I recently completed a Beth Moore study that was awesome. It was "Believing God". I highly recommend it to anyone -- even men! In it we were instructed to look back over our lives and write our 'history'. In doing so, I was incredibly blessed in remembering how God has been there all down thru my life. This year marks my 30th anniversary of graduation from high school. Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of graduation from college, and 25 years of marriage to Steve Martin! In looking back on all this, I've constantly been reminded of a verse that God gave me waaaay back then; that verse being, "Thou wilt show me the path of life. In thy presence is fullness of joy" (Ps. 16:11) And He HAS shown me the path....and it HAS been fullness of joy in His presence!
All of this has been stirred to remembrance in my mind as I face the graduation of my first-born from high school. I can't help but ask myself over and over: "Where have the years gone?" and "How can this child that I begged God for already be this old?" And I also ask, "Lord, what about that promise you made to return BEFORE they became teenagers?" (Smile).
So, as you see, I've been doing a lot of looking back -- but looking back in a good way. And in looking back and seeing how God has always been there, how He's directed my path, how He has blessed me with what I've needed, and some of what I've actually wanted, and He's been good. I'm glad I can look at all of it this way, as the path has not been easy. But in the remembering, it helps me to see that He's there in the days ahead. "For this child I prayed" He will give grace. He will give guidance to me, and, as she continues to listen for His voice, He will give guidance to her. I'm so blessed, and so thankful.
Emily will graduate on May 29 from Sheridan High School. She has been accepted at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, SC and will attend there in the fall. She's interested in pursuing Social Work, Music and Missions. I'm praying that God will direct her path and make it straight.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Thursday, April 30, 2009
THE FAST LANE
For weeks now, maybe even months, life for me has been in the 'fast lane'. But, to quote my daughter, Katie, "It's all good." (in the hood....)
This past Sunday, April 26, was our first Sunday in our new building on our new campus! What an awesome day! We had ALL the family together -- in ONE service. It was high worship, tears of joy, a great sense of the power of God and His wonderful goodness to us. We are finally in our new home.
Funny thing.....I really don't expect to be in this new home for long. Am I planning on leaving? No. Is my pastor/husband looking to serve elsewhere? No. I just happen to know that, as a child of God, I'm but a pilgrim in this land, and I think we 'aliens and pilgrims' are closer to our heavenly home than ever. That's a good news and bad news thing. Good news for the Christian; bad for the unbeliever. Good news for those of who who still have mortgages! (Even a church mortgage!)
Ah well, I didn't begin this to write about 'how long' we have on this earth. I began this to show you some pictures of our new church! Ladieeeeez annnnd Gentlemen! Presenting.....
.
Sheridan SIX POINTS Wesleyan CHURCH!
First Pic - The Youth Cafe', 2nd Pic: Multipurpose Sanctuary/Banquet Room, viewing from the back, and 3rd pic; same room, viewing from the front. Wanna see the rest of it? Come see us!
This past Sunday, April 26, was our first Sunday in our new building on our new campus! What an awesome day! We had ALL the family together -- in ONE service. It was high worship, tears of joy, a great sense of the power of God and His wonderful goodness to us. We are finally in our new home.
Funny thing.....I really don't expect to be in this new home for long. Am I planning on leaving? No. Is my pastor/husband looking to serve elsewhere? No. I just happen to know that, as a child of God, I'm but a pilgrim in this land, and I think we 'aliens and pilgrims' are closer to our heavenly home than ever. That's a good news and bad news thing. Good news for the Christian; bad for the unbeliever. Good news for those of who who still have mortgages! (Even a church mortgage!)
Ah well, I didn't begin this to write about 'how long' we have on this earth. I began this to show you some pictures of our new church! Ladieeeeez annnnd Gentlemen! Presenting.....
.
Sheridan SIX POINTS Wesleyan CHURCH!
First Pic - The Youth Cafe', 2nd Pic: Multipurpose Sanctuary/Banquet Room, viewing from the back, and 3rd pic; same room, viewing from the front. Wanna see the rest of it? Come see us!
Friday, March 20, 2009
What I Learned in Hymnology
WHAT’ER MY GOD ORDAINS IS RIGHT
Whater my God ordains is right - His will is ever just.
How’er He orders now my cause I will be still and trust.
He is my God — Though dark my road
He holds me that I shall not tall, Wherefore to Him I leave it all.
What’er my God ordains is right — He never will deceive;
He leads me by the proper path, and so to Him I cleave,
And take content, what He hath sent,
His hand can turn my griefs away, and patiently I wait His day.
Whater my God ordains is right, Though I the cup must drink.
That bitter seems to my taint heart, I will not fear or shrink;
Tears pass away, With dawn of day,
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart, And pain and sorrow all depart.
Whater my God ordains is right; My light, my life is He.
Who cannot will me aught but good, I trust Him utterly.
For well I know In joy or woe, We soon shall see, as sunlight clear.
How faithful was our Guardian here.
Whater my God ordains is right; Here will I take my stand.
Though sorrow, needs, or death make earth for me a desert land;
My Father’s care is round me there.
He holds me that I shall not fall; And so to Him I leave it all.
— Samuel Rodigast
Friday, March 6, 2009
LIFE IS HARD
When my firstborn, Emily, was about 4 years old, her Sunday School teacher came up to me after church one Sunday and said to me, "Sarah, Emily says 'Life is hard.' I immediately felt a number of emotions; horror, shock, dismay and embarrassment that my daughter would say that to her teacher and maybe put questions in the teacher's mind as to 'what on earth goes on in the Martin household to create this disturbing thought in this little girl's mind?' I, of course, expressed concern to the teacher, a young college student, who our family had 'adopted' as ours during our ministry there. And, knowing me, I probably even made some wisecracks or "Sarah-castic" remarks, just to throw her mind off course and not let her dwell on what my little girl had said to her.
Later, after lunch that afternoon, my girls were playing between the kitchen, dining area and living room, and Katie, a little over a year old, stumbled while walking, and bumped her head on something. She began to whimper, and I screwed up my face to make it look funny (and hopefully make her laugh) and I said, "Oh, poor baby......life is hard!" Then it hit me; Of course, Emily is going to tell her teacher that life is hard, because that's what she constantly hears her mama say! It was most often in jest, nevertheless, it was one of my common remarks.
Another phrase I used quite frequently back then was "good night!" If I was amazed, confused, shocked or perplexed, I would say "good night". Funny thing about that is this -- my good friend, Cindy, had a phrase she used quite frequently, too, and it was this, "Great day!" It hit my funny bone awfully hard one time when she and I were talking in her kitchen, and interspersed in our conversation with each other was "Good night!" and "Great day!".
Looking back over my life I can honestly say life has been hard. There have been a lot of rough patches in the road, wounds in need of healing, burdens to bear. Do I think my life has been different from anyone else's? No, not really. I'm sure there are many who have faced hard spots in life much tougher than the ones I've had. The cool thing (another phrase from the past) about it all is this: No matter how many times the thought comes to my mind that 'life is hard' -- it's followed up with this thought -- but God is good. And He is! God IS good -- all the time!
Later, after lunch that afternoon, my girls were playing between the kitchen, dining area and living room, and Katie, a little over a year old, stumbled while walking, and bumped her head on something. She began to whimper, and I screwed up my face to make it look funny (and hopefully make her laugh) and I said, "Oh, poor baby......life is hard!" Then it hit me; Of course, Emily is going to tell her teacher that life is hard, because that's what she constantly hears her mama say! It was most often in jest, nevertheless, it was one of my common remarks.
Another phrase I used quite frequently back then was "good night!" If I was amazed, confused, shocked or perplexed, I would say "good night". Funny thing about that is this -- my good friend, Cindy, had a phrase she used quite frequently, too, and it was this, "Great day!" It hit my funny bone awfully hard one time when she and I were talking in her kitchen, and interspersed in our conversation with each other was "Good night!" and "Great day!".
Looking back over my life I can honestly say life has been hard. There have been a lot of rough patches in the road, wounds in need of healing, burdens to bear. Do I think my life has been different from anyone else's? No, not really. I'm sure there are many who have faced hard spots in life much tougher than the ones I've had. The cool thing (another phrase from the past) about it all is this: No matter how many times the thought comes to my mind that 'life is hard' -- it's followed up with this thought -- but God is good. And He is! God IS good -- all the time!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday Nights
On the rare occasion that we are actually home WITH our girls on a Friday night, we just enjoy relaxing and doing what WE want to do. Last night was one of my all-time favorites. Emily has been playing and playing and playing the piano these days. She's been preparing for an ISSMA Solo and Ensemble (piano solo), and in between practicing that, she's pulling out all these oldies books to play from. MMMMMM, I LOVE it! "In The Mood", "While Cliffs of Dover" and bunches and bunches of other stuff. So, last night, I tried my hand at recording some of her session with my work laptop which I'd brought home to finish up my Sunday Powerpoints on. It took me a little while to figure out how to record with the thing, and it's not great quality, but I'm going to try to post some of what I got to hear.
Katie was reading and 'talking' with friends on facebook. Katie doesn't just cut everyone out when she's doing these things --- she makes you a part of it, whether you want to be or not. (BIG SMILE). I often get to hear excerpts (looooong excerpts) of the books she reads, and although sometimes it drives me nuts (which.... REALLY doesn't take MUCH at all!) I get giddy listening to her because I'm so happy that she loves books (like her mama, her grammie, her great grandma, and so on) AND that she shares things with me (Again, sometimes whether I want her to or not....). And she's trying to teach herself guitar. Last night she played me a song, and I thought, "this kid is getting pretty good!"
It reminded me of when I got my first guitar when I was 13. We pulled in our driveway that day, and I could see from the van as we pulled in that there was a large box inside the storm door, and I KNEW it was the $13 guitar that mama had ordered for me from Sears! My fingers were soooo sore at the end of that day, because I determined NOT to stop until I could play at least one song. (Understand here, I'd never been taught anything about how to play one, so I was teaching myself also.) I remember going downstairs that evening, sitting on top of the kitchen table, and making mama listen to me as I 'played' "Swanee River" for her, complete with loooooong pauses in between key changes. I can still hear myself: "Way.... (key change) down upon the (key change) Swanee (key change) River..... In between each key change was probably five seconds of adjustment while I got my fingers just right for the next chord. Mama and daddy encouraged me even though there were probably many times they just really didn't have the time, energy or patience to listen.
And then there's my wonderful hubby, Steve. He has just the right knack for picking out movies for us to watch. When we moved to Pennsylvania years ago, my sister, Jenny travelled there with us to help us unpack and get settled in. One night after a day of unpacking, we rented a movie. (I mean, STEVE rented the movie.) It was UNFORGETTABLE. To this day, we still fondly remember "Matewan" -- to us, the dud of all duds in movies. We watched it, and at the end of it looked at each other with this puzzled look on ALL of our faces, then bursted out laughing! He picked one out at the library yesterday. It looked so good.... to Him. I looked at it and said, "probably a 'Matewan', to which we both laughed --- and checked it out. After he got in from attending a viewing, he pops the movie in and the girls join him in watching it. I showered and got ready to go to bed and read, and they were telling me the location of the movie, to which we were all familiar with. and so I went in to watch it. The locations we knew.... the plot........."Matewan" all over again! they had it on about 45 minutes and turned it off! That's my guy! (Except HE'S NOT a "Matewan". He's a CLASSIC!
Katie was reading and 'talking' with friends on facebook. Katie doesn't just cut everyone out when she's doing these things --- she makes you a part of it, whether you want to be or not. (BIG SMILE). I often get to hear excerpts (looooong excerpts) of the books she reads, and although sometimes it drives me nuts (which.... REALLY doesn't take MUCH at all!) I get giddy listening to her because I'm so happy that she loves books (like her mama, her grammie, her great grandma, and so on) AND that she shares things with me (Again, sometimes whether I want her to or not....). And she's trying to teach herself guitar. Last night she played me a song, and I thought, "this kid is getting pretty good!"
It reminded me of when I got my first guitar when I was 13. We pulled in our driveway that day, and I could see from the van as we pulled in that there was a large box inside the storm door, and I KNEW it was the $13 guitar that mama had ordered for me from Sears! My fingers were soooo sore at the end of that day, because I determined NOT to stop until I could play at least one song. (Understand here, I'd never been taught anything about how to play one, so I was teaching myself also.) I remember going downstairs that evening, sitting on top of the kitchen table, and making mama listen to me as I 'played' "Swanee River" for her, complete with loooooong pauses in between key changes. I can still hear myself: "Way.... (key change) down upon the (key change) Swanee (key change) River..... In between each key change was probably five seconds of adjustment while I got my fingers just right for the next chord. Mama and daddy encouraged me even though there were probably many times they just really didn't have the time, energy or patience to listen.
And then there's my wonderful hubby, Steve. He has just the right knack for picking out movies for us to watch. When we moved to Pennsylvania years ago, my sister, Jenny travelled there with us to help us unpack and get settled in. One night after a day of unpacking, we rented a movie. (I mean, STEVE rented the movie.) It was UNFORGETTABLE. To this day, we still fondly remember "Matewan" -- to us, the dud of all duds in movies. We watched it, and at the end of it looked at each other with this puzzled look on ALL of our faces, then bursted out laughing! He picked one out at the library yesterday. It looked so good.... to Him. I looked at it and said, "probably a 'Matewan', to which we both laughed --- and checked it out. After he got in from attending a viewing, he pops the movie in and the girls join him in watching it. I showered and got ready to go to bed and read, and they were telling me the location of the movie, to which we were all familiar with. and so I went in to watch it. The locations we knew.... the plot........."Matewan" all over again! they had it on about 45 minutes and turned it off! That's my guy! (Except HE'S NOT a "Matewan". He's a CLASSIC!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I Can't Dance!
Let's face it. I just can't dance! Because of the fact that my family falls on the floor laughing when I even ATTEMPT to dance, I have resorted to dancing only behind closed doors. (Don't get the wrong idea -- NO ONE is given the opportunity to peek in those doors, or windows, etc. etc.) I just can't stand the humiliation... or the laughter. But, I'm human, just like everyone else, and there's times I just gotta dance! Take for instance, this morning. I've got this jazzy Selah song playing, and it's got me moving....all over the place, all over the room, hair shakin', body swingin', all parts jigglin' kinda dance. It was fun! It was energizing exercise....and I couldnt stop even when I tried to. I kept falling over this way and that, even AFTER I stopped! And I'm laughing so hard at myself, that I just fall on the bed and bust a gut! (You're enjoying this, aren't you?!) I'm just SO glad NOBODY saw me! (Except God..... and He was falling on the floor, laughing).
Saturday, November 22, 2008
The Reason for Sorrow
I've been sitting here reading a blog for quite a while this morning... relating to the pain, relating to the comfort God's Word has been to me down thru my life. And I've been feeling ashamed: thinking to myself many times, "I'm the only one...." (Anyone hearing an echo of Elijah the prophet here?) I'm NOT the 'only one' who has been thru this 'valley of weeping'. Other have tread this path long before me, and others (countless others...) will continue to tread the same path until life on earth has been destroyed (which, I believe will be very soon).
Not too long after I graduated from high school (nearly 30 years ago, now) one of my best friends lost one of her baby twins to SIDS. I grieved with her, but didn't feel the pain as she did.
It wasn't until a few years after, that I grieved in a more personal way. I had miscarried my first child. It was even harder, because the medical term they used when talking with me was 'spontaneous abortion'. Those of you who are true believers know that the word 'abortion' carries such a darkness that we don't like to use it in relating to a personal experience. The other really hard thing to deal with were comments by folks that weren't really thought out. "You can always have another one" was one of those. Also, when I went to the doctor the following day AFTER I'd lost the baby in the night was spoken by a nurse who didn't have the bedside manner that one would hope a nurse would have. She said, "Didn't ya keep it?" (Meaning, the fetus.) No, I didn't have the presence of mind to think that you were supposed to bottle up 'the fetus' and take it to the doctor.... These comments have often reminded me of my mama who used to groan out loud about the senseless 'throwing' of scripture at a person when they were already 'down'. One she would say in a comical sing-song kind of voice was Romans 8:28. "For we know that all things work together for the good to them that love the Lord..." Great scripture. Truth, for sure. But don't throw it at someone who is swallowed up in the depths of pain and sorrow. Save it for the right moment. Ask God to help you to know what to say and when to say it.
In my physical and emotional pain after being awake all night, knowing what was going to happen, and determined to not wake my husband who had to preach the next morning, I lay exhausted on the guest room bed afterward. Only those of you who have experienced something like this will understand what I am about to say. God came to me, and gave me a deep, unexplainable peace, even in the midst of my pain. And the words I'd memorized from a song from Hymnology class in bible college came to me:
"What'ere my God ordains is right.
His will is ever just.
How'ere He orders now my cause,
I will be still and trust.
He is my God -
He owns me that I shall not fall.
And so, to Him I leave it all."
I have rested in that verse in many other trying circumstances that followed in the later years of my life: the suicide of a surrogate mom who I dearly loved... the loss of another baby... leaving one pastorate to go to another,,, mama's painful death with cancer....daddy's dementia and death some 5 years later... and my brother's sudden death on a Sunday afternoon not even a year ago.
Does this mean the pain is gone? No. Sometimes it's almost as fresh as if the circumstance had just occurred. I miss them so much - the one's who've died, and the ones I've left behind as we moved to serve in another congregation.
BUT GOD.... But God is still 'my rock, my fortress - in Him will I trust'. "The name of the Lord is a strong tower - the righteous run into it and they are saved." His Word has been counseling my soul for these many hard years. He is God, and He is good.
I felt He explained to me the 'reason' for these things years ago when I was in bible college. I ran acrossed the verse in II Corinthians 1:3 where it says, "God...who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." He allows these hard places to test us, to strengthen us, and so that we, in turn, can help comfort others with the comfort we received from Him in our hard places.
Because of my own personal heartaches I have learned not only to sympathize, but to empathize. The latter is more important than the first.
Not too long after I graduated from high school (nearly 30 years ago, now) one of my best friends lost one of her baby twins to SIDS. I grieved with her, but didn't feel the pain as she did.
It wasn't until a few years after, that I grieved in a more personal way. I had miscarried my first child. It was even harder, because the medical term they used when talking with me was 'spontaneous abortion'. Those of you who are true believers know that the word 'abortion' carries such a darkness that we don't like to use it in relating to a personal experience. The other really hard thing to deal with were comments by folks that weren't really thought out. "You can always have another one" was one of those. Also, when I went to the doctor the following day AFTER I'd lost the baby in the night was spoken by a nurse who didn't have the bedside manner that one would hope a nurse would have. She said, "Didn't ya keep it?" (Meaning, the fetus.) No, I didn't have the presence of mind to think that you were supposed to bottle up 'the fetus' and take it to the doctor.... These comments have often reminded me of my mama who used to groan out loud about the senseless 'throwing' of scripture at a person when they were already 'down'. One she would say in a comical sing-song kind of voice was Romans 8:28. "For we know that all things work together for the good to them that love the Lord..." Great scripture. Truth, for sure. But don't throw it at someone who is swallowed up in the depths of pain and sorrow. Save it for the right moment. Ask God to help you to know what to say and when to say it.
In my physical and emotional pain after being awake all night, knowing what was going to happen, and determined to not wake my husband who had to preach the next morning, I lay exhausted on the guest room bed afterward. Only those of you who have experienced something like this will understand what I am about to say. God came to me, and gave me a deep, unexplainable peace, even in the midst of my pain. And the words I'd memorized from a song from Hymnology class in bible college came to me:
"What'ere my God ordains is right.
His will is ever just.
How'ere He orders now my cause,
I will be still and trust.
He is my God -
He owns me that I shall not fall.
And so, to Him I leave it all."
I have rested in that verse in many other trying circumstances that followed in the later years of my life: the suicide of a surrogate mom who I dearly loved... the loss of another baby... leaving one pastorate to go to another,,, mama's painful death with cancer....daddy's dementia and death some 5 years later... and my brother's sudden death on a Sunday afternoon not even a year ago.
Does this mean the pain is gone? No. Sometimes it's almost as fresh as if the circumstance had just occurred. I miss them so much - the one's who've died, and the ones I've left behind as we moved to serve in another congregation.
BUT GOD.... But God is still 'my rock, my fortress - in Him will I trust'. "The name of the Lord is a strong tower - the righteous run into it and they are saved." His Word has been counseling my soul for these many hard years. He is God, and He is good.
I felt He explained to me the 'reason' for these things years ago when I was in bible college. I ran acrossed the verse in II Corinthians 1:3 where it says, "God...who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." He allows these hard places to test us, to strengthen us, and so that we, in turn, can help comfort others with the comfort we received from Him in our hard places.
Because of my own personal heartaches I have learned not only to sympathize, but to empathize. The latter is more important than the first.
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