Lauren Sparks

To kick off the new year, I want to thank each one of you for helping me live my dream. A friend asked me once how I knew I was called to write. The only answer I could give her is that I HAVE to write. I’m compelled. I get an idea and I can’t rest until I’ve fleshed it out and typed it up. That any of you would take the time to read something from my research and imagination is a gift that I don’t take lightly. Through the miracle of the internet I get to do what I love. And who knows, maybe one day it will be more than just a hobby. But in the meantime I pray that we will continue to connect, laugh together and learn more about our God and King together.

In thinking about what to write about in 2020, I looked at my most viewed posts from last year. The topics ranged from infertility to love letters, from personal struggles to silly stories. So before I launch into new topics, I decided to present to you a roundup of the 10 most popular blogs on my site last year:

10. When Your Busted Flip Flop Speaks to You June 20, 2019

I had a sandal blow up. And it made me think. Walking through a public bathroom in my bare feet is like stepping into a new day in willful disobedience to God. It’s unwise and leaves me vulnerable to more scum and filth than I care to imagine. And while in this human body my obedience won’t be perfect (sometimes it will look more like the busted sandal shuffle than a victory lap), the effort to stand in God’s will and under His protection is worth it.

9. My Favorite Bible Study Tools September 19, 2019

It can be challenging to stay connected and engaged when the most important part of my day is often sliced up into bite sized chunks. But I have a feeling some of you might relate to a harried schedule. So I shared my favorite Bible study tools and where to buy them.

8. One Verse, One Resolution, One Hope January 17, 2019

While lots of my friends and fellow authors picked a word for the year to be their focus and inspiration in 2019, I related to Jami Amerine from Sacred Ground, Sticky Floors when she said, “If I picked a word for the year, it would be obscene, and I try not to cuss.” That’s where I was this time last year.

7. Knight in Polished Armor January 6, 2019

There are many romantic things I could have said about my husband on our 20th wedding anniversary. He is kind, loyal, hardworking, loving, strong, smart, God-honoring and easy on the eyes. But I’d like to highlight his heroism and outstanding service in the battles of life. With him and our Heavenly Father, I don’t fear the enemy, and the skirmishes are conquerable.

6. For the Love of a Cow January 4, 2019

We flew to California for one day passes to Disneyland. We had to. We were on a mission to get my special girl Shelby to see a life-sized Clarabelle Cow. At least that’s what we thought we were doing. We didn’t find her. But we found a lot of joy together as a family.

5. Dumpster Fire Day August 22, 2019

I think we’ve all had days like I describe here. I decided to share mine just in case I have EVER given you the impression here on my blog or in real life that I have all my chili together. I want to assure you that I am just like you. ONLY WORSE. The End.

4. 10 Scriptures on Perseverance: Navigating Life’s Troubles February 22, 2019

I was (and still am) beyond excited to be published in a devotional compilation and hope you will all consider ordering a copy – or many – if you haven’t already! You can find info on the book and ordering details at https://devotableapp.com/perseverance. I’m also got to host the creator and owner of Devotable, Landen Melton, as a guest blogger.

3. Just the Way We Are September 5, 2019

I’ll never get over the fact that God uses someone as messy and faithless as me. And He uses a 14 year old blonde haired beauty with a natural singing talent and a heart to invite. He also uses a retail manager who does EVERYTHING with the utmost integrity. And He uses a 19 year old who thinks like a two year old and wears her heart on her sleeve. It’s the kindest thing I’ve ever witnessed.

2. A Different Kind of Mothering May 9, 2019

I got to share with all of the interwebs about my sister here. And I pray that God will inspire and raise up other women to mentor and “mother” children not born from their bodies. The world needs more believing women loving and nurturing those in their sphere of influence.

1. A Letter to My Parents on The ir 50th Wedding Anniversary June 6, 2019

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2 NIV

Dear Mama and Papa,

50 years is quite a legacy. When I saw the scripture verse above, it reminded me of you. I won’t overly romanticize your relationship just because it’s lasted this long. I know that neither of you is COMPLETELY humble, gentle or patient 100% of the time. We are a fully human, fallible family. But as great as I do think you both are, I know it takes lots of “bearing with one another in love” to make it to a 50^th anniversary. If the world took that commandment more seriously, many, many more marriages would go the distance.

Looking back through my blog is a lot like reading a journal of what God has done in and through me. I hope you will click on some of the links and read these words again – or for the first time. And I pray you will continue to be reader friends into the new year. Thank you!

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And look up these great writers I link up with every week:

InstaEncouragements, Literacy Musing Mondays, Hello…Monday,

The Good. The Random. The Fun.

BloggerClubUK, Tea and Word Tuesday, Purposeful Faith,

GraceFull Tuesday Link-Up, Hearth and Soul Link Party,

Let’s Have Coffee, Welcome Wednesday, Recharge Wednesday,

Worth Beyond Rubies, #TellHisStory Link Up, Porch Stories,

Encouraging Word Wednesday, Tune In Thursday,

Stories of Hope, Moments of Hope, IHeart Verse Link Party,

Legacy Link Up, Fresh Market Friday, Feature Friday Time,

Friendship Friday Blog Hop, Faith on Fire, Traffic Jam Weekend,

Faith ‘n Friends, Dancing with Jesus, Grace & Truth, Booknificent

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.

December has always been my favorite month of the year. I love that the entire world is celebrating Jesus – even if some of them don’t know it. I love the decorations and music and shows and family gatherings. I even love wrapping presents in pretty paper. And even though some hard things happened in the last 30 days, I still got to celebrate and see Jesus all over the place.

My Shelby saw her orthopedic doctor for a follow up and we rejoiced in the news that her scoliosis is not progressing. No surgery for the foreseeable future and we say, “Praise God!” My husband had a doctor’s appointment as well, for his first colonoscopy. He received a good report too. Yay!

My youngest said “goodbye” to her volleyball career with an end of season banquet. She received the award for being “most social”. A good indicator that she made the right decision to hang up her knee pads. Then she treated us to her Winter Choir Concert. Thirteen fans came to hear her sing. Both sets of grandparents, brother, sister, niece, nephews, and an aunt supported her with us.

Allie’s Jazz Choir also raised money for the program as Singing Christmas Cards. The director rents them out to sing at holiday parties. I got to chauffeur some of the group from party to live nativity. My sister and I enjoyed their music and the rest of the church festivities at the last stop.

Chuck was briefly called to the mothership in Bentonville for a meeting, while the girls and I held down the fort and hosted my bonus son’s family for a surprise visit. In between those, the hubs and I snuck in two movie dates! We enjoyed Last Christmas (even though the ending had been ruined for me) and Ford v. Ferrari. At home I forced the viewing of Christmas at Rockefeller Center, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Rudolph, and The Year Without a Santa Claus. I even watched some Hallmark movies while baking this year. When life gets messy, something simple and sweet hits the spot. And then everyone enthusiastically participated in Elf – our favorite.

As a family we went to a Cirque Musica production called “Holiday Wishes”. My husband and I won them in a silent auction for the Dravet Syndrome Foundation a few months ago. I can only say that it was…weird. That’s my best descriptor. And Cirque Musica may be the C team of the Cirque family. We also watched my niece Cora dance in a festive show at the Gaylord Texan. That involved expensive parking, a shuttle bus and wall to wall people. But Cora is A team so it was all worth it.

And now as I finish writing (even though I won’t publish until the end of the week), all the baking is done and the presents are wrapped. We anxiously await Christmas eve services, time with family and a visit from Old St. Nick. What? I still believe.

If right about now you are thinking that you can’t relate to all my merry-making this year, let me point you back to last week’s blog. We had concerts and parties and shows, but we are also had something really heavy and hard drop into our laps. Because it is not really my story, I’m not at liberty to share the details. But I do want you to know that if you are hurting this Christmas, I understand. Even when life gets hard, Christmas is worth celebrating. The Eternal One entered time. The Lord of Glory veiled that glory in a human body for us. And even though He came as an infant, He lives still. Jesus saves people from the penalty of sin, from the power of sin and eventually from the very presence of sin. (from Bible commentary)