We are marked with a seal

I read this verse today  "When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory " Eph 1:14

I realized something that most people ( myself included) sometime end up believing. It says " When you believed you were marked in him with a seal..." Then often we do not read the rest of the verse. We think because we are "sealed" that we are sealed in from the outside world. We think our belief is a sealant against all bad things, heartache, and loss. I have  had to learn that when we are marked, we are marked so God can use us, not so we can live in a bubble of protection. 

At times it seems impossible, unfair, and plain difficult to see how God is using your rough time as a way to grow his kingdom. Friends, I encourage you to keep an open mind. Trials will make us stronger. We are marked with a seal and that is a massive responsibility to follow His call. Not a guarantee of comfort. 

Hope you have a great day!  

Day 13 ( like 4 months late).

I am determined to finish this challenge!!!!

Favorite artist...

hmmm I have so many!
Best guy that ever lived!












And I have a new love of these guys! 

 

He has big plans even for the planners...

So it has been exactly 1 month and 26 days since I have last blogged. I mean I think I should be awarded for my lack of blogging. That takes true talent. Only a true dedicated writer would stay away that long. :p 
Since you have last heard from me ( a month and 26 days ago) I have learned a lot about myself and HIS plans for my life.

I am a planner. When I am stressed I plan. I have planned out what I want to do, where I want to go to college, when I want to marry, and how many kids I want to have. So when ole Jenny's plans do not turn out the way she wants, she can be kind of a brat. 

Last week I went on a mission trip to Jackson MS. It was a great trip. Just very different than I expected. I had a sour attitude at the beginning of the week. I was not doing what I wanted. But by the end of the week He had softened my heart. He let me discover a different side of myself and be very encouraged. 

So throw your plans out the window! He has the perfect, amazing, and wonderful plan! Trust that he will show you His face through HIS plans! 
I hope that you will hear from me before another month and 26 days pass. 

Adios, 
Jenny

Epic blogging fail/ Good news club

Guys I fail at blogging. No really. Failure.
Well anyhoo, no need to dwell on that. :)I wanted to share with you something that I LOVE doing every week,
Good News Club!

What is it? A group of of 7-12th graders ( mostly girls) go down to the TN village apartments and we pick the kids up on a bus and drive them back to a small little church. We sing songs, read "The Story Book Bible" ( HIGHLY recomend it for allllll ages!) do a craft, have snack, then take the kiddos home. It is so fun!

On Monday we had our last one for the year and I got to be with a sweet 4th grader named Ty. Looking at her you would not think that she is a 4th grader. She looks about 6th or 7th grade. She has so much pain, exhaustion, and confusion etched on her face.  I know very little about her, but what I do know is that she has to take care of  3 year old sister, she lives with her grandmother, and has a little trouble reading.  These facts about her are not that interesting by themselves, but combined, she has a pretty hard life. In the TN village apartments, there is a lot of crime, poverty, and many different races.

Ty has probably seen more than the average 17 year old has seen. But amazingly she is on fire for Christ. She is not weighed down with her living situation/ economic standing. She is happy as a bird. What a testimony!

Another little lesson from GNC that I learned was that God speaks in all langauges. Ty was telling me about a girl in her class that speaks only Spanish. I just then realized that God speaks in all langauges. I know it seems a little obvious, but I guess I had never really thought about how the Lord is not limited to English. He speaks to Juana in Spanish, Louis in French, Ming in Chinese, and any other language. I know, a 3rd grader could have figured that out, but I just thought that was really cool and demostrates how big our GOD is!

Love to all. And I will try not fail as much in the blogging department.

Yep God is good!

So the past few weeks have been kinda chill... I am reading the devotion called " Jesus Calling" And I wanted to share with you what yesterday's was about.

" When I give you no special guidance, stay where you are. Concentrate on doing your everyday tasks in awareness of My Presence with you. The Joy of My Presence will shine on you, as you do everything for Me. Thus you invite Me into every aspect of your life. Through collaborating with Me in all things, you allow My Life to merge with yours. This is the secret not only to joyful living but also of victorious living. I designed you to depend on Me moment by moment." ( April 13)

Wow! That hit me right where I needed it! I hope this encouraged you!
Tata, Jenny

Day 13 Something you love!

OK so I could legitimately write you a novel on all things that I love! But I will refrain myself and not bore you to tears!


1: Anyone who knows me or even knows of me knows that I LOVE Vera Bradley!
I have 12 VB accessories! ( And hope to get more) :)



2: The Blind Side! If you have not seen this movie GO NOW! Do not stop until the movie over! I probably watch the movie at least 3 times a month! No joke!


3: Tea! I love tea! My favorite is Earl Grey with a little milk! Mmmm Oh and I do love some umm good Southern sweet tea as well!


 4:OK so indulge me for a second. I am going to be a complete teenage girl for a second! I really do love JB!

Day 12 Something you hate...

Losing things~ That is what I cannot stand! I am not an extremely organized person so I lose things all the time! It is so frusterating that you have to search and search for these things!

Things I have lost in the past months-
- retanier ( found in the washing machine)
- camera ( found behind the couch after 7 days of searching)
- goggles ( found in the Christmas trash)
- calculator ( found behind my bed)
- phone ( found in the bottom of my backpack)

So there you have it folks! I hate losing things!

On a happier note!
Things that I am thankful for!
1: A father who is willing to help you study for a math test for like 2 hours!
2: A sunny day!
3: Teachers that make their class so interesting and are understanding.
4: Shoes
5: The devotion " Jesus Calling" BUY IT!
6: An mole chase that is going on in our house!
7: Mercy
8:  Smiles

Forgive me dear readers!

SO I have pretty much have FAILED in the blogging department in the last like 2 weeks!! Its been a very busy 2 weeks! My brothers came home for spring break and they had a great time. I tried to make it through the week so I could get to my spring break. So here we are! I wanted to share a little lesson that I learned from swim lessons. If you know me you are sick and tired of hearing about swim lessons! But just 1 quick story!

The past few times in swim lessons I have made the children journey to the deep end. You would think that I was leading them to their doom. Their little faces are frozen with fear and they come up with every excuse in the book on why we should NOT go to the deep end. When we finally get there I hop in and the first question is always how deep is it today. (Like it changes?) I often come up with different answers but never give them an actual number.

So we get in and they are glued to the wall. I try to coax them off but then they move to the other wall and grip it until their knuckles are white. I pry them off the wall and encourage them to float. One girl claims that "I can't swim in this water I will drown!" I tell her that the deep-end water is the same as the shallow water but she still does not believe me. She tries to float and lets her legs drop to the bottom of the pool then panics.  I grabbed her up and said " your fine I have got you"

I realized then that we are very much like her! When God gives us an opportunity to go deeper with him, or do something out of our comfort zone we often grip to the shallow end. When we finally go a little bit into the deep end-- we lose all of our faith in God. We think that he is going to let us drown with this new bit of freedom. God only wants us to grow and have new experiences  but we would rather stay where its safe.

Friends I am calling you to go the deep-end! The new experiences there will be worth the fear and discomfort!
Till next time, Jenny

P.S. Its my Dad's birthday today! Love you! You are the best dad in the world!

Day 10... A person you do the dumbest things with

Ok so I am skipping day 9 for the moment because its this person's birthday today and I want to do a blog just about her.

I have so many fun memories of this dear girl! Anna Wyse is simply a ball of fun wherever she goes! Never a dull moment!


This was where we went on the dance floor at a military ball and danced our hearts out without shoes and look like complete goobers.



Haha we sat in on a Jewish wedding and watched the ceremony...


Decided to have silly string fight in our front yard!

We thought it would be a great idea to take ice cream all the way from Publix on our bikes to the park...




Girl I love you and we do some pretty crazy things . Yeah our "tie-dying " adventures, and the time we thought it would be a great idea to do a cooking show to music... I have a complete blast with you! Haha there are so many more but these are just a few!

Day 8... A picture that makes you laugh everytime you look at it

Ok so I have a bunch!


Yep we are so special it crazy...


My favorite part of this picture is definitely the fact that it looks like Meems and I are jumping in front of a moving car ( it was parked in case you were wondering).


 Please notice Anna's scarf turban in place of a hat and my purple marshmallow appearance.



We were really trying hard to whip our hair... but alas it was just not going to happen.


Oh and this little jewel..

Day 7 ... A picture of your most treasured thing

Other than my family and my Bible. This if definitely it! I love riding and it literally makes me feel like I am right next to the beach. The best part is it has gears! Yay!

Day 6... A person you would like to trade places with

Copycat of my friend Lily!
But definitely Jane Bennett!


Yep I want a Mr. Bingley!

God is...

Have you ever found your retainer in the washing machine? Yeah didn't think so. SO for the pass 4 days I have been furiously looking for my missing retainer. I had been praying that I would find it and it was just not turning up. When reading my Bible, I started stumbling on all these verses about patience, and mercy. Uhhmmm God was definitely trying to speak to me through my missing retainer.
He extends mercy and second chances to me almost daily.
After goofing something up on my research paper God extended mercy on me through a teacher that was very understanding!
WOW! God is just amazing isnt he? He helped me find my retainer and extended grace to me all in one day!
Something that I have learned through this is that we all goof up and lose things. Everyday walking with God is a new day! Second chances and mercy are just apart of who He is!
Bis dann, ( Goodbye in German)
Jenny
P.S. It was Justin Bieber's birthday yesterday and I missed it so Happy Birthday buddy!

Day 5... A picture of an old memory

Ok so I have a lot of old memories!





One of my favorites is the time we rode to Publix on our bikes and then got ice cream and brought it to the park. It was so much fun and we ate so much ice cream that we almost got sick. Then we played on the playground like we were in kindergarden again and it was the best!

Another fun one was going to the lake with the Summers.


At Mimi's 16th birthday we took all these really fun pictures!


T-Swift concert!



So I have a lot of fun memories! Hope you have enjoyed it!

Day 4 A picture of your night

Well since this was supposed to be yesterday's night I am showing what I did last night.
First I went to my d-group. Ahh I love these girls! We really go deep and meeting with them is probably one of my favorite times of the week! You girls are amazing!




Seond I did child-care at our church. LOTS of children! Like 50+ Kinda stressful but fun!

Day 3... Cast of my favorite show

I LOVE The Amazing Race1 The cast changes season to season but right now I am obsessed! It comes on Sunday's at 7! Watch it!

Day 2... Someone you have been closest to the longest

My dearest sister Mimi! Yep I have known her since I was born... We fight some and are very different but I still feel like she is the one that can see me for who I really am. I could not live without her. Whether she is taking me from place to place, or watching a movie with me, or we are getting ready for school together I really do love my big sis! And my little sis too!

Love you ladies!

Day 1

A picture of yourself with 15 facts...

1: I hate roller coasters... A LOT!
2: I collect snow globes
3: One of my favorite songs at the moment is " Bleed Red" by Ronnie Dunn ( Don't be hating on me for my love of country music)
4: I love to go to bed early... the earlier the better
5: I have a huge rope swing in my front yard that I swing on almost weekly
6: I like to read
7: My favorite dessert is cheesecake ( pumpkin:)))
8: I have a new-found love of making headbands
9: One of my pet peeves is when people tell me information I didn't ask for
10: I want to have 5 kids ( The first girl being named Addison Joy)
11:I have an obsession with Disney princess coloring books
12: I think writing letters is the cutest thing ever
13: I paint my nails almost weekly
14:  I love winter
15: I love family

I know, I know everyone is doing it...

I am going to do the blog challenge! Everyone in their brother is doing all over facebook and on blogs so I am giving into peer pressure here... but here we go!
g!

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.

Day 02 - A picture of the person you've been closest with the

longest.

Day 03 - A picture of the cast of your favorite show.

Day 04 - A picture of your night.

Day 05 - A picture of an old memory.

Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for the day

. Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured possession.

Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh every time you look at it.

Day 09 - A picture of a person who has gotten you through

the most.

Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the dumbest things with.

Day 11 - A picture of something you absolutely hate.

Day 12 - A picture of something you absolutely love.

Day 13 - A picture of

your favorite band/artist.

Day 14 - A picture of a person you couldn't picture your life without.

Day 15 - A picture of something you'd like to do before you die.

Day 16 - A picture of a

person who inspires you.

Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently. Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.

Day 19 - A picture of a

letter.

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.

Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.

Day 23 - A picture of your

favorite book.

Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.

Day 25 - A picture of your day.

Day 26 - A picture of

something that means a lot to you.

Day 27 - A picture of you and a family member.

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.

Day 29 - A picture that makes you angry.

Sloooww Doowwnn.

How many times have you heard the phrase " Slow down, take time out of your day, relax..."
 Everyone of us have probably been told a least a dozen times to do those things. But in reality its probably one of the hardest things to ever do.
On Friday I realized that I had 7 I repeat 7!!! things on my schedule.
1: Babysitting in the morning 2: Chemistry Lab 3: Meeting 4: Swim 5: Sweet CeCes with friends ( Which I know is certainly not a requirement but still on the schedule) 6: Swim lessons 7: Babysitting again ( different family).
On Friday I spent about 60 percent in the car going from place to place.
On Sunday, I heard 2 different sermons on slowing down and spending time with the Lord.
Well hello wake-up call!

Because I am a mostly a people person, I really hate being alone. I hate having silence. I always need something playing or someone talking. So spending time-- still, alone, quiet, etc = AHHH! What I have really been challenged by is this: spending time alone, should not have to be a punishment of some sorts but rather a reward. Also when people say " sit perfectly still and be super quiet" it kinda scares me off. Sounds a little scary if you ask me...
But rather a time to re-fill oneself before burning out on busyness.
I really challenge you to do it! I am rEaLly try hard. I maybe be able to last about 2 min at first but hey practice makes permanent!
Buenos noches!

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day friends! I hope you are feeling very loved and doing some loving your self. I wanted to share something that I learned last night while reading my Bible


 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

We have all heard this verse about a thousand times and probably could recite this in our sleep. I find that sometimes that after hearing a verse over and over it loses some of its newness and meaning. A few years ago our pastor suggested that when reading this verse to put our own names in for love. So it would be Jenny is patient, Jenny is kind, Jenny does not envy etc...

After doing that with the whole passage I just sat back and thought  Whoa... I am none of those things! It kinda slapped me in the face for a second.

Something that I have been recognizing of late is my utter need and desire for a Savior.  At first I was frustrated with myself for NOT being all of those things. But then I was filled with a peace and a kind of joy. Why? Because I have a Savior that is so willing to help me work on being patient and kind. 

Hope this puts you in the right place today!
With love Jenny

P.S. I have the best mother in the WHOLE world! WHY??? Because on today she brought me a smoothie and a heart shaped balloon!!!!! :) Go ahead and just think how awesome she is!

Kitchens

Have you ever noticed how kitchens are one of the most important rooms in the house?
For me the kitchen means 3 things:
1: Warmth-Our kitchen is always filled with smiles. I can always count on my mother to be stiring up something wonderful on the stove or pulling out homemade cookies out of the oven. As I arrive home, I am usually greeted by little sister with a smile and a "How was your day?"
2:Purpose- In a kitchen you never have to wonder where the salt goes, or where to place the bagels. In a kitchen there is always a place for everything. It is so nice to have some sort of order in life even, if it is I will always know where to find the soup.
3: Family-One of my favorite parts about our kitchen is the fact that we eat in there for almost every meal. We have rousing disscusions about everything from 4th grade homework to politics.
Now I know this is a completely random topic to write on... Kitchens for Petes sake!
But go enjoy the family you've got whether it is in your kitchen or not!
Ciao!

Ice cream & being thankful

After having a delightful weekend with weather that was fit for a king, I just felt overwhelmed with a spirit of thankfullness!
1: Being able to ride to the NEW Sweet Ceces from my house
2:Thankful for innocence
3: Seeing a newly adpoted Chinese girl smile so brightly with her family
4:Youth Sunday
5: My delightful older sister ( who " watched a movie with me" and by that I mean fell asleep halfway through but it was still fun to bond :)
6: My dear father who brought home some wonderful Panera treats after work
7: My momma who so cheerfully wakes us up in the morning ( that friends is truth and not a hint of sarcasm)
8:Being able to share my heart and go deep with some dear girls :)
9: My dear Aunt who took me to a play and gave me some more ice cream!
10: Thankful that God gives us a chance for a new day and always has new mercies

Just the small things folks! Adios!

Hey friends, I have had a lovely week! I came back from a retreat over the weekend. Then we got some more snow on Wed! Yipppee! Then on Thursday Mimi, Anna, Elaina Joy, and I went to the grand opening of Sweet Ceces in Brentwood! Double Yipppee! Hope you are having a blessed weekend!

Blogging Yippee!

So friends, I am going to start blogging! I hoping that I can just journal and get my thoughts out on paper. And maybe someone will read it! :)

Tata for now, Jenny