Month: June 2012

Detachment vs. Development

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I am sad (but also glad) to admit this, but this week has been the first week where I have really thought about the Lord throughout the work week since I moved out to Orange County. In the weeks prior to this week, I struggled reading the Word – maybe because I was trying to read too much at a time, maybe because I was still adjusting to my new schedule, maybe a culmination of several different things…I don’t know. Something wasn’t working. 
This last Sunday, as I have done for the last several Sundays, I attended Sea Breeze Church in Huntington Beach. It was great! Alli and myself showed up about 8 minutes late and missed the first two songs, but got there in time to hear the last few songs and the most important part of the service for me that day – the message. 
We’re in the 2nd message of a three part series on the Environment of Growth. There were several times that I was in tears from the message because of this…..
“Cycle of Commitment”
As the pastor was speaking on this “Cycle of Commitment”, I realized that I was in a serious time of ‘decay’ (I roughly define this as pressure from the world on our soul because we were not made to dwell in this place – the pastor defined this term with much more eloquence), and I was choosing to ‘detach’ instead of ‘develop’. I was wasting the time I had been given to grow in the Lord while in a new, challenging environment. 
By the time the ushers were passing out the elements for communion, I was tearing up and emotional. At some point in the service, Philippians 1 was being read and I realized that that is what I was going to begin studying. 
If you didn’t get a chance to read Philippians 1:1-11 in my post from yesterday, read it now! I will be reading this passage every day this week and focusing on a different prompt each day.

Today’s prompt is: Read the passage and record any commands you find. Read the passage again, this time record anything you learn from the example of others.

Hope you can join me in this journey of development and choosing to avoid detachment by getting in the word to know God more and meditating on the truth of his Word as it applies to our every day lives. 
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 ESV).



To Be Continued… 🙂

knowledge and discernement

Published on by Sarah E. CooleyLeave a comment
I’m reading through this passage this week.
Today’s prompt is this:
What does this passage teach about God? 
About the author? 
About your identity in Christ?
Philippians 1:1-11
Paul and Timothy, servantsof Christ Jesus.
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
Graceto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God in all my remebrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completionat the day of Jesus Christ.
It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart,for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my inprisonment and my defenseand confirmation of the gospel.
For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledgeand all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filledwith the fruit of righteousness that comes throughJesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. 
I’d love to see what you guys come up with! 
To Be Continued… 🙂 

How ‘ The Bachelorette ‘ and ‘ The Hunger Games ‘ Coincide…..

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I have discovered in the last several weeks of my life that I really enjoy history. I love discussing the “politics” of various issues. I love seeing a different side to things than most people see. I love reading historical fiction. I love googling people’s names and seeing what I can find out about them. I love researching and discovering.

Before I go somewhere, I usually have asked all the questions I can about the place as well as researching via the internet in my own time. Before meeting someone or shortly after meeting them, I usually Facebook stalk (read the definition here) them to see what they are all about (it’s crazy what you can find out about a person via Facebook – don’t act like you don’t do it too… haha). Before I buy something, I research reviews that people have said about a certain product. I reread labels on the back of shampoo and conditioner while in the shower, and the box of cereal that I am eating from in the mornings at breakfast. I love watching TV shows that give me a glimpse into someone’s life – the Bachelor/Bachelorette, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Big Brother, Survivor, etc.

I like to be ‘in the know’. I don’t know what sparked this in me, but I suspect that I get it from my father (read this post).

Recently I began reading the Hunger Games series. I have fallen in love. Not only is the books’ setting in ‘future America’ (so interesting!!), but it goes into detail about the flaws of American culture and our desire to exploit someone else for the entertainment of ourselves (i.e. reality television).  I happen to be an extreme fanatic of reality television. Every monday (well, tuesday, since I’m not able to watch it on monday) I look forward to watching the Bachelorette. Sometimes, like this weeks episode, I re-watch it (haha woops, did I just write that?!).

The idea of this book struck a chord in me. Though, I’ll probably continue to watch the Bachelorette and other such TV shows, I have a new perspective on them. Instead of viewing them as another reason to mindlessly get lost in a one to two hour show, I now view them as people. They are not just some device to cause drama and be the next tabloid on the newsstands for my entertainment, but they are real people, with real emotions, who are going through crazy things, just so that I can have some entertainment. What a different perspective.

History, one of the things I love, is happening right in front of us. Suzanne Collins, the writer of hunger games, has done an excellent job at ‘predicting’ the future of America (the history that has yet to happen) and explaining her frustrations with our culture. The decisions I make to watch the Bachelorette and tweet about it and say “I hate so and so” or “that person is a jerk” are not just comments drifting through the air. They are comments made toward real people, with real feelings, and real emotions. I don’t think reality TV is altogether horrible, but I think I definitely want to have a different perspective on the things I say and who I flippantly put down with my words.

Katniss, Peeta, and Gale 🙂 – Hunger games

Emily Maynard – The Bachelorette 🙂

To Be Continued… 🙂

Father’s Day, Flat Tires, and Punchlineless jokes… ♥

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Being that it’s father’s day, I suppose I should write a post about my dad. 🙂

My dad has taught me so much.

This is my changing a tire this morning…on father’s day!

He taught me to whistle entire songs, how to sing, how to throw a softball, how to change a flat tire, how to sing like louis armstrong, how to squeak with my lips, how to properly eat sunflower seeds (crack the shell with your teeth, spit out the shell, eat the seed…), how to be a defensive driver, etc….

He’s taught me quite a bit. I even inherited his talent of telling an entire joke and completely forgetting to tell the punch line. I inherited his distaste for board games and video games. I gained his love for people and to know them more deeply. I inherited his love for information – he was a history major – he’s always looking up facts or rattling off Facebook statuses which naturally he wants to know someone’s facebook history 😉 . Not because he is a Facebook addict, but because he likes to know just what is going on. I also inherited his stubbornness. If you know me at all, you know I can be a little ridiculous sometimes. The “it’s my way or the highway” mentality, yeah, I’m working on that….and yeah, I got it from my father.

There is so much of me that I can attribute directly to my father, but one of the main things I can attribute is my love for truth and my desire to seek it out.  My father is a learner. No he is not perfect, but he sure does enjoy learning about who Christ is and what it means to walk in the love Christ has lived out tangibly for us on this earth.

I find myself doing what my father does. I am always googling. In fact, a side-story, when I first moved into my brother and sister-in-law’s place, they asked me if I knew anything about orchids, and I said no, but immediately, I hopped on google and tried to find the answer for them. I know that isn’t about the gospel and the Lord and grace, etc., but it shows a little sneak peak into who I am because of my father. I love to learn about the Lord. I love to research and read books and study the Bible. If it wasn’t for my father, I would not have the desire to learn like I do.

So, in honor of father’s day, thank you, Dad! I love you! Thank you for the influence you have directly had on my life. I cannot thank you enough for changing my life the way you and your beautiful wife have!
Sorry, dad, I had to do it! 🙂

To Be Continued… 🙂

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

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Friends are a special thing.

I took my friendships for granted for several recent years of my life.

As a single college graduate, that is now – thankfully –  a different story.

There is something about a good friend to walk with through life. Someone to give you a good kick in the butt and tell you are acting silly when you are acting too cowardly to make friends in a new social setting. Someone to make you excited about things you are uncertain of. Someone who you can share embarrassing moments with and know that it wont affect your relationship. Someone to walk into a new setting with and know that they are a constant in your life – unchanging. Someone to be that “wind beneath your wings” as the song goes.

I have several friends who have been that for me over my lifetime. Mostly girls. A few guys. All very special to me. These friends are people who I will never take for granted again. These friends are people who I will support and walk hand-in-hand with until the day I die.

Ecclesiastes says it well

“There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless—a miserable business! Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one  to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:8-12).
There was a time in my life where I had very few friends. In fact, I would say at that point in my life, I had no friends. Even Jesus felt far from me. I was depressed. Lonely. Overtaken by despair. Broken. 

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. 

After about a month of feeling utter loneliness and depression, I decided to go to see a counselor. I spent that first session spilling my guts out to her. I told her how I used to have friends then I got caught up in a relationship and then slowly but surely ended up with nothing and no one. I stopped hanging out with my girlfriends, stopped spending time in the Word, stopped hanging out with my family,  stopped investing in other people’s lives except my own. It was an endless pit into self-gratification that led me to the corner of broken and depressed. 

Something like 3 years later, I am in a new stage in life. Recent college graduate. Single. In a new city, much less a new county. I have a new job…working full time. On my own with bills to pay and things to do.

I should be depressed. I should be broken. Because life after college is hard. Especially since my plans didn’t go the way I wanted them to go, how I had planned them out 2 1/2 years ago. This isn’t to say that I haven’t had a few freak out moments in the last 3 weeks.
But, nothing compares with those handful of weeks that were soaked in tears and sorrow 3 years ago. 
Simply because of this…

I have a God who loves me and I love him who gave his son in my place so that I could live without the punishment in eternity that I deserve.

I have a family that is completely supportive and so encouraging. For goodness sake, I wouldn’t have a job or a car or a place to stay right now if it weren’t for my brother and sister-in-law.

I have friends who are basically family and who I would defend to the death.

The only thing that is “missing” is a church family closer to where I am to invest my time into and to grow with. But, I do have a church family back at home who I love dearly and miss so much. (First Baptist Church of Norco, I miss you all!!!)
All these things add up perfectly to describe why I am not broken.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.. A cord of 50+ strands is not quickly broken.

I am one blessed gal. 
~~~ 

Here’s some examples…




To Be Continued… 🙂

Non-Negotiables, Grace, and Sanctification

Published on by Sarah E. Cooley1 Comment

So, I wrote a ‘non-negotiable’ list not too long ago for the next guy I date. Basically, this is a list of things I want in a man and are sincerely non-negotiable in my book. He doesn’t have it = RED FLAG!! Well not entirely. A lot of the things listed are written out in detail. Even Matthew McConaughey can’t live up to those standards 😉 …totally joking!

It got me thinking. I am requiring all of these things from a human being who is flawed and imperfect, but I can’t even live these things out myself. These are expectations that only God could achieve, really. Soooo, first of all, grace needs to be lavished on others because I have been given so much grace (Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you). Second of all, It make me think through the way I am living now. I am no where near to living up to the standard I am placing on others. How could I place such a high standard on others, when I can’t even get one of these right for a weeks time?! Therefore, it has now become my new “goal” list for the next couple of months and years of my life. I won’t be perfect at these things, just like a possible man in my future wont, but I am going to keep striving for these things in my life.

So here’s my ever-changing list…

1) WISE – thinks before acts. Slow to speak, slow to get angry, quick to listen. Seeks out counsel wiser than himself. Is not driven by his own desires but puts off his own desires for the good of those around him and to honor the Lord.
2) Outgoing and social – loves to entertain and welcomes guests, has deep friendships, able to hold a conversation with just about anyone.
3) Gospel-centered and driven – his life is guided by the Gospel.
4) Adventurous and willing to try new things – won’t settle for the same ol’, same ol’! Wants to try new restaurants, go on crazy wild dates, spontaneous but also a planner, creative, wants to go on trips and camp and hike and be “adventurous”!
5) Learner – seeks out counsel from older men, peers, and those younger than himself. Reads books. expands his mind and worldview within the scope of the Bible!
6) Loves traveling – enjoys different cultures, observing them, and serving them. Serving people in general.
7) Willing to correct me and push back on my ideas. Not intimidated by my stubbornness and strong-willed personality.
8) Positivity – balances out my cynical attitude.
9) Trust and jealousy – I can have guy friends, he can have girl friends – trust, trust, trust!! Trusts the Lord first and foremost so trusting me by trusting the Lord – also recognizes boundaries with the opposite sex, but doesn’t de-friend females and force me to de-friend males.Once again, is wise.
10) Faithfulness – Doesn’t make empty promises. Actions back up his words. Usually has less words and verbal promises, but actions take the place of needing to speak (for most – not all – cases).
11) Encourages vulnerability but within reason. Protects my heart, which means that sometimes he also discourages vulnerability and intimacy if the relationship is needing to slow down (assuming the context is a dating relationship still, not marriage).
12) Protects me – my heart, emotions, spirituality, etc.
13) Intentional in ministry and passionate about it. A passion that is specific not just general/broad. Knows the gifts that the Lord has given him and uses those to build up the church.
14) Within the previous answer, has a servants heart. Desires to serve others to exemplify Christ and to make much of Him, not to make much of his own self.
15) This one is kind of shallow, but well dressed. 😉 (not really a non-negotiable, but I can be hopeful).
16) Sense of humor – easy-going.
17) Cares about having a healthy lifestyle. I feed off of those around me [no pun intended 😉 ]. If those around me care about having a healthy lifestyle, I care about having a healthy lifestyle.

. . . .

To Be Continued… 🙂

Chick-fil-a and License Plate Covers …

Published on by Sarah E. Cooley1 Comment

Yesterday night I did something really silly…I’ll get to that in a minute…

So, I moved to Orange County 3 weeks ago and haven’t really found a church family to be involved in yet. So, my friends right now are my sister-in-law and brother and my co-workers (who I am SO incredibly grateful for, by the way). This is very different for me coming out of college surrounded by all of my close friends literally 24/7.

People don’t talk about the difficulties of post-college life. They talk about how wonderful it is to be independent. How great it is to have a full-time job!

Well, I am here to say, post-graduation is not anywhere close to being in heaven like people claim. Don’t get me wrong, I love my full-time job. It is great working with the people I work with and I love getting to provide great memories for people by renting them a beach home. I love working 100 yards from the beach. I love getting to live with my brother and sister and the chance to get to know them better as an adult.

It’s just not as easy as people make it out to be. Responsibility is hard. Getting up at 7 on a Saturday is not ideal. Paying car insurance payments and for oil changes is not fun. Saving your money instead of spending it on anything and everything you want is not fun. It is hard. Living in an apartment complex where you don’t know your neighbors is weird and sometimes awkward.

All that to say, I am craving the community I had 4 weeks ago. I am craving that close-knit, christian community where I can be real with people around me and not have to awkwardly smile and wave to my neighbors while I walk up the stairs to dodge their hockey game with their kids (which was adorable, I might add!!).

That community can happen in an apartment complex outside of the CBU bubble, but it is 100 times harder to create. I’m working on getting past my uncomfortable feelings and forcing myself to make friends! Stay tuned for that…

So, my silly story…

I was driving into chick-fil-a yesterday for dinner and me and a van came up to the intersection at the same time. I let her go first and she smiled and waved with gratitude and such a huge smile on her face. I was genuinely happy when I saw her reaction (if you know anything about OC, drivers are a little crazy sometimes and not always that quick to hand out such an excited smile AND a wave). As I pulled behind her, I read her license plate cover and it said Compassbiblechurch.org. So of course I looked it up while I was waiting in line on my phone (thank God for smart phones). It sounded like a pretty great church!

Anyways, She got her food, and I got my sandwich and since I only had a sandwich I was quickly following her out of the parking lot. As we turned onto the main road, I thought, I wonder where she is going? Maybe she is going to church and I can meet her and we can be friends? So, what did I do, you ask? Well of course I began following her… (dont judge me!!!)

After about 5 minutes of following her, I came to my senses. Sarah…YOU ARE A CRAZY PERSON!!!! YOU CAN’T JUST FOLLOW SOMEONE BECAUSE THEY HAVE A CHRISTIAN LICENSE PLATE COVER!

So, I made a u-turn and began driving back in the direction of my house – yes I drove out of my way to follow this lady (I am crazy!!!). I stopped by McDonalds and Redbox and rented the vow. I got home, ate my chicken sandwich and Reese’s McFlurry, and watched the vow and drowned in my sorrows (dramatic, I know)!

I share this story to show how very important community is – genuine, god-following community! When you can cultivate such deep friendships and community with people all heading in the same direction – toward Christ – it becomes very meaningful.

I cherish my church back in the IE. I cherish my friendships back at the little bubble of CBU. I cherish my close-knit family! The beauty of the community I had there is that it can be cultivated here. With a little blood, sweat, and tears, I can have community just like the ones I had back home. With a little elbow grease, I can cherish and love people where I am now. That is the beauty of Christ and his cross. Like Ephesians 2 says, he has broken the wall of hostility and made peace. I can now drive down the road and have a connection with the lady in the van next to me who I know nothing about. Yes, I know it was creepy even if we are connected in Christ and I don’t suggest it to anyone to do. But, that community is beautiful and it is worth longing for and desiring. It is worth that commitment and connection. It is worth the elbow grease, blood, sweat, and tears…and I’m sure there will be many in this process!

This Sunday I will make a venture out to a church to see how I can be apart of their body.

To Be Continued… 🙂