come find me...

Emma Grace and Bella love to play hide and go seek. I always smile when I hear Emma Grace say, "Ready or not, here I come!" because Bella always replies, "Come find me! I'm in the living room, Wubs!". I said the girls loved to play hide and go seek- I didn't claim that they were particularly good at it. But, it's adorable! wink!

I have been reflecting on the scripture, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."- Jeremiah 29:14. Just like our little girls, I love to 'seek' but I'm not always very good at it. I sometimes forget that I will find the Lord when I am seeking whole heartedly. I confess to you that I get stuck in bad habits, like checking my email first thing in the morning, rather than first having my quiet time. (*gasp*- I know, I know. wink!) I also get trapped in sin's snare when I allow little lies to fill my thoughts, rather than the Truth. I know I need to take my thoughts captive, every single one.

So friends, I have been working on seeking the Lord, with all my heart. And guess what? I am finding Him, everywhere! He has been revealing His love to me in so many ways, and my heart has been encouraged greatly. God is always faithful.

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."- 2 Corinthians 10:5

Out of the overflow

Yesterday while we were driving home from the library, one of our children lost her temper and spoke unkind words to her mommy. I saw a gas station right up ahead, so I pulled into the parking lot. We needed to have a talk. It was a heart issue that couldn't wait until we got home. Her heart had filled up with anger, and it simply overflowed.
I gently repeated to my daughter what she had just said to me,and she dropped her head. She knew it wasn't nice;she immediately apologized, and asked for my forgiveness. I told her that I love her and I forgive her. I explained that I get angry sometimes too, and I have to ask for forgiveness.
"Did you know that Jesus says when our heart overflows, it comes out of our mouth? Do you know what that means?" "Well....no..."
"Overflow means when something gets soooo full, it spills out. If our heart is filled up with joy and love, our mouth speaks kind words. But when our heart is filled up with anger, our mouth speaks mad words. When we get home, I'll show you what Jesus was saying, okay?"
When we got home, the girls followed me into our kitchen. I got out my Bible and I showed them the red words in the book of Matthew where Jesus is speaking about the overflow of our hearts. Then I gave Bella a little empty glass, and I gave Wubs a measuring cup filled with water."Bella, that glass is just like your heart. Wubs, that water will be love and joy, okay? Now start pouring the love and joy into Bella's heart, but don't stop until you've poured all the water."
It didn't take long before Bella's hands were all wet, since the water overflowed from her cup!"Uh oh! Why are Bella's hands all wet?" "Because the cup got too full!" "You're right- the cup overflowed. There was SO much love and joy that Bella's heart overflowed. Now let's play again except this time... Wubs won't have love in her measuring cup. This time the water will be anger and sin. Let's try again."
Of course, the cup overflowed once again. The girls wanted to play one more round, except this time, Wubs wanted to be the 'heart' and Bella wanted to pour the water. So we played again.
"Do you want your heart to be filled up with love and joy so you can have kind words overflowing from your mouth?" "YES!"
"Me too. Do you know how we can fill up our hearts with love and joy? We can read our Bible and fill up our minds and hearts with God's words. Jesus is the only way we can have real love and real joy in our hearts."
I was thankful for this teachable moment with our children. I love it when God reminds me of His Truth through opportunities just like this!
"Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."- Matthew 12:34b
ps- Nana, thank you for the new jammies!

For Monica in Texas

Congratulations Monica! Jamie told me your happy news! I will be praying for you and your sweet baby! I hope to meet you one day. Love, Sarah

ps- I thought you might like to see some pictures of Jamie during her time in North Carolina!Jamie and SarahJamie and Louise
Jamie striking a pose! wink!

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." -Proverbs 27:17

Rewards

When I blog, I am always hopeful that the Lord might use it somehow. I hope that someone out there will read what I've written and be encouraged, blessed, curious, or even challenged. It's always neat to look at the left side of our blog at the Live Traffic Feed and wonder who has been viewing our blog. Thank you for taking a minute to visit us! wink! However, I also blog just so I can take a few minutes to think outloud and process whatever it is that is on my heart. Today, my heart is wrestling with rewards.
I began thinking about rewards this morning during homeschool. Our girls LOVE stickers, and each time they finish a worksheet or an activity, they ask for a sticker to place at the top of the completed product. I have a whole stash of fun stickers, so I've been pulling out a different sheet of stickers every day. Emma Grace and Bella squeal with delight to see what type of stickers they will get to choose from- whether it's animals or princesses or stars, etc. They work hard to receive this small token from mommy...it is their reward.
I started wondering, what is my reward? What is it that motivates me? To be completely honest friends, there are (many) days that I am simply motivated by my own sin nature. Too prideful to ask for help, I will push myself to complete the task alone. There are days that I am motivated by my selfishness, wanting the end product to have 'Sarah did it' written all over it. I praise God for giving me the Holy Spirit to open my eyes and convict my heart of my impure motives. I pray that the Lord will continue to reveal this sin in me so that I can do everything for the glory of God. Whether I'm wiping a little runny nose, taking a minute to have a conversation at Target with a stranger, or cooking dinner...I pray that it's not about me. Because if it is about me, I might as well not bother doing it. The next time I'm passing out stickers, I'm going to remember to pray that my reward is always found in the Lord!

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."- 1 Corinthians 10:31

Three Months Old

We all love this little boy so much! He is such a blessing! I can't help but smile when I see his sweet toothless grin. Here are a few tidibits about JJ at three months old:
Favorites- Our little man loves taking a bath, watching his sisters play, giving wet kisses, and his blue pacifier. (No other paci will do, even if it is the same style. He'll only accept the blue one! ha ha!)
Sleeping- JJ sleeps one six hour stretch at night, then wakes up about every two hours until morning.
Dislikes- His carseat...
Movement- No rolling over yet, but JJ does move! While laying on his back, JJ uses his feet to push on the floor and scoot himself forward.
Personality-JJ is an easy going baby. He rarely cries- only when he's hungry or tired- and he smiles often! We all enjoy his new giggles and happy squeals.

Thank you Lord for our son! We are so very grateful for the family You have given us!
"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty."- Zechariah 4:6

Wordless Wednesday: 1st library card

"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."- Proverbs 30:3

Fabulous

When you've got it, you've got it. wink.

"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers,"- Philemon 1:4

A peek at our 1st week...

This was our first week of homeschool! The girls have transitioned so smoothly into our new routine. I was a little concerned about what homeschool would look like this year, but wow! God has really blessed our family. He provided everything from curriculum to crayons. Bella loves, loves, loves doing her 'work' and Emma Grace happily picked up right where we left off last year. We are so thankful that JJ is such a sweet baby; he is perfectly content sitting on mommy's lap while she teaches his sisters! Here is what a homeschool day looks like for our first grader:
This is a picture of our 20 minute mid- morning break. The girls enjoy playing a computer game (Starfall.com) while we eat a special snack. We purchased a few snacks that can only be eaten during homeschool, so that has made snack time fun. Our refridgerator always displays one of our subjects. This week our memory scripture was the first half of Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." so we made a little craft and posted it so we could practice. This is what a homeschool day looks like for our three year old:(Bella is so funny! She always wants to sit on the kitchen floor to do her work! )Let me explain the picture above of Bella at the kitchen sink. Each day, the girls both get a folder filled with their work for that day. At the back of the folder, I've been slipping in a special card. (I made cards that are laminated and labeled with fun activities, such as playdough time, puzzles, window markers, games, computer time, etc.) Bella's activity card said 'water play' so she got to play at the sink for 20 minutes. She loved it! The girls have both really enjoyed these special activities at the end of their school work!

The next set of pictures were taken while we made clay jars. We've been learning that the very first Bible wasn't written in a book, like the Bibles we have today; it was written on scrolls! The scrolls were often stored in clay pottery jars. So, we mixed up some clay and made our own little jars. We are currently working our our alphabet scrolls to go inside our jars!And here is what a homeschool day looks like for our little man! When he's not on mommy's lap, he's usually dreaming about going fishing with daddy. wink! (Okay, just look at those sweet little rolls! Oooooh, I love this little boy!!) "I am with you always."- Matthew 28:20

Perspective

Before I get started- I am sorry I haven't been blogging much these days! I have lots I would love to share but the days have been flying by. Things are busy at church right now as we are recruiting volunteers for children's ministry and preparing for the new discipleship year, which is just around the corner. Plus, we started our homeschool year today! Bella is joining in on the fun with some pre-k lessons, and Emma Grace is in first grade. But now, I'm going to get down to the real reason for this post! wink! I have been wanting to write about something we heard on the radio last weekend. It was a pastor sharing a message about perspective. We missed the beginning of the sermon, so when we tuned in, the pastor was saying, "C plus P equals E." Huh? Let me explain...
C + P = E. The C in the equation stands for circumstance. The P stands for perspective, and the E stands for experience. Our circumctances, plus our perspective, will determine (or equal) our experience. Wow. Even if our circumstances are filled with challenges, trials, or temptations, as long as we have a Christ-like perspective (resting in the assurance that God is sovereign, loving, and in complete control) our experiences can be filled with joy and peace. I tell you what, I felt like that pastor was preaching over the radio waves just for me! I need that message daily. I have to admit, my perspective can be swayed all too easily by my circumstances. When I've had a 'good' day- our children are making wise choices, I've enjoyed a great conversation with my husband, the laundry pile has disappeared, I've gotten plenty of rest, etc- my perspective is wonderful! wink. But when I'm functioning on little sleep, my to-do list didn't get finished (again),and I realize I haven't had a shower in almost three days... I confess that my perspective isn't what it ought to be. Then the Holy Spirit gently whispers to me, and I remember: This is not where my eyes should be focused. I shouldn't have such a horizontal perspective, looking only at what is in front of me- the here and now. Instead, I need to have a vertical perspection, gazing up at my Heavenly Father who loves me more than I can even imagine and He has planned each and every day of my life!
I'm going to try hard to snap a few homeschool pictures this week to share. For now, here are pictures I took before we tucked the children into bed the other night. Oh, I love my precious family with all my heart!


"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul."- Psalm 143:8

Wordless Wednesday-A Trip to the Dentist

"Gold there is, and rubies in adundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel."- Proverbs 20:15

Refining

I cried yesterday. Several times. I cried overwhelmed tears, happy tears, and I-don't-know-what -is-wrong-with-me tears. wink.
I know that the Lord is refining me right now. It's a hard season... I would be fibbing if I told you otherwise. Please don't misunderstand me; it's also a season filled with blessings and the Lord's presence. Refining is hard and sometimes the sanctification process hurts, but that certainly doesn't mean it's a bad thing. I read the following devotion about refining and it really encouraged me. I hope it will bless you, too!
(Scripture reference- Malachi 3:2-3)
"There was a group of women in a Bible study discussing the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three they came across a verse which says, "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study meeting. That week the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that, in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot. She asked the silversmith if he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes of the silver the entire time it was in the fire. For if the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver has been fully refined?' He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's the easy part- when I can see my own image reflected in it.' "

Through the Word, I am reminded that the Lord will never give me more than I can bear, and He will never leave me. I am so thankful that God continues to refine me and grow me in His image. I really want there to be less Sarah, and more Jesus in my life. Even when I'm uncomfortable, I pray I will rejoice in the assurance that this season is what the Lord has planned for me... and He knows what is the very best. Have a wonderful weekend! "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."- Psalm 136:1

Surprise!

Yesterday was our eight year wedding anniversary! God has truly blessed our marriage abundantly. Our marriage would not be what it is today without the Lord, that is for certain. We don't have it all figured out, but we do know the Truth. For the first few years, we tried doing marriage 'our way' and if you know our testimony, you also know that we almost didn't make it. But doing marriage 'God's way' is a life filled with joy! We praise God for teaching us how to love one another!
I was telling Emma Grace and Bella about our anniversary, and they were fascinated. I explained that our anniversary is kind of like a birthday- it's a special day that comes one time every year and we celebrate being married. I pulled out our wedding album and although the girls have seen it before, they still loved looking at all the pictures. Emma Grace said, "Mommy, I wish I could have seen you in that princess dress. It's just so beautiful." I told her that I still have the dress, and if she wants to, she can wear it on her wedding day. However, once the girls heard me say that I still had the 'princess dress', they didn't hear anything else I had to say! wink! They both began to beg me to go put it on. We all giggled at the idea and I led them to my room to show the dress to them. "Pleeeeease put it on mommy!"
It was about 6pm, and I was expecting David home any minute. I looked at that beautiful dress laying across our bed. "Hmmmmm. Well, it is our anniversary, after all. Maybe it would be fun to surprise David and wear my wedding dress to greet him at the door?"
So, to the absolute delight of our two little girls, I slipped into the dress. It still fit! They cheered and I twirled and danced around the living room with them. We all eagerly awaited daddy's arrival. David had told me he would be a few minutes later than usual; he was going to run a quick errand with one of our dear family friends, Jeff. The girls began to squeal when we heard a truck pull into the cul-de-sac. We all ran to the front door to greet daddy! However, when I opened the door, the surprise was on me! wink! It wasn't just daddy, it was daddy and Jeff! We all laughed! I had to explain to Jeff that I don't normally wear my wedding dress around the house. It was an anniversary surprise that none of us will forget! ha ha ha!
Here are a few pictures that Wubs snapped yesterday. We like to document the craziness at our house! wink!
"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine; he browses among the lillies."- Song of Songs 6:3

Seven Days

Today I spent the morning folding laundry, preparing dinner (I like making our dinner in the morning so I'm not trying to cook in the late afternoon when our children always seem to need me the most) and sending a few emails for my job at the church. It felt like I accomplished so much while JJ was napping and the girls were happily playing together! We ate our lunch and loaded up the car to go to the pediatrician. It was JJ's 8 week check-up appointment. We arrived a few minutes early, so we sat in the car to listen to one more song on our VBS music cd. We finished singing and headed inside. Emma Grace and Bella eagerly ran over to the play area while I waited in line to check in at the front desk. It was the strangest thing, though. The receptionist couldn't find our name on today's schedule. It turns out we were more than a little bit early. How early? Seven days. wink.
Here are a few pics of the girls before bed last night!
Jesus answered,"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

The plan...

I had to start this post with a picture taken at one of our favorite restaurants. (Yes, when you have three small children, Chic-Fil-A is considered a restaurant. wink.) Last Friday, we partipated in cow apreciation day. We dressed up like a family of cows to recieve a free lunch. We just taped black construction paper spots all over our clothes and I also made everyone some cow ears to wear. Bella has cow jammies, so she already had her costume! It was lots of fun!
However, the real reason for my post is accountability. God gave me an idea this morning as I was folding laundry. I am going to try to use this idea to lose the last 10 pounds of baby weight, and I am going to blog the results. That will make it more exciting! Maybe you'll even join me. So... here's the plan:
I am going to make a list. (I love lists, by the way. I have a daddy list for David every day, which documents the things I needed or just wanted to tell him while we were apart. And each morning, I make a to-do list to check off my chores, to keep me focused on the little goals I want to try to accomplish.) This new list will record all the foods I put into my mouth, every day. I think this plan just might work! Since becomming a mommy, I can't tell you how many pizza crusts, last few Goldfish, spoonfuls of mac-n-cheese, or 'lids' of Oreo cookies that I've eaten! All those calories count up by the end of the day, but I'm oblivious to the fact that I've even consumed them. I eat scraps of food from the girls' plates without even thinking twice about it. Until today. Yep, starting today, if I eat it, it goes on the list. Then I'll be able to see where all my calories are hiding! Since I'm nursing, I can't really cut back too much on my calorie intake, but I can eat foods that are healthy and helpful for weight loss. My goal? To feel better and hopefully even lose those ten pounds. How long do I have to reach my goal? August 6, my sister in law's wedding.
I realize that it's only 1pm, but so far, the plan is working! I'm really thinking about what I'm putting into my body- for example, I didn't even eat Bella's rejected yellow and orange Skittles! Woo Hoo! wink!
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."- John 1:1

Serving Others

This past Sunday morning, the sermon was about humble service. It was a message that really encourgaed me, but also convicted me of the yucky within my heart. Our associate pastor preached about our motives for serving. Sometimes we serve others for recognition or to recieve glory. Other times we serve out of duty- it is our responsibility therefore we complete the task. Sometimes we serve out of need; we recognize the need for volunteers/ a helping hand/ etc so it is only then that we offer up our time or skills. But we should serve others as Jesus served- out of love. In humble service. Wow. As a wife and a mommy of a six year old, a three year old, and a six week old newborn, I must admit... I often times serve my family out of duty or need. If I am being totally honest with myself (and if I'm being totally honest with you, wink) I would have to admit that there are days when I'm on auto-pilot and I'm not serving with love- I am only going through the motions. I was convicted when I heard this message because I don't want to simply 'get the job done'. I want to bless and intentionally serve my precious family out of love. I am praying that the Lord will continue to refine me in this area. I have so much to learn!
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall note perish but have eternal life."- John 3:16