Showing posts with label student ministry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label student ministry. Show all posts

12.15.2010

Spelling cont...


Nearly four months later, here I am. ;)  While skipping through the alphabet, I hope to share some things that have kept me insanely busy...

M is for Mark Schultz.  I thank God, and thank Mr. Schultz for coming to my area for a concert on June 17th.  Without that concert, I wouldn't have agreed to go see him with a friend who wanted to catch up.  Two months after catching up found me engaged to that dear friend. :)
[You can read a breeze-through of our story at weddingwire.com/craigandjennifer]

N is for nursing, again.  After receiving my CNA, and going through one crazy semester of generals that were required for the nursing program, I've felt led to change my major to Education.  How's that for stereotypical college student???

O is for ohhhhh, God is so good.  Those words aren't flippantly spoken from a girl who is on cloud nine and has everything together. They're spoken from lips that are typically Overwhelmed and Oh-so-often standing in the need of God's grace, which He offers consistently...which is why He is oh so good.

P is for prayer.  Dear friend, it's fast, free, and the rewards are priceless.  We Americans are all about things like that.  But this is something I've struggled to take advantage of to it's highest potential.  I'm praying to be better at that.

Q is for quite a year.  It's weird to think we just have a couple weeks leff of it.  Mine has been FULL, and I don't merely mean my schedule.  It's been FULL...of blessings, of difficulty, of lessons, and of grace.  Has yours been Quite a year?

R is for reading.  Something I've missed dreadfully.  I used to keep updated book lists, and check them off after each book was finished.  I would read books with friends and we'd discuss them--which was so good for fellowship and retaining what was read!  But I haven't been able to do more than a here and there, which is why I needed to put down the Bible Retreat after Psalms. :(  I hope married-life will be paced enough to be immersed in books again.

S is for SWAT, the youth ministry I've been involved in for over two years.  I was one of the few who started SWAT as a small youth group Bible study, and I have seen so many students come and go since then.  All of them have taught me so much, and have become precious to me in cool ways.  I've decided to no longer volunteer with the youth once I'm married--which will be difficult, as much as it will be good for me. :)

T is for True Princess.  For the last six weeks I will be helping with SWAT, I started the Lifeway Bible study True Princess: Embracing Humility in an All-About-Me world with the girls.  This has been one of the best student studies I've found in a long time.  It's rich with the Word, very deep and challenging!  We started a tradition of having tea with the study each week, and we've been going to our local nursing home to do manicures for the ladies there.  It's been amazing. :)

U is for unexpected plans.  If you just skip back a few blog posts, you'll see that even 5 months ago, marriage wasn't even on the horizon of my mind (look at what I had to say about my relationships on my About this Jen page, haha).  I had come out of a difficult relationship early this year, and if anything, I was ready to commit to a lifetime of singleness and servitude. :)  But lo and behold, I'm so sincerely grateful that I have a Father who knows me so well.  His plans for me aren't copies of anyone else's life and plans--they're just for me, and for me to trust Him with.

V is for very scatterbrained.  I think my brain only knows one mode, and it's THAT one.

W is for wedding, which is on New Year's Day 2011.  One of the reasons we chose that day is thanks to Chloe...she blogged about her wedding on July 4th, and the perks of always having your anniversary off.  Since Craig and I will be in school for awhile and working ALOT, it would be nice to have our anniversary on a holiday between semesters. :)

X is for...not very many things. Including this line, haha.

Y is for why are there so many letters in the alphabet? Y is for I can't think of anything for this one either.

Z iz for zuppa, vich iz veady.
And I'm hungry, because my Mom has be on a "your wedding dress doesn't zip and you have two weeks" diet.  Ahem.

7.21.2010

Wordlessless Wednesday

Missy - PJ - Kaitlyn

S.W.A.T. girls on the mission field.
Paint and a girl's intuition.
Watch out This Old House.

6.25.2010

Life has been absolutely, absolutely, absolutely (is more than one absolutely unnecessary, since it's absolute?) nuts.  Crazy, I tell you.  [thinks for a minute] My life has been crazy for two years.  It wasn't this crazy before...whatever happened, it became my lot in life.  Maybe life isn't so busy, as much as my mind is.  Ever feel like that?  There's a whole lot more going on inside there than there is outside.

No, really, there is! :)

I've been praying about some direction with the Swat girls, and I believe we're gonna start this...
A Young Woman After God's Own Heart: A Teen's Guide to Friends, Faith, Family, and the FutureElizabeth George's A Young Woman After God's Own Heart.  My cousin Rebekah gave me this book when I was around 16, and it was such a critical blessing in my spiritual life.  Elizabeth talks to you like she's your best friend, and her musings are FULL of wisdom/Scripture/stories on foundational things like: prayer, the Word, our love-life with Christ, guys (hard subject, there!), and just having a heart that is inclined to her Savior.  I've used it for lessons and given it as gifts many times cause I loved it so much. :)  She has A Woman After God's Own Heart as well--I'd like to check that out sometime.

The family went to the water/theme park, Holiday World, this week (all ten of us!)--got sunburned, got exhausted, got some REALLY needed family time.  My little brother Caleb is definitely my hero...that almost-nine-year-old-and-very-unadventurous-boy rode every single roller coaster...even The Voyage, which is one of the world's largest wooden coasters, and was featured on Travel Channel's Extreme Terror Rides 2 Death-Defying Drops: The World's Scariest Summits and Plummets...oh yes.  MY brother went on it THREE times.  I have the official picture.  You know, the unattractive ones they take of you as you've volunteered to basically skydive in a wooden cart...and charge you $10 a pop for.  Yep that one.

In the middle of all the craziness, I'm trying to pull my hair out be still.  Because busyness in my mind means I have a hard time focusing, getting things done, and being efficient.  Be still.  When Israel was crazy-busy with things that took their focus, God spoke, "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength..."  Such gooood words.  Repentence (for loss of focus/idolotry), REST, Quietness, Trust.  Mmmm.  Israel wouldn't have any of it...but I sure do. :)



Back in APRIL, Chloe gave me the Beautiful Blogger award, yay!  I have just had a time with these 7 interesting things...but here we go...


  1. I am exactly 1/8 full Cherokee Native American, 1/8 Spaniard (from Spain) and alot of everything else.  I could have received free college because of my Native American heritage...BUT...my great-great grandfather was onery.  How?  On the reservation, he would shoot the clay water jars off the women's heads, drenching them.  One of the husbands wasn't happy, and they had a draw.  My Grandpa won, but since he killed a man, he fled the reservation to Mexico.  Changed his name and we have no documented proof.  Oh wells.  Interesting fact though, right? :)

  2. I am dense.  I lost my sarcasm meter somewhere recently, and I've needed every joke explained.  Unfortunate fact.

  3. Music.  I love to play guitar, listen to the radio, sing, (I have my Grooveshark playlist going now).

  4. I LOVE the color blue.  In all hues, it's fantastic.

  5. Parables, analogies and word pictures make me happy.  They explain deep things so much better.

  6. It really takes alot for me to be angry.  But lately, self-righteousness/arrogance (expecially if I realize it in myself) makes my blood boil.  I'm trying to work on that.

  7. I love tortillas, and I will eat very-nearly anything in them.  Anything.
The Beautiful (inside and out) Bloggers I award are:

Jen:  My sweet RanchGirl friend I've known since I was TWELVE!  I answered her pen pal request, which quickly turned to emailing and chatting all the time, which turned to telephone convos, etc.  She's a beautiful blogger, Mama, wife, friend (and has a cool name too). :)

&

Sara: Ironically, Jen's sister!  A beautiful young lady with a heart for foreign missions and a spectacular sense of humor. <3

The end.
P.S. Stay tuned. Once I have Africa pictures to share, instead of posting it all in one gi-normous post (cause there's ALOT), I will post small entries that expound on highlights. :)