Transition

Tomorrow is my last day of work. Therefore if anyone knows of people hiring Wednesday through Saturday shifts in the greater Seattle metropolitan area, it would be awesome to know. =)

I've applied at World Vision; I've applied with T-Mobile; I'm going to apply at Starbucks.

Hopefully here in the next couple weeks I'll land something.

Deep down I know that God is provident. And maybe I even know that closer to the surface, but it's easy to feel anxious when things are changing and it's a blind move.


Lord, help me to not be anxious in anything.


Hmmm....often easier said than done....

Christmas Blues

It's a bad sign when I get the saddest over the Christmas season passing because I can no longer sing "Ox and ass before Him bow and He is in the manger now" without sounding a little off.


I need a hobby.


For sure.

Talk Thursday // Labor of Love

• Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, becausehe was of the house and family of David, 
• in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son ; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no roomfor them in the inn. 
• In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 
• And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid ; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 
• "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. "And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 
• "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

~ Luke 2.1-20 ~

He came because of love. Not out of convenience or obligation or judgment. 

God made Himself incarnate in human flesh to be the redemption for us. Immanuel - just like He promised.

The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace and the Wonderful Counselor.

God help us remember the gift  You gave in Jesus beyond today. 

Merry Christmas.

Young At Heart??

It recently high-fived me in the face that I am old.

Not old in the sense that I am physically old (although my chiropractor may beg to differ).

But I'm not a kid anymore.

It's been snowing here like crazy-face. We've had some 18 inches of snowfall in the last week alone.

And I am so irritated. I realized that I only appreciate snow when it is convenient for me. There were days when I would seriously consider "work or not work?" That question is just a different way of saying "$$ or my safety and the safety of others?" I've gone with $$ each time.

Kids, on the other hand, see snow and they think:

"Tobogganing!" "No school!" "Hot chocolate!" "Snowball fights!" "Playday!" "Yippee!"

It makes me sad that I don't have those thoughts. I feel...unyoung at heart. Which is stupid.

Ok...I'm going to figure out a way to play. Even if it means more laundry and being cold.

The kid inside me needs it.

(The metaphorical kid in me. I don't have a bun in the oven or anything. Just to clarify. =) )

Put on Your Yamaka, It's Time to Celebrate Hanukkah

I want to be a Jew. I have "Jew-envy."

Well, kind of. I want to keep Jesus AND get all the awesome traditions that come with practicing Judaism. You all know how I love traditions.

Since I'm not a Jew but want to be, I semi-practice Hanukkah. Do I understand it all? No. Do I practice it properly? No. Is it too much of a stretch to believe that the same God that became a baby also was capable of causing oil to last for 7 nights? No.

Therefore, I tip my hat to all of you Hanukkah participants. It is a beautiful celebration of an awesome God. And if there are any nice Jewish families in the greater Seattle metropolitan area that would like to invite some goyim to the festivities, I accept!!! (I have my own menorah, know the "Dreidel"song and everything...)

Happy Hanukkah, החברים שלי !!

Things You May or May Not Know About Me

1. I love country music. It makes me happy all the time.

2. If I had to choose two food items to eat for the remainder of my days, I would choose any variation on chicken and potatoes. I cannot think of a form of either one that I dislike.

3. Reading fills me. But I always feel a little guilty picking up a novel - I feel like I should be plowing through LOTS of other non-fiction books.

4. Dr. Pepper is the greatest drink on the planet. Ok...so that's not so much about me as it is just a random fact, but now you know. And knowing's 1/2 the battle.

5. I've become more of a warm-climate person as opposed to the cold-climate person I once was. Darn you, Missouri! Darn you!

6. My favorite color is orange. But combinations of brown and pink ignite major emotional responses in me.

7. I consider myself a thespian (of sorts), but I much prefer directing and tech work over acting.

8. In high school, I was the president of the Astronomy Club. Call me a dork, but at least I'm the coolest dork you've ever known.

9. Though I'm rediscent to admit it, I like Christian music stations. In small, small doses.

10. When I'm bored (or lack motivation to do things) I can easily pass the time by looking at the wall.

So there's some Sarah-trivia for you. What are some things we may or may not know about you?

Talk Thursday // WishList

It's Talk Thursday, Christmas is upon us, and the shopping craze is still going strong.

* So have you been naughty or nice this year?

* What do you want for Christmas? Don't worry, you can tell here - Santa reads the blog. =)


And PS, You need to watch this...it'll make you happy. =)

First Snowfall!

No church, no driving....

Good times of slippery danger. 

Less Like Scars

it's been a hard year
but i'm climbing out of the rubble
these lessons are hard
healing changes are subtle
but every day it's...

less like tearing, more like building
less like captive, more like willing
less like breakdown, more like surrender
less like haunting, more like remember

and i feel You here
and You're picking up the pieces
forever faithful
it seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
but You are able
and in Your hands the pain and hurt
look less like scars and more like Character

less like a prison, more like my room
it's less like a casket, more like a womb
less like dying, more like transcending
less like fear, less like an ending

and i feel You here
and You're picking up the pieces
forever faithful
it seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
but You are able
and in Your hands the pain and hurt
look less like scars

just a little while ago
i couldn't feel the power or the hope
i couldn't cope, i couldn't feel a thing
just a little while back
i was desperate, broken, laid out,
hoping You would come

and i need You
and i want You here
and i feel You
and i know You're here
and You're picking up the pieces
forever faithful
it seemed out of my hands, a bad, bad situation
but You are able
and in Your hands the pain and hurt
look less like scars and more like Character

Thanks Sara Groves, for verbalizing exactly where i am...one year from removed from everything i knew at the time. Thank You, God for your faithfulness and Your wonderous love that i can't begin to fathom.

Even if God nor i wanted the scars in the first place, at least they are proving to develop hopefully godly character in this long-dormant heart.

Talk Thursday // Christmas Love

Excluding baby Jesus, what is your favorite thing about Christmas or the Christmas season?

(Disclaimer: I only excluded baby Jesus so that you wouldn't feel compelled to give that answer out of a sense of necessity, not because I don't think Jesus should be part of Christmas. It was function...it's not like I say "Happy Holidays" or anything....) =)

(And another thing: is it just me or does it look like the sun is rising over Jesus' head? Oh. My. Gosh. "Sun rising"..."Son rising", what?! I love XPoW's!)

Just Me...That's All I Got

Does anyone else ever do this? 

You hear a great song, see a beautiful photo, read a fantastic story, or eat an incredible treat and just get defeated. I've written before about feeling jealous over other people's experiences, but this is a different kind of envy. It's not just that I want the same experiences people have, but I want to do what they can do. 

My whole life I've summed up my abilities into: "I can do a little bit of a lot, but there's nothing exceptional." I can play the piano, but not that well; I crochet, but basically at best; I can translate Hebrew, but not as well as others; I write but not at the caliber I desire; I'm pretty nice, but certainly not the nicest person you've ever met. There is nothing that makes me stand out in the crowd. 

I'm just me. And most days, that's simply not enough. 

Yet, during little moments of clarity, I wonder if being me is my ability. Some people are able to endure - to keep going in the face of adversity; maybe I just keep going in the face of mediocrity. 

I want to be more. But am I supposed to be? 

Word Verification

I see people leaving hilarious definitions of the word verifications they see when they want to publish a comment. And I think it's awesome.



So...what's yours?

Observations

* Strongbow is great. 

* It's obvious that I'm getting old when 10pm is super late - even on the weekend. 

* Impromtu girls' night is good for the soul. 

* The first Alli Rogers CD - Always Eden - is incredible. 

* Downtown Seattle at Christmas makes my heart happy. 

* It is highly irritating that some people can get away with wearing pj pants and hoodies to work when I can't even wear open-toed shoes .

* Jokes are always more hilarious when they include Old Testament humor.

* Even things that were once considered evil and wrong, can begin to grow on a person after time (in my case, the Gaither Vocal Band and maybe, somewhere down the road, bananas).

* My new Chanukah candles are awesome. 

* Books are like drugs...you can never get enough.

* I miss being around guys. 

* God confuses me, but I guess that's just part of His charm. 

Talk Thursday // Deserted Island

Deserted Island


You all know how this game is played.

Imagine you're stranded on a deserted island, all by yourself, for an indefinite period of time. Assuming there are survival resources on the island with you, what 5 items do you take with you? Are you more practical or indulgent or both? How will you stay sane?

I love Talk Thursdays!! =)




And Jonah wrap-up on SereYodh

"Flava" # Dos

December... wow.... I'm astonished. And stuff.

Well, I haven't done any link love since August, but I figured today would be a good day for that. 1) It's Monday 2) Filing = turning my brain to mush 3) Did I mention it's Monday?

So in the spirit of Christmas giving, here are some great blogs to check out. =)



* A Genuine Faith: This is Dr. Rodney Reeves' blog. If you went to SBU, you know him, you love him, now, you too can read him! Even if you didn't go to SBU, he's awesome and you should check it out. Some of it goes over my head. But you people are greatly smarter than me. So enjoy.

* Jesus Blog: This is a collaborative blog that is written by some people I know, some people I don't. But it's always good, always relevant and always honest. And I like those things.

* JustWallpaper & other good stuff: This is one of those people that I don't know from Adam. Randomly I happened across his blog and was hooked. It's creative-y & funny(-y). Those are things I appreicate. So should you.

* SereYodh: Yes, this is my other blog. Finishing up Jonah this week and starting Advent next. Yes, I have just pimped myself. And I'm not ashamed. =)

So there's your opportunity to read some more good stuff.

What are you reading? What do you think we should be reading too? Is it you? Go on ... "pimp" yourself, too. =)