Jenifer Smith

My Daddy Loves Me!

2012-02-14T19:08:00.001-05:00

I feel so blessed to be the aunt of three of the most precious children in the world!

Here are Riley (5) and Joel (3)

And my sweet little Hannah Joy (almost 1)

Aren't they adorable?! I can hardly stand it! It is so hard living so far away from my babies, but I am blessed to get to see them every summer and Christmas.

I remember one particular night two years ago at Christmastime when our whole family was together, and my parents had a house full of family and friends over for dinner. At one point during the evening, I was lying on the couch just observing everyone so happy with their spouses next to them and my heart began to hurt for what I so longed for but did not yet have.

I suddenly became very aware of my feelings of loneliness in this crowded room and although I was surrounded by people who loved me, I began to feel insignificant. No one knew about the internal pity party I was having for myself, and I continued to watch as everyone carried on in laughter.

After awhile, I watched as my nephew, Riley - who was 3 at the time - started walking my direction with a candy cane in his mouth and a big grin on his face. He walked right up to where I was lying down, turned his head to the side so that he was looking at me square in the eye, and with candy cane still in his mouth, he mumbled, "I love you Aunt Jeny!" My eyes started tearing up as I said, "I love you too baby."

He then proceeded to do something that he has NEVER done before to this day. It is important to note that at the time he was a very independant little boy and wasn't one who liked to snuggle much. He has since become a whole lot more affectionate, but I want you to know that this was NOT something that happened all the time - what he did next was EXTREMELY out of the norm for him.

With everyone still talking and unaware of what was going on, he proceeded to hop up on the couch and positioned himself in between my back and the couch cushions. He then took that candy cane out of his mouth, and with his sticky little peppermint lips began to kiss my cheek over and over again. Every few kisses, he would stop, look at me and say, "I love you Aunt Jeny" and then would begin kissing me again. Tears started streaming down my face when all of a sudden I caught a glimpse of my other nephew, Joel (who was just 1 at the time). He had grabbed on to the coffee table, pulled himself up, turned around and looked at me with a smile that would melt anyone's heart. As he stood there looking at me with that big smile on his face, my eyes were drawn to the words on his little onesie he was wearing. In bold letters, it read, "My Daddy Loves Me."

Just then, like a wave - it hit me. My heavenly Daddy had orchestrated that whole thing. He knew what I was feeling in that moment and chose such a precious way to remind me how much He loved me. My feelings may have been hidden from everyone else in that house, but not from Him. It was like He was saying, "Baby Girl - I know your heart is hurting, but I want you to know that you MATTER to Me! You are NEVER alone, and I love you like no one else could ever love you!"

On this Valentine's Day (and every day), God wants you to know how much you are treasured and loved by Him, precious one! No matter if you are single, widowed, divorced, dating or married - know that HIS love is like no other! No human love could ever compare to the love your heavenly Daddy has for you! He LOVES YOU with a perfect love. He doesn't just feel love towards you or even choose to love you - He IS love! (I John 4:8) That is the very essence of who He is!

Listen to just a few of the things He has to say to you straight out of the love letter of His word:

"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you. I've called your name. You're Mine. When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end - Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you...That's how much you mean to Me! That's how much I love You! I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you."

Isaiah 43:2-4 MSG

"Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of My hands." Isaiah 49:15-16a NLT

"I have loved you with an everlasting love. That is why I have continued to be faithful to you."

Jeremiah 31:3b NET

These are just a few of the MANY expressions of love God wrote directly to you from His heart onto the pages of scripture. His biggest display of love was when He gave His life for you on the cross. If you are feeling unloved today, picture His arms stretched out in this beautiful act of love and hear Him saying, "Your Daddy loves you!"

You are loved precious child of God!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am the Moon - He is my Light

2012-01-31T00:13:00.001-05:00

One of the reasons I love living in Florida is that I am just about 7 minutes away from the beach. I am a romantic and love having my "Jesus and Jen" dates out by the water. His creation always draws me so close to Him in a way that I just can't explain. One night this past summer, I went out to one of my special places by the water where I meet with Him often and watched as He painted yet another beautiful sunset on the tapestry of a deep blue sky while multiple shades of pink and orange danced on the clouds. It absolutely took my breath away!

This particular night as I sat still in awe of the moving artistry all around me, my heart was mixed with emotions. Part of my heart was filled with wonder as I gazed upon God's beauty, and the other part of my heart was extremely heavy. I remember not being able to say much at all to the Lord except telling Him that even though I didn't understand my situation that I was going to trust Him. As I sat there breathing in the fresh air and listening to the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, I watched until the sun finally disappeared beneath the horizon. I took comfort in knowing that God was still God even in the midst of my mess and that He still had a plan for my life.

After awhile, it started getting dark and suddenly I noticed a bright light was shining on me from behind like someone had just turned a spotlight on me. I turned around not knowing where the light was coming from and was taken back by it's source. What had happened was that the clouds had parted and revealed one of the most brilliant, brightest full moons I have ever seen! As I sat there mesmerized at the sight I was beholding I was reminded that the light I was seeing was not from the moon at all. The moon is really nothing more than a big dark round rock in the sky with craters all over it. In itself, it is actually kind of boring and ugly. What gave the moon it's light was the sun - the very same sun that I had watched paint colors throughout the sky just about an hour or so before. The sun made something that would otherwise be useless become a beautiful beacon of light shining brightly for all to see.

As tears started streaming down my cheeks, I told God that I wanted Him to make me like that moon. I knew that I was useless without Him and that I couldn't produce any light on my own. I told Him what a mess I was, but that if He was willing I would give Him my ugly mess so that He could shine His light upon me and turn my life into something beautiful. I so wanted to be someone He could use to boldly show off His glory for all to see just like that moon that night.

When I got home, I immediately grabbed my Bible and opened up to the next chapter in Isaiah, as I was reading through this particular book at the time. I knew it was no coincidence when the very first words I read were, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you." (Isaiah 60:1-2)

I love how the Amplified version states this passage: "Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you--rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen on you."

Wow! I just love how God speaks straight to our circumstances from His Word! We do live in a dark world, and it just seems to be getting darker with time. However, God has called each of His children to ARISE and to allow His beautiful light to shine brightly from each of us into this darkened world. People need to see that there is hope - they need to see that there is something more than what they are chasing after - they need JESUS! The thing is that none of us can be a light on our own - we are only going to shine as bright as we allow ourselves to get close to our Heavenly Father. The closer we get to Him, the brighter we will shine. It doesn't matter how ugly your situation may be or what kind of mess you find yourself in - as you draw nearer and nearer to your Heavenly Father, His light will shine brighter and brighter in your life.

Well - that's not the end of my story. You see, our enemy - the prince of darkness - does not want us shining the light of Christ. He loves the dark and will do everything he can to dim any light that may begin to shine from your life. He wants nothing more than to convince you that God could never use you. If he can get you to believe this lie, then he can keep you in the dark and keep you from having any impact in this world for Christ.

He tried to use this lie on me and was successful for awhile. He tried to convince me that God could never use someone like me and that I would never be like that moon. My life was just too messy. I had blown it way too many times. There were significant people in my life who had given up on me, why wouldn't God give up on me too? The enemy tormented me with these thoughts until I finally decided I was going to believe what God said about me instead of what the enemy was telling me.

Within a week of making this decision to believe God over how I felt, a sweet woman walked up to me at church and handed me a CD. (Keep in mind that I had only met her once before and had never shared my moon story with her). She proceeded to tell me that there was a song on that CD that made her think of me and she wanted to share it with me thinking that maybe it would be a good song for me to sing.

After church, I hopped in my car anxious to hear the song. I had never heard this song by Sara Groves before and I sat there and sobbed as these words came through my speakers:

"And I am the moon with no light of my own
Still You have made me to shine
And as I glow in this cold dark night
I know I can't be a light unless I turn my face to You.
Shine on me with Your light
Without You I'm a cold dark stone
Shine on me I have no light of my own
You are the sun, You are the sun, You are the sun
And I am the moon"

May each time you look up in the sky and see a bright full moon that it will remind you to draw nearer and nearer to God so that He can shine brighter and brighter through your life!

Love you all,

A Shopping Trip to Remember

2012-01-24T23:54:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I recently shared on my Facebook of a shopping trip to Old Navy in which I bought $430 worth of clothes and netted $9 in profit. Many have asked how I did this, so I thought I would share some of my shopping secrets with you...

Honestly, although I do profess do be a bargain shopper - I have never been able to pull something like this off to this extreme before (especially with clothes). So - if you're looking for instructions on how you can go out tomorrow and do the same thing, I'm afraid you might not like my answer. However, maybe you can take some of my tips and it will help you save some money on your quest for a great deal!

It all started with Groupon. They emailed me a special promotion for $10 towards a Groupon. Around the same time, I found there was a $20 Old Navy Groupon for only $10. I used my $10 credit towards that Groupon and got it for free. Groupon also has a referral program which allows you to refer friends and earn $10 credit for each person who creates an account and buys. I ended up with $60 in Old Navy Groupons to spend.

I waited to use these until there were some good sales going on in the store so that I could get more for my money. However, I never expected the deal to be as good as it was. Sunday afternoon, my sister texted me and told me that Old Navy was having a big sale and all of their clearance was marked down an additional 50% . On top of that, for every $20 you spent, they gave you $10 Old Navy bucks to come back and use.

I headed straight to Old Navy the moment I got her text in hopes that I would find me some good stuff. And find me some good stuff I DID! You know how it is with clearance - it can be very hit or miss. Most of the time, for me at least, it's a miss. You are usually left with the clothes that no one else wants to buy, or when you find something cute it's not in your size. Well - not this time! I felt like a kid in a candy store as I pulled item after item off the rack to try on. Most of the items were $5 or less! I'm sure it was a funny sight for the rest of the shoppers to see as I attempted to haul half the store in my arms to the dressing room to try on.

(Now I have to stop here and say that I know there are much bigger needs out there in the world, and I do not at all want to minimize those things with a silly little post about such a minor need in my life. However, I believe that God not only cares about the big stuff in our lives, but also the little stuff. Honestly, other than a small amount at Christmas that was paid with another Groupon - I have not really been clothes shopping in well over a year. I cannot even recall when the last time was. This girl that years ago once frequented the mall so much that the workers in my favorite stores knew me by name has learned how to live with less).

The thing is that I was really coming to the point that I needed a few items, like some jeans. I only have one pair that fit me right now and I wear that same pair ALL of the time - I can't believe I just admitted that - ha! Anyways, as I began to try on my ridiculously ginormous pile of clothes, I began to hang the items up in 3 categories: "HAVE TO BUY", "WANT TO BUY" and "MAYBE". After I had finally tried on my last item, which seemed like hours later, I got out my phone and started adding up the prices of my found treasures, so I could figure out what I could keep and what I would have to part with. Keep in mind that I only had $60 in Groupons to spend, so I was trying to keep the total right around there.

I started with the "HAVE TO BUY" group, thinking for sure I would rack up my $60 there. I literally had tears in my eyes when the total only came out to around $27. Every single one of those items were things that I really needed (like 2 pairs of jeans) and prayed that God would help me to find. I was then able to add all of the "WANT TO BUY" items as well!!! I stopped and thanked the Lord right there and jumped up and down in the dressing room as giddy as a 5-year-old little girl who had just been given a pony! Seriously - I wonder what the sweet young Old Navy employees were thinking as they saw my feet below the door as I did my happy dance. I am laughing out loud right now just thinking about it.

When it was all said and done, with my Groupons, sale prices, an extra discount for a hole I found in one of the tops, and a sweet cashier who allowed me to combine my Groupons with the store promo of Old Navy bucks (they normally don't allow this), I paid $21 and got back $30 in Old Navy bucks for a net of $9!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!

I know without a doubt that God orchestrated all of this in order to provide for me in a very practical way. He truly does care about our EVERY need no matter how big or small. This doesn't mean He is going to give us everything we want. He knows what is best for us and what we truly need. The truth is that in the big scheme of things, I didn't REALLY need new clothes - but just like a loving earthly father takes great delight in giving gifts to his children, our Heavenly Father loves to do the same for us. He chooses many different ways to do this, as each of us are special and unique, but I think His heart bursts with joy every time He gets to shower us with undeserved blessings like this. I honestly think He was in that dressing room jumping up and down with me! ;0)

Okay - so there you have it. One very long post with a very long explanation - if you are still reading this at this point, I applaud you. I will be back with some posts that have a little more depth to them soon. :)

Happy New Year...(a tad late)

2012-01-14T15:47:00.000-05:00

Hello my dear brothers and sisters!

I don't know if I am too late in saying this, but "Happy New Year to you all!" I said this to someone the other day and they actually rebuked me and told me that was old news. Well - old news or not, I do hope that 2012 is off to a good start for you!

I know I have not been faithful at keeping this blog updated, and so one of my New Year's resolutions is to be better at that. God is teaching me so many things along this journey, but I don't write about it often because of fear to what people might think. I do not claim to be a gifted writer by any means, and I have no idea how many people actually read this blog. However, the Lord has convicted me that I cannot just keep what He is teaching me to myself. When God produces fruit in your life, it is not just for you to eat but also for others. Therefore, as God continues to produce fruit in my life as I seek Him, I will pass the plate around gladly in hopes that you will find something nourishing to your soul as well.

That being said, I am SO very excited about all that God has in store for this year. I love fresh starts - being able to just wipe the slate clean, learn from the past and set my sights on what lies ahead. It was so refreshing to start out this new year with a blank calendar, not knowing what would fill each of the 366 days this year (leap year). Not knowing can be scary and thrilling at the same time! As I spent time praying over my 2012 calendar this year asking God to bless in very specific ways - there was one thing above all else that I wanted. I asked Jesus to fill every single minute of every single day with more of Himself! No matter what lies ahead, I want to experience more of Him! And that my friends, is my prayer for you too! May this be a year that you experience your Heavenly Father more than you ever have before!

"The LORD says, "Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don't you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land." Isaiah 43:18-19

May 2012 bring You glory, LORD!!!

Love,

Jen

Lessons from the Valley

2011-10-24T02:32:00.001-04:00

Hello dear friends,

If we were to sit down across from one another and I was to ask you how you are doing, what would you say? Would you give me the common Sunday-morning-church-act-like-you-got-it-all-together answer of "I'm fine" or "I'm good"? What if I leaned in, looked you square in the eye and said, "Now tell me how you are really doing." Maybe things in your life truly are great right now, and you are on top of the mountain enjoying God's blessings in your life. If that is the case, I celebrate with you! But - I know there are those of you who would say that things really aren't so fine right now. Maybe you have found yourself smack dab in the middle of a valley. I have heard this far too often from some precious brothers and sisters in Christ lately, and God impressed upon my heart that it was time to share with you some things that He has been teaching me, a fellow sojourner presently traveling through the valley myself.

Let me preface this by saying that I definitely did not start out in the valley believing all of these things. I have had my share of questions and doubts just like many of you. I have had moments when I wondered if God had forgotten about me. There have been many times I felt like throwing in the towel and giving up because it was just too hard. However, in the midst of all the confusion, unknowns and uncertainties, God has been using this season to teach me. He has been opening my eyes to see the real beauty that lies in the valley.

You may be wondering how in the world you could ever see your valley as beautiful. I am not saying that the circumstance that placed you in the valley is beautiful. Let's face it - life can be downright hard and unfair sometimes. The only view you may see in front of you right now might seem dark, scary, long and lonely. However, God promises to bring good out of every single thing that happens in your life (Rom. 8:28). He alone can take the barren, dusty groud you tread upon and turn it into something beautiful, lush and green.

God also promises that you will never have to walk alone. Psalm 23:4a (NLT) states, "Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me." Even when you can't feel God's presence, He is there. He hasn't abandoned you, precious one. In fact, these are the times that He draws us in close - near to His heart.

Another beautiful thing that God can do during this season is to speak to you in ways you have never heard Him before. I personally have never been so sensitive to the voice of God as I have been while in the valley. It is here that I have learned how to listen to the voice of my sweet Savior. Ezekiel 3:22 (NLT) says, "Then the LORD took hold of me and said, 'Get up and go out into the valley, and I will speak to you there.'" If God has led you to this place, dear one, He has something He wants to say to you - something He wants to teach you. He is speaking - Listen to Him!

That next verse in Ezekiel goes on to say, "So I got up and went, and there I saw the glory of the LORD...". God's intention for leading you through a valley is ALWAYS for the purpose of His glory. There is something so glorious He wants to do in all of this! This is an opportunity for Him to show you and those around you what He is capable of.

A common fact about the valley is that this is where the fruit grows. Another purpose for God leading you through the valley is to produce fruit in your life. It is to your Father's glory that your life bears much fruit (John 15:8). To experience this growth, however, you HAVE to stay connected to Jesus. In John 15:5 (MSG), Jesus said, "I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with Me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing."

Yes, precious child of God - a harvest will come if you stay connected to the One who breathes life into your very soul. Psalm 126:5-6 (NIV) says, "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." The Message says that they "will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing!" God promises to exchange our tears for laughter! Each one of your tears is a seed that God can produce a crop from. The more tears you have had to endure, the more seeds that can be sown. The more seeds that are sown, the larger the harvest is going to be. Before you know it, that barren ground isn't going to be so barren anymore. Eventually you will begin to see the results of what God wanted to bring about in your life in this season. In fact, you might turn around to find that your valley has produced a crop that looks a little something like this one found in a valley in Israel:

That's right! A harvest is coming my brothers and sisters! God is who He says He is! He always keeps His promises! If you feel like quitting - don't! Allow God to lead you while He tightly holds onto your hand. For at the proper time, you're gonna reap a harvest if you do not give up! (Gal. 6:9)

Love in Christ,

Jen

Stay Tuned...

2011-10-09T02:44:00.001-04:00

New Post Coming Soon!

A Lesson from a Dolphin

2011-05-17T17:10:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends!

I just realized it's been 2 whole months since I wrote on here last! A lot has happened since I started my new job (Praise the Lord!), and my life has been crazy busy lately. I have witnessed God do some pretty incredible things in the past few weeks and months. As I sit here, I am in complete awe of the fact that God would even want to work in and through me like He has. I think I am a living example of the fact that God really can use ANYBODY! I am so grateful for His love, mercy and grace!

As a matter of fact, God taught me a pretty awesome lesson this weekend, and I thought it might encourage some of you reading as well:

Saturday morning, I woke up early to head to the gym for my morning workout. However as I was driving, I decided to skip the gym and head straight to my most favorite "Jesus spot" in Vinoy Park. I parked my car and slowly strolled along on the seawall, breathing in the fresh morning air and gazing at the beauty all around me. All of a sudden, my peaceful walk was interrupted by a loud sound that startled me so much I almost lost my balance. I looked down below me and to my great surprise, there was a dolphin that had come out of nowhere just to jump up out of the water right below where I was standing. He continued to swim on down the edge of the seawall, so I began to follow him. He was moving pretty fast, so I was having to hustle to keep up with him.

As I was in the process of chasing my dolphin, all of a sudden I heard what I thought was the Lord say, "Sit down". This was of course not an audible voice, but I heard it pretty strongly in my Spirit. At first, I questioned whether it really was the Lord I was hearing and I took another couple of steps. I then heard Him say again, "Sit down", and I knew that it was the Lord speaking. I found myself saying, "But Lord, I am trying to catch up with my dolphin! He's getting away!" Then He said to me again, "Jenifer, sit down". I wasn't ready to sit down! What I really wanted to do was follow that dolphin! - But I decided to obey what God was asking me to do, as peculiar as I thought it may be. I sat right down on that seawall with my legs dangling over the waters of Tampa Bay just like I had so many times before while meeting with my Jesus. I sat and watched as the dolphin disappeared into the distance.

As I sat there with the Lord, He began to show me that just like that dolphin, there were things in my life that I was still chasing after instead of being still and waiting on Him. I opened up my hands and with palms up, I stuck out my arms and told God He could take it all - even if He had to take every single dream and all that was important to me in order to fulfill His purpose in my life. It was not an easy thing to do. It was painful to think of having to relinquish control of what I valued the most. However, I have come to know my Heavenly Daddy's heart. I know that He doesn't ask me to give Him everything so that He can just take them away. Everything He does in my life is for my good and for His glory. He always does the most loving thing - whether that means allowing some dreams to be shattered so He can give me better dreams or to just hold off on some dreams until He is ready to give them back to me.

After about 40 incredibly blessed minutes there with the Lord, I got back up on my feet and was about to turn around to head back to my car. Right as I was beginning to turn around, out of the middle of nowhere - what just so happened to jump right up out of the water at my feet? Yep! You guessed it! There was my dolphin! I didn't even see him coming! I was so ecstatic that I'm sure I caused a scene to the nearby joggers as I jumped up and down and squealed with excitement!

God is so incredibly amazing! As soon as I was obedient in being still before Him and allowed Him to teach me the lesson He wanted me to learn, He brought that dolphin right back to me! What dream or longing does the dolphin represent in your life? Could it be a relationship you are longing for? Is it a job or promotion at work? Or maybe it is a dream for a loved one - maybe a child who is not walking with the Lord? What is it that you are chasing after? Maybe God just wants you to "Sit down", be still and wait on Him while He works in your heart and the hearts of your loved ones. He wants to bring those dreams right to you in His time. He loves you, and He is truly working ALL THINGS together for your good!

Lamentations 3:25 (NKJV)
"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him."

I pray that each one of you who reads this blog will experience the goodness and the faithfulness of God that comes when we are willing to be still and wait on Him.

Love always in Christ,

Jen

A New Chapter...

2011-03-15T17:53:00.008-04:00

Hey Everyone!

(If you are just logging onto my blog and you have not previously read the two posts below, I would recommend reading them first so you'll be up to speed on this update)...

I just have to say thank you all so very much for all of your prayers and the sweet messages of encouragement that many of you have sent me. I have saved every one of them in a special folder that I can go back and look at over and over again whenever I am having a rough day. They are precious reminders of how much my Heavenly Daddy loves me. I love how He loves on us through others!

Most of you will know that I have been looking for a job/income for quite some time now. For months, I have had many doors abruptly shut that just didn't make sense. I was left so confused and had moments where I questioned God's will for my life. I was trusting Him the best I could, but there was still some doubt looming in the back of my mind.

However, God was doing something very special within me while I was waiting. He was answering other desperate prayers that I had cried out to Him flat on my face more times than I can recount. What God wanted to do in my life needed a lot of concentrated time with Him as He poured out His love and His Word into my heart. He brought me to the point that I realized He was more than enough. It took Him allowing almost everything I had any security in to be stripped away, but what He gave me in exchange was worth so much more. He gave me the gift of Himself. This I have come to realize is the ultimate, most loving thing God could ever do for me.

Within a week after I finally just threw up my hands knowing that there was nothing more I could do, I received an unexpected message from a guy who used to play in a worship band with me, but who I had not seen in months. He asked what I was doing for work these days because he just so happened to possibly have a position opening up with his software hosting company.

I scheduled an interview with him and was offered the position of Executive Assistant on the spot! The company is Christian-owned and works with many missions organizations and churches. The guys I work with are all Christians and it was so refreshing to go into work on my first day and sit down with them to pray before we started our staff meeting. What is huge about this job is that I have been given the flexiblity to be able to leave when I am involved in other ministry commitments, which means I can continue to walk through the doors that God is opening for me to serve in ministry.

And if all that is not enough - our office is right by the water, so I can sit outside by the bay and gaze at God's beauty while eating my lunch everyday! Does God SO know me, or what?! I already have picked out my favorite shade tree to sit under where God and I are going to be having some special times together!

God kept His Word in promising to provide! Tears well up in my eyes as I type this because God proved Himself faithful and trustworthy yet again, even though I doubted Him so many times. He didn't do this for me because I had an extroardinary amount of faith. He did it simply out of His unfailing and perfect love for this flawed and imperfect girl. I can look back now and see how He has been working and realize He has been loving on me all along, even when I didn't recognize it.

I believe there is someone out there who needs to hear this story. I literally searched for jobs for months with no responses. I finally had to just give up, knowing that even if the worst thing happened that my Jesus would be right by my side through it all. Maybe you've been there. Maybe you're there right now. Maybe you've reached a dead end and don't know what to do. God sometimes allows us to get to that point so that we realize that He really is enough.

We can't always understand why God doesn't respond the way we want Him to sometimes. However, we can trust that He knows exactly what He is doing. In this very moment, He IS working everything out for your good. In time you will be able to look back and see how He was working behind the scenes the whole time. Don't give up, brothers and sisters - keep trusting Him - and He WILL reveal Himself to you!

"I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."

Psalm 40:1-3

Love,

Jen

What I Desire Most

2011-03-04T13:15:00.010-05:00

Hey sweet friends!

I hope you all are enjoying this day that the Lord has made!

So...here's an update...I had a two-day interview this week for an Administrative Assistant position. The owner of the company told me he would not hire me for that particular job because I was over qualified. However, he offered me another position with the company that would have made me a VERY wealthy woman and would have given me all kinds of success and notoriety by the world's standards. How could I resist such an offer? To say that money has been tight would be the biggest understatement of my year. This would give me long-term financial stability in a very financially unstable world. I was blown away at first, thinking that maybe this was an answer to prayer. The thought of not having to worry about money anymore was most definitely appealing! I asked him to give me a little more time to pray about it before accepting the offer.

Those two days I was in complete turmoil. I did not want to turn down the opportunity if this truly was God's will for me, but I surely did not want it if it wasn't His will. I tossed and turned all night begging God to give me an answer. There was a part of me that felt like I needed to take the job simply because it was the financially "responsible" thing to do. However, I began realizing all of the things that I was going to have to give up in order to do this job. Every single area of my life would have become consumed by the responsibilities required. I would no longer be able to make any ministry and singing commitments, I would never see my friends and family, and more than anything I know my relationship with the Lord would have suffered. This company would have completely owned every part of my life.

I asked God to show me what to do, and He did. I knew that there might be people who would think I was crazy and irresponsible for not accepting the offer, but I knew that God did not want me to take that job. He gave me such a peace I can't explain, and I knew that I just needed to trust Him to lead me and provide for me.

After making my decision yesterday afternoon, I woke up this morning wondering what in the world I was to do now? I went out to one of my favorite "Jesus & Jen" spots at Vinoy Park and sat on the seawall with my legs dangling over the water. I remembered all of the special times I had with the Lord there over the years and all the salty tears I had cried out to Him that had landed in that salty water of the bay. God reminded me of how He has always been faithful and has heard every one of my cries. There I was again, pouring my heart out to Him asking Him for help. I just needed that reassurance that He was there, and that He did have something very special planned for my life.

The wind was blowing rather strong and causing big waves to crash against the seawall spraying me with water, but I didn't care. I was there to meet with my Heavenly Daddy and I wasn't leaving until He reassured me of His presence. Suddenly, a pelican flew within feet of me with his wings spread out allowing the wind to just carry him there stationary for a long time. It was so cool that I clasped my hands together and squealed telling God how awesome His creation was.

Then, just as the pelican flew away, my eye caught something come up out of the water at a distance. I soon realized that it was a dolphin, and then quickly saw that there was a whole group of dolphins and they were making a beeline directly towards where I was sitting. It was like God said, "You think the pelican is cool, baby girl? Just watch this!" The dolphins started jumping and playing in the water right close to where I was sitting. They could have made their way to any part of that long seawall, but they came right to me!

God just continues to blow me away with His love! I don't understand everything He is doing, but I do know that He is right here with me and He's not letting go. I may have many dreams and desires, but I have come to realize that more than anything I want JESUS! He is my dream! He is my desire!!!

I want to leave you all with a quote from "Shattered Dreams" by Larry Crabb...

"What He [God] is doing while we suffer is leading us into the depths of our being, into the center of our soul where we feel our strongest passions. It's there that we discover our desire for God. We begin to feel a desire to know Him that not only survives all our pain, but actually thrives in it until that desire becomes more intense than our desire for all the good things we still want. Through the pain of shattered lower dreams, we wake up to the realization that we want an encounter with God more than we want the blessings of life. And that begins a revolution in our lives."

Seek God first my friends, for He is the very One that your heart longs for even if you don't realize it. That's the way God made us. He is the only One who can fill you. Only He can give you love that completely satisfies. Anything else we follow after to quench our unsatiable thirst will eventually leave us dried up. Allow Jesus Christ to pour His living water into your heart and experience true satisfaction and wholeness in Him!

Love you my brothers and sisters!

Jen

I Will Never Leave You

2011-01-15T14:14:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

I recently posted a prayer request on my Facebook page asking everyone to pray specifically about a real estate deal I had in the works that would pay off all my debt and give me a little bit of money to walk away with. Like many of you, times are tough and I really was hoping this would be something that God would work out to relieve some of my financial pressure. So many of you responded with encouragement and promises to pray for me. Several of you followed up by texting me or asking me in person about it. It means the world to me that there are precious people who care about me enough to go before the throne of God on my behalf. Thinking about it at this moment brings tears to my eyes as I type. I cannot thank you all enough for your prayers and encouragement.

Last week, as I had just picked up a book called "Believing God" by Beth Moore, which is all about faith and believing what God says, and began to read it, I turned to a passage in Joshua that she made reference to in the first chapter. As I was turning to the passage, I glanced up at my laptop that was sitting directly in front of me with my email opened so that I wouldn't miss any important messages. There it was. The message that I was hoping was going to bring me some good news was just the opposite. I found that another offer was accepted and I had lost the deal. I was devastated. I really had thought this was going to be what God was going to use to provide. I was discouraged and became very afraid about the uncertainty of my future.

At that moment, I looked down at my Bible where I had turned to the passage spoken of in my book, and another portion of scripture that I had highlighted in the past stared right back at me. "I will never leave you nor forsake you...Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:5b & 9) God knew the exact moment I was going to receive that discouraging news, and He was so faithful to be ready to comfort me with His gentle words. He reminded me that no matter what happens or where I am that He will be with me. He is here to stay and will stick it out with me for the long haul, no matter what I may face.

God didn't stop at reassuring me that He was with me. After I sat and relished in the words He had whispered so sweetly into my soul with tears streaming down my face, I reached for my scripture spiral. I carry a note card spiral everywhere I go with me these days with scriptures that are most meaningful to me during this season of my life. When I had set the spiral down beside me as I was reading, it was closed. However, as I went to pick it up I noticed it had opened. The verse it happened to open up to was Psalm 132:15 which simply states, "I will bless her with abundant provisions." I just about fell off the bed I was sitting on when I read this! God was promising me that He was not only going to provide, but that He would ABUNDANTLY provide! God sure is amazing, isn't He?

I suddenly realized that it didn't matter that the deal didn't go through because God was going to take care of me in a bigger way. I have heard Beth Moore often say that when God says "No" it's for His greater "Yes!". Another woman in my life who has become very dear to me said, "Jenifer, if the deal would have gone through, it would have been by your efforts, not God's. God wants to do something that only He can do." (my paraphrase)

It was interesting to me that God chose to tell me that He was with me before He told me He was going to abundantly provide for my needs. He reminded me of Who He was before He told me what He would do. God is much more concerned about me knowing the Provider before I experience His provision. I can say from experience that I would trade everything I possess just to know my Provider more. His compassion and love are like no other.

I may not know when or how God is going to provide, but this I know...My God will NEVER leave me or forsake me, and He is going to be glued to my side through it all!

May you experience God's presence in a fresh new way today as well knowing that He is ALWAYS with you dear one!

Love you all,

Jen

Welcome to my Blog!

2010-12-22T23:32:00.004-05:00

Hey Everyone! For those of you who are just checking out my blog for the first time - Welcome! I am so thrilled you stopped by! I look forward to sharing the amazing lessons that God is teaching me with all of you and I pray that they will encourage and bless you! As for those of you who used to follow my blog - Welcome Back! I know I kind of dropped off the face of the blogging earth for a loooong while, but I am ready to start writing again. WooooHoooo!!!

Please be sure to make your visit "official" and click on the link on the right side column of the blog to be a "Follower". If I know there are people following my blog, it will encourage me to write on here more often.

Also, I would encourage you to leave comments on any of the entries I post on here. I will keep up with them and will respond to each one of them. I would also love to pray for you, so please feel free to let me know any prayer needs you may have.

I will be back soon to share with you what God is teaching me, but until then I hope you all have a very merry and blessed Christmas!

Love you all,

Jen

STAY TUNED...

2010-03-11T17:21:00.000-05:00

Stay tuned...New post coming soon!

Change is a - Comin' !

2009-09-13T05:22:00.005-04:00

There have been so many changes in my life within the past few years and a whirlwind of change this year especially. Some of those changes were good and some were ones which brought about much pain. Even as I type this, I am sitting amongst a sea of boxes in my apartment prepared for a big move across the country to the Denver area next week. Had someone told me a year ago that I would be moving to Colorado, I would have thought they were crazy. This Florida girl swore she would NEVER move any farther north than Atlanta as she can't bare to be cold! Now I find I'm trading my flip-flops for snow boots, my bikini for a parka, my sunglasses for goggles and my surfboard for skis. Well - I don't actually own a surfboard, but you get the idea.

There are so many changes that are good, like a new home or a new baby for example. God created change - life would be absolutely boring without it. I love the saying, "If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies." That is so true. However, whether good or bad - change can be downright scary at times. Whether we want it or not, change is inevitable. We can't avoid it. Seasons will change, people will change, economies will change, children will grow up, waistlines will get bigger, skin will get wrinklier and yes, sadly - what was once perky will eventually droop to the floor.

However, in the midst of all these changes I have found comfort in the One who does NOT change. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb.13:8). When everything around me changes, He remains the same. He is ALWAYS faithful, ALWAYS trustworthy, ALWAYS there when we need Him, ALWAYS loving, ALWAYS gracious, ALWAYS forgiving, ALWAYS our provider, ALWAYS our sustainer, ALWAYS our strength and ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS keeps His promises. He NEVER will forsake us, NEVER will hurt us, NEVER will lie to us, NEVER will lead us in the wrong direction and NEVER, NEVER, NEVER will abandon us and leave us all alone.

Whatever changes you are experiencing today, take comfort in knowing that no matter what happens with the state of our economy and country, no matter what happens in your life and the lives of those you love that Jesus is the One to whom you can always count on. He is our constant source of stability. He is consistant. He is faithful. He never has and never will change - and that, my friends is something you can depend upon!

Waiting on God's Perfect Timing

2009-07-07T23:38:00.001-04:00

I recently found this article online, and wanted to share it on my blog. I don't know anything about the author, but I thought this was really good...

Waiting on God's Perfect Timing
By Robert Moment

Waiting is one of the most difficult things to do, whether we're waiting for an airline flight, a phone call or an answered prayer. We become impatient and wonder why everyone else is holding us up and keeping us from getting what we want. It seems like the more we want something, the harder it is to wait - and we even get impatient with God!

But we have to remember that God's timing is different than our own. He sees things from a different perspective and sees the whole picture, not just what we want, but what is best for us in the grand plan for our lives. All is part of a divine order and will be done in its own right and proper time. Of course, when we are hoping, praying and waiting for something, it's easy to forget this. After all, waiting is "remaining inactive in one place while expecting something." And being inactive means feeling powerless and at the mercy of the world - nobody likes that feeling. But we must keep in mind God's greater plan and his perfect timing:

"We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28

"Trust in Him at all times, O people."
Psalm 62:8

What are YOU Waiting For?

What are you waiting for in your life? A new job, financial security, healing, a baby, a restored marriage? It seems that no matter where we are in our lives, we are waiting for something in the future. Our lives are never stagnant; if we are moving forward, there is always something to expect or wait for around the next bend in the road of our lives.

There are many stories of "waiting" in the Bible. In some stories, the waiting seemed to last forever, while others only waited a few intense moments. The key to waiting is not the length of time but how we handle the wait. The Bible teaches us that we should "wait on the Lord." We must look with confidence and expectation toward the future, trusting that God will fulfill our waiting in good and proper time.

There are three actions that will help you wait on the Lord patiently and with faith, knowing and believing that He will help:

1. Trust - If we doubt God's willingness to hear and answer our prayer, we may begin to feel bitter when we think God has heard our prayer but is silent. Scripture teaches us that God is unchangeable, which means He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and we can always rely on Him to provide the best possible path for our lives! God said that He will never leave us or forsake us. If He seems silent now, it is because He has another plan, different timing or a way to answer our prayer that has not been revealed to us yet. We must trust in His plan.

2. Resist - We must resist the temptation to take matters into our own hands. Patience is powerful. Having patience is essential in many circumstances and the Holy Spirit is here to fill us with this patience when we feel we cannot wait another minute on God. The safest place we can rest is in God's Will. When we rest here, resisting temptation is easy.

3. Pray - How many times have you given a prayer request to God and felt He was deaf? During these times, you need to keep on praying, but pray the right way. God always answers our prayers, but it may not be the way we want Him or expect Him to. It may be a yes, a no or something better. When we don't immediately get the answer we want, we have a tendency to repeat the same prayer over and over until we either lose our voice or simply give up. After we have given our need to the Lord, we must turn our request into a "Thank you," and an attitude of expectancy, and say, "Not my will, but Yours, Lord." When we thank the Lord in advance for answering our prayers, it is an active display of our faith that demonstrates to God our confident expectation that His awesome power will provide for us.

This Prayer can help you as you wait on God's perfect timing:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I have been waiting for ________________ for so long now, and I come before You today to ask your help. I pray that You will increase my faith and patience so that I will put my whole trust in your perfect timing and plan for my life. I will put my complete trust in You with confidence and eager expectation of Your answer, whatever that answer may be and whenever that answer may come.

Thank you that you are always with me.

Thank you that You hear my prayers and will answer in Your time and in Your way. You, Lord, are without limits.

Thank You for Your unfailing word and that You always keep Your promises to me.

I believe with my heart, mind and soul Your plan for my life is the best one possible and I thank You for Your answer.

Being in Your will is the safest place I can ever reside.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

"Whatever You're Doing"

2009-06-25T12:00:00.002-04:00

I absolutely love the words to the song, "Whatever You're Doing" by Sanctus Real. I pray that it blesses someone else out there just like it did for me!

It's time for healing, time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong

There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but somehow there's peace
And it's hard to surrender to what I can't see
But I'm giving in to something heavenly

Time for a milestone, time to begin again
Re-evaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything, I surrender!

To whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but somehow there's peace
Though it's hard to surrender to what I can't see
I'm giving in to something heavenly

Time to face up, clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held-back tears

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life, something heavenly

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life, something heavenly

Time to face up, clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out

Jen & Kate's Florida Adventure

2009-05-21T08:25:00.009-04:00

A couple weeks ago my now best friend (and twin), Katie came to visit me in the ATL. After singing in the choir together at my church, FBC Woodstock, we packed up the car the very next day and headed to Florida for a week-long adventure. Neither of us had any idea what God was about to do on this much needed trip. The week was jam-packed full of God's favor and blessings on His girls. He did so much to lavish upon us His love and to show us that He is truly in control of our lives and has big plans for each of us.

On our road trip, we made a list of all the things we wanted to do while on vacation in Florida. The list was over 40 items long, and we got all but just a few completed and were able to add a few more along the way. I could share so many stories about each of our adventures that this post would go on forever, so here are some of the things we did in a nutshell for you...

...Sang in the choir at FBC Woodstock, played tennis, watched movies, made a pitstop in Ashburn, GA which happened to be the home of the "Fire Ant Festival" and were led by a police officer to see a fire ant the size of his car, went to Madeira Beach, went on the "Dolphin Racer" (a large speedboat that gets schools of dolphins to jump in the wake behind it almost so close you could touch them), went to two Bible Studies, went to the "Silver Edge" in Ybor to exchange Katie's ring for two beautiful new bracelets (another amazing story where God showed His favor), went to Busch Gardens and rode the Sheikra twice, drove through a scary storm with a tornado, went to Fort Desoto, had a picnic lunch on the beach, played cards, had dinner with my family, played with my nephews, had a picnic lunch in Vinoy Park on the water in Downtown St Pete, watched the sunset on the beach, rode bikes along the water's edge in Downtown St Pete, met my friends Tom & Karen Hudgins for dinner on Clearwater Beach, went to Rita's, went to the Saturday Morning Market in Downtown St Pete, went to the Ellenton Outlet Mall where I got a cute skirt, belt and scarf from Banana Republic, went to the North Shore Pool in Downtown St Pete where we got locked in and had to call 911 to get out and were given lots of free icecream, went to the St Pete Pier, went to the "Madison at St Pete" where I used to live to enjoy their hot tub and outdoor courtyard/fireplace, went walking on the beach in the rain...(just to name a few)

As you can see, our week was full of lots of adventures and we will have many stories to look back on for years to come. As I mentioned, God showed us some amazing things while on our trip. One was during a scary storm that we drove through. It was amazing that God gave us such beautiful weather all week long as the weather reports were showing thunderstorms everyday. However, as we were driving home from Tampa one afternoon a storm came up from nowhere and the rain pounded down. We attempted to drive in it to get home to eat the turkey tacos my mom had prepared for us, and it was probably the scariest storm I have ever driven through. The rain and lightning did not let up our entire trip over the bridge on the interstate from Tampa into St Pete. We couldn't even see the road in front of us and there were a few times I almost lost control of my car as we hit large puddles in the road. I had lost the feeling in my fingers because I was gripping the steering wheel so tightly. Once we finally got off the interstate, the rain just stopped. The rest of the week, we had beautiful weather and did not have any other storms like that one.

We found out later, that there was a tornado in that storm and the reason it lasted for so long was because we were moving right along with it. It followed us right across the bridge into St Pete.

Have you ever experienced a storm such as this one? I have been experiencing a storm in my life similar to this for awhile now. Satan is like that destructive tornado that attempts to destroy and throws things at us to try to get us to lose control. It may seem like the storm won't let up, as though it is just following you. However, God promises to be there with us during the storms of life. You may not be able to see the road ahead, but if you put your trust completely in Christ, He will lead you out of it in His perfect timing.

I believe that God has something absolutely incredible waiting for me on the other side of the storm that I cannot see. I know that eventually the rain is going to come to a halt and there will be something beautiful waiting for me. In the meantime, I am going to cling to my Jesus for dear life as He brings me through it. I know that one day I'll be able to look back and thank Him for the storm because it will be that pain that He will use to bring about His perfect plan.
God reminds me in His word, "I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on Me, when you come and pray to Me, I'll listen. When you come looking for Me, you'll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding Me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." (Jeremiah 29:11-13 The Message)

Finally Free

2009-05-05T13:28:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite songwriters of all-time is Nicole Nordeman. The lyrics to her songs are so powerful - I love her music! This song is especially encouraging to me right now. There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING that God cannot deliver you from. It doesn't matter how hopeless your situation may seem. There is no situation too big or too messy or too broken that He cannot fix. God is bigger than it ALL!!!

Finally Free - Nicole Nordeman

No chain is strong enough
No choice is wrong enough
No mountain high enough that He
can't climb

No shadow dark enough
No night is black enough
No road is lost enough that He can't find

And if the Son has set us free
Then we must be, free indeed
Let the chains fall away, starting today
Everything has changed
I'm finally free

No pain is deep enough
No heart could bleed enough
Nothing but Jesus' love can make a way

And if the Son has set us free
Then we must be, free indeed
Let the chains fall away, starting today
Everything has changed
I'm finally free!

My Trip to Houston

2009-04-28T15:33:00.013-04:00

Howdy Y'all!

I just got back to the ATL yesterday from a fun trip to Houston, Texas to visit my sister, Jane (hence the southern accent). I had not seen her since Christmastime, so this visit was long overdue. We did all sorts of fun stuff together...we rode bikes, had a picnic lunch in the park, went out to eat a lot, went shopping at The Galleria where I got an adorable dress from my favorite store - The Limited (on sale of course :) ) and went to the Studio Movie Grill where we ate ice cream and watched the Hannah Montana movie (I know we're not 12 year old girls, but we still thought it was a cute movie and we didn't have to worry about any bad language or inappropriate scenes :) ).

On Friday night, we drove out in the country in the middle of nowhere to a farm that is owned by a man at her church. He had invited a bunch of people over to go camping on his farm for star gazing, roasting marshmallows, campfire, etc. For those of you who know me well, you're probably thinking..."Jenifer? camping? really?". I know, I know - My idea of roughing it is a hotel without room service - HA HA! We opted to sleep indoors, and everyone else ended up doing the same because it was supposed to rain. We didn't get to have our campfire and star gazing, but we saw a copperhead!

...And some chickens

On Sunday night, we threw Jane a party for her birthday.

We danced and sang karaoke...

...And we had a yummy ice cream cake from Carvel

It was a great week, but we missed our sister, Joy who is in Florida. We are all going to be together in Florida soon though, where we'll be taking our nephew to Disney!

Raising the Flag of Surrender

2009-04-16T12:17:00.004-04:00

Surrendering everything to God is a lot easier said than done many times, especially for this "control freak". I am sure there have been many times I have sung that old hymn, "I Surrender All" and didn't even truly mean the words I was singing. I often think that if I surrender everything to God that He will ask me to do something I don't want to do or He will take something from me that I don't want to give up.

However, looking back on those times in my life that I have COMPLETELY surrendered everything to God, He blessed me in ways that I never would have imagined. He did not TAKE FROM me, but He GAVE BACK to me so much more. I found that when I laid everything in His hands and released my fingers from their tight grip, things turned out so much better than when I had tried to handle things on my own.

Surrendering is a daily process. I have found that I can be totally surrendered to God one day, and then the next I find myself trying to grab hold of the reins again. I think the reason for this is a trust issue with God. I think sometimes we have a hard time really trusting that He knows what is best and so we try to take control based on our own knowledge. Anytime I try to take matters into my own hands however, life ends up getting very messy. The results have never been good when I have not trusted God enough to be in complete control over my life.

What is it in your life that you are clinging to and not surrendering to God? Give Him your life, your hopes, your dreams, your relationships, your desires, your will, your plans, your future. All of these things are in much better care in His hands than your own, and He can and will do some amazing things with them if you will trust Him.

There is a song called, "Absolute Surrender" that some long-time sweet friends of mine, Tom & Karen Hudgins, used to sing all the time when they would lead worship with the youth group at church. (I believe Tom wrote the song). I wish I had a recording of it to post, but I don't, so I've just put the words here for you...

"Absolute Surrender"

Is my life absolute surrendered? Do I know the price that I must pay?
Is my life a reflection of the Savior? Am I always heading in His way?

Always surrender to my Father's will
Always surrender to His plan
Always surrender to the Son of God

Oh absolute surrender
Absolute surrender
Absolute surrender to Jesus.

Quit playing games with the Devil
He wants to destroy your precious life
Raise your flag of surrender and kneel at the cross
And receive your victory in Jesus Christ

Always surrender to my Father's will
Always surrender to His plan
Always surrender to the Son of God

Oh absolute surrender
Absolute surrender
Absolute surrender to Jesus

Nothing is Impossible for God!

2009-04-14T02:25:00.001-04:00

Great song by my favorite worship leader, Kari Jobe called "Healer".

By His Wounds We are Healed!

2009-04-10T09:12:00.000-04:00

Facing Your Enemy

2009-04-05T19:33:00.003-04:00

Our enemy, Satan is real. The Bible says in I Peter 5:8, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

I like how The Message states this verse - "Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up."

That's right - Satan's goal is to destroy and will wait for an opportune time when you least expect it. He waits until our guards are down and then moves in for the kill sometimes in such a suttle way that we don't even realize it until he has us ensnared. He begins by taking small things from us sometimes going unnoticed, until finally we realize he has taken the bigger more precious things from us.

Satan will destroy anyone who allows him to, but I believe that He especially has it in for those who pose the biggest threat. Those who are surrendered to God. Those with vision. Those whom God plans to use to impact the lives of others. The more people who will experience freedom if you are set free, the more of a threat you are to Satan. He knows that if he can destroy you, then he can destroy the impact that your freedom in Christ will have on others being set free.

So - what happens if you do get caught off guard, you mess up and fall flat on your face? Has Satan won the victory? Have his plans to destroy you worked? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! God can pick you up, redeem your life and restore you once again. Satan will only have victory if you let him. The fact is that Satan can only get away with what God allows him to. Nothing happens that God does not have ultimate control over. Sometimes God allows our enemy to reak havoc in our lives to get our attention and to draw us to Himself. Could it be that the very plan that God has for you involves allowing you to suffer and mess up for awhile? Think of some of the most effective people in ministry today. Most are people who have been through some serious trials in their lives. Most have experienced ruthless attacks from the enemy and have fallen at some point only to be picked back up by our Savior and their feet placed upon the SOLID rock, Jesus.

So - how do we prepare ourselves in being ready for Satan's attacks? Ephesians 6:13 says to "Put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."

I remember the first time I was taught about the armor of God from Ephesians 6. I was a small child at the time and was attending a summer Bible School. I remember the teacher passing out pieces of armor for us to color and place on our paper dolls. I did not realize at that young age just how valuable that lesson was and how important that knowledge would become to me at a later age.

Belt of Truth - This is the foundation on which the sword is attached. Jesus is truth. In order to stand up to Satan's lies and deception, we must be attached to the truth that is found in Jesus alone.

Breastplate of Righteousness - The purpose of this piece of armor in battle is to protect the soldiers vital organs. They would not dare to enter into battle without it. If we rely on our own good works or efforts, they will do us no good in battle with the enemy. However, with the righteousness given to us through Christ, we know that on our good or bad days we stand before God the same - righteous and forgiven in His sight. There is no need for shame. Shame is a tactic the enemy will use to keep us stuck and keep us from experiencing the freedom that comes through Jesus Christ.

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace - Without proper protection for their feet, a soldier in battle would not be able to stand long. The Gospel of Jesus' life, death and resurrection was to bring us peace with God. We are able to stand boldly and confidently in the peace that comes from knowing Jesus Christ.

Shield of Faith - When an enemy would attack a soldier with flaming arrows, the shield would be the piece of armor that would protect him from being hit. Jesus is our only shield. We cannot rely on our own strength to protect us. We must allow Christ to shield us from Satan's attacks.

Helmet of Salvation - This piece of armor protects our minds. God provided salvation to us through sending His son to die on a cross so that our sins could be forgiven. Anyone who accepts this free gift that God offers will be saved. There is nothing you can do to lose your salvation. Nothing you can do to separate yourself from God's love. When Satan speaks his lies into your mind and tells you that you have messed up way too much for God to possibly love you, remember that there is nothing you can do to lose God's love. There is no mess you can get yourself into that is beyond His grace.

The Sword of the Spirit - The most powerful weapon of all, the Word of God. All the other pieces of armor are for defense, but this deadly weapon is meant to use as an offense. God's Word is POWERFUL! Satan can't handle it. Not only does it give us the power to defeat Satan and send him running, but it has the power to absolutely change your life!

The first Psalm I ever memorized as a child was Psalm 23. Verse 5 says that God will "prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemy." I am looking forward to that time. I believe that God is not only going to sit me down at a feast of blessings that He has been preparing me for, but He will surround me at that table with all of the things and all of the people that Satan stole from me. God will do this all while forcing my enemy to sit and watch as he shudders at his embarrassment that he ever messed with me!

John 10:10
"The thief comes only to steal, to kill and destroy. I (Jesus) have come so that you may have life, and have it more ABUNDANTLY!!!"

Waiting on God for Deliverance

2009-04-01T16:55:00.002-04:00

Here are some excerpts from Beth Moore's book, "Get out of that Pit" - from chapter seven, entitled, "Waiting on God for Deliverance." It has been amazing to me recently how God has spoken so clearly and directly to me through His Word and through some of the books I have been reading. This was one of those times, and I'm sharing this in case there's anyone else out there who needs to hear it...

"God can deliver the most hardened criminal or the most hopeless addict in one second flat. With His eyes closed and His hands tied behind His back if He has a mind to. I know people who made themselves at home in a pit a hundred feet deep and a thousand days long and, seemingly without warning, experienced the instantaneous deliverance of God. One moment they were in the throes of habitual sin, and the next moment they were free as birds...

But I have not one time experienced it. Let me say that again. Not one time. Not even an instantaneous deliverance from something comparatively shallow like a mini-pit of some kind I dug with a soupspoon instead of a shovel. I won't even be heel deep, and still, I'll rarely walk away without a fight.

For example, a sudden season of fear may overtake me. Out of thin air, all at once I'll get a notion that something is up with one of my loved ones or that a close relationship is threatened in some way. Sometimes I'm right. Other times I made it up. I just don't know it yet. Depending on what kind of vain imaginations are circling like vultures in my brain, I'll begin to feel anxious, insecure, or intimidated. In my rational mind I may know the fear is unfounded. Even ridiculous. Still, at times I'll let it get to me until it has a grip on me.

I'm not a glutton for punishment. Goodness knows I volunteer for instant deliverance the second I realize I'm wigging. I try to pray and say all the right things, like, "Lord, starting today I never want to think that way about that situation (or person) again. Forgive me and free me of this in Jesus' name. I know You can deliver me. Please do. And, if I may humbly ask, right this second." And next thing you know, all those vain imaginations invade in my mind again. They're all I can think about. So God and I have to get back to work.

The process may last a few days, a few weeks, or I may hop from dot to dot in what feels like an eternal etcetera. But I can think of virtually nothing God has delivered me from overnight. When it comes to high maintenance, I put the "I" in high and the ten in maintenance. I've joked with my coworkers that when my life is over, the most fitting epitaph etched into my gravestone would probably be, "God got tired....

I'm telling you, God and I work hard together. Maybe you consume a fair amount of divine energy yourself and , if so, perhaps we could sift some mutual encouragement out of the aggravation of never doing anything easily. I've come to the elementary conclusion that, to God, together is the whole point of any process. Before man was created, God just said something and it happened. "Let there be light" and all. He could still do that. Sometimes still does. But you might notice that a lot of that instantaneous action ceased after man came along, and obviously on God-purpose. Suddenly God wasn't so sudden. Time become the vehicle for this wonderful thing called history. You could neither rush it nor slow it. All you could do was ride it. And, what a ride it was for all those who preceded us.

What a ride it is for us now. God etched history not on lands and nations but on human lives. Not on superhumans. Not even on particularly impressive humans. God seems to summon the most faithless of all to faith. He's a magnet to weakness, perhaps the ultimate proof that opposites really do attract. History is told through the encounters and experiences of men and women God would call to know Him. To trust Him, often under nearly impossible circumstances. People prone to wander, prone to bruising, prone to doubting, prone to losing...

I think God often ordains a wait because He purely enjoys the togetherness of it....

Smooth living invariably, eventually, makes for sloppy spirituality. I want consuming fire to rage in my soul, and if it's got to come through fiery trial, so be it...

The good news is we may have to wait for deliverance while the vehicle of time jolts and lurches, but we never have to wait on God Himself. Never have to wait to enjoy His Presence or be reassured of His love...

Despite appearances, huge things happen as you wait upon the Lord to deliver you from that pit. They begin the moment you cry out.

(Jenifer interludes to say this next part is what really was huge to me...)

If your eyes could only see how God is moving all those chess pieces around the board for maximum impact, it would blow your mind. He's up to something big that affects not only you, but those around you. He's also after those around you...

God's agenda is not just to deliver you from the pit. His preeminent aim is to bring Himself fame, and you are one way He has chosen to do it. Anticipate it!..."

2009-03-29T21:53:00.002-04:00

Hey Everyone!

I know I haven't been updating my blog recently, and several have asked when I was going to put a new post up. I have been going through a difficult time in my life recently and though I do not desire to share details, I would appreciate your prayers.

During one of my times with God this past week, He gave me these verses (and then confirmed them again in the sermon on Sunday at church - I love when God does that!)...

Psalm 126:5-6 (The Message)
"Those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest. Those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing."

Are you in despair? Is your heart heavy? God promised that our sufferings will not last forever. We may not have answers as to why God allows us to go through some things, but we can rest in knowing that God is in control and will restore our joy if we stick with Him and trust Him during those times.

Sometimes, it may seem like God isn't there. You may feel all alone in your troubles as though God has abandoned you. Be assured, precious one, that God is with you and His heart hurts when you hurt.

I have THE BEST mom on the planet! She has seen me go through some very painful events over the course of my life, and she has cried many tears over me. Her heart has hurt deeply when mine hurt. If a human parent's heart can hurt for their children that much, imagine how much more it must hurt God's heart to see His children in pain. I know He must shed tears when our hearts are broken.

If you are going through a time of suffering, know that the pain will not last forever. God is able to heal what has been broken. He is able to restore your life once again. He is able to do things that are beyond your comprehension.

Take and learn everything you can during these times. Be patient and wait for God. Ask Him to teach you whatever it is He wants you to learn so that you don't come out of it empty-handed, but will come out reaping a harvest of joy and "ARMLOADS of blessings!"

Revelation Song - Jenifer Smith and FBCW choir

2009-03-01T22:11:00.001-05:00

I Believe - Jenifer Smith

2009-03-01T22:09:00.001-05:00

"Cruise 4 Chicks" - 2009

2009-01-13T13:52:00.011-05:00

Hello All!

This weekend, Shelley and I had the privilege of ministering together at our 1st annual "Cruise 4 Chicks" to the Bahamas. Boy - ministry can sure be tough sometimes! :)

"Cruise 4 Chicks" was an idea that God placed on the heart of Michele Harkins, a travel agent who attended our "Church 4 Chicks" in Atlanta. She did such an amazing job organizing this event! She truly is gifted in what she does. I really believe that God is going to use this annual cruise to reach more and more women as word gets out about how awesome it was.Shelley was the speaker for the event, and I led the praise and worship.
We had a 2-hour session together each night, and God really used Shelley to speak not only to the ladies' hearts, but to mine as well. If you are just tuning into this blog, Shelley is my cousin and she is a speaker/Bible teacher and author. She truly has a gift for communicating the truth of God's Word, and I believe that God is going to use her in some big ways in the future! If you are interested in having her speak for your conference or event, you can check her out at www.shelleyhendrix.com.

We had a sweet time with the ladies and it was so cool to be out in the middle of the ocean praising God together. We had some good times outside of the sessions which included playing games, dancing and my favorite - a video scavenger hunt that was hilarious to watch on our last evening! I got to know a precious group of ladies that sat at my dinner table each night.From left to right...Sarah, Liz, Me, Melissa, Sabrina, Barbara

We had a good time laughing together and were not shy about ordering multiple dinner items and desserts from the menu. I mean, come on - how often can you order as much as you want when you go to dinner? We wanted to try everything!
During each day, we were given free time to do whatever we wanted. Shell and I had a blast hanging out together. Our first full day, we went to the island of Nassau in the Bahamas. We got to ride a horse-driven buggy through the streets of Nassau and were dropped off at the beach where we laid out in the sun for awhile. We later took a boat ride over to Paradise Island and back.
Our second day, we went to Royal Carribean's private island, Coco Cay. The weather was absolutely perfect! I wish I was still there! We laid out on the beach for a few hours, then went on waverunners out in the crystal clear waters. We could see the bottom of the ocean and even spotted a ginormous starfish! That was one of the most fun days I've ever had!
I can't wait until our 2nd "Cruise 4 Chicks". We already have it scheduled for September, 2010, so if you are a female, start saving your money now so that you can join us! This event is going to get bigger and better each year! In fact, if you want to be on the mailing list for info on this future event, please leave a comment on the blog and I'll be happy to keep you informed!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T09:59:00.003-05:00

Wow! What a year 2008 has been! As I think back to this time last year, I had no idea that God was going to be calling me to move to Atlanta! So many things have changed in 2008, and God has blessed me with so much! I can't wait to see what He does in 2009!

God has already begun doing heart surgery in me the past few days of this new year. I know that it probably seems that I've got it all together, and most of the time I would prefer that people thought that about me. However, the truth is that I SO DO NOT have it all together. As much as God has blessed me in the past year, and as much as I love Christmastime, this holiday season had it's painful moments for me.

There are some deep longings of my heart that have yet to be fulfilled, and I began focusing on those things a lot towards the end of the year. I found myself thinking, "If I could just have this or that, then my life would be complete." That kind of desperation is a dangerous place to be in, because Satan knows that is where I am most vulnerable. He used some circumstances to bring out more thoughts of rejection, lonliness and inadequacy in me.

Yes - desperation can cause us to do and think stupid things. However, desperation can also be a gift. If geared properly, it can be turned into a desperation for God. I began to think, "What if those things I so deeply long for never happen for me?". Do I want to go through life miserable because of it? NO WAY!!! I want to live the ABUNDANT life that God sent His Son in order for me to have. I want to learn to be content right where God has placed me.

God has said to my spirit the last few days, "Jenifer, allow ME to fill the deepest longings of your heart. Take your focus off of those things and put that focus on Me." Instead of worrying about what I don't have, I want to spend this new year enjoying the many blessings that God has already given me. I want to focus on becoming more like Christ. I want to become the kind of woman that the Godly man I am looking for would want to marry. I want to become the kind of friend to others that I would want them to be to me. More than anything, I want to be so desperately in LOVE with JESUS!!! I want 2009 to be a year full of getting to know my sweet Savior more and more!

Happy New Year!

Christmas 2008 - My trip to Florida

2009-01-03T09:03:00.008-05:00

Hey Everybody!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's with your families! I am just now getting to update you on the past few weeks about my trip to FL. We had a very special Christmas gift this year. My sister, Joy had her baby boy, Joel Jackson Huynh on Dec. 12th. I was unable to be there because I was singing at my church's Christmas festival that weekend. However, I drove down to FL as soon as I could to see him! He was so tiny!

Not only was I looking forward to seeing this precious baby boy, but I was also so happy to see my sis, Jane. I was of course also happy to see Joy, but I had seen her a few times since I had moved. I had not seen Jane since her wedding in July! I was going through some serious sister withdrawals! It was great to have the 3 J's FINALLY all together again!

Our family had a great Christmas, and we all had fun playing with Riley and Joel. I even did a little photo shoot of them in stockings! :)

Towards the end of my 2 weeks in Florida, my "BCF", Shelley, her son Jackson and my Aunt Beth came down to visit. I had so much fun hanging out with Shell in my hometown going to the beach, the St Pete Pier and Busch Gardens.

The weather was just perfect those last few days and was so nice to enjoy before getting back to the frigid weather in Atlanta! I definitely miss the sunny warm weather, but I'm looking forward to being back in it next week when we leave for our 1st annual "Cruise 4 Chicks"! (more details about that later...)

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2008-12-24T11:15:00.002-05:00

The 3 J's together again!

2008-12-20T23:13:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone!

I arrived in FL late Tuesday night, and I have been spending lots of time with my family. My sister, Joy just had her baby last Friday, and I should have some pictures to post soon. (Stay tuned...) In the meantime, please enjoy this video in honor of the 3 J's being all together again! Merry Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Casting Crowns Christmas Celebration

2008-12-09T12:10:00.007-05:00

I LOVE Christmas music...therefore I LOVE Christmas concerts! My bro-in-law has a friend, Denver who is in a band ("Denver and the Mile High Orchestra"). Denver was kind to get me some free tickets to the show they were touring with. Guess which one it was? Casting Crowns! - along with Natalie Grant, Avalon, Michael English and Pure NRG. I took my BCF, Shelley with me, and we had so much fun! Not only did we get in for free, but Denver also got us some backstage passes for a "Meet and Greet" after the concert.

Here is everyone together on stage (including a kids' choir from my church - FBC Woodstock)

Me and Shelley - our seats were way down on the floor close to the stage!

Me and Janna from Avalon at the "Meet and Greet" after the show

Me and Melissa from Avalon

I was so excited to meet Natalie Grant. She is my absolute favorite! I am singing her song, "I Believe" at my church's Christmas concert this weekend. (FBC Woodstock)

This is Denver. He was so nice to get us the tickets!

The concert was amazing, and we had a blast! We were out so late though that we returned home a bit on the slap-happy side cause we were overtired. That made it more fun though - you know when you get to the point that everything is funny? I laughed so hard I almost wet myself. :)

Take Me Back

2008-12-03T23:45:00.001-05:00

Here is the video of me singing, "Take Me Back" at FBC Woodstock a couple Sundays ago.

Baby, it's Cold Outside!!!

2008-12-02T21:23:00.007-05:00

Brrrrr!!! "Hotlanta" isn't so hot right now. In fact, it is freeeezing! When I left Florida yesterday morning after spending Thanksgiving with my family, it was 72 degrees. I arrived in Atlanta last night and it was 34 degrees outside! Evidently, there were snow flurries all day, and they just happened to stop right before I got home. :( I hope I'm gonna get to see some snow before Christmas!

Anyways, I had a blast with my family during Thanksgiving and ate waaay too much. I had lost a lot of weight while in Atlanta because I don't have my mom around to cook for me, but I am sure that I gained a whole lot of it back this past weekend!

Here are the Thanksgiving turkeys, my Mom, Mammaw and the bird...lol :)

I loved getting to see my nephew, Riley! He has grown so much since I last saw him a couple months ago.

Riley got a whole lotta suga' from his Aunt Jenifer! I just couldn't resist - He's so cute! I am crazy about this child!

The 3 J's minus one. My sister, Jane could not be there for Thanksgiving, but I had fun with my sis, Joy. She is 8 1/2 months pregnant with my 2nd nephew, Joel. I can't wait to meet him in a few weeks! I've already talked to him through her belly, and I know he must be anxious to meet me too! :)

On Saturday, I went to the beach - just me and God - to watch the sunset. I think He created this beautiful one just for me! I love being in God's creation, and it makes me feel so close to Him.

This time at the beach was a great time to reflect and thank God for all the many blessings He has given me. I sometimes get caught up in worrying about everything that I don't have that I forget about how much God has done for me and provided me with. When I compare the list of things I'm not satisfied with to the things God has blessed me with, His blessings FAR outweigh the other stuff.

Psalm 139:17-18a

"How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand..."

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-25T20:16:00.011-05:00

I am so excited as I write this because tomorrow morning I will be hittin' the road and heading to a much warmer climate to visit my family in Florida! I am sooo looking forward to my mom's cooking. I know she's gonna make her squash casserole because it's my favorite dish that she makes!

This is such a great week for Thanksgiving, because I realize I have SO much to be thankful for. God is doing some amazing things in my life, and I can't wait to see what it is He is preparing me for!

The weekend heading into this week was a fun and memorable one. Shelley (my BCF) and her cute little boy Jackson came over on Friday and we spent the day together. Shell taught me how to make her famous yummy white chicken chili. I'll have to try now and make it for my family in FL. Hopefully it will turn out as good as Shelley makes it (I'm not exactly the best cook).

We then decorated Christmas cookies while listening to some Christmas music. The cookies turned out so cute!

Later that evening, we went to the only place we knew of that already had Christmas trees and I picked out the perfect one. Shelley's husband, Stephen came to help us get the tree upstairs in my apartment.

We then ate some of the yummy white chicken chili and cookies, decorated my tree and finished the evening by watching most of "The Princess Bride". We didn't get to finish it because it was getting late and everyone was sleepy, but I watched the rest of the movie on Sunday.

On Saturday and Sunday I got to return the favor and help Shell decorate her house for Christmas. She goes all out with tons of Christmas decorations, 2 trees and lights outside. Her house turned out beeeauutiful! It was so fun spending this sweet time with Shelley. I am so thankful for her - she is such an undeserved blessing in my life.

On Sunday, I sang a solo for the first time with the choir at my new church FBC Woodstock. (I will post the video soon). I had prayed specifically about something regarding the sound that was throwing me off during my sound check during rehearsal a few days before and God answered my prayer literally the moment I began singing Sunday morning. He caused me to totally depend on Him, and then He was right on time with providing me with what I had asked Him for. I am so grateful for everything He has done and continues to do in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Bring on some Cheer!

2008-11-17T09:15:00.004-05:00

I am soooo ready for Christmas this year! Have you noticed that people seem to be getting in the Christmas spirit a lot earlier this year? With the state that our country is currently in, especially after the devastating results of the recent election, we need something to celebrate. I am personally looking forward to Christmas more this year than I think I ever have before. I can't wait to have my entire family together again. I have not seen my sister, Jane since her wedding day in July, so it will be a sweet reunion for us.

Something else I am looking forward to is our Atlanta Encounter (aka "Church4Chicks") online Bible Study that begins tomorrow. We are not meeting during the winter but wanted to provide a way for the ladies to stay connected and in God's Word. If you are a woman reading this blog and you would like to participate, you can purchase the Bible Study book, "On Purpose for a Purpose" by Shelley Hendrix at Amazon.com. To join the online Bible Study, go to www.AtlantaEncounter.blogspot.com. Shelley will be posting some discussion questions to go along with what we are studying, and you will have the opportunity to leave comments about what God is teaching you. The great thing about this online study is that you can be a part of it no matter where you live and you don't even have to leave your house.

Also, please pray for me because this coming Sunday I will be singing a solo with the choir at my new church here in the ATL. The music minister has kind of talked me up a bit, and I'm a little nervous that I may not be able to meet people's expectations :) However, most importantly I want Christ to show Himself through me. The song I'll be singing is "Take me Back" by Andrae Crouch. I will post a video of it on my blog next week.

Have a wonderful week, and stay in God's Word!

My Resume

2008-11-11T12:54:00.005-05:00

Some of you are still confused about what I do for a living, so let me fill you in... I left the real estate company that I was with in 2006 after several extremely successful years during the housing boom to start my own company in order to assist large investment firms with acquiring commercial real estate. My plan at that time was to semi-retire, take the money that I had saved up and invest in real estate and stock market trading and rely on the part-time work I was doing with my investors to continue to bring in additional income. My heart is truly in ministry, and I was looking forward to finally being freed up to be involved wherever God wanted to use me.

Unfortunately, I have been hit hard by our country's housing and economic crisis, and things just haven't worked out the way I had hoped. Therefore, I am going to have to start looking for a job in the near future. This does not mean that I am going to pull away from ministry. I believe now more than ever that God is calling me in that direction, but I may have to do something else for awhile just to make sure the bills are paid. To be honest, I'm extremely bummed about it, but I know that God holds my future in the palm of His hand and will help direct me to whatever it is He has planned for me.

I have put a website below to my resume that you can view online and forward to anyone who you think might be interested in hiring me. My desire would be to have a job where I could work from home like I have been doing for the past few years, but I am willing to work in an office if I need to.

Thanks - here's the website... www.jenifersmith.emurse.com

Go Keswick!

2008-11-06T08:08:00.002-05:00

Here's a message from my nephew, Riley that I just had to share. He was at a football game at Keswick Christian School and was dressed as a kangaroo for Halloween...

Hi Aunt Jenny and Aunt Jane!

A really long post - there's alot going on today!

2008-11-04T14:05:00.008-05:00

As I sit here writing on my blog as my home is getting cleaned (thank you, Iris if you are reading this - you are a blessing and very much appreciated!), there is a whole lot on my mind. Obviously, my heart is heavy with the election going on today. Are God's people going to take a stand, vote for Christian values and make their voices heard or are they going to be swayed by the media and go with what seems to be the most popular choice? My mind is baffled by how many Christians I have heard say that they are voting for Obama. I have to admit that I am scared about the outcome. However, I know that my God is bigger than the results. He controls whatever happens. He is fully capable of bringing about an outcome that would baffle the media and show the world that He is in control. God said, "If my people who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (II Chron. 7:14)

However, God also told us that life on earth was not going to be easy. John 16:33 says, "I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." God doesn't promise a world free from tribulation, but He does promise to give us peace in the midst of it. Even though I am frightened about what could happen with this election, I have peace knowing that God is still the same yesterday, today and forever. He will remain in control and on His throne no matter what happens. The greatest part is that even though evil may prevail for a little while, we know that in the end God will get the victory and those of us who have placed our trust in Jesus Christ will live with Him throughout all eternity in heaven where there will be no more pain or suffering.

Ok - now on to the other things going on...

Today is my precious and adorable nephew, Riley's 2nd birthday! Happy Birthday Riley!!! Your Aunt "Jeny" loves you with all of my heart and misses you so much it hurts! I can't wait to see your smile in just a few weeks and hear all of your new words when I come to visit for Thanksgiving!

Also, tonight is our last night for our fall series of Church 4 Chicks.

The last few months have definitely been a learning experience, but I have enjoyed being a part of it and getting to know the sweet ladies who are involved. I am excited to see what God is going to do with this ministry in the future. We are taking a break during the winter, but Shelley will be leading an online Bible Study on the story of Esther with her book, "On Purpose for a Purpose" and will have discussion questions on the Atlanta Encounter blog (www.atlantaencounter.blogspot.com) so that everyone can stay connected. You don't have to have been to the Atlanta Encounter to be a part of it, nor do you need to live in the Atlanta area. You can order your book at www.shelleyhendrix.com and get it just in time to join us online on November 18th! We will be resuming our live Church 4 Chicks meetings back in the spring.

Ok - I've got to get going. I've still got to prepare and get ready for tonight, stop and get a cake for our dessert fellowship, pick up some other things for tonight, find a florist, call my sweet boy when he gets out of preschool, and call my long lost friend Katie who I have been playing phone tag with to catch up with her. She called me last night and I answered the phone in my sleep so I don't remember the conversation we had all that well. Ha Ha! There's no telling what I said in my sleep! Ahhhh! I just realized it's after 3pm and I've got to accomplish all of this and be at Church 4 Chicks by 5pm. Gotta go...

My trip to NC - Part B

2008-10-27T15:24:00.006-04:00

Part B to post below...

This weekend was full of adventures! Shelley, Aunt Beth and I hit the road on Friday for what should have been a 3 1/2 hour drive to the Deerwoode lodge in NC where the women's retreat was being held. After getting stuck in traffic and then getting lost we finally made it to our destination 7 hours later! It was a bit scary because we were traveling in the middle of nowhere on mountain roads at night, in the rain and in thick fog. Not only were we lost, but we had no cell phone reception and our GPS systems were giving us incorrect information. We finally found a place of civilization where we could call for directions and a sweet lady from the retreat came to meet us so we could follow her to the lodge. We all felt such a relief when we finally had someone leading us who knew the way.

I was thinking - isn't that the way life is? When our circumstances get dark and we cannot see our way, if we rely on the things in this world that give us inaccurate information we'll get nowhere. However, if we allow Jesus, the One who knows the way to lead us, we can get through any storm. We can trust that He will be with us and lead us in the right direction even when we can't see the road ahead.

The next morning after the rain had passed, we awoke to see that what had been thick darkness and fog surrounding us the night before was actually beautiful mountains and trees with the most beautiful neon fall colors. God reminded me again that the storm won't last forever and that He knows what is out there beyond what we can see. The end result is so beautiful!

After our weekend with the sweet group of ladies, we headed back home on Sunday afternoon. Because I have lived in FL most of my life I have never seen a real fall, so we took a small road trip/detour on the way back through Tennessee and the Blue Ridge Mountains so that I could enjoy the scenery of the bright fall colors. OH - MY - GOODNESS! I have never in my life seen anything as beautiful as what we saw. Words cannot express the incredible beauty of God's creation - I was completely in awe!

My trip to NC - Part A

2008-10-27T13:02:00.004-04:00

This weekend I traveled to NC to lead worship for a women's retreat that my cousin, Shelley was speaking at. (I will be posting pictures and more details later). Shelley is a wife and mother of 3, a gifted Bible teacher, speaker, author, and television talk show host (she's a very busy woman!). Not only does she head up, "Church4Chicks", (www.church4chicks.com), but she has a ministry called "Mary's Vineyard Ministries" and speaks at women's conferences all over the US. (If you are interested in booking her at your church or event, go to www.shelleyhendrix.com).

I am so honored to be involved in ministry with my cousin. Shelley is not just my cousin, but she is one of my best friends. We call each other "BCF's" ("Best Cousin Friends"). Shelley has had a tremendous Godly influence on me through the years. Anytime I would go to Atlanta to visit her in the past, I would come back feeling closer to God. She is just one of those kinds of people that makes you want to have a deeper relationship with Christ just by spending time with her and seeing her relationship with Him. I have watched Shelley go through some of the most painful events one could ever go through over and over again in her life, yet she has remained faithful to God through it all. Her life is such an inspiration to me and she is truly one of my biggest role models. I am so blessed and proud to be involved with Shelley in ministry, and I cannot wait to see how God is going to use us in the future.

Well - I better stop my bragging before this all starts going to her head (Just kidding :)

I love you Shelley!

Judgement House

2008-10-23T13:05:00.003-04:00

Hello from freezing Atlanta! It is so cold up here today! I'm going to have to get some warmer clothes! (Any excuse to go shopping :) )...

Anyways - This weekend my church in Florida, along with churches all over the globe are coming together to put on "Judgement House". Judgement House is a walk-through drama that takes you through a series of rooms that tell a story. It is made to feel as though you were actually there witnessing the events taking place before your eyes. The characters are presented with choices to make about what they are going to do with Jesus. Some will accept Christ, while others will reject Him. You witness the consequences of those choices and what happens to them when they die. The thing that makes Judgement House so powerful is the reality of what is presented. Each of us must make a decision as to what we are going to do with Jesus. Will we choose Him or reject Him?

Judgement House is an amazing evangelistic tool, and I read somewhere that since Judgement House began in 1983, there have been 390,000 people who have made decisions to follow Jesus Christ and to have a personal relationship with Him. That is incredible!

I have been involved in Judgement House for years, and I have witnessed before my eyes people coming in as one person, and then leaving as a different person - totally and completely changed! I have seen big tough-looking guys come in with smirks on their faces only to see them on their knees weeping by the end. God has His hands all over this ministry, and He continues to use it to bring people to Himself.

I am sad that this year I cannot be a part of Judgement House, but I will be praying fervently for all of you who are involved.

If you want more info on where Judgement House is in your area, you can go to www.judgementhouse.org . I have put the promo video for this year's JH below - check it out!

I'm Baaaaack!

2008-10-21T11:35:00.004-04:00

Hey Everyone!

It has been over a year since I posted anything on my blog. Honestly, I got busy and just never came back to it - until NOW! I promise I am going to try really hard this time to keep up with this especially now that I have moved away. This will be a great way to keep everyone up-to-date with what is going on in my life. (If any of you have blogs that I don't know about, please let me know and I'll definitely check them out!).

If you don't already know - a LOT has changed in my life since my last post. I am no longer in the Sunshine State, as I have moved to Atlanta! Long story short, I believe with all my heart that God called me up here for reasons that I am not aware of yet. I have had to take some HUGE steps of faith in the last couple months, and at times it has been difficult. However, I know that God is up to something big in my life and He keeps telling me to just trust Him and wait on Him. Please pray for me that I will continue to be obedient to God's calling and will not give up. I would hate to give up right before I turn the corner to whatever He has prepared for me. I wouldn't want to miss out on His blessings because I got too impatient!

Since I have been in Atlanta, I have been the Worship Leader for the "Atlanta Encounter" (aka "Church4Chicks) www.church4chicks.com. "Church4Chicks" is a interdenominational Bible study gathering of women all over the Atlanta area on Tuesday evenings. My cousin, Shelley (whom I will tell you more about later in another post) is the one who started "Church4Chicks" and is the main speaker. Being involved in this ministry has presented its own challenges, but we know that God is in it. We have been experiencing attacks from the enemy both corporately and in our personal lives as well. Satan sees it as a huge threat and has done everything he can do to destroy it. But - hey - that's to be expected when you are in ministry and doing something that has eternal value. Satan obviously doesn't know who he is dealing with. We are the children of the MOST HIGH GOD - His spirit dwells within us, and we are NOT backing down until GOD tells us to! Please pray for us and pray for God's direction in this ministry.

It's good to be back on here! Stay tuned throughout the week, as I will be updating my blog as much as possible. Feel free to leave me a comment and let me know you stopped by.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Revelation Song

2007-10-08T17:20:00.001-04:00

Here I am singing "Revelation Song" at my church. I hope you enjoy it.

September 11th

2007-09-11T08:24:00.000-04:00

On the radio this morning, they shared stories of people who were supposed to be in the twin towers on the floors where the planes hit on September 11th, but didn't make it into work. One woman got stuck in traffic, so she was late. For another man, it was his day to stop and pickup doughnuts for the office, Another woman's alarm did not go off. A man put on a brand new pair of shoes, and stopped by the store to pick up a bandaid because he was forming a blister. Another woman spilled food on her clothes and had to go back home to change.

So the next time your day doesn't start out quite right, just remember that you are exactly where God wants you to be. He just might have a reason for interrupting your morning.

He Knows

2007-09-06T18:01:00.001-04:00

Check out this video of Indiana Bible College singing the song, "He Knows". The girl singing the song wrote this song about 3 days before her father died unexpectedly. God knew what she was about to go through and gave her the song just in time! If you are going through a difficult time right now, you are not alone. God has not forgotten about you. He is right there with you and knows exactly what you are going through. Put your trust in Him, and He will carry you through this. He promises He will in His Word.

"The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;He delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Psalm 34:17-18

God is Everything You Need

2007-09-05T14:17:00.000-04:00

You'll probably see a lot of Beth Moore material on this blog. I absolutely love Beth Moore! Here is another recent commissioning she gave at a conference in Rhode Island...

My Dear Sister
God’s Divine Power
Has given you everything you need
To do life and to do it His way
God has given you
Great and precious promises
Start believing them
And acting on them
When circumstances overwhelm you
Or people annoy you
Turn your faith into action
Dispatch what you need
From the holding tank of the Holy Spirit
And God will blow your mind
With what He can do through you
Never ever forget
You have been cleansed from past sins
Go FREE from this place
And live on purpose
Pour out your life for others
Then one day
When you close your eyes on earth
You will open them and see Jesus
And with arms full of riches
He’ll say, “Welcome Home!”
“Aren’t you beautiful!”
Now, go out into this world
And live like crazy!
Because your God
Is everything you need!

Beth Moore - A Parable About the King - www.lproof.org

2007-08-23T10:15:00.001-04:00

You Have a Ministry

2007-07-20T11:00:00.000-04:00

Recently, Beth Moore held a conference in Washington D.C. where she sent the woman off with this commission. I was not there, but I read it and thought it was powerful and wanted to share it with you all...

My Dear Sister,
The God of Glory
Has called you.
You have a ministry.
In Christ, you are enough for that ministry.
Never forget that showing God off is your ministry.
No matter what,
Keep your heart in your ministry.
Unveil your face
And serve others with authenticity.
Always remember
That the power is in God's Presence.
Let nothing Come between you
And intimacy with God.
Keep moving forward
From glory to glory.
Let God thin that veil.
Remember, ministry is not about position.
It's about people.
Let name after name Be written on your heart.
Do not seek great things for yourself,
Seek a great God.
As you leave this place,
Go in a fresh anointing.
He who turns water into wine
Turns wimps into warriors.
You have a ministry.
Go fulfill it.

Finally Free

2007-07-10T23:52:00.001-04:00

What does it mean to be free? One of the definitions in the dictionary describes the word free as, "released from something specified that controls, restrains or burdens". What are the chains that are restraining you and keeping you from the "release" and incomprehensible freedom that is found in Christ? No sin, no pain, no addiction, no choice you've made in the past could bind you up so tightly that Jesus cannot break you free from in an instant. No matter how strong your chains, He can and will set you free if you will let Him.
John 8:36 - "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
Psalm 118:5 - "In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and He answered by setting me free."

Cruise with a Cause 2007

2007-06-19T16:32:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone!

I haven't had much time to write lately with my move and all, but I wanted to make sure I shared some pictures of my cruise to the Bahamas with you. This was no ordinary cruise - it was a cruise with a purpose. Our mission was to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the island of Nassau, Bahamas. The government was very supportive of us and made it possible for us to go into every public school on the island to share Jesus with the kids.

While on the ship, there were numerous concerts with speakers such as Josh McDowell and wrestling superstar, Steve Bordon aka "Sting". There were also concerts by Nicole C. Mullen, T-Bone, Hawk Nelson, The Crabb Family, Aaron Shust, Sonic Flood and more.

When we arrived in Nassau, we were all given different ministry assignments. Some hopped in buses that took them to the schools, some went to the prisons, and we were part of the group assigned to street witnessing. We passed out tracks and invited people to the Bahama Fest we were having that evening. At the Bahama fest, many of the Christian artists who were with us put on a free concert, and several speakers shared how God set them free from a life of sin and changed their lives. There were thousands of Bahamians that showed up at the event that night, and over 4100 prayed to receive Christ! Praise the Lord!!! Many churches will be reaching out to these people, so please pray for continued growth for those who invited Christ into their lives.

I have some video footage of the trip, but I am having some technical difficulties downloading it. In the meantime, here are some of the pics we took...

Leaving Port Canaveral

At Sea

Me and my sis, Jane

Mission Day in the Bahamas

Our ship, "Sovereign of the Seas"

Nassau

Atlantis Resort

Bahama Fest 2007

God Gave Me Fireworks!

2007-06-03T20:00:00.000-04:00

Sorry Everyone...I have been a bad blogger! I have been so busy the past week packing for a big move, a trip to the Bahamas and more! I have not had much time to sleep let alone write on my blog! I did however want to share something special that God did for me this week. As you know, I recently sold my home, and I have to move out on the 9th. I will be in the Bahamas until then, so everything had to be packed before my trip. I have mixed emotions about moving as I am happy that it sold, but I am sad that I am having to move. My condo had a beautiful view of the Bay overlooking the St Pete Pier in Downtown St Pete. I could watch fireworks on the 4th of July and New Year's right from my own balcony. As I was staring out my window the other day just thinking of all the amazing things that God has done in my life the past few years while I have lived in that condo, I began to get a little emotional. I told God that it would be so cool if He could give me fireworks just one more time to watch from my balcony my last night there. Yesterday, my mom came over to help me pack and without her knowledge of what I had asked of God, she told me that she had heard that there were going to be fireworks that night! I couldn't believe it! As I move forward into this next season of my life with so many unknowns, it was so encouraging to have God answer my prayer so specifically like that! I watched the fireworks last night in awe, not only because of what I was seeing but because of what God had done for me.

God cares about what we care about no matter how small it may be. Out of all the people in the world, He hears us when we call on Him and answers as if we were the only one. I love Psalm 139...

"God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I'm an open book to You; even from a distance, You know what I'm thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of Your sight. You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and You're there, then up ahead and You're there, too—Your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful— I can't take it all in! Is there anyplace I can go to avoid Your Spirit? to be out of Your sight? If I climb to the sky, You're there! If I go underground, You're there! If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon, You'd find me in a minute—You're already there waiting! (Psalm 139:1-10 The Message)

Melinda's song with BeBe and CeCe

2007-05-24T23:10:00.001-04:00

WOW! This was so awesome! It was great to see BeBe and CeCe Winans on that American Idol stage! I like to see Christian artists up there. Melinda gave the best performance of the night - she is incredible! Oh by the way - did you all recognize the winner of the songwriting competition for the winner's song? It was written by Scott Krippane!

Melinda is voted off American Idol

2007-05-17T20:16:00.001-04:00

Are you as shocked as I am? There is no doubt that Melinda was the most polished and best vocal on the show. I am so sad to see her go! Check out this video from a couple weeks ago.

It's Official!

2007-05-15T08:57:00.000-04:00

For those of you who haven't heard - I sold my home this weekend! Or I should say, "God sold my home this weekend!" He is SO faithful! The past 6 months have been truly a growing experience as I have had to wait patiently on the Lord and trust that He was going to provide for me regardless of what the final outcome would be.

God sometimes allows us to get to a point of desperation in order to teach us to trust Him. Could God have sold my home months ago? Of course! - but then I would have missed out on some amazing times with Him as He taught me how to trust Him in ways I never have before. True faith in God isn't dependant on what He does for us - it is based on WHO He is! At times when there seems to be no answers in sight, focus on what you do know about God and His character. God is all-knowing, all powerful and holy. He is our strength, our fortress, deliverer, healer, El Elyon - The most High God. Nothing is impossible for Him!

A righteous man "will have no fear of bad news; His heart is steadfast, TRUSTING in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear. In the end he will look in triumph over his foes." Psalm 112:7-8

VOTE FOR MELINDA!

2007-05-10T10:58:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone!

For those of you who don't know - I am a HUGE American Idol fan! I have been watching the show since it started way back with Kelly Clarkson. I even auditioned for it a few years ago. The audition process was definitely not what I expected though. After about 30 hours waiting in line, they had groups of us line up to sing in front of one of the producers. There were about 12 or so at different tables in the front of the room, so there would be 12 or so singers all singing at the same time - very distracting! I watched some of the most amazing singers I had ever heard get turned away one after the other. Finally a guy who could not carry a tune started dancing around like an idiot and he was put through! It is unfortunate that so many great singers get turned away for the people who cannot sing. But - I guess that is one of the things that has made the show so popular. I have to admit - I get a kick out of watching those first auditions!

There are, however some great singers that they have put through. Melinda Doolittle is one of those incredibly talented singers. I have to say that she is definitely my favorite! Plus, my sister's boyfriend is friends with her as well. She is a Christian, and is outspoken about her relationship with Christ. She has also sung backup for Christian artists like Natalie Grant and Anointed.

I like Jordin Sparks as well. She has sung backup for Michael W. Smith. She seems to get better every week. As for Blake, I think the one word that describes him is "Unique". I have never heard anyone like him before. Although he is extremely talented, in my opinion he doesn't have a very strong voice. Afterall, American Idol is a "Vocal" competition. I am predicting that our final two will be Jordin and Melinda. We'll see what happens next week!

Oh Praise Him!

2007-05-10T10:29:00.001-04:00

Oh to be able to passionately and unashamedly worship God like this regardless of who may be watching! This makes me want to stop what I am doing and praise Him right now!

Welcome to My Life with Christ - Post #1

2007-05-07T00:03:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody!

I have finally decided to get with the 21st century and create a blog! I am totally new to all of this, but I think it will be fun! I don't see myself as an eloquent writer - I wish I was one of those people who could paint a picture with their words, but unfortunately that is not one of my gifts! I will do my best however, to make this a place of encouragement for all of you. God continues to teach me so many things that I just cannot keep to myself! Please feel free to leave comments on the posts. I would love to hear from you guys. Also, if there are specific subjects you would like me to write about, please let me know. I will write about them in future posts. I also have a few links on the right hand column - check them out! Stay tuned...I'll be posting again soon!

Love ya,

Jenifer Smith