Archives for October 2012

White Rock Lake Park; Dallas, TX

October 31, 2012 By: Sarah Leff3 Comments

Hello again! I thought I would share some pictures from our weekend adventure to White Rock Lake Park. The park is located on the East side of Dallas, and it is definitely worth checking out if you are ever in the area! Beautiful Lake, awesome trails, nature, peacefulness…everything you could want in a park. So, with our further ado, here are some of the pictures…enjoy!

White Rock Lake–you can see sailboats in the background! Love!

The pathway…perfect for walking, running and biking.

My first colorful tree sighting in Texas! I was a little excited…

You can see the Dallas skyline in the background. So close, yet so far away:)

Cool Trees!

I loved the branches on these trees.

So twisted, and so cool. I love trees. Must be a Michigan thing I guess.

These GIANT acorns(?) fell from above trees.

Look how this tree is sort of bent downwards…

Perfect for climbing. I’m a regular Katniss.

Not swans like we originally thought, but still cool.

Birds on a log.

Delicious, refreshing bubble tea after a long day of exploring.

And of course, cuddling with Samson. So precious.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the pictures! I am going to try and get a little more creative with my posts, and definitely try and include some more pictures for you all! Have a great day:)

Choices.

October 31, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Good Morning, and Happy Halloween! I doubt we will get many trick-or-treater’s seeing as we live on the third floor of a gated apartment complex, but oh well—I’ll just have to eat all the candy myself. Ha. Just kidding—kind of. Anyways…

I was reading about the parable of the king and his servants in the book of Luke this morning, and the words of Jesus hit me in a different way. Let me give you a little background information. This is the parable involving a king who, when going away on a trip, decides to leave three of his trusted servants with three different sums of money. To this first he gave ten units, the second received five, and third one. On the kings’ return, the first and second servant both presented him with double what they had been given, and were each rewarded accordingly for their efforts. On the other had, the third servant had not doubled his allotted money. Instead, he had hidden the money away out of fear, and had nothing to show for his efforts when the king returned. Needless to say, the king was a bit upset, and he took the money away from the third servant and gave it to the first, who had originally been given ten. Following the parable, Jesus said this…

“I tell you to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.”

Luke 19:26

I always thought this sounded a little harsh…I mean, come on right? Give the guy some slack! But when I read these words this morning I saw them in a different light. We are like the servants in the story, and God is the king. While we may not be given money with the clear task of multiplying it, we are each given unique gifts and talents to use. With these talents, we are also given a choice. We can use them selfishly for our own personal benefit, not use them at all, or use them as God intended—to help his kingdom grow here on Earth.

Like I said, it’s our choice to with them what we will, but ultimately we should want to choose the third choice. We should want to use our God-given talents to serve him, and further his kingdom here on Earth. I mean, what other purpose can you possibly imagine that would be greater? I can’t think of any.

What are our gifts and talents? Are you using them in a way that glorifies God?

Hope you all are having a great day! God Bless:)

True Humility.

October 30, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Happy Tuesday! It seems weird that the weather is clear and sunny here in Dallas while the East Coast is so stormy! I’ve been watching the news periodically over the past couple days here, and it definitely looks bad out there. Remember to pray for all the families and businesses affected by Sandy!

Anyways, yesterday I was reading about humility…

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 14:11

I find that humility seems to be a common theme throughout the Bible—and definitely an important one. But what does it mean to be truly humble? I think a lot of us have an inaccurate perception as to what this really means. Often, we mistakenly think that to live in humility, we must put ourselves down, or in some way degrade ourselves. We think being ‘humiliated’ is the same thing as being ‘humble’. Well…that’s just not true.

Truly humble people are humble because they compare themselves to Jesus instead of others, and in doing so realize how far away from perfection they really are.

Truly humble people recognize their gifts and talents, and instead of trying to hide them, wish to use them to glorify God and further his kingdom here on earth.

Truly humble people don’t put themselves down in order to achieve humility, but instead focus in on their individual giftings and callings given to them by God. They aren’t greedy or selfish with their gifts and talents, but share them freely with others.

“Humility is not self-degradation; it is realistic assessment and commitment to serve.”

[Footnotes]

For a long time I had the impression that humility involved self-degradation, when really the opposite is true. True humility is something that comes out of a love for Jesus, and a desire to follow his plan for you life—not matter what or where that plan happens to lead you.

Hope you all are having a great day! If you’re near Sandy, stay safe and stay dry! I will be keeping you all in my prayers! God Bless:)

No Need to Worry.

October 29, 2012 By: Sarah Leff2 Comments

Hello! Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was great…went to a conference at a church in our area on Saturday, and then spent Sunday afternoon wandering around a beautiful lakeside park near Dallas, and the weather was perfect—sixty and sunny:) I’ll post some pictures of or adventures later on today.

I want to share what I read yesterday because I feel it is very relevant to what a lot of us are going through right now. I’ve been struggling a lot with worry over the past few weeks in particular, and this sequence of verses from Luke chapter 12 really hit the nail on the head for me so to speak, summing up everything that I have been needing to hear into one passage of scripture.

“Indeed the very hairs on your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more that many sparrows.”

Luke 12:7

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.”

Luke 12:22-23

“But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

Luke 12:31

I think I was meant to read these verses in the sequence in which I have listed them here. First, God says we are important, and that he cares about every detail of our lives. In fact, we are so important to him that he even knows the number of hairs on our heads.

Then, God says he cares about us so much that we don’t have to worry about anything…not money, food, clothes, jobs…he just says not to worry about it. He will ALWAYS provide, not mater how difficult our situations may seem.

Finally, he says that all we have to do on our end is seek him and his kingdom first, and everything we need will be provided, or ‘given to you as well’. Instead of focusing on the things we think we need and worrying about how we are going to get them, God says to seek him first. Make him most important, and he will worry about the rest. God is much more concerned with our seeking his face than trying to provide for ourselves on our own without his help. He says that he will provide, and he says not to worry, so we should heed his words.

If we were to take all that energy we spend on worrying, and instead use it to seek after God, how much more fulfilling would our lives be? God has everything under control. Even when it seems like we are facing impossible situations, we need to remember that nothing is impossible for God, and that he will always meet our needs.

Just something that has really been on my heart recently, and something that I really needed to hear this weekend. Hope you find it encouraging as well. Have a great Monday and God Bless:)

The Danger of Pride.

October 26, 2012 By: Sarah Leff2 Comments

Hello, Hello and Happy Friday! It is a chilly morning here, and I am loving it. I’ve been feeling a little homesick over the past few days, but this weather reminds me of Michigan fall, so it’s helping…a little bit at least. I was going to go ahead and do a list of Friday Favorites for the week, but as I was reading my Bible this morning, I came across a passage I thought I should share.

“Master,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

“Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

Luke 9:49-50

So, the disciples ran into a man who was driving out a group of demons from another person in Jesus’ name, and they told him to stop. They were under the impression that only they—the twelve disciples—were able to drive out such demons. They were being prideful, and they didn’t want this ‘nobody’ getting in the way of what they were doing.

But, Jesus told them that they were wrong in telling the man to stop—anyone who was sincere in following him could drive out demons in his name. If they weren’t against him, then they were for him. Simple as that.

You see, the disciples had just come from a situation where nine of them had tried to drive out a single demon from a child, and because of their lack of faith they had failed in doing so. When they saw this ‘nobody’ successfully driving out a group of demons, their pride was hurt. This man was succeeding at the very thing they had only just failed in doing, and they allowed their pride to get in the way of accomplishing God’s work.

We should never be so prideful that we allow something like this to get in the way of doing God’s work. We all have different gifts, strengths, and talents, and God has a purpose for each of us. There is no use in allowing our pride to be hurt if someone succeeds in a place where we were unsuccessful. Instead, we should focus on the good that was accomplished, and encourage our fellow believers in the work they are doing to further God’s kingdom.

Don’t let pride get in the way of what you are doing for God here on earth.

Anyways, hope you all are having a great Friday so far, and have an excellent weekend planned! Stay warm with these cooler temperatures coming our way, and God Bless!

Good Fruit; Bad Fruit

October 25, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hi all! Hope your day is going fabulously so far. Currently, I am watching Samson dive bomb off my desk in pursuit of my pen, which he keeps knocking to the floor. He is a strange one that is for sure. I’m just going to get right in to the meat of my reading this morning…

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Luke 6:45

These are the words of Jesus in reference to the fruit produced in people’s lives. You see, we can try as hard as we want to make a good impression, and appear to be living a Christian lifestyle, but if our heart is not in the right place, our actions, words, and trues beliefs will not line up. What we truly believe to be true in our heart is what will eventually some out in our words and actions. If we truly want good things to come out, we must match that same goodness within.

Take a dying, rotting apple tree for example. No matter what anyone tells you, you can’t really expect that tree to produce apples that are fit for you to eat. It probably won’t produce any apples at all. In the same way, how can we expect our actions and words to be wholesome if our hearts are turned away from God? We can’t. You can’t expect to see good fruit in your life if your heart is not in alignment with God’s goodness.

Sometimes I think we try so hard to be perfect, and for everything we do to look just right. It’s exhausting. Especially when all we really need to do is take a look inside our own hearts and examine our motives for acting this way. How much easier would it be to live a life of love, peace and happiness if we first fixed our hearts, and shifted our focus towards God?

Just something that has been on my mind lately. Anyways, I’ll be back tomorrow with some Friday Favorites. Look for some changes and additions to be coming on [RE]volution YOU soon here, and keep the suggestions coming?

Have a great day, and God Bless!

A Fisherman’s Faith.

October 24, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

It’s Wednesday! Half way through this wonderful week…can you believe that next week is already November?!? I have come to the conclusion that time goes by exceedingly faster the older you get. Seriously. But, on the plus side, November 1^st is a special day in my family. No it’s not a birthday, or a memorial, or any sort of holiday in particular. Every year on November 1^st, my mom and I have always busted out the Christmas music for the first time! Ha. This may seem crazy to some of you, but seriously my mom and I are obsessed with Christmas music. Even though we are states apart this year, I can guarantee that we will both be following through with the tradition on both of our ends:) Anyways…on to what I read this morning!

“Then Jesus said to Simon (aka Peter), “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”

Luke 5:10b-11

At this point, Simon decided to leave everything he had in order to follow Jesus. Let me give you a little bit of background information on how this came about. Right before this, Jesus had gone in to Simon’s fishing boat and told him to cast his nets out again into the sea. Simon was skeptical—he had been at it for hours, and hadn’t caught a thing. But, seeing as it was Jesus, he decided to do what Jesus asked. When he cast out his nets, they became so full of fish that he had to signal another boat to come and help him bring the catch into shore. Even then the boats were so laden with fish that they began to sag a bit in the water due to the excess weight.

Simon was so awestruck and moved by this that he fell to his knees saying, “Go away from me Lord; I am a sinful man.” At this point, Simon realized something about the nature of Jesus. Not only did Jesus care about the miracles and healings of the masses, but he also cared deeply about the everyday activities of some local fisherman. He came down to their level, and assisted them in their work, showing Simon his true character and nature—one of kindness and love.

In the same way, God cares about the day-to-day activities of our daily lives. He cares about every detail, and wants to be a part of everything we do. Our response to that kind of love should be similar to Simon’s—drop everything and follow him. It’s not enough just to simply acknowledge that Jesus as our Savior and then move on with our lives. NO. We need to allow ourselves to be changed through an encounter with him, leaving behind our past and fully devoting our future to him—no matter where he may lead us.

This is something that God has really been speaking to me about lately. Am I really willing to give him everything? Am I willing to follow him no matter where he may lead? Something to think about.

Hope you all are having a great day! God Bless:)

The Desert.

October 23, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello Friends! Hope you all are having an excellent Tuesday so far. I woke up this morning with a swollen eyelid, so it’s been an interesting morning, but the swelling is starting to go down—I think at least! Still kind of looks like I got punched in the eye, but oh well I guess.

I was reading in Luke this morning, and this verse really stuck out to me…

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.”

Luke 4:1-2a

What really stuck out to me today was the “led by the Spirit into the desert” part of the verse. For some reason, when I think of the Holy Spirit leading and guiding me I only ever picture myself being led into beautiful, nice and welcoming places. The word ‘desert’ doesn’t generally come to mind. But, that is exactly where the Holy Spirit led Jesus. And he didn’t lead him there to go on a vacation. No. Luke tells us that he led Jesus into the desert to be TEMPTED. He led him there to be tested and tried—not to be comfortable.

In the same way, sometimes the Holy Spirit may lead us into our own ‘desert’ situations, where our purpose in being led there is to be tested and tried. Living the Christian life does not come without its trials, and definitely not without temptations from the devil. Although difficult, we don’t need to be afraid of facing tests and trials.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

James 1:2-4

According to James, the testing of our faith develops perseverance, which in turn leads to spiritual maturity. If we never had to face any trials or challenges, then we would never have the opportunity to grow in our faith. God has a plan and a purpose for every trial or test that we face in this life. It may seem difficult at the time, but once its over, you’ll be able to look back on that time in your life and see how much you’ve grown because of it. When times are tough, remember these scriptures, and know that God has a plan and a purpose—far bigger than we could ever imagine!

Hope you all are having a great week so far! God bless:)

Amazing Faith.

October 22, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend. We did some unpacking, built a desk for our office, and did some exploring around the area…not too bad of a weekend:) It was really warm, which is still so weird to me, but overall had a relaxing weekend. It’s nice to be able to actually enjoy our apartment now that we have furniture and the like.

I started reading the gospel of Luke this morning. First, did you guys know that Luke was a physician? I read that in the footnotes of my Bible this morning…I had no idea. You all probably knew that, but I thought it was really interesting. His account of Jesus’ life is very detailed, which I guess makes sense seeing that he was a doctor, and doctors need to be precise. Random fact for the day.

Anyways, this morning I read about Mary. I’m sure most of you are familiar with her story, but just in case you’re not, I’ll give a little background info. Mary was a virgin, about to married to Joseph, when an angel of the Lord came to her and told her she would give birth to a son—Jesus. Now, this must have sounded very strange to her. I mean, she was a virgin—how exactly was this going to work out? Back in her time, a woman who became pregnant outside of marriage was generally shunned by society, and usually remained unmarried for the rest of her life. It was completely unacceptable, and looked down upon quite strongly. Now, knowing this, I have to imagine that Mary was terrified. The implications of such a pregnancy would most likely ruin her life. But, instead of being afraid, Mary was willing and eager to do what God called her to do, and agreed to become the mother of Jesus.

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.”

Luke 1:38

May it be to me as you have said. That’s it. Mary didn’t need any reassurances or promises that everything would work out okay in the end. No. She simply trusted God, and willingly obeyed him even though the task she was given didn’t seem to make a lot of sense.

Mary had real faith. Even when faced with a difficult situation, she chose to willingly obey God. How often do we skip out on God’s plan for our lives because we are too scared, or the situation just doesn’t seem to make sense to us? I Know I am guilt of doing this. It’s hard to trust God when things are difficult, or when they don’t make sense, but that is when doing so is the most important. If we could approach every situation in our lives—good or bad—with faith like that of Mary, think about how much more God could accomplish through us. I’m sure the results would be amazing.

What about you? Is there something in your life that just doesn’t seem to make sense right now? Trust God, and willingly obey what he is telling you—even if you can’t make sense of it right now, it will all become clear in the end, and the results will be worth it!

Hope you all are having a great day so far! God Bless:)

Friday Favorites.

October 19, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Friday! It’s been a busy week with moving and unpacking all of our stuff, but I can now say that we are officially moved in! Yay. Just hung pictures on the walls last night, and unpacked the last bit of stuff. Still have a few various projects to do—like putting my desk together (which is still in a box), and organizing the spare closet so I can fit more into it (ha) but overall things are looking pretty good around here. So, here is my list of Friday favorites for the week…hope you all had a great week as well:)

5. Samson’s scratching post. Sounds like an odd favorite thing, but it is so funny to watch him on it. His grandma (my mom haha) wanted to get him a present, so we settled on this cool little scratching post for him to play on. It came with catnip to sprinkle into the scratching part, and let me tell you, he LOVES catnip. He was so hyper that first night he used it, I didn’t think he would ever settle down. But, eventually he crashed, and everything was all good. But seriously, it was so entertaining to watch.

4. While out exploring the other day, James and I stumbled upon a Bubble Tea shop. Now I’ve never had bubble tea before this week, but let me tell you—I am hooked! It was so good, we’ve already gone back for a second trip. We actually went last night, and I had a pumpkin pie smoothie (not tea, I know) and it was seriously amazing. I’m sure we will be back again.

3. Getting to skype with my parents! We finally got Internet in our apartment last week, so we were able to skype with my parents (and kitty). Ah it was SO good to be able to see them and talk to them. I miss them both so much. Thank goodness for skype when you can’t be there in person:)

2. We’ve been having some beautiful weather this week. So nice, I can’t even complain much about missing those brisk Michigan fall days. (Even though I do still miss them very much). It’s been sunny and warm during the day, and cool at night—perfect. I still find myself thinking that I am on vacation—not used to this warm October weather yet I guess. Still, I can’t complain. I even saw a tree with some reddish looking leaves the other day—sort of like fall! Ha.

1. OUR FURNITURE and BED and KITCHEN SUPPLIES finally came this week. We had a small misunderstanding with the first moving company (ahem…scam) that we tried to use, so we ended up having to wait two and half weeks for our furniture to come using another (much better) mover. I have never been so grateful for a bed in my life. This whole ordeal has really made me grateful and appreciative for the things that I have. It finally is starting to feel like home here in our new apartment, which is definitely a good thing!

Well, that about wraps it up. Hope you all are having a fabulous day, and have a fun fall weekend planned! God Bless:)

Archives for October 2012

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