Good Morning Girls!  This week is my birthday!  I will be nine.  It has been 9 years since I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour!  In honor of that, along with the inspiration from our church's Christmas program, we are having us Hope Week.....and it starts right now!   Nine years ago I was hopeless. I was desperate.  I was defeated.  I wanted to die.  In fact, one night after I had been out all day drinking and gambling, I came home and took all of my anti-depressants.  (I was being treated for depression and ADHD) I lay down on my living room floor to die.  After a few hours of intense pain, and inability to move, it became clear to me that I wasn't going to die. I was so angry, I couldn't believe it.  I started crying out to a God I had known as a child, but had not believed in for years.  I cried "why won't you just let me die". And for the first time in my life, I heard what I believe was the Holy Spirit say "I have plans for you".  Then I passed out.  I woke up and crawled to my closet and found my old Bible.  It had never been opened.  I lay curled up in my bed all day hugging my Bible crying and saying "If you are not going to let me die, you need to show me how to live."  The next day my friend called and said she had just received 2 free tickets to a Christmas program at some church in Brooklyn Park, and she heard it was really good.  We went the following Saturday, and , well, as they say the rest is history.  I remember my first therapy session after being born again.  I said to the counselor "Imagine if I took my sales skills, and used them to bring people to the Lord, now that would be cool".  Not that you have to "sell Jesus", it's just that I was a sales manager at the time, and that was my life.  The response my counselor gave made it obvious she was not a Christian, so I left her, and my anti depressants behind, and I never looked back.  So girls, you don't need to tell me about feeling hopeless, for I know all about it.  I also know that we serve a Mighty God.  A God who is the one and only true source of hope.  He delivered me from death and despair.  He will deliver you as well.  Take some time today and share your heart with Him.  Let Him fill you with hope.....it is my birthday wish to you!

Romans 15:13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him.  then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Love you all-
Jen