parenting comes into effect. My children will eat mostly Mcdonald's drive thru (including the occasional left over French fry found in the seat), concession stand nachos, and for those games at the end of the month when there is "no mo money" we will have the pbj sandwich in the car. Yep! It's football season. A season of joys, concerns, ups, downs, people who love you, and those who don't. There will be those nights your husband doesn't sleep thinking about what he could have done differently. There will be the teachers that will give an 8 oclock test on the day after a Thursday night game. And my favorite, the parents that believe their child should and will be the next Sam Bradford, Brian Urlacher, or Wes Welker.
As a parent myself, I have learned to understand the mind of "sports parent"....well at least, I have tried. I understand they only want the best for their kid. I understand they want to see their kid succeed. I understand they want their kid to be in the best possible situation. I understand all that because that is what I want for my own kids.

But I am learning that what I want isn't what I need. Or should I say, what I think I want isn't what  need. The Israelites learned this lesson the hard way and because we should learn life lessons today from those who lived it yesterday, we need to take notes from the Israelites...on what NOT to do.

At this time, the Israelites didn't have a King, but were lead by Judges. Samuel, a prophet of God, was serving as Israel's judge at the time, but was getting older.

1 Samuel 8: 4-5"Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. "Look," they told him, "you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a King to judge us like all the other nations have."

 The moment we compare ourselves to other people, or the world in general, is the day our contentment dies. We are content with who God made us or content with what God gave us until we see someone else and what they have. The quickest way to forget what God has given us is to focus on what God has given them. There is a reason he made you the way he did, for HIM not the world. There is a reason God has you where you are, for HIM not the world. There is reason God gives us what we need and not what we want because we have no idea what we want. This year it is a different job. Next year it is a different house. Today it is my son to play quarterback not on the offensive line. What we want changes with the wind because the world changes with the wind. All you have to do is look at pictures of my hair over the past 20 years. You will see short, long, blonde, brown, black, straight, curly, and on and on. It's exhausting keeping up with what the world says we should have or become. The Israelites were no different....they changed gods like I changed hairstyles. They worshipped and prayed for whatever they felt they wanted and needed at that time. What if everything we did and everything we prayed for was just to know God more and his ways better? Because the Bible says, God is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In a world that is always changing, we can find peace and stability in a God that never does.  Our prayers become seeking God, and not giving advice to God.

1 Samuel 8: 6-9 "Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. 'Do everything they say to you the Lord replied, 'for it is me they are rejecting, not you. They don't want me to be their king any longer. Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed  other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.'"

You see, every time we want more and more of what the world has to offer and less and less of what God has to offer we are saying to God..."you are not enough." I love you God, but I need something else to be happy. I love you God, but I need this to change to be happy. I love you God, but I am asking for more to be happy. We are rejecting God as King of our lives and have abandoned him to chase the wind. When we constantly seek this from God instead of seeking God we become restless and will never be satisfied. But the same warning God gives to the Israelites is the same warning he gives to us "about the way a king will reign over them." The  king of the world will say you are not good enough. The King of Kings says...through my son, you already are. The king of the world will say you have to do more. The King of Kings says...it is finished. The king of the world will say you have too many weaknesses. The king of Kings says..in your weaknesses I am made strong.

God is not Santa Clause to give us what we want. He's not a rabbit's foot to be our lucky charm. He's not the monopoly man to give us a "get out of jail free" card every time we make a stupid mistake. He's the creator of the universe. The maker of heaven and earth. He's the one that knows all, sees all, makes all. God want our lives....not just the list of wants. God wants us to seek Him not just what he has to offer. God wants to be our living water so that we never thirst for acceptance of this world. God wants to be our bread of life so that we never crave the things of this world over Him. God wants us to "Love the Lord our God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord our God is our life." Deuteronomy 30:30
My husband always says: Coaches coach, players play, parents cheer. I would say: God leads, I follow, and others watch.

 Here's to staying Behind the Bench....

The Cure for the "Me Disease"

So...the family was sitting in the living room last night having a summer dance party when my husband's ESPN alert goes off on his phone. This sound is as regular as the ringing of the phone and means that something big just happened or in this case about to happen...their was a no-hitter in the making in the bottom of the 9th inning with a Cincinnati Reds pitcher named Homer Bailey. We all sat around the TV in anticipation like we had watched the entire game and waited and watched...watched a man attain one of the hardest things to do in the sports world. It was awesome! But the most awesome thing for me to see was the excitement from his teammates, coaches, and fans who were so excited at the success of someone else. In a world that suffers from the "me disease", I love that in this moment, people were cheering, yelling, and dog piling because of someone else's success. As fans of sports you feel like you are part of something bigger than yourself...you are a part of something great and you can't help but cheer.

Unfortunately, we have always suffered from this me disease because it is a part of that stupid sin nature we were born with (thanks for that Adam and eve), but there was a man who understood how God intended the world to work and set us the ultimate example to follow. He showed us what it looked like to be watching something great unfold right before your eyes and cheer. His name was John the Baptist.

John was the man that was born to Elizabeth, one of Mary's relatives, right before Jesus was born. He was also the man that baptized Jesus. He baptized the son of God! That right there, gave him the right to think he was pretty awesome stuff. He also had followers and would have been considered elite in the twitter world of followers....but it was these followers that allowed us to see the true character of the man we call John the Baptist.

"So John's followers came to him and said, "Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the river, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everyone is going to him instead of coming to us." John 3:26

That's right...they were upset because more people were getting baptized by the son of God than them. Sounds crazy right? How can someone be jealous for doing what God has called them to do? It still happens...all the time. I see churches tearing down other churches because more people are going there instead of their church. I have seen ministries tear down other ministries because they are getting more people involved than them. I have seen pastors tear down other pastors because their church family is growing more. I have seen people  tear down other people's children because they are out performing their own children. I have seen coaches tear down other coaches because of the success they are having. I have seen women tear down other women because of the success they appear to have in their world, inside or outside the home. Heck, I have done some of these things. We all struggle with this disease....but John the Baptist new the cure...

"John replied, "No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. You yourselves know how plainly I told you, 'I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.' It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. There fore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must be greater and greater, and I must become less and less." John 27-30

Seriously, if I was one of his followers I would have quietly backed up and went and put my head in a hole because they were just schooled and so was I. The cure to the "me disease" is Christ. You see, so many times we think being humble is thinking less of ourselves, but Rick Warren's definition  of humility says it best: "Humility isn't thinking less about yourself, its thinking about yourself less." Whether we think highly of ourselves or lowly of ourselves, we are still thinking about ourselves. John through it back to God. He was so confident in who God made him to be and his role God had him, that he was able to be "filled with joy at his success." Wouldn't you love to be so confident in who God made you to be and the gifts God made you to do on this earth, that you were able to be filled with joy at someone else's success? Your friend calls you and tells you her kid made the varsity team, and you are genuinely filled with joy because God might use their child in a great way. Your friend calls you and tells you her husband got the Head coaching job and you are genuinely filled with joy for their family because you believe God wants to use their family to be an influence for Christ.

God has a story for each one of us to be a part of....His story. And in His story we all have different roles. Some will be called to teach, some will be called to encourage, some will be called to sing, some will be called to hospitality, some will be called to lead....BUT ALL WILL BE CALLED TO DO IN THE NAME OF JESUS.
Because John knew and understood his role was to point everyone to Jesus, he knew that he must become less and Jesus must become more. My pastor puts it this way, "To mature physically we must increase, to mature spiritually we must decrease." When you are constantly engaging in God's Word and who He is, there is no room or time, to be jealous of who someone else is.

God has given us gifts and talents to be used for His Glory, not for ours. God has placed us right where he wants us for His purpose, not for ours.

 When we become less, He becomes more, and we are filled with joy for everyone else

And now you can cheer...or stick your head in a hole, whatever God leads you to do:)

Rules or Relationship

Happy May

Yes it is may in Oklahoma, but feels more like March. We still find ways to get outside and enjoy God's creation, sports:) We were outside the other day and our 3 year old was playing golf and I noticed every time he would hit the ball, he had to bend down and stare at the ball like he is doing in this picture...every time. I finally asked,

"Case, what are you doing?"

"I am staring at the ball, momma." 

"Ok, but why are you staring at the ball?"

"That's what all the people do when they play golf."

"Do you know why they bend down like that?"

"Yes! to make sure the golf ball is still there before they hit it"

Yes...the boy loves his sports and yes the boy loves his games...but no, the boy doesn't know all the rules or the reason for the rules of his sports and he is OK with that. Are we?

I have been reading the book of Mark and read the story in Mark 2: 23-28. The religious leaders known as the Pharisees, are not really excited about Jesus at this time because he was "breaking their rules"... ironically, the rules that were suppose to honor the very God they were talking to in person. In this particular story, Jesus was walking with his disciples through some grain fields and they began eating some of the grain. The Pharisees said to Jesus, "Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?"

They are referring to one of the 10 Commandments...you know the "Big Rules", that says "Remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy." (Exodus 20:8) Jesus replied, "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath."

Oh How I love that...the sabbath was created as a day of rest not a day of requirements. God knows our minds need rest. God knows our bodies need rest. God knows our hearts need rest. And we find this rest in Him not in keeping the rules. How often do we do things because of the rules of God and not the Love for God. We might go to church and check off that rule for the week. We might not take a drink of alcohol and check off that rule for the week. We might not say a dirty word and we check off that rule for the week. (Still working on this rule) We make sure to follow all these rules when all we are doing is staring at a golf ball because that is what we think we are suppose to do. We become religious when we forget the reason for the rules. When we focus on the rules we forget the relationship. When we focus on the rules we forget the risen savior. The rules were made to protect us...our hearts, mind, and bodies. The rules were made to bring us closer to God not further away from him. The rules were to made to show us that it was impossible to keep them which is why we needed a savior...we have a savior yet we still keep focusing all our efforts on keeping the rules. Jesus says it this way, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God." The Sarah Version would interpret it this way, "these people honor me with their rule following, but their hearts are far from me. Their rule focusing is a fake act of worship because they are man-driven and not God given.

Now some people will read this and believe I have given them free reign to do whatever they want when they want...But once again, the focus is on rules, or lack thereof, and not the relationship. There are a lot of things I do like church, bible study, dates with Jesus etc not because i value the rules of God but because I value the relationship with God. And there are a lot of things I don't do like watch certain shows or movies, listen to certain songs, read certain books etc. not because I am that good, but because I am that bad. I know I have so many struggles and weaknesses and if I do those certain things it affects my relationship with Jesus. Those things may not affect you like they do me. And there may be things you don't do that do because it doesn't affect me. It's all about Jesus...loving Jesus, praising Jesus and worshipping Jesus. So I would encourage you to look at your life and ask..."Am I staring at golf ball because that is what I think I am suppose to do" or are you actually studying the relationship between the ball, the putting green, and the putter so you can make the best possible play in this game we called life."

Moving again?

Being married to a coach, we have moved a lot. And I hate moving. Don't get me wrong, I love the new experiences and meeting new people it is the actual loading the boxes, taping the boxes, marking the boxes, moving the boxes, unloading the boxes, and removing the boxes. Boo! It is a lot of work to move. But as much as I have moved physically it doesn't compare with the amount of times I have been moved by God spiritually. When I hear people's stories, I am moved by God. When I go to church, i am moved by God. When I pray, I am moved by God. When I listen to a certain song, I am moved by God. But God has taught me something about moving through a man in the Bible by the name of King Nebuchadnezzer.
Let me just give you a little background on him. He was the King of Babylon and took of Jerusalem which means he also ruled over God's people including Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego. He was a king that liked to be king. He made statues of himself so that people would bow down and worship him. He had a whole group of magicians, enchanters and sorcerers that surrounded him. Needless to say, he did not worship the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac,and Jacob. But as I was reading about him in Daniel, I noticed something...there were so many times he was moved by God, but not changed by God. In Daniel 2, God helps Daniel interpret the King's Dream, something none of his magicians could do. The king said, "Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of Kings and revealer of mysteries for you have been able to reveal this mystery." (Daniel 2:47). But in Chapter 3 he builds a statue of Gold that everyone in the land will bow down and worship when they hear the music. He was moved by God, but not changed by God. When Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego refuse to bow down to the statue because of their faith in God, the King throws them into the furnace to be burned. When God saves them, the king says, "How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders!His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom...." (Daniel 4:3) Oh but he continued his doing his own thing in his own way...not willing to "break off from his sins and practice rigteousness" (Daniel 4:27). Once again, he was moved by God, but no changed by God.
Can you relate? I can! I do this all the time! I will listen to a sermon in church or a podcast sermon and I am moved by God. I think, "man, that was awesome." But I leave never being anything different, never changing my ways. I read books like Not a fan, crazy love, Christian Athiest and think, "Wow, those where great books", but do I ever let God do more than just move me? God doesn't want to move me, he wants to change me. If we are not changing then we are not growing. I want to grow, therefore i must go through the growing pains of change. I have to address my own sin and change. I have to address my own pride and change. I have to address my own insecurities and change. I don't want to just be moved by God, I want to be changed by God. When I was writing all this in my journal, I wrote down four stages God takes me through during this process of growing closer to him. First, I have to know with everything in me that I am LOVED by Him. I have gotten stuck so many times as this first stage. I have to know with everything in me there is nothing I can do to make God love me more and there is nothing I can do to make God love me less. I AM LOVED! Second, I have to be MOVED by him through his word, his messages, his people. My heart has to be open to God and not hardened by the things of this world. Third, I have to be CHANGED by him. I have to be willing to really ask God to change my heart, change my ways, change me. Fourth, I have to go through all these stages before I can be USED by him. LOVED, MOVED, CHANGED, and USED. As followers of Jesus, I believe we all have to go through this process. I don't know where you are...maybe you are stuck at believing that you are LOVED. Maybe you are stuck and ok with just being MOVED by God, like King Nebuchadnezzar, but there is no growing relationship with Jesus. Maybe you are in the painful process of being CHANGED by God. Or maybe you have reached the final step of being USED by God. Wherever you are, don't stop! Each phase is a struggle, each phase there is pain, but each phase there is more of God...more of his goodness, more of his faithfulness, more of his love, more of his mercy, more of his grace. MORE of HIM!
King Nebuchadnezzer was lost, but was found. He was prideful, but was humbled. He was moved, but he was also changed. We read in Daniel 5 after God stripped him of his kingdom and left him with nothing but God... it was there, he was changed by God. In Daniel 5:37, he says, "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the king of heaven, for his works are right and his ways are just: and those who walk in pride he is able to humble."
The same God that changed LOVED, MOVED, CHANGED, and USED King Nebuchadnezzar is the same God that wants to LOVE, MOVE, CHANGE, and USE you and me!!

Stuck in a slump

Slump is a dirty word in the sports world especially in the world of baseball and softball. As an athlete, you never want to be in a slump because that means you aren't hitting very well or if you are pitcher, everyone is hitting well. The thing about being in a slump is you usually have no idea how you got there and no idea how to get out.

I don't play baseball or softball, but do go through slumps. It's those times when your life just keeps giving you curve balls. During my slumps, I get tired, overwhelmed, impatient, discouraged, lonely as a mom, as a wife, as a friend, as a person in ministry. I just can't seem to do it all or do anything well, at least. I am learning what leads to my slumps and how to get out of them. During one of my slumps, I had just come out of a very taxing ministry season and I was drained spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. I opened my bible and was needing to hear from Jesus when I read this....

"I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don't tolerate evil people....you have patiently suffered for me without quitting."

I remember reading this thinking, "Oh God, thank you. You do see everything I have done for your kingdom and you do see me." THEN, I continued reading...

"But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first!. Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don't repen,. I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches."

Oh crap...he had seen everything I had done, but didn't care because I had neglected the reason why I did them, HIM. I had neglected my first love, HIM. I had done so much for him without HIM. As my pastor describes it, I had become a full time minister, part time follower of Christ. I had become a full time mom and wife and part time follower of Christ. And he made it very clear, He would have no problem removing my lampstand from its place or in my case, removing me from ministry if it brought me back to him and seeking His face full time. He didn't need my ministry, he wanted me. For you, you may be a full time mom, part time follwer of Christ and you are in a slump. You may be a full time teacher and a part time follower of Christ and you are in a slump.  You may be a full time volunteer and a part time follower of Christ and you are in a slump. You may be a full time problem fixer and a part time follower of Christ and you are in a slump. When we get these roles reversed is when we are likely to go into a slump.

So How do we get out of the slump? It doesn't matter whether it is a slump in your marriage, a slump with your relationship with Jesus, a slump in your job, a slump with your kids....we get out of them the same way. We "Turn back to Jesus and do the works we did at first."
It's kinda like when my kids are trying to get their zipper zipped on their coats and it the zipper gets stuck (which is every day) and I tell them the same thing every time, "Go backwards in order to go forwards." When we get stuck in a slump we must go backwards in order to go forwards. We must go back and do what we did at first....if'its in your marriage, go on dates again, write love notes, send sweet messages, all the stuff you did when you were first dating .If it's your children, play with them, read a book to them, all the things we couldn't wait to do before we had children.  If it's your relationship with Jesus, go on dates with Jesus. Get in His word and read His sweet messages to you. Read His Word to change, not to finish. Listen to praise music and let them be God's love songs to you. Do all the things you did at first when you couldn't get enough of Jesus.

Everyone goes through slumps, so please know you are not alone. We want to put on the face that everything is alright all the time. We need to be real with each other and the times we are going through our slumps so that we can help each other through them. Will you be real today? I will start...

"Hi my name is Sarah Roberts and I struggle with slumps"

Ouch...God may have just hit me in the mouth

Well, it is that week again....that week you either love or hate. It is the week that the fact that you are single, divorced, or widowed is so highlighted that you feel as though you are walking around with a giant neon sign announcing your relationship status. Or maybe each year you build up in your mind, that because you are married or in a relationship, that it is going to be a day of lavishing you with cards, roses, homemade candlelight dinner, just like it is at my house every year (ha ha...just kidding), just to be disappointed at the end of the day because it didn't live up to your expectation. Well, I have been studying the book of Galatians and I got punched in the mouth with some truth,so I am just paying it forward...you're welcome:)

 There are ways that we need to focus on ourselves but tend to focus on others...

This includes Sin. Yes Sin. We all have it but nobody likes to address it...well their own anyway. It's easier, less painful, less uncomfortable to focus on other people's sin rather than addressing our own. It works out better for us if we can keep the attention on Mary Lou who just got divorced instead of addressing the fact that we secretly are addicted to pain killers, shopping, attention, etc. Jesus knew we would struggle with this so he said this, "And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? how can you think of saying to your friend, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye.' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First, get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friends eye." Matthew 7:3-5
And before you start pointing the finger because you feel people judge you, believe me you do it too. We all do...every single one of us. We all judge people, and we usually judge people based on things we don't struggle with. God wants us to focus on ourselves when it comes to sin...address our own sin, issues, and problems. If you are like me, you have plenty to deal with, you don't have time to deal with other people's sin.
We love to Covet. (Galatians 6:4)We love to want what everyone else has. Instead of focusing on ourselves and what God has blessed us with, we focus on what God has given everybody else. Comparison kills contentment, which means we are happy with who we are and what we have until  we see what somebody else has.  For me, this happens a lot with parenting. I am confident and love how I am as a mom and what we do with the kids until I see someone who has made an entire zoo full of animals made out of used toilet paper rolls...then I think "I suck." Once again, God doesn't want us focusing on other people when He's trying to shape us into HIS Image not everyone else's.

There are ways we need to focus on others but tend to focus on ourselves

We have taken the word serve and made it into how can people serve "me." (Galatians 6: 8-10) I know that sounds harsh, but we are all guilty of it. We may pout because we didn't get the recognition we thought we deserved. We may be bitter because no one has said thank you for everything you have done for them. What started out as service ends up being..."What about me?" "they aren't meeting my needs?" "where is my 'me' time?" And the focus is on you instead of others. We live in a world that says "Do want makes you happy," "As long as you re happy?"....all because we think the world is here for us, when in fact we are here to serve the world in the name of Jesus. If the King of Kings says, "I did not come to be served, but to serve..." I think we should follow His lead. 

Love...we spend our entire lives looking for people who can love us. I get so discouraged reading facebook and twitter the week of Valentine's day because it is just depressing how people talk about not having anyone to love them or how their husband dropped the ball this year.  Since when did Valentines day become about who all can show you love? The creator of the Universe is so madly in love with you that He died for you. You are part of the greatest love story in the world. How about we make this Valentines day about how YOU can show love to OTHERS. Maybe there is a widow who is alone for the first time in 25 years and you could take her out for dinner. Maybe there is a mom who is spending their first Valentines day without their child this year and you could take a teddy bear to the family in honor of their child. Maybe there is a woman who's husband is fighting for our country's freedom and could use some flowers from Jesus this week. You are loved...now go spread it!

There is a fine line between focusing on ourselves and focusing on others. We are called to do both, but so often we get the lines crossed on which is which. So how do we walk the thin line? With Jesus of Course. Jesus said, is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself."  Love your neighbor as yourself." When we love God first, it's possible to keep 2nd and 3rd in line.

The Secret

I absolutely love secrets, the good kind. The secrets of surprise birthday parties, or the secrets of a pregnancy, the secret of someone about to propose. I love the excitement, the build-up to the happiness that I know is about to occur. Although I love these kind of secrets, I suck at keeping them. If you want to know what I got you for your birthday or for Christmas...just ask me I will tell you. You can ask anyone in my family, I get so excited that I just have to share right now or if I don't say anything it is written all over my face that I need to tell you something that is going to make you so happy! The excitement is just too much for me and I think you need to know the secret now. Well, I have a secret. Yep! I have found the secret to being content with whatever I have....well, actually Paul found it and shared it.  I know right? That is a pretty big secret...that is the secret we would all like to know...the secret not be driven by the things of this world or not having our emotions depend on our circumstances. Wouldn't you like that...I know I would. I would love to have self-control when I go into a store and see some boots and not feel like I have to have them righ now and if I don't get them I just won't fit in to the world. I would love to go through a day and no matter what happens in the day whether my work day has been overwhelming or my kids are not obeying me, or my husband had a bad meeting with a parent, that I would still have joy. I would love to go through every circumstance, every up and down, and  handle it in such a way that people say "there is something different about her. I would love the secret to that life. Wouldn't you? Wouldn't you love to go to the fridge and seeing there is no food there and one more day until pay day and still have joy. Wouldn't you love to go to the fridge and it be completely stocked and be filled with so much joy because you know that that doesn't happen for everyone. Wouldn't you love to answer a phone call from your children's principle and no matter what they say on the other end you know that you can still have joy. Woulnd't you love to know that when you are waiting for that phone call from your Doctor to tell you if you have cancer or not, that whatever news you get, you are filled with joy and peace. This secret is worth more than gold...it's the key to all joy in this world...holy crap I am getting so excited to tell you. I am excited to tell you because I visit with people everyday who walk around completely defeated. Their job sucks...therefore they have no joy. Their marriage sucks...therefore they have no joy. Their relationship with their family sucks....therefore they have no joy. The circumstances of this broken world has just completetly overwhelmed them and they walk around completely defeated. But I know the secret....the secret to change all that....the secret to joy in any circumstance....the secret to peace that passes all understanding. Are you ready...are you sure....it's a big secret....here it goes....

Paul writes in Philippians 4:11-13: "...For I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

Did you catch it? Did you catch the secret? It is easy to miss it
J
The Secret is....JESUS!!!

For some of you this might be a let down...you might be thinking "Well of course it is Jesus....I have been a Christian my whole life....that is the sunday school answer...Yes, I asked Jesus to be my Savior when I was 9 and still feel down, alone, and defeated...isn't there another answer to this riddle of finding joy in our life"
NOPE! That is the secret...as a follower of Christ you hold the very key, they key to all the power in the world with one relationship, with one name, with one person: Jesus.

It's kinda like in the movie Kung Fu Panda....the key to defeating the enemy of the world was in the dragon scroll and only the dragon warrior could read the dragon scroll. Once, the unlikely dragon warrior, PO the Panda opened the dragon scroll to find the secret...it was blank. After feeling defeated, he finally figured it out, the secret to defeating the enemy lied in him the whole time. 

I think it is time followers of Jesus, Christians, start understanding the power that comes with having Jesus in their life. He is not just heaven insurance...he is the secret to living this life with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. You can do ALL things through Jesus who gives you strength! When bad things happen you CAN find joy because you know that Jesus works all things to the good (Romans 8:28)...even the bad. When you are struggling with your work, children, or spouse, you CAN find joy because you know that if we do not give up we WILL reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up (Galatians 6:9) There is power in Jesus to save your marriage, there is power in Jesus to mend a broken relationship, there is Power in Jesus to have a winning season, there is Power in Jesus to overcome an addiction, there is Power in Jesus to overcome the hurts and pain of this world. You see, Jesus isn't just our Savior from Hell, but our Source of joy and peace in all circumstances on earth!

There is a reason Jesus said to pray this in the Lord's Prayer, "...Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven...." We can have on earth what we will have in heaven....That is the secret! We CAN do ALL things THROUGH JESUS because He gives us the strength.

Life without an *

In 2001 a movie came out called 61* which was about the 1960 Major League Baseball season where Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris' pursued Babe Ruth's home run record. They were teammates playing for the New York Yankees and while the New York fans and media were pulling for the popular and personable Mantle, a long-time Yankee. The quieter Maris was viewed as an outsider, aloof and unworthy. As they got closer to the record, MLB Commissioner Ford Frick, who also happened to be Babe Ruth's admirer and ghostwriter, makes a decision. Unless the record is broken in 154 games (the same number Ruth played in 1927), the new record would be listed separately from Ruth's record, because MLB's season is now 162 games long thus making it a record with an *. Maris did break the record in the last game of the season and for the longest time his record was a 61* until 1991 where they decided records were records and they would not be separated.

Many of us walk around as followers of Christ*, believing we are forgiven*, knowing that we will get to spend eternity in heaven someday*. We view ourselves as an "outsider, aloof and unworthy" of taking part in any blessings that God may want to impart on us or our family. We believe God can do great things, BUT just for other people. God can do great things BUT just not for me. Our entire walk with Christ has an * by it because we think "I am not good enough," "I can't live up to His standards", "He could never forgive me for what I have done so I work a little bit harder for it",  "If he knew me and what I have done, he couldnt love me let alone die for me", "Yes I know I get to be his follower, but I am sure I must walk around with an asterisk*" Right?  Wrong!
Because Christ lives in you, nothing else needs to be added, not even an asterisk*. You are a full-fledged child of God!

Romans 8:14-16 says, "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
¹⁵ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
We may say that we are children of God, but we live as though we are slaves...slaves to sin, slaves to shame, slaves to unworthiness, slaves to doubt all making us children of God*

Whenever I am walking around with the asterisk*, I find comfort in the Story of David. David loved God, followed God, obeyed God, but after some of the decisions he made (adultery, murder just to name a few) God could have put an asterisk* after everything David did after that. He was a great man of God*, But...., He loved me*, But...., He obeyed me,*...Most of the time...

But He did none of that...instead in Acts 13:22 it says, "After removing Saul, he made David their King. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'"
That's right God, after everything David did, called him "a man after my own heart." Oh how I love that!
God wants to remove the * from your life today! I don't know what it is for you, but it could be the one thing that is holding you back from all that God wants to do through you. Maybe your * is guilt for your past, maybe your * is feeling inadequate, maybe your * is unforgiveness for someone else. Whatever has popped in your head while reading this, I urge you to stop what you are doing and pray...pray to take the asterisk* away:)  What Christ did on the cross was enough for you and for me!

If I can pray for you in any way please let me know! Here is to a New Year and living Life with out an *!!!