Spring ministry newsletter.

Sadly Trouble can't write. Because if she could, she could have helped me fix all 150 newsletters. But oh well. After much labor and only minute procrastinating, here it is. :)

Spring 2013 Newsletter 

Double standards make me sad.

Its sad when I have to unfollow a feed of daily encouraging Scripture because the comments section is less than encouraging. People say Christians are hateful and ignorant? What about when other people hate us? Why is it okay to beligerently insist that my belief is stupid, unfounded, and horrible but if I just look at you funny, its an intolerant hate crime? Double standards make me sad. (Deep breath)
If it makes you sad, chin up, my friend. Share with me this encouraging Word: No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master[b] is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father. If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.
John 15

Mom in a hurry #1

My deoderant fell behind the dresser today. So I used my husband's. Now i smell like a freshly showered man. Not all together unpleasant.

I'm no supermom.

But I sure do try.

Motherhood has a funny way of making you feel like the strongest person in the world... and the weakest. All at the same time. 

The other day, Motherhood through me a rough play. And what did I do? I ran from it. Then I ran back to it. And past it. And kept on running. But then I stopped, turned, and walked back. 

For those of you that might be confused, let me clarify. When Peden came home,  I had had enough. I was frustrated, angry, and almost to tears. SO, like the God-sent gift that he is, he took our beautiful, but stubbornly screaming daughter and let me go for a run. On the positive side, I ran the fast mile I have run in a year. On the negative, I didn't find what I was looking for. I didn't even know WHAT I was looking for. 

Notes from last night for those that missed it.

5/17/13 lesson and notes by Savy

2 Kings 1

v 1-8 : Ahaziah was apparently tailgating during football season. fell out of a window (or off a balcony). 

send messengers to his home town to inquire of a Philistine god

Elijah meets them and pretty much says, "Oh yeah go ask that other god. because there's no God around here, right?" loving the sarcasm, dude. :)

Ahaziah knew by the description of him that this was Elijah (the bad news bear, according to Ahab.) :P

Acts 19:13-15 "I know Jesus and I recognize Paul, but who are you?"

Does your reputation precede you? Do people know who you and whom you follow?

v 9-12: Elijah is completely confident that God has his back. 

Matthew 17:20 "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain 'move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Do we live with such confidence?

Point made in discussion: Elijah did not start out with such confidence. When he was living by the brook, he probably lacked confidence when it started to dry out. When he saw the state of the widow's kitchen, he probably only had a little confident. But through faithful obedience he saw the wonders of God, and thus his confidence grew from his faithfulness.

v 13-16: catching flies with honey or vinegar :P

verse 11 tells us that the second cheif "took in the situation" (HCSB) and then answered. His answer, however, was met with destruction. The cheif who came in humility truly understood the situation.

In what way have you misunderstood a situation God put you in and it resulted badly? Did you come to him differently the next time?

v 17-18: "according to the word of the Lord"

How strongly do we believe the word of the Lord? Do we live like it?

2 Peter 1:4 "By these [His glory and goodness, verse 3] He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires."

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Matthew 11:28-29 "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves."

Philippians 4:19 "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

Romans 8:37-39 "No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!"

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment."

LITL: Love has a new address.

"The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

I am here to tell you what love is all about. Twister. That's what.

I have two dear friends. Like sisters. I have known Hallay since she was born and Hannah since she moved here from New Orleans in 2005. We have worked together. I've even taught them in classes. Now I feel like they are teaching me. Or at least reminding me. (But more about that later.)

Because this isn't about Hallay and Hannah. Or about me. It's about Jesus and the example that he set for us to follow. As John says, Christ came down and lived among us. he didnt yell down to us from heaven, "Hey! y'all down there! (Because he wouldve had a southern accent.) I love you!" He didn't get in a bus and just pick us all up, haul us to the pearly gates. He came down to us messy, unreliable humans. He became like us. 

Clean slate protocol. (Warning. Dont read if you havent seen the new irom man movie.)

Last weekend my husband and I went to see the new iron man movie. (Fantastic, hilarious, heart wrenching, the whole package. :) Pepper's life is put in danger by Tony's obsession with the iron man suits.

THIS IS WHERE THE SPOILING BEGINS. In the end, Tony initiates what Jarvis calls the clean slate protocol. All the remaining suits are destroyed, in order to show pepper that Tony is letting go.

Everyone brings baggage along the way in life. But when two people start traveling that way together, the quaint little stationwagon starts to get a little crowded. You start cramming in traumatic life experiences, bad teachers, past bullies, old relationships, the childhood dog that passed away. And don't get me started on the extra trailer behind just for all the sets of parents.

I mean come on! You haven't left any room for the kids to form complexes of their own along the way.

Before Tony and pepper could truly enjoy their life together, they had to let go. Pepper had to learn to trust Tony (although that didn't exactly go the way he planned), and Tony had to learn to move on from things he couldn't fix or explain.

1 Corinthians 5:17 reads "If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come." This refers to a new relationship with Christ in which he tosses all your old baggage to the curb. He step on the gas and never looks back. 

When you begin to walk life with someone here on earth, you have to do the same thing. But, unfortunately neither of you in the relationship are Christ. So not only do you have to toss out the other person's baggage, but you have to TOSS OUT YOUR OWN. Pepper couldn't initiate the clean slate protocol. Tony had to do it. 

Initiate the clean slate protocol. throw out your baggage. Let it go. Trust. You will form new baggage along the way. Together. I guarantee it. :P

Love Triangle: me, my family, and my job.

When my daughter smiles at me I feel the same way as when I walk into a YMCA and kids run up and hug me. All i have to do is watch her sleep and it thrills me. Thrills me as much as telling kids stories from the Bible that show them how much God loves them.

Does it make me a bad mom to say that I love my job as much as my family? :P

Strangely these were the thoughts that kept me persevering through the doubt that I could a wife, mom, and missionary all at the same time. God has called me, and he is able to and will equip me. :)

So yeah. Ministry. I have a confession to make. Hopefully no one will hate me for it. In the flesh... I am extremely lazy. :( Monday, I slept until mid afternoon, and once i lost that big chunk of the day, it was so hard to resolve myself to anything, whether it be exercise, cleaning, or making calls. However, I did meet with a friend to practice my ministry presentation. Not only did I have a great run through, even while caring for the baby, but she is also considering partnering and spreading the word. :)

So yesterday i resolved myself to getting up at six am. yikes!And I was actually quite productive. I didn't get as much as wanted done because of a praticularly needy baby that day but still. I made four calls, left two messages, and got one really great response. Following up on that response in the next couple of days. 

Unfortunately my KCT coach cancelled our first call because of health issues, but i am looking forward to our first call next week. 

So over all not a terrible start. :)

Romans 8:28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

My new journey, my new self.

"I pray for the patience of job and the wisdom of solomon. And what does God give me?"

"A daughter. Isn't His sense of humor funny that way?"  :)

I drafted this months ago and just rediscovered it. LOL. I think it was a conversation between my husband and I while I was pregnant. But while I have you here, I guess I would like to say a few words in honor of mother's day. 

I once saw a poll in Parent's magazine about whether or not a woman should use a picture of just her kid(s) as he picture on a social network. Many women said that that entailed losing one'sidentity or that they were more than just a mom. Boo, I say. There was one mother however who voiced my feeling better than I probably even understood them at the time.

She said that having her daughter had permanently changed her. That he daughter was an extension of her own identity. In the movie "A Time To Kill," Matthew Mconahey's (sp?) character calls it "life beyond her own." I know exactly how this feels.

I have been preparing to return to ministry with a large portion of time. I haven't got a breast pump or arranged for babysitters, because I have always imagined doing ministry with her in tow. And she doesn't interfere. She feels like and extension of my arm. A natural part of me.

I love my daughter and the way she has changed me and my life. :)

LITL: An odd prayer

The other day, In my quiet time, I was reading Ephesians 3. One verse in particular stood out to me. 

"In Him we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him^. So then I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory." Ephesians 3:12-13

Paul is speaking to the church in Ephesus of the great power and blessings that God has for those who believe. Obviously we should be bold in revealing to others the mystery of the gospel, the birth, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the free gift that is salvation. 

So in response to this verse relating to being bold, what did I do? I prayed for meekness. I prayed for God to help me to be timid. For those of you who know me, this is a God-sized request. :P

But I am not saying I'm shutting up. God has areas in my life in which I needd to be bold to share, like Paul. But that is easy. What God is truly breaking me for is to be able to discern when to be bold, and when to step aside and let someone else speak. 

Be in prayer. This won't be easy for me. But I am already seeing the blessing God is bringing about through it. :)

Strangely, I think God will show something in order to teach us the exact opposite.

I'm baaaack!

I know. You've missed me, haven't you. Pining away, checking facebook every day to see if I posted a new blog. Or perhaps getting by on the adorable baby pictures all over my timeline. Yeah. I can't get enough of her either. :P

Well, I have returned. After a three month vacation (HA! haha! right.) I have returned to the blogging world. I am excited about whats in store for the future.

I am starting a new phase of ministry, after having completed a special training. I hope to start posting weekly ministry updates, to keep those curious informed, and to keep myself accountable to managing the time God has given me. 

Of course I still have that adorable doodle bug pictured above. I hope not to let her take over the blog too much. But i will be occasionally chronicling motherhood every once in a while. Don't worry. This will not become a purely mommy-blog. 

Finally, if you know me, you know one of my greatest struggles and convictions is the fact that I am horrible at keeping a daily time with God. I hope to return to frequent "Lingering in the Light" posts to share the things God is doing in my heart and in my life. 

Hope you will enjoy the ride alongside me. :) TTFN. (Yeah, the Pooh nursery theme is starting to get to me.)

PS. if there are any suggestions, stories, updates, etc, you would like to see more of, just send a shout out. You know where to find me. :)

Winter Newsletter 2013

Here is a link to my Winter 2013 CEF Newsletter. 

If you would like to receive my quarterly newsletter in the mail, please email me your contact information. You can reach me at savannahlrbarber@gmail.com or here on my blog. 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/1lq6nJ9mgZkAW7aD_v-tW5LHJGTsQ1-zik1J0BcZB5P6rkELNXanqbrFVsL10/edit

Naysayers and bad dreams.

Doubt is an enemy which all face regularly. Even when we have heard God's will for our life, we are not always completely sealed off from doubt. It can still leak in like water through a poorly sealed window during a storm.
Many doubted young David due to his stature, despots his confidence that the Lord had given him the victory.
1 Samuel 17:33, 39-40, 45-46 HCSB

"But Saul replied, "You can't go fight this Philistine. You're just a youth, and he's been a warrior since he was young." (...) David strapped his sword on over the military clothes and tried to walk, but he was not used to them. "I can't walk in these," David said to Saul, "I'm not used to them." So David took them off.  Instead, he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pouch, in his shepherd's bag.

LITL: Full of It

Last week I posted about something my pastor said about prayer and missionaries. As I said in that post, this greatly convicted me on my daily walk with the Lord. I wanted to further explore this as I work to realign myself with daily communing with God and seeking his will.

The same Sunday my pastor said this, he spoke on a passage from Ephesians:

"For this reason I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:14-21)

As I read through this passage, so many things stand out to me. I picture Paul kneeling, not just beside his bed before bedtime, but on his face before the Lord as he intercede for the Christians of that day. Do I also come to God in such humility? I was struck by something author Francis Chan said in his book Crazy Love. He instructed the reader to stop praying. "Stop talking at God," but just to start listening. Wow. That will certainly change your daily time with God.

Welcome! Please come in. :)

For anyone who might not know... I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

It's by far my favorite holiday. I have always looked forward to it the whole year, since I was little. Not because of presents or anything. I love having my family all together in one place. Every year we go to my Granny's house for lunch and dirty Santa. Because none of my family lives in Montgomery with me, this was special. All my aunts, uncles, cousins gathered together in one house. Then on Christmas my sister, who either lived with her dad, away at college, or in Birmingham throughout my life, would be home for breakfast and presents. :)

When my dad passed away last year, we drove to Brimingham with my brother and had Christmas day at at my sister's house with her and her husband. I loved it. We were still together.

But this year, it's my turn! :) I never realized until I actually had a house big enough to host people in, how much I love having people over. :)

Decorating was a full scale endeavor this year because (a) there was actually room to decorate, compared to our sardine apartment we lived in last year, and (b) we can have people over to see them!

Strangly enough, I haven't been too terribly stressed out about the fact that there is SO MUCH TO DO and so little time. In addition to my siblings staying over Christmas Eve, We will be gone the three or four days before Christmas Eve seeing my husband's family (and frankly just having a small get away before the baby comes.) This gives me THREE days nest week to do EVERYTHING!

But I am nothing but excited. :) Well I'm tired, but who can help that at eight months pregnant. :P

It occured to me recently that perhaps I have a gift I never discovered before now. I have always admired a few friends of mine: those friends that were always welcome to open their home to people at any time. This might be because while I was growing up I often needed places opened up to me. But now I see that perhaps I have this same gift. I love to have people over. :) I love for people to know that if they need anything, they can show up on our doorstep. There is always a couch bed for anyone in need. Jesus called us to be open to such spontaneous ministry: