Good Morning Girls!  I woke up one morning last January with a message on my heart.  I felt led to write it up and send it to my small group of 18 girls that attend our weekly Bible study at church.  I don't even think it was a scripture.  This happened morning after morning for a week.  One morning, my motivational messages changes to messages based on scripture.  Yeah, it took me a week or so to realize that the Word is the best motivator.  Well, truth be told, I think the main reason is the fact that I am the last one I would have picked at the time to write inspirational messages based on the Word of God!  Sure, I loved the Lord, and I read my Bible most days, but that still didn't make me feel qualified to do what I was doing.  Still, each morning started with a Word in my heart.  I now understood that I was simply supposed to do this, and I purposed each day to seek the Lord and ask Him to show me what the girls needed to hear.  Day after day, He faithfully showed me(though some days are much easier than others).  One day my friend told me about this website that cost only $10 or so to get your own website.  I checked it out, not really sure why, just knowing that I would have a website someday, so why not get it now.  I purchased my domain, and discovered that it came with a free blog spot.  Now let me tell you....this was all very Greek to me.  I fumbled through and set it up and suddenly there it was...a perfect spot to post my daily messages.  It was very exciting and scary for me!  I felt more committed now.  I couldn't stop.  By spring, the LittleChurch director at our church asked if she could put my blogspot on her newsletter.  This went out to all of the teachers in our Littlechurch Department, and we have a lot. I hyperventilated and told her I needed to think about it.  I went for a run, and the Lord told me it was time to get out of my comfort zone.  I called her back and told her okay.  A month later, the leader of HomeMakers asked me if she could post my blogspot on the year end newsletter.  This is a group of about 250 women.  By this time, I didn't fight it anymore and said sure (but I was again hyperventilating on the inside).  In May, I received notice that there was a new website put together by Bill Phillips promoting his new program and book.  Those of you who know me know what a huge Bill Phillips fan I am. I was so excited to see that the website contained 2 of my favorite things: the desire to be fit and healthy, and love of the Lord!  I again felt led to post my blog on the transformation blog as well.  One day this summer I received an e-mail from someone who googled "Favor With God" and my blog came up.  I again had a mini hyper ventilation moment as I realized that people were now stumbling upon my writing.  So, here I am, still writing.  Still in awe that the Lord is using me.  Still in faith that He will bring me the words each day.  Still in anticipation of where He is leading me, where this is all going.  You know, we often whine and say we want to know God's plan for us.  But let me assure you of this:  if one day last January the Lord would have said to me in prayer "Jen, tomorrow you are going to start writing messages to help inspire and encourage women from many different places.  You need to go set up a blog.  You will be doing this for at least one year.  People will be asking you questions, and looking to you for help."  I would have laughed and thought I was daydreaming.  The Lord knows that I function best with baby steps.  I can hear, trust, and obey His voice better when He gives me little things that are in fact paving the way to bigger things.  If you are feeling frustrated and feeling like you are not doing anything "big" for God, please understand this truth.  If you start to obey Him in the little things He puts in your heart, no matter how strange or random they may seem, He will start to give you more.  If you stay faithful to the instructions He gives you, not your friends, He is faithful to trust you with more.  He is most likely not going to show you the complete picture, because like me, you'd screw it up by getting scared and asking how? how? how?.  Trust Him.  He has a plan for you.  If you are willing, He wants to use you.  As for me, I think that Peter best sums it up for me today........

1 Peter 5:12 My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of Gods grace for you. Stand firm in this grace.

Love you all-
Jen