2011 Blog Highlights

As I am looking back on this year, both in reflection and evaluation - I looked over some of my blogs of this last year. Whew! What a crazy year! I am so thankful for where I am at, and how I get to do what I love, and be in a city that I absolutely adore.

Here are some of my favorite blogs from this last year!

Adventures - I got CAUGHT!

Piece of Luggage - This was a BIG deal!!

Crosswalk Kids Family Experience

Our lives as a STORY

Smiles. So very important!

Community - What's it to ya?

Guatemala!!

Bernita's adventure to DC!

Full Circle

My parents are awesome!

Possibly one of my favorite Uprising moments

The IMPOSSIBLE

Christmas time with the FAMILY

 

Coming home for Christmas is not something I take for granted. Last year after a crazy year was unable to make it home for Christmas, so coming home this year has been especially sweet after a long 12 months of not being in Washington State.

I love my family dearly – so thankful that I get to spend time with them. And quality time at that!

Aren’t they beautiful?

Too Many Adventures

I got to have an “Auntie Jen Day” with my 2 handsome nephews and my adorable niece the other day. I had requested that my sister allow me to take them for several hours so that I could take them on an adventure!

All three of the kiddos have gotten so big since I had last seen them, and it was fun to ask them what their biggest dreams were, what they want to be when they grow up, and of course ask them some good “Would You Rather” questions.

We had an adventure to the bank.

We had an adventure to the donut shop.

We had an adventure at the Children’s Museum.

We had an adventure at the Everett Marina.

Sure, some of these were more of errands for me (depositing checks, eating my favorite donuts here while I can, and well being close to the water – all my personal faves.) but that is one of my favorite things to do – create adventures out of ordinary things.

Upon leaving the Marina, little Sam said,  “We’ve had TOO many adventures today, Auntie Jen.”

It made me giggle and remind of me of that one time Summer Batterson told me that “Adventures with Jenilee” are just a way to get other people to go on errands with me. While partly true, I also firmly believe that life is better with other people, ESPECIALLY if they are with cuties like my nephews and niece!

So bring on the CRAZY adventures!

The Time Capsule Crew

My trip home has been delightful and full of lots of family time and friendly faces! The longer that I am away from home, the more things change at home, which is normal, but sometimes I forget that.

One thing that I am so grateful for is something that I don’t think I realized the significance when I did it.

In 2007, six of my friends and I came up with an outlandish idea of burying a time capsule. At the time of the burial, we all grew up together, attended the same church and lived in the same city.  And when we buried it, I don’t think I ever thought life would be too much different than it was.

Fast-forward four years, we are all in different cities – New York, Washington DC, California and Washington. We all are at different churches and basically rocking out crazy stuff.  When I came home this year, we had a Time Capsule Crew Party and it was just so fun to hang out with all of them. I told my brother later that night that I was so thankful that we buried the Time Capsule, because had we not done that I am not sure that group of friends would come together as often or with such intentionality. I love that we have a reason to do so – that really cool and awesome Time Capsule.

So thankful for that fire-proof and water-proof safe that we purchased and buried. It seemed like such a crazy idea, but I am SO thankful for that crazy idea!

The Time Capsule burial day!!

The Time Capsule Crew - 4 years in, 16 years remaining!

The God Anthology - COMING SOON!!!

This summer my church did a series called the God Anthology, which dove into the attributes of God. It was an incredible series, but more than that it became a movement of sorts. A movement of people towards a new understanding of who God is.

Each week our worship team released a song that was written specifically for that attribute of God. Small groups were focused on it. It was such a cool cool summer, and it was more than a series.

As a culmination of the summer, we recorded a LIVE worship CD, and it was amazing. Unreal.

The CD is released on November 22nd. You need to get it!!

Pre-order here: theaterchurch.com/godanthology

Check out the video:


God Anthology Promo from National Community Church on Vimeo.

An IMPOSSIBLE Promise

A promise was made, a covenant – sealed. And yet there was still anxiety and disbelief in God, the maker of the covenant from both Abraham and Sarai. They were promised something that was seemingly impossible – descendants as numerous as the stars, and apparently the jokes on them, because they were 100 and 90 years old respectively with no kids.

I cannot even begin to imagine what was going through their heads as they hear this promise from God, and really want to choose to believe it, yet reality is staring them square in the face and they have got nothing, and its an impossible situation.

What is the seemingly impossible promise God has made to you? What is staring you square in the face and you are almost to the point of disbelief and laughter at what God has promised you?

Its so interesting to me to see Sarai (Sarah) hear this promise from God, laugh because of the impracticality and impossibility of the promise and the situation she is in, and she attempts to take things into her own hands, because obviously God didn’t think this through.

My prayer is that God will reveal the impossible and promise the inconceivable and we will be in a place where we hold true to those promises, risk our sanity and need to figure out HOW things are going to happen and trust God knowing that his ways are better than mine.

“…For I will protect you, and your reward will be great.” (Genesis 15:1)

Full Circle.

My senior year in high school I embarked on an adventure called youth ministry. I wanted to see one group of girls love Jesus more, so I took on the assignment of leading the group of 6th grade girls at my church. It was a crazy adventure of Life Groups, TP-ing adventures, leading a dance team when I didn't dance, and much more.

I figured I would lead this group of girls when they were in 6th, 7th, and then 8th grade, after that I had no plans. But those years came, and flew by with a-many adventures. 9th grade happened, and I was still their leader. I was a little conflicted because at the end of their 9th grade year was the end of my senior year in college. I was to graduate. I majored in Political Science and History and had spent my senior year dreaming about moving to Washington, DC.

I remember wrestling with the idea of moving and not being the girls leader, and I remember having a hard time reconciling the fact, but I knew I had made plans to move to DC and that was where I felt I needed to go. Then four weeks before I was graduating I got offered a job to become a youth pastor at my home church with two other youth pastors.

I got to work at the church that I was leading the girls and got to be their leader, and I knew I wanted to see them finish high school.

Once they finished High School, I felt it was time to move on, God was stirring up my heart and the dreams of DC were coming back. Well at the end of the summer I packed up my life and made the move to DC.

Two years later, a new group of gals, students, kids that I was working with later, I had the coolest opportunity. Bernita, one of my gals from Seattle decided to spend the summer with me here in DC. It was a collision of worlds like no one would believe. To see Bernita be loved on, to watch her engage in relationships here in "the other Washington." There was multiple moments when Bernita was speaking wisdom and life into those around her and those were incredible moments.

Ministry is not just something that happens in a year, or two. Its living life with people, hanging out with them, and walking step by step with them. I did that with Bernita and her group of friends, and it was SO cool to see her do that here.


It was a world of home colliding with DC but the circle keeps growing, and continues on as I continue to follow in the direction God takes me. :-)