Stolen Away ~ A letter to those who stole someone from us…

Stolen Away   <— Click here

Sorry for the link but I could not figure out how to change the .pdf to a picture…

A closer walk…

On Feb 1, 2012 I began a fast. A 21 day fast. Yes, there was the usual food restriction thing going on which included 10 days of juice & water only. But this was more of a spiritual fast. God called me out and told me I needed to break free of some pretty damaging habits. You see, I’m a time waster. Actually, I’m addicted to time wasting if I am being honest with myself, much less you (whoever ‘you’ might be). SO, during the past 21 days, I avoided faebook (gasp) and all single player games of ANY kind. I couldn’t believe how much time I had on my hands. I do believe I got more things done in the last 21 days than I have in the last 21 years. Sad, isn’t it? Well, such WAS my life. In the last 21 days I discovered that I can be helpful in our automotive shop and that it isn’t just my husband’s responsibility. I found out I DO enjoy cooking but I still have trouble if I don’t know ahead of time WHAT I am cooking. I still dislike vacuuming and mopping but I’m better with the rest of the chores around the house. You’ve been able to see the floor in my bedroom for a whole month!! Crazy, huh???

Well, now the next part of my journey begins. Now I have to stay on track with all the progress that I’ve made. My husband and I are involved with a jail ministry program called Residents Encounter Christ (REC http://www.recfl.org) that is growing like crazy and I need to be more focused and dedicated to do what God is calling me to do in that area of my life.

Along with this, I need to continue building my relationship with my husband. We are very soon going to be without children as our youngest of two turns 18 this year. We have never been just the two of us!! While I am looking forward to it, I’m also a bit nervous! But seriously, we’ve been together 23 years, our son will be 22 next month, we’ve never had any real time where it was just he and I. This should be interesting.

Well, I guess that’s it for now. I am putting this blog back on my to-do list. I used to enjoy very much sharing things here, whether it be day to day life or creative writing. Let’s see where this goes now. Glad to have you along, feel free to check in anytime.

With the best of intentions…

You ever that idea? You know? THAT idea? The one that you know is just going to change your entire life! Whether something simple like keeping the bathroom counter clean or as big as starting a blog that you hope will bring some sunshine and happiness into someone’s life because you are so blessed that you just have to share it!! And then…the world happens. Life happens. Just ‘being’…happens and the next thing you know, your great idea has fallen asleep in the dark closet or drawer in that room we put all those ideas “we’ll get to…one day…no really, we will”.

That is what happened to THIS blog! But inevitably, it finds a way to remind that it is still here, waiting patiently for me to ‘come home’ and share my heart with it. It reminds me of how God waits for me. He never gets angry when I lose my way or don’t come when I say I will. He knows that I will be back. Because I need Him. And I need this blog. It gives me a place to release my thoughts, concerns, frustrations, joys, fears and any other emotional outburst I may have!

Yesterday I began a health challenge that I KNOW is going to change my life. I have decided to make the effort to challenge myself mentally and emotionally as well by coming back here and working through the good and the bad of what the health challenge might bring. I may be doing it here all by myself as I know I haven’t really posted here in a long time but that’s ok. Any guests that may show up along the way will just be an extra BONUS to me!!

So, if you’re there reading these words right now, thank you. Thank you for taking precious time from your life to be part of mine. I hope I will see more of you and that if we don’t know each other, maybe we’ll get to be great friends. Or maybe we may never be introduced but something you get here helps you or a friend and that would be amazing too!

May God protect you who need protection, comfort you who are struggling, Love you who think you’re alone and bless you in ways you can begin to imagine.
Take care and thanks again for stopping by!

I am a Disciple of Christ – Author Unknown

I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secured!

I am finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talks, chintzy giving and dwarf goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions or popularity.

I don’t have to be right, first, top, recognized, praised or rewarded.

My faith is set, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, let up or slow down ’til I’ve preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up and stayed up for the cause of Christ.

I am a Disciple of Christ. I must go ’til He comes, give ’til I drop, preach ’til all know and work ’til He stops.

And when He comes to claim His own, He will have no problem recognizing me, for I am His follower, a Disciple, a Christian!

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Being a Christian has nothing to do with how much time you spend in church or how much money you spend at church. It has to do with how you interact with other people on a daily basis. Do you make a concerted effort to just do something simple or nice to one person every day? Smile at a stranger, slow down to let a car in ahead of you in traffic, hold a door for someone? Your time with God’s children outside of church is way more important than the time spent in the church.

Just because you go to church doesn’t make you any more of a Christian than standing in your garage makes you a car! (Courtesy of Joyce Meyer)

We had the opportunity to spend a weekend in jail bringing Christ’s love to the residents there. I do believe we may have gotten more from it than they did! What an experience!! We are eagerly awaiting our next team. It is definitely where God is calling us to be. Our friends used the writing above during their talks and it has had a profound affect on me and my walk with Jesus.

Love is truly the answer to so many of the world’s problems…if we shared our love as easily as we share our anger the world would be a different place.

So how about it? Where do you stand? Are YOU a Disciple of Christ? Are YOU willing to truly walk the path He gives us? Are YOU willing to give up the flash and sparkle the world uses to distract you from your true purpose here?

I am here to offer support, suggestions or a sounding board for you in your walk. I am NOT an ordained pastor or preacher, just a believer who wants to help anyone I can find their way to Jesus. Jesus made it simple…Love God with everything you have and love others as you do yourself. By just doing these two things, the rest of the 10 commandments cannot be broken. Oh and even if you don’t believe in God, just do the second one and the world would still be better. I’ve said it before, even if you don’t believe in God, what do you have to lose by sharing love, laughter, joy and smiles with others??? What harm can be done by living the way Jesus says we should live? At the end of it all, even if there truly is no God (which I firmly believe there is) what harm have I done by living like there is? I’m not talking about the hypocritical people who put God’s name on the things that they do that are obviously not what God wanted. Those that hurt, judge, criticize or attack in the name of God will get what is coming to them.

If you’re living your life like there is no God, you’d better be right…

Take care, God Bless and come back soon!
Jena

Try something new…

Are you up for a challenge? No? Maybe? Aww come on…you can do better than that! Are you ready for a challenge? Good, here you go:

Try the following over the weekend and let me know what happens.

Every person that you come in direct contact with…EVERY person, family, friend, stranger…everyone…find one thing nice or encouraging to say to that person. It will be harder to do for family than strangers I think you’ll find. But even if it’s as simple as smiling ( a real geniune smile, there has to be at least one thing in your life that you’re happy about, like say the fact that you’re alive and able to read this post) and saying “Have a great (day, evening, weekend).” You will be surprised at the reactions you get. Some good, some bad, some indifferent. But you might not ever know what the outcome is because it could come later.

Don’t be a passing shadow in your own life. Be a lighthouse! For yourself and for others. Your light could show a stranger that there is hope. You could keep that one person from becoming a serial killer because your smile could crack that wall around them. People need to know that there is actual life on this planet and that someone actually sees them. Just them…not wanting anything more than to acknowledge their presence.

Make the decision to be positive…just for the weekend…and then see how much longer you can keep it up. Kindness can do so many great things. Check it out and see. Then come back and share!!

Have a great weekend! God Bless!

Flu in Mexico

Hello everyone!! I assume you have heard about the flu deaths in Mexico. Well, please read this Post that a friend wrote to get some good information about it.

Let’s take this as seriously as we can, who knows what could happen. Let’s also pray for the people in Mexico who are being affected by this.

Life’s Journey ~ Day 22 ~ Final day :-(

Well, the end has come…I did not make it the full 30 days.  I started failing pretty fast the last couple of days and my husband was extremely worried that I had gone too far.  So my official tally is 21 1/2 days.  In the bigger picture, that sounds incredible.  Now I just have to get myself past all the self bashing.

I feel like I have let so many people down.  I made such a big deal out of going the full 30 days and so many people have been watching and praying for me.  I found my connection to God about a week ago, so I accomplished the main goal I set out to, I needed to get right with God.  I have found myself praying more, soul-searching and just basically discovering myself in God’s world.  I am grasping onto that now as I battle the demons of failure.  They keep whispering in my head about how I failed.  I let everyone down.  How they knew I couldn’t finish yet another task that I have started.  These are the same demons that tell me that I am unworthy of the success that Mona-Vie will bring me.  That I don’t deserve to have nice things and not worry about my bills.  That I am not good enough to offer help to those less fortunate than me.  These are the voices that up until now I chose to listen to exclusively and allow myself to drown in the darkness they bring.  But no more!

Today I offer myself to the world as a contender.  I will no longer hide in the shadows and wallow in self pity.  I will no longer allow myself to be brought down by anyone or anything.  I have to believe that God has big plans for me and that I have to stand up to the task.

My biggest motivations for succeeding with Mona-Vie are:

1) The phenominal health it has brought to my family.  I would feel extreme guilt if I did not at least attempt to share this with anyone and everyone I know.

2) My nephew.  He is autistic and my sister has lived somewhat of a nightmare trying to get him taken care of in school.  My nephew is a joy and he is not the source of my sister’s struggles.  The trouble is getting him schooled.  I want to be able to fund a safe and long term center for autistic children and adults.

3) I need to prove to myself that I can finish something I start and this is going to be it.  My fast has just proven to me that the Mona-Vie is an extraordinary product.  Without it I would not have made it this far.  People can say whatever they want about the cost, but you are not going to find anything with this kind of nutritional value for any less, especially something that will pay you!!

So, as I end my fast and start moving forward, I pray that I will continue to honor God in all I do and I pray for the best for all of you!!  I invite you to at least consider the benefits and the opportunity that Mona-Vie offers.  What do you have to lose?  Less than $300 investment for your health and the potential to become financially secure.  There is no other opportunity out there that can offer you more.

Thanks for coming by!  God Bless!

~Jena

Life’s Journey ~ Days 16-19

When I close my eyes and go back over the last 19 days of my life, what I see just amazes me.  I have become even more determined to complete this task because I don’t want to let myself down.  I have invoited many people to walk beside me as support on this path because I knew I would need the accountablility of knowing I wasn’t alone.  Knowing that others are watching truly helps me stay focused for the most part.

During this time, I have found myself more and more trying to figure out just what it is that God wants me to do still don’t have that figured out yet, but I am noticing more and more the things that I like to do that seem to be calling to me.  I have realized that I truly like to teach people, it doesn’t matter what it is, if I know how to do something and someone else needs to know it I just seem to thrive on being able to show them.

Much to my heartache, I’ve also realized that because of my past way of life and the bad decisions I have made along the way, that some people don’t have faith in me or my ideas, especially the people closest to me.  But I have finally decided that I am no longer going to let their lack of faith in me dictate the steps I need to take to change my life.  It is going to change and they can come along for the ride, try to catch up later or just be left behind.  I have been given this great gift that I believe is from God and all I want to do is share it with others.  It’s 100% natural, pure nutrition and has been what has really been sustaining me through this fast.  It has allowed my husband who was suffering horribly in pain from an auto accident to be pain free, sleep through the night and start working out again.  No it is not ‘cheap’ if you only look at the cost, but the benefits (both physically & financially) FAR outweigh that.  For anyone who doesn’t know, I am talking about Mona-Vie.  If you want to know anymore about it let me know, but since this is my fasting post, I wan’t say anything more about it here.  I only brought it up because it has such a significant place in the fast and in the struggles that I am trying to over come by doing the fast.

Days 16-19 were not really anything extraordinary.  Just the same battles to get through all the food that humans (especially Americans) indulge in.  We eat for social reasons, not just for hunger.  Any event or get together usually has food at it’s center, maybe not the main reason but a big one!! The snacking urges, the need of ‘comfort’ food and the need to jut ‘be busy’ all contribute to our food intake.

Now, unlike my friend who is on quest to quit drinking alcohol, food is necessary for survival, but not in the quantities or frequencies that we indulge in.  I have not eaten solid food for 19 days and I am still alive and kicking (ableit not kicking hard).  I’ve heard it said recently that you can live 30 days on water alone, 3 days without water but not 15 minutes without hope. (I paraphrased that so don’t quote it)  In order to get out of bed each day, we need hope that we are going to make it through it.  In order to get married, we need hope that it will last.  In order to believe in Jesus, we need hope that all we’ve read and heard is true.  In order to love, we need hope that it will be returned.  In order to fast, we need hope that we will make it through and that we will find what we are looking for in the fast. 

Now, as I embarked on the last 11 days, I pray that continue to seek God and all His plans for me.  I pray that I will no longer be afraid to face my demons and move forward with my life.  I pray that all you and your loved ones stay safe and sound and that you will be given the gift of appreciation for all that you have.

Thanks for stopping by! God bless!

~Jena~

Life’s Journey ~ Day 15

Milestone #1 made yesterday!!  I have officially hit the halfway mark on my fast.  From here on out I have less days left to go on the fast than I have gone through, YAY!! 

It has definitely been a learning experience.  I’ve also discovered that I have taken off those negative glass that I wear when I look at myself.  I KNOW I have lost weight because I have clothes that I can wear that I couldn’t before.  But I don’t SEE it.  I still look the same to myself when I look in the mirror.  I start getting frustrated and then I remember that the main goal of this fast is not the weight (it is ONE of the goals but not the MAIN goal), I am trying to find my place in God’s world.  And I know that these feelings of frustration are just the enemy’s way of trying to avert me from my goals.  Which tells me that I must be on the right path.

A friend of mine started a 10 day fast on Monday.  She is now at the stage where she isn’t hungry perse but misses food, which is the biggest problem I have.  We joked because we talked about how frustrating it is to see other people eat and we can’t.  I told her it makes me want to throw things at the “eaters”.  That’s my little inside joke.  There’s me and then there’s the ‘eaters’!  LOL

A comment posted on ‘Days 7-13’ if from a gentleman who is facing his own demons.  He told me I inspired him.  That just amazes me as I have never seen myself as the inspiring type.  I just the person who does so much better in the shadows, behind the scenes, that sort of thing.  One thing I am learning is that I don’t think that is God’s plan for me.  I am getting this deep feeling inside that He is planning on taking me out of my ‘safe’ shadows (although I don’t know how safe they really are) and making me do more things that are totally outside of my comfort zone.  All I can say at this point is: His will be done.  I am His, He makes no mistakes.  We make the mistakes, we try to insert our own plans into what God has planned for us.  That’s what causes us so much strife.  So right here and now, I commit myself, and submit myself to God’s will.  I will quiet the voices in my head that keep telling me how unworthy I am and listen for His word.

Thank you for coming by and please check out Gary’s blog (the link is in one of his comments) and maybe offer him some support to.  It’s always a good motivator to continue if we know people are ‘watching’.  May God bless your days and keep your nights safe.

~Jena~

Life’s Journey ~ Day 14

Day 14 went by pretty uneventfully, no major changes or epiphanies.  Just a lot of thinking…oh..yeah and one big mistake.

I’ve been feeling a little weak so I’ve added chicken broth to my routine.  Well last night I thought I’d be smart and add an egg to my soup for a little more protein…BIG MISTAKE!!  But I got through it ok and I am back to just liquids for a while.   I don’t need anymore episodes like that!!  :0)

Satruday night we had a great service at our church and one of the things they offered to us was a station where we could write on a rock the thing we wanted Jesus to take from us the most and then put the rock in water and wash it away just like Jesus does for us.  Well, I’m not ashamed to say that the thing I wanted Jesus to take out of my way the most was myself.  I do more damage to myself than any outside influence.  This fast has helped me see that.  I keep trying to make excuses as to why I should just give up.  Stupid excuses.  If it were not for my husband I think I would have caved a while ago.  On that note, let me just say that should you be considering, even a little, doing a fast like this…don’t do it if you do not have someone close by that will support you fully on this journey.  Yes, the main purpose for me is to get closer to God.  But along the way, the world tries to get back in and if you don’t have a support person in place, it will be so much harder.

I am still waiting for more connection with God and as each day goes by, I feel I am getting closer to that.  I find myself asking what is it that God truly wants from me.  How can I use the gifts that He has given me to better build His kingdom?  How can I be sure that the gifts I think I have are the gifts He wants me to focus on?  These are the questions I’m hoping to be closer to an answer to by the end of the month.

So as I begin day 15 and close the first half of my fast, I am looking forward to the second half and what God will reveal to me.  I am looking forward to spending time with my husband as we move forward together in our lifestyle changes and get healthier for our next 20 years together (and as many more as we can be graced with).  I am looking forward to sharing Mona-Vie with whomever will listen so that we can share this great juice with the hopes that so many others will be blessed with the health that it has given us.  I am looking forward to more time with friends and family and building new friendships along the way.  I am looking forward to every day that God gives me and hope that I honor Him in it.

Thank you for stopping by!  God Bless!

~Jena~