Words # 7

This morning's weather -

• chilly
• dark
• gloomy
• WINDY!
• puddle-ly
• uninviting

My feelings about today -

• excited
• optimistic
• ready
• happy
• relaxed
• grateful

Symphony!

   Friday night we went to the Symphony in downtown Grand Rapids.  It was sublime!  It was so fun to get all dressed up and look elegant for the night.  We did each other's hair, and felt pretty beautiful!

(From the left: Stephanie, me, Lillie)
   I felt so sophisticated!  We heard pieces by Mozart and Schubert that were just sublime.  It's especially fun to watch the conductor.  This conductor was a sunshiny Hungarian man in a Tuxedo with a great smile.  He was so graceful, and it seemed as if he was the one actually making the music happen, as if he was drawing it out of the musicians.  And the musicians were all so together!  The analogy that came to mind as I was watching was the Church.  Here you have many different instruments with different sounds and purposes, all held together by a conductor, and working together to produce a thing of exquisite beauty,  just as the church is made up of many different people with differing gifts, but held together by Christ to form His beautiful bride.
   I am so looking forward to going again!

Blessed

   I've been realizing lately how blessed I am to have made so many new and wonderful friends here at Calvin.  Arriving here at the end of August, I knew no one, other than a couple people I had talked with online over the summer, and that doesn't really count as knowing someone.  I left behind some of the best friends a girl could ever have.  Not just friends, but family.  That was one of the things I was saddest about - leaving my "family" behind, and having to start over again.  Building up a family takes time.  But God has been so gracious to me.  I don't want any of my friends at home to think that I don't miss them, or don't love them just as much, I'm just enjoying adding new people to that circle!
   When I walk across campus with my suitemate Leah, she always remarks on how many people I know.  I laugh, but when I begin to think about it, I really do know a lot of people on this campus.  People from my dorm, from my classes, from my orientation group - so many lovely people.  There's the guy and girl in Chem class who I sit with every week who are almost as disappointed as me when someone steals my seat.  There's my suitemates (Leah and Bekah), who I cuddle with, and laugh hysterically with, and watch movies with.  Then there is my AMAZING roommate, who puts up with me even when I'm crazy emotional, and takes care of me, and encourages me always.  And I mustn't forget Sarah, who lives down the hall.  We bake gluten-free goodies together and commiserate over the lack of wheat in our diets, and do a number of other fun things together.  And I could go on and on...the young man who says hi to me EVERY time he sees me, even when I don't see him, and the girls from English class I eat breakfast with on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and my awesome discussion group in history class, and so many, many more!  How could I have known that in just less than two months, God would provide such an amazing network of His people to support me, encourage me, make me laugh, and let me cry?  And yet, I shouldn't be at all surprised, should I?  Because I know that God loves me and wants His child to be happy and He loves to bless me!  Praise the Lord!!!

Words # 6

My Friday!

History
Chemistry
Uppercrust
Spanish
Homework
NCIS
Hayrides
Corn Maze
Laughter
Apple Cider
Hot Chocolate
Late Night

Words # 5 (technically phrases...)

These are things I've learned here...

• Expert traffic/crowd navigation
• Everything (almost) is better with ketchup!
• Four-person conversations are always better in the bathroom... 
• The 5th episode of "Sherlock" is terrifying!
• Everything is funnier when you're tired!

About my book...

   So, in case you all didn't know, I have a book for sale on Amazon called "The Conflict of Love"!  It's a historical romance fictional novel set in the time of the Civil War.  If you like Christian romance, you should read it!  If you like Civil War stories, you should read it!  If you enjoy historical fiction, you should read it!  Oh, and if you like reading, you should read it! :D
   One more thing:  I would really appreciate if you would tell friends, family, even strangers about my book.  I would love for more people to read it (and the money could really help this poor college student, too!)!  Thanks, and enjoy!  Oh, and feel free to share your thoughts on it once you do read it!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Conflict-Love-Volume-1/dp/1482778491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380683360&sr=8-1&keywords=the+conflict+of+love+sarah+Johnson

:) Thanks!

Dorm Retreat - part 1

   Last weekend was Dorm Retreat.  Almost all the young women and men from NVW(Noordewier-Vanderwerp) drove to Camp Roger on Saturday afternoon.  I drove up with my roommate Stephanie, my friend Sarah, and my friend Catherine.  After arriving around 2:30, we went up the hill to our cabin and put our bags in our cabin and then went down to check in.  We had some free time until about 5:00, so we went down to the lake to have some fun!

We went out on that little walkway you can see in the back of the middle picture and looked at the jellyfish in the lake.  (Yes, there really are jellyfish in the lake.)  Then we did what everyone else was doing - canoeing!

   I think it was actually more fun, however, to watch other people trying to use the canoes.  Some people don't know how....  :P

   After that, we went trekking around exploring.  There wasn't a lot to see - it's a pretty small camp - but it was still fun.  We found a little lean to!

 

Next installment will come later!





Words # 4

Sorry this is a day late!  This week's post* is about the stresses I've encountered in the past week.

Tests
Studying
Spanish
Health and Safety Checks (okay, I know, that's 4 words...)
Rearranging
and more Studying...

*(part of the purpose of these posts is as "conversation starters", i.e. things you guys can ask me about if you want...)

Recap of the week(end)

   It's been a good week.  And now it's Friday...!
   Classes went well this week.  Lots of good discussion, learning, calculating, and laughing!  I didn't have too much writing to work on, and homework went well.  The week included dorm worship, floor bible study, a Sherlock night, the first and second serenades, and all kinds of other great stories.  Like the one about tripping over a sign....but that's a story for another time!
   This weekend is dorm retreat, and I'm singing for dorm retreat worship on Sunday morning.  Rehearsal for that was tonight in the basement, and I enjoyed it so much!  I guess I didn't realize how much I missed leading worship and singing and rehearsing with other people! 
   After rehearsal, I came back up to my room and did (well, sort of) some homework.  I had this intense craving for candy, however, and so I decided to go to Johnny's and get some.  I didn't want to go all by my lonesome self, though, so I went down the hall and found a friend to go with me.  Those are the kinds of friends you need - the ones who will spontaneously go get candy with you, because you don't want to walk in the dark alone.  :)
   We had plans with our suitemates tonight, but they fell through, so we decided to watch The Princess Bride instead.  What better way to spend your Friday night? :D
   Looking forward to the weekend and all it will hold!

Words #3

About weekends...

Sherlock
Movies
Homework
Free Time
Friends
Late Nights
Laughter!

Looking back: This Week's Highlights and Suprises

Week 2, down!  Just a few more to go.... :P  Here are some of the high points of the week:

1. Eating breakfast with a couple of the guys from my English 101 class!  I made a spur of the moment decision to eat in the dining hall on Wednesday and enjoyed a somewhat tasty breakfast with two people from my writing class.  It was fun to talk with people about writing who actually enjoy writing!  Plus Josh entertained us with some impressive card tricks...
2. Floor date on Friday night!  First Werp* asked First Noordy** down into the solarium for an "enchanted evening".  It was quite fun.  They served us "drinks" (like Shirley Temple's and the like), and even dressed up for us!  We talked and played catchphrase and got to know our brother floor a little bit better!
3. Laughing with friends!  As the week goes on and I get more tired, everything gets funnier...
4. Getting called "very beautiful" in Spanish by an Asian!  It doesn't happen every day, you know...
5. Saturday Shopping trip and Monster's U with Stephanie and Sarah!

I can't even remember everything else!  I guess it's a little late!  Good night all - have a blessed week!

*First Werp: the first floor of Vanderwerp, the guys side.
**First Noordy: the first floor of Noordewier, the girls side.

Words #2

This "Words" post is on mealtimes.

Laughter
Magic Tricks
Good Talks
Gluten-free
Hudsonville ice cream
Trays
Silverware
Friends
Strangers
Hot Sauce...

Never Forget

   I still remember it.  I remember that morning, waking up to my mom sitting on the edge of my bed, very upset.  I was so young, only 6, and I'm sure my memories are not accurate.  But I do remember her telling me "Something awful has happened today."  I didn't understand.  I though something bad had happened in history on that day.
   I remember coming downstairs and watching two tall buildings in flames,  watching as planes crashed into each.  I don't remember exactly how I felt.  I'm sure I was confused, and sad.  It was a terrible day.
   In a way,  I'm glad I was alive for 9/11.  If I had not been, I could never fully appreciate the horror of what took place. 
   To all those mourning for lost loved ones today, and to all those who grieve for the loss of this country 12 years ago - we will never forget.  Be comforted by God today, and know that America is grieving with you.  May God bless this country, and may this country bless God!

Words #1

Okay, so on Fridays I'm going to try to do a weekly "Words" post.  This week is words that come to mind as I cross campus on the way to class.

Frisbee
Far
Sunny
Beautiful
People
Walking
Studying
Laughing....

Orientation adventures

   Today is Labor day and I'm so glad we have nothing we have to do!  Quest orientation was amazing, but really busy.
   Quest lasts 3 days and addresses the 3 facets of Calvin's mission statement.  The first day was focused on service-learning.  Our Quest group of about 20 people went out into the city to partner with the Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association.  We split up and one group went to help an elderly woman clean up the end of her street.  They picked up tons of trash and cleared out a tangle of brush.  The other group, which included me, went to a small park nearby and picked up trash there.  There was an amazing amount of broken glass along with lots of other trash.  It really made me so grateful that I can go to a local park at home and run around barefoot and not worry at all about what I'm stepping on.  It was a great experience and it really built community among us.  We spent the evening at Reed's lake talking, playing Mafia, and Ghost in the Graveyard.

   The next day was based around our faith.  I really enjoyed the faith dialogues among our group.  It was really neat and very encouraging to hear other people's testimonies of God's faithfulness in their lives.  Then that afternoon we did "The Great Ball Challenge", which was a photo scavenger hunt with a giant beach ball.  It was super fun!
   Friday was a challenging day.  We attended seminars and skits on very difficult topics ranging from racism, purity, self-image, dating, etc., and then discussed them.  We had some intense, deep, and wonderful discussions which probably could have gone on all day.  It was challenging yet encouraging to be very open with one another.  I was super blessed by all these conversations, and hope to have more of these.
   Friday night we had a final session with just our Quest group where we did paper plate awards while listening to Disney music.  :D  I found out several people know all of the words to "I See the Light" from Tangled, like I do! 
   Then we took sticky notes and wrote our fears for the year on them and put them in little cups with a candle on top.  We wrote our hopes and prayers on a paper lantern and took both lantern and candle cups down to the Seminary Pond where everyone else from the incoming class was gathered.  After singing "Amazing Grace" we set our candles sailing into the pond in a symbolic release of our fears to God.  Then we lit the lantern and sent it into the sky with the others and gave up our hopes and prayers to God! It was so beautiful! 

   Our group stayed for a while and prayed and sang together.  It was a sweet time of fellowship and I can't wait to spend more time with these people!

(These are the lanterns!)
(My friend Jessica took all the lights pictures)

Words

Words to describe college:
new
different
exciting
scary
awesome
fun
terrifying
hard
odd
awkward
beautiful
blessing
crazy....

....and so much more!

Beginnings

   Moved into College yesterday!  My room is a mess, so no pictures yet, but they'll come soon.  I have such pretty bedding and so much pink!  :D  Last night was my first night here on campus.  I'm alone in the room for now; both my suite mates and roommate will arrive soon.  But certainly wasn't lonely last night.  Girls kept coming in and out and I met several new friends.  This is going to be so fun!
   On my floor and wing alone, there are girls from China, Germany, the UK, Texas, Michigan, Colorado, Georgia, and several other states!  It is so cool to be in such a diverse environment and meet so many different people!
   I woke up early this morning to the sound of pouring rain and thunder.  My alarm wasn't going off for at least 15 minutes, but I just had to get up.  The rain makes me so happy!  Although, I am woefully unprepared.  The only rainproof jacket I have is a large winter coat...
   Today I meet with my advisor to schedule classes, and I'll have some other stuff going, like interview with the President, and some information seminars. 
   Have a blessed day, all!

The Great Adventure

In just a few short days, my life will change drastically.  I am embarking on a great adventure, and only God knows what it will involve.  And I’m terribly excited!  This adventure will take me all the way across the country to the state of Michigan.

Being a lifetime resident of Southern California, Michigan is almost like a foreign country.  At least that’s what everyone here in CA tells me.  I am told it snows all the time, and it’s always cold.  I don’t entirely believe that.  But it is pretty crazy that I’m moving to Michigan, of all places!  I have no family and few friends there, and the only time I’ve ever been there was to visit Calvin.  Michigan was never even on my radar as a place to go, and I like to travel!  So I am rather excited to see how God uses me there.

It really is a great big exciting adventure!  I am anxious to experience a state where you can tell the difference between winter and fall, and a state where you actually have thunderstorms more than once every four summers!  And best of all?  I’m experiencing it all because of Calvin! 

Calvin came into the picture in my junior year of High School when I met a young lady named Stephanie DeWeerd at a Christian College Fair at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.  She was the Calvin admissions counselor for Southern California.  From that first time I heard about Calvin, I wanted to go there!  At first, I was just interested because Calvin had the programs I needed (Pre-physical Therapy major and Dance minor), a combination few Christian Colleges have.  But I found I loved everything else about Calvin, and got more and more interested with every conversation and mailer.  When my application was accepted, it was like a dream come true!

So here are some of the things I’m most excited for:

    Snow!!!  Yes, that’s a big one.  I can’t wait to live somewhere with real seasons, especially white winters.  As long as I don’t freeze to death, that is…

    School!  As strange as it sounds to most people, I love school, and I can’t wait to be back in class.  Especially science classes!  I’m so excited about being a science major!

    The Calvin Community!  Even though I spent just a few days on Calvin’s campus last fall, I could feel the strong community there.  It’s hard to describe, but it just felt right, like it could be home.  I am also excited to meet lots of different people from different places and backgrounds!

    Dance!  I am very much looking forward to dancing at Calvin.  I have danced for about nine years, and I love it.  I am excited to have new teachers and learn new techniques, and hopefully I can also choreograph for Dance Guild.  And of course, swing dancing in Rosa Parks Circle…

I can’t wait to see what this year will bring!  And through it all, I know God is always faithful, and I can turn to Him for whatever I need!  Bring it on!

Vanderholt

This is Vanderholt, my new friend.  He was a graduation gift from a dear friend as a companion for my adventures.  You'll be seeing a lot of him in the next few months!

Preparations

College is less than a week and a half away!  I'm getting very excited!  Today I went out and bought an essential:  "The Princess Bride".  I've already purchased much of what I need from here, and will get the rest within the next week.  I'm just spending this time enjoying family and friends and preparing myself mentally for school.

It's so weird knowing I'm leaving and life will go on just fine here without me.  But then I have to remind myself that I'm needed elsewhere.  God is calling me to Michigan and Calvin College for a reason.  I can't wait to see what it is!

Today I got a final email for PASSPORT, my student orientation.  I found out, much to my chagrin, that I may have to take calculus or pre-calculus.  Along with that there will be several kinesiology classes, physics, at least 3 Biology, and couple chemistry classes that have to be completed for my major, among other classes.  It should be interesting...  I know I will certainly learn a lot though!

This is gonna be quite the adventure!  I could use lots of prayer!  Oh, and if I don't talk to you very much when I'm gone, it's not cause I don't like you, I probably just won't have time... :P

Worship God West 2013 – Message 2: Faithful to Proclaim (2 Cor. 4:1-6) – Kevin Deyoung

Worship God West 2013 – Message 2: Faithful to Proclaim (2 Cor. 4:1-6) – Kevin Deyoung

 

Is there enough truth in your singing to change and save those who hear?

 

The 3 M’s of ministry:

1)      Means – verbal proclamation

§  We need truth shot through all the elements of our worship service.  What will people learn about God from what we sing?  As in the parable of the sower, we don’t need to choose who we sow to, we just need to keep sowing!  The audience and its response is not sovereign, the Word is.  People don’t need a watered-down Christianity, they need a loving Christianity.

2)      Manner – we are servants of the servants of God

§  When I am small to myself, I am great to the Lord, and when I am great to myself, I am small to the Lord.  Preach God, not ourselves.  The goal on Sunday should not be for people to come away with amazement over the musicianship, but over God.  Your skill does not need to be evident, but it will not be wasted.  We are like the best man in a wedding.  We are not the point but the pointer!

§  “He that would preach Christ alone must of necessity forget himself.” (Calvin paraphrase)

3)      Message – Jesus Christ is Lord

§  Proclaiming the Lord’s death (in communion)

§  Preaching Christ crucified

§  We cannot help whether people see or not, but we can give them the truth to see.

Will people walk away from our worship service saying “That was cool!  What was it all about?”

 

Worship God West 2013 – Message 1: Faithful to Receive (John 4) – Craig Cabaniss

Worship God West 2013 – Message 1: Faithful to Receive (John 4) – Craig Cabaniss

 

Ø  You can’t be a Christian if you can’t receive a gift.  A Christian is one who receives –Christianity is unique because it is a religion primarily of receivers, not doers.

Ø  Worship originates with the Father seeking – not with us seeking (John 4:23)

·         True worship emerges from the Father’s pursuit of us, not ours of Him.  Worship arises from our receiving, not our contributing! 

·         It is vital as leaders that we are far more aware of His relentless pursuit of us than we are of our pursuit of Him.

 

Concentrate on receiving and you will…

1)      Magnify Grace

§  What is the aroma of our worship?  It will be grace if and when we focus on His amazing work in our lives, not what we can bring to Him.  The result of this will be humility, gratefulness, and a sense of uncontainable joy

§  Have we lost our awe?  Sometimes we lose our sense of amazement at what God has done; it becomes commonplace.  I want to have a lively awe, not a diminished one!

§  We ought to prepare for worship (especially as leaders) by contemplating our receiving – not our responding.  Our primary identity is “recipient of mercy and sought by the Father”.  (Wow!)

2)      Be Positioned to Respond

§  We are called to be faithful receivers and faithful responders. 

§  We are not called to originate worship.  God is the originator of worship.  Freshness in worship is not driven by human creativity, but by divine glimpses of Christ through the scripture.  Worship- leading is a stewardship.  It’s His thing, not ours.  The point is not for people to be impressed by us, but by God. 

§  Grace requires that we receive before we respond.

Worship God West 2013 - Called to be Faithful: My experience

    Wow!  I just got back from my first Worship God conference, and it was amazing!  I am so, so grateful that God provided the money for me to be able to go.  It was more than worth it!  I learned a lot, was encouraged, convicted, and blessed, made new friends, and had a lot of fun. 
    The worship times were incredible.  Getting to praise and worship God with hundreds of other Christians and be led by wonderful musicians was awesome!  It was a blessing to be able to just let go and praise Him.  One of the things I loved most was the spontaneous things that occurred during these times.  For example, After the sermon on Friday night (Faithful to Grow), one of the pastors stood up and just shared that during the message, he had felt a burden to encourage and pray for the church plants and small churches represented there.  He asked people to lay hands on those near them who were representing such a church and he prayed then and there. 
    It was also so fun making new friends, and growing relationships with the old ones.  I met people from other parts of California of different ages and roles in their church, and was blessed by the fellowship and encouragement.  I also had the privilege to make a friend from New Zealand!  And of course it was great getting to spend time with people that I don't get to see very often (and those I do!)
    The breakout sessions were awesome as well!  My favorite was one on vocal harmony and improvisation.  It was challenging, but so much fun!  We did things I had never done before (I had no clue what I was doing!) but I did fairly well, and definitely learned some things.
     I will be posting my notes from the main sessions, so if you're interested, stay tuned.  I hope God will provide for some of you to attend in the future as well!
   

Recital and other things

Today was my final recital with BethEl Ballet Academy.  I have been so blessed to be a part of this ministry for the past 8 years.  Miss Beth is amazing and has taught me so much about how to be a better dancer and a better woman. I have grown a lot and had a ton of fun dancing with the most amazing group of girls ever! 

Today's recital was also a day of goodbye's, as one of my dear friends is moving to New York in a few days. We had a special time of prayer and grieving with her and her family and we are looking forward to seeing what God does in their lives, and how He uses them in New York.  We love you, Raquel!

And I had some goodbye's to say as well.  This being my last recital with BethEl, there will be a lot of people I will miss as I leave them behind.  I'm so blessed to have so many people who love me, and the BethEl people will always be my family.  I will still enjoy coming back in the summers and seeing all of them.

On another note,  I published my book about a week ago!  That's crazy!  I can't believe I was able to complete it.  It's up for sale on Createspace and Amazon....I'm so excited!  Here's the link if you are interested: http://www.amazon.com/The-Conflict-Love-Volume-1/dp/1482778491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370746281&sr=8-1&keywords=sarah+bethany+johnson+conflict+of+love

I'll leave you with a verse to finish this post.

Trust in the LORD and do good ; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD ; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.  Cease from anger and forsake wrath ; Do not fret ; it leads only to evildoing.
Psalm 37:3-8

Endings

   Tonight marks the end of my time dancing with Dance 4 Joy Ministries.  I have been with the ministry since it was founded about 5 years ago.  It has been a wonderful experience, especially these last few years as I got to teach with the ministry and be part of an amazing adult ministry team.  I will miss these wonderful ladies, but I can't wait to see how the Lord grows and uses this ministry over the coming years! 
   Thank you Lord for all the things I've learned, and thank you Jessica, Jill, Danielle, Christy, and Ruth for all the encouragement, advice, and good times!  I'll miss you! <3

~Sarah~

Inadequate to love?

   Do you have someone in your life who suffers or is suffering deeply?  Maybe it's due to a loss of a loved one, a health issue, or some other great trial.  How do you show love to them?  Do you ever distance yourself from them because you just don't know what to say, or what to do?  Maybe you don't want to get involved because you feel you wouldn't be adequate to really help.  I know I've felt this way before.  I mean, aren't there a lot of other people who could love them better?  But is that godly?  How do we reach out to the hurting in a biblical manner?
   First of all, we have to address a sense of inadequacy.  We are inadequate to love others - on our own, that is. But Jesus lived a perfect sinless life and loved everyone He came in contact with perfectly.  We simply are to trust in Him and step out in faith.  We can't let fear of "not being good enough" stop us from obeying God's commands, and loving others is a command, not a suggestion.  Therefore, whether we feel adequate or not, we are to love.  If we waited to love till we were really good at it, we would never step out and love; plus, we will never get "good at it" if we don't practice.
   So here's a thought.  Oftentimes, a person in pain doesn't expect a lot of eloquence, they just want a hug or a kind word.  Just knowing that someone cares is often enough. 
   Don't wait!  Get out and love!
  


Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous ; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly ; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth ; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...
1 Corinthians 13:4-8b

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 13:34