think about it:

Small people talk about people,

Average people talk about things,

And great people talk about ideas.

cute song

alright... so i feel guilty for not posting on here in a while... and things are CRAZY at work today as i get ready to leave again for the weekend... so i'm gonna leave you with a song i've had on "repeat" for a while now:


ingrid michaelson: the way i am

trip home...

This year's Thanksgiving was spent in PHILLLLLLLY... freeeeeezing Philly. It marked the first time that my parents, cousins, grandparents, and IN-LAWS all spend the holiday together. Somehow we managed to squeeze into one dining room:



Anyway... yeah... we did a TON of eating... and even more picture taking - which usually happens when my sister and i get together:









AAAAAAAND, I was blessed to be a part of one of my very best friends' wedding:


(the beautiful bride, SarahBeth)


(worship during the ceremony)


(SarahBeth and her sisters)


(The "crew" rating the couple's first kiss)

Alright, alright, alright.... enough with the pictures.

Actually... i'll just stop here and update you all on music stuff later.

Much Love!

turkey time

well in honor of thanksgiving,

and my trip up north to see

the family, I thought I'd leave

you with a bit of adorableness...

my baby, Sasha:





and a song that makes me happy...

*warning... this song WILL stick in your head for days*


(Lenka, "The Show")

:)

So... i'm feeling particularly happy today. Not sure why...

I've been thinking about life a lot lately - how things happen the way they do, why things happen the way they do... I wonder how differently I'd live my life if I could REALLY get a glimpse of the big picture. I mean... I know that the world is so much bigger than what I see on a day to day basis. I know that God has an ultimate plan for this earth and that I play a part in that... but wow... if I could be zoomed up into heaven for a few minutes and have a little meeting with God, I'd love to see what's in store for me. I know He's given me BIG dreams, HUGE ones. He's given me a passion for music, for people, for the world around me... and I know He's going to use it for His glory... I just don't know how exactly.

I blogged this quote just a few days ago, but it's still speaking to me:

"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not." -Unknown

Courage is what those words above are talking about.

Courage= to act in accordance with one's beliefs, ESPECIALLY in spite of hardships, pain, danger, etc. .

Courage is one's actions matching one's spirit. It's actually LIVING what you know in your heart to be true.... and it can be quite a scary thing sometimes. It's is not just dreaming dreams, it's running after them. What a great quality to have.

Gosh... that word, "courage," has really been ministering to me a lot recently.... If you can't tell by the over-use of it in this post :). I was told by a woman I greatly admire that I lacked this bigtime. Yes, it may sound a bit harsh, but it resonated with me so deeply that I fought to hold back tears. Sometimes it takes someone really calling you out on your weaknesses to step up and rise above them, and that's what I plan on doing!

God has given me EVERYTHING I need to fulfill my calling in Him - my destiny. There is nothing that I lack. All I have to do is show up and have the courage to pursue the desires of my heart.

things that make me cry

Leona Lewis, Run.

Incredible.

stolen words

ok... i totally took this quote from a friend of mine... but i read it this morning and it really stuck with me.

We do not exist for ourselves alone, and it is only when we are fully convinced of this fact that we begin to love ourselves properly and thus also love others. What do I mean by loving ourselves properly? I mean, first of all, desiring to live, accepting life as a very great gift and a great good, not because of what it gives us, but because of what it enables us to give to others.

-Thomas Merton

my to-do list for today?
live life.
be love.
find good in
EVERY situation.

what i have learned from John McCain

alright, well i started out this blog by drawing up two lists... what i have learned from obama's campaign and what i have learned from John McCain's campaign. As you can imagine those lists are in STARK contrast to one another. I've decided to not post my thoughts on obama for a few reasons... but primarily because I want draw on the positive here, and focus on how we can work in the future to follow the incredible model that John McCain has laid out for us. Now... the obama list does exist, so just let me know if you're interested in viewing it... and i'll send it to ya! :)

There is much to be learned from John McCain. He has proven to be a man of great integrity among many other things:

He is an example of unwavering standards
He is an example of a straight talker - one who doesn't see the need to dance around issues
He is an example of one's actions matching their words
He is an example of what it means to fight for America
He is an example of what it means to uphold the morals that this nation was built upon
He is an example of strong character
He is an example of a truly remarkable man
He is an example of HUMILITY
He is an example of what it looks like to have a servants heart
He is an example of what it means to be AMERICAN.

Although he did not win, I'm honored to have supported him throughout this entire election...

Thank you John McCain for the example you have proven to be. Americans are sure going to need it in these coming years.

something to think about....

"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not." (Unknown)


Are you allowing your fears to hold you back?
Are you allowing your insecurities to hold you back?

What we do here on this earth is not dependent on our own abilities... they're dependent on Gods.

It's time to refocus our thinking. Who cares what we believe we're capable of? God's sees no boundaries when it comes to our destiny. All we have to do is surrender to His ultimate plan, and trust.

Trust.

a broken heart, a broken nation

For the first time, my heart is truly broken for our great nation.

This upcoming election has me feeling so many things:
awe
hope
dread
doubt
disgust
uncertainty
anticipation

Are we one nation under God - or are we one nation ignoring God?

Since Roe v. Wade came into effect 50 MILLION lives were not even given the chance...

It's easy to see that our country has come to a very important point in time. Things are failing, our way of doing things isn't getting us anywhere. It makes me wonder... we have taken God out of schools, we have degraded the sanctity of human life, we have walked so far away from the foundations that this country was built on... and now we find ourselves in a bit of a "rut"... I wonder why?

It is evident that this country was FOUNDED on certain laws. It's purpose was to indeed be ONE NATION UNDER GOD. No, that does not mean we should force God on those around us who may think otherwise... but it does mean that the laws that govern this wonderful country were set up to be in accordance with God and His way of doing things. We were not merely created to roam about Earth completely lawless... with no outline of how we are to live. We were created in an order. There is a right and wrong, and our culture has tried to desensatize us to this. It's TIME that we turn that around!

There are so many areas I'd love to really focus on with regards to these issues... but today I want to look at perhaps the most primary issue: life. There are many injustices in America, much prejudice, we can not ignore this. We have to speak out about it! But primarily we need to return to the foundation of God's order and fix things from the bottom up. It's time to mend the cracks that we were built upon.

Psalm 11:3
When the foundations are being destroyed, what can righteousness do?

What was the first thing God did after creating this gorgeous world that we live in? He created life. The preservation of life needs to be of uttermost importance to us. It's not a matter of choice.... there shouldn't even be a choice to make! Life is life. We are not to give and take it. We are not God. God uses us as vehicles, Man and Woman together, to create life. By upholding laws that allow abortion to take place, we are feeding the animal of self indulgence that runs rampant in America today. 43% of women have an abortion by age 45.... 43%!!!!!! And 93% of all abortions are due to "social reasons" (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient). THIS is a great tragedy. Can you Imagine how many lives that adds up to be?!?!?! By allowing this to take place, we are turning our back on God's way of doing things, and we are in essence declaring ourselves as "god" and taking the issue of life into our own hands.

As a follower of Yeshua(Jesus), it's my responsibility is to stand up for Biblical righteousness. Political preference must be second to Gods call for us to be one nation under Him. -God must be first. And His ways must be first. No there is not a perfect candidate on that ballot. No there is not a perfect political party - by ANY MEANS... but there is a candidate that seeks to uphold some of these foundational issues that America was built on... and that candidate is without a doubt, John McCain.

www.bornalivetruth.org

Watch this:

loves

don't forget to vote! :)

19 questions:

what will be my legacy?
what do others see when they look at me?
what is my true destiny?
what are my innermost desires?
what is my passion?
what is it driven by?
what kind of songs should i be singing?
what kind of music do i write?
where do i draw my inspiration from?
who am i?
what characterizes me?
am i pleasing God?
am i seeking after His best?
am i being selfish?
am i acting out of fear?
am i acting out of comfort?
how do i know if i am making the right decision?
which door should i walk through?
what's the bottom line?

...bottom line is...
i want to be someone who says "YES!" to God

- no matter what.
- no matter where it takes me.
- no matter how i feel about the decision.
- no matter how it makes me look.

my answer to God's call must always be "YES!"

an old favorite

Shane Barnard: Psalm 145

kinda funny...

Well.... after an extremely busy past few days, things have finally slowed down for me.

Looking back over my last post I realize (yet again) how incredible God is. It seems like when I feel like i've reached my "wits end" - God opens a door. Has that ever happened to you? It's crazy... but i love it. I love how God works. He moves in ways that cause us to continually depend on Him and HIS move, not our own. What a smart way to operate! I know if my destiny was based on myself and my own abilities I would have royally screwed it up by now.... but thank God, it's not! :)

So yeah... on another note, I find myself really getting into this upcoming election and it's kinda shocked me actually. I'm not usually one to be so passionate about politics, but I believe that this is probably one of the most crucial elections of our time... and it's exciting to be a part of it. I encourage you (if you haven't already) to really look at what's going on in the political world around you - ask yourself what issues matter most...

Israel?
Abortion?
The War on Terror?
Oil?

Those are just a few at the top of my list... Once I had this figured out, it was obvious who I should support.

I urge you to do the same.

In keeping with the political theme - my husband showed me this video today and I thought it was pretty clever... enjoy!

"So, you wanna boycott Israel?"

SOOOOOOOOO ready...

Ever gotten to the point where you feel like you're just "SO READY" for a new season to begin in your life? Well... that's where i'm at. In fact... I don't think it's possible to be MORE ready than I am right now... Really. It's not.

Anyone concur?

a SERIOUS blessing...

Okay... so... those of you who have been with me a while may have heard my excitement over a guitar that was being made for me.... a gentleman by the name of Dennis Kwasnycia (www.kwasnyciaguitars.com) allowed me to handpick all of the materials and basically design a guitar perfectly suited for me... His are unlike any i've ever seen and it's obvious when you take a look at them... I even requested a little Hebrew thrown into the design and he was able to accomplish it beautifully!

Here are a few shots my husband took just after we received it today....







a full length:




And a couple close ups on the front detail:







If you're wondering what the Hebrew stands for, it can be translated as "Shaddai" which is one of the many names for God. Now... in the Hebrew language you'll often find many meanings for one word - many different ways to translate just one phrase - and even some meaning hidden in the root of each word. "Shaddai" is an example of this. One of my favorite translations is simply "Almighty"... Another that really strikes a chord with my heart is "Guardian of the Doors of Israel". It's my desire to really posses the keys that open the doors to Israel, to the hearts of God's people... And to the hearts of the nations all around us. I believe that music is a HUGE aspect of this. It can reach people in ways that nothing else can, and my prayer for the future is that the Lord really uses me in a mighty way to impact not only those around me, but the world around me. I know i'm setting my goals a bit high - but hey... i serve an Almighty God! :)

sorrrrrrrrrry

so... just wanted to stop in real quick and say i'm sorry for the lack of contact over the past week. My best girl friend in the ENTIRE WORLD - Tovah Rose - came down to visit me for the weekend and we were quite busy while she was here.

Anyway... things should be back to normal shortly... I'm headed down to Orlando for the evening and then back home to relax for the rest of the weekend. (THANK GOD... i DEFINITELY need a couple days of "down time")

Alrighty, much love!

SHARON.

I really believe that there is a lot of significance to our names... The Bible is very clear on this. We can look back through history and see circumstances when God even changed the name of some, in order to "kick off" a new season in their life.

Not only do our names give some meaning and insight into who we are or who we may become, but often times they offer some prophetic insight into our own spiritual destiny. Ever since I was a child my father has told me that the Lord specifically gave him my name - Sharon Michelle. Now I've looked allllllllllllllllllll over the internet to find the literal meaning of my name, hoping to find out that it means something STRONG like Lioness of God... or anything along those lines. You can imagine my excitement to find out that my name meant "a flat plain". Great. Real cool. A FLAT PLAIN!

Well last night I had the desire to look into this a bit more and search out the verses that mentioned "Sharon". I found that 7 out of 8 times my name was used to describe a location (i'm assuming "a flat plain") in the middle east. Okay so at least now I have a bit of background on where this wonderful flat plain is located. While reading through these scriptures, I found that I was drawn to one particular verse in Isaiah (no shocker to those who know me - as this happens to be one of my favorite books in the Bible!).

Isaiah 65:10~
Sharon will become a pasture for flocks,
and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds,
for my people who seek me.

FINALLY my search yields some depth! :)

Of course my next step is to expand the chapter and read it in it's entirety... and the more I read, the more my spirit is stirred. The beginning of the chapter focuses on God's grace to His people. How he had revealed Himself even to those who had not searched for Him... How he continued to hold His hands out those who have turned their hearts away from him - a people who shamelessly mock Him. He goes on to speak of another group... those who will "possess His mountains". These people make up a remnant of faithful servants to the Lord.... and NOW is where Sharon comes in! During this time that Sharon will become a pasture for flocks. I LOVE THAT!!!! So this plain, that once was thought of as flat and desolate will bloom into a pasture... a place where flocks will come and receive nourishment and food in order to sustain themselves.

All this to say that after reading that passage I felt like the Lord gave me an even more targeted mission. THAT is how I want my life... my music... to be:

-a pasture
-a resting place
-nourishment to others

And I know it's only through God's grace that I can accomplish this.



So what does your name mean? :)

sometimes

sometimes i need a little pick-me-up during the day:






thank God for adorable animals.



i love my sasha!

dreaming big...

Sooooo.... things have been CRAZY busy this summer... and I mean completely hectic. I guess that's a good thing because it means that life is moving forward.

Over the past few days I've taken some time to reflect... to pray.... and to dream BIG. Part of me is scared to really allow myself to do this, to run with the thoughts swirling in my head - I guess it's the natural "fear of failure" that tries to jump on us at any moment... however, when I really let myself "go there" and think about all the incredible things God could have in store for me, I get SO EXCITED.... because it's not about ME... but what God can do WITH me...

Carpe Diem my friends! :)

so close to my heart....

It's amazing to see what God can do with us - what can come from God birthing a vision in just one.  My father is an INCREDIBLE example of this.  Because of his faithfulness to the Lord, the imprint he has already put on this earth is larger than he could have ever dreamed.  I'm so excited to watch where the Lord leads him... and it's truly an honor to be raised under such an anointing.  Here is just ONE of the many tremendous works that God is using my Dad and the MJAA to fulfill...

for more information on the MJAA visit: www.mjaa.org

ok so hi

well... i've finally given in and started an official blog page... i had tried before but encountered a few complications so i just decided to start over.  so here it is!  

much love.

fear...thanksgiving... life

Calm in the midst of the storm?  I'd like to say that is a quality I posses, however two nights ago that was not the case.  

On our flight from Atlanta to Jacksonville we encountered a terrible lightening storm.  I've flown a lot in my life and never have I experienced weather like this.. or fear like this... I was sitting in my seat next to Joel (my wonderful husband) and looking out the window thinking:  "There's no way that's lightening... could it be?"  It was so intense that if on the ground I'd probably be hiding in a closer or something - but to be right in the midste of it - IN THE AIR - wow.  I just can't even explain the feeling... just a complete lack of control.  My life - ultimately in God's hands - was at the mercy of the small aircraft and the violent storm around me.

I'd love to look back over those twenty minutes (thought they seemed like hours), and say that I displayed the peace of God, I'd love to say that fear did not seemingly overtake me in the moment, I mean... I know where I'm going, I know that life absent from earth means to be present with God... but I could not help but think that my work here on earth is not yet finished - and I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue in it.  

I don't really have anything profound to say in this blog, I guess this is just me being transparent with all of you.  I look back over that flight with disappointment in myself... I wish I could have been a model of peace and strength - as Joel was to me.  I wish i could have been like the man sitting one row over, quietly meditating on the Bible in front of him.  I wish I could have been as Yeshua was - the quiet in the midst of the storm.  But this time... that was not me.  

We all have weaknesses, and two nights ago mine was definitely made evident.  I'm so blessed that the Lord has given me a husband who not only hears the Word of the Lord and follows - but one is characterized by the peace and strength of God.  I can learn so much from him.... So, thank you Joel, for being an amazing role model for me, and thank you Yeshua for the blessing of life.