Shameless Self-Promotion:

So, those of you that keep up with me on Facebook may have seen my note the other day that a couple more of the mugs I designed had sold.  They were mugs I designed for my family a few years ago as Christmas gifts, and they were posted on the Zazzle.com online store.  I've been pleasantly surprised that since then, over thirty more have sold!  So I finally decided the other day that it was time to actually put a little effort into selling them.  And I even called this effort "shameless self-promotion".  So inspiration struck, and my new online store has been born.

I have added a link in the Right margin to the SSP:Gear page.  Here you can read any news about the store, and see the link to "Shop Now!"  I'll gradually be adding new products, so keep watch!


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♥ Sarah

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant."
~Robert Louis Stevenson

The Safe Range

I had an interesting experience yesterday that has impacted me more than I had expected, and as a result I feel led to share it with you.  Yes, you, the 4 random people that will actually read this. ;)

For some reason unknown to me at the time, my alarm clock didn't go off yesterday morning.  Looking back now, I'm fairly certain that it was a God thing.  I woke up at exactly 7:20, the time I was supposed to be leaving for church, so I could be there in time for choir practice before the service.  I jumped out of bed and scrambled to get ready in 15 minutes, then sped off towards Bartlesville.  Not quite halfway there, I went barreling past a state trooper, who of course proceeded to pull me over.  

Let me stop and confess right here that this is not the first time I've exceeded the legal speed limit.  In fact, I routinely set the cruise control for about 6 mph over the posted limit. Fast enough to make me feel like I'm shaving time off my trip, but within what I deemed a safe range - one in which a cop wouldn't bother to pull me over.  When I passed the trooper yesterday, I knew that the 78 I was doing in a 70 mph zone was outside of that safe range.

As I fumbled through my wallet for my license and insurance card, Trooper Ford asked me where I was headed. As the word scratched out of my throat, I was filled with shame. "Church.  I know it's terrible to speed on the way to church."  He asked me where I attended church, I told him, and then he went to run my license. When he returned, he gave me a warning, urging me to slow down and to be cognizant of the fog (did I forget to mention the thick fog?).

As I drove the rest of the way to church, I found myself thinking about the trooper's asking me which church I attended.  Having told him, I wondered what he was thinking.  I imagined that he might think FWC is a church to avoid - filled with hypocritical lawbreakers.  Or perhaps he might think that FWC would be a great church to attend - one in which there is little emphasis placed on personal responsibility.  I knew that neither message was one I wanted to send.  I felt tremendous guilt at the thought that my choice to speed affected any potential witness I could have had.

Pastor Joe's sermon touched on the very subject at heart; as Christians, we are called to live in a different way.  Religion shouldn't be just a small part of my life, relegated to Sundays and Wednesdays.  My faith should be a way of life, remarkably different from that of non-Christians.  It should be evident from the way I live my life that there is something different about me.

As of Sunday, I have committed to not speed anymore, and I am grateful for such a significant reminder. Each time I drive my car, I remember that everything I say and do will bear witness to something.  What will that be?  I don't want to live my life inside some imaginary safety range where I am just good enough not to draw too much attention to myself, yet able to get by with doing whatever feels good or is convenient to me.  I want to radiate Christ's love, and I can only do that by living a life totally and completely committed to him, in every minute detail of my life.

No more safety for me.  It's reckless abandon from here on out.

Truth With Skin

I do not generally engage in political debates or express a dissenting personal opinion on social issues in a public forum. I do certainly have my own beliefs of which I am not ashamed, but as a classic people-pleaser I tend to avoid conflict as much as possible, and most of the time I choose to remain tactfully silent at another's expression of opposing beliefs.

The last week I have found myself struggling against anger over much of the Chick-fil-A controversy. I think what has bothered me the most is the way I've seen words twisted and taken out of context, on both sides of the argument. Most infuriating to me is that people will attack based on hearsay, without seeking out the facts for themselves. I think we can all agree that some can and will find a way to spin a story in a direction it shouldn't go, in order to push their own agenda.

I would ask that before you take to heart any other person's interpretation of this whole situation, that you go to the source and decide for yourself what you believe about Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A. Read the actual article with the interview, which you can see here.

Here's the way I see it. This is a man that is speaking about putting faith into practice. Walking the talk. This article is focused on some very positive things. It's not attacking anyone, or any particular lifestyle. It is talking about taking our beliefs and applying them to every aspect of our daily lives. My favorite quote is "His goal in the workplace is 'to take biblical truth and put skin on it'."

I am a Christian, as I hope will not be a surprise to those that know me. I believe that God is love. He loves every man, woman and child and desires a personal relationship with each one of us. But there are choices that we can make in this life that can build a wall between ourselves and God, making that relationship difficult.

I have many friends and family members with differing opinions, beliefs and lifestyles, and I love each and every one of them. Every single one of these people has done things at one time or another that I don't agree with, but that doesn't change my love and respect for them as people. I am SO far from perfect. I have my own struggles that I continue to battle with, but I continue striving to become a better person, and more like Christ each day.

I pray that as I continue to seek His will, that I will be able to put skin to the Truth He continues to reveal to me. I believe this will require that I no longer remain in my complacent people-pleasing shell, and when push comes to shove, I need to take a stand for what's right.