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Thursday, January 3, 2013

God, Goals, & the Cats

Well folks, after not being able to find time a year-long hiatus from blogging, I'm back!!!  Boy howdy, my life has changed for the better since my last post in December of 2011!  Most notably, I started walking with the Lord.  It's a pretty cool story I'll share sometime, but in a nutshell, I wouldn't be where I am today without the wisdom, guidance, love, and support of a few dear friends.  They know who they are.  I'll stop before I get all emotional...

Why start blogging again?  How does God factor into my blogging?  Excellent questions you may be asking yourself.  Or if not, I asked them for you.  Humor me.  When I blogged previously, people told me they enjoyed reading my random thoughts posts.  I LOVE telling a good story, and love sharing it in writing even more! Well, I've recently discovered that my ability to write is a gift from God.  Stop rolling your eyes at the sound of my arrogance.  I realize we're talking about a little blog here, and not a top-selling book on Amazon.  But, the fact that I seem to have somewhat captured even the slightest attention through my writing has only happened by the grace of God.  Isn't He amazing?!?  So, as long as I feel like I'm using this blog to serve others, I'm going to keep on writing.  Lucky you!

Fast forward to the start of a new year.  With any new beginning comes the dreaded resolutions people make, only to break them not long after they've been set.  Well, this girl  has set a few goals that I'm happy to keep.  The biggest goal is to choose one Bible verse per week to commit to memory, pray about, and apply to my daily life.  Each week I'll add a new verse.  But, the best part is that I'm not going to just "drop" the verse once the week is over.  Instead, I'm going to keep applying more verses.  So, by the 6th week of the year, I'll be applying 6 different Bible verses to my life.  It's definitely a lofty goal, but one that will help me grow.  In church every week, Pastor Jim encourages us to be "not just hearers of the word, but doers of the word."  I love that notion.  I even came across it in the Bible (James 1:22).  Anyway, hearing Pastor Jim say that phrase every week also inspired this goal.  I must confess it's not an original Jenn idea.  I modified it from a goal set by a very wise friend who I can only describe as the best thing since hairspray in a can (borrowed that phrase from "The Help").  Once again I digress...here's the verse I chose to start my year off with:


This verse pretty much makes the claim for why I would spend my year really digging into the Bible.  It seems like everytime I open this wonderful book, I find the most incredible nuggets of wisdom tucked inside each page.  I spent 32 years of my life lost without God, but now that He's in my life, everything has changed.  I still have lots to learn, but will definitely use the Bible to direct my path. It's also part of a song that I could listen to over and over again.  Here's a video of Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith singing "Thy Word."



By the way, I know what some of you are thinking.  Where'd she get that picture of the Bible with the verse?!?  I didn't hijack this from Google images.  I MADE IT!!  I got the image of a Bible from Microsoft Clip Art, uploaded it to Pixlr Express, and added the text.  I heart Pixlr Express because it's easy to navigate, has fun fonts, and is free.  If you've never heard of it, check it out here.  I'm warning you, jazzing up your photos is addicting!

I hope to update my blog weekly this year.  If nothing else, I'll share the verse I'm working on for the week, and maybe a few other random ramblings fun thoughts about life!  Speaking of random thoughts, my beloved Wildcats are playing in the Fiesta Bowl tonight and I couldn't be more excited.  I'm living vicariously through all my friends who are in Arizona cheering on the Cats in person.  I'll be watching from the comfort of my own couch, and will make no apologies to my neighbors for any ruckus that comes from my apartment this evening.  I've waited over a month to yell "BILL!!!!!!!" and "ZIMMERMAN!!!!!!!!" while cheering for my team.  This morning I was reading Ephesians and happened to run across a verse that really spoke to me, especially in light of tonight's game against the ducks.  Here's Ephesians 4:29, courtesy of my YouVersion Bible app:

Talk about the Holy Spirit bringing that verse into my life at the perfect time!  Great reminder for me.  I will not say anything bad about Oregon.  I will NOT say anything bad about Oregon...Let's hope the Wildcats can bring home a W for themselves, all the members of the Wildcat Nation, and especially my favorite Wildcat, Bill Snyder!

Have a blessed day!

2 comments:

  1. I love this blog, Jenn. I will pray for your perseverance and that God will surprise you with understanding beyond your wildest imagination.

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  2. Thank you for your prayers and for your kind thoughts! You are right, this will definitely take perseverance. "Understanding beyond your wildest imagination"--love it! Reminds me of Ephesians 3:20, which says "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."

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