Archives for February 2013

The Weight of our Words.

February 27, 2013 By: Sarah Leff2 Comments

Hello! How’s your Wednesday going so far? Mines been a little crazy with work, but overall pretty good! It was an early morning, but now I have the rest of the afternoon to get some stuff done around the house [and hang out with Samson] which is always a good thing:)

I wanted to share something I read from Psalms the other day. I’m sure you’ve probably heard it before, but sometimes you can gain new insight from rereading scriptures you’ve read countless times—it happens to me all the time!

“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

Psalms 19:14

If you’re anything like me, sometimes you forget to think before you speak. Or maybe think something about a certain person or situation—maybe you don’t voice your opinion, but those thoughts are still there inside your head. It’s not like I do this constantly, but, you know, sometimes you just have a moment of frustration. Know what I mean?
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Discerning the Will of God.

February 25, 2013 By: Sarah Leff1 Comment

Hello! Hope you all are having a great Monday so far! Mines been kinda hectic, but overall not too shabby. James and I both had most of the weekend off, which was super nice and very relaxing. We had a chance to walk by Grapevine Lake near one of the marinas—something we’ve wanted to do for a while, and even made a trip to Trader Joes [the best store…ever]. Overall it was a great weekend, and I’ll try and post some pictures later in the week from our adventures:)

Anyways. This morning I was reading in Romans, and I came across a familiar verse from Romans 12…

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2

I’ve read this verse many times—even memorized it back in the day. But, for some reason it really stuck out to me this morning. As I was asking God what he wanted to speak to me about concerning this verse, I began to see the words in a new light—different from the past times I have read them.
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Friday Favorites.

February 22, 2013 By: Sarah Leff1 Comment

Hello! Happy Friday! Hope you all are having a great day so far. It’s actually a little bit chilly outside right now, and I am LOVING it. Seriously though. Michigan got some serious snow last night, and I am just a little bit jealous. I miss my snow! Anyways, I thought I would share just a few pictures from the past couple of weeks. I finally uploaded some pictures off of my camera…so here ya go! Enjoy!

Lake Grapevine

Chess with James in the park!

Cool fountain outside a church in Dallas

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The Problem with Instant Gratification.

February 21, 2013 By: Sarah Leff1 Comment

Hello! Hope you all are having a great Thursday so far. I’m a little off in my days this week—I keep thinking today is Friday for some reason. Bummer. Anyways, I was reading in Genesis this morning again, and came across something I thought I would share. Remember the story of Jacob? How he worked seven years for his wife Rachel, only to be given her sister, Leah, instead? And then, he had to go and work another seven years to finally have Rachel? That’s fourteen years! That’s a long time.

“So Jacob server seven years [plus another seven] to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.”

Genesis 29:20

Romantic, right? But, while it may have only seems like mere days to love-crazed Jacob, it was still fourteen total years before he received what he desired most in the world—Rachel.
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Hold on to His Promises.

February 19, 2013 By: Sarah Leff1 Comment

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday! Hope you all are having a great day so far. Woke up to a text from my mom this morning saying that it’s snowing in Grand Rapids (MI)…needless to say I was a little jealous. Although it is sunny here and going to be in the sixties, I still miss my cold snowy winters. I heart snow. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to make do with the sun for awhile:)

This morning I was reading again in Genesis, and came across a well-known story that really spoke volumes to me today. The past couple of weeks have been a bit rocky for me. It was great having my family here, yet it was so sad to see them leave. I feel kind of stuck where I’m at in life, and it has caused me to be discouraged. I feel as though God has promised me so many things, yet nothing really seems to be happening. Sad, discouraged, frustrated. Ever felt that way before?
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Waiting Patiently.

February 18, 2013 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Good Morning! How is your Monday going so far? Mine has been going well—I have the day off work, but lots and lots of errands and things around the house to get done today. Fighting hard to be productive, if you know what I mean:)

Anyways, I thought I would share a Psalm that I read this morning. It was written by David during a difficult season of his life, and his words really stuck out to me this morning…

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrows in my heart? How long will my enemies triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.”

Psalms 13.
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Stuck in the Past.

February 15, 2013 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Friday! Hope you all are having a great day so far. It’s kinda gloomy here—definitely a good day to cuddle up with a good book and a warm kitty:) This week has been crazy busy for some reason, so I am definitely looking forward to the weekend. Although I wish my family was coming to visit again, like they did last weekend. Ah well, I’m sure we will all see each other again soon. How about you? Any fun plans for the weekend?

Thought I would share something I read from Genesis yesterday about Lot and his family, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. When Sodom was being destroyed, God rescued Lot’s family. As they were hastily leaving the city, God’s messengers told Lot’s family not to look back on the city or they would surely die. Seems like a simple command, but unfortunately, Lot’s wife decided to look back…

“But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”

Genesis 19:26
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Faith Alone.

February 12, 2013 By: Sarah Leff1 Comment

Good Morning! How’s your Tuesday going so far? Mine has been going well—just catching up on a few things after my long weekend with the family:) It was so great to see them, catch up, and show them around Dallas a bit. Samson also had an excellent time playing with everyone, and is quite exhausted today—he has been sleeping all morning. While it was great to see them, saying goodbye is always hard for me. So, needless to say, I am feeling a little down today. At least I have a sleeping kitty to keep me company today:)

Anyways, this morning I was reading in Romans about how we are saved only by faith—not our works, not our good deeds, just through faith in Jesus.
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No Excuses.

February 8, 2013 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and happy Friday! Seriously, how is it Friday already? This week has flown…probably because I’m so excited to see my FAMILY tonight! My parents and brother are flying in for a visit tonight, and I can’t wait to see them. Yay!

Anyways, I don’t have too much time, but wanted to share something that I read this morning from Matthew. In Matthew 4, Jesus begins to call his disciples into fulltime ministry with him. Now these disciples had other jobs prior to Jesus. They had family commitments. They didn’t really know Jesus all that well. They were probably afraid. I’m sure they were at least a little nervous. They had a whole arsenal of excuses that could be used to get out of following Jesus, yet they chose not to sue any of them. They simply dropped what they were doing and followed him. They didn’t let fear of the unknown or the comfort found in their current position deter them from reaching their true destiny—to become Jesus’s disciples. To change the world.

How often do we become so comfortable with our current surroundings that we lose sight of our true callings in Christ? If God were to call us into a different profession or even a different region, how hard would it be for us to simply drop what we were previously doing and follow his lead? I’m going to guess it would be challenging to say the least. We need to be more like the disciples. We need to be willing to go wherever and whenever God calls us. Taking that leap of faith into the unknown may sound scary at first, but in the end it will all be worth it:)

Just something I was thinking about while reading this morning. Well, I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. I’ll be back on Tuesday, hopefully with some more updates:) God Bless!

Refining Fire

February 6, 2013 By: Sarah Leff1 Comment

Good Morning! How’s your Wednesday going so far? Mines been pretty good so far. I didn’t have to work early this morning, which is always an added bonus:) Anyways, hopefully you are noticing some changes around the blog this morning. I know, I know, it looks pretty primitive right now, but it’s getting there. I didn’t want to take a long break from posting to give the blog a facelift, so you’ll just have to bear with me as I make the changes [as quickly as possible]. So far, I’ve switched from blogger over to wordpress, but am still working on the cosmetic details:) I promise it’s gonna look awesome when it’s done! [Side note—please let me know if there is anything you can’t see, or if you find links that don’t work, etc., etc. As previously stated, I am not the best with technology. More of a work in progress…so yeah, just let me know if you see any glitches on your end.]
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Archives for February 2013

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