The News Is Out!

As you know, Andrew and I have been working as a team, in the same office, doing a team-work job; Directing the Student Ministry at Liberty United Methodist church.
Our lives are about to change.

For the last year or so, we have felt the Holy Spirit stirring in us. A "change is coming". That is all we got. Throughout the last year the one re-occurring theme was seminary for Andrew. What ever it was that the Lord held next for us, it included seminary. In October we were given two different opportunities, one that would offer me work full time in the Chicago Land area which would then give Andrew the option of being a full time student, and then another one that would offer Andrew a full time job and Seminary (included) in Dallas, Texas. After a few visits to two very different cities we were left at a complete stand still. We had do idea what we were going to do but had complete peace about moving.

So...We had some amazing people come along as a part of this process and speak into our lives. They prayed with and for us about seeking out our giftings and what we felt like our callings are. (We have been having this talk for a year and it was just great to have people partnering with us.) As we prayed, we started having visions of ways the Lord could use Andrew with the opportunity that was more geared toward him...and then I had a phone call with a friend, Amber Burger. We have been friends for 11 years and have never lived in the same city. She is one of my go-to's. I LOVE THIS WOMAN! So we were chatting and I offered an idea for His Voice (See blog to your left) and she offered me a proposition. She said they were looking for someone who could develop ideas just like the one I had...and then she dropped the bomb. She said they were moving to Dallas...which is where the job offer for Andrew is, and that she would send me the job description if I would like her to. I said yes.

I met with Amber and Vernon over Christmas Break and Andrew and I just knew it. This is what we are supposed to do...

So....................................

We are MOVING TO DALLAS TEXAS!!!!!!!

IN APRIL. April 10th will be our last Day at LUMC!

Andrew will be attending seminary at Perkin’s School of Theology in Dallas, TX and working for Highland Park UMC as the worship leader for the student ministry. The church is closely tied to Perkins, so they are paying for his schooling which is a huge blessing. I will be working for a His Voice Global as the Promotions Director. I actually went to Sudan with this group in January 2005.

The last few years have been an incredible time of growing, learning, and serving in Liberty. Needless to say we are grateful for the opportunity we've had to serve the students here. We have learned so much and will remember the lives we've hopefully impacted and the ones that have impacted ours.

We are sad to move on, but are thankful for our time here and are looking forward to our next season of life. We are so excited to see what the Lord will do next with our lives, but since making this decisions, I have also been having dreams and visions about my roll at HVG. The next two months will be a busy time of prayer, transition, and preparation.

I think that is enough for you today, but I will definitely be posting more soon as I have all kinds of fun things to share!

Worship art

Below you will find two paintings that I did in the last week. What you are seeing is a new endeavor for me. It is my response to God's goodness spoken through song and message during a worship service. This first one is about God revealing himself to us by setting us free and breaking the chains/bondage of sin. Amen. I did this one during worship night at LUMY (our youth group) on Valentines day. I didn't have a camera, but I had my flip, so this video is of the painting I did in response to God showing up in places that we don't expect. The words on it are "Your love makes it worth it" and that is a line from one of the songs that the worship team at Life Christian Church in Lee's Summit led. the song was called "I Surrender". Our dear friends Elliot and Joy had us come down and speak/minister to their youth group on Wednesday night, 2-17-10. (ignore the talk in the background. we were deciding where to eat after youth)

This is something that I have seen people do, but I have never done it (till this week). I am excited to see how the Lord will use this new found gift and fun response to worship.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sarah

It's on the news

I thought this came as a timely news story since I have been talking about my own marriage journey.
Gayle Haggard just wrote a book about choosing to stay with her husband, Ted Haggard.She was featured this morning on the Today show, for some reason it isn't letting me post the link, but you should google "Today Show Gayle Haggard" and watch the video.
There was one thing she said that hit me the most. She said something along the lines of, "The night that he told me, we were in bed. He reached over to touch me and that was when I decided to choose to love him."
She is a good woman.

For some of us, loving our spouse or the people around us really isn't that difficult...but it is always a choice. We should not treat each other with the understanding that "they are going to love me no matter how I treat them...so I can get away with it." What an un-fulfilling way to live.I pray that I am choosing to love Andrew and choosing to show it with my actions.I have heard people say, we hurt the ones we love the most, but if that is true...do we really love them?

Let me know your thoughts...but one quick story before I go.

Andrew does the laundry (and the machine is in the basement). We have been "not home" so much that all the clean laundry is in like 7 piles in our bedroom. The duvet was sitting on the bed for 3 days and I am sure this had been driving Andrew crazy (he is clean). I mean, he does the laundry and I am supposed to fold it and then we put it away together...so last night Andrew knew I wanted some jeans cleaned and so he ran a load while students were over for Bible study. When they left he went back down to switch them to the dryer. As he walked out of the room, I thought, "this is my opportunity to put the downed comforter into the duvet...All without his help...It will be a surprise." Which is totally silly because I should have done it three days ago, but I usually use his help. So he gets up stairs and I put on my "look what I'm doing" with a little kid smile face. He doesn't say anything...booooSo then I actually say, "I thought I would do something too!" to which he replies in a really sarcastic, little kid sounding voice, "Well that's a nice change!"This was my opportunity to try to tackle him, when I couldn't I just jumped on the bed like a crazy person while he shook his head in amazement at what a freak I am.So, the moral of today's story...HAVE FUN, Jump on your clean bed!
We were thinking about doing a video blog post on Friday. So, if there is anything you want us to chat about...well, we are open to suggestions. Just leave a comment and we will see what we can do!
Love ya,
S

there is a difference

I have heard it said that we shouldn't make our time with God a "habit". I understand what people are saying. They don't think that you should make something so important just another thing you do because you are used to doing it. I get that, but habits and schedules are not so different, I believe it is just the motivation behind being habitual that decided whether it is actually good or bad. But there is a difference.
That being said, in our home a schedule is the hardest thing to keep. We are up at different times each day. The week to week stuff is similar, but from day to day it is different. The single most important thing in our lives is the Lord. It Is. And we would both say that it is. So, when we are not in a right relationship with God, we are not in a right relationship with each other. So, time with the Lord is a priority. The thing is, we work for a church and it is easy to confuse studying to teach with studying for personal faith development. There is a difference. We found it hard to separate those the first year or so of ministry, but have come to KNOW that our personal faith development is KEY to our marriage, ministry and lives. This is how we have made the Lord the focus of our day.
Andrew sets the alarm...wakes up, hits snooze...turns up the heat and brews the coffee...alarm sounds...I turn it off and meet him by the couch with a cup of coffee...we greet each other...
Every day he says "good morning" (with a smile, of course) and then asks how I slept. I tell him about the weird dream I had and ask him how he slept. We kiss and then I sit on the opposite end of the couch as him. Then we read. Sometimes for 15 minutes and some times for an hour. We read the Bible, I journal and sometimes we will pick up Closer,The devotion I previously mentioned, and do that. And then we pray. Sometimes together out loud and sometimes in silence, but together nonetheless. At some point one of us decides to take a shower and that is the beginning of our day.
I cherish the time I get to sit in silence reading and learning knowing that the man whom with I share my life is learning too. This is a sacred thing.
I hope that you understand that my marriage is what it is because it is second most important. Andrew and I love each other, but we love God more. And whether you are single, married or have kids...Being in a right relationship with God is the key to having any other good relationship. Galatians 5:16 says, "walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." and we may spend too much time being selfish, spending too much time focused on our kids, blaming our spouse, or nagging, or complaining, or feeling sorry for ourselves for missing out on our "glory" days by getting married so young...but the truth is that all of those inclinations are of the flesh and we are told that if we "Walk by the Spirit, we will not gratify the flesh."
This is not necessarily an easy thing to do...but definitely something that we should be striving for.
What do you think...
S