friday togetherness...

first of all,
isnt this a sweet picture?
just had to share it, I LOVE my loves,
and I love that they are learning about God TOGETHER.

(well, Abigail was probably just trying to figure out why that big book didn't have any pictures.
but, anyways....)


TOGETHER.
Thats how I want to live my life with Jesus in front of my children,
and in front of you.
Real, Honest, Open, Seeking, Sharing.
Always learning and growing
Like we are supposed to live with each other.
in Community.
Together.

Im sharing my heart today with some other lovely ladies who are sharing their hearts...
thanks Casey for setting this up:

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It has been a vulnerable spot, a weakness for me, in the past,
to let myself be open and transparent with more than just my husband.
Parker...he is amazing. I learn from him and with him every day.

But I want more "sharing" in my life.
I want to be real and open with the people God put in my path to be real and open with.
I want my littles to grow up in the Lord WITH me.
They are part of our community.
My parents did such a good job in raising me to know Jesus
and teaching me about seeking him more.
I want to do the same.
And I want to share life with my children.
Live life together.

I know I just need God to reveal His heart for me more about this.
For Him to show me that I am worth living life with people,
and that it will bless me to be real,
and hopefully bless others too.

Im so thankful the people around us,
the people who pray with us and for us.
If you know our story, you know community hasn't necessarily come easy the last few years,
But we are also thankful for God's
preparation
for community.
(more on that to come.)

Thats what He's done, and is still doing in me.
Preparing my heart, teaching me about how much He loves my heart
and wants it to be shared with others.
I cant wait to see the fellowship for us in the seasons to come, I know it will be amazing.

So...this will be an ongoing story, it is not even close to being a finished work in me.
(is it ever?)

but its what was on my heart today....
thanks for sharing life with me.


rocking out to Disc 6

Sun-roof open. volume UP.
DISC 6 in my CD changer.

That's what happens on days like today,
no baby in the car (she was at MDO),
just me and the open road.
well, not really the open road.
But just me, LOUD music and God.

If you're one of those people who yell and honk at cars who have their music too loud,
go ahead... I wont hear you.

Sometimes mommy just needs to clear her head.
Of the anxieties, worries, and thoughts that come daily in and out,
sometimes so loud they beat in my ears like a drum.

Tired of the (annoying) Yo Gabba Gabba songs in my head.
"Yo Gabba huh?!" If you don't have young kids, you don't know this show.
But if you do, you know what I mean when I say my name is Sarah, and I like to dance.

Tired of the attacks and pokes by Satan trying to make me live in fear.
Tired of the lies he tries to make me believe about myself, my life, my family, about God.



(this video is simple but amazing to me.
It reminds me of the way God's presence colors our otherwise blank existence...
very moving, play it twice, and close your eyes and listen the second time.)


Most people wouldn't peg me for a "rocker" if you will, and Im not.
But when Im alone and need my head and my thoughts to just BE...
sometimes I just rock out in my car.
to Disc 6: Flyleaf.
the perfect way to get it all out.

Flyleaf is an ahhhhmazing band.
They love Jesus, but they are hardcore.
We have spent some time with the band through mutual friends,
and their hearts are for real about Jesus and about touching His people.

The words to their songs are so moving, so real,
and the way she sings them just swallows you up.
If you havent heard Flyleaf before, go find them NOW.

And don't be afraid to turn your volume up and rock out a bit.
It truly is healing and cathartic,
especially if its out of your music comfort zone.
seriously, just trust me.
Let yourself just BE. With the music and the words, and God.

And next time you pull up close to a car bumping its bass,
dont just assume its a gangster listening to rap.
It might just be a mommy who needs to rock out for a minute.



teaching her LOVE...

its been one of those days where she has melted my heart with every look.
(well, mostly....she IS a toddler!)


God's been prompting me today about how I pray for my little girl,
and how I show Jesus to her.
Its something I've had some conversations with the Lord about for a while now...
He is trying to teach me how to mother her heart
and to love her like the princess she is.
(HIS princess!)
Even from this tender age, I want her to see what God's love is like,
and I want to show her what loving Him looks like.


i LOVE this picture...
if you look close you can see her smiling behind the giant paci!

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
all your soul,
and all your strength.
And commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you.
Repeat them again and again to your children.
Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road,
when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.
Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders
Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
Dueteronomy 6:5

I so desire to teach and show my girl about how much Jesus loves her.
I know that to do that, I need to understand more about how much he loves me.


So thankful to be a daughter of His,
and the mommy of His daughter.

the man of my dreams

Thats what I found as I walked into the bathroom after loading a sleepy baby out of the car and into her bed for a nap today. I had been holding it all the way home and was rushing in to the bathroom, but the little pink post-it on the mirror caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks.

He's so good to me, my husband.
He had to leave town today for work and left while Abigail and I were out.
What a treasure to come back to a little bitty love note on my mirror.
sigh. my heart is beating fast even as I think about how it
totally threw me off and made me melt.
(not to mention it made me forget how bad I needed to pee) :)


Several minutes later I went into the bedroom and found this on my nightstand...
seriously? oh my goodness.
I've never really bragged on my hubby before on this blog, but Im going to take this chance to do so if you don't mind. I want to share with you just a tiny glimpse about him,
and about his heart, and about his love for me.

He loves people well.
and anyone who knows him knows that they can call him for anything,
and that he follows through.
He understands and demonstrates grace like no one I've ever known.
He would tell you its because he's been given grace too and that he knows it changes lives.

He works hard. For many years we have not had a steady paycheck (well, what the world calls "steady" anyways), and have been completely reliant on the provision of the Lord. not an easy thing, especially for a man.
But he's always been obedient to the Lord's calling and direction, even if it meant leaving jobs or ending potential business ventures that could have been "successful".
Its been an honor to walk a life of faith with this man.

My husband has taught me the difference between religion and having a relationship with Jesus, two totally different things.
And he's been patient with my black-and-white understanding of God and has helped me see how colorful my relationship with the Lord can be.
I love learning about the Kingdom from my husband.
He always points me to Jesus and to truth.

and let me just tell you how much he loves his little girl.
i mean, completely SMITTEN!!

(i thought it couldn't get sweeter and then I found this on Abigail's little table)

We have both been in awe of the JOY we have been given through our precious Abigail.
Her name means "The Joy of the Father", and that she is.
Of her earthly and her Heavenly father.
I've never seen him so giddy and we talk every night about how in love with her we are.
I dont know who lights up more when Dada comes in the room, him or her!
He is such a good daddy and has been such a display of unconditional love to our daughter already.
I cant wait to see them grow up together.


I thought that was all the love notes, but when she woke from her nap and needed a new diaper...this is what I found on the changing table.

(another sigh.) I am in awe of what God has given me in my husband.
If we were sitting down to share our story with you, we would tell you that it hasn't been an easy road. Our almost 8 years of marriage have taken us though a lot of what we call fire (because we know it is refining us), and yet we are still standing.
I just have to share a few more things about him.... :)

He has stood beside me through 6 (yes, 6) surgeries and countless health issues.
(glad to report we are both healthy today)

He has been obedient to what the Lord is telling us about our marriage and our journey of faith.
He has stuck it out when marriage has been hard, and it has been.

He has loved my family so well.
He loves my friends well too, and they love him.

He never fails to minister God's love and truth to me,
even when I am fighting what he has to say.

He has stood by me though pregnancy and delivery and
through the sleepless adjustment to motherhood.
He held my hand through our miscarriage, I couldn't have held it together without him.

He spoke with grace at his father's funeral 18 months ago,
and shared the love of Christ despite his grief.
He has mourned his father's loss with a hope that is amazing,
because he understands the hope that we have been given in Jesus.
He is such an example to me.

He is a very real person, and will speak truth to you like it needs to be said.
He loves well, because he is loved by a Father in Heaven that changed his life.

Thankful for my pink post-its today...
"I love you too, Parker Lowe"




This was the lovely in my day, to get some more lovely, head over here:
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