New Eyes.

What a beautiful gift we are given this day: to celebrate the birth of our Lord.

Jesus is the reason for the season, end of story. It is called Christmas after all. Should Jesus not have come, we would not be celebrating this holiday. So why is it that so many forget what Christmas is about? Why is it that so many celebrate this holiday without acknowledging the reason we have it? I do not understand why some live in such contradiction. My own family included.

Tonight at mass so many beautiful things were brought up. The priest had wonderful things to say and a great explanation for this day. I am going to attempt to touch on some of them, however he said it so well that mine cannot compare. The unfortunate thing is out of all the members of the congregation, many heard what the priest had to say. Few actually listened. Praise be to Jesus that I was able to hear his words through Father Mike tonight.

It is an old catholic tradition to celebrate Christmas late in the night. Years ago, they would celebrate as the clock struck midnight. Why is this? It is said that Jesus was born in the night and we replicate this in order to feel a deeper unity to the miracle that occurred the night Jesus was born. Mary was brave enough to say yes to carry a baby that she did not conceive. She is a beautiful example of what it means to follow Christ, and be courageous in doing the will of God. Because of her yes, Jesus was born. God of all of heaven and earth came to us. Humbled himself and came to us as a man, so that we as humans may see him and touch him and believe in him. That we may see the light of Christ and continue to spread his good news for centuries to come. The God of all things came down...but not as God. Not as a big and strong man to fear, but as a precious child. God of all creation was born as a baby..but not in a luxurious crib, but a tiny manger in a barn. Why you ask?

Perhaps it was a sign of who Jesus was. He was born in a manger- a trough for food and drink for many creatures. Jesus came to us to be our food- to be bread broken, and wine shared. Jesus is our daily bread. Perhaps this is also why he was born in Bethlehem, for in Hebrew Bethlehem means "House of Bread".

Jesus came in the night to be a light for all the world. Born to show us the way, and died to save us from eternal damnation. Born only to die.

This Christmas may you remember why we celebrate Christmas after all. Jesus came to the earth and brought peace. May his peace rest upon you, whom he favors.

Tis the season for loving, and for giving. May you find in your hearts the love that Jesus gave you when he created you, and may you share that love with all whom come in contact with you. May all who greet you see the face of Christ, and you in return see the faces of Christ that are present all around you.

I wish that you may be filled with the Holy spirit, and see this season with new eyes. May God bless and keep you. Forget not that this is the Lord's day...and that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas everyone!

James.

God....always amazes me.

This year I have been able to be a part of many people's lives. They have shared their hearts with me, and allowed me to see inside of them. I have been called to each one of these people for reasons I have yet to discover. Sometimes though, I often realize why God has placed them in my life, or myself in theirs.

Since the beginning of this school year I have dove into a relationship with one of the most beautiful women I have ever met...ever. I look at her and she omits an aura of light..that beams from miles away. Her smile is extremely contagious, and my heart delights in her friendship. This woman has shared her hopes, her dreams, and her struggles with me. We have had endless conversations about what it means to be a woman of faith, and what it means to seek the Lord with our entire hearts. She has helped me realized the beauty that I contain, that has been bestowed upon me by Christ. She has such a deep love for me that she always desires me to meet her friends because she says, "They need someone like you in their life, and I know they'll just love you." Karisa Jade Gullickson I love you...so so so much.

This whole weekend has been full of wonderful conversations that have blessed my life and have taught me many lessons, and I have seen the face of Jesus in each one of them. But none more than tonight.

About a month ago Karisa told me about this guy that she graduated high school with named James that is battling cancer. Since we talked about his story, he has been on my heart. I have been praying for him for many days, yet have no idea who this young man is. Today I was sitting next to Karisa at the front desk of my Residence Hall as we were talking about him. I was curious as to how he was doing and if she had heard from him. As we were browsing his Caring Bridge site, he facebook messaged her. He had been transported to the Fargo hospital, and so he was now in the area. I have been telling Karisa that I wanted to meet this guy for a long time now, and here is this amazing opportunity.

There are so many beautiful parts of this story, I get teary eyed thinking about it. First of all, I absolutely, positively, no doubts DESPISE hospitals. Well, being in a hospital. I am scared of them and they freak me out. Tonight God took all of that fear from me. As soon as Karisa told me he was in Fargo, I told her that we should go visit. There was not a single doubt in my brain, or a single thought of my dislike for hospitals. She asked, and he gave the approval. We packed our stuff and hit the road (well, not before asking him if we could bring him anything!) So candy bars and cream sodas in hand, we headed to the hospital.

How beautiful for God to be able to take those fears from me. I have no doubts that visiting James is where I needed to be tonight. God had a hold on my heart and was calling me there. I am so blessed that I was able to hear that call and to follow it.

It is never easy to see someone ill, especially someone you love. Another beautiful thing was that Karisa was able to forget about the emotional intensity of visiting James. She loves him so much, with a love that is only given by God, that she didnt even think twice about it.

Third...even when I havent showered for a day I am self conscious about having visitors. When I am sick seeing new people is something I would dread. Despite his condition, James gave Karisa and I permission to come visit him, though I had never met him before.

Talking with him was such a beautiful gift. Every day James wakes up with the knowledge that God's will will be done, and with faith he continues to persevere through his struggles and tribulations seeking the Lord and letting God love on him. Wow...God is so good. Always loving, always merciful.

As Advent moves on and we continue to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord, challenge yourself. Seek the Lord, let him love on you so that you may be able to take that love and pour it out to those around you. Everyone says, tis the season. May you be blessed, and make the most of the things you are given.

May peace be with each of you as you continue your advent journey. Please keep James and his family in your prayers, and know of my prayers as well.

Love Always,

Sara Lynn.

A true friend.

You are more wonderful than words.
More beautiful than sunrises.
More precious than diamonds.
Your friendship means more to me than any sum of money
or collection of photographs.
Your spirit lives in my heart.
Though we are miles apart I think of you every day
and smile.
You are a real blessing,
one that I count every night.
I thank God everyday
for allowing our paths to cross.
I love you.

<3

A Hero

If you havent seen the movie To Save a Life, do. Its phenomenal.
Lately I've been into watching inspirational films. Im not sure why in particular, but they are definitely feel good films. To Save a Life was a great film and really emphasized faith...a little bit predictable, but a strong message.

How easy it is to forget that everyone is fighting a battle. We come across so many people in our daily lives, and each one of them has a different story. We never know what people are struggling with. Each person has a different cross to bear, and has encountered different hardships. We all have our hard days, where its tough to get through. The days we feel the world caving in a little bit.

Some people have those days everyday. They wake up in the morning dreading to get out of bed. They feel alone, and like nobody cares. Most of us can't even imagine..

I need to check my attitude more frequently. There is always someone who has it worse than I do. Always someone who is trying to carry crosses by themselves.

Jesus calls us to a life of love. To love unconditionally, in the way he does. We are not made to carry our burdens by ourselves- thats what friends are for. Thats what Christians are for. The movie made such a strong point- so many people call themselves Christians, yet they walk down the street judging how people are dressed. What is this sort of life?

What do you want your life to be about? How do you want to be remembered?

We are human- we will sin. But we need to be continuously striving to live a life of love. Of reaching out to those who feel alone. 

You could be a hero, heroes do whats right. You could be a hero, you might save a life. You could be a hero, you could join the fight for whats right.

Reach out. Offer. Volunteer. Dont judge. Dare to be uncomfortable. Fight. Tell the Truth. LOVE.

Struggle.

This life is hard.
I wear my heart on my sleeve.
This is how it is.
We all struggle. We all battle.
This will pass, right?
I miss a laugh, and a smile.
Worn down.
Here's to a better tomorrow...

Hand Chosen.

"How does it feel to be on a mission from God?"

This beautiful question was posed to a young boy suffering from cancer in the movie Letters to God. The man in this movie has some extremely wise words for this boy about what it means to be hand chosen, hand picked....

This boy was struggling with the idea of "Why me" as we all have before. Though most of us have not had to carry a burden like being a cancer patient, we have all pondered the idea of why God chose us to carry our own particular crosses. Why me?

Living with a "why me" mindset is not going to get you through your struggles. As the man in the movie explains so gently, God chose each one of us to carry our own cross. Each one of us are called to be a warrior for Christ in such different ways. Our sufferings allow us to have a tiny taste of the sufferings Jesus went through when he gave his life for us. If we bring them to the cross, and unite our sufferings with those of the Lord, our crosses allow us to dive into a deeper relationship with God.

As God's warriors, we are called to ride victoriously in the light of truth and righteousness. Living in the "why me" mindset does not bring light, but darkness. As we bear our crosses, as heavy as they may be, it is our job to point others to Christ. If we keep our eyes fixed on the cross, we can bring those around us to salvation.

Next time you are faced with a hardship, step outside of yourself for a moment. Be humble, and know that God gave you that cross to bear. God hand picked you to carry out a mission. You have been hand chosen to serve as God's warrior.

Will you fight the good fight? Will you choose to be a warrior for Christ?

"How does it feel to be on a mission from God?" he asked the boy.
"Perfect, because I was chosen by Him" he responded.

To seek and to save.

This was the message of the gospel today. That Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost.

Though I am not worthy, I celebrate in this beautiful mystery every week. Jesus brings himself to earth and humbles himself so that I may receive him through the body and blood. Every week he comes to meet me- to seek me out, and to save me from damnation. How beautiful and how precious a gift that I take WAY too lightly.

At the altar we come before the Lord as sinners. All we have to do is ask for his forgiveness, and we receive it. We leave as saints, all because of an encounter with Christ.

In all honesty, the lack of blog entries lately has reflected my lack of zest for my faith life. I am really striving to find it in my heart of hearts...the excitement I once had with my faith. I am human...and I am working to leave behind this complacency I have fallen into.

A very wonderful man I know once told me that "It's not about successfullness. Its about faithfullness." We shouldn't be counting the times we fall away, but about the times we come back to the Lord and become immersed in his love again.


Oh Lord, help me to see more clearly,
to love more dearly,
and to follow more nearly
day by day.

Looking for the good.

Speak Lord, your servant is listening.

You just never know what you're going to be handed.

All of a sudden today there was rain. Then heavy winds. Soon to follow was raining slush. No longer did the rain come from above...no no. Today the rain came from the side. With my feet completely still, the wind literally blew me three feet down a wet driveway. I felt like I was ice skating...only in tennis shoes, on concrete. I think the word for that is hydroplaning.

Today so many people let the weather effect them. Myself included, for a short time. When our surroundings are dark and gloomy, it is easy for our spirits to get down. However that does nothing for ourselves or those around us. We need to be striving to be the best light we can- to bring the light into dark places. Even in the smallest of ways, this changes hearts. Despite the weather and a headache, I managed to remember the goodness of the day. The Lord allowed me to wake up to a new day, full of his love and mercy, how beautiful is that?! While standing in line for supper a friend of mine said "Geeze Sara, you're in a good mood for this rainy weather." I smiled, and continued on with conversation. By the end of our meal together, he looked over at me and said "Wow. That was a great meal, and I feel better about the day. Your attitude was contagious."

My teachers used to tell me things like this all the time in elementary school. Things like:
"Smile, and the world smiles with you."
"Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?"
"Make it a great day or not- the choice is yours."

Somehow, in some way, all these sayings are true. As juvenile as they may sound, there is truth to each one of them.

Each day is only what you make it to be. 

Being positive and cheerful in this world is not easy. In fact, it takes practice. It takes a conscious decision. We may not be in control of what happens to us, but we are in control of how we respond to what happens to us. 

Make a conscious effort to strive for positivity. People see it, recognize it, and appreciate it. Carry the light into the dark places, even if that means in small ways.

And remember- you only get one shot at today. How are you going to choose to be?

Constant Love.

A few months ago, a dear friend of mine named Thomas Andrew was really teaching me about what it means to be a musician. I was hearing stories about how God was working in his life through his guitar playing and song writing, as well as how hard it was when he was dry of what to write about. One night after doing some praying, Tom encouraged me to write a song. I laughed in his face at the idea...I have no musical background and I am in no way a musician. Thomas encouraged me not to doubt the power and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I went to adoration that night, where I sat in silent prayer for about thirty minutes. Shortly after I felt a prompt to get out a pen and paper. I sat with my arms crossed in my chair, ignoring the prompt the spirit was trying to give me. Yet again, I felt like I needed to begin to write. I caved in, opened my bible and grabbed a pen to begin writing the lyrics to a song that is now called Constant Love. It is based off of Psalm 31, and is written more in a story form, as a cry out to the Lord. The song begins by pleading the Lord to be the protector. The chorus gives praise to the love that God always surrounds us with. The next verse is yet another petition to the Lord to hear our cries. The final verse is in thanksgiving for in fact hearing our cries and saving us. I sent the lyrics off to Tom, who wrote the song on his guitar within the next couple days. What a beautiful piece of music this turned out to be. Its true- never doubt the power of the holy spirit.  Listen to the voice that comes from within. Below you will find the lyrics to this song as well as a link to the youtube video.

CONSTANT LOVE                 By Sara Pinkney and Tom Thielen
Be my refuge to protect me,
my defense to save me.

Lord hear my cry.

Be my guide  

Lead me Lord

hear my cry.

My enemies set traps for me,

they lead me to danger.

I place myself in your shelter

And you will save me Lord,

in your constant love.

Some who know me, how they fear me,

and many just forget me,

 Lord hear my cry.
They whisper about me,
make plans to harm me,
Lord hear my cry.


CHORUS


Still you hold great things for me,
call evil away from me,
Lord you hear my cry.
I thought you had forgotten me,
yet again you saved me,
Lord you hear my cry.

My enemies set traps for Me
they lead me to danger
I place myself in your shelter
and you always save me Lord,
in your constant love.
Yeah in your constant love.
Amazing Grace, unfailing love.
You always save me, Lord
In your constant love.

Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFSHx87F-z0

God is so good, and so merciful. He always wraps you in his mantle of love.