I have been faced with a common question since the Lord clearly called our family into full time ministry. It goes something like this. "Sarah, How are you with all of this?" I can simply answer that question by saying, "It's not about me. It's about the Lord Jesus." Thank goodness it's not about me, or I could find myself in a panic at times. :)

I have had moments throughout this journey where I have felt extreme peace. Where I have trusted completely that the Lord almighty would take care of us. Take care of every "need" that we will have. That He would provide a friend when I need one. That He would allow our girls to adjust to his calling with ease and peace. I have trusted and know fully that He was/is walking before us laying out each and every step for us to simply follow.

Then there are the moments of fear. Fear of the unknown of what our once comfortable life will now look like. Anxiousness to know where we will be and what we will be doing. Moments where patience is a must but very hard to find. Times where I wonder how will we make it? Moments where I wonder how in the world we will we leave our family and friends? Times where the closeness we have with our family, our friends, and our church overwhelm me and I wonder what it will be like to be away from that each week! That thought alone can take my breath away....

BUT, God is so very good. He is worth putting every detail in his hand and letting him create in us what he wants us to be. Where he wants us to go. And what he wants us to do. After all, he is the potter and I am the clay. (Isaiah 29:16) "How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay!"

God has been so faithful to show me his love, his grace, and his mercy each and every time I have needed it. His timing has been impeccable. Never slow. Never quick. Always on time. (2 Peter 3:9) The Lord is not slow about His promise.

As we wait on the Lord, we wait with a humble heart. A heart that is thankful that he has entrusted us with this call. A love for Jesus that we have never known before. A peace that passes all understanding.

Acts 20:24

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus. The work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

This is the deal.

Chicken Bacon Pasta

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and roughly chopped
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or less if you don't want the heat)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 pound penne pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 whole eggs
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 grilled chicken breast, sliced (I marinated the chicken in Lawry's Garlic & Herb marinade)


Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until done (according to package instructions).

Place cream and cream cheese in a small saucepan. Heat over low until cream cheese is melted, and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Add the parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and pepper and whisk until blended.

Drain pasta (reserving 1/2 cup of hot water) and return to pot. Immediately add the white sauce and toss to coat. The hot pasta will cook the eggs. Stir in the bacon, and add some reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce. Top with grilled chicken.

This is a crowd pleaser. It is so yummy and easy! Pair it with a salad, veggie, and some garlic bread and you have yourself a killer dinner!!:)

A little catch up....

First of all...this whole post is to inform those who care (if that's any..hehe) , and for our remembrance! And...it might be a little long!!:)

To say the past couple of months have brought on a huge amount of change would be the understatement of the year! The phrase, "You never know what a day may bring" has been our life phrase for the past 2 months. God has orchestrated it all. For HIS glory. We are thankful to have seen HIS hand in it all. Through it all. Shepherding us into HIS perfect will.

So..a little background info. Matt has always loved his job. Really considered it a place where he would start...and finish. Over the past 2 years, we have purged our budget, got rid of ALL debt, and made it to where we could live on pretty much nothing. Matt was set to retire early. We had everything in line for our future. We have saved like CRAZY! Sometimes a little too crazy..hehe! All this, for our sweet little plan to build our dream home and live a comfortable life. Live the small town life. In our home. With our children. Entertaining and ministering to needs. Growing a small group. Pouring our lives into others for the kingdom. Going on mission for the Nations. All of which are great things. All of which was NOT God's plan. AT. ALL.

Long story short. God has called our family into full time ministry. It's something we can look back on and see God's preparation for this moment. He has taught us and prepared us all along the way and we can see that the things we were doing for "our" plan were not at all for "our" plan but for His. We thought we were saving money for a huge down payment on our dream house. We thought I had learned how to spend very little money a month on food and other things so we could save money for our house. We thought getting rid of our debt and living a free life financially was for us to benefit from. We have learned that ALL those things...were done in preparation for God to "Call us out" and for us to "Follow Him." God has prepared us spiritually. Growing in the Lord is a life long journey, but he has equipped Matt in specific areas of ministry and that has taken place over the past 2 years. God's hand has been working and leading us. We have seen God work quickly. Much faster than we had imagined. But, the timing of the call is just as important as the call itself.

Matt will start seminary in January. He will finish up his career with his current employer the first of January. We were not sure how and when Matt would exit the industry of which he is in. But God, once again, worked it all out. He has turned several bad situations in to times of testimony and times of great fellowship. He has gone before us EACH and EVERY step of the way. He has confirmed over and over again his call for us.

God uses 3 things to speak to us and show us his will. 1. His word. 2. Circumstances.

3. Others. He has used every single one of those things time and time again to confirm our call.

As for now, we are waiting. Waiting patiently on the Lord. This is not my best attribute. I am not always good with being patient. :) We are waiting to see what God has in store for our family while Matt is in school, and for the future. That part of the picture is still unclear. Very Foggy. And because it's foggy we are to be still and wait. When it is time for us to know, we will. "When God gives you instructions, trust that He has given you what you need for now. He will give more when the time is right." Priscilla Shirer

In my quiet time with the Lord God has spoken to me and has given me what I needed it just when I needed it. God has been faithful and here are some examples of His greatness!

As I am praying for and seeking direction for our future God answered with this...

"I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now." John 16:12

"He who enters by the door is a Shepard of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens. and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and they sheep follow him because they know his voice. " John 10:2-4

God is leading us out. It's is exciting. It is scary (at times). But it is good. He is the Shepard and He is leading. We aren't. We can't. If we aren't listening, how will we know what his voice sounds like? Life is full of chaos. It is loud. It is busy. We have been forced to slow down. To empty out the noise, and to sit still and listen for Him.

I encourage you to do the same. God may not be calling you out of your job into full time ministry (and he may be), but God is calling you to something. As a Child of God, we are not here on this earth to sit idle. We are here to work till He calls us home. If you are so busy, and life is too loud, you will miss the biggest blessings of your life because you simply will not hear him.

Please keep our family in your prayers. This is an exciting time for us. It is a time where we are having to live by faith. Not just talk about it!

Wonderful Wednesday...

Wednesdays are kind of just a day home for Bella and I! We typically never leave the house till time to get Alyssa from school. Then we head down to lavaca for church! Today I decided to do something different! You see, Bella loves to go and do, but she has always been a little more difficult to keep up with. So therefore, we don't do a whole lot of EXTRA things. We enjoy our Quality time together at home!!!:) Actually, it is more the fact that I don't want to make 2 trips to the Fort on Wednesdays so stay home!!

Today I took her to story time at the VB library! It was such a nice change from the normal routine of being home! They read stories, sang and danced to songs, did a craft, and had a snack. It was an hour and she LOVED it! I am already looking forward to next week! It was so fun and I loved seeing her interact! She is one silly girl that is for sure!

The teacher kept telling her, "Now get back...let someone else have a turn!" I had to laugh! Bella is always in the mix of things!!

So thankful for this high energy little girl. She loves people and loves to laugh and be silly! she is faster than lightening and keeps me on my toes! She is great for us! WE love her more than words can express and thank God each and every day he gives us with her!!

Friends through it all...

Me and my love!

Taylor and Meagan!

Sure do love this girl!

This past weekend we had some of our very best friends in town from Charlotte! It was SOOO good to see Meagan and Taylor. They came in Thursday and left Sunday! We didn't stop. We did about as much as we could in those few days and it was so incredibly fun!

Thursday night I cook dinner and we played with the girls and just hung out together at our house! We stayed up SOOO late and just talked and caught up on life!! It was so nice to have them in Arkansas again! They come each year during football season so they can come to a Razorback game with us! I LOVE that!!

Friday Matt had to work so Taylor went visiting friends from Lavaca and Meagan and I (and some other fabulous ladies) went and saw The Pioneer Woman. She was in Fort Smith and it was sooo fun! We had lunch and listened to her speak and it was just a great time!

Friday night we went to Fayetteville to dinner. We ate and went to the Promenade. They had never been there! We went to the Razorback store, Gordmans, Wal-Mart, and Academy looking at Razorback apparel! They love to get new gear while they are in AR because there is NOTHING in Charlotte! That's just wrong! WE got coffee and headed down the hill!

Before heading to The Pioneer Woman luncheon!

Isn't Meagan grogeous?!?!

At the luncheon. A great group of ladies!

Saturday we got up and went to Paul's bakery for some donuts! Then we headed up the hill again! We went to lunch on Dixon and walked around looking in all the shops. The boys were getting antsy so we headed to tailgate! We watched the team get off the bus and just walked around a lot before the game. There is nothing like the atmosphere for Raz. football. Nothing.

We watched a super great game and went and got coffee again and headed back down the hill!!

Pauls' for breakfast!

Before the Game!

Sunday was church and lunch at Catfish Hole and then home to change in comfy clothes and relax till time to take them to the airport!

We always hate to see them go, but so thankful for a friendship that lasts through long distance and little time spent together! They are truly an amazing couple that we could not be more thankful for!