as I spend time reflecting with HIM...

... I came across this poem of sorts that I wrote in February. As I sit in my tent (explanation later) and reflect on this past year with my Abba God, I see so much that He has done. I see so many answered prayers. I see myself still praying some of the same prayers... I love taking time to look back with Him. 

Now, I don't claim to be really good at poetry by any means, but I like what my heart is imagining and longing for here. Maybe someone else has thought about this before - or maybe someone will be delighted to think about it now. So I will share.

(There are actually two poems. I am going to post the second one on my & Annie's blog.) 

Won't you dine with me today?

Will you sit in the chair beside me; 

Share Your presence with me. 

Please stay.

Let me listen to Your song

As we watch the red birds dance.

Sing your sweet, soft melody.

Maybe I could join You?

Me and my timid harmony?

You stop and laugh and say,

"Daughter, I know you can sing lauder than that."

And as my spirit soars with love,

I see Your radiant eyes laughing and dancing,

Inviting me deeper into You.

We would sing loudly,

Voices rising high into the sky.

A glorious chorus,

Just the two of us.

Oh, if that were the case...

Can You really invite me in one day?

To sing with You?

a beautiful Christmas tradition

On Christmas Eve...

 we gather around the tree,

the five of us,

and Momma reads this book.

She cries.

(the past couple of years, I've cried)

It is beautiful.

A family tradition that I will always cherish.

And one day...

I will carry it on.

...to leap

As much as I hate the feelings I get in the pit of my stomach

 when I look at this picture, I also know it is what I am told to do.

 And I want to do it. Even though it scares me to death.

Leap into HIS arms.

Recklessly.

for about 15 minutes... i was a scribe

Yesterday, I got to be a scribe.

For about 15 minutes or so...

The Bible Across America RV came to Huntsville yesterday and camped out at Mayfair. It was really cool to be a part this. The verse I wrote was 2 Samuel 17:15. It says:

"Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, "Ahithophel has advised Absalom 

and the elders of Israel to do such and such, but I have advised them to do so and so."

Random verse, yes. But I think it is funny that is says "such and such" and "so and so." And now I am intrigued. I plan on exploring 2 Samuel a little more. I don't think I know very much about what's going on here. Who knows, maybe I will discover something really cool here.

(Sidenote: Do any of you have any favorite stories from 2 Samuel?)

Here's a little info about the Bible Across America. 

You can check out the website for more details.

Be a Part of Hand-Writing an NIV Bible One Word, One Verse, One City at a Time To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible, the best-selling translation with more than 300 million copies in print, Zondervan has launched Bible Across America, a cross-country RV tour. Bible Across America features an RV, piloted by a four-person team, that is traveling across the continental United States, making stops at churches, universities, retail stores and special events where people are invited to contribute a verse to complete a handwritten Bible – America's NIV.

fictional realities

Okay, go to the blog that Annie & I write together, and read this latest post. I have been thinking a lot about this obsession we, in our culture, seem to have with fictional reality. I find myself often escaping into the lives of other people in television or (these days mostly) blog-reading. (I know. I am a dork. It's okay.)

I am really want to be involved in some dialogue about this. 

Let's talk. Okay. Go

home & the holidays

(I can sit and stare at this tree for hours...)

I have been excited about Christmas since, well, October. I am usually annoyed when I see the Christmas displays popping up in stores before the leaves even change colors, but this year was different. I found myself lingering in the ornament isles of Hobby Lobby for no apparent reason. There were several evenings when I would end up at Target, wandering through the store until it closed. I got lost in the scent of evergreen and apple candles, analyzing Christmas tree light colors, and assessing the various styles of Christmas decor. 

The funny thing is, I don't think it was the things themselves that had me so captivated. It was the feelings and the memories and the daydreams that surfaced when I was surrounded by those things. I've become quite the dreamer. Well, maybe I've always been a bit of a dreamer; perhaps I am only allowing myself more time on the playground of my imagination. 

Maybe that is part of the magic of Christmastime...

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back 

to the delusions of our childish days; 

that can recall to the old man 

the pleasures of his youth;

that can transport the sailor and the traveller,

thousands of miles away, 

back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!  

~Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, 1836

Speaking of home... I loved being home for Thanksgiving. The older I get, the more I appreciate my family. For those of you that don't know my family, I am so blessed. I pray that one day I find myself being the wife and mom in a family much like the one I come from. My parents are such beautiful role models for me and my sisters. And I love watching the relationships between my sisters and I grow... seeing how these relationships have strengthened over the years, even through the rough patches. 

The more I learn about this broken world around me, the more thankful I am for the incredible gift of family that I have been given. Thank you, God, for the protection You've given us. I would rather have this than any treasure in this world. And I love knowing that even when our time on this world is over, we will still end up at home together... and that will be our true home. 

There's really no place like home for the holidays...

a place I want to visit...

I have this thing where I love going in old churches.

(The Catholic ones are always the best.)

I love sitting quietly in the chapel areas...

I love the building's smell..

the way it feels to be in there...

the quiet...

the echo....

the windows...

it all feels so sacred...

so reverent...

a few of my friends and I always seem

to end up exploring these old type churches 

when we are visiting

other places

I have many very special memories

from some of these adventures.

(I view them as a sort of spiritual pilgrimage.)

so when I saw these pictures, 

I immediately wanted to seek out 

all of the hidden jewels of church buildings 

in Huntsville.

if you know of any, let me know-

maybe you will want to explore with me

(pictures taken by my friend, Kyle)

my favorite food...

May it be known.

I have a favorite food.

And it is Bang Bang Shrimp 

at Bonefish Grill.

I love it.

The end.

Other things I'm dreaming of...

Oh yes... the perfect house....

No, I am not really in a place where I can buy a house right now, but a girl can dream!!

 I inspected this house last year (in my days as a home inspecting assistant), 

and I fell in love with it.

In the country..... lots of land, autumn tress.... cute white house... 

Oh! - and inside the house! The interior was amazing!! Beautiful wood floors, a huge kitchen with lots of windows... The way the house was decorated was inspiring, and I left with my spirits lifted from just being inside. 

   The daydreamer within was quite active. Such a lovely house....

There are a few houses on my drive to and from work that I really like. If they were for sale, I would 

1) hope that I could afford it, 

2) hope that the inside would not be surprisingly horrible, and 

3) have no clue what the next step to take would be. Haha.

I have a lot to learn.

For now, I will continue to enjoy the home I have made for myself in my lovely apartment,

continue to find ways to pay off my student loan debt faster, 

and then begin saving up money for the whole home buying thing.

All in good time....

Sidenote: I am really enjoying my life right now, so really-- no rush. :)

this is making my heart smile and my mind wander...

And this.

This too. 

Why is my heart smiling? See blog entry at http://jennaandannie.blogspot.com

long time gone

So... I haven't updated this blog in over a year. Yes, I am aware of that. I had a myspace blog for a while. I've since deleted that myspace account. I currently have another blog with a dear friend, Annie. I enjoy sharing thoughts with her. 

I want to have a super cute blog. 

Whether or not that happens.... we shall see. 

For now. 

Know I am going to try.

Probably.

Even though no one looks at this anymore. :) haha