"I sing for grace

For grace it lets me sing.

And all I've ever seen or heard

Or haven't seen or heard

IT'S HIS...."

Today was very interesting.

1) I had to shop at Wal-Mart for my mother this morning... and nearly got mulled over by the hundreds of women and their children scrambling to complete their Christmas shopping. (Ok, maybe there weren't hundreds of women, but it sure felt like it!)

2) Ever since Eunice has moved back home (p.s. congratulations on your graduation!! ) she has been in a cleaning frenzy... and coerced me into cleaning out all the kitchen cabinets with her.

3) In the evening, I drove (with Esther and Lauren) to the Yee's for Bible study... it was incredible! Mike did a great job teaching the 2nd and 3rd chapter of Revelation... I learned so much! I'm looking forward to studying the rest of that book!

4) After that, Lauren and I joined "Vitamin J" and Patience and we all hung out at Lauren's house. We were so random in the things we talked about tonight... conversation topics ranged from creation to theories of pangea to microevolution to relationships to modesty to "Every Young Woman's Battle". Quite a night.

But I must say, that I am a bit somber now as I slowly come to the realization that my decision to change churches has hurt some of my friendships... irrevocably.

I Corinthians 13: 11-13

"When I was a child I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with such childish things. For now we see in mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." I COR 13:11-13

A while ago, I had the privilege of studying this scripture with Sara during discipleship. She had asked me to study this passage beforehand, but I struggled with it because I lacked understanding. So, she sat with me and asked me questions until everything came into place.

Before that night, I was confused as to why Paul writes this of his childhood in the same chapter that he describes the excellence of love? And why he would say that love is greater than faith and hope? They seemed to be equally important virtues of the Christian walk....

SARA: Sarah, tell me what faith is.

ME: it is believing in things not seen.

SARA: yes, and it is also the assurance of things hoped for. OK. What is hope?

ME: hope is a longing or anticipation for something.

SARA: but what is your hope?

ME: ummm... i guess that my ultimate hope is to be in the presence of God....

When she asks me about love, I am ready to answer that it is too complex to define... but then I remember the beginning of the chapter- and instead I respond that love is patient, kind, it bears all things, believes and hopes in all things... it is not rude or self-seeking or easily angered....

Here is where everything falls into place: Paul writes of two different time frames- when he was a child and his [then] present state as man. Also, he compares our time now to when we will meet Jesus face to face and everything will be perfect. When we meet the Lord, everything will be revealed. Hope and faith won't always be hope and faith, because they are FULFILLED in heaven. However, love will always remain the same because it is eternal!!!!

Faith and hope are crucial in living by the Kingdom of God- but they are UNSEEN. Love is SEEN because it is expressed through action. Love should be our focus! Our God is a God of love. We are called not only to love Him, but everyone around us as well. This is how people will recognize the joy that dwells in all believers through Jesus Christ....

How did I celebrate my first day of freedom?

I had an ALL-DAY SHOPPING EXCURSION!! Nikki, Tabea and I met in the morning and then went straight to the stores. Tabea's mom and sister (Natascha) joined us later in the afternoon. Natascha was nice enough to come back to the city with us to cut my hair... and dye it! The color is so different to me, I don't know if it's very "Sarah". Sharon laughed when she saw me, that's not a very good sign.

Speaking of Sharon... She is leaving for Lebanon on Saturday. :( I'm so sad... I know she's only going to be there for a few weeks, but i'm still going to go through withdrawal. For those of you that don't know, Shar's parents are missionaries in Lebanon... they run a Christian school... so she's going to help them out for part of her visit. Please pray for her....

The Angel of the Lord

How great was yesterday?

SO great!!!

I was really blessed by the message at Moody... I believe that Erwin Lutzer is a man of conviction, one who speaks the truth without a flicker of doubt. I would like to document what I learned:

The message was titled, "The Angel of the Lord".

Jesus existed before He became a baby-- He was the pre-existant One. We know this because Jesus made appearances in the OT as The Angel of the Lord (THE angel, not an angel). PROOF: (1) Genesis 22:11-12, Exodus 3:1-4 --- these passages demonstrate that the "Angel of the Lord" is a reference to God. (2) Zechariah 1:12 states that the Angel of the Lord is distinct (but not separate) from Jehovah.... meaning the Angel of the Lord is actually Christ.

Think about it- the Bible says that the Angel of the Lord is God, yet is distinct from God. In conclustion, the title belongs to Jesus.

There are many similarities between The Angel of the Lord in the OT and Christ in the NT- He reveals God, He intercedes for His people, He comforts His people, He judges His people, He delivers His people - they performed essentially the same ministry.

We were then left with this question: "If Christ can do all these things as 'The Angel of the Lord,' why did He become man? Why Bethlehem? Why the incarnation?"

** Because there are things that The Angel of the Lord couldn't do unless The Angel of the Lord became flesh, like

1) He could not be our savior ( you can't nail a spirit to a cross.... not only that but there wouldn't be the shedding of blood that is required for redemption)

2) He could not be our brother

3) He could not have been King over David

4) He could not be our High Priest in the way that He is

5) He could not have said that He conquered death unless He actually died (In order to have death, there must have been humanity).

************************************************************************************

To top off a great message, i actually got to meet Dr. Lutzer! Sparky, Brian, Betsy, Ashley and I decided (on a whim) to introduce ourselves to him.... we were really nervous, and grinning from ear to ear. It was slightly awkward.... not really how I pictured my first encounter with him... but still REALLY cool. I don't think he really knew what to say because he just kept repeating "Well God bless you folks".

I'm almost done with finals.... just two more to go. Surprisingly, I survived my Anatmoy final....

Hi my name is Sarah Braica and I am addicted to pop.

Mr. Pibb, Dr. Pepper, Barq's root beer, RC, Pepsi.... you name it.

I had a glass of water with my dinner tonight, and all I could think about was getting home quickly so that I could chug a nice cold one.

Why does soda taste so good?

Please help me.