Moms are Awesome!

I love this video from Kid President! 

Happy Mother's Day to my mom and all the moms out there lovin' on their children! I'm so blessed to know so many wonderful women who inspire me to be a great mother one day. Moms are awesome!

Throwback Thursday: Search My Heart

For Lent of 2012, Buchanan put together a devotional. My contribution was inspired by Psalm 139 and the vulnerability I felt in reading these words. Two years later, I still find this challenging. I'm so grateful for the Lord's patience with me. 

I spent Easter 2012 at my friend Kim's in Auburn. This is from her garden!

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24

In Psalm 139, David is praising God for how well God knows him, the God who knit him together in his mother’s womb.  David writes this song in boldness, asking God to search him for his impurities.  If you are anything like me, you are thinking, “Ask God to search me? Isn’t that a bit like praying for humility? Aren’t I just asking for disaster?” I find it frightening to ask God to reveal to me the areas I need to work on, particularly because I am afraid there will just be too many.  Can’t I just go on living in oblivion to my many sinful ways?

While it scares me to ask the Lord to search my heart and mind, I know it is the only way that I can truly grow in my walk with God.  I do many things each day that grieve the Holy Spirit and keep me from distant from God, but sadly I have no clue that I am doing them.  Whether it be thinking negative thoughts or placing things of this world before the things of heaven (e.g. watching TV way more than I read my Bible---guilty!), I am keeping myself away from the blessings of the life that God wants for me. 

So often, we get trapped in a one sided relationship with God where we ask Him to do things for us, but we never respond to what He desires.  He desires closeness with you! When you ask God to search you and show you any offensive way in yourself, you are opening yourself up to responding to His call.   When you humble yourself and surrender to His ways, you can grow in your relationship with the Mighty God.  

Are you ready to open yourself up to a deeper relationship with Him?  Are you striving to become more like Christ?  You cannot do it on your own.  We must surrender our hearts and minds–our whole lives—to the one true God and be tested by His Spirit.  Real change comes when we admit we are broken, and we ask the Lord to fix us.  Be searched this season as we reflect on Christ’s gift of salvation.  Open to God’s revelation of ways you can grow and prepare for the amazing life He is giving to you!

Heavenly God, You are the Holy of Holies! Search me, Lord, and know me. Look into my heart and reveal to me the areas of myself I need to work on.  Give me the strength of Your Spirit and help me to resist temptation.  Restore me and guide me to the life You desire for me. Help me to seek You everyday, and give me the boldness to focus on treasures in heaven and not on earth.  In the name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen. 

5 Quick Tips for Saving Money

One important part of well-being is financial wellness. I try to be a good steward with the money God has provided for me, although I'm certainly not perfect.  I'm trying to build my saving in preparation for future purchases, so I'm being extra aware of where my money has been going. I use mint.com to help me see (in my very visual style--they have pie charts!) the categories on which I spend the most. For me, it's food/eating out/coffee! So if you have similar spending habits, here are the tips I've found most useful!

Lauren and I going to free admission night at the Warhol

1. Pack your lunch
Buying fast food for lunch can quickly add up (in your bank account, not to mention on your waistline). Instead of eating out or ordering in, bring lunch from home.  I love to bring left-overs in glass containers to heat up in the microwave.  I put them straight into lunch-size containers after dinner so I can grab and go in the morning. I also keep fruit snacks, greek yogurt, string cheese, and fresh fruit in the house so I can have a quick and yummy variety. If you are super disciplined, you could pack the night before. But hey, that's not me.

2. Shop at Aldi's
No, Aldi's isn't paying me for this one. But grocery shopping at Aldi's saved me big time when I was living on my own.  They have a great organic selection too, so while I'd love to shop at Whole Foods, I just can't afford it.  I buy what's in season and on sale. I also make a list beforehand, so I don't get distracted by impulse buys.  Along with groceries, I go meatless a few times a week. I love soup, salads, nachos with beans... I've never been one to crave meats, so I save lots this way.

3. Make coffee at home
I am addicted to coffee, so if you aren't, you are saving money right off the bat. But I love it too much to let it go. So instead of buying on my way to work, I make it (Or if you really want to make me happy, make my coffee for me. I'll love you forever...) at home and bring a travel mug for the car.  Coffee is a special treat for me when I buy it at Starbucks.  I signed up for the rewards program, so I can justify my purchases. :) I also love a good deal, and Dunkin Donuts has an awesome special right now--- $1 iced coffee from 2-6pm.  My amazing co-worker Shana got me hooked. It's my afternoon treat when I have to work a long evening. But it's so cheap and SO GOOD!

4. Find free fun
It is easy to spend $20-30 on a night out. I'm lucky to have friends who also like to save money, so we find ways to have fun that don't cost a lot. If we want to go out, we have a light dinner at home first then split an appetizer. When we get really lucky, we can find a free concert or a free admission night. The Andy Warhol had free admission Fridays in March, and Lauren and I took advantage. It was well worth the gas money!

5. Tithe
Letting money go does not always make "sense" or feel comfortable, but for me, tithing is the wisest investment I have made.  When I give back to God what is already His, I see blessings poured down ten-fold on me.  I can't explain it, but tithing works.  I trust Him, and He provides for me.

What ways have you found to save a few bucks?

Throwback Thursday: The Cure for Anxiety

I wrote this article almost 3 years ago for BCOG. I still struggle with anxiety, but I most likely always will to some degree.  I do think that I am much better at recognizing when I'm starting to worry and finding ways to be "still".  God does offer a cure for anxiety, we just have to be willing to "take our Daily Medication"!

The Cure for Anxiety

This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky: they don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?  Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying? Matthew 6:25-27.

            In Matthew 6, Jesus is giving his “cure for anxiety”.   These verses have a special message for me, someone who has a tendency to be quite anxious at times.   I know my anxiety can be really harmful to my physical and mental health (not to mention my spiritual health).  Yet, my anxiety also drives me to work really hard and be successful.  I like to have a plan, and I like to be in control.  And so I worry: Am I working hard enough on this? Am I saving enough money for that?  Did I waste too much time going there?  I think, think, think—hoping that “thinking” will make some sort of difference or that working will solve all my problems. 

            I know to trust God.  I’ve heard it and said it many, many times, as I’m sure you have also.  Trusting God is vitally important to our Christian lives.  Trusting God is our air, our light, and our energy—I’m not doubting that.  God loves me more than the sparrow—yes, I believe that, too.  Does God not take care of the sparrow? He will also take care of you.  It makes perfect sense.

But, there’s one part I always leave out in my thoughts on this verse: “they don’t sow or reap or gather into barns.“ It’s an easy part to skip, but it is the part to which I really need to pay attention.  The birds are not working so that God will feed them.  How often do I think, “I am going to work really hard and plan it all out, and then I can trust God with this”?  All the time!  I “trust” God, but I’m trying to do all of the work.  It’d be like your mother-in-law agreeing that you are hosting Christmas dinner at your house this year, but then she comes in and does all the cooking and the decorating without even consulting you.   If she’s doing all the work, are you really in charge?  We do the same thing with God.  We work so hard and worry if we’re doing enough, when all the while He’s saying, “I’ve got it! Stop trying so hard and just rest in Me.”. 

As a therapist, anxiety is one of the most common conditions I see.  Anxiety is so interesting to me because it affects our lives in every dimension: the physical, the emotional, and the spiritual.  Key to conquering anxiety is involving all of these dimensions in our time with God.   Take time to rest and meditate on the Word of God.  Spend time in prayer with Him.   If you are resting your body, quieting your mind, and stilling your spirit in Him instead of working, you can really begin to trust God with all of your worries.

Love in Christ,

            Shauna Staranko