Howdy Y'all (A Recap on the Aglow Worldwide Conference in Houston, TX)

So yesterday I got back from the Aglow Worldwide Conference in Houston, TX, and it was a blast!!  If you're wondering why I haven't posted in so long, well - I was getting ready for the conference in TX.  But never fear, I'm back and the updates should start again soon. 

For a short behind-the-scenes look at Conference, check out the youtube video from our Media Specialist, Ashley Paul, at http://www.youtube.com/user/AglowInternational01#p/u/27/4-xP8DcBAZ0.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Aglow Int'l, Aglow is a Christian non-profit organization, made up of small groups that meet in 169 countries around the world.  Groups meet for Bible studies, community projects, and each country and even community has a distinct representation of Aglow.  One country started its own Aglow Bible School, and in one African nation they have started their own Aglow Orphanage and are making a great impact on the community there with the Orphanage and sustainable farm.  Every other year Aglow has a Worldwide Conference held in the United States where members from all over the world are invited to come and gather for a time of refreshing, vision, and encouragement. 

So now that you have the background, let me fill you in on conference!  It was wonnnnderful. 
Our speakers were Chuck Pierce, Johnny Enlow, Ray Hughes, Graham Cooke, and Jane Hansen Hoyt.  The opening night of the general sessions featured Chuck Pierce, and was so good that I just thought - Wow!  If this is how it starts, how will it end?  It's like starting a meal with an appitizer that is better than dessert.  It just doesn't happen! 

I won't go through every step and detail of conference, but here are a few things that stuck out to me:

- I loved listening to Johnny Enlow.  His talk about the "mountains" of influence in society was fabulous.  I was encouraged by the empahsis on Christians being Christians oustide of the church  - as in, using your talents and giftings in the business realm, education, etc. and being a light and example. 

- "Light does not run from the darkness.  Darkness runs from light."

- Our God is REALLY big.  I hadn't been viewing him for how big he really is.  But when someone speaks out a word and it happens?  "Live."  "Let there be light."  "Peace - be still."  That person has power and authority and is no small deal.  Being in church and hearing that for so long it can be easy to forget that.  But God is SO big!

- There was a Generations Group (Aglow for ages 35 and under) who came from American Samoa.  They performed three times at Conference with singing and American Samoan dancing and were fantastic.  Even more amazing then their performances?  The group bought their tickets on faith - they fundraised their entire trip but could only afford one-way tickets for all the members. They bought them believing that God would provide the funds for them to fly back.  Check out this short youtube clip to see theri Generations Leader talking, and see the unplanned, unannounced offering that was taken while they were performing.  I shouldn't even say it an offering was "taken", people just started walking up to the stage and putting money on the state as they performed.  The video is here:  http://www.youtube.com/user/AglowInternational01#p/u/29/954UmmBL534.  

- I attended a Generations Prayer Watch from 3 to 6 am.  Yes, 3 to 6 am.  It. was. Awesome.  I will admit, I was not greatly looking forward to the time of the watch and specifically prayed that God would make the watch go quickly and be great, with His presence there.  I didn't want to just go to a prayer meeting to just go to a prayer meeting, you know?  Well, God really showed up.  I only looked at the clock 2 or 3 times and was shocked that the three hours passed as fast as it did.  We spent time praying over conference, worshipping, and praying for each other and our respective Generations groups.  There were 9 people who attended, and I think we all agree it was a wonderful time.

Well, that's all for now!  If you would like to read more about the Conference, you are welcome to check out the Aglow Conference Blog - it is pretty great!

Hope everyone has been doing well and had a wonderful summer since I've last written.
Welcome Autumn!

Attn: Generations - Flash Mob of Kindness

I came across this article today and was shocked.  Not shocked in a 'how could this happen' kind of way, but in a 'why haven't I heard of this sooner' kind of way. 
In the midst of the London riots, one of my favorite social networks -or should I say #favoriteSocialNetworks - was used for great good:  organizing a flash mob of sorts to clean up areas of London that have been trashed by riots.  Gotta love Twitter.
Check out the article here for the whole scoop, and in the meantime - how can you use the tools around you to help your Generations Group show the love of God in your community?


And if you're not already following Generations on Twitter, be sure to add! 
#GenProjectINTL

A quick thought from Charlie Brown

I love this quote from Charlie Brown, and wanted to share.  It seems very much like a revised Isaiah 43.  And it says:

"Are you upset, little friend?  Have you been lying awake worrying?  Well, don't worry. . . I'm here.
The floodwaters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you." 

-Charlie Brown (to Snoopy)

Shark week!!!

As you may well be aware, this past week on the Discovery Channel was none other than….SHARK WEEK. Clearly known as one of the best weeks on television, Shark Week is amazing, non-stop shark footage for an entire week straight. There are countdowns of the top 10 deadliest sharks, speculation and testing of what makes sharks eat, hunt, and act the way they do, and there are stories of real life shark attacks and interviews with the survivors. It is a fascinating week, and I love it.

By the end of Shark Week I had DVR’d to my heart’s content and was left with plenty of spill-over content for the next week. I decided to take a break for the weekend and fill up with some fun activities, particularly activities that take place on terra firma. I hung out with friends. I went for walks. I stayed away from any mass of water more than a foot deep that might possibly have a creature with teeth hiding in it. It was a great weekend! After church, more activities, and chores, my roommate and I decided to close out the weekend with a laid back movie. We ran to Redbox and what did we get? Soul Surfer. The true story of a 13-year old girl who was surfing in Hawaii when she was bit by a tiger shark, and went back to surfing after the attack.

Now, if you haven’t seen this movie, your first order of business is to go out and see the movie. Released in select theatres only, this movie came out last year and starred AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, and Carrie Underwood. It’s a fantastic story of hope, perseverance, and overcoming disparaging odds. But one part of the movie specifically caught my attention – and that was the shark attack. I won’t give any spoiler alerts here, but the attack was quick and clean. The shark took off Bethany’s arm in a clean swipe, and went away. (That really isn’t a spoiler. The movie, the real story, is about what happens after the attack.) This may sound strange, but it really reminded me that God is in control. That shark could have fought Bethany. Continually attacked her. After watching Shark Week, I can tell you that happens. Not all survivors are so fortunate as Bethany. But it’s almost like God said to the shark, “Ok – the arm. That’s it. Nothing else. Not one more bite.” And it made me think of what is going on in my life, and in the world around us, and it comforted me.

You see, the DOW dropped 500 points last week. Today it dropped another 400. I’ll be honest, I’m afraid. Are we heading into not just another recession, but another great depression? What will change in our lives? Will owning a house or going on vacations be a thing of the past? What about schools and jobs and degrees and careers? How are things going to change around us? But I think of Bethany… and I think of that shark… and I think, you know? God really has got things in control. Whatever happens, God is still in control.

A few scriptures came into my mind, and gave me peace. The bold indications are mine:

Isaiah 7:9 is God speaking and in it He says, “If you want me to protect you, learn to believe what I say.”

Psalm 56: 3-4a says, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word) in God I have put my trust; I will not fear.”

Psalm 94:19 says, “In the multitude of my anxieties within me, your comforts delight my soul.”


These, words from God found in the Bible, comfort me and give me strength and peace. Whatever happens – to our economy, to our way of living, to us, I know that God is in control. He did not promise us comfort – this world is not even our home. But God did promise to be with us. And I will end this blog with one of my favorite scriptures:

“And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” - Matthew 28:20b

God’s got your back – And your boat

I was blessed to get to go on vacation with my family recently. And no, that’s not “blessed” Christianese speak for “dragged along helplessly.” No, I really was blessed. We went to Hawaii and we had a wonderful time. We swam in the ocean, played games, snorkeled, shopped, hiked, swam with sharks (some did), and more! It was fantastic.

One of the best parts of the trip, however, was getting to hang out with my nieces and nephews – one in particular is two years old, which officially makes her a little ball of cuteness. Elle is a happy, smiley girl who’s bounce in her step would float her away if the law of gravity didn’t exist. Bottom line, she is adorable. Buuuut as every rose must have its thorn, every baby must have their obsessive toy. Or in this case, her boat. That’s right. My niece’s toy of choice was a pink, inflatable, Dora The Explorer floaty boat, complete with inflatable steering wheel, and it is not to be messed with. Made for the pool/ocean, with holes for your legs to go through, this inflatable boat is the cat’s meow, for a 2 year old at least. (Ok, it’s pretty cool). Elle would step into her boat and walk, gripping the steering wheel, to the beach. As you can imagine, this was a rather slow walk, so eventually I had to pick her up – in boat – and lead the way. (Note: Do NOT try to take a boat away from a tiny baby. They may be small, but their grip on their toy of choice is deathlike.) Baby and her boat – who knew?

We got to the water and found a lagoon-like part of the beach with tiny waves, gentle enough for the kids to float on, but still fun enough for everyone to play in. We. Had. A. Blast. There were several of us there, each person with a child in some sort of floaty device next to them, all watching the kids and playing in the waves. We jumped. We floated. Good times were had by all. The younger kids didn’t understand why we hurried to jump as waves came, and the adults (at times) desperately wished for a floaty ring like the kids had, as they bobbled along the top of the waves. It was quite amusing.

At one point, however, someone called our attention to Elle. As I jumped in the waves to avoid a splash in the face, I turned to search for the tiny, Dora boat floating merely 10 feet away from me. I saw her, Elle. Sitting in her boat, steering wheel in hand, hat on her head.….ASLEEP. Could you believe it? Here we are jumping, kicking, splashing, and other ways of burning calories – and energy – to protect ourselves in the Pacific Ocean, and here Elle is – sleeping. I thought to myself, if I had a nice floaty boat (Um… “We’re gonna need a bigger boat,” anyone?), and was in nice warm water, with a giant standing next to me holding me steady as the waves rocked up and down, I could fall asleep too! Knowing I am safe, watched over, and not going to drift off anywhere, I could fall asleep too!

This picture hit me with so many different thoughts, I don’t even know where to begin.

We could talk about the time where Jesus was in a boat during a vicious storm. The disciples went crazy and were afraid, but Jesus slept. He knew his Father was watching over him, taking care of him, and that he would make it out to the other side.
We could talk about peace and rest. How you need it. How to get it. How it’s Biblical. And how to not hurry and scurry around trying to do things in your own strength.

But even more this speaks to me about child-like faith. Elle was just so happy, so content, and so trusting. She knew she was safe, because someone had their hand on her boat. She was surrounded by people who love her and care for her. And even when waves were high and others jumped, she floated right along – safe, sound, and secure. She trusted those over her to watch out for her. And isn’t that just what God wants of us? How many times to I wear myself trying to jump around a keep myself secure and protected. I’ll tell you, it’s much more fun to float along the waves when God has your back than it is to try and jump them alone. Hebrews speaks of how to please God – by trusting him.

So I’m thinking – maybe it’s good to just sit back today and look at my life. Do I trust God? Am I trusting Him with my life, am I in the boat? Or am I trying to do things on my own, working in my own strength and exhausted while trying to “enjoy” life by doing things my way? It may not be pink and have Dora on it, but I am deciding that I want to be in the boat – from this point forward. God, I trust you.

One Day at a Time....AND Jesus is better than Orange Juice.

This week's blog is inspired by Florida orange juice!  Read on to find out why...

Today I had a good conversation with a friend of mine.  She works at Microsoft in Seattle, and was telling me about the new project she has been working on.  The project is a very stressful one, as she is the newbie on the team, with a LOT of work cut out for her.  She shared how she would start each day with prayer and how she felt God give her Matthew 6:34: 

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (MSG)

  Another version of the end of this verse says, "Todays trouble is enough for today." 

You may not think this is a very encouraging verse, but look at it this way - Jesus Himself tells us not to worry about tomorrow - in essence, to take it one day at a time.  Watch this short commercial for Florida Orange Juice to get the picture....

Did you watch it?

You know what I got out of it?  When we take it one day at a time, just like Jesus says, He is there to help us - and Jesus is better than orange juice. 
He's better than coffee.
He's better than your pump up song on the radio.
He's better than anything it takes to get you through your day. 

It makes me wonder if I'm starting off MY day the right way.... Not with a cup of orange juice, but by placing my day - one day at a time- in the hands of Jesus, and walking it out with Him....
Cool, huh?

Life in General - Mackerel, Waldo, and a few of my favorite thigs..

I haven't been great at updating the blog recently, so I thought I'd post a fun post.  Nothing huge, no hidden meanings or spiritual lessons, just life in general and maybe some survey questions or two.

As for me?  Life is good, God is so good to me.  I love my family, and I must say I MAY have the best neices and nephews there are.  I know your family is great too, but I'm just saying... ;)  They range from age 19 to less than one year and they are pretty awesome.  Some of my youngest neices and nephews say the cutest things.  Here is the latest example: 

My brother walked into a conversation the other day of his wife explaining the meaning of the word "holy" to his 5 year old son.  My brother was so excited until, after his mom's explanation of "holy", he asked, "...what is mackerel?"

Or how about when my neice was told that she couldn't ride any rides at a pizza/arcade place because "you can't just run around by yourself!"  and in all earnest she responded, "I'll walk!  I pre sicromise!" 

Yup.  They're pretty awesome.  Recently I've taken to sending them an occasional postcard or two.  But I believe in passing down the finer things to your family members.  Such as....Where's Waldo!  You remember the book?  Well now you can get Where's Waldo postcards.  YES. 

Ok, ok, I won't keep up with kid stories for now.  Here is where I stand as of May.  Care to comment for yourself?

May Favorites are......

Favorite new recipe:  Lime chicken.  (It's even better than lemon chicken, and has the best sauce.  Love it!)

Favorite Redbox movie:   The Chronicles of Narnia - Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Awesome movie!)

Current Read:  It's actually a three way tie between books... That is a trickly one.

Best weekend activity:  Walking in the sun!!  It seems like we are having an extended Spring in Seattle, and when the sun comes out it is like a treaure!

Best hang out activity:  Greek Party.  I had one a few weeks ago with my friends - Greek movies, Greek food - someone even brought a bundt cake complete with a flower pot in the middle. 

Favorite song:  "This is the Stuff" by Francescs Battistelli

Well that's about it!  Hope you all are doing well and having a wonderful May!  Summer is just around the corner!

A "Royal Wedding" better than Wills and Kate's

What were you doing last night?  I’ll tell you what I was doing – I was keeping myself awake until 1am so as not to miss the coverage of the “Royal Wedding” of Prince William and Kate Middleton. That’s right, I’ll admit it! I love a good princess story, and like anyone I was quickly drawn in to the ceremony and event.

A few friends came over, and we were good to go.  I love a good theme party, so I prepared in advance and supplied everyone with English tea, scones, tea sandwiches (hey, at 3am PB&J counts), tea cookies, and yes – even a personal tiara, necklace and ring for each of us. Go big or go home, baby. I even have a makeshift fascinator in my hair as we speak. What can I say, I like a good party and I’m running on about four hours of sleep. If I want to pretend I’m British for the day I think it’s ok.

I won’t go through every detail of the night, but let’s just say that I was definitely quiet (a rarity, for sure) when Kate walked down the aisle in Westminster Abbey. I was just captivated by her beauty and elegance. The dress? Stunning. The crowds? Regal. Her crown? Dazzling.

Kate was the picture of the perfect princess bride.

Now here comes the sappy part but stick with me - this is good.  As I watched her walk down the aisle to her future husband I got teary. I saw Prince William strain to not turn around until she was at his side, and teared up as he said, “You’re beautiful” when he finally saw her. As I watched this modern day fairy tale unfold I couldn’t help but think how beautiful this truly was, and then how cheap and fake my own tiara and jewelry actually was. I bought the tiaras and tea to have a fun theme party. But part of me just felt fake, and a little sad.

But as I watched the ceremony go on I felt God stir up the reality of this ceremony for us. We have a Royal Wedding coming up. We have a wedding gown that won’t compare to any that Earth has ever seen, and shoes better than any Jimmy Choo.  Kate’s crown (given to her by the Queen) won’t compare to the crown that our Lord will give us.  The way Prince William looked at Kate won’t compare to the way Jesus will look – and does look – at us. I am just astounded at the awesome love our Jesus has for us. And I am more excited than ever for our Royal Wedding in Heaven.

I am reminded of scriptures that tell me I belong to Jesus, that he wants to be around me, with me.  Jeremiah 31:3 says, “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself." 
Jesus Christ is my Savior, and my King.  That makes me royalty with Him.  He died on the cross to buy us all back for himself, and his love for us is so deep, so wide, that I am just barely beginning to understand it.  I feel like a princess.... I feel loved.  I'm excited for a true Royal Wedding for me - that isn't an illusion, isn't a fairy tale.  It will be better than any Royal Wedding has ever been...


As always, if you have any questions about the blog or the Biblical content I'm writing about, feel free to ask! ~Jessica

Generation Project - Feeding the Lovely

Within the past few months a "Generations" Group has been forming at my work, a Christian non-profit called Aglow. A "Generations" Group encompasses the younger generation, ages 18-35, and focuses on various projects and ideas, based on the hearts and desires of the individual group. Recently, our group has formed, right at my work site, and has been branching into the area of community service projects. Let me tell you about our latest outing...

Janice is a wonderful woman. Janice feeds homeless people in Seattle on a weekly basis. Jancie has no money. And we decided to help Janice. Can I share her story? Better yet, why don't we let Janice....

Seattle Generations - Community Dinner Outreach

Janice talked to grocery store owners in the town after seeing various stores throw out bags and bags of usable produce and meat. Janice now goes around to the stores on Sunday afternoons and picks up food for that week. Janice and her team, of three people, prep the food in the kitchen of a local church. They throw out the bad, save the good, and prepare a menu for a weekly meal served on Monday. This particular week, Janice and one of our Generation team members stayed out until 1:30 am cooking chickens as prep work for the meal served on Monday. Based on what was gathered, we prepped and served a meal of:

Chicken and rice cassarole
Sweet potatoes
Salad
Bread
Chicken Pasta Soup
Vegetarian Bean Soup
Beef and Veggie Soup
Fruit Cups with Custard
Vanilla Pudding
and Chocolate Pudding.

All of this was done with no money. Watch the video above if you haven't already. Hear Janice's heart for the homeless. I do believe that's God's heart for the homeless.

And oh yes, I didn't tell you the rest of the story! The church is opened up weekly for any and all to come and receive a free meal. Senior citizens came, the pastor came, and lots of homeless people came. One group of 4 people came as the kitchen was closing. They walked from another town because they heard food was being served - it was their first meal in two days. Our Generations team member remarked:

I made up 4 big plates of food, got out a few desserts, poured some coffee while
the guy ran back out to tell his friends that there was some dinner left for
them. They came in, cold, wet and hungry. None of them had had anything to eat
in over 2 days. One of the girls told me (after they finished eating) that she
was so glad to have dinner, because she had been getting really hungry, and was
trying very hard not to steal food.

I sat down and they told how grateful they were to area churches, since they helped them so they wouldn’t have to steal. I am not sure how they came to be living on the streets, what their circumstances were, or anything like that. I just know that the church had shown them love, and the heart of Jesus.

This was such an incredible time. Janice made sure that each person who wanted to take food with them took as much as they could. Several people even came with their own containers. After everyone had eaten, Janice packed up the remaining food with her team members, and distributed them to several large communities of the homeless in Seattle.

Surely, this is God's heartbeat....

Matt 25:37-40
37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

Me and Violet Beauregarde

I do not like blueberries. Blueberries are bitter.

About the only time I can handle them is in a giant buttery scone, crammed with grainy sugar from Starbucks, but that's about it. Because only THAT amount of sugary junk can cover the bitterness of the blueberries. "Good for you", "super fruit", I don't care - I do not like blueberries. But if you are what you eat, the fruit of MY heart might put me and Violet Beauregarde in competition for a human bowling contest. Yeah, sometimes I can let myself get pretty bitter.

Enter in Mariah. Mariah is a wonderful friend I met in college and still consider quite dear to me. I rarely see her in person, and think I've seen her twice since college. But I enjoy reading her blog and hearing about her life as a woman, wife, and mother of two cute little ones. Mariah said something recently in her blog about bitterness that really hit me. She said:

"We read that Christ drank the bitter cup with the Atonement. But I have realized that he did this and didn't become bitter. Our challenge (mine) is to drink the bitter cup (trials, drama, heartbreak, hurt, life basically) and not become bitter but to learn to have better empathy for someone who is going through the same thing. To be more Christ like."

This really hit me. So much so that I don't even want to add anything to it. God just spoke to me through this. We all drink the bitter cup at times - but do we let it make us bitter? Or do we let it make us a better person? I know this - bitter can hurt, but I do not want to be a giant, bitter, blueberry.... So long, Violet Beauregarde. Welcome back, Jessica.

Happy New Year!

Who can believe it's 2011?

Ok, I know only 'old' people say that (or so I used to think) but seriously - it feels like yesterday was my senior year in high school, and that was a bit more than yesterday.

With a fresh new year, I'm reminded of a refreshing promise from God's word. TWO of them to be exact:

1. Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

2. Luke 1:37 - Nothing is impossible with God. And I love the NIV's translation of this verse, "For no word from God will ever fail."

So what are your goals for this year? Perhaps you're like so many of us who set goals, failed, and feel too discouraged to try them again? Let me encourage you that if God is calling you to do it, He holds the victory to complete it!

Keep on pressing on - do not be weary in well doing! How will this year be different from last year? There is hope! Press into God, let Him lead the way, and walk with Him into the glorious destiny He has for you! It will blow your mind!