Me me MEEEEE time!

A couple weeks ago I was walking through the airport I had my ipod blairing into my headphones and a iced tea from starbucks in hand. I was planning on hopping on the plane and getting some serious work done...I had this down to a science. I was feeling sooo cool. Until all of a sudden my ipod just breaks...pretty much sounding like a ticking bomb about to explode. Oops.
All of a sudden I came back to reality and started asking God for ways in where I can truly be humble cause I hated that spirit of pride that can creep up so slowly.
I walked onto the plane to it sooo thankfully being close to empty! YEAH! I could have a whole row to myself! First I had to find my real seat and sit down then I could move to another spot once the doors were closed! As I headed down the aisle I was getting closer and closer to what I feared to be my seat and who I feared to be my seat buddy....
An ollllld old skinny cowboy who smelled like a keg of bear, licked his lips like the joker in Batman and was just pretty much scary!! I sat next to him in the little two seater side of the plane and waited patiently for those doors to close so I could switch seats...when all of a sudden I felt God saying to me..."no you won't! You're going to stay right here and talk to him!" As I had JUST 3 minutes early prayed for just this sort of thing...but of course I thought it was would come in a more glamorous way of course;)
But I had MY agenda! I needed my ME time! This was my last of 3 flights of the day and I was done with any human contact. I just wanted to bury my face in my work and zone everyone out...or just stretch out and sleep! Instead I talked to him the entire hour and a half flight home. At first it was sort of a drudgery...but God started opening my heart to him...and I was able to see him how God did: SOOO loved! By the end of that time I was more refreshed than even a 10 hour nap would supply! I was so energized and excited about what God was going to do in this guys life...I asked him what I could pray for him for and he lit up like a child at a candy store..I don't know if anyone had ever asked him that! He just kept thanking me for asking him that for the rest of the flight!
Sooo here..I could've chosen the ME time and gotten a little work done but probably would've been even more wiped out..but instead pouring into this guys life it beat out any kind of ME time that I could've had!
It is important to get away with God and get refreshed...I do it all the time...but when it is constantly about you...you are actually draining yourself!! It litterally depletes you! Which is sort of crazy but it's true!
Look for people and opportunities to have a little reverse ME time with!! It will refresh you...but even more THEM! Just being available with no agenda..just to listen, serve, speak and pray! Being able to set everything aside that YOU want to accomplish and just being there for them for their ME time! Try it today! You will be blown away! :)
Matt. 20:28- Just as the Son of Man came not to be waited on but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many[the price paid to set them free].

I have TOO many friends!

So my sister Natalie and I were talking the other night about friends...we both somehow seemed to have been blessed with a TON of them...
Growing up I had a solid core group of friends from church that were my best friends...we rarely fought as it was just us...we sort of had cliques but they were pretty inclusive.
Once I was 14 everything changed...We moved to a new church and with it came a new set of friends, then onto my photography business, interns, an even newer church, clients, photographers, moving to Nashville, and finally my church down here! Which now means I have friends all over the globe and hundreds of them! It is REALLY hard to keep track of everyone and to stay in touch AND to make them all feel loved because I truly do want all of that. Thank God Facebook makes that a lot easier!
Something I realized though is that the more friends you have the less the quality of time and emotion you can devote to your core group! It gets spread thin to everyone else!! Don't get me wrong...being able to help alot of people with who God's created you to be is the best...but I'm specifically talking about those you pour your heart out to...
With my sister it was getting harder and harder cause as her friend list grew each one felt like it was supposed to be almost a best friend! And no matter how hard you try you can not have 55 best friends! One of the best piece of advise that I was given a while ago was to sit down for a couple hours and write down your friend list...allll the people in your life that you would consider a friend...and pray over it...see which ones you are really supposed to pursue right now, which ones were seasonal(meaning maybe it was just for a time and now it's time to move on), which ones are best friends, friends, people that you are mentoring or is a ministry opportunity, people who are your mentors and the people that you are on the same level as(iron sharpening iron). Also, if any of those people could be considered acquaintances?? People you've met and will sometimes hang out with and talk to but wouldn't necessarily call on the phone or go out to dinner with. This helps sooo much in knowing where to devote your time!! Realize that you are not put on this earth to be everyone's best friend...but only a few...
Also...if you already are the type with just a few friends do this anyways...it helps so much in evaluating where each friendship is going...if it's uplifting or going nowhere! Also if there are acquaintances that God would like to move to friendship but you just being open!! Take some time to do this!! I KNOW I NEED TOO! :)

I can top that!

Ahhh onto more vulnerability... I'm sure I'm not the only one who deals with this sort of thing..at least I hope not!
The next thing that has really come out in the past couple weeks through seeing this whole "need for validation" thing is trying to PROVE myself. Thinking welllll if they don't know me and WHO I am...then I'll just have to show them!

IT. IS. PRIDE. Yuck....I've discovered it so strongly in my life and who I am, trying to tell allll the amazing things I've accomplished, when someone tells a story trying to top it, telling where I live or who I'm related to. It all goes back to the need for validation and is so incredibly selfish. Sure maybe it inspires people, maybe helps them see more... but all it does for you is keeps inflating that balloon more and more...and balloons WILL pop eventually.
For me the times that I discover that I do it the most are when I don't know what else to talk about, I feel bad about myself, or I want to prove myself.

Ugh... it is so hard. But I have been learning soooo much lately about servanthood and humility... obviously God knows that I need it! Today I opened right up to Micah 6:8 - He has showed you Oh man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God.

The VERY best that we can do is to...1. SERVE....anywhere and everywhere we can, not to get glory for what we've done but to truly see a need and accomplish it. It get's us out of ourselves and our own self preservation and a heart after others. 2. Ask questions...get interested in others and BOOST them up! Stand firmly in who YOU are in Christ and then you are able to pull other people up there too!

We usually view talking about how great we are and boosting ourselves up as high and lofty but it's actually one of THE lowest down and out things you could do! Be a present to unwrap! Let people ask about you and then you can share....HUMBLY still but the more interested you are in others the more that it boosts THEM up, you up, and helps that little pride balloon start deflating more and more.
It is something you have to keep a check on daily, watch every word that comes out of your mouth, how many times are you saying "I"??? IIIIIIII say it a lot, I've discovered! Make most of your talk end with a question mark....that is when you will know that you aren't talking about yourself! Here is a video to perfectly sum this up!! I love you alll!

PLEASE tell me I'm great!

Ok...so I'll post about Fear part 2 in a little bit.. but this is really strong on my heart and what God has really been working in me HARD lately! This is a REALLY vulnerable post and some of it actually from my private journal... but I thought it would help you all:)

I'm sitting here today with A LOT on my mind.... moving to a new town and out on my own has caused me to wake up to a lot in my life that I didn't know about! It's hard discovering strong weaknesses in yourself that you wish you could just simply forget about one day and they'd be gone! They are deep rooted, ingrained issues that only God can really help you root out! The first is Validation....
I need it. I crave it. It's what I think about and what affects my mood. I never realized it until recently how strong an impact and pull it has in my life. To know that I am worth something to someone, to know I am good in the world, to know that I am making an impact.

I've starved for it lately as I haven't been receiving it as regularly as I would back at home. I would receive it from everyone I came in contact to practically. "Ohhh! You are Joe Barlow's daughter!! I heard allll about you." "Nooo way.. You are Barlowgirls cousin!! I LOVE them!! I want to be your friend." "Are you SARAH ANNE?? Like the photographer?? I LOVE your work!!"
To be recognized and acknowledged by those that I don't even know but also by those I know and love to constantly be lifting me up and encouraging me was the norm. It's what I've been built on. And yet with that I constantly NEED more. More and more. And more. It is NEVER enough. I may feel validated and wonderful one day and horrible the next. Those are surfacy words that I may always remember but never necessarily believe about myself... only that remembrance of the little high that I got when I received it.

God has been training me so much lately though in how He sees and values me and how it relates to a queen...He has me really in an Esther season right now.... in relation to a queen and validation he showed me that in being Queen.... she can not depend on others validating her. She HAS been validated. She knows her position and stands in it. If people don't agree that is their own fault.

She is the one that validates others from the firm validation she herself has received. She KNOWS who she is. It's not a daily questioning... well AM I a queen? Am I good enough? Am I smart enough or talented enough? NO! Even if she was none of these except queen.. she would STILL be queen and whatever she did would become the norm!

I desire to know that no matter how many friends I have, how popular I am, or how beautiful I am...I am STILL so solidly validated by God Himself... that even if no one ever gave me a compliment again...I would be SO sure in who He has made me to be that I wouldn't waver! I would stand up and be the "queen" He has created me to be.

To fear or not to fear?? Part uno....

Dear Natalie, I haven't written in a LOONG time which I'm bummed about...but life definitely caught up over the summer! The past couple weeks though I've really been seeking about what to write! God is really working on me in SOO many different areas that I feel like every one is half way there! Probably THE most obvious and right in my face one right now though is the area of FEAR! The good, the bad, and the ugly of it! He has been really teaching me about all sides of it! I've really struggled lately in this area...fear of flying, fear of sickness, fear of not having enough, fear of not hearing God's voice correctly, ect...it just keeps popping up in most of the things I've been doing lately that last night it finally came to a peak I am DONE with this!
Two days ago I was praying and God gave me the word FEARLESS for me to meditate on... that I am fearless in everything I do! That I move forward confidently, with boldness and with FAITH! I realized I had let my faith level drop in a lot of areas and not keeping what God has said about my future before me! I let circumstances and petty things distract me!
It says in the bible that God has not given me a spirit of fear but a spirit of POWER, LOVE and a sound mind....so any time anything occurs to us that is opposite of these 3 things it's from the enemy! Also, when we are tempted with fear...and it's just that a temptation...and it also says in the bible that where there is a temptation there is ALWAYS a way out!...but when we are tempted with that spirit of fear we receive 3 others to combat it that are far more powerful that fear could ever defeat; power, love and a sound mind!!! Know that YOU have a call and destiny on your life! Take a promise that God has given you and STAND ON IT...even if there is no other possible hope around you keep standing on that at least! Walk confidently in God's plan for you! Pray Psalm 91 over yourself if that fear is creeping up...pray angels surrounding you and plead Jesus' blood over you! You know when the Israelites back in Egypt were commanded to put that lambs blood over their doorposts so there first borns could live...it was because the angel of death was coming through the camp and if it saw blood over the doorpost it meant death had already happened there so it could just move on. Well we have it even better now! Jesus died so WE can plead HIS blood over ourselves and it's telling the enemy...uh uh...you can't touch me! Death has ALREADY happened here!!! That is our PROMISE!! Stand on it and don't let the enemy tell you any different!! You are FEARLESS!!!!!
Love you!

Where did that cloud come from??

The past couple weeks I have been dealing with something that I'm VERY not used to.... I know that God has really given me such joy in life and I love to laugh constantly so what happened? Well the light seemed to dim.... I had NO clue what was going on! All I knew was that I couldn't hear from God clearly! There was so much confusion everytime I would try and listen for him! Just plain static! I got really upset about it which then got me into this depressed state! "What the heck!!!! THIS is NOT me!" I would think so many times!

Sometimes I felt God was leading me one way but then at the same time the other way! It was craziness! I finally met up with one of my friends and found out that she was dealing with the exact same thing and that a couple nights earlier we were dealing with the same kind of depression! I didn't want to do anything!
Finally, last week I broke down to my dad and was like "DAD! I don't know what to do! I can't hear God's voice clearly and I feel like I'm just hearing everything under the sun to distract me!" It was amazing too because that morning it was just getting pretty rough and finally I cried out to God asking Him for a clear word from Him! Well I went to church that morning and my dad was talking all about distractions and that when you are on your way to victory so many times the enemy will try and stop it with confusion and distractions! To combat it we have to get pumped up with the word!! The higher the word "level" we have in our hearts the harder it is for the enemy to lie to us! That afternoon when I was sharing everything with my dad finally he is like "Sarah, just go up into your room and start confessing the word!" He was like do it even if you have to for 3 days! Don't let the enemy get a foothold! I went right up and started praying, reading the bible and worshipping!! Then I wrote a little prayer out to keep my mind on track and I just said it over and over and over again until I felt this thing lift and guess what?? It did!!!! Thank God!!

It's interesting too because during that time I was looking back in my journal at the different scriptures that God had given me and one was from Isaiah 60:1- Arise from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you-rise to a new life! Shine be radiant with the glory of the Lord, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!
When I first got that verse I was like, God I'm not depressed!! He was just preparing me though and giving me weapons against the enemy!

He also showed me Luke 4 which basically in there it talks about right before Jesus came into his REAL calling that he had to go through a time of testing so he was led out into the desert and was tested and tempted by the enemy there for 40 days!! Wow!! Mine only lasted a couple days he was MUCH more enduring that I am! ha! After the devil took him to all these places and even tempted him with scripture Jesus still said no because he knew why He was there and what His calling truly was! So it was easy for him to say no!! And to say no WITH the scripture!! Just like I was doing! After that whole time he was then indued with power and then was released into His full calling!! Even though the path was mighty rough getting there I'm SURE it was worth it! Especially since he passed that test of temptation!!
I know this is something that a lot of you deal with!! You CAN pass it!!! Say NO to the enemy now with the word! And watch that cloud disperse!! I love you all so much!! :)

How usable are you??

The other day I was preparing for our young women’s group for our church…which this time I was the only leader! Yikes! It was actually 15 minutes before it started and I still didn’t have anything solid…finally I went into my room and was like “God! I need something to teach the girls tonight!” I asked Him where I should turn to in the bible and I felt like I was supposed to go to Daniel 1 for some reason…odd!

Basically it talks about how when Daniel was working for the king..they wanted to feed him all this crazy fancy food! But he didn’t want to defile himself…because a lot of it was the type of food that God had forbidden the Jews to eat! He asked to eat vegetables and water instead! You might think YUCK!! Who would ask for veggies and water if they had a huge banquet in front of them?? They MUST be out of their mind! But….it keeps going and said that for 10 days Daniel and his friends ate just the vegetables and water…as a test…just to see who would be healthier and better looking afterwards…well sure enough..Daniel and his friends won the contest! It says that they were stronger and healthier than any of the other men!

I was like…ok God so what am I supposed to teach out of this?? That the girls are to eat veggies now all the time?? Lol! No! He reminded me that the day before he had given me another verse out of 2 Timothy 2….basically it says that God has made some of us for awesome purposes like pots of gold and silver…but others he has made for just everyday menial stuff…like clay pots…I was like wait a minute God you are not a respecter of people though! You don’t have favorites! Then I kept reading though and realized that it’s MY choice what kind of pot I want to be! It says those who keep themselves clean and set apart will be used for great purposes!!

I’ll actually post the verse here…“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also [utensils] of wood and earthenware, and some for honorable and noble [use] and some for menial and ignoble [use]. So whoever cleanses himself [from what is ignoble and unclean, who separates himself from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences] will [then himself] be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and noble purposes, consecrated and profitable to the Master, fit and ready for any good work.”

So basically if you get rid of the stuff in your life that is contaminating you and keeping you as an everyday vessel God can use you and you will become a beautiful vessel that can be used for incredible world changing stuff!

How amazing is that!! But here gets to the hard part….the part that was THE hardest to teach the other night too…What are you feeding yourself with? The other night we were over at our cousins house and started watching some movie after awhile there just got to be too much “stuff” in it… not even bedroom scenes…just a lot of talk! And finally we all had to turn it off because we know what God has called us to and the influence that we want to be so we had to shut if off to keep ourselves clean! You might be watching something or listening to something and some questionable things come on…what do you do? Do you think it just goes past you?? NO!! You are letting it in and the more you let in the more you are opening the door to sin and lessening your capacity of God really being able to use you!

Trust me….I am TOTALLY going through this too and it is always a process!! But I know that the more I set myself apart for God the more he honors that and can use me!

I had the girls make a list of boundaries that they were going to set for THEMSELVES in areas that they wouldn’t cross, put before their eyes or their ears…I know for me….that if there is a bedroom scene, nudity, talking about sex in songs, swear words in songs, etc, then I don’t watch it or listen to it! Now these might not be your boundaries…yours may be more strict or less…but go to God and ask him to reveal to you what to cut out so that he can truly use you and you can be a beautiful sparkling vessel of GOLD!!

Getting your eyes off love

Finally back to posting! :)
I have been talking to a lot of people lately about exhausting your single years!
If you really look around VERY few people actually take advantage of being single! Basically you’re little, young, too young to date, then 16 or 18…sometimes younger than that and people start dating! Then break up, then drama, then find someone else and repeat the process until they get married!

If you look around basically every song, every movie, most ads are all about love or being in a relationship! It’s what our culture is driven by! People want to feel needed AND they need a time filler cause otherwise they don’t know what to do with their time!

I was listening to the radio the other day and really got so sad after listening to it because they were interviewing people and almost all of them said all they loved to do was go to parties, go to the movies, and hang out with their friends and boyfriends! What a waste of precious time! Now don’t get me wrong…I absolutely LOVE to do all of that..(except haven’t hung out with a boyfriend yet;)…but it’s not what I live for or what most of my time consists of!

You see once we get married, which I know a lot of you are looking forward to, you have a WHOLE new set of responsibilities..and your life is not your own! And that is for the REST of your life too!

Why not use these VERY few years before you get married to see the world, discover who God’s really created YOU to be, pursue your dreams for your life, and impact people’s lives! Then you’ll look back at those single years and won’t have regrets but will have exhausted every minute of it not waiting around for a guy or filling up the time with time wasters but living it to the complete full!!

I know that right now….I don’t care if I get married in 3, 5, 8 years or even ever! I’m so absolutely content in where God has me and in ALLLLLL that he has me doing that I’m such on a high right now! I KNOW that this is the way to be single…not desperate, lonely, or drama filled. But so satisfied with life and not having to be distracted with every distraction the world sends my way! It’s THE most fulfilling thing ever! HA…and I thought I wanted to get married when I was 18;)…LOL

Take Action!

It's amazing what GOOD friends will do for you! They really get you thinking and keep you on the right track!
I've had some of the best conversations the past couple days especially about stepping out and doing what God has called you to.
I feel like we always wait and step out when it feels comfortable and everything is in place rather then stepping out when the waters seem rough and watch it all fall into place.
God really wants us to trust Him fully and His plan for us and if we just continue to wait until WE feel comfortable to do what He has called we'll never accomplish it or never to the potential that he has planned!
It is truly only OUR choice whether we live this life to the richest it can possibly be or just a safe(boring) life!

If God is guiding you into an area usually it is bigger than you think you can possibly do on your own. Which is His perfect plan because He doesn't want you to do it on your own in the first place! He wants to to ask for His help and wisdom! He LOVES to be needed and of course we DESPERATELY need Him especially if we hope to accomplish even just the smallest portion of all that He has called us to we'll need His help!

Sooo first. Find what areas of your life that you are holding back and waiting until you feel comfortable(because honestly you probably won't ever feel comfortable stepping out!).
Second. STEP OUT and TAKE ACTION! Really the only risk you are taking is to stay where you are...or go UP! So take your pick! :)
Third...and this should be during the whole time, ask God for His Wisdom on how to accomplish it as you step out and all along the way!
You will NEVER regret accomplishing what God has called you too! It's AMAZING and of course the most fulfilling thing!

Just ask!

Well...at least I'm writing this within the month of the last one! haha!
God has really been ministering to me to write on this more..even if it's just short little things! I know it makes a difference! :)
I realized something last night that was small but really stuck out to me! I had stopped asking God for things that I wanted in life for the most part!
It is SOOO easy to get in the habit of completely relying on ourselves and our own abilities to accomplish and get things but why stop asking God or only ask him when we are in desperate need?? He is ALWAYS there!
My eyes were actually opened to this when I was thinking yesterday that I REALLY wanted to go to Hawaii sometime and wondering why I had never been...??
God then showed me that...duh...I hadn't asked Him for it!! I was just assuming that someday I'll eventually get around to going there..but who knows when! I almost saw it as impossible because I was looking at it in what I could do in my own strength and ability! So I sat down and said "God I'd like to go to Hawaii! I thank you that YOU have provided for that!" We simply need to ask! What in your life have you put on the back burner because you were only looking at in in how YOU could accomplish it rather than how God can work it out??? He is really opening my eyes now to how I've settled for less because I haven't looked to him as MY FATHER!! Wouldn't you ask your dad to provide for you in ways that you couldn't?? He is SOOOO far more faithful than any earthly father! Imagine that! :)
I love you all!!

Are you pursuing money or fulfillment?

My friend's and I were talking about making money today and it really got me thinking...
What is our end result/goal/focus in what we are wanting to be when we get older? Is it to make more money?

I was looking at my finances last night and started to think...I want to make more money...what can I do to do that? Start up new businesses, do a workshop? But I had to stop. My goal was JUST to make more money which is most certainly not my end goal!
I HEARTILY believe in using your money wisely and making it grow...but when that is my only focus and the reason why I live...is to do that..I'm missing it completely!

When I was younger I wanted to be a lawyer, graphic designer, and finally an architect solely because they made alot of money! Finally when I found one of my callings, photography, all the doors started opening up and I was doing it NOT because of the money but because I loved it and because I loved creating beautiful work and seeing people enjoy it!

This generation is SOOOO focused on making more money that we are NOT fulfilling our actual callings! I was driving down the street the other day and saw a lady sitting in her car all raggedy and looking like she hadn't slept in days and realized that she probably is not in her calling and then looked around some more and realized that probably 75% of the people I was driving past were not even in THEIR callings either! Whether they were driving a nice car or not!
They could be driving the nicest car, living in a mansion..yet still not fulfilling what they are called to because just making money is the focus!

If all we focus on is wanting to make more money we will literally NEVER be fulfilled! That's why so many people are lacking fulfillment and it's a total rat race because they think that having more things and money will bring that..yet it is never satisfying!

I really feel like if we find out and pursue what God has called us to do the doors will open for us and the money will follow! That the end result is NOT adding another dollar to the bank account but making a difference and impact in this world! That's why were here anyways right??

It's so incredibly awesome that you are at this stage right now and most likely haven't even entered that whole world yet and are finding this out now so that you don't have to get into that rat race! You can enter right into your calling! It's so easy right now!:)

What do you want your end result to be in your future job or career? If it's making money...you should PROBABLY be rethinking your life...and career! We're not just here to survive....or even to survive well...we're here to fulfill our callings and destinies, and through that we really will change the world!:)

"I'm fat, I'm fat, I'm really really fat..."

I used to sing these words when I was about 5 to an old Weird Al song. I don't know why but I LOVED this song! I didn't really understand it but thought it was cool! lol! Pretty sad huh??
Anyways, I've always struggled with believing I was overweight..and guess what?? alot of the time I was!

Now if you don't need to lose weight this post is still for you! It's so important to have a healthy eating style(diet). I am from a very healthy food eating family so I never would eat a ton of junk food but the thing that I JUST realized over the past couple weeks was even though I was eating healthier foods I would eat ALOT of it!! We had some friends over and I saw how much they ate and then looked at my plate and was like “I look like a pig!!”

My mom told me a couple months ago about some guy who was whining that he was overweight and finally God told him that he was just eating WAY too much! When I heard that story at first I got defensive and said “Mom, I don’t want to be anorexic! I eat just the right amount!” After a couple weeks of thinking about it then having those friends come over and seeing the portion sizes…I decided to just try cutting everything in half that I put in my mouth and not eating the other half! It was hard but I did it for a week and ended up losing about 3 pounds just that week! I thought! This must be it! This must be why I need to lose weight…I’m just STUFFING myself like a turkey!

You see us as Americans think that at each meal we aren’t going to eat for like the next 12 days so we eat and eat and eat until we are full or even stuffed! When guess what! We have the next meal in only a couple hours!! We aren’t going to starve! I think we all or most of us at least have caused our stomachs to grow because of our portions so that first week was hard because I was shrinking my stomach back to its real size which is only the size of your fist!! After that it became continually easier and easier until I started getting “full” on the half portions!! It was AMAZING!

So look at your portions this week…are you stuffing yourself? Do you feel bad leaving things on the plate? Guess what?? DON’T it’s going to end up in the same place anyways whether you eat it or it goes in the trash! LOL! It’s true!! So just eat until you have taken off that hunger burn and a little bit more than drink lots of water! It’s amazing what happens when you become disciplined in your eating habits!! I have sooo much more to say about this but this post is already pretty much a book! Haha! I love you all!! I’m going to be writing on here a bunch more because I have all the topics that I want to write about written down so I know what to write next! Fun times!!! Happy eating! :)

What's discipline?? Do I even have it?

Hey beautiful girls!!
I'm am terribly sorry I have neglected this place for so long but the reason why is what I will be dealing with in this post, discipline..or the lack of it! haha!
The past couple weeks I have been noticing my office, bedroom, and life just getting messier and more cluttered!
Ugh!! Not cool! Especially when I have alot on my plate and to have disorganization everywhere, makes it hard to think or even process things!
What is the purpose for discipline anyways?? Why would I want it? Ok well say your going running, you get on your shoes, you know where your going, but this time you just decide not to tie your shoes! What will happen the minute you get out there! YOU trip!! Discipline not only helps propel us forward, but helps us get there quicker and in one piece!! haha!!

The best thing to do in many areas, to change a habit or cause a good change, is start small. I examined my life to see what was out of order and the first thing that came to mind was that I would just wake up whenever, get on my computer in my pajamas and work like that most of the day. Duh, why everything is out of order! lol!
I was praying awhile ago how I can adjust this and the first tip was a good but easy one that God gave me! Basically set office hours and don't go up there until then and when I do be fully dressed as if my office was out of the house! That DEFINITELY helped, so I put that in place.

Now for the next step!!! uh oh! lol! I prayed last night that God would wake me up when HE wanted me to wake up to have my devotional time. Well...guess what time that was??? 5:30!! But the awesome part was since he woke me up I was able to get up right away with no trouble even though I went to bed last night at midnight! I'm excited about this next step toward discipline in my life!

Do you think the president sits around in his pajamas all day and wakes up at any time??? NOPE!! He has set MANY disciplines in his life and it's taken him where he is today! I know discipline is a pretty harsh word and doesn't sound very fun! But really it takes ALOT of discipline to put the things in place but once they are there and become habits it's much easier and it can take you to the next level!! BUT guess what!! It's terribly hard to do or stay consistent on on our own! I've had MANY failed attempts at that! It helps SOOO far more when the Holy Spirit is guiding you in what to set in place and how to keep it there!

What small bit of discipline can you start to put into your life??? Find out what that is then ask God to help you with it and keep it there!! I love you all and am so excited for this journey!!

Captivating!

So I just finished the book Captivating yesterday and it is seriously the best book I've ever read(besides the bible of course)!!! It took me about 6 months to read it cause when I read I like to really dissect the book so I get all that I can out of it, and plus I it was the busiest time of my life!! lol! Anyways, I highly highly recommend it to every woman!! It has totally changed my life! When I went on my little retreat a couple weeks ago this is what I read most of the time because it just really speaks to a woman's heart in a way that I have never seen another book do!
The 3 main things that the book talked about that a woman's heart longs for:
1. To be romanced
2. To to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure
3. To unveil beauty
The way it talks about doing this is unbelievably simple but so important!
One of the things is offering your true heart to people without fear of being rejected, it's risky but God did not give us these hearts to hide or bury but to come alive and to minister to others with them!
Another very important part that I read and God is really working in me right now is worshiping.
I have found that whenever I really like something I LOVE it and it becomes almost a god in my life! I remember I used to like a band when I was younger and it just became all that I would talk and think about! I was just sharing what I thought this fault was in my life with one of my friends yesterday and she said "THAT IS YOUR STRENGTH!!" I was taken back for a second cause I could not see how this could be a strength! But she went on to say when you turn that same attention to God that's when it is your strength! So my weakness then becomes perfected into my strength!
Lastly, in this book it talks about how a girls never ending question is: Am I lovely?
And it shows that we really try to get this question answered by everyone else but really the only one who can truly answer it is Jesus!
So yeah..Incredible book..drop everything you're doing right now and go out and buy it! The authors also have a book for guys called Wild at heart I haven't read it but heard it was excellent! I love you all!! Have an amazing day!

Aaachooooooooo!!!!

Oh man!!! Well it's that most wonderful time of the year...everyone seems to be not feeling so good:( We have the holiday's to thank for it partly because we eat so much sugar that it weakens are immune systems so it can't fight as hard, then the weather sets in and it's just a fun mess of Kleenex!! haha!
I know I haven't really dealt much with health on this blog but now is definitely the time!
The absolute best thing to use is scripture....haha! Yeah I know..may sound weird you probably thought I was going to say like half a cup of warm water, some lemon and honey(even thought that IS really good for you) the very best thing is to dive into the word and get your faith built up! :)
My dad, two years ago was dealing with a never ending cold which he found out later was most likely pneumonia!! It just kept going on and on and on! For over a month! Finally he went to our pastor for prayer, our pastor prayed and my dad started feeling better but then it came back full force again. Later that night our pastor called him and said "You know whenever I feel those symptoms start to creep up on me I just take 4 or 5 healing scriptures and say them in the morning and at night!" And it works!!!! Seriously! It gets your faith built up in the area of healing so your taking what the devil meant for bad and turning it into good by getting that area that he is attacking built up!! When I broke my ankle I immediately got on those healing scriptures and started getting built up in the area of healing and even though I wasn't able to walk over night it healed up exactly how we had been praying and the doctors were very pleased how well it healed(cause I was going to need surgery!! But the doctor decided not to do it! Which in itself was a miracle)!!
So take that scripture like you take medicine! And with this there are no bad side effects either!! Only good ones!! So even if you're not sick I recommend start just confessing healing scriptures it will get you built up in that area so that when the devil wants to try to attack you have a bigger wall against him!!
Here are some healing scriptures that I have been speaking and you can use these too!
Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Matthew 9:22
Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.
1 Peter 2:24
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
I pray that you all have a healthy happy amazing new year!!
I love you all!
Sarah

A time to talk and a time to SHUT UP!!!

I'm sure it has happened to you many times before when you say something and a couple minutes later you are beating yourself up about saying it! Ugh! It's one of the worst feelings ever! Almost like letting someone down!
An awesome verse that really applies to this is: Proverbs 10:19 - Where words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
Us as girls have no problem talking and speaking our minds! I actually was trying to find a comic strip that my dad told me about that perfectly illustrated this. Basically it was a picture of a guys mouth and brain and a girls. The guys had this big maze that the words had to go through before he spoke it and the girls just had one big pipe!! LOL!! It's really pretty true though! Not saying at all that guys don't have to watch what they say but especially us girls!
I was sitting down last night talking with my parents about some things I was struggling with and finally realized that everything I was dealing with directly related to me talking to much! I am a pretty open person about things I'm going through(instead of gossiping about others I find I gossip about myself!! lol!) so when I tell people they voice there opinion which isn't bad at all(it's usually helpful) But I realized that I would take their opinion over what God had told me!! It happened over and over again until I realized that it was affecting my everyday life!
So the moral of this is before you speak think, will I regret saying this later on?, is this building the other person up at all or just satisfying my need to tell some "juicy" story?? Psalm 141:3 -Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Proverbs 21:23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.
As you can see in this verse it is very serious business what you let come out of your mouth!!
One of the best most practical ways to keep your mouth shut when you want to let it all out is to ask the other person questions and keep them talking! It will keep you from the temptation of telling what you would hate to have said later on!
Ask God to give you wisdom on what you should and shouldn't say! Then the holy spirit will give you a little check in your heart about what you shouldn't say!! It's awesome!! Thankfully we are not alone in this whole thing!!
I love you all!

Is it ok being single?

OK!!!! Wow!!! Welll I'm so sorry it has taken me close to forever to write on here! hehe! I have had one of the busiest months ever! But I'm going to have alot of down time in the next couple weeks so hopefully I'll get to post more! :)

The biggest thing that has been coming up in conversations and that I have been thinking about is the topic of being single! Who would have thought?? lol!
Let me just start off with saying that I have ALWAYS been single so this is coming from that perspective.
Ok..so we all admit it being loved, cared for, needed, and adored is soooo amazing! That is what we get fulfilled in dating! That is why people normally would much rather be with someone than be without! And that is very valid because God put that desire in us! And it will be fulfilled someday through the person you will marry!

The thing that I have been thinking about lately is that it seems that the world puts so much pressure on us to not be single to always have SOMEONE that we never actually have a chance to become who we are separate from another person! I have seen it happen all to often where people jump from one person to the next without taking a break and becoming who they are in Christ! Becoming who we are in Christ and having THAT relationship be #1 in our lives is soooo important! If that relationship isn't strengthened than all our other relationships will fail! I am really enjoying being single right now cause I can completely focus on what I need to focus on ESPECIALLY my relationship with God! It's amazing how freeing it is! :) My friend Sarah and I were just talking about this last night and she shared with me this AMAZING poem that she found and I think it completely sums up what I have been talking about and my heart! Enjoy!

Saved & Single
What makes you think that just because I am an attractive woman of God that I'm incomplete without a mate? Who told you that without a man somethings missing from my life? And if so, what would that be?
Love? I love myself and more importantly I love the Lord. He told me that when I delight in Him, He will give me the desires of my heart.
Security? I have everything I need according to His riches in glory.
Intimacy? Now, how's a man going to get to know me when he doesn't even know who he is in the Lord.
See my Father told me I'm above a ruby's worth and a gem does not seek, it is sought. I'm single and that's all right with me. See, it's not that I oppose relationships it's that I detest co-dependency. As a woman I know it is not my role to chase after any man. Esther 2:14 reads that I am to wait on my king and when he's delighted in me he will call me by my name.
My Lord does not intend for me to be needy or desperate. I am to be cherished, Relished, Valued, and Honored. It's not my job to convince him or convict him of that. My mate will already know it and consistently show it and he will stay on his knees daily - not just to adore me but to praise the Lord for the virtuous woman he has found.
So, when you see me by myself - I'm not alone. I know what I have coming to me. I'm single and saved, and right now that's all I need to be!- Author Unknown

True Beauty?

Hey girls! I just saw this video and it's a real eye opener! I know as girls we are always trying to live up to the beauty standards we see in all the magazines but really alot of them are fake!! God has made each one of us absulutely beautiful! And even better we are made in his image! I will talk more about this in another post:)

Compromise

A couple weeks ago Natalie and I were talking about compromise and justifying things.

I have noticed a ton of my friends in the past years get deeper and deeper into things they shouldn’t be doing! I realized that it all started from a little seed!

They were on fire for God and they let in just a little something and it grew and grew until now it’s effecting their everyday lives!!

Setting boundaries and sticking with them is so important! It’s one of the most important things you can do in your life! It’s a part of self control.

Whether it’s with movies, food, relationships, even the way you talk SET BOUNDARIES!!!

I have seen it happen way to many times where friends decide to say one little bad word…no big deal!! They think. Now they don’t care what they say!! Just from that little seed! Same with movies and other things! “Oh! This movie only has a little bit of ‘stuff’ in it…I can handle it!” Now they are watching some of the worst movies I have heard of! I’m not condemning them..because it’s their decision. But their decisions effect others and themselves!

Normally if you have to justify things for yourself it probably not the best thing to do! Trust me! Don’t start opening that door because once it’s open it just keeps getting bigger and bigger! Set guidelines for the things that you let in you! Remember that you are the temple of the holy spirit! What kind of house do you want to provide him with? One that is filled with trash? Or one that is clean!!?? Watch what you put in your eyes, ears, and even mouth! What goes in WILL come out!!!

I love you all!! I’ll try to post WAY more often than I have

A new outlook.

I was just having my devotional time this morning and God was speaking to me about my example.

He was showing me that I might be the only picture people see of Him! WOW!! You might be the only picture or example that people ever see of Jesus!! That carries more weight in the way we act, dress, talk, think, etc…

In the Bible it says they will know we are Christians by our love….but what if they already know that we are a Christian and we’re not loving or setting a good example? They’re going to get a bad taste in their mouth about Christians in general!

We need to in every area represent Jesus!

The way we act: What do you do that represents Jesus or doesn’t represent him? Take a minute to think about how you act in general. How does that represent God? If it’s not good then ask Him to show you how you are supposed to act the brings glory to Him not to yourself. Even if it's just smiling at people!! That makes their day and show's them God's love!!

The way we dress: How are you dressing? Does it cause guys to stumble? Does it look like you just got out of bed? How you dress also represents you AND God!! Because it’s how you come across…one of people’s first impressions of you! When you’re getting dressed each morning think, how does this represent me and God? Remember, you are a princess and you represent God in that way. So dress like one!!!!!!!

The way we talk: We need to make sure that the way we talk is reflecting God! I KNOW that this is hard sometimes cause we like to talk A LOT!! Lol! But know that in everything you say, it is a reflection of what’s really in your heart! When the world see’s us gossiping, swearing, etc. there is nothing different between us and them! But…when they see us building people up and responding in love it sets us apart and they then see what God is really like!!

Remember that God made us in HIS image and we are to look just like Him!! I recommend studying the Bible about love because that’s where it all starts! When you love others it comes out and that is when people truly see God. And the glory then goes to him! And that’s where it should be in the first place because we love Him so much!!

So take that to heart…show God to others today in every way! Let them see Him! You never know it might be their first time!!!!

Love you all!!

Sarah