Category Archives: Sarah Lehman

Easter: The Power of Death

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Lanie| 1 Comment

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so,
For those whom thou think’st thou doust overthrow
Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which by thy pictures be,
Much pleasure, then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well,
And better than thy stroke. Why swell’st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

-john donne

 

 

 “‘O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?’

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

-1 Corinthians 15:55

 

I love movies with an unexpected twist, especially when good rises up and cuts down the cocky adversary.  In many ways the redemption story is one of these stories.  Jesus, the ultimate and all powerful Son of God humbled himself,  taking human form and was faced with the common adversaries of man, death and sin.  As part an ancient plan he laid himself down before his adversaries only to rise up and cast the ultimate blow to death and sin.  Oh my goodness. I am caught up in this indeed. He rescued me from the dominion of darkness and brought me into his Kingdom (Col 1:13) while removing any power death and sin had (oh death and sin, you thought you had it all figured out from that moment in the garden, through all those generations, never thinking the King himself would drink you in only to spit you out). Imagine him sticking a sword in death and saying, “death, today you shall die!”

On easter we recognize two deaths, one resurrection. We recognize the death of Jesus on the cross, and through his death, the death of sin and of death itself.  And in the midst of death we recognize the one resurrection, that of the victorious Jesus Christ and I in him! Thank you Jesus.

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The Heartbeat

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Lanie| 6 Comments

I am eight months pregnant with baby girl Lehman (my son insists her name will be “Crashing Racecar-Monster Truck”). Recently, I was at a check-up and the midwife asked if I would like to hear the baby’s heartbeat through the stethoscope. I said yes, kind of half-heartedly.  I had tried to pick out her heartbeat before through the fetal Doppler monitor and could never really hear it with all the swishing from my placenta and my own pulse booming. I put the stethoscope in my ears and listened. The midwife asked if I could hear it and I admitted that I really could not. When I admitted this, she took my hand and started tapping out the rhythm of the baby’s heart on my wrist. When she did this it was like baby girl’s heart was the only thing I could hear. Her heart was so strong, so steady and I had no doubt that it was her heart that I was hearing.

God revealed something through this about how I can relate to other people. See, there is a lot going on within me, around me, within others and around others.

Sometimes a whole lot.

Sometimes it is hard to really understand other’s hearts, to hear what they are really saying, and to know what they really need. I need to seek out their heart. But here is the thing, no one has really heard their heart, no one knows their heart but God.  When I come into contact with those around me I need to ask the Holy Spirit to give me ears to listen and then let Father tap out the rhythm of that person’s heart for me.

Simply put, if you are having trouble understanding someone, or even if you aren’t, maybe you think you understand them fine, I want to challenge you to let God reveal the heart and workings of that person to you. Ask him to separate the noise from their rhythm and reveal their true heart to you.

(Oh and did I mention just how beautiful and what a moment of connection it was to truly know it was Crashing Racecar-Monster Truck’s heart that I was hearing?)

 

“ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’

 1 Samuel 16:7

 

“The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.”

  Proverbs 20:27

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Rest

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Abby| 10 Comments

By Sarah Lehman

You would think as the mother of an active two year old I would cherish and revel in moments where I can rest, sleep and have small pleasures. For the most part I do, but too often I don’t. Not because I don’t like sleeping, sitting still in the quiet, taking a walk, or spending time with Jesus. I love all of those things. However, I find that if I am not rushing through them, I feel guilty about not doing things I feel like I “should” be doing. I let my mind wander to all the tasks to be done and all the people I should see.  I can’t get past this set of expectations I put on myself.

The Spirit has been showing me this is not the best way; that God desires us to rest, completely. In fact, He likes to give us rest as a gift…A GIFT :

“It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?” Psalm 127:2  The Message

I realize there are many types of seasons (Ecclesiastes lets us know that).  Some are busy and some are more open. This is what God has been showing me…if there is a season or even if there are moments throughout the day to rest or enjoy a small God-given pleasure, embrace it. Don’t let your mind toil the whole time so you walk away tired and unrefreshed. Have faith that God is big enough to take care of everything while you sit and breathe.  Be ready to accept that he might ask you to put away some of your endeavors in order to rest. Rest is a gift.

Oddly, I found my lesson on rest while I was busy baking.  I have a recipe for bread that says after you knead the dough (which is essentially working it hard), place the dough in towel and let it nap for two hours (even my bread gets a nap). During this time the yeast is feeding, the dough is rising and becoming something that can sustain me later.

When I surrender to rest completely (in any form it may come) I cast all my cares (and my schedule) on God. I can come away knowing that even in theses times God has done a work in me. I have grown, I have risen. What an encouraging thought, what a gracious God.

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Don’t Be Afraid

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Abby| 5 Comments

By Sarah Lehman

Don’t be afraid
When the waves crash into you
Don’t be dismayed
We have this hope
He who created the waters laid a line
For the tide
And said
“ye angry waves be stayed, ye angry waters here be stayed”

Don’t be afraid
When the earth shakes underneath you
Don’t be dismayed
We have this hope
He who stretched out the heavens
Laid his hand on the land
And said
“ye angry pillars be stayed, ye angry pillars here be stayed”
The waves will cease
This old earth will fade away
But our hope endures always…

“I am with you always…
I am with you always, love”

I wrote this song a long time ago and it has been surfacing in my mind as the new year approaches. I was thinking about change and how you never really know what circumstances will appear with new seasons, new beginnings, or even tomorrow. However, there is one certainty, one sure truth to lean on…if you are walking with Jesus He is already before you in the upcoming season.  He has already secured your tomorrow. You are secure because Christ is secure.  He is in total control of all things, nothing can challenge Him or His word. Nothing. Though everything around you might shake or have the potential to become overwhelming, REST, you are hidden in Christ and nothing can separate you from Him.

“From the ends of the earth, I call to you when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me the towering rock of safety.” Psalm 61:2

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,”   Psalm 24:1

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Wealth Worth Having

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Lanie| 4 Comments

By Sarah Lehman

“ Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart my fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

-Psalm 73:25-26

 

Psalm 73 is the story of Asaph, an Israelite who honored God with his life. In this Psalm he describes how he almost lost his purity and how he almost gave into temptation and sinned. Just what was this temptation?

Was it lust? No.

Was it murder? No.

Was it slander?  No.

Get ready for it…ENVY. Oh yes, envy almost did him in.  You see Psalm 73:1-15 is a story about a Godly man looking at the prosperity of the wicked. He sees that they have everything they want.  They are enjoying it and seem to have peace of mind while he is busting his booty to be a man of God.  So, he is trying to work it out, how is this fair? Why do they that are not following God seem to be fulfilled while his existence seems so hard? Maybe it would be better to throw in the towel? But should he? All of this thinking leads him to say in verse 16, “it is a wearisome task.”  He is frustrated, upset, envious, and ready to speak against God UNTIL he goes to the sanctuary of God.

There, in the sanctuary, several things became clear. First he mentions he saw the end of the sinners who gained all this “wealth and prosperity”. Their end is apart from God and they shall all wake as if their lives were a dream and find their ruin. Secondly, he sees his own standing before God.  As Asaph became embittered within his heart he says he became, “ brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you [God].”

And thirdly, the best part,

“Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
And afterward you will receive me to glory.”

Even though he doubted the goodness of God, God has not forsaken him. God continues to uphold him and lead him through life, through this frustration. Asaph realizes there may be that temporary wealth but he already has been given a portion. The best portion, the only portion to be desired, the portion that can feed him forever and secure his flesh and heart,

 

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

 

Asaph became refocused and refreshed when he came to God in worship.  In the place of worship, God became his refuge.

Asaph’s temptation is not an uncommon one. In fact, it is the kind of temptation that is easy to nurture.  We can easily overlook envy in our life as we let ourselves focus on what other people have or their happiness. As Christmas and the New Year approaches it may become an even bigger temptation as material possessions become emphasized; and as people look back on their year and judge its success by what they did or did not do and how they did or did not feel. Remember in all of this we are children of God who cannot judge what we have materially by the standards of the world. We can’t even judge our circumstances with those who are in the world to know whether we are successful or not. No, we have been given a greater portion! Christmas should remind us of that as we remember this is when God gave, GAVE us His son.  The portion we have in Christ is not a “I am on a diet” size portion that leaves you hungry and secretly raiding the fridge ten minutes later, it is a generous, all you can eat and all you will need Christmas dinner portion. Believe me, it is all we need.

So, if you find yourself confronted with the temptation of envy, run to God’s sanctuary, come to him in worship. There, let him show you yourself and more importantly let him remind you of His deep love for you, His strong commitment to you even in your weakness. There in His presence as you soak in His love you WILL become confident that Christ is the only wealth worth having.

 

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All Aboard!

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Lanie| 4 Comments

By Sarah Lehman

My two-year-old son Elijah loves machines. Yep, racecars, garbage trucks, planes, helicopters and trains. Especially trains. I think he knows the location of every train track in Memphis.  Often we will be approaching a track in the car and before it is even in sight he yells, “Train!  Train! Be very careful!” He also knows that there is a special call given when a train is in sight, “All aboard!!!!!”  Well, we were in downtown Memphis on a Saturday evening and it was surprisingly busy with lots of people wandering around. As we were walking, Elijah spotted the trolley (which to him is just a type of train), stood beside it and began to yell, “All aboard! All Aboard! All aboard!” This continued for a while.  As the people passed by some looked at him and smiled while others didn’t even seem to notice. I just laughed and loved him all the more for it.

The next day I was thinking about how children will step up and state the obvious…they say what they know.  As I considered this I heard a gentle, but firm voice say, “Sarah, how many times have you not said anything when you saw the train that could carry people where they need to go? How many times do you just remain silent as they walk by and you have a word from me that would enable them to rest? How many times do you keep quiet what I have told you to proclaim because of your fear of people?” Was he asking me to have the boldness my son displayed? Would God really be asking me to be like a child?

I knew what the Spirit was addressing in me.  I knew that this would make a great picture of evangelism and proclaiming the Gospel (and it does). But that wasn’t the point this time; the Spirit was referring to something else:

 

Hebrews 10:24 25- “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

 

Colossians 3:16- “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

 

Hebrews 3:13- “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today”, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

 

He was asking me why I hesitate to encourage others and why I hesitate to give them the words He has placed on my heart for them. I even think He was asking why I don’t seek out words for others from Him, especially when God wants to use these words to help my brothers and sisters get somewhere they need to go. That word of encouragement, that moment of teaching might be the train that will save them years and years of walking in circles. We need to be bold enough to speak into the body of Christ because God will use it to help move us further in our walk as individuals and the body. Don’t take lightly the words the Spirit puts on your heart for others. Take the time to pray over them, make sure they don’t contradict His word at all and if that word is still there, be faithful to proclaim it. That word might be the “all aboard!” that helps them get on the train God has provided for them.

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Prayer

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Lanie| 4 Comments

By Sarah Lehman

Prayer
By George Herbert

Prayer the Church’s banquet, angel’s age,
God’s breath in man returning to his birth,
The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav’n and earth;
Engine against the’Almighty, sinner’s tower,
Reversed thunder, Christ-side –piercing spear,
The six-days world transposing in an hour,
A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear;
Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss,
Exalted manna, gladness of the best,
Heaven in ordinary, man well-dressed,
The milky way, the bird of paradise,
Church bells beyond the stars heard, the soul’s blood,
The land of spices; something understood.

 

I am left with a sense of awe by this poem.  It helps me to realize that there are no words to express what is actually happening between my Spirit and the heart of God when I come to Him in prayer. There is nothing that can express the power of how a prayer prayed in the Spirit can shake the earth. Words cannot describe it. I cannot understand it. I also think of all the times I come to pray and have no words. I don’t always know how to express my heart, but praise God, my prayer is always understood. Always understood.

When I think about the awesome gift of prayer and how intimate it is…how can I walk away from prayer not feeling encouraged, inspired, and at peace? When I think of the great love of Christ as he initiates and invites me to be with him, how can I ever doubt that every one of my prayers are understood? I am always understood. May we also through prayer always seek to understand Christ.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses ALL understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

-Philippians 4:6,7

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A Cup Full of Rocks

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Abby| 7 Comments

By Sarah Lehman

Proverbs 4:23

Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Luke 6:45

 

In my kitchen I keep a glass filled with rocks.  This is for several reasons.  One, because it is pretty and it fills an empty space.  Two, because it reminds me of something God was talking to me about awhile ago. Simply put, I can have a glass filled with rocks and even though I put water in it, when I tip that glass back to get some water, gravity is always going to work and give me a mouthful of rocks with my water.

Jesus mentions this concept throughout the gospels. He plainly tells us that our mouths will say what our hearts are really pondering…what our hearts have been holding on to. You might be able to keep things “secret” or masked for a while, but just like the rule of gravity brings things down to earth so will your mouth and actions pull things up from your heart.  Jesus says so much in Matthew 15:18,19 “but what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, SLANDER.”

I believe this is what the Proverb is talking about when it says “keep your heart with vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”  I look at people who murder, commit adultery, and gossip and think “wow, how did they get there?” Perhaps there were moments they didn’t guard their hearts, they let a little bit of hate or resentment linger, they didn’t deal with the bitterness or jealousy, they watched that scene in the movie one too many times….little by little the heart is compromised and what goes up will eventually go down, or in this case what goes down will come up.  Let’s look at lust for a moment.  Although you may never physically commit adultery, lust in your heart has consequences.  For example, you may find intimacy with your spouse is strained when you nurture lust in your heart. 

This could sound hopeless, or even legalistic, like living by a set of rules will make you clean. But as Christians this becomes something we do with the Holy Spirit. A guarded heart becomes the result of accepting the purity and blood of Jesus. Not only does he blot out all the current ugliness in our heart, He takes an extreme interest in making sure we go “from glory to glory.”  We are his work, not our own. And the neat thing is, just like gravity is not all bad (I mean it keeps us being sucked into space and helps that ball you kicked up in the tree come down), this whole concept of what goes down will come up is helpful and beautiful when it works right. You see, if I am focusing on Jesus, when issues rise up in my heart I will let the Holy Spirit teach me how to guard my heart. Then you know what will erupt from my mouth and from my actions? Love, peace, patience, and self control…all those fruits. It will be like a living vine is growing out my mouth  (I wish that I could insert a picture here of what that would look like).

 So with that, I just want to encourage you ladies, be honest about what you have inside and to seek the strength and wisdom of the Holy Spirit to help you guard you heart. Because, after all, you don’t want to tip back a cup full of rocks.

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The Slow Seed

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Abby| 6 Comments

By Sarah Lehman

You know what can be hard? Trusting God for vision in your life. You know what is harder? Walking in His vision for you even when it takes you on a long road that goes through many seasons before you see any fruit. I hardly have the patience or the ability to cultivate a plant let alone walk out a promise that will echo through eternity. Instead of growing plants from seeds (because that takes way to much work) I go and buy them almost fully grown…then I plant them.

I was reminded of the reward of patience while I was visiting my parents this month and I noticed some gorgeous hollyhocks behind their house. These are not the type of plants you can buy almost grown and then plant; they stand really tall (average height is between 5 and 8 feet) like delicate poles with their pink and red flowers swaying in the breeze. I asked my Mom about them because I didn’t remember seeing them at the house before. You know why I never saw them at the house? She planted them five years ago and this is the year they came up. Five years. Let me say it again, five years for a plant! I would have ripped those suckers out 4 ½ years ago and planted some instantly gratifying dandelions. But hollyhocks need time. In fact, part of the reason they take a long time to grow is because they have a complex root system underneath the ground that allows them to stand so tall and majestic with pretty flowers adorning them.

As I thought about the hollyhocks I felt encouraged. The most beautiful things, the seeds with the biggest potential will probably take time. And it’s not my idea of time (you know, give it six months, if it doesn’t happen then start over with something else). It is God’s sense of time, with an eye toward eternity. We see many examples of this in the Bible: Abraham, Joseph, and the faithful men and women in Hebrews 11 just to name a few. These men and women knew that if God had planted a seed and had given them a promise that “the one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” – 1 Thessalonians 5:24. Some of them saw the promise fulfilled in their lifetime, others did not, but we see the fruit now. Don’t become discouraged and distrustful of God. He is moving; he is working on establishing roots so that the promise and bloom of the seed can be maintained. If he has promised hollyhocks there will be hollyhocks whether it be today, tomorrow, or in five years. Walk confidently and endure, leaning on Christ to work out all good things and you will be smelling flowers for an eternity.

 

Image  credit: http://www.plantwire.com/photos/468769478

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I Am Whole

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Abby| 2 Comments

By Sarah Lehman

I love waking up and remembering a dream.  It rarely happens so when it does, I really enjoy it and find myself thinking about it a lot. For example, the other night in my dream I was playing in a parking lot with my son Elijah (now in waking life I do not, do not play in parking lots with my son). As we were playing, I hugged and kissed him and did all of those Mommy type of things. I even had to discipline him for something. As we were interacting, I became aware that we were being watched by two men (not in a creepy way). They came closer and I recognized them as being a pop duo sensation of the 80’s.

(Which sensation? Who knows? Apparently deep in my subconscious rests an 80’s pop duo).

Once they got to me they looked at me with pleasant curiosity on their faces and said  “We see you playing with your son. You are happy, you are so WHOLE. How are you able to be that way?”  In the dream I answered, “I know Jesus. I am loved by God.” And then I left, wondering what the 80′s pop duo was doing in a parking lot, and why were we all speaking in short, choppy sentences.

There was one phrase in that dream that I haven’t been able to shake, “You are so whole.” The 80′s duo might have said, “You seem so complete and it is totally obvious because of the joy you are displaying and your love for your son.”

See, when we are in a relationship with Jesus, when we are confident of the love of God, we find everything we need and desire in Him and we become whole. Our naked places are covered, all of our gaps are filled and we have an abundant source of provision. And that kind of wholeness, that kind of satisfaction becomes apparent to others because of the fruit it brings about in our lives. In my dream it was the fruit of joy and love (love for my son).

“I am whole” is a statement that declares that I lack nothing – there is no part missing, If I have been robbed in the past I am now restored – I am full and running over. Do we realize that if we walk with Jesus, if we are under the shelter of God’s wing, we are whole and we don’t need to look for completion anywhere else?  Here is another beautiful thing, because Jesus is what makes us whole and because He is also our Shepherd, we shall not be robbed of that wholeness!

If you are feeling challenged in this, if you are feeling depressed or incomplete, fix your eyes on him, Don’t let your soul be downcast, “God is your exceeding joy” (Psalm 43).  When you are in Him, you are WHOLE!

I can almost hear the 80’s pop sensation sing it now……

 

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