To the Class of 2013....

“For I know the plans I have for you…” – Jeremiah 29:11

Pomp and Circumstance….times two!!!  Yesterday marked the second time I had heard this song within the past week.  Granted yesterday’s version was much, much shorter than the almost 2 hour one I listened to last week…but I digress. J  If you didn’t already know, I have had the distinct blessing to witness two very special graduations in the past week!  One of my sisters graduated from Liberty University while the other graduated from East High School in Morristown, TN.  It’s definitely made for a long and tiring week, but it’s also made for a very proud and exciting one too!

As my sisters…and all of you other 2013 graduates…step out into this new world of career, college, etc., my one piece of advice is to always remember that God knows the plans He has for you and you have to trust Him - always.  Trust Him that He is providing and will provide for your needs.  Sometimes that can be oh so hard, but those are the “testing” times…those are the times you need to trust Him the most.  When I graduated high school, Jeremiah 29:11 was definitely a strong verse that I clinged (and still cling) to in my life.  Since gradation, however, Proverbs 3:5-6 has been a verse that has carried me through every high and low.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”  Psalm 37:4-5 speaks to this too, “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.  Commit everything you do to the Lord.  Trust Him, and He will help you.”  God will help you…He promises to…there’s only one thing you must do.  Trust.

Trusting God isn’t something that will just go away, either.  You will need to place your trust in God and His Son, Jesus, every single day from here to heaven.  Even though I graduated with my Masters a year ago, I’m still trusting God for His plans for me…and I have no clue what they are.  The fear of the unknown should evoke feelings of fear or worry…but you know what I have?  Peace.  I know the plans God has for me are to give me a future and hope…and I also know that when I trust Him with all my heart He will direct me to those plans…in His time.  I’m trusting Him…daily…and it’s hard, but it’s oh so worth it.

Now that you’ve graduated, don’t run from God.  Run to Him.  You need Him now more than you ever have before.  Get involved in a church that teaches you and helps you grow in your walk with Him.  So many college students don’t go to church and it is 1,000x harder for them to grow in their walk with Christ as adults.  Challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone and make a difference in the name of Christ.  Reach others for the gospel.  Be a light in a dark world…even as it gets darker by the day.

My sisters have exciting futures awaiting them, as am sure the rest of the class of 2013 does as well.  One will be interning with an accounting firm while the other pursues her dreams at college.  I can’t wait to see how God uses them for His kingdom.  They are extra-special and I am so proud to be their sister.

Congrats Class of 2013!!! J

Birthday Buddies

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children. - Proverbs 13:22a

May 11, 1987. My mom was at the hospital in labor with me and it was nearing midnight... From what I hear the nurses told the doctor something like this... "Get in here and deliver this baby before midnight." "Why?," He questioned. The nurses replied, "So she can be born on her grandfather's birthday!!" At 11:47 (thirteen minutes before May 12) I arrived. First grandchild born on grandfather's birthday... mission accomplished.

My pa and I share a special day together - May 11. I was born on his 70th birthday and he says I was the best birthday present he ever got (but I'm sure if you asked his kid self it was probably a bike or something like that) :). He was born in 1917 and I was born in 1987 (definitely a generation gap) , but we've never let that gap get the best of us...we've always gotten along and loved being with one another.

I am so blessed to be his granddaughter. He's hilariously funny, super smart, strong in his faith and so much more. Believe me, I have SO many funny stories I could tell you! I'd share my favorite but there are too many to count!

When my dad was a teenager, my pa wrote a short book (never published) about the second coming of Christ and how we need to reach lost people for Christ. He named it "The Golden Nugget." I've not read the entire thing, but the part I have read is very deep and thought-provoking. I'm so inspired by his thoughts and determination to write this short work. I'm also so thankful that I have this little "nugget" (pun intended) to show me how truly strong his faith is. I hope that one day I can follow in his footsteps and write a biblically based short book as well.

I'd never heard Proverbs 13:22 before until I started writing this blog post, but I absolutely love it! Here it is again: "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children." My pa has most definitely left and continues to leave a rich inheritance to me and my sisters. An inheritance of faith, family, and love that fills all of us with so much joy, happiness, and laughter...LOTS of laughter! He inspires me to bring joy and happiness to others. He inspires me to stay strong. He inspires me to keep the faith and trust God that He's got things all under control.

He's in the hospital on his birthday this year and I wish beyond wish that he could spend it outside of the hospital, BUT, to everything there is a purpose and so I trust God to work His will in this situation. We greatly appreciate the thoughts and prayers for him as he recovers. Prayers are a fantastic birthday present. Maybe he will have a belated birthday present and get to go home next week!!! :)

So...even though I know you won't read this, Pa, know that I love you so much and am so glad to be your birthday buddy. Happy 96th Birthday! I love you!

Sweet Reminders on a Crazy Day

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. – Deuteronomy 31:6

Today’s been crazy, ain’t gonna lie.  Technology issues, heavy-ish rain, my grandfather being admitted to the hospital (he’s doing okay, by the way), plus a little bit of this and that….the devil’s really been out to seemingly ruin this day.  If you didn’t know, Sundays are my favorite day of the week.  I love going to church, I love being with my church family, I love being able to serve God on this day and so for today (a Sunday) to be crazy is just so not what I expected and wanted it to be.

There’s been a clear message, though, that has rung throughout this day…the message that God is always here and will never leave or forsake me.  I, in fact, sang about it this morning at church and then was sweetly reminded of it tonight at the children’s musical at church. 

Back in February, I found a song that I knew I wanted to sing at church, Meredith Andrews’ Not For a Moment (After All).  It is such a sweet song about how no matter what is going on, God is always with us and promises to never leave or forsake us…not for a single moment.  The message of this song literally pierces right to the heart.  Believe you me, I’ve cried a good number of times when listening to this song.  I am so blessed I got the opportunity to share it with the church family today, but even more blessed to have been blessed by its message too.

Tonight, the sweet kids sang in their spring musical entitled Spend a While on the Nile.  It is a **cute** musical and it was fun to watch the kids, but my favorite part was a message the kids sang about towards the end of the musical.  Singing Matt Redman’s “You Never Let Go,” the kids reminded us that no matter what happens, God will always be there for us and will never let us go.  Through the storms, through the valleys, in all the problems, in the good times and bad…He will never let go.  Hearing this message on your iPod is one thing, but hearing the message out of the mouths of kids....yup, that's like super heart-piercing.

Tears filled my eyes as the kids sang tonight because I realized at that moment how beautifully the two experiences from today tie together.  God will never let us go, He will never leave us or forsake you…Not. For. A. Moment.  Why?   Because He is constant.  He is good.  He is sovereign.  We don’t have to fear evil, for God is with us.  And if our God is for us, who can be against us?  How big are our problems or frustrations when we know that God is in control?  Not big at all, come to think of it.

So devil, you were defeated today.  Take the aggravation you tried to place on this day and hit the road.  I’m choosing not to look back on this day as one that was disappointing and didn’t go the way I wanted it to, I choose to look back on this day as one in which God reminded me of His promise that He’s got everything under control and will work all things out for my good (Romans 8:28).

I'm posting the two songs that blessed me today, may they be a blessing and sweet reminder to you too that God will never let you go...not for a moment.

Not For a Moment (After All) by Meredith Andrews

You Never Let Go by Matt Redman

"Memory Monday" - Memories of a Purple Dinosaur

Memories are cool things aren’t they?  Things that make you smile when you think about them…things that make you warm and fuzzy inside…and things that can cause you to burst out laughing for seemingly no apparent reason.  I’ve definitely had a lot of those kinds of memories J  I would love to be able to share some of those with you.  So…I’ve decided to institute “Memory Monday.”  Not that this will happen EVERY single Monday…but on Mondays once and a while I will do my best to share a special memory with all of you my dear blog readers.

Today on our first installment of “Memory Monday,” I want to share a special memory I have about a purple dinosaur and a young boy’s lifelong dream to meet said dinosaur.  Ok, you know in your mind who this purple dino is, right?  Yup, good ‘ole Barney.  I grew up as a kid watching the TV show Barney because it was both of my younger sisters’ favorite TV show.  I knew all the songs and dances, and could recite them by memory because frankly when you have two sisters who are four years apart, you pretty much go through about 6-7 years of Barney non-stop.  Not complaining at all…just stating a fact.

Who knew that all this Barney knowledge would come in handy as a teenager?!  Yes…I said a teenager.  Now don’t go thinking I had a mid-teen crisis and suddenly became an avid Barney watcher…I didn’t.  Here’s the story…

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My junior year of high school, while living in Birmingham, Alabama, the pastor’s wife of my church, Traci, told me about a very sick boy whose life-long wish was to meet Barney the Dinosaur.  This boy had severe cystic fibrosis, mental challenges (which made him talk and act like a young child), and he had recently had surgery.  It was going to be his fourteenth birthday and his family didn’t think that he would make it to his next birthday so they asked Traci if she could help them fulfill his wish.

Traci was able to get one of the real-life Barney costumes donated for this special surprise.  The costume was very similar to the one on the actual television show...not the cheap Halloween-looking ones.  All she needed was someone to bring Barney to life.  She asked me if I would be interested and of course after I heard his story, I most definitely was!

I was so excited, I went out and bought a Barney CD that I could play for him.  I also planned to do the motions to many of the songs I knew from those days of watching the show as a loving and dear sister in those early childhood years J

So one day after school, Traci and I made our way to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham.  When we got to the parking garage, she unloaded the costume and began putting it on me.  We figured it was best to do it this way so as not to traumatize other kids we would pass if we had walked through the hospital with the costume in our hands.

Do I make a convincing Barney? :)

I will never forget walking through the hospital in the Barney costume to get to this boy’s room.  The gasps and happy screams of so many kids filled the hallways and there were times that parents had to pry their kids off my tail so I could walk J  There were literally 5 children on me at one point...two around my legs, two on my tail and one by the hand!  “Barney!  I love you” was a sweet phrase I heard as I passed many of the kids, most especially the preschool aged ones.

We were soon ushered by one of the hospital staff into the area where this precious boy was staying.  There was a small, black-mesh partition in the costume which allowed me to see everything around me.  As I entered the room, the boy’s mother said, “Sweetheart, look who is here to see you!”  I watched the boy turn his head and when he realized who was at the door, his fragile body began to tremble uncontrollably.  “Baney!” he said, his alert eyes glowing.  Traci turned on the Barney CD I brought, and as I danced along to the words of the songs, his face began to light up.  I ended my performance with the popular song “I Love You” and when the song ended, this sweet boy reached out for my hand. 

Holding the sweet boy's hand

As I held his weak hand, he said to me “Baney, I can’t believe you came all this way to see me.  Tank you Baney.”  Those thirty, joyous minutes went by so fast.  I wished I could've stayed longer.  We said goodbye and as I turned and left the room; I knew his family felt blessed, just as I was, to see him smile and laugh because he had not done these things in a long time.  I went home that night so humbled and thankful for the opportunity to be a part of making this sweet boy’s dream come true.

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What a sweet, sweet memory I have of that experience!  You never know what kind of opportunities will come your way for you to brighten up someone’s day.  The Bible says to “encourage one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:11) and that encouragement could come in the form of ANYTHING!  It could be something simple like speaking encouraging words or a giving someone a vase of flowers.  I could be something you do like an act of service.  It could even be through dressing up as a purple dinosaur!  You never know! J God works in mysterious ways!!! J

...But Joy Comes in the Morning

"Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” – Psalm 30:5

The day after Jesus’ death had to have been an intensely difficult day for the followers of Jesus.  The day before, they had just witnessed their Good Shepherd/Teacher/friend be killed by crucifixion and placed in Joseph’s tomb.  Sorrow, hopelessness, and a deep depression more than likely began to settle into many of the followers.  Questions filled their minds and the One who could bring the answers was no longer there.  Heartache.  Weeping.  Mourning. 

Psalm 30:5 says, “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”  Never would those words ring so true than on the day following this intense day of sadness.  But how on earth could things get better to the point of “rejoicing?”  Miraculously enough, however...everything did.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen!  (Luke 24:1-6)

Rejoicing had come in the morning!  Jesus is risen!  The women immediately ran to the other disciples to share this news.  Skeptical, the disciples ran to the tomb and discovered that Jesus was indeed no longer there.  Over the course of days and weeks, as Jesus began appearing to His followers, they came to realize that the news they had heard about His resurrection was indeed true…He had defeated the grave.  He had risen from the dead.  He is ALIVE!

This week my church lost a dear encourager, prayer warrior, and friend.  Her sweet family lost their precious wife and mother.  So many of us, including myself, can attest to the fact that our sweet friend Shirl was always one to offer her prayers and support during our time of need.  Her loss was unexpected and is so incredibly heartbreaking to so many of us.  When I found out yesterday that she had entered the throne-room of heaven, I immediately thought of Psalm 30:5.  The logic-part of my mind thinks the same thing the followers of Jesus thought on the day after the crucifixion – “how on earth can rejoicing come in the morning?”  I’m sad.  I’m heartbroken.  I miss my friend. 

Then there’s my faith.  My faith in the very One who rose from the dead.  My faith in the One my dear friend is with today because she knew Jesus as her Savior.  Because of Jesus I know that although our sadness and loss of our dear friend (and loss of so many other friends and loved ones) may endure for a while, as believers in Him, our joy will come when He comes again! 

In Revelation 22:7, Jesus says, “Look, I am coming soon!”  Someday in the not so distant future, Christ will return to take His followers to heaven with Him.  We will rejoice in heaven with our loved ones and friends at the feet of Jesus.  We will be in a place where there is “no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.  All of these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4).  Our rejoicing will continue for eternity!

“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen” (Matthew 24:36).  Are you ready?  Is your faith in Christ?  Have you accepted Him as your Savior?  Do you believe with all your heart that He is the Son of God?  Have you confessed Him publically as Savior of your life?  If you haven’t, He’s ready with open arms to accept you as His child.  I can’t think of anything better this Easter than to surrender your life to the One who gave His life for you.

“ALIVE!  ALIVE!  Look what mercy’s overcome!  Death has lost and Love has WON!  ALIVE!  ALIVE!  Hallelujah, risen Lord, the only One I fall before, I am His because He is ALIVE!”

"Resurrection Eggs" - An Easter Tradition

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."  - Proverbs 22:6

One of my favorite childhood memories from the Easter season are "Resurrection Eggs."  No, they aren't eggs that resurrect from the refrigerator...rather they are plastic eggs with some object inside that relates to the Easter story.  It's kind of like advent calendars for the Easter season.  So many days before Easter, you open up the plastic egg, look at the object and read the scripture that corresponds with that object.  It's basically a mini object lesson for the day, taking no more than 10 minutes.

I've seen many types of "Resurrection Eggs," but my favorite are the ones my parents created.  Many of the ones you can buy in the store today are like 10-12 days long.  My parents took that idea and expanded on it.  Instead of a 12-day "Resurrection Egg" lesson plan, my parents developed a 40-day lesson plan using these simple plastic eggs.  They searched the scriptures and found 40 different objects that relate from everything beginning with the Triumphal Entry all the way to Pentecost.  We would begin it way before Easter and end a few days after Easter Sunday. 

As a child, I remember being so excited each year as we opened each egg.  Every year the objects were the same and of course the story never changed, but I learned something new about the Easter story every year we did the "Resurrection Egg" lessons.  I can still remember some of the objects that would be in those eggs...one that comes immediately to my mind was a nasty fig (I say nasty because it never got replaced from year to year and that plastic egg stunk after a while J).  The fig represented the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree (Mark 11:12-25).  Another was a wet Kleenex representing when Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44).  Of course there were plastic eggs with nails in them, a stone, an angel, and so on...and you can figure what those represented.

I am so thankful for parents who valued teaching me about the Bible at home.  This can NOT be underestimated!  When I was in college, our education professors drove this home - learning can begin at school (or in this case church), but it MUST continue in the home!  I'm not a parent, but I know the value of having parents who taught me the God's truth at home.  My parents were the ones who helped me memorize Scripture, answer my questions about Christ, teach me Christian praise songs, and use object lessons to teach me about the Bible...not my teachers, not my friends, and not myself.  My teachers definitely were God-sends and helped me learn, but my parents reinforced my learning at home.  Kids are pretty awesome people, but they need the influence of godly, Christian parents (or guardians) to grow into even more awesome teenagers and adults!  Remember Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

If you've never done "Resurrection Eggs" before, I SO encourage you to do it with your children!  Kids are visual and love to be able to "see" how something relates to a story or concept...doesn't matter the age.  I'm a firm believer in using object lessons with kids and "Resurrection Eggs" are a great help in teaching kids about the Easter story. 

You can buy these in stores...but honestly you can make it yourself using common things at home too.  If you're interested in the 40-day one my parents developed, comment below and I would love to send you the plan.  I've included below an awesome DIY (do-it-yourself) below...this is one of the easiest I've seen in a while.

Parents...teachers...children's leaders....we are responsible for teaching the Truth to the next generation.  In order to impact future generations for Christ, our children have to be ready and knowledgeable about Him and their knowledge begins with us. 

Here's the DIY "Resurrection Egg" tutorial I was telling you about:

(C) Tasha Sawyer, 2013 - http://www.commissionstories.com/asia/interactives/view/resurrection-eggs-share-christ 

You've Got a Friend in Me!

 “A friend loves at all times” - Proverbs 17:17

Lucy and Ethel.  Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.  Woody and Buzz Lightyear.  These are just a few of the many examples of friendships that we see on television/movies or read about in books.  Here are friends that laugh together, work together, and yes, even get in trouble together; if these friendships were real, I think they would most definitely be friendships that last a lifetime.

I am SO thankful for my friends.  They offer encouragement, advice, a listening ear, and a huge hug.  Some I’ve known for a long time and others I’ve only known for a few years.  Some are older than me (no…I didn’t say they were old… J) and others are my age.  Some I get to see often and others not as often as we both wish.  No matter who they are or where in the world they are, my friends are individuals who are a text/call/Facebook message away and I know they will be there to rejoice, laugh, cry, and/or pray with me about whatever is going on in my life.  My dear friends are individuals who truly take Proverbs 17:17 to heart and “love [me] at all times” and I pray I can be as good a friend to them as they are to me.

Did you know that as believers we all have a mutual friend who is one that “loves at all times?”  This person is my friend and your friend and even the friend of people we don’t even know!  The awesome thing about this friend is that He is with you no matter where you are or what you’re going through.  If you’re by yourself, He’s there.  If you’re with other friends, He’s there.  He never changes.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!  No matter what is going on in our lives, He promises to never leave us or forsake us.  All we need to do is to stay in constant communication with Him (through prayer and Bible study) and He will direct and help us.  His name?  Jesus.  “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.  What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.”  Thank you Jesus for being our everlasting friend.

Do you have someone who has been with you through thick and thin?  Offered advice in a time of need?  Laughed at your not-so-funny joke?  Rejoiced with you in the good times?  If so, these are people who have “loved you at all times.”  Take a minute to pull out your phone or write them a message letting them know how much they mean to you…it doesn’t have to be long or wordy.  Let your message come from the heart.  Be the friend to them that they are to you.