New Website

You can now find me at: www.SarahMalcangi.com

The Heart of a Christian

I've moved to:
http://theheartofachristian.blogspot.com

There you will find all my current writing.  You can also connect with me on Twitter:   www.twitter.com/SarahMalcangi

Newer Blog

Don't forget my new blog link is:

http://theheartofachristian.blogspot.com

That is the only place I'm posting these days.  Hope to see you over there!!!

New Blog

I've started a new blog for the next season in my life.  Come follow me at:

http://theheartofachristian.blogspot.com/ 

The Flesh

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  (Matthew 26:41)


It saddens me deeply when people live constantly in the flesh and deny the Spirit. It is our own selfish flesh desires that get us into trouble and create situations that hurt others.  When we are wondering what happened in our life maybe we should be asking ourselves if we made those decisions in the spirit or the flesh.  


I am not excluding myself here either.  I need to constantly ask myself that question.  Am I denying myself for God's Glory?  Am I taking up my cross?


I am also reminded of John 3:30:
"He must become greater; I must become less."


Before Christians were called Christians they were called "People of The Way".  Look closely we are not people of "a" way but "The" way.  It is God's Way and there is not another path that results in salvation and righteousness.  


When we focus more on God and less on ourselves we are truly living for Him and living in the Spirit.  We can read the word but not live in the Spirit so it is important to experience the word of God.  Do not just read The Bible but let His truth transform you.

A New Season

I'm entering a new season of my life.  God is transforming my life in such a wonderful way I can't really describe it in words.  He is taking a lot of bad and turning it into good!!  I've taken some time off from writing because I'm in school and spending more time with God.

I hope to write more often to write about how God is taking hold of my life and using it for His will.  Lots of design changes are to come as well!!

Fall Time

I love this time of year.  Football has officially started, my son is in school, and all the beautiful things that happen in fall.  Even though I currently live in a warm climate I still see a change in the air.  There is something fall like about the clouds even if it's still 87 degrees out.  The breeze is a little different and I'll be excited when next month we will be able to go to the pumpkin patch.  I love the messy job of scraping out all the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin and baking them.  It's a fun project to do with any toddler just as long as your outside.  :)

I really love putting up fall decor as well.  There is something renewing about fall leaves to me.  The beautiful transformation leaves make is just so dang pretty.  I am a creature who loves and even craves change so maybe that is another reason why I really love fall.  To me it's just another leg of the journey but change brings a new opportunity to be better for God.

Today I got a request to post my famous pumpkin bread recipe as well.  I'm really looking forward to making it.  I make it a lot during the fall months.  Not only does it taste yummy but it makes your whole house smell so good.  To me scents of fall like cinnamon, cloves, and pumpkin are so very comforting.

Without further ado.  I present the best pumpkin bread recipe ever!!

 Bella Pumpkin Bread

• 3 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground saigon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 7 x 3 inch loaf pans.
2. Mix oil, sugar, and eggs together in a large bowl. Mix in pumpkin puree and water. Stir together flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Add to the pumpkin mixture, and mix until just combined. Divide batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool on wire racks.

Faith Like a Child

Ever since I read the book "Heaven is for Real" I've been seriously thinking about what Jesus said about having "faith like a child".


Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."
-Luke 18:17


However, during dinner while my son was physically dissatisfied with what I made for him I realized something.  I'm sure when God asks me to do something or directs me in a direction that I don't want to do, I act exactly like my son.  I'm sure I throw temper tantrums screaming, "No, no I don't want to" or "but why do I have to".   Sure we might be tired when God asks us to do something but He expects us to obey Him, after all, He first loved us.


I can't expect my son to obey me without first obeying my heavenly Father.  I must be the example otherwise I'm just a dictator.  


And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey him.”
-Joshua 24:24

Taking a Step Forward

Those were the words my pastor said Sunday.  I felt compelled that I need to be taking a step forward in my life.  God wants us to live with the JOY He has given us.

It's sometimes hard not to think about the wrong in the world or what is not going right.  Honestly I am happier thinking about what is going right or the good news of the world.  I like to surround myself with positive people because it is infectious.  Not to deny that there aren't bad people and bad things in the world but we don't have to hold that on our shoulders.  It's not our burden to carry.  That's the wonderful news about Jesus is that HE wants us to 'cast our cares' on Him.

The hard lesson I've learned is that it doesn't make you a stronger person to hold on or to carry those burdens all by yourself.  The weight will only bring you down and create anger and bitterness.

So why are you carrying all those burdens on your shoulders???

²² Cast your cares on the LORD 
   and he will sustain you; 
he will never let 
   the righteous be shaken.
-Psalm 55:22


Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.
-Luke 11:46


Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
-Psalm 68:19


Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
-1 Peter 5:7

Let the Waters Rise

I was just listening to one of my current favorite songs.  "Let the Waters Rise" by Mike's Chair.  I think that song is so appropriate yet harsh for some.  Do you welcome the waters or do you run away??

In less than 3 weeks we've gone through an earthquake, a huge thunderstorm followed by a few days of a huge power outage, followed by our electric company workers going on strike, and now a Tsunami.  This is the 2nd tsunami I've experienced and feel we've been really lucky both times.  Times like this make you really have island fever.  All the what ifs.

However, all these things make me realize how powerful God is.  He has His hand in everything!!!  He is always protecting us.  Even though in the midst of the storm it sometimes feels like He places me in the desert, He is ALWAYS there.  With that I take great comfort.

We can choose to let fear become unbelief or we can set it aside and decide to trust God in everything.

I'm so thankful all our military members and families are safe tonight but we must not forget our brothers and sisters we lost and those that so desperately need our prayers right now.

Theology Class & Some Prayer: Week 3

Another great week at class.  We learned about Baptism, What Does It Mean to commit Blasphemy, and Gifts.  To be honest it blew me away.

I don't before tonight I thought about all the different kinds of Baptisms there are, What does the Bible say about it, etc.  I just knew I was baptised as a child and then again in August 2010.  Of course I knew I needed to be baptised after giving my life to God but I don't think it was important to me until God convicted me of it.  I didn't ever want to be one of those people who are just "going through the motions" of being a child of Christ.  I wanted to know it was right to do it in my heart.  Besides what good is it if it's not coming from your heart.  God knows the truth and that's what mattered to me.

Blasphemy.  That is a word that I thought I understood.  What I really didn't understand is, is it really unforgivable.  What if a person who committed blasphemy but then later in life became a Christian, would they be accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven.  What if I committed blasphemy in my youth and never realized it.  My pastor posed a great statement though.  If you are thinking about what if I did that before I was saved you didn't do it.  Blasphemy is a reference to people with hardened hearts who keep refusing to see God's goodness, God's miracles, His Son.

The Pastor also talked about receiving the fullness of the spirit.  What Gifts do you have and how to receive empowerment for them.  I think you can read things in the Bible about Fruit of the Spirit or reaping the rewards of fruit.  For me I didn't really understand what that all meant.  My Pastor really clarified it all through a simple drawing.  Imagine a lush fruit tree.  There are 3 elements which are needed for that tree to bare fruit.  Sun, rain, and good soil.  The tree by itself can't force fruit to grow from it's branches without help.  With the help of these elements it has beautiful fruit.  Similarly to our faith.  Without God's word and the Holy Spirit we can't bare fruit.  We can't experience empowerment with our spiritual gifts if we don't ask God to help us desire out gifts.  We don't choose our own gifts.

That lead into a beautiful closing of the class.  Another class next door to us at the church is on Prayer and Healing.  If we wanted we could get prayer for empowerment of our gifts.  My flesh wasn't really wanting to but I felt my heart said yes.  So I went and 2 wonderful ladies layed their healing hands on me in prayer.  It was awesome.  I left with an intense warming feeling that I couldn't quite comprehend.  On the drive home God really solidified my gift for helping other women. 

Theology Class: Week 2

Where do I begin.  It was another great class.  I just wish it was longer.  Tonight the class was on Repentance, What is Faith, and Who is Christ.  It was a really abbreviated amount of info.  This is just what was on my mind about these things.

I've realized I've never gone further than looking up the definition of repentance.  Tonight's class really made me look at things I need to repent on.  I use to think because I wasn't committing a major sin that I was a "good person".  With some things I felt guilty or I just understood what I was doing was wrong.  When really that is just the beginning of repentance.  I really need to have an emotional connection (crying out to God) and finally a personal decision to renounce the sin.  The main question I really need to keep asking myself is How is my sin offending God.

In retrospect I face a lot of temptations but to fight temptation, that's the true test of character.  Even Jesus was tempted.  I think you can get a better grasp on this idea by watching the beginning scene of the movie "The Passion of the Christ".  Jesus is praying and being tempted by Satan.  I think too often we think that Jesus didn't experience the same emotions as we do.  So often we can miss temptation in our own lives because we give into feelings of resistance.  For example I LOVE food.  Especially at night I get this sweet craving and become tempted to eat or over eat.  So many times I don't think of the temptation part...just the part of how "good" it will taste.

What is Faith??  To me it's more of a feeling, sometimes an action word.  Since I was young I've always known God was near me.  It wasn't until I was 24 did I really experience His love but I've always known God created me for a special purpose.  So faith to me was knowing what is in my heart.  I've always felt my heart was connected to God.  Faith to me is also an action word.  It's a confidence in knowing that God is in control.

Who is Christ??  What a loaded question.  I'm sure I'll always be trying to wrap my little brain around who Christ is.  Like I mentioned earlier Christ faced the same temptations we do everyday.  One question that I'll be praying about is did Christ have a super strength when it came it temptation.  Of course he was Jesus and as John 5:58 says, "before Abraham was, I am".  He is the foundational belief of being fully man and fully God.  How awesome is that!!
He had human weakness and limitation.  When I think of this I think of all the rejection Jesus faced as a man.  Yet He had enough strength to know He was the ultimate sacrifice.  He didn't resist the temptation to flee from harm.  He was the example of a perfectly obedient life.

I could probably write so much more but I'm emotionally and physically tired from everything going on.

Until next week...

My new Theology Class

Just got back from my first ever Theology class.  Lets just say it answered a lot of questions of mine but I feel like I really don't know much about God.  For starters have you ever just sat and thought about God's everlasting, his eternal presence.  Look to your left and just keep looking and looking and he is there and all the things you can's see, he is there.  Now do the same thing but look to your right.  We can't understand how vast, wide, or that His love is big.  But how big is it??  It's not something you can contain.

My only emotion right now is WOW.  It hurts my head to think how he loves us.  As it says in the bible his love stretches from everlasting to everlasting.  To try to understand this in the physical world we live in is mind boggling.  IT doesn't make sense because His LOVE is so HUGE!!!!

I feel like I've been running a marathon and now God has given me this new strength, this new perspective of what he wants to reveal to me.  How AWESOME IS THAT!!!!

A big question that has bothering me to try to understand is:  THE TRINITY.  And also what are the differences between Body, Soul, and Spirit.  What do they mean and how do they relate to how God wants them to line up, to synch.

We all have bodies.  But what is your soul, and your spirit??  Before we were saved christians we may have a body and a soul but have a spiritually dead "spirit".  That made so much sense to me because I know what it's like to be spirtually dead.  Maybe a more appropriate question is how to wake up our spirit.  How can we learn how to connect with the body and soul.
We can be surrounded by the most perfect spiritual experience but have no feeling in that area.  It takes God drawing you into Him to awaken that deadness.  So you can cry and feel connected to God, possibly not knowing how you got there but nevertheless you are there and your "trinity" per se  is in unison.

What an eye opening night filled with feeling like I'm surrounded by HIS love!!

The Spirit is Willing but the Body is Weak

The Spirit is WILLING but the body is weak!!

That one sentence has been in my head all week. The spirit wants me to spend more time with God. My brain sometimes chimes in and says, no I have so much to clean or organize. I can't do that right now.

I think many people face these same struggles. Life has become so busy we forget how important it is to sit down and relax and think. Instead our schedules won't allow us to clear a space for the Lord.

Lately, I've been setting goals for myself. I can clean and cook and organize until 12pm. Then it's time for God. I feel so much better not just because I get to spend some great time with God but I always react to situations better and with more love.

With all the things going on in our lives it can be hard to spend a time of reflection with ourselves. A time to be truly honest with ourselves, about ourselves.

I'm sure many addictive personalities people know they that are making bad decisions but they do it anyway because it's what they know. We are creatures of habit. When it feels right it must be the way right???

Life won't always feel "right". Sometimes you have to go against the grain to get past a hurt or addiction and it won't feel right at first. You have to create a new healthy habit. The Spirit is always willing. We just have to tell the body what to do.

My Help Comes From The Lord

I think the title really sums up everything. My Help Comes From THE LORD!!! The latest couple of weeks I've been attending a really great church and it feels like a "home church". Today we heard a testimony from a man who attend Saddleback church in California (Rick Warren's church). It was so refreshing to hear brutal truth from someone who comes before the Lord and proclaims how imperfect they are. In a world that concentrates on perfection and looking good this man confessed to all of us how his life fell apart but then how God put it back together in a much better way. How awesome is God!!! How awesome is He to help us to live in a way that He prefers and that we truly desire.

I was thinking of what is one thing that makes me truly happy when life seems to make me stress (and even when it doesn't)...it's God. God fills me with the strength, love, and joy that makes me whole. God makes me whole!!

Rain

I sometimes will have times when I get this overwhelming feeling God is with me and He gives me great knowledge. I got this feeling yesterday as I was getting ready to go walking with a friend. I was thinking, as I have been, about certain people who challenge me when it comes to my faith in the Lord.

I'm sure we all have people or situations that have challenged or tested or knowledge about our faith. I have been preparing for my next "encounter" by reading the Bible and praying more.

So I was praying and thinking about what I would say if my faith was the hot topic once again. Then I got this beautiful message...

Rain. Rain can be a great comparison to how we have faith in our Lord. The smell of rain and the clouds in the sky is like our faith in God. We know HE is around us because of things that are happening in our environment. The smell of rain is like no other smell. We know what it is and we don't question it. When someone's questions my faith it's like someone telling you, "maybe you don't smell the rain, I can't see it so it's not rain".

We can't see the smell of rain and sometimes it's even hard to see rain, say, when it's sprinkling. However, we know it's there or it's coming. As children we were taught and learned that rain is imminent when we see dark clouds, we can smell the moist air and feel the humidity change.

It's very similar to what we are taught about faith. We can't see our God currently but we can feel His love and sense his presence. When we are asked to prove our faith in our almighty God it can sometimes be difficult if people want a physical answer. They want us or God to perform miracles. Would they even believe the miracle? Jesus performed many miracles and some people still questioned Him. Statistically it will take 25-50 miracles or acts from God for a non Christian person to actually believe it came from God.

Matthew 16:4

"A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah."

Forgiveness

"Forgiveness is giving up the possibility of a better past."

Forgiveness means different things to different people. For me I am always learning more and more about forgiveness and what it means to me and my growth.

We all need forgiveness. Whether it's to forgive others or to be forgiven. I have found when I think I have forgiven someone a situation arises to test me.

The Bible also talks about forgiveness.

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." --Colossians 3:13

I think there are also great examples of forgiveness we can follow. Not only did Jesus forgive everyone that wronged him, he commanded us to forgive one another.

Forgiveness is needed on so many levels of our lives. Whether it's with your spouse, parents, siblings, children or even co-workers.

You can have so much more peace in your life when you learn how to forgive others. Afterall, what good does it do for you for holding onto all those feelings that are preventing you from forgiving that person?

Are you a stronger person?? NO

Most of us, especially if we feel hurt, want to move on from those feelings. Forgiveness is the quickest, easiest and long lasting way to enjoy life again.

Another thing forgiveness does is it helps us grow. Sometimes we have to experience the same lesson more than once. No one is excused from experiencing hurt and in turn forgiveness.

For me, forgiveness has been both easy and hard. It's been very easy to forgive certain people yet so hard with a couple of people. I thought I had forgiven these difficult people yet I had this horrible pride preventing me from loving them. I felt they didn't deserve my forgiveness. I felt so hurt by their actions that I created a wall that prevented me from truly forgiving them and loving them for the way they are. I know God created each one of us and gave us beautiful talents. Yet the thought of one of these people made me so mad. I wanted these people to be something they were not.

At one point I even acknowledged my unrealistic expectations but was still expecting them to be someone different.

My pride kept me from forgiving them and embracing the gifts God has given them. When I heard of things they were doing my pride made me angry at people praising them. In my mind they needed to be punished.

I had been praying for a few months about my stubbornness and my pride. Hoping God would soften my heart so I could love them and love life. This one quote kept appearing. Thats when I knew God was up to something. He sometimes has to put things in front of my face a few times before I get it. This is what I read:

"When you refuse to love people because they're hard to love, you forget the fact that God always loves you, even though you're not always easy to love."

When I read that I really was so full of peace. It was like a burden had been lifted. I know I'm stubborn and not the easiest to love so this made perfect sense to me.

No one is the same you have to learn forgiveness in a way that brings you peace and fills you with love. Once you learn how to forgive one person it helps you with other challenges in life.

"Our only security is our ability to change."

Family: How can I deal with other family members that obviously need LOVE

How can a Christian person get through to a overprotective, stubborn, I don't need God, or I don't have time for God, type of person??

I am faced with this question almost daily. Jesus says to share the good news. How can we reach people who don't want to be touched by the great love God has for them. It's almost like they think they are weaker for submitting to our Lord. Satan has created such lies that make people think that God's love is hard but it's easy as saying, Lord I want to receive your love.

As Christians we can't overcome these character traits by ourselves. We need the Lord's help just like these people need to feel the power of love that our God gives us. Love is the answer. It's always the answer.

I believe so many people are like this because of the absence of love in their own lives. They are trying to find happiness in the physical, conditional world.

I am no better than any of you. I was once one of those lost souls who craved something more but at the time had too much pride.

Satan has created so many traits in people that our society has accepted and deemed normal. Like Pride, Jealousy, Fear, Hatred, conditional love, and money driven motives.

Satan has put up walls around us and called it Strength. Strength is NOT shutting people out because you're too busy. Strength is NOT, not allowing yourself to reach out to others. Strength is NOT, being competitive with another church. Strength is NOT being judgmental and demeaning.

We must focus on the love of God. The love that HE shares with us so we can love others. His love is unconditional love.

We can't force people to receive God's love but we can pray for them. Pray for God to soften their hearts so they can receive his unconditional love. Pray for God to break down the walls that are only hurting them. These walls are false promises of something better.

It is through His Love that we have strength.

Why God??

I grew up in a big Italian family where pride was strength. No emotion was strength. Not caring for others was strength. Not loving was strength and no affection was strength. I attended a methodist church as a child so I knew about God and knew He was always near me, guiding me.

I experienced a lot of emotional and physical abuse as a child but I knew that God was with me and He wanted me to experience this for some reason. I knew He was making me stronger. When I left home at 16 God kinda got pushed to the back burner until I realized I NEED Him in my life.

It took me 24 years before I realized that life of what I thought was strength isn't what I wanted or more importantly it wasn't what God wanted. At 24 I prayed for God to break down all the walls Satan had put up. If you can imagine 24 years worth of walls up. Growing higher and higher as the years went on along with all the pressure building. Maybe walls of a volcano is a bit more accurate. I knew I sure would blow a lot of smoke when I got mad at situations or people. I didn't like how I felt. I was about to blow and it was going to be devestating.

At 24 I had faced many things, many emotions. Mostly I felt rejected by friends and family. Slowly, God was taking away everything I thought I could count on. Then, I was hospitalized with chronic migraines. With that pain I was drawn closer to God. I was put up in a catholic hospital in Chicago. There was scripture throughout my room and I knew God was nearby caring for me. When I was released I thought I was healed but God had something else in mind. Physically I was better but emotionally it had only begun.

From there I went into a deep depression. I was still able to work and put up a good front but inside I was crying for LOVE. I spoke with one of my co-workers about my situation. Her husband was a pastor (and still is). She invited me to a special showing of the "Passion" movie. Then I started attending their church every Sunday and also for bible study.

During this time I had one really bad weekend and I really wanted my life to end because I couldn't take the pain. I was hurting so badly I seriously considered suicide.  I was about to end my life but I figured I'd make one last plea to God.  So I said, God you need to speak to me and I need to hear from you now. I'm going to open my Bible and please guide me to read what you want me to hear. I opened my Bible to Psalm 139.

From then on I knew God really loved me and I wanted to scream it to the world. Not only did I know He loved me but I could feel it. What a great feeling to know that our Lord, our Savior Loves ME. Little ole me!

I wish everyone could experience that supreme love that God has for us.

I wish my other family members would have the same wonderful things would happen to them. They have some big walls up but I pray for God to soften their walls and hearts so they may receive his love just as I did and do.