In my last post, I gave you a sneak peek at Lakeview Conference Center, specifically the areas that we will be staying in.  Earlier this year, I held a women's ministry leadership conference where I received some excellent feedback regarding the fall retreat.  I was pleased to hear from some of the ladies who attended last year that they wanted to have more opportunities for strenuous activities at the retreat, as well as quiet, restful places to stay.  In keeping with this, our retreat this year will feature opportunities for those of you who are more, um, adventurous.  Interested?  Check out the climbing wall in the activity center:

 Do you see the running/walking track that goes around the perimeter of the gym?  How about a closer view:

Perhaps you'd like to do a little cardio with the girls on Saturday.  Jennifer Nelson is planning to lead us in a work-out designed to get the heart rate up.  We'll be taking classes in the room across the hall:

There's more:  Friday night will feature a hayride down to the campfire across from the lake, after our introductory Bible lesson.  We'll do our usual songs and roasted marshmallows by the light of the fire.  I promised everyone that we would do the Bedtime Blessing again this year. 

 On Saturday, we'll have breakfast at 8:00, then head over to our conference room for worship and our first session, Trust and Friendship, led by Monica Richardson.  We'll take a break and come back for our second session, Healthy Relationships & Expectations, led by Chelli Morrison.

 For our afternoon free time, you'll have lots of options:  A crafts workshop led by Kassy Alexander, a workout led by Jennifer Nelson, rock wall climbing (by reservation only), or swimming at the indoor pool from 2-4.  Of course, you are always welcome to play games, read, or take a nap. : )

 After dinner on Saturday, we'll have our third session, Unity in the Church & Friendship, led by ME!  : )  We'll be trying something new for our ministry afterwards:  A time of confession and renouncing, led by Monica.  I'm looking forward to seeing how the Spirit moves this year!

 Spaces are filling up, so I encourage you to sign up soon. We've had a lot of fun the past few years, and friendships have developed as a result of the time spent with one another at past retreats.  This year's focus will be on friendship specifically, so I know that we will all be blessed by strengthened friendships and new friendships.

 May God's richest blessings flow over you,

Jennifer

Yesterday, Jennifer Nelson, Allison Perry, and me and three of my children went down to Lakeview Conference Center in Waxahachie.  This is the site of our Heart 2 Heart Women's Ministry fall retreat.  For the past three years, we have gone to Prothro Center in Pottsboro, but I found this facility a couple of years ago and had wanted to try it out. We went to check out our rooms and the amenities of the facility, and we were not disappointed.  One of the comments that we heard from the ladies in the past is that they wanted more outdoor/physical activities.  I am pleased to report that we will have lots of activities for those of you who want more physical challenges.  For those of you who want to relax and take a nap--well, those rooms are pretty nice, too!

Let's start our tour, shall we?

Want more?  In my next post, I'll preview some of the outdoor areas and the activity center.  I'll also give you a little more information on what we'll have going on at the retreat.  Don't forget to register!  We are over half full already.  The retreat will be October 8-10, so the weather should be nice.  Even if it isn't, we'll still have lots of options.  To register, simply sign up at the women's ministry bulletin board in the main hallway near the restrooms.  You can also pick up a registration form at the welcome center.  Or, contact me and I will send you the forms you need.  Don't miss it!

May God's richest blessings flow over you,

Jennifer

"If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."  1 Corinthians 13:3.

I was just blessed.  Not in the usual way--not by someone giving me a gift or telling me something encouraging.  I saw something that blessed me greatly, because it blessed the Lord.  Today, the kids came back from youth camp, and I went to the church to pick them up and to participate in the parent meeting that always occurs after the kids return.  After the meeting, my children and I left to go get some lunch.  On the way out, I passed by Becky Boydston, who was bringing in the food and supplies for the church breakfast this Sunday morning.  Some of the young men were helping her unload the things to take into the kitchen, and as I sat in my car to prepare to leave, I saw the most extraordinary thing:  She was beaming--smiling radiantly--as she unloaded the eggs and fresh fruit. She had obviously just been to a warehouse store and had bought blueberries, strawberries, and cantaloupe, and the biggest box of eggs I've seen, among other things. And yet, I could tell that she was so happy to be serving the Lord.  She was happy to be shopping and preparing for our breakfast!  Love was all over Becky as she was working, and her countenance conveyed it.

Now, why did this bless me?  Because I have seen--too often--folks serving in the church with an unhappy, unloving attitude.  It is clear from their words, actions, and countenance that their service to the church is a chore.  1 Corinthians 13:3 tells us that if we give away everything that we have to feed the hungry and surrender our bodies to death for any other reason but for love, that we gain nothing.  All of our service, all of our surrender, means nothing if we don't have love.  Unfortunately, the people that we serve see when we don't love them, and that is a dire thing, indeed.

As wives and mothers, our mission fields are often our homes.  How many of us can honestly say that we shop for necessities and prepare meals with a loving attitude and a radiant countenance?  Well, Becky's attitude is convicting to me, as well as a blessing to me.  I should always be a smiling, shining example of God's love--most especially to the people who are most precious to me, my family.  I pray that when I am shopping and when I am preparing, that I will radiate God's love.  I pray that when I am serving, others will see the love of God all over me and will feel it from me, as well.

If you haven't heard, this Sunday, July 25, we will be having breakfast from 8:30 to 8:50.  Please come and have fellowship with us, and bring a friend.  Becky is working hard on the breakfast, so be sure and give her a word of encouragement when you see her.  Smile when you say your good word.  I guarantee she'll smile back.

May God's richest blessings flow over you,

Jennifer

It's been over a month since I posted on this blog, and I've been thinking about why.  Because a blog is public, I have to be cautious about what I post.  For the past few months, our family has been going through a significant amount of stress.  I know that God is using all of the circumstances to bring us closer to the likeness of Jesus.  I often meditate on God's goodness and His Word as these relate to what we have been experiencing.  It would be wonderful to share the lessons that God is teaching me, but sometimes the circumstances of our situation are too personal to share.  I live my life as an open book--hopefully, leading others to Christ.  Unfortunately, there are some things that can't be shared publicly.

I am prepared to say in this blog that God is moving me in a new direction.  Presently, I am studying for a test that I will be taking for admission to a teacher certification program.  I hope to work in Special Education for the public school system.  This will help out our family in a number of ways, most notably, the added source of income.  I have been out of the professional working world for over fourteen years.  I am looking forward to this new adventure and to the things that God will be showing me in the months to come.

What does this mean for Heart 2 Heart Women's Ministry?  Well, the good news is that there are several ladies who are committed to seeing the ministry continue.  We have Bible studies ongoing this summer, and our fall retreat plans are underway.  (This year's retreat is October 8-10 at Lakeview Conference Center in Waxahachie.) I will not be unavailable, but I will be less able to direct the affairs of the ministry.  Pray for God to raise up a woman to take over the reigns of the ministry so that I can concentrate on the needs of my family and the new career.

May God's richest blessings pour over you,

Jennifer

I have been blessed with a wonderful mother.  She is a godly, Christian woman who taught me the true meaning of perseverance and love.  She was always willing to go to bat for my brother and I, and I love that it taught me that I was worth fighting for.  She has always been a hard worker, and has modelled for me the noble wife of Proverbs 31.  Now that I am grown, I am proud to call her my friend.

Mom broke her wrist two days ago, so I am sending her extra special prayers and wishes for a quick recovery.  I spoke with her this afternoon, and she didn't sound like she was hurting too much.  Pray that she will have her wrist set without too much trouble.

I have also been blessed with godly grandmothers.  My paternal grandmother went home to be with the Lord in November, 2005.  I still miss her, but am grateful for all her love and good counsel.  She was a wonderful lady, and I am grateful for her encouragement throughout my life.  I wish she were here to know her great-granddaughter!

My maternal grandmother is 98, and she taught me to sew.  I thank God for her everytime I sew, because she taught me something that has brought me so much joy.  I have to also give my mom credit for teaching me to read patterns and to cut out fabric, too.  I have definitely been blessed by the creativity of my mom and grandmothers.  They taught me so much, and now I am teaching my own children.  The legacy continues.

I love you, Mom and Mamaw, and thank God for you!

"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:  Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."  Proverbs 31:28-29.

May God's richest blessings flow over you,

Jennifer

Yesterday, my husband, Brian, and four other men from the church were ordained to serve as deacons.  The charge put forth by the pastors was to "Serve well."  Part of serving well is emptying oneself of all pride. The pastors washed the feet of the deacons to be ordained, and Brian said it was a very humbling experience.  It was a tremendous honor to have the pastors serve them in such an intimate and humble way.

For myself, the ordination service was an emotional time.  Brian and the other men shared their extraordinary testimonies of how they came to believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  To me, it would be impossible not to believe in God after hearing the ways that God saved each man.  When it came time for the ordained men of the church to lay hands and pray over the deacon candidates, my dad got to participate in Brian's ordination.  My dad was ordained as a deacon over twenty years ago at our home church in Waco, TX.  This was so special to our family, and it was difficult to keep from crying.  In fact, none of my pictures of my dad and Brian during this portion of the ordination are clear--all are blurry.

I had hoped to post pictures this evening of the ordination service, but tonight my computer refuses to load the pictures.  Perhaps I will be able to tomorrow...

May God's richest blessings flow over you,

Jennifer

"And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written:  'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'"  Mark 11:17

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, the anniversary of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and the beginning of what is known as Passion Week.  Passion Week is the week leading up to Jesus' crucifixion (commemorated on Good Friday) which culminates with Resurrection Sunday, or Easter.  As I am preparing myself for the holiday, I am spending time in the Gospel of Mark, reading about the events of Passion Week.  Today I read Mark 11:12-19, which corresponds to the Monday before his crucifixion.  As I was reading, I was struck by the passage from Isaiah that Jesus quotes in verse 17.  It is an interesting dichotomy: A teaching vandal.  Jesus is overturning the tables of the money changers and the benches of the people selling doves for sacrifice in the court of the Gentiles.  This was an area reserved for Gentiles (non-Jews) to enter the temple.  The Jews had allowed this area to become a noisy, smelly marketplace.  Jesus was rebuking the Jews and was teaching the people that God had intended to make a place for the foreigners to worship God, a 'house of prayer for all nations.' 

Isaiah 56:6-7 says:  "And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant--these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.  Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."  Essentially, Jesus is revealing not only that the temple of God has been defiled, He is showing that the Gentiles are being shut out of the blessing. They are not being shown God's love or His offer of protection and acceptance.  They are being taken advantage of in this context. 

I love that Jesus is disciplining His people and revealing the truth of God's Word to the Gentiles.  What does God's Word reveal as the response of the people?  They are 'amazed at his teaching' (v. 18).  This fits in very nicely with the topic of suffering that we learned about at this past weekend's Bible conference.  Suffering has purpose, and sometimes, that purpose is discipline.

 May God's richest blessings flow over you,

Jennifer

I was watching the movie The Princess Diaries this evening.  I had seen the movie before, as had my older children.  However, the youngest two had not.  Lily was intrigued by the story of the young, awkward misfit who finds that she is truly a princess of a far-off land.  Being only 4, she does not yet understand the intricacies of the story--why the popular girls are cruel to the main character, Mia, and why Mia cries when the boy she likes is unkind to her.  What she did understand was the transformation that Mia undergoes as her grandmother, the Queen of Genovia, teaches her to be a princess.  She liked the scene in which the hairdresser reveals the lovely, made-over Mia. 

In the movie, Mia wants to hide from the people around her so she carries herself in such a way that no one will notice her.  It works very well until her new-found identity is revealed.  Her grandmother teaches her how to behave politely, how to stand and sit correctly, and how to carry herself like a lady.  I found myself overcome with emotion at a key moment in the movie:  The queen introduces her newly crowned princess to the rulers of the world at a lavish ball.  As the two ladies enter the room, the queen extends her gloved arm to Mia, who places her hand atop her grandmother's.  The queen escorts the princess into the room, and they both smile at one another as they make their grand entrance.  I actually teared up!

Why did this scene affect me so?  Perhaps it is because of the young princess-in-training sitting close to my right watching with me.  I feel a sense of responsibility to teach Lily how to carry herself and how to be brave.  I hope that I am teaching her well.  I think that it also hit me how important it is for the older generation to lead and guide the younger.  I have begun mentoring a young lady that I have known for several years.  She has recently been married, and approached me to mentor her.  To prepare for this, I began reading Titus 2:3-5.  I am teaching her to love her husband, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to her husband so that no one will malign the word of God.  It is rewarding to see how the Lord is working in both of our lives through this relationship.  I think that the movie reminded me of something precious that is often not shared:  Wisdom.  As I saw the queen regard her granddaughter, I was struck by the truth and beauty displayed in such a simple scene.  When an older woman invests her time and wisdom in a younger woman, the young daughter of the King benefits greatly. 

I benefitted from the godly wisdom of my mother, grandmothers and older mentors in church.  No matter who you are, you will benefit from a mentoring relationship--whether you are the mentor, or the one being mentored.

May God's richest blessings flow over you,

Jennifer

Despite the threat of rain in the forecast, it has been bright and sunny this afternoon.  My bluebonnets are blooming, and Lily and I decided to play some hopscotch out front. 

As you can see, Lily had a ball!

Lily will be starting Kindergarten in the fall, which means that our days of fun together will be shortened considerably.  I have enjoyed being at home with all of our children, and am curious to see what God has in store for me as our youngest child begins her education in the public school.  God is good, and I am certain that He has big plans for me.  In the meantime, I am remembering to "consider the lilies" as Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:25-32.  Each day has enough trouble, and so there is no use worrying about what will happen months ahead.  I find that this phase of my life requires great patience.  I am learning to wait on the Lord, and to focus on each day and the joys and tasks that each one brings.  Those who know me well know that I am a big planner.  I am notorious for scheduling.  These days, I find that I am scheduling minimally.  I am learning to trust God for each day, and to plan only as much as necessary.  The more I plan ahead, the more I discern that I am attempting to control the circumstances of my life.  This "letting go" is very alien to me.  However, a dear friend tells me that this surrender to God will bear much fruit in my life.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Psalm 3:5-6

May God's richest blessings flow over you,

Jennifer

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