Cheap date with your spouse

How we made our date day into an adventure back in time....
We picked a topic that we both were interested in, we chose King Arthur because we have really been getting into this new show called Merlin. We went to our brand new library, split up and researched our topic. It was really fun because I was trying to get the materials before he could get to them and he wasn't concerned at all about speed. My competitive side came out as I spied on him and let out silent shouts of joy as he would got to a space ad see that it the book was already gone. It was like a scavenger hunt. We both checked out with our prizes and headed for a used book store in downtown.
We put the address in our GPS and away we went to explore a new part of town. This book store, The Black Swan, is AWESOME. I love the smell of old books, the sound of my sneakers on the hard word floors, and the feeling of potential knowledge enclosing in on my brain. There were wonderfully squeaky chairs, and secret reading nooks (ok, probably not secret but I can pretend). We had two scores. One we found a beautiful copy of Morte D"Arthur and two I found a Book of Common Prayer pre-1945 (I've been looking for awhile). With all of our treasurers safely tucked into our reusable shopping back we headed to a new coffee shop we had heard about. We spent an hour in the coffee shop searching for the answer to our theme question for the day, "How did Arthur die?" This caused great fun and we didn't talk about work!!
Our final search for the day was to find a restaurant that matched our new found knowledge. I mean when you have spent the day with Lancelot and Guinevere you can't go to McDonalds. Well, we found The Tavern and the ambiance matched our mood exactly. As we left the restaurant a hard rain fell from the sky and my DH, my King Arthur, my knight put his proverbial cloak over the rain puddles for me. Oh, and how did King Arthur die? Well, the answer is a mystery and I encourage you to embark on your own quest.

Christian Conversation

When I went to college, I paid the professors to teach me, but many of my lessons came from friends, classmates, co-workers, even the maintenance staff. I learned that life lessons come from anyone and everywhere. I learned that Jesus loved me from an African-American friend who was four years younger than me. A gay Catholic classmate taught me what it means to receive God’s grace through holy communion. A friend who was raised by a Mormon mother and a Catholic father taught me what it meant to have faith in one God. And a friend who grew up in the Quaker tradition taught me how to search and how to be still and know the presence of God. God brought these different people into my life and their sharing their different experiences of the same Lord, through Christian conversation, helped me to see that there was a place for me in the body of Christ. I know that Christ is still forming me through Christian conversation, he is still sanctifying Sarah. So, what holy conversations have you had recently?

Prayer Warriors?

Prayer is vital to my life. My lifeline to Jesus nourishes my mind, body and soul. Prayer keeps me grounded in his love. The holy bond I have with Jesus helps me move forward when I regret the past. The ongoing connection sustains me through this up and down journey that is life. In prayer I can give all my burdens and concerns to God. Once someone asked me who my best friend was, I thought about it, and said Jesus! They looked at me strangely and I said, Jesus is who I talk to most, who loves me unconditionally, loves me when I cry and when I smile, and gives me the best direction in my life. He has never missed an appointment and never sent me to voicemail. It has taken me years of practice to learn to go to Jesus first with my problems rather than as a last resort. It has taken a lot of practice to learn that when I say amen, the prayer is not over. If I think of my life like a tree, prayer is the roots and by those strong roots I am able to bare fruit for God’s kingdom. How do I get my roots watered? I mean I know what it's like when my prayer life is in balance, but when it's not it is so hard to get back on track. What do you do?

Can I get a Witness?

I have really been studying the word witness. It terrifies me and excites me at the same time. It makes me uncomfortable because I don't want people to look as some fanatic when I give a witness but it excited me because I have so many blessings to share. Sharing my witness is a balance of what I sharing the gifts God has given me and at the same time listening to others blessings too. What does it means to be in a ministry of witness.? Here is some of what I learned and it applies to all Christians...

1. The Word of God is alive. We Christians are Easter people, we do not worship a dead God but rather a risen Savior. We worship a God who is still working in the world, creating, shaping, and changing people. This realization helped me understand that I am called to bare witness to the Living Word of God. God is working in your life. You come here to worship a living God, who is gives us blessings beyond measure. Sharing your witness is simply telling others what God is doing in your life.
2. Proclamation of the Word means we are called to share the Good News. This is hard for many people because our experiences of Jesus may be intensely personal. Also, in our modern culture we are afraid of offending people. We may be afraid to proclaim our beliefs in the work place for fear of losing our jobs. We are afraid to be excluded from certain cliques. We may just be introverted people who are afraid to talk to strangers. Or, we may believe all of our friends are Christians. But what I realized is this call to proclaim the good news is more simple than I made it out to be, In the our Ephesians 1:3-14 Paul sums up the gospel in his greeting to the Ephesians. He gives thanks for what new gentile Christians have in common in this case with the Jewish Christians. In verse 4 he says every Christian was chosen, in verse 5 we are all destined to be adopted, we are all God’s children, in verse 7 he reminds the Ephesians that God gives his grace to all through the redemption and forgiveness of sin and in verse 11 we all have an inheritance in Jesus Christ. And finally, through our baptism we are all sealed with the Holy Spirit which Jesus promised us we would receive as recorded in Acts chapter one, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Proclaiming the good news than is really stating the facts of what we believe as Christians and what God reveals to us through Scripture, our experience, and our traditions. We are called to bare witness to the Good News, the facts of our Christian beliefs that lead to salvation. If God is working in your life than proclaim and celebrate it! When someone asks you what you are doing this weekend always add, going to Worship! When someone says “You are lucky!” say “I am blessed.” When someone invites you to lunch say, “May I say grace?"
3. The call to witness involves listening to and obeying God’s Spirit. Once we have proclaimed the Good News we must allow the Spirit to use us to tell others our own experience of Jesus Christ. We must learn to listen to people, their stories, their joys and their pain. There are many times in ministry and in life when there are no adequate words to say, when a co-worker is laid off, when a dear friend is diagnosed with cancer, when someone loses a child. These are the times when we must pray for the Spirits words, to come to our aid. We can recall John Wesley, the founder of Methodism’s words, “Offer them Christ.” I often struggle with the Spirit because often it doesn't fit on my to do list. But, I know to truly worship in Spirit and in Truth means I must be willing to allow myself to be a vessel for the Spirit. The fact is we who have been sealed by the Spirit are called to bare Witness to the Truth and let Jesus do the rest.

We must all claim our call to be ministers. No we may not all get up in a pulpit on Sunday, or be on tv, but we all are called to tell people the good things Jesus has done and is doing in our lives. So, what has HE done for you lately?

Growing into a new season

Summer is here. It seems every time a new season starts I feel like changing something. So, I got my hair cut shorter. Now I feel so good I am exercising more.  Which caused me to want to eat better. Which causes me to smile more. Which causes people to smile more at me. Which makes me have more friends. Wow, all that from one haircut? No, actually it comes from starting new, feeling fresh. The same thing happens to me on Sundays. Every week I get refreshed when I worship God in spirit and truth. I confess my sins, receive forgiveness, lay my burdens down, sing my joys and praise the Lord. This makes me ready to go into the world with the armor of God, ready to spread the good news, ready to face tomorrow, ready to share the blessings God has given me, ready for the good, the bad and the ugly. You get the picture! So, every season, every week, every day, we have the opportunity to do something new, to continue to grow, to start a new season.  So, what new thing are you doing? How have you grown this year? since you were in high school? If you're not growing, what are you going to do about it?

Good Birthday Thank You!

I had an awesome birthday surprise party thrown by my dear husband last year. I wrote a blog about it if you want to check it out. Anyway, I remember being sad after the festivities because I knew I was moving 800 miles away from all of my friends and family. I thought to myself, this will be the last birthday party you have for a long time. Well, how wrong I was!! The title of my blog is bloom where you are planted because I believe that is what all God's people are called to do, to flourish and thrive despite our current circumstances or surroundings. God has shown me in many ways this past year that the garden of life is full of wonderful friends no matter where you are planted. I had three birthday dinners, received several gifts from old friends and new friends, had 2 different people each give me 2 dozen cupcakes, and the phone rang off the hook with birthday greetings. I also received countless e-mails, posts, and snail mail cards with birthday cheer. Friends from all over the country took a minute to say, "Hey I remembered today is your special day and you are special to me."
My dear husband came through as always and got all of my hints as to what gift I wanted plus he brought me a chocolate lovers cake on Saturday and then made me chocolate mousse on my birthday. My favorite gift of all was from a new friend who gave me a potted pink gerber daisy. Ten percent of the sale of the daisy went to help Breast Cancer Awareness. My new friend said, "When I saw this in the store, I said that's Sarah." These cheerful daisies and the way they came into my life were a reminder from God that I am blooming is my new surroundings. It makes me feel good that my new friend recognized my heart for service and charity. It made me feel good that in my new home I have made a difference. My life matters, no matter where I am!
So to all of my friends near and far, thank you for being the flowers in my life, take my advice and bloom where you are planted, and always remember the master gardener is your creator.

Good enough, for Today!

I was riding on the bus yesterday with several children. One child pointed to my necklace and said, "I like that, what is that?" I said, "It's the cross with a heart around it." A different student, a boy, said, "I know what that is, that is God and it shows that you love him" I said, "Yes and he loves me too." The boy said, "God died on the cross." The first child said, "Oh, yeah, I saw the movie."
While I found this humorous it also helped me remember that everywhere I go, everything thing I do, and every word I says shows that I am a Christian. I have the opportunity to show people the way to Jesus or I can turn people the other way. I thought about this quick minute where I had the opportunity to share my faith. Was it enough? Did I say the right words? Do the kids really understand? Is there something more I should have done or said? I prayed about this last night and was comforted by the realization that I was well prepared for that faith moment. I said what came to my heart and God took care of the rest. When faced with a choice I chose to act and share my faith. I wasn't eloquent but I was honest. I didn't have a lot to say, but God made it enough.