Love is a choice.  Love is messy.  

Love hurts.  Love is action.  Love is service.  

Love is long-lasting…eternal.  

Love pushes through your crap.  (And loves you despite it.)   

Love sees with fresh eyes.  Love is unconditional.    

Love is sacrifice.  Love is not self-seeking.   

Loving myself is easy.  Loving others is not.

Love is something I do poorly every day of my life.

On this day built around LOVE, unfortunately I am only reminded of how inadequate I truly am.  

“This is love:  not that we love God but that he loved us.”   
1 John 4:10

Love for me, is not possible without God’s love.  I find it too easy to choose myself.  Somehow His selfless Spirit starts to nudge me to do things out of my character and nature.  Then, and only then do I find myself loving in a more pure way…the way I was designed to love.   

Remind me on this Valentine’s day of how to truly love.  

Chris and I volunteer at an afterschool tutoring program once a week for under resourced children in the community.  We help with tutoring and then lead a “large group” time that really felt like pure chaos last night!  The kids were incredibly wild and so we threw out the original lesson and spent the majority of the time singing, “Go Bananas–Go Go Bananas,” playing “Simon Says,” and other physical games which forced kids to move and get some energy out.  We finished with a mad-lib of “The Night Before Christmas.”  I think there was a mention of, “when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a furry sleigh and 42 tiny porcupines.”

 Literally the last 30 seconds of our time Chris together said, “I have something to tell you–this Christmas thing–there is a REALLY crazy story about it–not just the Santa stuff–but there is more–and it is CRAZY and we are going to talk about that next week!”  That was it.  Two girls came running up to me and said, “I think I know what the crazy story is about…Christmas is God’s birthday.”  Another boy said, “my mom reads to me from her Spanish Bible and it says that Christmas is about Jesus.”    

Yep.  It is.  

Why don’t we act like it?  Why do we get so hung up in the tree trimming, the party going, the present buying, and the turkey stuffing that we actually miss the simplicity and purity of the whole thing?

I don’t want to miss it!   The crazy story of God’s love.  The crazy story of a God who put skin on.  A God who wanted to relate and understand life, pain, friendship, betrayal, hope, laughter and love from our point of view.  Love came down because He would rather die than live without me (and you.)  I don’t want to miss the celebration of that crazy story.  

This Christmas I want to re-gift a gift that was given to me.  Ray Seigler was our mentor, friend, and employer throughout our 20s.  He sent Chris and I a set of readings so that we might be able to take a few moments each day of December to reflect on this crazy story and this crazy love.  I realized that the readings might be a gift to others–one that would be worth sharing!  Consider it an early Christmas present from me.  I pray that He might show up for you in December as you reflect on the meaning of this month.  I pray that it would be a sweet time, a slow time, and an intimate time…just you and Jesus. 

Here are Ray’s suggestions for your reading time:

Read one each day December 1st through Christmas Day.  If you miss a day, don’t make it up.  Just enjoy today’s reading.  

Set aside a time when you are most likely to be alert and paying attention.  Allow at least 15 minutes…some may want longer…it is up to you.

The whole point of the readings and setting aside time is to have a more personal encounter with Jesus this Christmas.  The readings lead us from the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus, through His birth, in to the comments of the Apostles about Him. 

Before you read, ask God to guide you, and to speak to you personally in your reading.  

Read through the passage once…then read through it again more slowly, maybe two or three times, to let it sink in.

Ask yourself:  

What does this say about Jesus?
About me?
About my relationship with Him?

Relax and enjoy…God wants to be with us more than we ever thought about wanting to be with him.  

December 
1  Isaiah 9:2-7
2  Isaiah 7:14
3  Isaiah 35:1-7
4  Isaiah 40:1-5
5  Isaiah 42: 1-18
6  Isaiah 53:1-12
7  Luke 1:26-33
8  Luke 1:34-38
9  Luke 1:39-45
10  Matthew 1:18-21
11  Matthew 1:22-25
12  Luke 2:1-7
13  Luke 2:8-14
14  Luke 2:15-20
15  Matthew 2: 1-12
16  Luke 2:21-32
17  John 1:1-5
18  John 1:6-13
19  John 1:14-18
20  1 John 1:1-4
21  1 John 1:5-10
22  1 John 4:7-11
23  1 Peter 2:21-35
24  Hebrews 1:1-4
25  Philippians 2-5-11

May You Be a Blessing and 
May You Have a Meaningful Month!

Jenni 

Be prepared to laugh and receive some “elf-spiration” once you watch Sprinkle and Dinkle get in the Christmas spirit! ** 

Friends have asked if they can still be involved in the Watoto Christmas project…and I HAVE THE ANSWER!  

Some donated boxes will likely contain “unauthorized” gifts*.  We will have to replace certain items in the boxes with other items.  

Enter YOU.  

This week I am going to be taking donations of gently used (or new) items that could help fill “incomplete” boxes.  

Have items to share?  Here is the general guidelines for what we are looking for and the age/gender breakdowns.  (I excluded the little ones–those boxes seem to come in complete and FULL…the older kids and moms are the ones who seem to need some assistance.)

• 11–16yrs: comic books, novels, board games, card games, jigsaw puzzles, hair clips, yo-yos
• 17yrs+: caps, designer T-shirts, watches, wallets, purses, novels, jewelry, lotions, nail polish
• Mums (widows/caretakers): lotions, body scents, scarves, shower gels, hand creams, journals, devotionals, jewelry, purse, nail polish 

I will be receiving donations through December 2nd.  

**

Thank you for being willing to consider sharing out of the overflow of what God has given you!  

Jenni and Laura Peters 
(attend West Cary?–Laura can give you more info as well!) 

There are many written and unwritten laws and lines that tell us how to behave and how not to behave.  Grafiti is  an illicit activity, one that is outside the bounds of the law.

Graffiti is often frowned upon.  This book celebrates graffiti and living outside the lines.  It tells stories of lives blending together to make beautiful art.  It does not stay within the bounds of the social  “law” or the four walls of your home.  It speaks of lives mingling with other lives and it all being quite messy.  It speaks of brokenness and of God’s redemption.

Graffiti:  Scribbles from Different Sides of the Street is a short read and for this week only a FREE read!  44 pages long with tales of two lives intertwined and how God makes us all wonderfully uncomfortable so that we can better know Him and his heart.  The holidays are a wonderful time to become inspired as to how you might share your life with another.  May Graffiti be the perfect catalyst for your journey!

For the next week this book will be FREE to those who click here:

http://www.graffitithebook.com/ 

May You Be a Blessing and May You Be Blessed! 

Jenni  

The SILENCE is being broken.

I am only going online for work purposes…and somewhere in between trying to honor and respect my “7” girls and also recognize that Greater work needs to be done I wanted to share with you the information about Watoto Christmas boxes this year!

Last week we began distributing Christmas boxes for the children of Watoto! (http://www.watoto.com/)   We have already had an overwhelming response!  The boxes are going to be filled with toys, games, books and other special items for ALL the children and moms of Watoto.   Because the people of Uganda speak English–the boxes can be filled with a personal letter from YOU!

Here is a link to more information!  

http://www.gethope.net/events/watoto-christmas-boxes-12-2

We have a few more boxes left at our Cary and Holly Springs campuses…so please grab yours this weekend…or email me and I will save you one!  (By the by, Chris is speaking this weekend in Holly Springs so it is a GREAT weekend to come visit us!)  

We are so very excited to share this opportunity…here’s a little more about our trip to Uganda!

May You Be a Blessing and May You Be Blessed!

Jenni

I have heard it said that you spell LOVE…T  I  M  E.    We invest our time in all that we love.  Our values reflect how we spend our time.  On paper I say that I value my relationship with God and my family first–but my quiet times and quality time with my kids tell a different story.  We often say we value our health but our time invested in exercise or shopping for healthy food do not reflect this reality.  We say that TV is not a priority but studies say we spend 5-8 hours a day watching it.  

Enter the uncomfortable book 7 that asks me to take a hard look at excess and the excess that comes in the form of MEDIA.  Which means…for the next 21 days we will be going radio silent.  As best we can…we are going to try to limit the crazy amount of “input” that enters our world.  

Did ya know…

How does one shift their mindset from victim to victor?  How does one endure a life of pain, persecution, and poverty and yet still seek to find hope for their future?

There is a human tenacity that we see time and again.  A person endures great hardship and survives what most of us find unthinkable conditions.  We are inspired.

There is another level that surpasses tenacity.  It is where a human not only survives…but their lives are filled with inexplicable joy and peace.  These people actually find forgiveness for their brutal attackers, they find comfort where there once was fear, they find hope for their future.   These people are my heroes.

In northern Uganda a major civil war took place and ended just 6 short years ago.  The war left the country with thousands of children who had once been abducted from their homes as child soldiers to return “home” and find a new life.  Unfortunately, many of those children were not accepted in their villages as they had committed murder.   Most of the girls had been brutally raped and had birthed children to their military “husbands” that had abused them.  These girls came home from the war with multiple children…children that they did not want or have the means to support.   Others came home with HIV and no skills as they had not been in school for many years, if ever.   Where does one go?  

Thankfully, God planted a vision in the hearts of Gary and Marilyn Skinner years and years ago to “care for the widows and orphans” of Uganda.  They began Watoto church in the 1970s and in the 90’s started children’s villages.   This vision has grown to multiple church campuses, 3 baby homes and 3 villages for orphans and displaced women who become mothers to these children.   They also have started an awesome ministry called Living Hope for women who have been estranged…their husband may have died of AIDS or they themselves were child soldiers.  Living Hope teaches women life skills, provides crisis counseling, and also teaches them certain trades like how to sew, make jewelry, and peanut butter.   Having read the stories of the Living Hope women in the book Return to Dignity I was anxiously awaiting our visit to this particular program.  I was blown away by what I experienced.  The first thing that happened when we got there was this:

Please listen and re-listen to the words they are singing.  My kids have asked me over and over to watch this video.  They said, “Mom this is the best video ever!”  They are inspired by children who are survivors in every sense of the word.  They are children who the world has forgotten or ignored…but God has great plans for their lives.  The best part is: they believe it’s true.   Their joy, contentment, and hope makes them my new heroes.  

May You Be a Blessing and May You Be Blessed!

Jenni

There is a place I’ve longed to go.

It is full of joy and sorrow.

This place that I have only seen in books, is a place where God seems to have His hooks.

It would appear that devastation and depravity are all one sees…

But I am convinced I will learn from these:

Not sure what the next 2 weeks will hold, but know I will learn much–as each day unfolds.

I am ready to be wrecked.  I don’t want to be the same.

I pray most of all that I will come home changed.

No blog for a little while…

Think of me and Africa…say a prayer…and smile.

May You Be a Blessing and May You Be Blessed.

Jenni

If I had a bumper sticker it would likely say, “I’d Rather Be Writing!”  There is little in life that brings me more joy, peace and therapy than reading and writing.  So the question for me over the past few months has been–WHERE ARE THE WORDS?

I really only write (blog) when I am inspired.  I have had several interesting incidences, a random funny quote from Joshua, and have read a few books with insights worthy of sharing…and yet I have not had the compulsion that I normally feel to immediately drop everything, run to my computer and begin to type.

Internal shifts are happening and I am thinking deeply about life, God, and how we relate to one another.  Our purpose.  Our lifestyles.  The things we have…the things others do not.  Deep heady things too heavy to put on paper–yet.  But they are there and may be the reason why I cannot find the words–I am just processing and asking hard questions.  Whatever is happening I appreciate your kind questions of the status of my blog–I assure you–when I feel the first inspiration my fingers will be flying to the keyboard to share.

In the meantime…as always…

May You Be a Blessing and May You Be Blessed!

Jenni

Today my husband told the entire Hope Holly Springs campus that last year we “missed” Christmas.  As good intentioned as it was…it was still hard to hear.  Don’t get me wrong…last year was full.  At times it was full of some really wonderful things–tree decorating, Christmas cookies, and Christmas productions.   But it also was full of obligations; presents to buy and parties to attend.  It was packed so full of things and stuff that we simply missed Christmas.  Last year starting on December 26th I spent several days in a funk because I knew I had missed it.  I also knew I would have to wait 350ish more days until I got another shot to do it again!

This year, determined not to miss it, and to make it, “the BEST Christmas EVER”…we picked a family off the “Tree of Hope”.   This family was designated by Wake County schools as a family in need of assistance over the Christmas season.  Our job was to help provide their children with some clothing and a gift from their “wish” list.  A friend and I were going in together to care for this family and so I picked a family with 4 children.   MANY families were chosen from the tree…but God picked THIS family out just for us.   Sophia (the mother) said today, “this is a miracle”!   I have begun to document each detail…there are so many stories, some filled with laughter; others that bring tears.  Each one deserves more than this simple blog.

After my initial phone call to Sophia (the mom) I realized that there were much greater needs for this family than simply some clothing and gifts for their children.  Her husband lost his business due to the change in the economy and she has disabilities that limit her ability to work.  They had an electrical fire and lost their stove.  Their washer and dryer recently went out.  They are not just a family of 6 but their Grandmother and Great-Grandmother live in the home as well.  They have a grandson about to be born…he is due today!  (That makes Martha a great great great grandmother!)  This precious family lives in a home with very little furniture and were cooking on a hot plate until that broke…this week.

God has already MIGHTILY provided for this family.  One of my friends is a “connector” and she has shared this story with her neighborhood as well as friends of friends, and today we delivered 3 truck loads of beds, dressers, book shelves, and bedding.   Earlier this week we delivered a couch!   Their home has quickly moved from empty to full.  (Don’t get me wrong, for most of us we consider this now “livable.”  They moved from sitting and sleeping on the floor to chairs and beds.)   Their response is one of DEEP gratitude.  We were met today with smiles and tears.   I recognize that this family is at an incredibly pivotal point where they could really use the helping hand to get out of a “stuck” place.   To help take care of some of their basic needs:  food, clothing, and furniture will not only provide a physical need but also provide hope and inspiration so that they might be able to transition in to a more stable future.

As thankful as I am for all that has already been done for this family, I really believe that God is not done writing their story.  So many of us take this time to get rid of the old to make room for the new.  I realized that this might be a great time to share some of the needs, as well as give others an opportunity to be a part of sharing!   I am sharing both their needs and “wishes”.

Needs: 

Kitchen Chairs (4)

Towels 

Sizes:                                                             Clothes                                             Shoes              

Vanessa 8                                                       7slim (or 8 slim) 8 m (shirt)                   2 WIDE!    

Jerica  16                                                         14-16   M-L shirt                                  10

Darius 10                                                          10 husky    M shirt                              4 boys                           

Jerry  13                                                          34-36 husky    XL                                13 shoes

Mom                                            womens 7-8 pants    S-M shirt (she is pretty petite)    7 1/2  

Grandma                                                           36 pants         large shirt                     9-10

Great Grandmother                        14-16 pants (probably elastic are best)  M shirt          8 1/2  

Dad                                                     36-38  Pants            L-XL shirt                          13 shoes

     

Grandson                         Infant—size 2    baby boy clothes!

SPECIFICALLY WINTER COATS/HATS/GLOVES would be a good idea

WISHES 

Grocery gift cards, (Food Lion is the closest!), Gas gift cards–(Citgo was close), canned goods 

Toiletries…shampoo, lotion, toothpaste, toilet paper, soap, etc. 

Cleaning supplies…clorox wipes, detergent, sponges, paper towels, etc.

“God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.”  2 Timothy 1:7

I am quite convinced that the God whom I love and serve has orchestrated every detail…great and small for this family.  Having said this, I absolutely agree with the kind gentleman who shared his couch who exclaimed:  “it is not about religion…it is about people helping people!”  I have never really been partial to “religion”, but I am all about relationships.

Thanks you for taking the time to see if you might have something to share!