Hammer on Anvil '

Hey, there. My name is Sarah. I'm a graduate of Missouri State University. I have two brothers, one sister, and a stepbrother and stepsister. I also have two nieces and three nephews, so far. I like to knit and crochet, go to concerts, collect Pez dispensers, and watch TV and movies. Watching bad movies with my best friends is one of my favorite things to do. Most of what I write is short and sweet, like me. I also make bad jokes.

Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am. ”  And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”“ My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.  So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel! ” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” --1 Samuel 3: 4-10


"Life is hectic." "Time flies." "Some days I meet myself coming and going." "I can't believe another year has already gone by!" Each of us has heard (and maybe said) some of these phrases used to describe how quickly minutes, hours and days slip by us. And yet, sometimes we catch ourselves wishing seasons of our lives away, hoping for a simpler, less activity-filled time. 


The true disadvantage to allowing ourselves to fall into this type of lifestyle is on our relationship with God.  The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. --1 Kings 19: 11-13 The Lord is not found in the flurry of activity we engage in. He is in the quiet. If we don't slow down and focus, we miss Him.


In  7 years working with students, I have seen evidence that many teenagers do not know how to be quiet. Homework is completed while watching TV. Meetings are interrupted by text conversations. Music from iPods permeates every activity, including sleeping. How are we supposed to hear God's whisper with all that noise around us?


Hearing God is only the first step. Recognizing His call requires practice and discernment. Samuel didn't understand that the Lord was speaking to Him. He had nothing to compare to his experience, so he reacted as a child would--quickly jumping to an incorrect conclusion.  As growing Christians, we should hold a higher standard in our evaluation. We need to slow down and tune in to God. Not only will it help us hear His word, becoming focused gives us wisdom and understanding of His message.

Matthew 28: 19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you to the end of the age.

Philippians 2:4-6 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped

Colossians 4:5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

The concept of goal-setting is tossed around a whole lot in an older teenager's life. Young people on the cusp of adulthood are asked to define what they want out of life: what career they want, how much money they want to make, if they desire a family--the list goes on. Unexpectedly, goal-setting has been cropping up in my life lately as well.

Recently in a group fellowship, the question was raised: 'What goals have you set for your marriage?' I was startled by that question. As a woman married 17 years, I had never quite thought of my partnership with my husband as having an 'end-result' or a 'goal'. As I struggled to come up with an answer, I began to look at the bigger picture.

Each of us set goals for what we want our life to look like in many different areas: career, finances, family, where we live, etc. Those goals give us wisdom in making choices. "Will this person make a good spouse?" "What classes should I take in college?" What would happen if we applied this goal-setting mindset to our spiritual lives?

God calls us to live for Him. He calls us into a relationship with Him. However, many Christians find this difficult, even vague. We struggle with motivation to read and understand the Bible, spend time in prayer, tame our sinful nature. Is it possible that not having a clear direction is causing us to flounder? Not having a budget causes us to spend without thinking, failing to choose a major gives us the tendency to take whatever classes seem cool at the time. Why wouldn't it be the same with our spiritual lives?

Take some time today and think about where you want your relationship with God to be in 5 years. Spend a little time praying for God to reveal what He desires for your life, and what His purposes are for you. Each of us has been called by Him to reach someone specific. To accomplish specific goals. If we don't spend any time trying to discover what those are, we will continue to flounder.

Psalm 37:4- Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Today, I want to follow up on last week's post about what I learned in 2011. I completed reading through the Bible (a couple days late, but still accomplished), and am gearing up to do it all over again this year. As I've looked over my posts, I have seen a common theme. I have focused all of my blog so far on feeding my fellow Christians with milk from our Lord. This year, it's about meat.

I intend to journey through the Bible this year focused on empowered living. What do I need to remove from my life, what do I need to add, where is God working, and how can I get involved? A friend turned me on to this video, and it shows me how to begin.

In our time last night with our students, we discussed potential direction and what they wanted to study in the coming weeks. Honestly, I have been praying through about 10 different topics and could not really sense a clear direction. I narrowed it down to 4 and of those 4, 2 were really at the top of the list for myself.

Our students decided on taking a look at God's Calling in Life. I have mapped out the sessions, and we will be looking at spiritual gifts, God's call to salvation, holiness, service, missions, ministry, and whatever else God throws on my heart.

I am excited about where it will go and how God will use our times together to make His call known in life. I am very passionate about ALL followers of Jesus being in ministry. When God calls you to follow Him, He calls you to ministry. Whether you are a computer nerd, a doctor, or a trash man... you are in ministry - your "circles of influence" are unique and are set by God for you to do ministry.

So, this is where participation comes into this discussion...
What is your calling?
How were you called to that?
How has God placed you in a unique place to minister?
What way can you better utilize your platform to glorify God?
What vision do you have of future ministry? What is your God-dream?