Sapid

The word of the day! I like it :) it means - "Having taste or flavor, especially having a strong pleasant flavor. Agreeable to the mind; to one's liking." (-dictionary.com)

That pretty much sums up how my map drawing is going. "Agreeable to the mind". I think I'm almost complete the draft. All I have to do is finalise it and get it approved! woo! hehe
But then comes the struggle of colouring it in :P
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"Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image." - A.W. Tozer (From The Pursuit of God)
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Another thing I've been learning lately is to let God take over every inch of me- including my thoughts. To strive for Him in everything, to focus on Him, to think about Him and (my favourite!) to chat to Him whenever I feel like it. Isn't that last one the coolest thing ever? That God is there ever minute, every moment, willing and wanting to listen to what you say to Him. Whether I'm out prunning and decide to give Him an earfull of whatever it is on my mind, or in lectures distracted from the teaching, in the bus bored as, making breakfast and tired or WHATEVER I can just talk to Him and He listens... now i dont know about you, but I think that is an incredible sign of love. If you woke me up at three in the morning because you had something to talk to me about, I think I'd slap you and then roll over and pretend you werent there. Ok thats a lie, if it was serious I would, but not for the things I talk to God at those times for.
So that is my mission, and so far I'm succeeding. I intend to become lost in God. Consumed by Him. In love with Him. its true!




Have this pic on my study desk and i thought I'd share it because it often makes me smile and chuckle when I need a pick me up - its a classic!

Step 1: Daw the map, Step 2: Hand it over for approval

God told me today that he is going to start helping me make the decisions i need to make. Which is awfully exciting...
I've been struggling lately with knowing what it is that God wants me to do and how. But tonight I had an very interesting discussion with a wonderful sister in Christ- Lisa :). Something she was saying is that her view on "God's will" is that its not a straight path that we must follow, but a forrest full of adventure, that we approach with a compass, map and traveling companion- then pick a route and say to our companion "what about this" and He says "Sure, I''ll go with that". It helped me think about that maybe I dont need to go searching for the specific one thing God has planned for me but too look at all the possibilites and make a choice (a rational, well thought out one of course) and ask God what He thinks. Maybe I'll get struck by lightning or burned up by flames- and then I'll know its a no and to try a different route... but maybe I wont, maybe I'll feel Him saying "yes Sarah, I like it, I know your future and I can agree with that plan".



So thats the plan for now, to think properly about the choices and decisions and hand over the results to God for the final judgment.... tick of approval or flames of torture... who knows, but I am ready and waiting... :)

Help!

What would you do if all the issues and decisions about your life came flying deathly fast into your face all in the one week? I just kept on moving. A rolling stone gathers no moss right?
So I'm here at Teen Ranch, and must I say that I thank God so much for letting me come. It has been great being here, kind of unreal really. But the the thing I have been struggling most with is being faced with Major decisions, challenges and issues surrounding my life- all at once... and well, I asked for it. I said to God before I came here- "can this be an opportunity to makes some decisions please?", but boy, I did NOT know what I was getting myself in for.
So many life altering decisions, and challenges I've never had to face before, are popping up left right and centre, just waiting for me to swing the bat and hit them the right directions. But I am so lost only God can save me know.

I need a clear mind.
I need answers.
But all my mind will produce is a measly little "help!".


But for Him, that is all that is needed.

Stuck in the mud.

[ Here I am... procrastinating... suprise suprise. Well, I might as well make use of the time. ]
So here I am. 6 months into a year I DID NOT want to do.
"I've decided I can't choose who needs to go to cornerstone and who doesnt, so I'm asking you to go too." Rohan caught me off guard (nov 08). I had not expected this and my expectations and dreams for the following year were shatted with one tear wrenching visit to Ro's office.
It wasn't until very late december 08 when the wrestle I had been having with God over this decision ended, and I was down for the count. I had finally submitted and realised that cornerstone was what God wanted me to do, and there was no way around it.
It wasnt until early January before I heard back from Jon. Everyday came and went so quickly, and with it brought a new rush of nerves for the impending mysterious year. I knew very little about cornerstone, only what I had heard from Aaron and Simon, and what i had found on the website (which I could tell hadnt been updated in yonks). But something that helped imensly was a new friend God delivered me, fresh out of cornerstone. Just before summer roundups Teen Ranch got two brand new staff members. One was Sarahjane, a wonderful woman of God, I thank God for because of her amazing support and friendship. But the second was a mister "Markus Aurelius", and he was the one mentioned previously. Mark was arriving here after doing first year in 06 and then two years of team, and he was God's way of calming my nerves- without me even realising. His many happinesses and experiances he shared with me about his times in cornerstone, and seeing the kind of man he had been shaped into, helped so much. When I left Teen Ranch with Nat (having another person, my amazing friend Nat, was another gift from God. She is an incredible friend and I was so glad to be setting off on the journey together), it was incredibly hard, but I was incredibly less nervous for the mystery awaiting me (although my stomach was addmitingly still in a knot).
So the year has been SOOOOO hard. So many challenges have been faced and conquered, and many I'm still struggling with. But along the way I have grown as a person and made many memories and friends I will remember forever. I may fill you in future blogs, but I need to go to bed because I'm prunning in the morning (if the rain stops!) and the net cuts out soon anyway haha.
So I'm excited about the rest of the year I am yet to face, and hope it will be just as (or maybe more) amazing than what has already passed.
But to leave you with a way you can help me...
please pray for me as I face the challenge of changing the way I approach the study we have to do and my attitude and willingness concerning the assessments. I feel horrid about it all at the moment and feel throughly stuck in the mud. Although there are many exciting things coming up (open weeks and maybe even Teen Ranch) I am worried they will provide me with more non work opportunities, so my personal challenge is to get caught up pre these events.
Ont that note I must depart. Love you all abundantly. May God bless your coming days and open your eyes to His prescence and revelations.
Over and out, Little One.