Good Morning Girls!  My son woke up earlier than normal this morning, which was fine because my husband was snoring like a grizzly bear and I could hardly sleep.  He worked an 18 hour day yesterday so I excuse him the snoring, as his body probably does need a mini period of hibernation.  As I made my way to the kitchen to start the coffee, I almost tripped over all of the toys and clothes that were in the living room.  I decided to sit in my chair and have a moment with the Lord….however my 85 pound yellow lab who has ears like no other, must have heard me sit down and came running upstairs with his towel, wanting me to play tug of war.  “It’s 7 am Max…..not going to happen you big baby”.  My time in the Word was better than no time at all….but definitely not one of those moments to be remembered if you know what I mean.  I finally decided to sit down and write.  However, I had to spend a couple minutes clearing all the junk off my kitchen table just to make room for my laptop.   A game, a purse, a book, 2 cups, one sock?  Why is there one sock on my kitchen table?  It better not be a dirty sock.  I sniff it….gross!  It is dirty.  I live with a bunch of wild animals I tell you!  Of course, I did not put the junk away….I simply relocated it to the center island where it is staring at me now as I type.  “I am living the dream right now I tell you” - Is the one thing keeps running through my head.

There are days when it seems impossible that I will ever be more than the mom who walks around picking up and sniffing socks to determine whether they are dirty or clean.  “Will my wardrobe ever consist of more than 6 pair of sweatpants….and a couple church outfits?” I think to myself as I get out of the shower and put on a “fresh” pair of sweats.  Will my house ever be clean…the way I like it?  Will I ever have time with the Lord that is not interrupted by a dog that wants me to play, or kids that want me to read, or a husband that at the last minute wants to wear a certain shirt that he can’t find?  Will there be a day when I put on grown up clothes and go somewhere other than the library, grocery store, school, post office, and kids birthday parties?  Will there be a day when I actually accomplish the things I set out to do each day?

The answer is yes.  And chances are, when that day comes, I will look back on days like today with longing and think “I wish I was in a pair of sweats right now….sipping my coffee,  sitting on the floor with two kids and an 85 pound dog on my lap.”

 I remember when the kids were even younger and I would be out in public with them.  I would be exhausted from them and feel like if I closed my eyes for a second I would literally fall asleep standing up.  It always seemed like at those times some stupid woman would smile at me and say: “Treasure this time with them….they grow up so fast”.  I had to use all my restraint at times not to kick them in the shin and say “Here….take them…..if you miss it so bad!”  I always vowed I would never, ever say to another mom “Treasure this time.  This time where your hair is always whacked out, your clothes don’t quite fit, but you don’t have time to go shopping for yourself.  This time where you are lugging around a mini suitcase filled with wipes, diapers, cheerios, goldfish, and leaky juice boxes.  This time when complete thoughts are few and far between.  This time when you feel like if one more person touches you, you will scream like no other.  This time when your needs are the last needs to be met.  Yes….treasure all of this….as it is precious.”  Yes.  I vowed I would never say that to anyone.  But then again I vowed I would never get married…..I vowed I would never have kids……so what’s one more broken vow at this point?

And so with my shins guarded I say to those of you who, like me, are surrounded by toys, clothes, and socks that may or may not be dirty: Treasure this time.  Not because it is the best time of your life, but because it is your life.  It is your life right now.  Today.  And any dirty sock day with the Lord is better than a clean house day without.  If you feel overwhelmed by it all, quit looking around…..and start looking up.  I believe then you will see that we are in fact living the dream. 

Psalm 84:10 A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else!  I would rather be a gatekeeper (and dirty sock sniffer) in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

Love, peace, clean socks, and dreams to you all-

Jen

 

 

 

Cheer up sleepy Jean....oh what can it mean, to a Daydream believer and a Homecoming Queen.......  If you are singing along to this song, chances are you are at least 35 years old or grew up with older sisters like I did (or both...I am 37).  I confess, I am a daydream believer....but I was a little too rebellious to ever be a Homecoming Queen.....shocking- I know!
I have been thinking a lot about dreams lately.  Not only the dreams I have, but the simple power of them.  I believe with all my heart that it is the dreams the Lord has put inside of me that have kept me alive and excited to face each day.  On the days when I feel hopeless, frustrated, lost, or alone....on the days when I feel like "what's the point?"....the thing that gets me up and excited (besides my cup of coffee)  is the idea of "What if?"  "What if" today is the day that something really big happens?  "What if" something I write, something I say, or something I do transforms the lives of others for the glory of God?  "What if" I have a divine appointment today!  "What if", while I am sitting here (today I chose Borders) I meet someone who is lost and needs the Lord.....or better yet, what if they are a book editor who is lost and needs the Lord....and a good Christian novel from a spunky 37 year old Girl!  How cool would that be?! 
Sometimes we simply need to be a daydream believer to jump start our day.  Once I have decided that it is a daydream believer kind of a day, I am good to go.  I go about my day with eyes wide open looking for the dream the Lord is going to reveal or fulfill for the day.  "but Jen, what if nothing happens that day?".  That's simple....you just get up the next day and do it all over again.  The thing is.....you got through the day with eager eyes of anticipation and excitement, rather than having a day filled with anxiety and distress.  In the end, even if nothing "major" happened, you still had a good day with the Lord.....and it only adds to the excitement that surely tomorrow will be the day.  Okay....for you nay-sayers out there who are saying "but what happens when day after day nothing happens".  To you sweet Sisters I say: if nothing happens day after day....perhaps you are not looking closely enough.  Sometimes we want God to reveal himself the way we have it planned.  We have it so set in our mind how he should operate that we miss Him over and over and over again. 
It reminds me of the story my friend told me a while back.  There was this man who found himself in the midst of a flood.  When rescue workers came he said "No thanks....God will rescue me".  The water rose and he climbed to his roof.  Another rescue boat came to get him but again he responded "No thanks....God will save me".  He climbed to the top of his chimney....clinging to the last bit of brick as he "stood in faith" that God would save him.  A final rescue boat came by.  As the man hung on, holding his breath, he said "No thanks.....God will save me".  The boat left and the man drowned.  When he got to heaven he asked God why he did not rescue him from the flood.  God responded with "I sent you three boats!"
So Girls....my question to you is this?  Have you been "missing the boat"?  Are you so busy telling God how you want him to transform you and your life that you have missed the opportunities he has placed before you?  It's good to make plans....but don't leave God out of them.  Let your plans be flexible and open enough to see the boat as it approaches!

Love, peace, and thanks to you all-
Jen

Proverbs 16:1  We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer.

Good Afternoon Girls!  Well, here I am sitting in Barnes and Noble pretending to be a “real writer”.   Usually I like to look around at the other people on their laptops and guess what they are working on.  Are they a college student?  A business man preparing for a big presentation? A stay at home mom updating her status on facebook?  Or maybe they are working on the next National Best Seller….right before my very eyes.  Everyone here has a story….but will we ever hear it?

 Many of you have read my story…..my ongoing story.  Today I was blessed with the honor and privilege of teaching at HomeMakers again.  Of sharing a little more of “my story”.  It was kind of a big deal for me.  It was the first time I stepped on the platform without Renee’s stamp of approval.  Usually I read her my teaching, word for word, and wait to hear those words of blessing and encouragement….letting me know I am good to go.  However, with Renee still in Israel, today I was on my own…….and I didn’t like it!

I felt like a little kid.  Insecure.  Unsure.  Desperately praying that I “got it right” and was following the leading of that still small voice (which is hard to hear sometimes….especially over the sounds of a 5 and 7 year old).  I spent the last couple of days fighting the thoughts in my head.  The thoughts that said “you are about to fall flat on your face”.  It is funny how I say God gets the Glory….and the criticism.  However, it doesn’t seem to play out that way in my head.  If I “get it right” Praise the Lord.  If I don’t….well then shame on me.

Praise the Lord…..He carried me through again!  Afterwards a few Girls shared some of the dreams that are stirring in their hearts.  I think what struck me the most is how all of us, are still just as childlike as we are grown up.  We all want to “do something” and “be someone”.  And even though on one hand it is simply a privilege to be a child of the Most High God, we still desperately want to “be more” and “do more”.  I believe part of it is simply human nature.  I believe the bigger part, for me, and the Girls I talked to today, is the fact that the Lord has changed our lives so much, we have this desire….this need even, to share this Great Love with others.  This need to connect with others….To be able to share “our story” drives us to be something more than what we are.

It isn’t always easy walking out the dreams we have in our hearts.  It takes guts.  It takes a thick skin.  It also takes a lot of encouragement from the Girls it has pleased the Lord to put in your life!  I look forward to the day I grow up and become less dependent on the feedback and approval of others.  The day when I can “do it unto the Lord” in a way that even if not one person gives me a word of encouragement, I can walk in confidence that I said or did whatever it was the Lord wanted me to say or do.

Until that day arrives, I thank God for those of you who have prayed for me, or offered me a word of encouragement.  It is a blessing and honor to stand beside you all and dream.  Not only do I daydream about my dreams coming true…..I can now daydream about yours as well!  I am excited for the testimonies that are in process right now, this very minute!  I am excited for us to laugh together some day soon and say “who would have thought”……..Praise God for He is the Who.  The only Who who would of thought to take a “beautiful mess” like me……and turn her into a message!

Love and dreams to you all,

Jen

ps I'm trying to look mysterious.....like a brooding writer.....I don't think it's working though.  It's hard to "brood" with the light of the Lord inside of you!  Maybe I should trade my pink lip gloss in for black.........

 

 

Good Morning Girls!  I don’t have much to say this morning.  My eyes are only half open because somehow I got sucked into the Academy Awards last night….I have no idea how that happened.  Must be because Tom is still away on business.  I haven’t had the remote for 12 years now, so I must have decided to keep the tv on whatever channel I chose first…..just to prove that it is possible!  So yeah I proved my point….boo, cause now I am tired.

At least I am not tired due to a sugar hangover!  It has been two weeks now, and it is going pretty good.  I did however find a replacement drug last week.  That would be pulled pork sandwiches and french fries.  Seriously.  I ended up going out to eat 3 times last week.  That is very odd as I haven’t been out to eat three times in the last 3 months prior to last week.  But somehow in one week I ended up eating three orders of fries.

My ordering strategy had changed completely.  In the past I would have ordered a salad with chicken breast……so I could have dessert.  Now, knowing I would not be eating dessert, I simply ordered what sounded good.  I’m pretty sure the draw to the pork sandwich was the bbq sauce, which is known to have a high sugar content.  Baby steps………

Another part of the ordering choices could be what I call the Entitlement Factor.  It is that sense of “well if I can’t do this…..than I am going to do that”.  It is that sense of entitlement that got me into trouble in the first place.  “I gave up drinking….I gave up smoking…..I gave up gambling……I gave up swearing…….at the very least I am Entitled to eat whatever I want.”  And the truth is we are entitled to eat whatever we want.  Entitled simply means we have a right to something.  Whether I eat cake or a protein shake for breakfast, God loves me the same.  It is not about right or wrong.  The problem with feeling Entitled is the attitude that accompanies it.  It is the attitude of: “I gave this up for you” that lands us into trouble.

If there was ever a Man who had a right to play the “Entitlement card” it would be Jesus!  If he were anyone other than who He is, you know he would look at us and say “Don’t you know what I did for you?  Don’t you know how much I suffered?  Don’t you know the pain, anguish and torture I endured for you!  Now since I did that for you…..you have to do this for me!”  Come on Girls, you all know you have played the Entitlement card to your family for far less things…..I know I have!  “I just finished cleaning the kitchen after making you all supper and now I have to go finish the laundry…….the least you could do for me is give me 15 minutes to myself!  I am at least Entitled to that!”  And Girls, you are.  However, when your attitude shifts to always being Entitlement minded, you end up making your family feel like you hate doing everything you do for them.  You also end up in a place where all you are thinking about is your self, and the things you are entitled to.

We are not Entitled to anything based on the work we do.  We are Entitled to everything because of the work Jesus did on the cross.  We are entitled to a life of love, peace, provision, and joy….a life with Jesus…because of Him.  It is a privilege….an undeserved one at that!

Love you all,
Jen

Romans 5:2  Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

Good Morning Girls!  I am taking the day off.  Just wanted to wish you all a fantabulous (my own made up word) weekend.  I will leave you with another word of wisdom from the mountaintop.......

Girl who takes no break, ends up broken.........and we do not want that!

Love you all-
Jen

Good Morning Girls!  It has been my experience that once I respond to the Lord and "fast" something......He will follow up with another request.  I don't know if you all remember but a couple of years ago when I was on a sugar fast, by the end I was off of diet pop, aspartame in general, sugar free gum......and coffee!  You have no idea how often I look to the sky these days and say "Oh dear God, please not my coffee again".  I say it partly joking.....mostly serious.  The funny thing is, I really can do whatever I want to do......it's not like God blackballs us if we do not follow his promptings.  It's not that I am afraid He will be mad at me.  It's just that I know that if He tells me to put down the coffee, it is because it is what is best for me.  Deep down I know that.....but I don't want it to be what's best for me.  I want it to be best for me to have my hot cup in the morning as I write to you all.  I even point out to him that really prominent preachers like Joyce Meyer are adamant about not giving up their coffee....and if they can drink coffee, why can't I?  I guess I never really matured past the age of 6 did I?
So far it has not been suggested that I should give up coffee.  Though by my previous paragraphs rantings I can see I may have a problem.......but thank you Jesus for giving me time to work that out.  He has however told me to get rid of something else.  It is something I had previously given up before.....but somehow re-introduced to my life (I am seeing a pattern here).  It is something I used to preach strongly about.  It is something I have known deep down is not good for me.  It has control over me.  It has the ability to make or break my day.  It can cause me to smile....but often causes me tears of frustration.  It tells me whether or not I am good, or bad.  The worst part is, it is often inaccurate, unpredictable, fickle, and inconsistent.......yet somehow I found myself going to it every morning for validation.  Can you figure out what it is?
One of my closest friends and I have a very similar history of weight "issues".  We both have vivid "chubby kid" memories.  We both have tried as adults to get to that place where we can look in the mirror and feel good about what we see.  We share the same pain, frustration, challenges, and moments of victory.  The majority of our conversations often center around our weight.  Whether it is good or bad......what we ate or didn't eat.  What we want to eat.  What workout we did or didn't do.  We go to each other because we understand each other.  We know when to give encouragement, when to be firm, and when to joke around and lighten the mood a little. 
The other day I said something to her (in the form of a text) and she responded saying that I sounded like some yogami or someone sitting on top of a mountain.  The next morning she e-mailed asking me what words of wisdom I had from the mountaintop for the day.  I thought I would be funny and respond with some made up "Confucius says" words of wisdom.  It was all in fun.  However, as soon as I hit "send" I got that shot to the heart feeling that I get when I realize the Holy Ghost has just spoken to me.  All three of the "Confucius says" statements were statements of truth from the Lord......and they were meant for me (and possibly one or two of you).
So what did the Holy Ghost say to me as I thought I was being a witty little zenmaster?  We will deal with one at a time.  The first one was:  Girl who measures self with scale-is using wrong tool! 
My question for you is: Are you measuring yourself with the wrong tool?  For some of you it may be the scale.  For others it may be another person, like a sibling or close friend you measure yourself against.  Perhaps is an image you hold in your head of who you should or should not be.  Or maybe the world has filled you with demands that though you know are unrealistic, you find yourself trying to achieve.  If only you could measure up to all these people....in all these areas.....then you will be happy.
Girls, deep down in our hearts, we know that the only tool we should measure ourselves by is our relationship with Jesus.  If we hold Him dear in our heart, if we do our best, to be found living at our best, we have measured up.....in the only way that matters!

Love, peace, and thanks to you all,
Jen

Proverbs 20:23 (Amplified Bible)

²³Diverse and deceitful weights are shamefully vile and abhorrent to the Lord, and false scales are not good.

Good Morning Girls!  Yesterday I mentioned that one of the reasons I believed the Lord has me on a sugar fast is because it is one of the answers to my deepest pleas for healing.  I would like to talk about it today.  The healing I have been praying for is more of a mental/emotional healing rather than a physical healing.  However, the cause of my need for healing is my body.  Confused?  Let me explain. 
As long as I can remember, I have struggled with my weight.  I was put on my first diet at 6 months old.  The pediatrician told my mom I could only have green vegetables and meat.  No starchy baby food.  Yep.....I was probably the youngest one to ever be put on the South Beach Diet.  It did not work.  All of my life I was conscious of my weight.  My weight changed from year to year.  I have skinny years, fat years, and a couple normal years (though at the time I thought they were fat years).
I grew up watching my mom go through the same thing.  She was always starting a new diet.  She also had her share of heavy years and normal years.  We knew when she would be starting a new diet.  Dad would be extra quiet.....not wanting to poke the bear, for she was fierce.  Please do not think I am blaming my mom.....I am simply saying that I grew up in a home where it is normal to dislike and desperately want to change your body......yet somehow being able to do so.
Over the last few years, I have worked really hard to change this mindset.  I would tell my friends "I do not want to be 65 years old and still be on a diet.  I want to enjoy my life!".  Up until the day my dad died, my mom had a weird relationship with food.  However, now that he is gone, she seems to have loosened up a bit.  She goes out to eat more.  Orders a burger instead of a salad (unless she actually wants a salad, where as before it was "I have to get a salad").  She no longer recites to all of us what she has or has not eaten all day.  Her form of healing came when she lost my dad.  Oh the irony.  The one man who patiently listened to her complain about weight and food for 57 years, is the reason she is healed......but he is not here to enjoy it!  Perhaps all of her efforts were to please my dad.  However, he didn't care what size she was.  What I think made it hard for her was the fact that my dad was never big.  He was pretty small in fact.  My mom and I have always weighed more than my dad.....and it drove us nuts!
So I have worked hard to break free from this vicious cycle of my weight equally my self worth.  However, I assumed the only way to break free from it was to lose the weight.  Somehow a certain number on the scale would manifest my healing....both physically and emotionally.  However, it hasn't worked out that way.  You see, each time I get down to the magic healing number, I still do not like what I see.  So, the magic healing number changes.  I often say "I will try 5 more pounds, and then, no matter what, I will be done".  That final 5 pounds has been eluding me for 2 years now.  And I am tired of fighting it.  In order to lose this last five, I need to channel all of my energy and focus on my food and exercise, and it has taken me away from my life.  I want to be done with it.  Every once in a while I get up the ambition to focus on it, and I come close....for about a day, and then I put it back on.  More time wasted.  More discouragement.  More of me thinking about me.
And that is really the problem here.  All this energy wasted on me trying to feel good about me is energy I could be pouring into my family. My marriage. My writing.  My husband just called and said he forgot the books he was going to bring with him on his work trip.  I answered him all disgusted and put out...reason being my mind was panicking thinking "Now you will have to forfeit your workout time!".   He will be gone for 6 days....and all I can think about is my workout for today. 
The Lord has been telling me to give up sugar.  My initial thought was that it would be the cure to those last 5 pounds.  But I'm not so sure that's the answer at all.  I'm starting to think that by going sugar free I will simply feel better.  And in feeling better, I will....I don't know.....feel better.  I won't be so concerned with a number.  A size.  I will feel free.  And in that freedom I will no longer equate a number on the scale with finally being the Girl I was meant to be.  I don't know.  Only time will tell.  Only God knows the end from the beginning.  I'll just go along for the ride, and believe He has got it all worked out!

Love, peace, and thanks to you all-
Jen

Psalm 118:5 In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free.

Good Morning Girls!  Yesterday I told you that I had a few theories about why the Lord would tell me to give up sugar for awhile.  I thought I would share one or two of those theories with you this morning.  Before we go any further I just want to say, I hope you all can see that this is not just me writing about me for the sake of me.  No.  It's about me showing you all something that is going on in my life in hopes that it may enable you to see something similar in your own life.....and that you may see it differently. 
Many would say the reason the Lord has me give up sugar (or the reason He has us give up anything) is because it is a test.  The Lord wants to see if I will obey Him.  Sugar has become an "idol" in my life, and He doesn't want me putting sugar above Him.  I often hear people saying "God is just testing me right now".  There is even scripture to support this theory (especially if you don't understand what it is speaking about).  Since I am not the Lord, I cannot say that this is not true, but deep down in my heart, I don't believe this is true.  Not in this case anyway.  Here's why: My image of God is not one where He is sitting in heaven looking down on me, eyeballing me and saying "Let's see if Jen realllllly loves me like she says she does.  Let's see if she is willing to walk away from the thing she loves so much".  "What do you think angels?  Should we see if she will walk away from sugar?  What should we do to her if she refuses?".  To me this image of God is one of a puppet master, playing with our lives, trying to prove how powerful he is.  That is not the image of the faithful, loving, God that I hold in my heart.  I believe the days of sacrificing our Isaacs are over. If we can so easily say that God is testing me with this......does the same apply when our kids get sick, we lose a job, or our house, or anything?  Absolutely not!  We are warned about that in James 1:13 And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.
Now don't misunderstand me.  I do believe the Lord tests us.  However, when He does, it is for our good.  Not to prove Himself powerful.  Not to make us prove to Him how much we love Him.  The tests we are given are always for our own good.  To develop us, to strengthen us, to bring us awareness of our priorities.  Now I am only speaking from my heart, the way I see it.  Feel free to disagree.
So if I am not being tested, why would the Lord tell me to give up sugar for awhile?  Because it is what is best for me.  Because it will help me get one step closer to my dreams.  Because the end result will answer some of my deepest pleas for healing, which I will explain in more detail in the days to come.  For example: it's only been 8 days since I have not had any sugar, but already I am waking up without an alarm.  I wake up feeling good.  I wake up without any aches and pains.  I woke up early enough to write before going to HomeMakers!  That,  Girls, is a result of eliminating sugar!  That it what I mean when I say the Lord asks us to do things that will help us.....not to prove to Him how much we love Him.  He can tell how much we love Him by the way we live our life.....not by whether or not we had a donut (or pan of brownies) for breakfast!
My question to you is: Has the Lord being telling you to do (or not do) something that you have previously seen as a test?  That you have been looking at as a demand from a puppet master, rather than a God who loves you so much,  He would take the time to make simple suggestions to you about how your quality of life can improve (even if at the time it doesn't seem like it?).  Sometimes the simple shift in thinking about why He would ask you to do something, gives you the desire to do it.  I encourage you to look at those promptings from your loving Father, and see if they suddenly look different!

Psalm 119:27 Help me understand the meaning of your commandments, and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds.

Love, peace, and joy to you all-
Jen

Good Morning Girls!  I've missed writing to you all and pray you are all doing great!  I am hoping to get a full week of writing in, but we will take it one day at a time.  I have been sugar free for 7 days....well, I did eat 3 spoonfuls of my sons soggy cocoa crispies last night, as the thought of throwing them away was unacceptable, and it is the one thing I cannot feed my dog.  Other than that, I have made it through the first week!  Truth is, it wasn't even difficult.  There were a couple of times when I caught myself about to pop in a handful of frosted flakes or something as I was feeding the kids, but that was more of a habit thing than a craving thing. 
So how is it that one day I am eating a whole pan of peanut butter oatmeal bars (with chocolate frosting), and the next I am sugar free and fine?  The first couple of days I figured it was simply because I was so sick from all the sugar that I couldn't stand the thought of it.  However, by Thursday I was feeling really good, and I still made it through a weekend without any struggles.  That it when I knew as I knew that it was the grace of God, and the Lord was in fact the One who put me on the fast in the first place.
I believe the Lord had been telling me to give up sugar for many months now.  I kept telling Him I would.....I simply needed some time to mentally prepare for it.  Every time I thought about going sugar free I would hyperventilate at the thought of all the treats I would be saying goodbye to.  Seriously, life without banana bread, carrot cake, and the obvious.....chocolate, is no life at all!  Even though I felt the impression so strong in my heart to go on a sugar fast, I held on to that little piece that said "oh Jen, it's not God.....it's just you".  That one sentence was all the convincing I needed to hang on to my sweets.....funny how we grasp at anything when we really want (or don't want) to do something.
So why did the Lord put me on a sugar fast?  To be honest with you, I don't know......yet.  I have a couple of theories, but only He knows for sure.  It doesn't really matter why He did it.  What matters is that He did.  What matters is that I trust in Him....more than I trust in myself.  What matters is that He knows what is best for me.  He knows the plans He has for me.  He knows the best way for me to reach the dreams He has placed in my heart.  Remember that old tv show Father Knows Best......well ours truly does!
My question to you is: Is the Holy Spirit telling you to do something that doesn't really make sense?  Is He telling you to do something and you are waiting for the reason why before you respond?  Is there something you are hanging on to despite that strong feeling in your heart?  Go ahead, take a leap of faith and trust in the Lord!  I promise you.....if you respond in error, He will correct you.  Better yet, if you respond in faith, and you are correct.....He will reward you!

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Love, thanks, and courage to you all,
Jen

Good Morning Girls!  Actually, it's afternoon, but the good morning thing is kind of like my own "Herrrrrrrrre's Johnny" (not that I equate myself with Johnny Carson in any way).  Wow.  Seems like I am easily distracted today.  Must be the lack of sugar that is causing brain malfunction.  Perhaps I should go eat the bag of Good n Plenty's that are in my cupboard and see if I am more focused after?  NO?  You don't think I should do that?  Alright, but just so you know they are the freshest Good n Plenty's I have ever had and I am pretty sure they will not be as fresh 39 days from now!  Oh the things I do for you......

Anyway.....I just wanted to check in and say I am feeling fine.  Yesterday I felt so disgusting from the Sunday night binge that sugar was the last thing on my mind.  Today I have been too busy to think about it, so it has been no big deal.  I am also fighting cold symptoms, and I did something to my back so I have these physical ailments to keep me distracted.  Wow, I sound like a 99 year old woman going on and on about my health issues. 

Chances are I will not be writing the rest of the week.  My morning writing time has to go towards something else this week.  I can tell you this.......God is good!  Good things are happening in the Gilbert house.  For me personally, and for us as a family.  I look forward to sharing them with you at the proper time.  Until then keep moving forward, pick yourselves up (no matter how many times you have to do so in a day) and most of all know the Lord loves you and has great plans for you!

Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Love and miss you all-
Jen