New Year, New Resolution

Here it is, 2016. Another year filled with uncertainty, joy, sadness, anger, frustration, hope and love down in the record books. I have been pondering and thinking about what it means to make resolutions and what I should do about them for this new year. I believe the best thing to do is to truly look at what it is that should change, not what I "want" to change, but rather what NEEDS to be changed.

1. Work first and foremost on my relationship with Jesus Christ. Yes...I am a wayward Christian. I know this. I'm thankful that I am in a ministry that allows me to minster daily and grow, but if I were to be honest (as we all should be) I fall short...daily. As the Bible says in Romans 1:16,

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile."

2. Work on my relationship with my family. My husband, my daughter, and my sons are, after all, the ones who know me best and love me regardless. It's so easy to be selfish and want to put my wants before theirs. I don't just want to be in their lives, I want to be PRESENT in their lives. As the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3;

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."

3. Work on finishing what I have started. That may sound easy, but as I was looking around the house and making my lists of things to finish up, I realized that I had a LOT of unfinished projects. Some include: Framing pictures, organizing shelves for collectibles, finishing my first book to send out to publishers. I do believe the reason why...I  tend to get overwhelmed when I think of all the things that have to get down and shut down. I have to give all these things over to God and seek His priorities, and I must continue on. As the Bible says in  Acts 20:24,

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me —the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace."

So there it is, my resolutions for 2016.

  

~Peace & Blessings~ Jen

In an hour...

it will officially be Valentine's Day. I will be the first to tell you that I'm not big on this day, and I really am not fond of cut flowers and a box of chocolates...cut flowers die, and I always eat the entire box of chocolates in one sitting.

So to my surprise and complete delight my husband brought home this evening an early Valentine's Day gift for me...

I love Cali Lilly. It has been my favorite flower for as long as I can remember, but I've only had them in pictures and once my husband brought some home for me in a vase...cut. These are in soil, and are healthy, and smell wonderful! Now I just hope that I can keep them alive. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not the best at keeping plants alive.

What a great symbol of hope and love. I'll be the first to tell you that my marriage has had many ups and downs...more downs than ups at times, but the commitment that I have to my husband and my family has been strengthened over the past few months by friends and family that have been praying for us, and because of God and his never ending love for us.

So if Valentines is a day that you say "keep it or leave it", makes sure that you let your "Valentine" know just how much you love and appreciate them. It doesn't have to be fancy, extravagant, or expensive, it just has to be from your heart to theirs. Do you know your spouses "Love Language"? If you don't may I recommend the book.

It will help keep your marriage humming and your love tank full! Happy Valentines Day!


~Peace & Blessings~
Jen

I feel like a....

slacker. I know deep down I'm not, but last week with a migraine, it put me out of commission. It's amazing to me how something so small can bring you down so fast, but as I think about that statement, I know it's true. It's the small things that bring us out of relationship too. The song "Slow Fade" by Casting Crowns is coming to mind as I write this.

< link to the video: http://vimeo.com/7474108 >

All this month, at work (90.7FM WAY Radio) we are focusing on praying for our spouses. We are asking our listeners to pray for their spouses, their future spouses, and their friends/families spouses. <www.wayradio.org/907> And as you know God never does anything in a small way, so don't you know that our focus as a church is our marital relationships, and how to make them better.

So as I have been praying and reflecting on my marriage, I see how much I have needed this. I take for granted my relationship with my husband, to the point of not regarding it as highly as I should. I have noticed that we tend to disregard the familiar, the usual with ease and many times begin to chase the unfamiliar or even the dangerous. Complacency is not my friend, or yours for that matter! We must guard our hearts, our families, and our marriages like our military guard our freedoms!

My goal is to make the familiar, exciting and make the usual, extraordinary. This is my prayer for my marriage. What's yours?

~Peace & Blessings~
Jen

Does the weather...

really effect how you feel? I often wonder. It's a very cold, cloudy, drizzly day outside & as much as I love being at work, I wish I were at home snuggled up in the bed with my kids (they have today & tomorrow off from school). The nice thing is that I have a short day at work - because with having one car, I have to get home so my husband can go to work. So I will get to put on some pj's maybe some fun music, bake cookies & hang w/ my babies for the rest of the day.

It is my day to go to the gym. I won't be doing that until around 8pm tonight, but that is ok with me. I will go...Mike & I have made an agreement...we go every other day. Not easy, but a commitment is a commitment. That reminds me a lot of marriage...

I know that is a leap, but think about it. Marriage is a commitment to the one you marry. No one said that marriage was easy, but it a life long "I Do". Why do so many give up when they hit a bump in the road? For that matter, why do so many "Christians" give up on God when they hit a bump in the road? There is so much to learn about marriage and of faith when it comes to the hard facts of life. I know that many MANY people want to have an "easy life" with "no problems", but the truth of the matter is...life is full of problems. There is a complication every day...EVERY DAY!

God is at work on me & I do believe that it will make me a better person in the end, but right now it's not easy. To realize my short comings, my faults & know that HE will use them and HE will be strong in my weakness is a scary place to be. It's not easy...of course nothing is & when you make a commitment then you must follow through. I love the saying, "If He brings you to it, He'll get you through it.", so that is my battle cry. I have been very convicted on 2 fronts and I know that is what I'm going to be working on for 2011. My physical condition and my marriage condition. Both are commitments & both are worth it.

I know this started out with the weather, but really...even when I feel cold and dead, I know that God is at work...just like the winter...we cannot have spring (life) without winter (death). Thanks for reading & please leave any comments.


~Peace & Blessings~
Jen