"Blessed be the Name of the Lord" is a great worship song. Recently, I have had new insight to what it means. The lyrics to the bridge are: "you give and take away, you give and take away, my heart with choose to say, Lord blessed be your name." I have had things given to me and taken away from me over the years but now there is a new meaning behind it because I am moving to Indiana. It's a beautiful thing to see the work God has done in me and prepared me for this. I am ready to move. I will be so blessed in moving. I am leaving behind much as well.
Thank you friends for walking with me on this journey. Some of you have walked with me for a mile or two, some of you have walked hundreds of miles and will continue to do so. Some of you I have recently met and I know will continue with me on this journey (even from afar). The beauty in all of this is that God has used each of you to shape me into the person I am today. Thank you all for being apart of that process. The other beautiful part to this is that journey is going to continue and people will walk with me for a mile or two or hundreds or thousands of miles on this journey. Every step of the way is a step for Christ following Him, serving Him.
The best part of all is that Jesus has already paved the way. He has gone before me and knows what is to come. All I have to do is trust and follow Him. How about you? Are you trusting that He has paved the way for you?
The update on this journey is that I have 65% of my budget raised and I will be headed to Indiana in about three weeks. I am excited to get to know the students on campus and journey with them through their spring semester of school. Please be praying for me as I transition to Indiana.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6xu3fK3Kt0&feature=related
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
The Road in the Rearview Mirror
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
I have never been one to think about having a life verse, but if I had to choose, this might be the one that I chose. I have learned so much from these words and continue to daily. I am Jessica, a child of God, seeking after Him to become the woman that He has created me to be. I am on a beautiful journey of a story that essentially has already been written because God has paved the way for me and knows what is to come.
When I think about where I have come, I must stop and praise the Lord. He has brought me through some rough storms and rocky roads. I am indebted in gratitude for my Savior. He captured my heart at a young age. He was with me through it all: the childhood tiffs with friends, the awkwardness of puberty, my parents' divorce, my parents' remarrying, gaining four step-brothers and two step-parents, making hard decisions, high school, college, friends, romantic relationships, sin, falling on my face (literally and figuratively), growth, learning, etc.
In the past two years I have learned much about trust. I even got it tattooed on my wrist for the constant reminder of needing to trust in God. He has provided every step of the way physically with a place to live, a vehicle to get places, and nourishment; and emotionally with supportive friends and his wonderful presence.
I am starting a new journey. I am going to be working with an organization called InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, which is a college ministry. I had never heard of it until this past December. During that time I was just finishing up my student teaching at Malone University where I got my degree in music education. I was struggling because I knew in my heart that getting a teaching job was not the next step for my life. Yes, it was the next logical step but it did not sit well in my heart. I prayed and prayed that God would show me what it is that He wanted me to do next. A friend of mine shared with me about the ministry of InterVarsity (IV). I prayed about it and applied and in March 2011 I was hired as a one year intern.
You would think that when you receive a phone call about being hired for a job you applied for that you would be really excited. My first reaction really was not excitement. It was sorrow because I realized I would have to leave Ohio. I am to go on staff at Purdue University in Indiana. I have spent the past five years cultivating relationships in the Canton area and most of my friends are starting to settle in the area and most of my family lives in Ohio. God was calling me to leave them all behind to venture on to something new.
This endeavor has not been an easy one. In order to be on staff with IV, I have to raise support. I have raised money before to go on mission trips. I think the most I had had to raise was $2500 but now the number was much bigger that number is $44,526! You know what? I have never been worried about that number because God prepared me for it and I have complete trust that I will reach that number.
I have currently raised 58% of my budget so far. Praise God! The goal is to get me on campus at the beginning of next semester in January. I am now really excited about this journey. I am excited about what God has done, is doing, and will be doing in the future. I want to share my journey with you. I have much more of my past to share and I will in future posts along with things I am learning and what God is doing in me and the campus of Purdue. Please join me in my Journey to Straight Paths while trusting God every step of the way.
I have never been one to think about having a life verse, but if I had to choose, this might be the one that I chose. I have learned so much from these words and continue to daily. I am Jessica, a child of God, seeking after Him to become the woman that He has created me to be. I am on a beautiful journey of a story that essentially has already been written because God has paved the way for me and knows what is to come.
When I think about where I have come, I must stop and praise the Lord. He has brought me through some rough storms and rocky roads. I am indebted in gratitude for my Savior. He captured my heart at a young age. He was with me through it all: the childhood tiffs with friends, the awkwardness of puberty, my parents' divorce, my parents' remarrying, gaining four step-brothers and two step-parents, making hard decisions, high school, college, friends, romantic relationships, sin, falling on my face (literally and figuratively), growth, learning, etc.
In the past two years I have learned much about trust. I even got it tattooed on my wrist for the constant reminder of needing to trust in God. He has provided every step of the way physically with a place to live, a vehicle to get places, and nourishment; and emotionally with supportive friends and his wonderful presence.
I am starting a new journey. I am going to be working with an organization called InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, which is a college ministry. I had never heard of it until this past December. During that time I was just finishing up my student teaching at Malone University where I got my degree in music education. I was struggling because I knew in my heart that getting a teaching job was not the next step for my life. Yes, it was the next logical step but it did not sit well in my heart. I prayed and prayed that God would show me what it is that He wanted me to do next. A friend of mine shared with me about the ministry of InterVarsity (IV). I prayed about it and applied and in March 2011 I was hired as a one year intern.
You would think that when you receive a phone call about being hired for a job you applied for that you would be really excited. My first reaction really was not excitement. It was sorrow because I realized I would have to leave Ohio. I am to go on staff at Purdue University in Indiana. I have spent the past five years cultivating relationships in the Canton area and most of my friends are starting to settle in the area and most of my family lives in Ohio. God was calling me to leave them all behind to venture on to something new.
This endeavor has not been an easy one. In order to be on staff with IV, I have to raise support. I have raised money before to go on mission trips. I think the most I had had to raise was $2500 but now the number was much bigger that number is $44,526! You know what? I have never been worried about that number because God prepared me for it and I have complete trust that I will reach that number.
I have currently raised 58% of my budget so far. Praise God! The goal is to get me on campus at the beginning of next semester in January. I am now really excited about this journey. I am excited about what God has done, is doing, and will be doing in the future. I want to share my journey with you. I have much more of my past to share and I will in future posts along with things I am learning and what God is doing in me and the campus of Purdue. Please join me in my Journey to Straight Paths while trusting God every step of the way.
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