Archives for January 2013

The Lion’s Den.

January 30, 2013 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hi all! How’s your Wednesday going so far? So far so good over here. Last night James and I were able to check out a young adult group at a church called Convergence in Fort Worth. It’s a bit of a drive out there, but was definitely worth it! Then, we decided to work on my blog [get excited for the changes!] when we got home, so, needless to say, it was a late night. So I’m a little sleepy today, but nothing a few cups of coffee can’t cure:)

Anyways, you’ve probably noticed I’ve been reading and sharing a lot from the book of Daniel lately. For some reason the Lord led me to Daniel, and I have really been gaining a lot of insight from reading through it at a slower pace. This morning I was reading the section where Daniel was thrown in to the lion’s den because he was caught praying to God. The king who’s decree caused this event was distressed because he actually really liked Daniel, but there was nothing he could do about the consequences—Daniel had to be thrown into the lion’s den as punishment.

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Faith in God’s Abilities.

January 29, 2013 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday! Hope you all are having a great day so far. It’s supposed to be a stormy day here in Texas—I’m just a little excited about that. I may or may not like storms a little too much:) Anyways. I was reading in Daniel again this morning, particularly the chapter where Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace for not worshiping the king’s golden idol. When the king told them what was about to happen to them [aka being roasted to death in the fiery furnace] this was their reply…

“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Daniel 3:16-18

When pressured to deny God, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose faithfulness—regardless of the outcome. Notice how the said God was able to save not that he definitely would save them from death by blazing furnace. They knew God was able to save them, yet they didn’t base their faithfulness on whether or not he would in fact save them. They trusted him to rescue them, but were determined to remain faithful even if he didn’t.

God doesn’t have to prove himself by rescuing us from our circumstance in order to merit our faithfulness. If this were the case, why would we need faith? Instead, we need to be faithful regardless of the outcome of our circumstances. After all, our eternal reward in Heaven is much greater than anything we could receive on Earth.

What about you? Are you going through a difficult situation in life? Remember, have faith regardless of what the outcome may be. God has a perfect plan for your life—even if you are having trouble seeing it clearly right now. Just have faith.

Well, I’m off to run some errands, etc. Hope you all have a great day! God Bless:)

Prayer over Panic.

January 27, 2013 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello! Hope you all have had a great week, and are having a wonderful Sunday so far. I apologize for my lack of posting over the past week. Needless to say, it was a crazy one. James and I went to a conference Thursday and Friday last week at our church, which was nothing short of amazing. I figured it would be, but was still surprised by how much I learned and took away from the experience. I won’t get into it all right now, but I’ll definitely be sharing some insights over the next couple of weeks here.

I am also in the process of making some changes to the blog, so bear with me over the next couple of weeks. I will try and make the transition as smooth as possible, but seeing as I am not the most technically inclined person, we will just have to see how it goes!

In other news, it was my 24^th birthday yesterday! It’s crazy…I still feel like I should be turning 20 or something. Time sure does fly by. We were pretty tired after the two-day conference, so we mainly just relaxed which was really nice. But we did manage to go out for breakfast and do a little birthday shopping:)

Anyways, I haven’t shared a devotional in quite awhile, so I thought I would share a bit of what I read this morning from the book of Daniel. To give you a little context, Daniel has just been asked to interpret the kings dream to him—something that none of his other counselors were able to do. In fact, the king had just decided to kill all of the wise men in the kingdom because they were not able to interpret said dream. Talk about pressure. But, while Daniel had every right to be afraid of what the king might do to him if he failed, he chose to take a different approach—prayer.

“Then Daniel returned to his house an explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.”

Daniel 2:17-18

When Daniel learned of their predicament his first reaction was not panic, but instead to gather his friends together and seek the Lord in prayer. How often do we face difficult situations and our first reactions are panic and fear? Our natural instincts tell us to be afraid, when really fear does nothing to help us in overcoming the situation. Can we conquer anything through panic? The answer, of course, is NO.

Instead, we need to focus on prayerfully seeking God’s face in the midst of any and every challenging circumstance or situation. Ultimately, he is the only one who can help us overcome the fear we face.

So, next time you feel afraid, remember to choose prayer over panic. Choose to seek God before any other natural response takes over. I promise things will turn out much better in the end.

Well, that’s all for today. Like I said, look for some new and exciting changes to come over the next couple of weeks! Have a great day and God Bless:)

A Restful Sunday.

January 20, 2013 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Sunday! Hope you all are having a fabulous weekend. It is absolutely beautiful here in Texas—the sun is shinning, and it’s about 65 degrees out. Beautiful! Even though I much prefer snow and cold at this time of year, I can’t complain about this beautiful weather:)

Beautiful Day!

And a Sleepy Samson:)

So I missed my Friday Favorites post on Friday this past week—so sorry about that. I got home from work, and was just so tired for some reason. I’ve actually been pretty tired all weekend—hoping and praying that I’m not getting sick! There is a lot of sickness going around in general right now, and I don’t want to be a pat of it!

Anyways, Thursday and Friday of this week James and I are going to be going to a conference at our church [Gateway] called Kairos. It’s an inner healing/ cleansing sort of conference, and while I’m a little nervous, I’m also excited. I’ve never done anything like this before [which is why I’m a little nervous I suppose] and I don’t really know what to expect, but I do know it will be powerful.

In preparation for this event we had to watch five videos online, sort of like an intro to the actual conference. Again, I wasn’t sure what to expect with these videos, but let me just say—they were amazing! Basically they are all about becoming the people God has called us to be, and choosing to live life His way—not ours. If you have a minute [or longer] I would encourage you to go online here, and take a look at them. James and I have both been very blessed through them, and I hope that you are too!

All right, so take a look at the videos if you get a chance, and I’ll be back tomorrow with another post. Hope you have a great rest of your weekend! God Bless:)

Emma.

January 17, 2013 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Good Morning, and Happy Thursday! Again, this week has flown by, and I am left wondering how in the world it can already be Thursday. Ah, well. Last night I had to work late, so it felt good to sleep in a little bit this morning. Now I am happily cuddled up on the couch with Samson…great way to start the day! I don’t have too much time this morning, so I’ll get right down to my reading from this morning.

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:31

I’m quite certain I’ve shared this verse on my blog before, but today it has some special significance. Not only is it one of my favorite verses, but it was also a favorite verse of someone who died three years ago today. When someone close to you dies, especially someone so young [junior in college] life begins to look a little different through your eyes. You begin to see things through a new lens, or perspective, and its inevitable that you will be changed in some way. I don’t pretend to have been one of her best or closest friends—one who was hurt much deeper than I to be sure—but I am confident that I was changed my the circumstance of her death.

To be brief—life is a gift. Treasure it. Enjoy it. None of us knows the number of our days. Make the most of every moment and every opportunity given to you, and never put off pursuing the dreams God has placed in your heart. Emma was such a loving, caring, compassionate, joyful, bubbly and passionate woman of God. Someone who I truly admired—even if I never had the opportunity to tell her that in person. She lived life with a purpose, and she loved God deeply. If you knew her, you would agree that the world could use more people like her today.

So, live life with purpose and passion, pursuing the dreams God placed in your heart. Life is too short to be doing anything other than what God intended and planned for you. Take hope, courage, and have faith in the Lord. Lean on him always and he will lift you up.

Emma and I at a sailing event.

Thank you Emma for teaching me so much about life. You may not be here with us today, but I know you are in a much better place, looking down on us from above.

Hope you all have a great rest of your day…God Bless:)

Slavery vs. Sonship.

January 16, 2013 By: Sarah Leff2 Comments

Good Morning! Hope you all are having a great start to your Wednesday so far. James and I were up late last night watching Indiana play Wisconsin in college basketball—unfortunately Indiana lost—better luck next time! Needless to say, I’m a little sleepy this morning, but after this cup of coffee I’m sure I’ll be ready to go. Anyways, I was reading in Romans this morning [which I love] and came across one of my favorite verses…

“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.”

Romans 8:15a

Before we are born again in Christ, we are slaves to sin. Sounds harsh—maybe a little overdramatic—but it’s true. Before we come to Christ, we are in bondage to our sins. Sin controls our lives, dictating our choices and determining our future. And the ironic part is that often we have no idea it’s happening. Sin may be controlling our lives, yet we can’t perceive that anything is wrong. In fact, we may even feel that we are the ones in control of our lives—not sin, not God. But, I can assure you, that feeling is just what it says—a feeling—not truth, not fact.

But, once we come to Christ, a shift happens within us—like a heavy weight being lifted from our shoulders. Instead of being trapped in bondage to our sins, we receive a new Spirit—the Holy Spirit, and he is anything but a slave-master. When we are living in the Holy Spirit, we don’t have to be afraid of anything. Nothing can keep us in the bondage of our sin once we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. And nothing can keep us from receiving ‘sonship’ and becoming children of God.

Now doesn’t being a child of God sound infinitely better than being a slave to sin? I think the answer is quite obvious. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by life, stuck in the bondage of sin, it’s time to accept the gift of sonship God gave you when he sent Jesus, his actual son, to die on the cross for our sins. You don’t have to live in bondage or fear any longer!

Well, I’m off to get a few things done before work tonight. Hope you all have a great day, and stay tuned for some new changes coming to the blog soon! God Bless:)

Encouraging Others.

January 15, 2013 By: Sarah Leff1 Comment

Hello and Happy Tuesday! Guess what? It snowed last night! Needless to say, I was a happy camper when I woke up this morning. Not that it snowed much, only maybe an inch, but still…I can’t help myself. I just love snow that much:) I was a little afraid of how the roads might be [mainly because of other drivers…I’m quite used to snow driving] but they weren’t really bad at all. Thank goodness.

I wanted to share something I read from Titus this morning that I found insightful and interesting…

“Likewise teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”

Titus 2:3-5

When Titus says ‘older women’, that doesn’t necessarily mean just those older in age. It can also refer to women who are more mature in their faith than others. What would our lives be like it we all had an older, mature Christian women guiding us, loving us, and living life along side us? Some of you may have had this sort of leadership in a mother or Christian mentor, but there are many women out there who have never had a positive role model in their lives.

If every older [mature] woman took this scripture seriously, and made a point of guiding the younger women in their lives, I’m convinced our society as a whole would be a better place. I think we would see fewer broken homes and more solid marriages than we do today. I think it would be easier to stay on the track God has called us to if we all received the proper encouragement and support along the way. The concept of older women mentoring younger women was important enough to be included in the New Testament, so it must be worthwhile for us today as well.

Is there someone in your life who has been a mentor or positive role model to you? Or maybe there is someone you have mentored in the past? What did you gain from that relationship? Ask the Lord to highlight those around you who may need some encouragement and guidance—young or old, we can all use a little support now and then. Just something to think about.

Well, I hope you all have a great rest of your day! God Bless:)

Being Courageous.

January 14, 2013 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was pretty low key…actually really low key. We did take an evening excursion to Trader Joes though on Saturday, which was excellent, and made a quick stop at our favorite bubble tea shop which was right down the road [so convenient]. But, other than that, nothing new to report.

In other news, I’ve been reading the book of Esther over the weekend. If you haven’t actually read the whole book, I would encourage you to do so—it’s very good! If you’re not familiar with Esther’s story, let me give you a brief background. Esther was a Jew, who was chosen amongst many other beautiful women to be the new queen in Persia. During her time as queen, an evil advisor convinced the king to issue a decree stating that anyone could kill any Jew at any time beginning on a certain set date in the near future. The king wasn’t fully aware of what this decree entailed, and definitely did not know that his own queen was, in fact, a Jew. When Esther learned about the decree from her cousin Mordecai, she was devastated. Devastated and afraid. But, under her cousins’ instruction, she decided to approach the king [which was illegal and punishable by death] and plead with him for the lives of her people. In the end, the king accepts her, listens to her, and eventually executes the evil advisor who instigated the imminent slaughter in the first place. He then gave the Jews the right to fight back and defend themselves against anyone who would attempt to harm them. In the end the Jews were saved—all because of Esther’s bravery. But just because she was brave, doesn’t mean she wasn’t afraid.

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this.”

Esther 4:14

Esther didn’t have any of the usual qualification for becoming a queen in Persia, and the circumstances that brought about her queen-ship were far from ordinary. But, God knew what he was doing. He knew about Haman’s [the evil advisor] plot to kill the Jews before he even spoke of it. He knew that someone who supported the Jews needed to be in authority to save them at that specific time. So, what did he do? He placed Esther in a position of authority, granted her favor with the king, and through her courage saved the Jews from imminent destruction.

She was right where God wanted her to be, exactly when he wanted her to be there. She was faithful to God’s promptings in her life, and her people reaped the benefits of her obedience.

We can learn a valuable lesson from Esther’s life. While we may not be destined to become royalty, or to save an entire nation from destruction, God has a specific plan and purpose for each of our lives. He has things for us to do, and a timeline for us to follow. It’s so important to be doing what he wants us to do when he wants us to do it. And the plans he has for us may require us to be courageous. They may not always be the most comfortable or easy actions for us to take—Esther definitely didn’t have an easy task. But, the end results will always be worth any discomfort we may initially experience.

Well, on that note, I’m off. Enjoy the rest of your day, and God Bless:)

Friday Favorites.

January 11, 2013 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Friday! Can’t believe it’s already Friday again…where does the time go? I have to work this weekend, so nothing too exciting will be going on around here, but that’s alright. Well, since I haven’t done a Friday Favorites post in practically forever, I thought I would sum up the past few weeks in a few of my favorite moments right now. So, without further ado, here are my favorites from the past week[s]…

5. Getting to spend some quality time with James’ family over Christmas. While we weren’t actually able to go home to the North Country, it was so so nice to have his family with us over the holidays. Gave me a chance to practice some of my cooking as well…haha. But seriously, we had a blast showing them around Dallas, and look forward to the next time we have visitors:)

Family and SNOW!

4. Visiting the Dallas World Aquarium with James’ family. Seriously, one of the best aquariums I have been to—and I love aquariums. The rainforest feature was very cool, and allowed for more animals [like birds and monkeys] to be included in the tour. Very unique, and definitely worth a visit if you are ever in Dallas!

Seriously…a waterfall!

3. Samson’s first visit to the vet. This may sound like a strange one, but I was nervous to take him to the vet for the first time. I mean, what if he was really bad and tried to attack everyone? But, my fear was in vain. He was a very good boy, and even started purring when the vet pet him…definitely a keeper:)

Doesn’t he look like so innocent?

2. Fort Worth Stockades. Another cool place we visited while James’ family was in town. I unfortunately didn’t take any pictures, but it was seriously such a cool place. It kind of looked like a replica of an Old Western cattle town, except for it wasn’t a replica. It was the actual town, restored of course, but it looked the same as it did years and years ago. It was neat to see all the old shops and restaurants, and imagine what life would have been like there 100 years ago.

Sculpture inside the 100+ year old hotel.

1. Starting the New Year off right with a wonderful conference at Gateway Church. We were able to hear some amazing speakers, like Max Lucado and Rick Santorum, and were inspired to live a year of purpose in 2013. It was definitely a good way to refocus, and get the year off to a great start.

So, there’s my condensed list from the past couple of weeks. What are some fun things you’ve done so far in 2013?

Hope you all have a great Friday, and an even better weekend! God Bless:)

Be a Witness…Not a Conformer.

January 10, 2013 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello, and Happy Thursday! Again, this week has truly flown by. Fortunately, the rain stopped sometime last night…not that I don’t like rain, it’s just that two straight days of it starts to get a little old. But, I know we needed it, and after the drought we went through last summer I vowed to never complain about rain again! Anyways, enough about the weather and the ever increasing speed of time. I read the book of Jude this morning. This sounds impressive until you realize Jude doesn’t even have chapters—just 25 verses. But, just because it’s short in length doesn’t mean its lacking in importance. It is actually a very relevant 25 verses.

“Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”

Jude 22-23

While this may sound a bit graphic, it demonstrates one of the most important aspects of the Christian faith—witnessing. Whether it be through our words, actions or deeds, we should always be reflecting Christ’s love to others—sharing the good news with them in any way we can. But, just because we are called to be loving and merciful, doesn’t mean we should be tolerant or condoning of the sin we see around us. While we love the sinner, we need to hate the sin.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when believers say something along the lines of, “Well, Jesus hung out with sinners, so therefore it must be okay for me to behave like them, tolerating the things that they are doing.” I’m sorry, but that is just not how it went down. Jesus spent time with sinners yes, but he did so for ministry purposes. He didn’t condone what they were doing, encourage them to continue sinning, or even look the other way. He went into the darkness with the intention of bringing them out into the light. He loved, and still loves, sinners, but that doesn’t mean he approves of the actual sin. In the same way, we need to love those who are living in sin, or unbelievers, but what we don’t need to do is become tolerant of the sin. We need to lovingly minister to them, just as Jesus did, with the intention of bringing them out of the darkness and into the light.

The bottom line is that we live in a sinful, fallen world. As believers, it should be our goal to witness to those around us in whatever way possible—whether it be through our words or actions. But, remember to ‘show mercy mixed with fear’, using discernment as we witness in our sin-stricken world.

On that note, I’m off to go tackle my to do list for the day. Hope you all have a great Thursday! God Bless:)

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