St. Louis Fun

A couple of weeks ago, Lee and I took the boys to St. Louis on a mini family vacation! It was SO much fun!!!
We rented a vehicle to drive up there since it was expected to be 105+ degrees in St. Louis and our vehicles don't have the best air conditioning systems...which, by the way, it reached 110+ degrees while we were there! YUCK!! Anyway, we reserved a compact car...when we went to pick it up, this was waiting on us~Yep...after a moment of shock and some laughter, we decided to squeeze in and call it a part of the adventure. Other than the fact that the drivers seat belt smelled like it had been soaked in B.O. for about a week...It was actually really great...we could fit into some small, but fantastic parking places! The boys named it "Big Ben"!
Let me pause to say that the Garmin GPS system...saves our vacation marriage! HAHA! No trying to read and communicate over a map, which of the eight lanes to be in! Thank you, Lord for giving somebody the wisdom to invent that little miracle! Why did we wait so long to get one? :)
We visited the City Museum in the Downtown area. It was the most fun our family has ever had! So cool! It was difficult to get pictures though, because we were climbing, crawling, and playing as much as the boys were! We will DEFINITELY go back! But next time we will go when it is a bit cooler! :)







One of the boys favorite shows on television is Man v. Food on the Travel Channel! So before we went, I looked up the places that he eats at while in St. Louis. We went to two of those places (again, Thank you Garmin GPS)! It was very cool! The boys LOVED it! Here we are at Pappy's smokehouse ~

SOOOOOO yummy!!!!

And then we went and had malts at Crown Candy Kitchen ~


Ice cream so good, it had to come from heaven! :)

We also went to the zoo...which is 1. A really great zoo and 2. Is free...so that makes it even better!!!




Can't wait for our next mini-vacation!

Fall's Creek 2010

Summer is almost over and man, it's been busy and gone by WAY to quickly! So busy, that I haven't even posted about taking our youth to Fall's Creek! That was at the end of June and it was life changing...for all of us, not just the students! The theme was SENT ~ John 17:18 "As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world."

The Men ;)
Sweet Girls

That week changed our group completely! It woke us up...rocked our comfortable world completely...gave us the swift kick in the pants that we needed!!! There is a lost and dying world out there, and we walk by it, live in it, and encounter it EVERYDAY! Why are we not telling them about the Truth that lives in us? We are sent...it's not an option, or something that will come in the future when we think we are ready...it's NOW, it's who we are right now...WE ARE SENT by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to reach into the darkness with the light of Jesus Christ. We are ready to get busy with what we were supposed to already be doing!
God has blessed our youth group in HUGE ways...we had 5 young people come to know the Lord at camp and our kids have lead 10+ people to the Lord since then, He has given them burdens for friends and family and a boldness to witness to them. He has changed Lee and I as well. He has given us burdens and a boldness like we have never had before! We can't wait to see all the things that the Lord has in store for us, for our church, and for these amazing students!

Speechless

The greatness of my God has left my completely speechless today! He is so GREAT and so MIGHTY....yet He makes a way for us to come to Him! He is perfect in His faithfulness! He loves us! He delights in us! I'm in awe!
Oh Lord God Almighty, I come before You in awe and complete humility. You are YAHWEH, my LORD and my God! My Savior, my Redeemer, I praise You, simply for who You are! All the glory, honor, and praise are Yours!!!

At The Foot of the Cross

When I think of Your cross
And the pain I've put you through
I cover my face in shame
How could a God so holy suffer for me?

At the foot of the cross
I fall to my knees
As Your blood washes over me
You lift my head

It's only by your blood
I can lift my face to You
Because of what You've done on the cross
I can enter Your presence
Knowing I'm forgiven and loved

As You hung on the cross
Took my punishment, my pain
You saw my face in the crowd
Yet still You loved me

At the foot of the cross
I fall to my knees
As Your blood washes over me
You lifted my head

It's only by Your blood
I can lift my face to You
Because of what You've done on the cross
I can enter Your presence
Knowing I'm forgiven and loved

The earth shakes and trembles before You
All of creation praises You

You are so great and mighty
Yet You made a way for me
To come to You

At the foot of the cross
I fall to my knees
As Your blood washes over me
You lift my head

It's only by Your blood
I can lift my face to You
Because of what You've done on the cross
I can enter Your presence
Knowing I'm forgiven and loved

How to Have Hope

Before the Lord changed my life and became my Savior, I had no peace, no hope, and no purpose. I grew up in a Christian home, but it wasn't until I was 14 years old that I understood that I was a sinner destined for a place called Hell. I believed that Jesus died on a cross for ME and MY sins and that without Jesus Christ, I could never get into Heaven. So that night at a revival service at my church, I admitted to God I was a sinner and repented of those sins, then I asked Him to come into my life and be my LORD, my SAVIOR, my Boss. At that very moment He did, and I've never been the same since. I know that my life and I are NOT perfect, but I also know I couldn't imagine going through this life without my Savior and the peace, hope, purpose, and joy He has given me. Not to mention, an eternity with Him!

If you could, would you want what God has given me? Would you want absolute forgiveness, peace, hope, joy, and purpose? If you do, you CAN! God loves you so much that he sent His Son to die for YOU and YOUR sins! He wants you to spent eternity in heaven Him with and so do I. You must understand that you are a sinner. (when you do things you know your not supposed to do, but also when you don't do things you know you should!)(Romans 3:23) Understand that the price for your sins is death and Hell, that's the bad news! The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ! (Romans 6:23) Then You have to confess your sins and ask God for forgiveness. Then believe that Jesus Christ came into this world,lived a perfect sinless life, died on a painful cross for you and your sin, and then was raised again on the third day and that He is ALIVE today. (Romans 5:8 and 10:9)
Ask Him to come into your heart and save you, surrender everything to Him! You will NEVER be sorry you did!

Please, if you have any questions either comment them or email me at leesarawood@yahoo.com and I will be HAPPY to help you start on this AMAZING journey into an eternity with Christ! I can't wait to hear from you!

Stepping Out of the Funk

For about the last month, I was going through a self-inflicted bad funk....the kind where I was really miserable to be around. The kind where I was having a perpetual pity party. The kind that is selfish and self-focused. The kind that sets you completely off course.
June 3rd was the 5th anniversary of our last miscarriage, the death of our 4th baby. It hit me really hard! I started thinking about my two babies in heaven a LOT and began to grieve, mourn, and miss them terribly. It was suddenly like the wound was fresh and new all over again. And it was more than that, I also felt like I was mourning the death of a dream, the death of having more children, the death of ever being pregnant again. Here we are five years down the road and we still don't have more children and yet the longing for them is just as intense. It's painful.
It was during those few weeks of deep pain, wallowing, and self-focus that I opened the door, WIDE, for the enemy to whisper lie after lie after lie into my ear. Instead of taking every thought captive, I let the lies fester there. I dwelt on them and wallowed in them, feeling completely deserving of a really good pity party. It finally culminated into absolute misery! I had THREE solid days, where I did NOTHING but cry, I was miserable to be around and completely numb! I didn't want to talk to or be around anyone. My focus was off completely!
I finally reached a point when I realized I couldn't hear the Lord, I felt like I just couldn't hear Him anymore. It PETRIFIED me!!! I felt desperate and lost!
It was at that point, a few weeks ago, that my wonderful, amazing husband took the boys away for the day, so i could just spend some time with the Lord by myself. I think maybe it was his way of telling me that I HAD to deal with the funk and FAST! :)
I sat down on my back porch with my Bible and just spent hours pouring out my heart to Him, asking for forgiveness for my selfishness and for taking my eyes off of Him, and begging for Him to speak to me. This was the verse He led me to.....

Acts 26:16 "Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you."

WOW! That was the kick in the pants that I needed...It was discipline from my Ever-Loving Father!!!
I didn't immediately have a lightning bolt moment where I was hit with warm fuzzies, but I knew that the Lord was telling me, "I've had enough of this. You are done with your pity party, Sara. Get UP onto your feet and get to work! Seek ME!!!"
Since that day, the Lord is showing me BIG things about Himself, and revealing things that I didn't even know that I needed to work on in my own heart! It's a process that isn't coming overnight, and I'm ok with that, because this I KNOW.....I will OVERWHELMINGLY conquer ALL things through HIM who loves me!!! I AM VICTORIOUS in CHRIST!!!!!!!! I am taking captive every thought to the glory of God! I'm trusting and believing Him! I believe that He has great plans for me! And so what if those plans are different from my vision of what perfect is, if they are from Him, then they will be perfect and so much more than I could ever ask or imagine!!! To HIM be the glory forever!!!

Your Help

This song came from a desperate cry of a hurting heart...I'm in that place again tonight.

Your Help (Deut. 33:26-27)

Verse 1:
When life feels overwhelming
And your heart is breaking in two
When you feel like no one understands you
Or what you’re going through
Just lift up your eyes; reach out your hands,
And hold on…

Chorus:
There is no one like the Lord, God Almighty
He rides through the heavens to help you
He is riding on the clouds in His glorious majesty
Lift up your eyes, here comes your help.
The Eternal God is your refuge, a place of safety
His arms will hold you up forever.
Rest in His arms.

Verse 2:
Remember feelings are not real
They get in the way of His perfect will
Stop believing the enemy’s lie
Hang onto the only Truth
With all of your heart, lift up your hands
And know…

Chorus:
There is no one like the Lord, God Almighty
He rides through the heavens to help you
He is riding on the clouds in His glorious majesty
Lift up your eyes, here comes your help.
The Eternal God is your refuge, your place of safety
His arms will hold you up forever.
Rest in His arms.

Bridge:
Lift up your eyes
Raise your hands to the heavens
With all of your heart
Let your praises declare His majesty
Here comes your help

Chorus:
There is no one like the Lord, God Almighty
He rides through the heavens to help you
He is riding on the clouds in His glorious majesty
Lift up your eyes, here comes your help.
The Eternal God is your refuge, your place of safety
His arms will hold you up forever.
Rest in His arms.