Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

All Over the Place in August

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All over the place.  That describes my emotions this month.  It hasn’t taken much to bring tears.  Happy tears, sad tears, frustrated ones and wistful ones.  But it’s all good.  It’s only because we moved my baby to college.  She is officially a Baylor Bear – the 3rd generation.  And I think it’s safe to say the whole family is excited…and a little nervous about that.  But let me back it up a bit.

 

The first week of August was the 2nd week of grandparent camp (Camp LolliPop if you will).  I am Lolli and the hubs is Pop.  We had the first two of our four the week before.  And this week we hosted the younger two.  We went to Fossil Rim – a wildlife drive through park in Glen Rose, Texas with my mom and dad, we went swimming at our REC swimming pool a lot, had a water balloon fight, played Chicken Foot and had pizza and movie night.  To top it off, Chuck’s parents traveled up to see them and provide much additional entertainment while I worked a couple of days.  Allie went back to Camp Blessing to work one more week.  I think it’s safe to say that an exhausting time was had by all.

Preparing for What’s Next

 

Upon coming home, Allie spent most of the next week soaking up as much time with hometown friends as possible before they all started going their separate ways for the next life chapter.  We went wherever she lead worship to get our fill for a while.  We sure will miss that, but pray she finds a church home in her new city that will utilize her many gifts.

 

In our time with her we cooked her favorite meals, let her pick favorite restaurants and played Spicy Uno with her and friends.  If you don’t know this version of the popular card game, you can google the rules using the regular Uno deck.  We also bought her a pair of cowboy boots and worked with her on popular dances to get her ready for the country two-step scene in Waco.  We basically acted like we were never going to see her again even though she’s an hour and a half away and we bought season football tickets.  She will be wishing she missed us!

 

Movin’ On Up

 

Move2BU (as they call it) was very hot and tiring, but Baylor does right by their new freshmen.  When we pulled up in front of her dorm, a swarm of upperclassmen grabbed all of her things from our two cars and hauled it up to her room.  It was a gone in 60 seconds situation.  Being spared that part, we could go straight up to her room and start putting it all together.  And the room turned out so cute – thanks to the creativity and thoroughness of her roommate’s mom!  The day ended with a family picnic outside in 109 degrees.  Suffice it to say, we didn’t stay long and said our goodbyes outside in public.  Too hot to hug for too long, so I only teared up for a minute and then we were gone!  A great way to remove some of the emotion and send this Momma Bear off without a scene.

 

To reward ourselves for making it through all that, Chuck and I took ourselves to see Petra!  Anyone else grow up listening to them?  They are touring for their 50th anniversary and it was so fun.  Even more fun was watching the people in their 70’s rocking out as well as a father and son duo in front of us who were all in!

All Over the Place with Entertainment

 

I bought into the Barbenhiemer hype and went to the Barbie movie with my girl.  She even made me change into pink clothes!  It is fun and clean and deeper than you originally think.  I kind of want to see it again.  Chuck and I went to Oppenheimer on a date night and it did not disappoint.  I can’t call it clean since there is a sex scene and way too much of Florence Pugh’s skin, but the psychological drama kept me interested for the entire 3 hours.  It didn’t feel that long at all.

 

On TV, we got the most out of a free month of Apple TV+ by watching Still:  A Michael J. Fox Movie.  I loved him growing up and love documentaries so this hit a sweet spot.  Little Voice also delighted us on Apple with the story of a young singer/songwriter trying to make it in NYC.  The main character had a special needs brother that we so related with.  Untold:  Johnny Football on Netflix was so interesting, but in the end showed the lack of character of all involved.  Especially when there was a chance to make some money.  And we enjoyed binging So Help Me Todd.  I’m hoping there is a second season this fall.

 

New Chapter

 

When our grandkids were here, we dusted out the old Wii for some entertainment and the hubs and I decided to keep it out for ourselves.  Playing some active games together has been fun and kept us from turning into total couch potatoes in the evening.  As well as taking Shelby swimming or walking to get her some exercise too.  In my spare time I read Lynn Austin’s Chasing Shadows.  Not my favorite of her books. 

 

And now Allie is finishing up her first week of college classes and she is sending positive reports.  Getting texts about how much she loves her classes and the university in general make my day.  As well as an occasional “I love you” text.  Not bragging, just saying.  😉  Tonight we are having friends over for game night.  Going to teach them spicy uno.  And as always, I love you, I thank you and I hope September treats you well!

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

I love the thought of turning “why” questions into “what” questions with God as Linda Stoll does in Porch #105 Please Answer at Least One Question.

 

The Link Up

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
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LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
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TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
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If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

Where Can I Go From Your Spirit? A One Word Meditation

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“Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.”  Psalm 139:7-12 NIV

 

I listened to a podcast recently that looked at some of the original language of this passage.  Particularly the word “darkness” and I immediately knew I wanted to dig into it.  You see, my word for the year is “joy”.  And the truth that God’s presence is always with me brings me an immense amount of joy.  But the word “darkness” stuck out to me.  I’ve seen a lot of it the last few years.  I’ve felt it.  And, by grace, I’ve felt joy in the midst of it.

 

The original Hebrew for the word “darkness” in these scriptures is also found in the beginning.  “ Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.  And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”  Genesis 1:2-3 NIV  Darkness has been around since before the world as we know it.  But all our Heavenly Father had to do was speak, and the darkness dispelled.

 

So Where Can I Go From Your Spirit?

 

God controls THE darkness, and He has control of MY darkness. ” You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light.”  2 Samuel 2:29 NIV.  Same Hebrew word.  No matter the darkness we face, our Lord can redeem it!  And no matter where we go or what we do, He stays with us.  He doesn’t let go of a child and there is nothing we feel, see or experience that escapes Him.  

 

These scriptures and the prayers they elicit bring me joy and comfort that I can’t describe.  So it doesn’t matter if I’m in the highlands or the heartaches (as one of my favorite songs says), He is there.   If you are currently experiencing darkness, I pray you will be comforted by the presence of the Lord.  And remember that “Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5 NASB God dispels the physical darkness every…single…day.  And He will do the same in your life.  That’s a promise.  

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

My thanks to Lois Flowers for articulating some of what I’m feeling in the same place she’s in.  Read 4 Scriptures Providing Comfort in a Season of Transition.

The Link Up

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

 Now Let’s Link Up!

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If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

Challenge Accepted: My Personal Journey

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challenge acceptedA couple of weeks ago, our pastor issued a challenge to our church from the pulpit.  Using a speech Paul gave in Acts 26 for inspiration, he asked us to write down the story of our personal journey with Jesus and then pray about who we could send it to.  Challenge accepted!  In addition to a young lady I’m mentoring, I decided to send mine out to the world wide web.

My Life Before Knowing Jesus:

 

I grew up in a Christian home with a twin sister and younger sister.  My school-teacher parents loved us and had us at church every time the doors were open.  In fact, my dad worked as a part time worship minister in several of the small churches we attended.  At the age of 12, I started to feel a burden.  I understood that I was a sinner, meaning that I disobeyed God’s laws as taught to us in the Bible, and that I would never be able to obey them perfectly.  As much as I might want to.  I also knew from reading my Bible and going to Sunday School classes that I could not truly be in relationship with God because of my sin.  Our perfect God cannot have anything to do with sin.  But I knew that although the punishment laid out in scripture for sin is death, Jesus, God’s Son (who had never sinned) died in my place to take the punishment for my sin.

 

All I had to do was confess my sin and my need for a Savior and put my trust in Jesus’s death to save me from my sin.  But I was afraid.  I’m not really sure why, except that I knew this was a big, life changing commitment to God.  Every Sunday at the end of the church service, the preacher would invite people to come forward and make this commitment.  I would get a nervous knot in my stomach every week, knowing that I needed Jesus, but lacked the courage to do anything about it.

 

How I Came Into Relationship With Jesus:

 

Every year I went to summer camp with my church group.  During rest time one afternoon our camp counselor gave me a pamphlet about becoming a Christian.  It contained no information I didn’t already know, but I knew in my spirit that it was time to stop delaying and commit my life to Christ.  So I prayed there on my camp bunk to ask God to forgive me of my sins and help me make Jesus the Lord of my life.  I also understood that I would get to spend eternity with God in heaven.

 

My Life Since Knowing Jesus:

 

As soon as I committed to following Jesus, I felt a burden lift.  The burden of being separated from God by my sin was removed.  I felt lighter and relieved.  That was over 37 years ago.  Through middle school and high school, I surrounded myself with others who were following Jesus and attended church and youth group activities regularly.  At college, I fell in with some negative influences and rebelled in so many ways I never imagined I would.  I fell away from church and God’s people as I tested a different way of life and to decide if the faith I was raised with was how I really wanted to live.  After college and all the parties were over, I was lonely and ashamed of the things I had done.  God drew me back to Him as I made my faith and beliefs my own.  I no longer believed in Jesus because that’s what my parents believed.   Life without Him at the center was incredibly empty.  I knew life worshipping and serving Him was better.

 

I met my husband Chuck and helped raise his son and two daughters of our own.  There have been many hardships through the years, including caring for a medically fragile special needs child, step-family dynamics, job insecurity, both of us surviving cancers, the mental illness of family members, and things that have to remain unspoken for the privacy of others.  But through it all, we have the promise of Phil 4:13 NIV, which says we can do all things through Christ who gives us the strength.  And not only can I do all things when I ask God to help me, but I have a joy regardless of my circumstances.  Whether times are good or bad.  Proverbs 10:28 NIV tells us that “The prospect of the righteous is joy…”  I am not righteous in and of myself.  I never could be.  But Jesus made me righteous in God’s sight that day on my camp bunk.  And I can have joy because I know that nothing can ever take that righteousness and salvation away.

 

Response:

 

I am sealed and made a child of God – enjoying relationship with Him now and for eternity in heaven.  This is my assurance, my joy and my peace. I am so very grateful for all Jesus did to rescue me, and I’m also grateful that you let me share my story.  I would love to hear your story as well or answer any questions you may have about mine.  There is nothing more important I could talk to you about!  And if you are a believer in Jesus, I challenge you to write out your testimony (use the same outline if you want).  Then pray about who you could send it to.  There are so many around us who need to hear about this life-saving good news.  If you choose to accept this mission (Don’t worry.  It won’t self-destruct either way.), I would love for you to send a copy to me at [email protected].  I can’t wait to encourage you and be encouraged.

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

Friendship is such an important thing in my life, so I could not choose between Donna Reidland’s Uncommon Friends and Natalie Ogbourne’s Don’t Walk Alone:  How to Be Prepared.  Check them out!

The Link Up

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

 Now Let’s Link Up!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

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