Thoughts...

Wednesday, 18 June 2008

Saturday, 23 February 2008

  • Granddad

    Last Friday afternoon, I found out that my Granddad in England died unexpectedly.  The following is a message which was read on my behalf at his funeral since I could not be there in person.

    ***

    Granddad always had a song in his heart, and his joyful singing spoke to the music lover in me.  Every year he sang “Happy Birthday” to me with an enthusiasm no one can match (followed, of course, by his annual reminder to “wash behind your ears!”). 

    I don’t remember when it was, but during one of my visits with Granddad he began singing the hymn “Nearer My God to Thee” with a passionate expression that I would never forget.  Growing up I would often chuckle as I mimicked Granddad’s singing of that chorus:  

    “Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to thee.  E'en though it be a cross, that raiseth me.  Still all my song shall be, nearer my God, to thee; nearer, my God, to Thee; nearer to Thee.”   

    It seemed like every time I talked to Granddad about events in my life, he would remind me of one of his favorite verses, Romans 8:28 – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”   

    As I grew older those words stuck with me, and I began to realize the truth in them, that God really did have a purpose for every situation I faced.  Over the past few months I have had new challenges which have reminded me of Granddad’s love for Romans 8 and prompted me to explore that chapter further.  Verses 38-39 have been especially meaningful to me: 

    “For I am convinced that neither death, or nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

    Being confident that nothing will separate us from God’s love, we can draw near to Him and experience His love and comfort.  As Granddad sang: “Nearer my God to Thee, nearer to Thee”… Death has not separated Granddad from the love of God – Granddad is near to his God at last – and God is working together all my memories of Granddad’s witness for good in my life. 
     

    -Sarah

Sunday, 27 January 2008

  • I'm still here! Really...I am.

    Semester 2 has officially begun as of this week (I know, all you students out there are jealous because you went back to school weeks ago).  Semester 1 was great and I don't know if this semester will compare, but I suppose I should at least give it a chance.  I'm taking Accounting online and Business Statistics on campus...everyone told me the stats class would be extremely challenging but that doesn't seem to be the case.  Accounting is looking quite daunting right now, not so much the material but the excessive busywork that comes with online classes to make up for the lack of classroom participation.  Oh well, I'll get through it, if only because I know it is the foundation for my future finance classes (yay!).

    The Lord has been teaching me a lot lately about trusting him with every aspect of my life.  Romans 8 has become one of my favorite passages.  It talks about hoping for things unseen, for how can we hope for that which we already see?  We know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose [even if we can't figure it out at the moment!].  And no matter what, we are convinced that neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Think about the confidence this gives us in Christ!  Events in our lives don't always make sense, and it can be hard to understand why we have to wait (or "hope for things unseen") for the desires in our hearts.  But the greatest comfort is knowing that God's love fills us and as long as we continue to delight ourselves in Him, He will provide us with the desires of our hearts in His time!  He knows me better than I know myself, He knows what I want and more importantly what I need, and He is providing it for me in His plan for my life...even though I can't see it all now.  That's why I continue to hope for the unseen and trust the wisdom of the plan.  When I'm thinking of this, I'm strong and confident.  When I lose sight of these truths, I begin to doubt and feel discouraged.  I want instant gratification, I want results now, I want my desires to be satisfied, I want want want and I become consumed in ME and getting what I want.  That is human nature, and that is why I need a Savior.  It is also why I love every chance to fellowship with believers, because it reminds me that there is a bigger picture outside of myself. 

    I have been pondering these things a lot lately.  I feel like I am growing faster than I can keep up, if that makes sense. 

    I feel like I am older than I really am.

Monday, 03 December 2007

  • Deep philosophical question.

    Hello friends...the white stuff is falling.  I have determined that I need to move farther South. 

    Someone at work has been trying to get me to learn to ski, and I have always protested that I hate snow and would rather limit my exposure to it.  But I'm wondering...if snow actually served a fun and useful purpose for me, such as endless hours of amusement at a ski slope, would my hatred for it eventually wear off? 

    Then again, maybe I would be horrible at skiing, break a limb or something, and I would grow to despise snow all the more. 

    Is it worth the risk of trying to enjoy it?

Tuesday, 30 October 2007

Sunday, 28 October 2007

  • Quick update, since I should be writing a paper (you might notice my blogging frequency increasing parallel to my varying homework levels, which correspond to the number of procrastination techniques needed).

    Grandma went into the hospital with pneumonia on Monday and is still there.  We thought she was improving, but today the tests show that the pneumonia is actually worse.  Hard to believe, considering she's on two IV antibiotics, breathing treatments, etc.  She is a terrible "patient" (or lack thereof, haha) and just wants to be HOME.  However, she is where she needs to be, for both her sake and my grandpa's--he is greatly relieved to have someone else caring for her right now.  Please continue to pray not only for her healing but also for her state of mind!

    Messiah rehearsals have started...I can't believe it's that time of year again already...but it is fabulous.  Hallelujah!

Monday, 22 October 2007

  • Prayers needed

    My grandma has a bad health issue right now and she is stubbornly refusing treatment...please pray that she would 1) allow my mom & grandpa to take her to the hospital today, and 2) be healed of whatever is causing the trouble.

    Also, my cousin Michael is going through an extremely difficult time in his family & is asking for prayer.  The good thing is, he seems to be leaning firmly on the Lord during this time & is actually feeling very compelled to go into the ministry. 

    Finally, please pray for me...strength, wisdom, discernment, patience...

Tuesday, 09 October 2007

Tuesday, 02 October 2007

  • Update

    I had intended to do some Marketing homework over lunch today, but after a busy morning and with a busy afternoon looming, I have decided to let my mind rest for awhile.   

    Classes are going well.  I'm taking Marketing online and "Organizational Design, Development & Change Management" on campus.  Sidenote, my Org Design professor is amazing.  Last week, she used an example from Office Space to illustrate a point about consultants (the Bobs!).  Wow.  It was memorable for me anyway.

    Lately I've been assisting with my college's debate team.  I have loved getting to know the students and being able to help them improve their speaking abilities.  We scrimmaged Grove City this weekend and improved a lot.  I'm excited about the potential this young team possesses.  It is also fun for me because the principles I'm learning in my MBA can be applied to the team, so I'm seeing concepts in practice...it's cool!  Plus, several years removed from undergrad, it's nice to be able to "contribute" to my alma mater a little bit...even though they still want my money. haha.

Sunday, 16 September 2007

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