We've been having a family reunion over the past weekend, and it has been awesome!  I'm quite exhausted, but hey... it's worth it having your family around.  Thank you, my dear cousin Carolyn, for the fun and laughter you brought to us.  Thank you, my dear cousin Craig, for messing up my hair... (yeah right!!!)  Thank you, my dear cousin Katelyn, for picking me up, then dropping me.  (I'm still impressed she can pick me up when she's 3 years younger than me...)  And as for the rest of all you family... thanks for an amazing weekend.  With as much food as we ate all weekend, it's amazing I haven't busted.  My cousin Charley put it this way:  "I'm full till Wednesday."

It is now September, and I was just noticing how nice it is outside.  I don't know about the weather where you are, but it's been sooo lovely here.  Not too hot, not too cold.  Just right.

Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.  --Psalm 48:10

Here I am, a lonely college student with enormous professors breathing down my back, monster tests looming ahead, and uncaring fellow students laughing on either side of me.  Okay… so I am taller than two of my professors… so what?  They are still powerful *evil laughter comes from no where*.  Woe is me, who was I to know what sort of things I was getting myself into by enrolling myself into a den of lions?  The pipets and gradulated cylinders angrily throw off my precision as I measure dangerous unknown liquids.  Scoffing at my very little brain, and lack of talent in the numerical world, patterns and equations play with my eyes.  Essays abundant demand my full attention, causing me to mix them up into one massive hoard of unreadable, unacceptable mess.  Yes, the complicated world of complex education is upon me.

Who am I?  Call me blessed.

Yes, it is I, Sarah!  I have made it through my first week of community college, alive and well.  Though some of the extensive paragraph above is true, you probably can tell most of it is simply me trying out my English skills.  =]  *cough*(… or rather finding out if I have any….)

I truly am blessed, to know I have such great friends as you, and a loving family I can fall back against and rest when the world becomes tiresome.  Phillipians 4:4 says “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again, Rejoice!”  It feels SO good to rejoice!  Singing with my little brother at the top of our lungs, playing games with my little sister, hanging out with my older siblings… these make me rejoice.

Well, I’d better go dive back into homework.  Remember to rejoice this week!

Love yas!

Oh… and I found out the unknown liquid was Toluene.  Don’t ask me what that is, because I have NO CLUE!  (I hope it isn’t too dangerous… I got a little thirsty during lab.  JK JK JK!!!)

My dear, sweet grandma went home to be with Jesus Wednesday morning.  There's a verse in the Bible that says, there is a time to be born, and a time to die.  Grandma made the most of the time she had to live, that's for sure.  My grandma never missed an opportunity to laugh, to tease, or joke.  She also knew just what you needed, and she would quickly hop to work with "Grandma will make it all better."  Most of all grandma knew what it meant to be a strong Christian.  Her belief in God encouraged my walk, and strengthened us all.

No one in the whole world can make potato salad better than yours Grandma!  I love you Grandma, and we will miss you greatly. 

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ..." --Philippians 3:2

Thank you, my dear sweet friends, for not forgetting me.  Though you have every right to forget me, you have stuck by me this summer, and I am truly thankful. 

Let me tell you a bit about my busy summer.  Doesn’t it seem funny that you stay extremely busy, and then afterward you can’t remember everything you did?  *sigh* 

After my uncle’s death, I couldn’t seem to get hold of my life, and pull it back to normal.  A death of a loved one puts everything in perspective, and sometimes it makes us think differently about our every day activities.  Through a series of fortunate events, God worked through me, and I took a sweet journey through His mercy and faithfulness.

Bible school this year was themed Avalanche Ranch, and for a whole week I could act like a cowgirl and be as wild as I wanted.  =]  WHAAA HOOO!!!  (Okay, some of my excitement has not worn off yet…)  I had an amazing week that week.  I had the 2-3 grade class, and those kids never ceased to amaze me.  True, they were not always sweet, polite, loving children… but who cares?  I had a young girl that comes from a broken home.  I have always shaken my head when thinking about her, since she can be a HANDFUL sometimes.  However, this week she and I got to talking one on one about situations in her life.  It was amazing how she really wanted to do the right thing, and she just wanted her mom to love her.  I could see loneliness in her eyes, and it almost broke my heart.  Throughout the week, I was able to spend time with her, and share with her God’s love.  You never know how much kids get from talks like that… but I feel God is going to do something great in her life.  Thank you God for Bible school… something I don’t think I’ll ever grow out of.  I learn something new every year.

The mission trip I took with my church youth group was indescribable.  So many things happened that I would have not expected, and I learned so many valuable lessons.  The best part was how we were able to bless others.  I was able to experience the happiness and thankfulness of a family whose house we worked on during our stay down in New Orleans.  The true value of our experience shone bright as we gave recaps of our trip to the congregation, and saw the tears in their eyes as we showed them a slideshow of pictures accompanied by the song We Will Stand by Avalon.  One of my favorite parts of the mission trip was the fact that we as a group grew stronger in our faith, and our relationships with each other strengthened as well.  We prayed together, laughed together, cried together, and I think we all learned valuable lessons from each other.

There is so much more I could say about the trip, and other things that have happened this summer, but I’m sure you’ll all tired of reading by now, and would love to move on to other, more exciting things.  =]  Again, thank you all for being there for me.  I appreciate it greatly.  Now, just a few interesting things I’ll leave with you that I have done this summer.

-Ate alligator

-Threw up at work

-Watched Oceans Thirteen

-Learned how to sink to the bottom of the pool

-Obtained a 4.0 grade average at the community college

-Cried on a ferry crossing the Mississippi River

-Hugged a mannequin in Kohles

-Was soaked by a water balloon

-Met relatives I didn’t know I had

-Realized I was shorter than my little brother… GAHHH

-Missed all my internet friends!

In the past week I have watched three different versions of Pride and Prejudice.  I deserve applause.    Just kidding, it wasn't all that bad.  I really enjoyed watching them, and comparing them.  The oldest one has the bubbly, happy characters, the older one has the story line, and the new one has its amazing camera angles and music.

Has anyone seen Wallace and Grummit?  It's amazing.... ly scary.  =]  I almost fainted from fright as Wallace turns into the ware-rabbit.  *spooky music*  Actually, that movie has got me wondering.  As I see wild rabbits outside now I back away slowly and run for my life.

How was everyone's Father's Day?  I hope it went well.  My dear dad got his favorite pizza, and a lot of hugs. 

I'm a little random and absent minded right now, so if this was boring, I apologize.  Ta ta for now!

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  --Romans 12:9

Hello.

It is I.

Sarah.

If you don't remember me, .... you have good reason.   

Anyway, I am happy to be back on the internet, and I hope to catch up with all of you sometime soon.

About my last few weeks:  I am taking a student orientation class, and I have to write a personal portfolio about my life.  So PLEASE, if anyone has any ideas about what areas of my life I should write about, I shall be very interested in hearing about it. 

I've also discovered if you jump around on a wet floor you are eventually going to slip and almost fall on your face. 

I've been reading the book, On Every Side, by Karen Kingsbury.  It's a fantastic story about how we are faced every day on every side by obstacles and challenges.  Throughout the book, the characters face difficult situations, and disappointing events.  Through it all though, they find out that God is there beside them the whole way, even when the going was tough.

One of the Bible verses mentioned in the book is one of my favorites:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  --Romans 8:38-39

Pardon my absence.  The last few days have been crazy here.  I've been trying to stay alive. 

I have started my summer classes at the community college, and thankfully they aren't very hard.  I have enjoyed dozing off during class.... JK!  Unfortunately I poked myself in the face really hard with my pen.  (I was errr.. playing around with it.) 

Well, I have to go, but thank you all for commenting.  I can always count on my blogger friends.  =] 

With love, Sarah

In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?  --Psalm 56:4

I hope everyone's mom had a great Mother's Day!  (sorry I'm one day late on here, hehe!)

I can't begin to say my thanks to my mom.  She is amazing.  As a sibling of 6, I have learned that Mom can't spend a great deal of time with me alone.  However, she always knows how to teach me what I need to know, and she's always there for me. 

Mom makes even the most simple times the most fun.  When we're eating supper, and we talk about some of our favorite memories, it makes us laugh.  Mom laughs so hard her face turns bright red, and in turn that makes my dad crack jokes, and all my siblings and I choke on our food.  Good times, good times. 

Sadly, moms are often taken for grantid. (sp?)  Let your mom know how much you love her!  She does so much for you, more than you see sometimes.

As for my mom, I can't say how much I appreciate her.  (did I already say that? lol!)  Here is a Bible verse that describes my mom:  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.  --Proverbs 31:30

Mom usually doesn't have time to make sure that she is always looking her best, and she doesn't make a big deal about her appearance.  She cares more about her kids, and how God sees her.  That makes her the most beautiful person in the world.  (at least in my eyes)

Love ya Mom!

I found out something very interesting yesterday.  I stink at minature golf.    Sadly, I found myself walking from one side of the hole to the other, hitting the ball.  It was always too hard or too soft of a hit.  At one hole I found myself at my 10th hit, and depressed.  My dear dad cheered me on though, and encouraged me to finish, even though we were rushed for time.  I did finish, after I wore my golf club out. 

It made me think about my daily Christian walk.  Sometimes it seems I'm trying everything I can to get that ball into the hole.  To be that ultimate child of God.  Then I realized we will never be perfect until Jesus comes back takes home.  We can strive to be like Jesus.  To share His love and salvation with others.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. -- I John 1:7

I encourage you, if you feel like you are hitting the ball back and forth, not getting anywhere, pray about it and get encouragement from your loved ones.  To know that someone is praying for you, or cheering you on can make a big difference in your life.  Keep playing a good game, you can do it!

P.S.  Playing minature golf also taught me that putters are not meant to be drivers.  Also, if you see a someone hitting a ball in your direction, run.

It is definitely spring here now.  The sun is shining, the trees are green, the grass is green... and the bugs are out.  I drove through tons of bugs one night, and it was like driving through snow.  It was crazy.  And now the windshield is filthy.  I'm not complaining though, I love spring. 

Right now I'm feeling wordless, and so I will end this terribly short post with a verse:

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.  --James 2:19

It's awesome to know our God is more powerful than the forces of evil.

Guess what?  I'm finally back on!  Sorry about that guys, I didn't think I would be working as much as I did last week.  I'm so glad to be back on here, I miss you all so much!

This past Saturday my family went to the Relay For Life at my brother's college.  It's a walk to support those survivors of cancer, it was a very special time.  We kids also had a lot of fun taking advantage of the football goals.  *evil grin*  My 9 year old brother brought his little football, and was kicking it over the goal posts.  Of course, I couldn't be outdone by him, so I did it too.  Amazingly, it took me two tries to get it over.  I was very excited, and shouted 'touchdown', which apparently is the wrong term.  I was corrected by my dear little brother that I had just made a field goal, not a touchdown.  DUHHHHHHH, I don't know why I said touchdown in the first place. 

At youth group on Sunday, we did a Bible study about making decisions.  Growing older, you realize how many more decisions come your way, and how sometimes you have to make those decisions yourself.  It can be scary, but always remember that God is there.  Some of the things you can do when faced with difficult decisions, is- pray, seek help from those you trust, stay in the Word, and always trust God, no matter what. 

He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.  --Psalm 18:17

I'm sure by now all of you have heard of the Virginia Tech tragedy. It's hard for any of us who have friends or family that have ever gone there. Thankfully everyone I knew who goes there are all safe. One of my co-workers knew one of the girls who was shot two times in the leg. Last we heard she was getting ready to go through surgery, so please keep praying for her and all the others who are injured.

Also remember the families of the victims. I can not begin to tell you how much they are hurting. I was at work with parents of VT students, and I felt the horror, and anxiety as they waited to hear from their sons and daughters while we listened to the radio. There's nothing that could erase the memory of not knowing if your loved one is still alive or not.

As Christians, what can we do when something like this happens? Naturally, we can't all go to Virginia Tech and be there for the students, though we all wish we could. Instead, we have the power to pray. God is using this situation in an awesome way. Even though we will all mourn for those lost, many people have come together to pray, and hopefully this will be a time when others will come to know Jesus. Let's pray that many will become followers of Christ when they see that this world will not last forever.

Remember this verse from James 1:2-4. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

And this one from Jeremiah 29:11. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

God knows what is going to happen next. He will take care of us, and by God's grace, we will all be able to handle anything that comes our way. We know that whatever happens will turn around for good, and be used to further God's kingdom.

So for VT families and wounded: We are praying for you, and thinking about you. Embrace God's love, and keep close to our Heavenly Father as we all heal from this tragedy.

This is one of those random, fun posts. =]

I'm babysitting this afternoon. That's kind of exciting... since I haven't babysat in awhile.

I'm getting really, really tired of school, but I'm excited that the end is in sight.

Does anyone know why it's really cold outside?

Does everyone get a summer break from school?

Okay... I'm kind of out of things to say. Remember, God made you special, and He loves you very much, BYE!

Happy Easter everyone!  (one day early )  Don't get caught up in all the celebrations that you forget what it's really about.  If you've ever seen The Passion, it puts you right back there when Jesus was alive.  You can feel the pain, and anguish of those around Jesus, as they watched Him die.  Knowing He was doing it all for you... it crushes your heart by the demonstration of an incredible love.

Don't keep Jesus in the grave!!!  He is RISEN!  Here is a song that I really like by Newsong.  If you've never heard it before, listen to it. 

ARISE, MY LOVE

Not a word was heard
at the tomb that day.
Just shuffling of soldiers feet
as they guarded the grave.
One day, two days,
three days had past.
Could it be that Jesus
breathed His last?

Could it be that His Father
had forsaken him?
Turned his back on his son
dispising our sin.
All hell seemed to whisper
'Just forget Him, He's dead.'
Then the Father looked down
to his son and he said..

Arise, My love.
Arise, My love.
The grave no longer
has a hold on you
No more death's sting
No more suffering
Arise...Arise...my love.

The Earth trembled
and the tomb began to shake,
and like lightening
from Heaven the stone was rolled away.
And as dead man
the guards they all stood there in fright
As the power of love
displayed its might
Then suddenly a melody
filled the air
Riding wings of wind,
it was everywhere
The words all creation
had been longing to hear
The sweet sound of victory,
so loud and clear.

Arise, my love.
Arise, my love.
The grave no longer has a hold on you.
No more death's sting
no more suffering
Arise...arise....

Sin, where are your shackles?
Death, where is your sting?
Hell; has been defeated.
The grave could not hold the king.

Arise, My love.
Arise, My love.
The grave no longer
has a hold on you
No more death's sting
No more suffering
Arise....Arise....Arise

Quick run down on the past few days:

I practically slept for two whole days.  I practically didn't eat for two whole days.  (WARNING: The following sentence may not be appropriate for younger audience, viewer discretion advised:)  I puked my guts out.  I lost 10+ pounds.  The End.

I've had a stomach virus unfortunately.  SO sorry about my prolonged absence from cyberspace.  I feel so behind in everything.  I hope I can catch up with you all soon, I miss you!  Lol, I'm still catching up with some stuff here at home, so sorry if it takes me awhile.

After lying down for two days, it's been hard walking around and stuff, and my stomach feels like a bottomless pit.  I am kind of happy to find out I can now fit into my size 6 misses jeans again, LOL! 

While I am impatiently waiting for myself to recover, I hope to be able to get back on here and talk with you guys again.  Love yas!

--Your puny, weak little friend.

In youth group we have been studying the commonly asked question, 'why'? More specifically, “why is this happening to me?” Or, “why do bad things happen to good people?” We all go through times in our lives when we ask 'why' questions.

Remember Job from the Bible? He was the victim of Satan's hand as he did everything possible to tear Job down, and crush him. Job had incredible faith however, and did not curse God, even when the he was infested with sickness and his children were killed. I don't know about you, but that brings on a BIG “why?”. The question shouldn't be 'why' here though. The question is, would we be able to still trust God if hard times come? Hopefully the answer is yes. Aren't you glad God promised He would never leave us nor forsake us?

In John 16:33 it says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." That is so comforting, especially in this day and age. It seems everywhere you turn, there is trouble, but we as Christians can take heart! Be brave! God is here with us always. You can make it through the dark night, into the bright and shining morning.

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I know Mondays can be hard, but carry John 16:33 with you into the week, and trust God to help you in anything and everything you struggle with.

Yesterday our church youth group went to see Amazing Grace. It was an awesome movie, and I found it to be educational and touching. I must admit, I don't know much about William Wilburforce... so I don't know how truly accurate the movie was, but it was certainly an eye opener. Not many people appreciate their freedom as much as they ought to. I am a guilty party for this as well, and now I am thankful for God's grace and mercy on us. I would recommend this movie to you and your families. It's a great discussion prompter.

That movie brought the words of Amazing Grace alive for me. Now I don't think I'll ever listen to that song again, without remembering what it really means. The real story. I like the part in the movie, as John Newton remembers his song, and the line, “was blind, but now I see.” It's amazing how such a simple movie can open your eyes to grueling, yet courageous journeys of the millions of slaves.

We stopped at Cici's on the way home to get something to eat. They have WEIRD varieties of pizza, that's for sure. I think I had some kind of BBQ one... and a taco one, and there was some kind of macaroni pizza too. Anyway, while I was pouring over my pizza... (literally... I was almost convinced I had entered heaven) the others went to spend all their loose change on arcades. Every two minutes I would hear screams of disappointments as they lost. Ha! Good times, good times. I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend!

God bless, and I leave you with this verse:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. --Ephesians 1:3

Thank you all SO much for your prayers and concerns for my SAT.  I felt peaceful when I took it, and though I had some trouble with some parts, the test went pretty smoothly.  I was extremely thankful that it's over though. 

Lately I've been wondering how we can have a relationship with God, and keep it at its fullest.  When you first become a Christian, you are filled with a new hope.  You have a great passion to change your life.  However, as you continue in your walk, sometimes its hard to keep that beginning perspective.  The newness wears off, and you're left with a daily grind.  Day after day, just living your life in a routine, until you loose the passion of being a person on fire for God.  I want keep it real.

In Lamentations 3:22-23, it says, "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

God's love and mercy never fails.  Praise God for His daily renewal of hope in our hearts.  I find myself caught up in my schedule, wondering if it will ever end.  I know that in Christ, I am set free from being bound by the world.  He gives us a wonderful hope of things to come. 

So look foward to tomorrow, and the next day.  We could use those days to live for our Lord Jesus, and live with His unfailing love and faithfulness constantly covering us.  Keep it real!

Sorry I have neglected posting here. It's been a busy week. Please pray for me tomorrow (Saturday) as I take the SAT. I feel somewhat prepared, but I'm not a very good test taker. =] God is with me though, and I'm standing on this verse: But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. --I John 4:18  Aren't you glad we have the perfect love of Jesus Christ?

I know that whatever happens on the test, God is in control. So I'm going to go in there, try my best, and let God do the rest. .... I'm still really nervous though. :-D

Oh... and I've never been to this highschool before... so also pray I won't get lost, LOL!!! Thanks a ton everyone!