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Hi there, I’m Jen.

Thanks for joining me on my faith journey.

Oh the places we’ll go

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I’m sitting here on this glorious Monday morning. It’s my day off and I’m enjoying myself some Rita Springer while sipping on a delicious cup of flavored coffee. I’m thinking about things I want to do this summer when life is less busy and I’m in-between semesters with school. When you live in a state that is cold and gloomy for half of the year, you get excited to dream for sunny summer days.
That’s where I am today.
I’ve been so caught up in reading text books and listening to lectures that my dreaming and just plain living has been lost.
A few years ago around this time I was working on my first garden. I spent the whole winter reading up on organic farming. I was big into kombucha and kefir and my farm friends too.  I realized as the year unfolded and my garden began to sprout, that God had given me the dream of gardening for more reasons than I knew.  It gave me purpose. It brought me healing.
My oh my how things have changed.
So here I sit and I ask God the same question I do from year-to-year.  What do you have for me this year God?  What crazy adventure do you want to take me on that will stretch me and grow me all at the same time?
Whatever it is – I say YES.
Please don’t let me limit it.
Please don’t let me miss it.

 

 

 

Happy Days

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“To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.” Isaiah 61:3
It was in the summer of 1996 when I went out and picked up my first notebook.  I thought it would be a great way to start writing letters to my sweet baby boy, Anthony Blare.  Throughout the years I have picked up more notebooks for my growing family, and the pages continue to fill.  I’ve tried to be intentional with pulling them out a few times a year and jotting down the special things that are taking places in their lives.
I write things down that I don’t want them to forget.
I write things down to help them trace back to happy seasons in their lives.
The boys are well aware of their notebooks and have asked to read them lots of times. They laugh as they read their pages and I love watching their faces light up as they reminisce of days gone by.
When we moved in 2016, I tucked the notebooks up on a shelf in my closet and I haven’t touched them since. I wanted to wait until I could better explain this chapter to them.
As I contemplated on what to write, I realized there’s been lots of happy days. I know they’ll want to remember this season too, and how good God has been.
God writes our stories and each chapter is worth remembering.
He brings beauty from ashes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dreamer Girl

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If you’re a dreamer like me, you’re always envisioning a life that is yet to be lived.  You play out scenes in your mind of places you wish to go, and people you want to bring along with you for the journey.  You create a series of scenarios where you wind up happy no matter what…and
life
is
good.
You always win, because you’ll find the good in whatever situation you find yourself in.  I love the dreamer inside of me. She’s gotten me through the toughest of days and continues to fight right along side of me for my future.
Oh the pictures I’m painting in my head these days.  They are full of beauty, adventure, and so much happiness.  I see His wonder and His awe.
Some would say that it’s just a coping mechanism, but I say it’s a treasure.   I know it’s just the core of who I am and who I was created to be.
The further I get, the brighter life becomes.

Changing the world

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I know he doesn’t look sick, but he is.  He’s also ridiculously cute.  Baby Jude (that’s who he’ll always be to us) woke up in the night with the flu and so he’s home with mom today. We’ve had our share of days off with the holiday break and a snow day yesterday.  That being said, our rhythm is off, but that’s okay.
My new year feels like it’s still trying to get started off.  I haven’t fully finished my “dream board” for the year and I’m feeling a tad behind.  One thing that I have established is my 2018 theme word.
ORDER
I have several other words that I am also believing in for my life this year, but ORDER is the word I am laying as my foundation word for this year.  The scripture that God led me to and that I’m standing on is:
“Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with ALL precious and pleasant riches.” Proverbs 24:3-4
The more that I have dug into the word ORDER, the more significant it already is becoming for me.
ORDER = dor in Hebrew
The Hebrew word דור (dor, Strong’s #1755) is used 167 times in the Hebrew Bible and usually translated as “generation.” While the Hebrew word דור (dor) and the English word “generation” are similar in meaning, it is important to understand the differences in order to have a clearer picture of the authors understanding of the word which may impact how a particular passage is understood.

A generation is the time from one birth to the birth of the next generation.

I had an event the other night for the 1M Project where we challenged people to reach 1 person a week with the Gospel.  I want to lead by example and yet God has me home two days in a row with my kids.
As I’ve been reflecting on this thought, the Lord reminded me of my word this year and the call over my life as a mommy.  Living a radical life for Jesus starts at home.  Our largest influence will be with the ones who see us on a daily basis.  I truly believe that I am raising world changers over here, and so every minute I get to spend pouring into them matters.  It matters BIG TIME.
I’m so thankful that I work for a ministry that allows me to call in to care for my sick boy.
Trust me, we’re changing the world over here.

 

2017 = FLOURISH

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It’s truly amazing what a year can bring forth! I am so glad that God goes before us to prepare our hearts for the journey in this life with Him.
I knew entering into 2017 the year was going to be an adventurous one and boy was it. God gave me the word FLOURISH to stand on, and I’ve been walking it out as much as possibe.
” But blessed is the woman who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord her hope and confidence.  She is like a tree planted along a riverbank, with its roots reaching deep into the water—a tree not bothered by the heat nor worried by long months of drought. Her leaves stay green, and she goes right on flourishing.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
The Lord showed me early into the year the importance of loving myself, so I implemented new things into my life to help me practice that more faithfully…
One of those things was allowing myself the grace to stay in my pj’s until noon on Saturdays and only do things I love to do, which included reading a lot of good books. I highly recommend this to anyone who struggles with wanting to please others before themself.
I also…
Booked a trip to California for just myself.
Vacationed in the Smokey Mountains with my babes and promised to say YES as much as possible.
Celebrated the graduation for our twins and threw a big ole’ party for them as we rolled into summer.
I turned 40 and launched a podcast and the 1M Project.
I took a backpacking trip with my favorite twins through the Wind River Indian Range in Lander, Wyoming and got to take my first helicopter ride.
I applied for Grad school and was accepted at Western Theological Seminary.
I met a guy who came in to serve food at the homeless shelter where I work . He asked me out for coffee. And he just happens to have two little girls the same age as my babes. Oh my heart.
I have so much to be grateful for.
Life is a precious gift. Year by year, His mercy never ceases to amaze me.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1M Project Ignite Night

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