Posts
Hello!
I just wanted to share the exciting news that one of my songs was selected as song of the month on YourHymn.com. You can see and listen to my song directly at this link:
http://www.yourhymn.com/entries_january/your_sins_are_washed_away.php
Let me know what you think of the song!
Be blessed!
Sarah
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Offer up the sacrifice of Praise!
It has been a while since my last posting to my blog. It has been a little difficult being motivated this week. Sometimes we go through periods where it's difficult to move forward, but we must persevere.
What the Lord wants most from us is faith, obedience, and praise! Our praises and thankfulness are sweet melodies to His ear! Don't dwell on the negative. It does nothing for you or for the situation. Give it up to God in prayer and petition. Seek His will and direction. Focus on what He has done for you. I like what Joyce Meyer says: I'm not where I need to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be!
This is what I am thankful for today:
My handsome, wonderful, caring, sensitive husband
My adorable, healthy, energetic, charismatic toddler boy
My beautiful, warm home; a safe haven in the cold of winter
My friends and family who show me love and encouragement
The opportunities to turn what is bad into good for God's purpose
An offer this week for a free, blown up and framed picture from my wedding
An open door to use my music in a public concert and on an album
My husband got a job promotion
My husband got $200 in gifts from the employees at his previous job
A dead tree on our property recently removed for free
Our driveway getting snow plowed for free!
For the love I feel from God every day!!
Tell me, what are you thankful for?
One of the best revelations you can have in your life is to really know and feel God's love. Many people do not realize how much God really loves them. God so loves that world, that while we were still sinners, He sent His son to die for us and redeem us from our sin. On the cross, after being beat, abused, spat on, crucified, and mocked, Jesus pleaded with His Father to forgive those people! Our Lord's love is so great that He is so quick to forgive and have mercy.
Reach out to Him for His love, sit down in His presence quietly and soak up His love. When you really feel His love, it is so awesome, it will probably move you to tears.
God bless you!
Sarah V
P.S. Check out the links below for some of my new articles on Ehow!
http://www.ehow.com/how_4817425_keep-cool-toddler.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_4802177_baby-getting-foot-stuck-crib.html
What the Lord wants most from us is faith, obedience, and praise! Our praises and thankfulness are sweet melodies to His ear! Don't dwell on the negative. It does nothing for you or for the situation. Give it up to God in prayer and petition. Seek His will and direction. Focus on what He has done for you. I like what Joyce Meyer says: I'm not where I need to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be!
This is what I am thankful for today:
My handsome, wonderful, caring, sensitive husband
My adorable, healthy, energetic, charismatic toddler boy
My beautiful, warm home; a safe haven in the cold of winter
My friends and family who show me love and encouragement
The opportunities to turn what is bad into good for God's purpose
An offer this week for a free, blown up and framed picture from my wedding
An open door to use my music in a public concert and on an album
My husband got a job promotion
My husband got $200 in gifts from the employees at his previous job
A dead tree on our property recently removed for free
Our driveway getting snow plowed for free!
For the love I feel from God every day!!
Tell me, what are you thankful for?
One of the best revelations you can have in your life is to really know and feel God's love. Many people do not realize how much God really loves them. God so loves that world, that while we were still sinners, He sent His son to die for us and redeem us from our sin. On the cross, after being beat, abused, spat on, crucified, and mocked, Jesus pleaded with His Father to forgive those people! Our Lord's love is so great that He is so quick to forgive and have mercy.
Reach out to Him for His love, sit down in His presence quietly and soak up His love. When you really feel His love, it is so awesome, it will probably move you to tears.
God bless you!
Sarah V
P.S. Check out the links below for some of my new articles on Ehow!
http://www.ehow.com/how_4817425_keep-cool-toddler.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_4802177_baby-getting-foot-stuck-crib.html
Friday, February 20, 2009
Faith, Hope, and Love
Friends,
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
Verse 13 of this chapter says: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
What do we have faith in? What do we have hope in? In God! We should apply our faith and hope in God, and apply love to God and to others, but God wants us to love Him above all else and everyone else. To apply verses 4 through 8 directly to God, He wants us to be patient with Him. He wants us to be humble before Him. He doesn't want us to boast or be prideful about ourselves, but instead be a vessel for God's work and glory. He does not want us to focus on what we think He hasn't done for us, but to focus on what He has done for us and how far He has brought us from where He found us! He does not want us to chase after our own desires and dreams. He wants us to seek Him and His purposes. When we do this, He will give us the desires of our hearts! He does not want us to delight in the evil things of the world. He wants us to always pursue to know His truth, and to share His truth. He wants us to trust and hope in Him! He wants us to persevere through our circumstances knowing that we are standing on a solid rock, and we can trust that He is guiding us! Be anxious for nothing! When we have God, what can we fear? David didn't fear the giant, Goliath because He knew he had God on his side!
I praise the Lord for helping me to persevere. I know there have been times when I may have slowed him down, got sidetracked, lost patience and hope, but the Lord always reminds me to keep persevering and not to be weary of doing good. He renews my strength and hope as I see His work in my life unfolding. I am so blessed that last night, I got a new opportunity to share an original song the Lord gave me. Because of the door that opened last night, this song could reach hundreds, maybe thousands of people this year. I can't wait to keep persevering and seeing what else God has planned with my life!!
God bless you,
Sarah
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
Verse 13 of this chapter says: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
What do we have faith in? What do we have hope in? In God! We should apply our faith and hope in God, and apply love to God and to others, but God wants us to love Him above all else and everyone else. To apply verses 4 through 8 directly to God, He wants us to be patient with Him. He wants us to be humble before Him. He doesn't want us to boast or be prideful about ourselves, but instead be a vessel for God's work and glory. He does not want us to focus on what we think He hasn't done for us, but to focus on what He has done for us and how far He has brought us from where He found us! He does not want us to chase after our own desires and dreams. He wants us to seek Him and His purposes. When we do this, He will give us the desires of our hearts! He does not want us to delight in the evil things of the world. He wants us to always pursue to know His truth, and to share His truth. He wants us to trust and hope in Him! He wants us to persevere through our circumstances knowing that we are standing on a solid rock, and we can trust that He is guiding us! Be anxious for nothing! When we have God, what can we fear? David didn't fear the giant, Goliath because He knew he had God on his side!
I praise the Lord for helping me to persevere. I know there have been times when I may have slowed him down, got sidetracked, lost patience and hope, but the Lord always reminds me to keep persevering and not to be weary of doing good. He renews my strength and hope as I see His work in my life unfolding. I am so blessed that last night, I got a new opportunity to share an original song the Lord gave me. Because of the door that opened last night, this song could reach hundreds, maybe thousands of people this year. I can't wait to keep persevering and seeing what else God has planned with my life!!
God bless you,
Sarah
Monday, February 16, 2009
Beautiful morning!
Good morning!
I really hope yours is good. Mine is awesome! I woke up on the right side of the bed this morning. Actually, from a different angle, you might say the left side of the bed. Ha! You know what I mean. I love mornings. I love to just take my time waking up, enjoying God's beautiful scenery as the sun comes up, as I sip on coffee and watch my son being adorable.
Church service was so awesome yesterday, and that really fed my spirit, which is why I'm so excited this morning. There is nothing like getting into God's presence and soaking up His love! I'm sure He feels the same way about having fellowship with us and soaking up our love! God loves our love so much that He shows love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments (This is mentioned three times in the Bible: Exodus 20:6, Deuteronomy 5:10 and 7:9). When you love the Lord with all of your heart and abide by His commands, then He will "send rain in your land...that you may gather grain, wine, and oil...(He will) provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied" (Deuteronomy 11:13-15). In other words, blessings follow His people!!
Be encouraged in your walk with God!
Love,
Sarah
P.S. Here's an excerpt from my song "You Will Shine"
You can step out of the pit now
And set your feet upon the rock
He will put a song in your mouth
You'll sing praises to your God
And you will shine...as you
Get up out of that miry clay
You don't have to stay this way
Morning brings a brand new day
Let its promise take you away
And I pray
You won't hide under a bushel
You will SHINE and you'll be fine!
I really hope yours is good. Mine is awesome! I woke up on the right side of the bed this morning. Actually, from a different angle, you might say the left side of the bed. Ha! You know what I mean. I love mornings. I love to just take my time waking up, enjoying God's beautiful scenery as the sun comes up, as I sip on coffee and watch my son being adorable.
Church service was so awesome yesterday, and that really fed my spirit, which is why I'm so excited this morning. There is nothing like getting into God's presence and soaking up His love! I'm sure He feels the same way about having fellowship with us and soaking up our love! God loves our love so much that He shows love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments (This is mentioned three times in the Bible: Exodus 20:6, Deuteronomy 5:10 and 7:9). When you love the Lord with all of your heart and abide by His commands, then He will "send rain in your land...that you may gather grain, wine, and oil...(He will) provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied" (Deuteronomy 11:13-15). In other words, blessings follow His people!!
Be encouraged in your walk with God!
Love,
Sarah
P.S. Here's an excerpt from my song "You Will Shine"
You can step out of the pit now
And set your feet upon the rock
He will put a song in your mouth
You'll sing praises to your God
And you will shine...as you
Get up out of that miry clay
You don't have to stay this way
Morning brings a brand new day
Let its promise take you away
And I pray
You won't hide under a bushel
You will SHINE and you'll be fine!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Lord Provides
Good morning and happy Sunday!
The Lord gave me a great Valentine's weekend! Of course, it's not over yet! It was great to have quality time with friends, with my husband, with my grandmom, and other family members. I found out a while ago that one of the secrets to happiness is giving to others, thinking of other people's needs, being there for them in their time of need. Right now, my grandmom is 79 and is not in the best health. She has Chrohn's disease. But her mind is still going strong! She lives by herself and has a hard time getting around on her own. So Rich and I took our little boy to see her on Valentine's Day. We called that morning, so it was kind of a surprise. When I make a commitment, I make sure that I follow through with it, so sometimes I wait till last minute to tell someone I will do something to make sure I can follow through. In any event, my grandmom sent my son a Valentine's Day card asking him to be her Valentine. So he did just that...we spent almost four hours eating with her and hanging out. She was so happy to watch him. He is 16 months old and at a very fun age. He doesn't yet talk much. He just makes a lot of noises that don't make much sense, and he LOVES exploring. I can hardly keep him out of anything. He especially loves getting into the pantry.
Also, while I was with grandmom, I was with a couple of other family members whose names I won't mention for privacy. Before I continue that, I have been wanting for a long time to record an album. First, I just thought it wouldn't happen until a record label discovered me and helped me record an album, because I don't play instruments or have the money for an album. But I have written over 15 Christian songs recently and I really want to get them recorded and spread my message! I have been encouraged by my church pastor to do it myself. Then I decided to proactively seek out churches to visit, sing, and minister, and thought maybe they would take up a collection toward my ministry. I also sent letters to a lot of friends and family before Christmas asking if they could give donations to my ministry instead of gifts. Between a couple visits to churches, support from my own church, and donations from friends and family, I had about $1,050 after Christmas. My initial goal was $1,500 because I was told by one music producer that it would probably cost me that much to make an album, but I don't think that's including the cost of making copies of and distributing the album, which I know nothing about either. But I have been trusting in the Lord that if He led me into this, He will provide!! As I was with my family on Valentine's Day, one of my family members slipped me $100 bill toward my ministry! It was a totally unexpected blessing! Now I'm a little under $350 away from my goal! Praise God!
I hope you have a great Sunday and honor the Lord on this day. Honor Him by spending time with Him, pray, meditate on His Word, thank Him for His blessings, and visit a Chrisitian church and be ministered to!
"Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Luke 6:38
The Lord gave me a great Valentine's weekend! Of course, it's not over yet! It was great to have quality time with friends, with my husband, with my grandmom, and other family members. I found out a while ago that one of the secrets to happiness is giving to others, thinking of other people's needs, being there for them in their time of need. Right now, my grandmom is 79 and is not in the best health. She has Chrohn's disease. But her mind is still going strong! She lives by herself and has a hard time getting around on her own. So Rich and I took our little boy to see her on Valentine's Day. We called that morning, so it was kind of a surprise. When I make a commitment, I make sure that I follow through with it, so sometimes I wait till last minute to tell someone I will do something to make sure I can follow through. In any event, my grandmom sent my son a Valentine's Day card asking him to be her Valentine. So he did just that...we spent almost four hours eating with her and hanging out. She was so happy to watch him. He is 16 months old and at a very fun age. He doesn't yet talk much. He just makes a lot of noises that don't make much sense, and he LOVES exploring. I can hardly keep him out of anything. He especially loves getting into the pantry.
Also, while I was with grandmom, I was with a couple of other family members whose names I won't mention for privacy. Before I continue that, I have been wanting for a long time to record an album. First, I just thought it wouldn't happen until a record label discovered me and helped me record an album, because I don't play instruments or have the money for an album. But I have written over 15 Christian songs recently and I really want to get them recorded and spread my message! I have been encouraged by my church pastor to do it myself. Then I decided to proactively seek out churches to visit, sing, and minister, and thought maybe they would take up a collection toward my ministry. I also sent letters to a lot of friends and family before Christmas asking if they could give donations to my ministry instead of gifts. Between a couple visits to churches, support from my own church, and donations from friends and family, I had about $1,050 after Christmas. My initial goal was $1,500 because I was told by one music producer that it would probably cost me that much to make an album, but I don't think that's including the cost of making copies of and distributing the album, which I know nothing about either. But I have been trusting in the Lord that if He led me into this, He will provide!! As I was with my family on Valentine's Day, one of my family members slipped me $100 bill toward my ministry! It was a totally unexpected blessing! Now I'm a little under $350 away from my goal! Praise God!
I hope you have a great Sunday and honor the Lord on this day. Honor Him by spending time with Him, pray, meditate on His Word, thank Him for His blessings, and visit a Chrisitian church and be ministered to!
"Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Luke 6:38
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Good morning blog!
Hello,
It is 7:48 a.m. and I've been up since about 6 a.m. I am every morning because that's when my 16 month old son starts crying to get out of his crib. I really don't mind because he goes to bed between 6 and 7 p.m. every night, and Rich and I have two good hours of privacy to relax and maybe watch a movie or a favorite show. Then, we go to bed around 9 p.m. so we get plently of sleep! Boy, I need my sleep! I've always been kind of a tired person who needs a lot of sleep. I don't know why. I don't think I have any sleep disorders because I sleep through the night.
Anyway, I just wanted to share a few things. I have videos on YouTube and on what was called GodTube. Now they call it Tangle. I guess they're trying to reach a broader audience, but Tangle makes no sense to me, and GodTube made a lot of sense. Oh well. I pretty much keep the same videos on both. I don't have a lot out there yet, but check it out. Either go to http://www.youtube.com/sarahvministry or http://www.tangle.com/sarahvministry.
Right now, I don't have any accompaniment music for my new songs, so I sang a couple original songs a cappella and put some pictures and the lyrics on the videos. Check them out, because I think the words may minister to you. Share them with other people too!
Also, I have been writing articles EHow, which is basically a site where every article starts with "How to" so you can look up a lot of things you want to know about or do on this site. My list of articles is at http://www.ehow.com/members/sarahv.html. I particularly want people to look at these articles:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4763567_through-difficult-economic-times-part.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_4763930_through-difficult-economic-times-part.html
They are how to be victorious in these difficult economic times and how faith in God can get us through any circumstance.
God bless you!
Sarah
P.S. Send me a friend request at http://www.myspace.com/sarahvministry. :)
One last thing, I have a demo CD on sale on Ebay. It has a bunch of the songs you hear on my myspace music page. Right now, there are NO bids and it's starting at 99 cents. Help me with my ministry! Go to: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=170301407253
It is 7:48 a.m. and I've been up since about 6 a.m. I am every morning because that's when my 16 month old son starts crying to get out of his crib. I really don't mind because he goes to bed between 6 and 7 p.m. every night, and Rich and I have two good hours of privacy to relax and maybe watch a movie or a favorite show. Then, we go to bed around 9 p.m. so we get plently of sleep! Boy, I need my sleep! I've always been kind of a tired person who needs a lot of sleep. I don't know why. I don't think I have any sleep disorders because I sleep through the night.
Anyway, I just wanted to share a few things. I have videos on YouTube and on what was called GodTube. Now they call it Tangle. I guess they're trying to reach a broader audience, but Tangle makes no sense to me, and GodTube made a lot of sense. Oh well. I pretty much keep the same videos on both. I don't have a lot out there yet, but check it out. Either go to http://www.youtube.com/sarahvministry or http://www.tangle.com/sarahvministry.
Right now, I don't have any accompaniment music for my new songs, so I sang a couple original songs a cappella and put some pictures and the lyrics on the videos. Check them out, because I think the words may minister to you. Share them with other people too!
Also, I have been writing articles EHow, which is basically a site where every article starts with "How to" so you can look up a lot of things you want to know about or do on this site. My list of articles is at http://www.ehow.com/members/sarahv.html. I particularly want people to look at these articles:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4763567_through-difficult-economic-times-part.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_4763930_through-difficult-economic-times-part.html
They are how to be victorious in these difficult economic times and how faith in God can get us through any circumstance.
God bless you!
Sarah
P.S. Send me a friend request at http://www.myspace.com/sarahvministry. :)
One last thing, I have a demo CD on sale on Ebay. It has a bunch of the songs you hear on my myspace music page. Right now, there are NO bids and it's starting at 99 cents. Help me with my ministry! Go to: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=170301407253
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
First Blog
Hello friends,
This is my first post to my new blog. I hope to use it to keep you up to date on my ministry and anything important going on in my life and personal and spiritual reflections. As of now, I feel a little silly calling my ministry a ministry, because I am in what the Bible refers to as the "small beginnings" stage of my ministry...VERY small beginnings. I have felt called into ministry probably since I was a little girl, but I'm not sure if that's because I really felt led or because my mom told me I'd be a missionary when I was little. Well, now I'm grown up and I am no where close to being a missionary and I don't know if that will ever happen. Honestly, I'm not aspiring to be that right now.
I'm aspiring to be an awesome wife and mother, and I have this big desire in my heart to minister to and encourage people. I have always felt very close to God, and I have always had a compassionate and caring heart for people. It doesn't take much to make me cry. I can go to any wedding or funeral and cry my eyes out, even if I don't know anybody there! Even though I have been seeking out God and studying the Word my whole life, I still feel like I have a lot to learn about both. That is why a lot of times I don't feel qualified or ready to really reach out and minister to others. But the truth is that we all have a lot to learn! No one is perfect and no one knows it all. All we can do it continuously pray and seek hard after God.
Like a lot of people, I don't really know all of the gifts or callings God has given me. I don't know the big picture, long term plans He has for my life. I just feel like it will involve songwriting, singing, writing, and ministering. I love to sing, write songs, write in general, and encouraging and teaching people about God and His Word. I hope I will be able to use some of my gifts for other people in my blog. I am always seeking for God to be in control, not for me to be in control and fulfill any selfish ambitions. Even if something seems Godly, it doesn't mean it is of God. It may seem Godly for me to be a big Christian recording artist, but it doesn't mean that's what God wants me to do. That is kind of where I'm at now...not sure what move God wants me to make next. But I know if I continue to seek Him, He will be faithful to lead me. Same goes for you!
God bless you! Stay tuned!
Sarah
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV version)
This is my first post to my new blog. I hope to use it to keep you up to date on my ministry and anything important going on in my life and personal and spiritual reflections. As of now, I feel a little silly calling my ministry a ministry, because I am in what the Bible refers to as the "small beginnings" stage of my ministry...VERY small beginnings. I have felt called into ministry probably since I was a little girl, but I'm not sure if that's because I really felt led or because my mom told me I'd be a missionary when I was little. Well, now I'm grown up and I am no where close to being a missionary and I don't know if that will ever happen. Honestly, I'm not aspiring to be that right now.
I'm aspiring to be an awesome wife and mother, and I have this big desire in my heart to minister to and encourage people. I have always felt very close to God, and I have always had a compassionate and caring heart for people. It doesn't take much to make me cry. I can go to any wedding or funeral and cry my eyes out, even if I don't know anybody there! Even though I have been seeking out God and studying the Word my whole life, I still feel like I have a lot to learn about both. That is why a lot of times I don't feel qualified or ready to really reach out and minister to others. But the truth is that we all have a lot to learn! No one is perfect and no one knows it all. All we can do it continuously pray and seek hard after God.
Like a lot of people, I don't really know all of the gifts or callings God has given me. I don't know the big picture, long term plans He has for my life. I just feel like it will involve songwriting, singing, writing, and ministering. I love to sing, write songs, write in general, and encouraging and teaching people about God and His Word. I hope I will be able to use some of my gifts for other people in my blog. I am always seeking for God to be in control, not for me to be in control and fulfill any selfish ambitions. Even if something seems Godly, it doesn't mean it is of God. It may seem Godly for me to be a big Christian recording artist, but it doesn't mean that's what God wants me to do. That is kind of where I'm at now...not sure what move God wants me to make next. But I know if I continue to seek Him, He will be faithful to lead me. Same goes for you!
God bless you! Stay tuned!
Sarah
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV version)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)