While You Were Sleeping...

I can't believe that I'm writing this on Christmas Eve. It has literally creeped up on me again! I guess my mom was right: the older you get, the faster Christmas will come!

What if there's a bigger picture?

This morning I had one of the biggest wake-up calls that I have ever had in my life. For my Dad’s birthday, he was given the book “Radical” by David Platt [thanks, Gee!!]. I was begging to hear something challenging so when my dad finished it he gave it to me to read. I hadn’t really had a good chance to get into it because it was during finals, but now I’m finally getting that chance! Now for this morning’s wake-up call…

Live Like Mike

It’s hard to believe it’s been 3 years and I can still remember December 1^st  2007 so clearly in my mind just like it was yesterday. The time. The phone call. The tears. The breakdown. It’s so vivid and it probably will always be that way. I lost a dear friend that day and it took me months to cope with the fact that he was gone. Today, I stand by his memory. I stand by Michael Hendrickson and what he lived for. I want to live like Mike.

It’s been said that Michael was always a good Christian guy. That he always said the right things, praised the “right” way, laid down everything at the altar; however, it was the last 6 months of Michael’s life that he truly impacted most people. He finally realized that he wasn’t doing something right, that every time he went down to the alter to lay something down and “surrendered it all” he always took something back with him. His final year at River Of Life (ROL), his life changed. He understood the act of surrender and lived his life in reckless abandonment to the God who loved him so unconditionally. He turned to inviting homeless people out to lunch in Athens, donating money, and fully surrendering himself to the life that Christ called us to.

I guess that’s why I took it so hard. He was one of the “good ones”, one of the most Christian guys I knew that was living in complete surrender everyday of his life to God’s will. That was Michael. And just when he had finally gotten it right, he was gone.  It’s amazing how much the life of one person can change. Michael’s radical change impacted so many people’s lives that after he passed, at least 10 (maybe even more! I don’t remember Eric’s exact number) came to know Christ just because of how Mikey lived his life. I want to do that. I want to be so in love with my creator that I live in reckless abandonment to his will, not being afraid or scared, but being comforted by the one who never lets me go. I want to live like Mike. Do you?

The Art of Letting Go!

Lately, I've been really struggling with all of the obligations in my life. They are all things that I loved doing once upon a time but when they became obligations and mandatory for me to do I find myself dreading them. I hate this. I hate the fact that my heart is no longer in it! I hate the fact that things I once loved are now turning into burdens for me to do! Last night was a prayer night for Wesley, and to be honest I didn't want to go but I knew that I had to for some reason. This is what I heard from God last night:
Let the root of everything that you do be based in me and my love. You are relying on your own strength to get you through. Haven't you heard? Haven't you learned? You can't do anything on your own! I'm here and willing to pour out a storehouse of blessing on you if you would only let me! Surrender yourself to me-truly surrender yourself, my beloved one. When your motivations are found in me, you won't find yourself being burdened anymore. Remember: In Me you live, and move, and find your being!
He then showed me Ezekiel 37. It's the story of the dry bones, but he showed me specifically two parts. The first part was in verse 2-3: 

² He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. ³ He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

The next part was in the ending of verse 6:

"I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
Oh, how this reminded me of my soul! My soul is very dry and then what the Lord says just pours living water into it! "You will come to life" Thank you, Jesus!!

The Art of Letting Go

When the music fades...

My alarm went off at 7:30 this morning just like it does every Sunday morning, except for that I simply wasn't in the mood for it. I was going to go to the early service at  Northridge this morning; however, when my alarm started going off, I got up, turned it off, got back in bed, and thought "Eh, I'm so not getting up right now. If I'm supposed to get up and go to church this morning, God will wake me up and I'll go". Lesson 1 for the day: God doesn't want to see you because you feel like it's an obligation or a hindrance to your time. He wants to see you and meet with you because, get this, HE LOVES YOU! You are his beloved child and he wants to meet with you every day to reveal his plans for you and to fill you with the things that you need for the upcoming day/week.


One of the most well known worship songs is Matt Redman's song, Heart or Worship. I was told that he wrote this song for his home church in England. Matt had fears that the church had gotten so wrapped up in a band, the music, the lights, the magic of it all, and lost the true point in worship. He expressed these fears to the pastor and he agreed the very next Sunday they took away all of the "worship" equipment. They met the congregation and asked them “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?”.

What is important....

I had the greatest experience last night at Ignite (Thanks, again SAO!!). Let me take you back to where the story begins....This summer I read a book called Sacred Singleness by Leslie Ludy (Side note: one of the greatest books I've ever read. It's definitely a must read for all girls!). While I was reading the book, I felt a call from God about orphans. It amazed me after he called me to it. I LOVE kids! Why had I not thought of this before?! I began asking around and my friend Kellee and I decided to create a ministry just for orphans. How often do you think people visit the orphanages just to care about and pour into these kids? That was our goal: to visit an orphanage once a month and just love. The more Kellee and I talked about it the more we realized it shouldn't be just a "once a month" type of thing! We began brainstorming all of the things we could do to help orphans all over and the foundation for J27 was born (James 1:27 :) ). This was literally one of the greatest things that ever happened to me! I had never felt a call so strong from God and never felt so joyful that I was actually doing something he desired for me to do!

About Me :)

My name is Sarah and I am a junior early childhood education major at Georgia College and State University. I'm from a small town called Lincolnton and I absolutely love where I live. I wouldn't change it for the world! I have a little brother named Brian who is a junior in high school and two of the greatest parents in the world. I honestly don't know where I would be without them in my life. To go along with school, I am the creative arts intern with the Wesley Foundation and I'm honored to be the cell group leader to the greatest group of girls ever! My desire is to live for Christ above all else in this life. I know that he is the only one that will ever fulfill me. I'm so in love with the man that saved me from myself!