Changes come…and I don’t like them.

So my roommate might leave after this semester. It all depends on whether or not she gets into Moody. I have a gut feeling that she will. She says she doesn’t know.

Now why does this matter? Because it’s causing big problems between us. We’re both tense and snappy and she doesn’t want to talk with me about it because I’m being a pill about it all. I’m just saying that she’s leaving and she is uncertain about her future and everyone here is saying that it isn’t a good idea or saying that money/job certainty is not the ultimate thing and she’s really frustrated.

And honestly, I don’t blame her. I’d be mad and frustrated and feeling pressured on all sides. She and I talked about it at the beginning of the semester and she really doesn’t know what to do. We already had a talk about how I’ve been rude because it’s hard for me to think about, and how I’ll try to be more supportive. And of course that hasn’t worked.

It’s frustrating to me though that I’m handling all this so badly. I feel like I’m doing through the 5 stages of grief, and am stuck somewhere between denial and anger. I made an appointment with the Dean of Women though, to talk about it. Hopefully she’ll help.

But the problem is that I hate change. Not little changes–those I adore. I love changing my haircolor and re-arranging furniture–but big changes I hate. Think about it. I’ve had the same best friend my entire life, and my other closest friend since I was 10. I’ve lived in the same house and gone to the same church and was homeschooled all my life. I had the same job for 6 years until I came here for school. The first time anyone close to me died was my Pawpaw, and I was 15 at the time.

I’m just not used to all this. I’m not used to having to change, having people so close to me leave. I’m applying to be an RA next year, but even if I became one, my roommate would still be here at school. But the idea of her leaving just hurts me so badly. Obviously I’m having some sort of breakdown if I can’t even interact with her well. We did so good last semester–why is this so difficult?

I know God is in control. You can’t tell me anything about the sovereignty of God that I don’t already know. But as much as I know that God is good and I know that He is faithful and that His grace is enough, this sucks. I don’t want my roomie to leave. I don’t want it, and in the midst of my “not wanting”, I am feeling like it’s all falling apart. Instead of living life while I have it, I feel like I’m sitting and waiting for the inevitable death.

Sometimes I’m just not sure anymore. And I really don’t have the answers.
Sampai jumpa lagi,
Sarah

20,000 milestone!

Thanks to all those faithful readers who have visited my blog, whether it be here at WordPress or back when it was at Blogger. Because of you, I hit 20,000 page views today:D.

If you could see me now…you’d actually just see me sitting in a carrel at the library. But in my mind, I’m jumping for joy!

Oh happy blogging day!
Alla herni,
-Sarah

Never fails…

There’s a secret I must tell
Of all the love I’ve found
And it’s hidden in my heart
The day you tore my world apart

Hallelujah, King forever, friend and Saviour

Jesus’ blood never fails me,
Jesus’ blood never fails me,
Jesus’ blood, Jesus’ blood

And this secret, it will run
To the corners of the earth
Where every woman, every son
Will carry high their chains undone

Hallelujah, King forever, friend and Saviour

Jesus’ blood never fails me,
Jesus’ blood never fails me,
Jesus’ blood never fails me,
Jesus’ blood, Jesus’ blood

Sing your songs of freedom
Praise the God of heaven
Love that never fails me
Jesus’ blood, Jesus’ blood

Jesus’ Blood by Delirious?

Creativity and Christian Theism..

I’m taking Introduction to Apologetics this semester, and one of the books we’re going through is The Universe Next Door by James Sire. It’s a good one thus far, but since the only chapter we’ve read is Christian Theism and the man is a Christian Theist, I can’t say anything about the rest of the book.

Anyway, as I was reading it and taking notes on it, I noticed that he mentioned creativity a lot in the chapter. One quote in particular was so good I wrote it down in my notes and underlined it twice in the book:

Artists operating within the theistic worldview have a solid basis for their work. Nothing is more freeing than for them to realize that because they are like God they can really invent. Artistic inventiveness is a reflection of God’s unbounded capacity to create

Later on he mentions how the Fall effects humanity:

Creatively, our imagination became separated from reality; imagination became illusion, and artists who created gods in their own image led humanity further and further from its origin.

I love that thought. I love the connection that he makes between creativity and Christianity. It’s just so true. CS Lewis talks in The Great Divorce about how art is worth something because it reminds us of heaven, and of true beauty.

These are a series of pictures from painting the other day. It was a gorgeous day, so my roommate, two of the girls from my hall and I went outside and painted. Afterwards, one of the girls and I went on a photowalk. As we painted and later took pictures, I just rested in the knowledge that any small amount of creativity I have was given to me by God. His creative mind is so far beyond mine, it’s amazing.

As I rest more and more in God and am closer and closer with Him, my creative efforts will reflect that, whether painting or writing or taking pictures or whatever. That’s the beauty of faith–the more I grow in my faith, the more creative I will be.
How beautiful is that?
Enjoy the pictures. :)
Ya Da Ma,
Sarah
Hand
My roommate took that picture of me painting…
Postcard
My postcard I painted…
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5.jpg
7.jpg
The watercolor tray

6.jpg
9.jpg
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AfterI was done, I took my tray and shook the leftover paint onto some clovers…instead of dripping, it formed balls of color…so I took these shots.

Truth…

truth.jpg

This is a page from my Moleskine…click to see larger.

Classes are good but very hard..:D
-Sarah

Jesus paid it all…

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

 

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

 

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

 

And now complete in Him
My robe His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.

 

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

 

When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.

 

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down
All down at Jesus’ feet.

I was just thinking about that song, with the words running through my head. “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe…” It’s such a beautiful song, really. All about Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for us.

I went shopping today, doing some last minute stuff for school. As I drove away from Target I kept thinking about all the people that were out. Each one of them has a unique approach to life, their own story. They all come with families and histories and pasts and futures. Some are Christians, some are not. I can’t know those things.

But what I do know is that every single person that I saw today has pain. We all do–we live in a fallen and sinful world, what do you expect? There are stories of alcoholism, divorce, abuse, cutting, suicide, debt, cheating, shame, cruelty, filth, greed. Their stories are full of humiliation and rejection, lies and infidelity, additions and burdens. And in the midst of it all many of those people are longing for some sort of fulfillment.

‘There’s this aching feeling inside of me that won’t go away…’ ‘I can be the most popular person I know and still cry myself to sleep at night…’ ‘I have a wonderful spouse, but that completeness I was expecting when we got married never came…’ ‘I’m at the top of my game but my job really means nothing to me…’

All of those problems that everyone is trying to fix all can be traced back to one thing–sin. We all do it, we all have been hurt because of it and none of us can rid ourselves of it. It taints everything we do, from art to writing to serving to working. The stench of selfishness pervades through our houses, our jobs, our hobbies–everything. It is filthy and disgusting, and no matter how hard we scrub, it will not go away.

But all is not lost. For in years past, Light came and broke through the darkness of sin. Jesus arrived. He came to bring hope. To be the missing link that we all long for. He came to “pay it all”. It is free, its only request is faith. He is the fulfillment of the need, the answer to the question buried in my heart-of-hearts. And it is with the thankfulness that comes with the realization of grace that I gladly say this:
Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

He has changed my filthy spots and melted my heart of stone. How glorious is the grace of Christ?
Tala yawah,
Sarah

Thankful…

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

 

I went to youth group last night. I wasn’t planning on it, or really had a great desire to, but I felt like I should go to show my support, and also just to observe (my major is youth ministry, afterall). It was definitely very strange, and I (as I expected) did not really feel like I fit in anymore. Of course that is normal, but still it was a strange feeling.

 

But it was a good thing. As I was walking up the steps to the youth room, I kept thinking of walking up those steps as a 6th grader, an 8th grader, a 10th grader, and a senior (And all the grades in between). I remembered all of the ups and downs and problems and happy times and numerous youth pastors and sleepovers and was nearly overwhelmed by it all. I’ve been through a lot, spiritually.

 

I’ve been through a lot, sure, but God has brought me through all of those things. And as I sat in youth group listening to our current youth pastor’s plan for this next year and his encouragement to the kids to be passionate and stop being apathetic about their faith, I was just struck with how blessed I am. I never really had that problem. Of course there were years where I hit “rough” patches, and plenty of times where I wasn’t living it out. But all in all, my relationship with God has been strong from that moment where I first realized He loved me.

 

The best part about my spiritual journey is that it was not my strength that sustained me. If it were not for the grace of God, I would never be where I am today. I wouldn’t possibly be going to school to be a youth pastor, least of all a school where we can’t dance, don’t have TVs in our room, and can’t watch R-rated movies! I have no clue what I’d be doing, but I certainly wouldn’t be here. It is only by the sweet mercy of Christ that He not only saved me but He sustains me and is consistantly sanctifying me.

Now that isn’t to discredit my free will or say that I haven’t made some smart choices. But God has kept me close to His heart through the years, and every time I start to run away He gently reminds me of His faithfulness and His love. And I’m finding that “morning by morning new mercies I see”.

I hope you’re taking the time to see how God is reminding you of His faithfulness and compassion and that your life is filled with joy and overwhelming gratitude.
Sen be,
Sarah

7 is my favorite number!

So I of course am excited that now it’s ‘07! But I have to say that 2006 was a good year. I turned 18, picked a college a week later, flew again for the first time in 9 years, graduated, worked at camp, went off to college, and survived my first semester with a 3.97 GPA!!

And in the midst of it all, I learned a lot. A lot. Because I learned so much last year, I’m excited for this next year. I’m excited for what God will do in my heart and my life. I have a lot of things that He brought up last year that I’m ready for Him to get to working on–get that surgeon’s scalpel out, you know?

But I wanted to say thanks to all those who have kept reading my blog through all the changes and the infrequent postings. Cheers to a new year!
Au revoir,
Sarah