Workday thoughts...

"...whatever you do, in word or deed,

do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through him."

~Colossians 3:17

"Christ has lifted the curse of work. 

He has replaced anxious toil with TRUST in God's promise

to supply our needs (Philippians 4:19)

and has thus awakened in us a different passion in our work.

We turn with joy to the call of Jesus: 

Seek the kingdom of God first and his righteousness

and the food that perishes will be added to you.

Labor to love people and honor God.

Think of new ways that your work can bless people.

Stop thinking mainly of profitablility,

and think mainly of how helpful your service can become."

~John Piper

Don't Waste Your Life

Sit a Spell to Spell a Bit

A is for adoption, something I really hope I get to do one day, Lord willing.

(I agree with Ash, who tagged me for this cool ABC thingamabob, and also begins with A)

B is for blog friends.  I've thought about blog friends ALOT lately and how I appreciate getting to know you amazing people.  Blogging allows me to know things about someone's heart that could take months/years of a friendship to know.  It's pretty cool.

C is for CNA, which I now AM.  My test results and certificate came in the mail last week--thank you for your prayers!

D is for Daniel.  I've had many Daniels leave footprints in my life.  Some good and some notsomuch.  This name seriously follows me around.  But I've been blessed with a couple of brothers-in-Christ that are stuck with their snippy sister: (L: Finney, my adopted lil bro, and me at Passion 2010 and R: "Skyguy", my partner in crime student ministry and fellow StarWars nerd.)

E is for experiencing the body of Christ outside of a church service.  Outside of a denomination.  Outside of a belief system.  Experiencing the love and fellowship of Christ, the joy of the Word and very little else: on the phone, in a coffeeshop, Facebook, blog, or workplace.

F is for funny pictures I find on my $800 camera that I, myself, didn't take.  Suspects under the age of 12 have taken these (can you say self-portait-queen?  There was about 100 of these on my Canon when I got back from Kenya)...

G is for [the] God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob.  Recently I read a comment from an athiest on a Christian article, saying something along the lines of never being able to worship a god like the One in the Old Testament because He was about nothing but wrath.  Journeying with the Bible Retreat, and going through the OT at about 3 books a week...I wish this person took the chance to know this God for themselves.

H is for happinessssss....there's Grace enough for us and the whole human race...ohhhh happinessss....Thankfully, Lady Gaga has nothin' on this catchy David Crowder Band song that has been stuck. in. my. head!

I is for imagination.  Or lack thereof for this Interesting letter. [skuh-Ip]

J is for Jen moments.  My friends have them.  They usually consist of forgetting items in their hand, taking 6.7 seconds to receive information that has been spoken, lack of sarcasm sending and receiving, and things of that nature.  Do YOU have Jen moments?

K is for Kenya. Its crazy how you can continue to learn from a place/experience you're no longer in the middle of. I can't wait to relive a little as I share pieces of Kenya with you soon.

L is for lengthy posts and church meetings...the reason there will be a PART 2 to Jen's ABC thingamabob.

Love, Jen :)

Women of Faith blog series...

Melinda at Abounding in Hope invited me to join her Women of Faith blog series that begins this week.  The series will be featuring rich and famous real, everyday women who have it all together love Christ, who have trials, imperfections, and long to live out their faith genuinely.  I was incredibly blessed by her questions, and I really look forward to what the other ladies will be sharing.  I have a feeling there will be rich blessings from this series, please check it out and comment when you stop by. :)

I heart Coffee Drips Art (that rhymed)

Guess what came in the mail?
[oh my...see the fake blonde growing out. See? See?!  Now I have no excuse for my shenanigans]

Beka at hold on, love... was taking requests before I left for Africa, and I couldn't pass it up.  I chose earth colors, and a Scripture that is very dear to me:

John 13:35

"By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

And she painted them in the beautiful language of Kiswahili.

I'm truly loving it on my wall.

a call for prayer...

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep...." Romans 12:15

My heart goes out to our Flower Mama and her family.  Please, pray.  No matter where we are geographically, our Savior is the head of our Body, the church.  We're the body that rejoices when it's time to rejoice.  And cries, when it's time to cry.  Like King Jehoshophat, we cry out to our ever-present help: "For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."  (2 Chronicles 20:12)

Abba, we know there's a testimony of glory coming.

The Thorn

I stood a mendicant of God before His royal throne
And begged him for one priceless gift, which I could call my own.
I took the gift from out His hand, but as I would depart
I cried, “But Lord this is a thorn and it has pierced my heart.
This is a strange, a hurtful gift, which Thou hast given me.”
He said, “My child, I give good gifts and gave My best to thee.”
I took it home and though at first the cruel thorn hurt sore,
As long years passed I learned at last to love it more and more.
I learned He never gives a thorn without this added grace,
He takes the thorn to pin aside the veil which hides His face.

by Martha Snell Nicholson

Something that makes me so thankful, I cry...

Just close your eyes and listen. :)
If you have ever, in faith, cast your life on the mercy of Christ, this song will make you thankful.
If you never have, take these words as a testimony of many who have done it before you--they are true.
I would recomend just listening, but the lyrics are here if you'd like to read along.

Healing

Continued...

From my last post, you now know how hurt and skeptical I was going into Passion--almost so much that I was afraid my heart would be hardened and closed to what God could possibly have for me.  But how did I know it was God and not the devices of man?

At Passion 2010, I found myself alongside 22,000 college students.  Do you picture that number?  Google a crowd of that many people, or search for a picture of Passion 2010.  That's a masses of people (they couldn't even fit us all in one arena--they had two!)  Our group talked about how surely Atlanta didn't know what hit them, because literally thousands of college students were walking down it's streets, all going the same direction.

Passion encouraged  us to be a 268 Generation, based on Isaiah 26:8...
"Yes Lord, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You;
Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts."

When that Scripture was read, the mass of people roared with agreement--the name and renown of the God we serve was the desire of our hearts.  I was standing in the midst of people who desired to know and serve God.  Yet even all the way down to my small group of seven, there were diverse doctrines and beliefs.  In 22,000 people there was bound to be differences....we're human.

One of my favorite parts of Passion was called "Do Something Now"--they presented dozens of needs from dozens of places around the world.  Sponsoring children with AIDS in Mozambique, shipping Bibles to the unreached in Asia, funding cleft palette surgeries for children in Afghanistan, translating the Bible in languages it wasn't in yet, funding underground seminary in the Middle East, help with an education center for the Dalit people (outcasts) of India, Clean water in Guatemala, building border outposts to catch sex traffickers in Nepal, volunteer time to package meals to ship around the world, and even sponsoring children from various places.
Our gifts could be as little as we had, $25, $100?  Whatever the Lord led us to give, we gave with our whole heart.  They also asked every student to bring was a towel and a package of socks for the homeless shelters of Atlanta.
Louie Giglio shared about Christians, and how when we come together, we are a force for good--for God's glory.  How could we all flock to Atlanta as God's people, and not do something for someone else in Jesus' name?  Can you imagine the story--that 22,000 Christians came and brought towels and socks with them--for the forgotten of Atlanta?  As individuals, there's only so much we can do, but together, we can accomplish so much.  You want to know what happened with the opportunities around the world listed above?  Check THIS out, then praise God! :)

Where I expected to be hurt yet again by doctrinal diversity, I experiened healing.  Where I was afraid to hear doctrine, I heard the Word of God.  And where I was afraid I couldn't fellowship with people because I couldn't embrace their theology...I took the hand of my Calvinist, Arminian, (insert theology here) brothers and sisters, and together we saw the need of the hurting around the world and could do something together in Jesus' name.
Don't get me wrong--I read the Word and pray to be taught truth through His Word.  But now I have skepticism and fear peace, because where there are humans, there will be diversity.  Where there are human minds, there will be human points of view.  And if there wasn't going to be, the Apostles wouldn't have faced it, nor taught us what to do when we do.  Check out the entire letter to the Galatian church. :)  Check out Romans 14.  1 Corinthians 3...and others.

I believe there is One Way.  One Truth.  One Life.  And He is the only One way to God.  If your faith is in Him--if you are living under His grace because of His Cross, desire His name and renown, if you want to love Him with all your heart--you are my brother or sister in Christ.  The greatest commandment ever given--the one that fullfills the law--is to love.  Jesus said it would be by our love (not embracing the same theology) that the world will know we are His (John 13:34-35).

I'm still learning. :)

Louie Giglio asked people to stand for different blessings--spiritual awakening, acceptence of Christ in their lives for the first time, and other things.  He asked anyone to stand if they had received healing of any kind during Passion.
With tears of peace (finally), I stood. :)

Wounded...

A whole month after Passion 2010, here I am clacking to tell you all the good things that happened that week.  Before I can give you the full story of what God revealed to me, I have to give you a little 2009 history...cause it just makes the story better. :)

For me, 2009 was the year of spiritual wounding.
Ever had a season like that?
In my life, I've never experienced so many different Christian doctrines and diversity in such a short amount of time as I did last year.  The things that believers of Christ argue over, stand upon, preach, judge others for, or claim as Scriptural truth etc, are enough to either make you rejoice, make you sick to your stomach, make you weep, or make your blood boil.  Last year was ALOT of all of that for me.  Either I couldn't embrace one's doctrine, or I couldn't embrace their way of presenting it (even if it was sound).  I believe that a person can be wrong with the way they are right? (even me).

Because of this attack on truth for me, my heart was broken and I began to grow petrified to read the Word.  What if MY interpretation was wrong?  How could I even assume I understand the things of God?  I was now skeptical of what I was taught, of any preacher, any speaker, any song, any article, etc. 
Even ones that I once gleaned truth from, I was afraid to listen to anymore.  Walking into a Christian bookstore was out of the question for me!  There's so many teachers, authors, speakers, music--all claiming the truth of God, but all saying (some enforcing) something different.  I never felt swayed by any of them, but I was deeply wounded by it all. 
All I held on to was WHO I knew my God was/is...not what people told me, but who He had proven Himself to be already.  I just knew that He is truth, and if I could ever only utter that explanation for anything, I would be okay.

Because of this, I was also afraid of Passion.  I went into it fearful of the speakers, and of the heart of the conference.  I wondered if it would be commercialized, showy, fake, and full of even more wounding diversity and doctrine.  I went into it praying for truth; to see God, even if my heart was hardened.  I very nearly backed out and didn't go.  But I am very thankful that I didn't. :)

To be continued...

"I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.  I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ..."

--Paul (Galatians 1:11-12)

Christmastime from my world...(and a Christmas card!)

Wow, it's Christmas time?! :) Growing up, there were few Christmases that we got big presents. Because there is so many of us, presents haven't been a big thing at Christmastime. Mom and Dad didn't put up a tree, and we didn't always have stockings. We kids never believed in Santa Claus, and were humorously cautious around our Santa-believing friends--we didn't want to spoil it for them. :)
When we were young, Dad shared with us the origins of the Christmas holiday. If you Wikipedia them, it may cause you to want to throw December 25th out the window. But though these facts of my childhood may cause people to think we were poor, deprived little children, we've always been very thankful and never felt deprived. My family celebrates Christmas in traditional ways, and the lack of trees and presents have helped us remember what it's really all about. What everything is really all about. ;)
Now I love trees and presents! I got to decorate 2 trees this year (at a nursing home and at church) for the first time, and it's so much fun. Especially when you do it with family and friends. Also, Mom has put out two small ceramic trees that were recently-given heirlooms. And this year Jen's credit card wanted to do some bigger-than-usual presents. :)

One tradition we always look forward to is baking our cookies (I didn't get to take pictures this year, it was crazy). Before we moved to the country, we had a sweet neighbor lady who made the BEST unfrosted sugar cookies and brought them to us every Christmas. When we moved, she gave us the recipe, and we continued her tradition. For 6 years, we've baked several dozen and delivered them door-to-door to our neighbors. It's SO fun to do together! This year was the first year we caroled at delivery, haha.

This year, Christmas songs have been different for me. I've related Christmastime to songs like O The Wonderful Cross, O Glorious Day, Sweetly Broken, & O How He Loves Us. Or lyrics that hit on the nose like O Holy Night:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn...

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother,
And in His name all oppression shall cease.

No matter what time of year, it's Christmas when I remember the UNFATHOMABLE love of God demonstrated in this...

That while I laid in sin and error, and a slave to my birth-nature that is an enemy of God...

Christ died for me.

Do you relate to the weary world rejoicing? I do, my friend. Because based on my merits, where I shouldn't have HOPE...I DO I DO I DO.

I pray your Christmas is a wonderfully blessed one as you get together with your friends and family. And if Christmas is a difficult time for you, go to Thoughts n Whatnots--LeAnna reminds us that not everyone gets to wholeheartedly rejoice. But I pray joy and peace for you, of the Christ-kind. The peace that passes understanding and the joy that is your strength.

Remember for Whom we celebrate. :)

On Captivity...and Hope

A few things really blessed me today, my friend...

I sat down to blog, but nothing was coming. I had thoughts about flipping the calendar yet again, and Thanksgiving afterthoughts--but writer's block was keeping them secure, wherever they were. So...I closed out Blogger yet again, letting another day go without posting. ;)

But then I actually flipped my calendar.
My calendar is from The Challenge Farm, a mission/refuge-home in Kenya, Africa. They offer a Christian home, education, food and care to children as an alternative to living on the streets. Each month has pictures of the children, the staff alongside them, and Swahili words/phrases.
It tugs at your heart, let me tell you.
Lord willing, I may join a small team to minister at Challenge in the summer of 2010. I am extremely humbled at even the thought! I will keep you posted on this. ;)

THEN...I logged into Twitter, and learned that December 1st is World Aids Day. So I Googled it. There are HIV/AIDS statistics all over the web today, and all of them are heartbreaking. Here are just a couple of my findings...
--Africa has (estimated) 14 million children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
--A regional estimate for 2008 said that world-wide there was 33.4 million adults & children living with HIV/AIDS...22.4 million were in sub-saharan Africa.

Pastor's message on Sunday was about hope. He shared that alot times we put pressure on hope, and not Whom we hope in. He used a clip from the movie The Tale of Despereaux, and this quote stuck with me...

"The story said [the princess] was a prisoner. But that wasn't totally true because she had hope, and whenever you have hope, you're never really anybody's prisoner."

There are so many kinds of captivity. The Israelites, Apostles and early Christians knew what it was like to be literally taken captive. The people Jesus had healed tasted the captivity of blindness, lameness, disease, sickness, death etc. People taste captivity of circumstances. Captivity of perspective (seeing things a certain way). Captivity of SIN.

Though time has changed significantly, humankind still suffers these things. They are all a kind of death, which is the wage of sin. In every circumstance, there are very human reasons to despair.

Why don't we despair? Why do we hope?

Because when Christ is in you, and when He is your hope (Col 1:27), you are no one's prisoner. Do you hear that? Do you grasp it? It doesn't mean our circumstances change...the princess was still "captive". But she wasn't a captive. Her life, hope, heart, future, weren't based on her captivity any longer. They were based on something greater than the bars and chains.

Is your life, your hope, your heart, your future...are they based on Christ alone?

Not what He can do for you. Are they in HIM and what He's already done?

I remember my chains...I'm fully aware of all of them.

Yet I insist on remembering something else, and because of it I'm filled with hope:

Because of the great love of my Savior,

I am not captivated.

His compassion never fails, and His mercy is new every morning; great is His faithfulness.

I remind myself that my life, my hope, my heart and my future is based on the Risen Christ, and I will wait and hope in Him.

~Lamenations 3:19-24 (in my own words)

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

~Romans 8:1