Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

Sad, Sassy and Surprised in September

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This month was a roller coaster.  And I’m not just talking about Baylor Football!  A wide range of emotions and experiences have both buoyed my spirits and challenged my joy. The good, the bad and the ugly – you might say.  I’ll just call it September. 

 

Sad in September

 

I’ll just go ahead and start with my aforementioned Baylor Bears.  My husband and I bought season tickets this year since our Baby Bear is a Freshman.  And the start to the season has been a train wreck.  I hate to say that since I bleed green and gold but we lost our first game when we were a 3-4 touchdown favorite.  We lost the 2nd game, but at least they were a ranked team.  We won the third, beating the Long Island University Sharks (who?), but not as handily as we should have.  And last week we gave away our last Big 12 match up with the University of Texas.  I’ll never give up my fan card, but it’s a little tough to proudly display at the moment.

 

The job market broke my heart again.  For the second time I was passed over for a job I really wanted.  A job in ministry, too.  I spent a few days grieving this one.  And now I’m back at it.  Giving my all at the job I have and continuing to look for what God has next.  I also attended a funeral for a young father killed in a terrible accident.  To cap it off, I turned 50 (boo) and everything hurts.

 

 

Sassy in September

 

Visiting my daughter and her college friends has been a fun side benefit to the season football tickets.  And we loved the extended visit of our overnight stay (even if it was in a Super 8) for Family Weekend.  Bringing our girl treats and taking her and her posse to lunch brought me so much joy.  And being on campus is just fun.

 

My best friend flew in from Alabama to go to one of the games with me and there is no one I’d rather spend time with.  Laughing, talking, eating, shopping and feeling disappointed in football.  (We watched the Dallas game against Arizona too.)  And Chuck and I – with two other couples who live in the neighborhood – have now firmly established our once a week supper club.  It’s a delight.  In my book, friend time = great time.  And teaching them Spicy Uno left me in stitches.

 

The hubs and I started watching a new (but old) TV show.  Suits.  It’s not without some language and innuendo, but a good legal drama puts me in mind of LA Law.  And I LOVED that show growing up!  We only saw one movie in a theater.  My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.  I know, I know.  I should have learned my lesson with the 2nd one, but I loved the first so much that I had to try.  And it was still sweet, if not laugh-out-loud funny.

 

I read Woke Up Like This by Amy Lea and The Struggle for Love:  The Story of Leah by Marilyn T. Parker.  I enjoyed the first – a funny and very easy to read coming of age story.  The author of the second fictionalized the story of Leah from the bible with some interesting spins.  A great read.

 

Surprised in September

 

My husband treated me to the best thing to happen this month.  Upon returning from the Baylor/ Texas football game weekend with my best friend, I walked into a house full of family and friends who gathered to surprise me for the birthday that shall not be mentioned again after this.  I may not have liked the number, but celebrating it was so fun.  Chuck worked hard on all the details, including catering, Nothing Bundt Cakes, balloons and so many dear people.  He made everything beautiful and I haven’t stopped talking about it since.

 

That’s the gist of it.  I pray you have seen God’s hand in the good times and bad.  And I would love to hear what you’ve been up to.  As always, I love you, I thank you and I pray October treats you well.

 

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

 

Joanne Viola’s short but impactful piece on the term Opinion gave me a lot to think about.  Thanks, Joanne.

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
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TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
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 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.

Joy and Sorrow in Community

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I came across an old proverb a few months ago on joy and sorrow that I keep circling back to chew on: “Shared joy is double joy.  Shared sorrow is half sorrow.”

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These thoughts are beautiful in their simplicity, and yet the more I meditate on them, the more depth I find.  I have written many times on the importance of community.  And the challenges I have with it.  And the longing I have for it, as well as the blessings I find in others.  But community holds a special place in my examination of joy – my word of the year.

 

Breaking Down Joy and Sorrow with Others

 

I bought a little house decoration I found on clearance for my bedroom.  It says, “Double Each Other’s Joy”.  A reminder in the room I share with my husband.  And while I think intentionally doing things that would bring joy to a spouse or a friend is a great way to show love, I see the wisdom in sharing our joy with our loved ones as well.

 

Think about the first thing you want to do when something great happens.  Who do you want to tell?  I know the super spiritual thing would be to pray with gratitude immediately.  But my first instinct is usually to tell my husband and then my mom.  And then depending on how good it is, maybe a couple of friends and my sisters.  But I don’t believe this is an unspiritual reaction.  One of the bible verses I am memorizing this year says, “I have so much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink.  Instead, I hope to visit and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”  2 John 12 NIV

 

Even the apostle John found joy in a face to face visit.  That passage often makes me think of my best friend, who lives in another state.  We call each other often to catch up, but sometimes we take advantage of FaceTime technology.  I just love to see her face and expressions when I share my news.  Seeing her – even on a little screen – is the next best thing to visiting in person.  It brings me joy!

 

The Flip Side

 

Why do we need community in our sorrow?  Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each others’ burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ.” NIV  Western culture tries to convince us that we are only strong when we are independent.  That we can handle the thing and do it ourselves.  But that’s not God’s culture.  The truth is, no one truly does anything alone.

 

A couple of years ago when Kylie Jenner appeared in Forbes magazine as the youngest self-made billionaire, she created an uproar.  She built a make-up empire from money that she made modeling.  Sure.  And I don’t mean to take away from the business savvy she must have to turn it into billions, but she came from money.  And a famous family.  These things created a serious leg up that most people will never have.  As did Donald Trump’s loan of $1 million from his father, a sum the average joe would never qualify for.  And may that be the last time I use a Trump or a Kardashian as a devotional illustration!

 

Back to my point.  We all come from somewhere or something that helps us along our way.  God first and foremost.  Not only does He own all and give all, but 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV describes Him as the ultimate comforter “who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”  That’s how shared sorrow can be half the sorrow.  When we carry it with others, it doesn’t feel as heavy.  God comforts us, we comfort others and in turn, they comfort us through life’s obstacles – big and small.  It’s a cycle that keeps going when we participate in it.

 

And it all leads to joy.  Share your joy below so we can rejoice with you or share your sorrow below so we can comfort you through prayers and encouragement.  And don’t forget to share with your friends and family members IRL.  In this small obedience, we can bring the kingdom of God to earth.

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

 

There is not much I like more than historical fiction, so I had to share Linda Stoll’s recommendations as I’ll be checking them out too!

 

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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