Momma Love

You don't know what its like 

Baby, you don't know what its like

To love somebody

To love somebody

The way I love you 

(To Love Somebody - Michael Buble)

14 Years

Fourteen years later and we are still laughing! 

 

I am thankful.

 I am so thankful that I am married to this man!

I am so thankful that the Lord has given us a home, a marriage, and a family that is full of laughter and love, every single day.

 

I am thankful that he is a godly man who leads his family to follow Christ wholeheartedly. 

 I am so thankful that he had the courage to lead our family out from under condemnation and to be obedient regardless of what others may say about us.

I am so thankful for the sons he has given me and the example he is to them.

 

 I am thankful that he is quick to forgive and quick to ask forgiveness. 

I am so thankful that he loves me. 

 I am thankful.

These Four....

.....Have my heart!

.....

Good grief. I have sat down once again to write and once again I'm overwhelmed. How do I put it down into words? How do I put down in words what the Lord has taught us? Its just not there...or maybe it is, I am just hesitant to open that door.

I think what is keeping me from flinging that door open, is that I want you to understand. I want you to "get it". I want you to break free along with us. But I can't force that. I can't worry about how you are going to respond. I can't worry about what you will think of me...of us. But I do.

There I said it, I do. I'm not proud of that. One of the things that the Lord has taught me and is teaching me is to live IN His approval and HIS approval alone. He has taught me this, primarily, through Him calling our family into acts of obedience that many have deemed "crazy". I have had to walk through the disapproval of many people, learning in the process to hold my head high, lean on the Lord, and be obedient anyway. So, you would think after all of that, that this whole writing it down thing would be a piece of cake...but it's not.

I'm so desperate for us, as His church, to be free; for us to know what true freedom in Christ feels like; for us to know the freedom that comes from abundantly living in the Spirit. I'm desperate for us to be free from the chains of religion, and tradition, and denomination. I'm desperate for us to know what love is, real Christ-like love and then to turn and be able to show that love to others. I'm desperate for a lost and dying world to see and be drawn to a loving, abundant living, Spirit powered, truly Christ-like, miracle working church.

I'm not saying I have all this figured out and am living it perfectly. I still have so much to learn!!! There is still so much that the Lord is showing me. There is still so much I don't fully understand, but so much I want to understand. There is still so much that I am learning to believe and trust the Lord with.There is still so much I want to share with you.

The Lord has given us a passion for the church, the family, and young people; the kind of passion that we just can't stay silent about. We have a story the Lord has called us to tell. We are in the very beginning stages of writing a book about our little family, how the Lord brought us together, and what He taught us in the process. But that is going to require me getting over the fear and hesitation of putting it into words, now isn't it? :) That's where you come in. This blog is going to help me in this sorting out of my thoughts. Forgive me if my posts seem random. I'll try to bring some cohesiveness to them, but no promises. For now, they are what they are, until the writing of our story becomes what it is going to be.

Our Son

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him." 

1 Samuel 1:27

 His name is Woodrow. He is 17 years old. He has been in our family for almost 3 years, but in our home for nearly 2. He is our oldest son and yet the "baby" of the family. He delightfully mixed up our birth order, but it fits. God's grace is astounding.
 Our son is sweet, kind, loving, bold, adventurous, focused, determined, wise, and hilarious. He is a passionately bold follower of Christ. He is the strongest person I know and one of the most courageous. He is a promise fulfilled. He is a gift and a blessing straight from the hand of God to our family. He is an unexpected answer to a desperate hearts cry. Through him the Lord has taught me how to believe for the impossible and wait expectantly for the miracle.

Once again, there is a story behind this boy, behind what and who our family is today, but that is taking some time to write down. It's a story that has been years in the making. Long before Woodrow came into our family three years ago. Long before we ever knew he would be our son, we were praying for him by name. Long before we realized it, the Lord had a plan for us and was working to fulfill it. There are details that are important, but difficult to try and get into order. But it is coming, because it is a story worth telling. Our story must be told; not for us, but because He is a God whose wonders MUST be shared and who's name will receive all of the glory for the marvelous things He has done!

Laughter Makes Life Fun.....

And life is so much fun!!!!

The Last Two Years

I'll start with a list of the major changes. The bullet points help me keep it all organized for the time being.

• We have a new baby!!! Our family of four has become a family of five through the spirit of adoption and it is AMAZING! Our new "baby" is 17 years old (he was 15, when he came into our home) and his name is Woodrow. We are so in love with this boy! He has changed our lives for the better. We have a story of how he came to be ours, but that will have to wait for another time.
  
• We left Lakeside Baptist Church after almost 8 years, this last February. We left for a multitude of reasons, but the most important reason was because the Lord was calling us away. It has been one of the most shocking and painful times in my life. However, we will ALWAYS love the people there. 
• After leaving Lakeside, we took a brief position as the interim youth pastor at First Baptist Church Garfield from February to April of this year. It was brief, but looking back, we realize that we might not have ever moved on from Lakeside had it not been for this job offer. It was all part of the journey, and it was great! 
• Now we are currently church planting a Brand New Church in downtown Rogers!!! We could not be more excited! Learn more about us at brandnewchurch.com.

The Lord has taught us so much through each one of these life events. He is continuing to teach us what it means to be free; free from religion, free from condemnation, and free to love how HE has called us to love. He is teaching us what it means to live in the Spirit and to test what we have always "believed". He is teaching that God has called us to bigger. He has called us to more. He has called us to live ABUNDANTLY!

More to come,
Sara :) 

Writer's Block

So much has happened and so much has changed in the life of the Wood Pile in these two years. Its staggering to try and put it all down on paper. I have books of journals that are full of my thoughts, prayers, dreams, and visions...good, bad, and ugly...but those aren't for all to read. When the life is the most overwhelming (good or bad), I get the most quiet. In that quietness, comes a pull and a desire to internalize every thing. Its a pulling that I have to consciously fight. The blog suffers. The song writing suffers. And I suffer, because I am beginning to realize that I am a writer at heart. The journals help, but its not the same. Now its time to push past myself and write...then actually post it. That's what this is, a pushing past the pulling. Now excuse me while I post this, and then open a new compose screen so I can allow you all in on what the Lord has done and is doing in the life of the Wood Pile.