Ginny Owens sings a song called, "I Am Nothing," and it's mostly about these verses. There have been so many times in my life when I've done things for the Lord and/or other people because I thought that I was supposed to. It's my internal Christian checklist: read the Bible, pray, go to church, write in my journal, go to a Bible study, listen to worship music, don't cuss, volunteer somewhere regularly, go on missions trips, etc., etc. These are all great things to do, but they absolutely don't matter if I'm not being a loving person. For example, if I'm talking behind someone's back or am getting annoyed with lame topics that people talk about.
If I'm truly doing something out of love in general, then that's the time that I'm living life the way I should. That is what will make me a light for Jesus to others. It's tricky, though, because I know how easy it is to overanalyze everything. Am I going to Romania because God is leading me there and He's telling me that I'll point people to Him by going? Or am I going because that sounds fun and I heard that we'll get to go to Transylvania while we're there? (Transylvania wasn't my purpose in going to Romania, but it's kind of cool that I've been there now). Am I reading the Bible because I want to learn more about God? Or is it because it's part of my daily routine and I'm afraid I won't understand things that happen in my life if I haven't read it that day?
I guess the bottom line is that I need to be a loving person first and the motives for everything else won't matter because I'm doing what I'm supposed to by loving others. Being loving is the opposite of being selfish, so I'm pretty sure that anything I do out of love for people and Jesus is going to be the right thing.
Question: When was a time that you did something "Christian-y" out of obligation? When was a time that you did something out of love?
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Day 1- Ecclesiastes 7:1-4
Church on Sunday was all about Ecclesiastes 7 and it was also included in Chapter 2 of "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan, which our small group was going over this week. With that little introduction...
On our refrigerator in Kentucky, there was a quote that said, "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." I've heard so many stories about people who truly lived their lives for Christ and they ended up dying at an early age for completely unexpected reasons. For example, I read the biography of Rachel Scott, one of the girls who was killed in the Columbine shootings. She was a teenager who loved Jesus more than anything, but one thing she said was, "I am not going to apologize for speaking the name of Jesus, I am not going to justify my faith to them, and I am not going to hide the light that God has put in me. If I have to sacrifice everything... I will." She seemed to realize at a very young age how temporary everything is in life and all she seemed to want was to glorify God while she walked this earth. Even though her death was tragic, she left behind a legacy for many to remember her because she was willing to give up everything for her Savior.
Question: How do you want to be remembered when you die? Are you doing things in your life right now that will allow you to be remembered in the way that you want to?
On our refrigerator in Kentucky, there was a quote that said, "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." I've heard so many stories about people who truly lived their lives for Christ and they ended up dying at an early age for completely unexpected reasons. For example, I read the biography of Rachel Scott, one of the girls who was killed in the Columbine shootings. She was a teenager who loved Jesus more than anything, but one thing she said was, "I am not going to apologize for speaking the name of Jesus, I am not going to justify my faith to them, and I am not going to hide the light that God has put in me. If I have to sacrifice everything... I will." She seemed to realize at a very young age how temporary everything is in life and all she seemed to want was to glorify God while she walked this earth. Even though her death was tragic, she left behind a legacy for many to remember her because she was willing to give up everything for her Savior.
Question: How do you want to be remembered when you die? Are you doing things in your life right now that will allow you to be remembered in the way that you want to?
Lent
I've never given up anything for Lent before and I won't be giving up anything this year, either. I did decide that I needed to add something to my life for the next 40 days in order to grow closer to Jesus. I'm planning on writing devotions in my journal every day for the next 40 days and I'll be writing those on here as often as I can. The verses will be ones that I've memorized or have underlined in my Bible because I figure I can write about those better than, say, random scriptures from Obadiah. Each day, I'll write about something that has happened in my life or about stories that I've heard that are applicable to the scripture passage. I'm going to ask at least one question with each one that I write in order for the 3 of you who may be reading this to apply it to your own lives. I have a feeling that it'll be difficult to keep this up for 40 days in a row, but I guess it will also be showing me what Lent is about.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
2009
Happy New Year's Eve to all! I'm going to attempt to reflect on some of the highlights and lowlights from each month in 2009...
January: It snowed a lot in Kentucky and there was an ice storm. We had school 1 day per week during that month and went a little stir crazy because of not having anything to do. The perfect winter day happened during that month because we had a pillow fight, had a snowball fight, played Scrabble, drank hot chocolate, and watched Faerie Tale Theatre.
February: I know that I went contra dancing twice in February and that it was REALLY cold during that time. Other than that, I'm kind of at a loss to remember what happened during that month.
March: I went back to CA for 4 days because of getting to be a bridesmaid in Phil and Tiffany's wedding.
April: We went to the Kentucky Derby and thought we'd never leave because there was only 1 gate for about 50,000? 80,000? 1 million? people to enter and exit from.
May: Went to Chicago with my housemates. Went on a school bus with a bunch of preschoolers to the Cincinnati Zoo.
June: Volunteered at the Ichthus Festival (basically, Christian Woodstock) in Kentucky with other CAP volunteers. I was also expecting to experience my first tornado while there because Kim got really panicky about how dark the clouds were (she'd probably know when to panic since they actually have tornadoes in Colorado).
July: I went to the East Side for 3 weeks. Week 1- I was a counselor at Camp Shawnee during "Teen Girls' Week" and was in a group with 8-11 year olds. Week 2- I did housing with Bridget, Rachel, and Tiffany. I had a lot of fun working on a roof with them, but definitely did not feel that it will ever be my calling to do housing. Week 3- day camp with Camp Shawnee. We played a lot of dodgeball and learned some nifty information about math and science.
August: My family got to come to the Rockcastle House, which was very exciting! I followed them to Virginia Beach in order to help Jeff and Emily move into their new apartment. We painted, found places for their stuff, went to the beach, and hung out. I also experienced the Christian blind date that lasted for 4 days while there.
September: Had my last month of working at the CDC and was very sad about saying goodbye to 30 awesome preschoolers.
October: Got to do Disaster Relief in Louisville for 1 week. We cleaned basements and got rid of items that had been damaged by the floods in August. Moved to Virginia Beach and stayed with Jeff and Emily while looking for a real job. Took on a babysitting job 1 hour away in Yorktown in order to have an extra income while waiting to hear back about job interviews (bad idea).
November: Got a real job at Hope House, which means that I'm still kind of using my degree because they serve adults with disabilities in their homes. Turned 30. Got my 1st ticket. Went back to Kentucky for Thanksgiving and got to reunite with Kim, Jenny, and Kelly.
December: Didn't get to go back to CA for Christmas, but we have wonderful parents who ended up flying here to see us. Finally went to the Outer Banks and it really is beautiful there!
January: It snowed a lot in Kentucky and there was an ice storm. We had school 1 day per week during that month and went a little stir crazy because of not having anything to do. The perfect winter day happened during that month because we had a pillow fight, had a snowball fight, played Scrabble, drank hot chocolate, and watched Faerie Tale Theatre.
February: I know that I went contra dancing twice in February and that it was REALLY cold during that time. Other than that, I'm kind of at a loss to remember what happened during that month.
March: I went back to CA for 4 days because of getting to be a bridesmaid in Phil and Tiffany's wedding.
April: We went to the Kentucky Derby and thought we'd never leave because there was only 1 gate for about 50,000? 80,000? 1 million? people to enter and exit from.
May: Went to Chicago with my housemates. Went on a school bus with a bunch of preschoolers to the Cincinnati Zoo.
June: Volunteered at the Ichthus Festival (basically, Christian Woodstock) in Kentucky with other CAP volunteers. I was also expecting to experience my first tornado while there because Kim got really panicky about how dark the clouds were (she'd probably know when to panic since they actually have tornadoes in Colorado).
July: I went to the East Side for 3 weeks. Week 1- I was a counselor at Camp Shawnee during "Teen Girls' Week" and was in a group with 8-11 year olds. Week 2- I did housing with Bridget, Rachel, and Tiffany. I had a lot of fun working on a roof with them, but definitely did not feel that it will ever be my calling to do housing. Week 3- day camp with Camp Shawnee. We played a lot of dodgeball and learned some nifty information about math and science.
August: My family got to come to the Rockcastle House, which was very exciting! I followed them to Virginia Beach in order to help Jeff and Emily move into their new apartment. We painted, found places for their stuff, went to the beach, and hung out. I also experienced the Christian blind date that lasted for 4 days while there.
September: Had my last month of working at the CDC and was very sad about saying goodbye to 30 awesome preschoolers.
October: Got to do Disaster Relief in Louisville for 1 week. We cleaned basements and got rid of items that had been damaged by the floods in August. Moved to Virginia Beach and stayed with Jeff and Emily while looking for a real job. Took on a babysitting job 1 hour away in Yorktown in order to have an extra income while waiting to hear back about job interviews (bad idea).
November: Got a real job at Hope House, which means that I'm still kind of using my degree because they serve adults with disabilities in their homes. Turned 30. Got my 1st ticket. Went back to Kentucky for Thanksgiving and got to reunite with Kim, Jenny, and Kelly.
December: Didn't get to go back to CA for Christmas, but we have wonderful parents who ended up flying here to see us. Finally went to the Outer Banks and it really is beautiful there!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Waiting
I was reading someone else's blog today (http://www.megancarson.com/) and she had written about how God had Adam name the animals before He made Eve for him (Genesis 2:18-22). Her point was that God gave Adam something to do while he was waiting for his future wife. She then went on to list some of the things that have happened in her life while waiting for her future husband. I thought it was really cool to read what those things were (good, bad, and sad) and wanted to make my own list. Here it is, in no particular order:
-Drove across the country to volunteer for 1 year in Kentucky.
-Made amazing, lifelong friendships with many of my housemates in Kentucky.
-Got to know and love a bunch of 3-4 year olds with southern accents and speech impediments.
-Traveled to Hungary, Romania, and Mexico City.
-Held babies at an orphanage in Haiti.
-Moved to Virginia Beach.
-Lived across the street from the beach with awesome girls who loved Jesus.
-Took a hip-hop class.
-Was a counselor at Royal Family Kids' Camp for 4 years in a row. I met 7 little girls who had been through so much trauma in their young lives, but were still strong and resilient.
-Was Cameron's CASA for 4 years.
-Not crying for about 2 years.
-Experiencing unexpected death more than the expected kind (2 friends, 2 cousins, 4 NHS students were unexpected. Mudder and Grandpa Bradshaw were somewhat expected).
-Being heartbroken.
-Getting to be a special ed. teacher for at least 50 students and still having stories about the things that they did.
-Getting to see the friendships that formed between the student tutors in my classroom and my students.
-Going on a cruise to Mexico with Andrea.
-Going to Hawaii with my mom.
-Getting to go to some fun concerts: Bon Jovi, Matt Wertz (at least 4 times), The Bangles, Ingrid Michaelson, Newsboys, Third Day, David Crowder, Jon McLaughlin (I know there are a ton more, but I can't think of them right now).
-Chicago road trip with my Kentucky housemates.
-Calling that 3 couples were going to get married before they began to date and being the matchmaker for another couple.
-Going contra dancing.
Those were the ones that I could think of, even though I'm sure that there are plenty more.
-Drove across the country to volunteer for 1 year in Kentucky.
-Made amazing, lifelong friendships with many of my housemates in Kentucky.
-Got to know and love a bunch of 3-4 year olds with southern accents and speech impediments.
-Traveled to Hungary, Romania, and Mexico City.
-Held babies at an orphanage in Haiti.
-Moved to Virginia Beach.
-Lived across the street from the beach with awesome girls who loved Jesus.
-Took a hip-hop class.
-Was a counselor at Royal Family Kids' Camp for 4 years in a row. I met 7 little girls who had been through so much trauma in their young lives, but were still strong and resilient.
-Was Cameron's CASA for 4 years.
-Not crying for about 2 years.
-Experiencing unexpected death more than the expected kind (2 friends, 2 cousins, 4 NHS students were unexpected. Mudder and Grandpa Bradshaw were somewhat expected).
-Being heartbroken.
-Getting to be a special ed. teacher for at least 50 students and still having stories about the things that they did.
-Getting to see the friendships that formed between the student tutors in my classroom and my students.
-Going on a cruise to Mexico with Andrea.
-Going to Hawaii with my mom.
-Getting to go to some fun concerts: Bon Jovi, Matt Wertz (at least 4 times), The Bangles, Ingrid Michaelson, Newsboys, Third Day, David Crowder, Jon McLaughlin (I know there are a ton more, but I can't think of them right now).
-Chicago road trip with my Kentucky housemates.
-Calling that 3 couples were going to get married before they began to date and being the matchmaker for another couple.
-Going contra dancing.
Those were the ones that I could think of, even though I'm sure that there are plenty more.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The Proposal
I was proposed to tonight, so here's the story... I have to do 25 hours of medication training for the new job and the classes are Monday-Friday of this week from 5-10pm. During one of our 10 minute breaks tonight, I went next door to 7-11 to get a few snacks. I was ready to check out, but both registers had customers at them. There was an older gentleman at one who was finished checking out, but he still hadn't moved. I wasn't sure what to do, but the cashier told me that it was my turn. I got up there and this is what happened:
Older gentleman to me: What's your name?
Me: Jenna
Older gentleman: Well, Jenna, this is Will (introducing me to the mildly attractive, somewhat mortified 7-11 guy... and by mildly attractive, I mean he appeared to have all of his teeth), he graduated from William and Mary.
Me: Oh, uh, congratulations, good job (I don't really know what I said, I was just confused about this old man being the wingman for the 7-11 cashier against his will).
Older gentleman (taking my left hand and turning it over to reveal no ring) to Will: Yes, she'll marry you.
I laughed and told them it was nice to meet them, then went back to class with my snacks in hand. That old man brightened my night with his randomness, though :).
Older gentleman to me: What's your name?
Me: Jenna
Older gentleman: Well, Jenna, this is Will (introducing me to the mildly attractive, somewhat mortified 7-11 guy... and by mildly attractive, I mean he appeared to have all of his teeth), he graduated from William and Mary.
Me: Oh, uh, congratulations, good job (I don't really know what I said, I was just confused about this old man being the wingman for the 7-11 cashier against his will).
Older gentleman (taking my left hand and turning it over to reveal no ring) to Will: Yes, she'll marry you.
I laughed and told them it was nice to meet them, then went back to class with my snacks in hand. That old man brightened my night with his randomness, though :).
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
How to Reverse Trick-or-Treat in 5 Easy Steps
On Halloween, Chad, Mikkele, Emmy, and I went reverse trick-or-treating around Chad and Emmy's apartment complex. Here's how to do this:
1) Get Chad to obtain a door with wheels from the theater department.
2) Have one person knock on the door of someone who has their porch lights on.
3) Run behind the rolling door that has a "Please Knock" sign on it and wait for one of the people in the house to knock on it.
4) Open the door dressed as old people, gush over the other person's costume, and give them candy.
5) Repeat at the next house.
Here's a picture of the 4 of us dressed up.
There are also 2 videos on facebook, but I'm not technologically savvy enough to figure out how to upload them here.
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