Walk on Water

       Ok, I know I still have to do my "fearless" post and it's coming, but I was doing my Jesus Calling devo and it really hit me, so I wanted to share what I learned.  If you are reading this and have Jesus Calling from a previous year, or you're doing it right now, check it out- if you don't have it still check it out and feel free to comment on your thoughts =)

       So January 21st was talking about dependency on God. It gave an awesome analogy that I hadn't thought of yet.
       Jesus Calling said, " Depending only on Me, may feel like walking on a tightrope, but there is a safety net underneath: the everlasting arms. So don't be afraid of falling. Instead, look ahead to Me, I am always before you, beckoning you on- one step at a time."
      This hit me hard, because I want to be fully dependent on God, but I'm always afraid of falling, making a mistake, etc. When in reality it's worse to just sit still and take itty bitty "baby steps" - What About Bob? reference, than going for something and trusting that God will provide an take care of you.
There's been a ministry opportunity that I've been thinking and praying about for some time now, and this last week I took the next step and made some contacts. The conversations went really well and I got the go-ahead- if this is what I feel God is calling me to do. Now that's what I always get hung up on.  If you talk to my family and a number of my closest friends from this last year, they know that I've been thinking and praying about this. Before I sent the e-mails to different contacts I said, "God this is in Your hands."  I'm very passionate about starting this ministry in this location and feel at this point, if I didn't do it, or tried to do it somewhere else, I'd be wanting to do it at this spot type things. There are many things that lead me to believe that God is calling me to this, but I'm the queen of doubt and second-guessing. My father has also told me, sometimes it's not a matter of specifics, but is what you want to do going to bring glory to God and line up with His will. If it does go for it. Also this has been on my heart for a long time, in my prayers or on my mind.
      Anyways, back to the "tightrope" analogy. I get paralyzed walking on that tightrope focusing too much on specifics and not wanting to make a mistake, afraid of failure, etc that I oftentimes just stay in the same spot, or inch along too slowly, that it's a real tricky balancing act. Right now it's not a matter of making a mistake, but I'm just caught up on is this what God wants me to do or something else, but going off of what my dad has told me, it lines up. So what this devo was teaching me is not to have a faith where I inch along slowly, but sprint to Jesus at the other side, as long as I keep my focus on Him. I was just thinking about how freeing it could be to just let go of the fear and run to the Lord, and even if I trip or fall along the way, He's got me in His hands. It reminded me of the guy who crossed the Grand Canyon on a tightrope recently. If you watch the video of the end, he's running to the end. This is different, because you wouldn't actually really run on a tightrope, and he didn't have a safety net, but it's awesome to see his faith, and how he goes fast at the end when he knows it's safe. Check it out:

         I was looking on Instagram recently and I follow Bob Goff. I love reading his inspiring pictures, and there was one that really stuck out to me. I tried to just get the picture and it wouldn't let me so here's the link =) http://instagram.com/p/x2RvtXuYnV/?modal=true If you don't want to look at the picture, it said, "I'd rather have a couple ideas fail, than a faith that won't try." It made me take a step back and think about my faith. Yes, I have a faith, I believe in God, I've seen miracles happen, then why am I so afraid that an idea of mine will fail, when it may not. Who am I to say it's not God who gave me these ideas, I need to have faith and trust in God with ideas. Instead of doubting out of fear, I need to trust, and see what God will do.
        The devo I've been referring to, and this situation made me think about Peter walking on water as well. This event takes place in Matthew 14: 22-33. I've always loved this story. For one it's so amazing to read about the phenomenon of walking on water, what a miracle (yes, I know ice is frozen water, but that's not what they're talking about in Matthew). But it also shows us how easy it is to get distracted or afraid and look away. Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and looks at the waves and water around him, in that instant he falls into doubt, which causes him to fall, when he was just a part of an amazing miracle. How often does this happen to you and me? We see God work miracles in our lives and others, and then for some reason or another we have our doubts. We look away, get influenced by the world, think "that's impossible", or "how could it work?" or "I'm not good enough for that?", "I'm too shy." or a number of different things, that we start sinking instead of trusting in the One who has us. I want to be the Peter who walks on water, not the one who starts to fall. The part I haven't mentioned yet, is even though he looked away verse 31 says, "Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. (The Message)" Jesus is right there taking care of us, even when we have our doubts and stumble. He cares so much about us and is right there for us. Deuteronomy 33:27 says, "The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you said, 'Destroy'."  God's everlasting arms are there for us, He loves us and wants us to fully trust Him.
       Which brings me to my closing. Earlier this year Family Force 5 came out with a new album and on it is a track titled, "Walk on Water." The part that has rung out to me every single time I've listened to the song, like God is trying to speak to me is, "'Cause I let my fear, let my fear, get in front of my faith" - because I feel that is very prevalent to me. Fear is something I struggle with, and I don't want to be afraid, and just trust in the Lord. I love the chorus too, many times this has become a little of an anthem and prayer when I listen to the song. Check it out below:

Let's be the kind of Peter with the faith that walks on water,
               Love,
                    Jalynn (Jessica Lynn)

New Years Resolutions 2015

        It's that time of year again! It's now my second annual New Years post! I love just taking some time on the first of January to reflect some new goals for the year, and I want to make goals that I can accomplish and are practical.  I was looking back at my resolutions from last year, and most of them are still goals that I want for this year. Many of them had improvement on, but you can always strive for more. So going into this new year, it's not to say that I'm just going to forget about those fourteen. Since it is now 2015, I will write about 15 resolutions for this year. I also want to pick a focus word for the year.  I've been thinking about this for awhile now, and I had one word I picked and then there was another word that kept popping up in the back of my mind, that is more appropriate for my chapter in life right now.  I feel that it was God gently nudging saying, "Jess, the word you want is a good one, but let Me lead you in this. This word is what you are wanting to work on and what I want you to be =)" - type thing. I will have a post soon that will talk about the word and what it means to me and such. The word will be revealed at the end of the post!  With that, here are my 15 for 2014 ( in no particular order).

     * Last year I started taking a pic of the last sunset, and this year I wanted the first sunrise too, so here they are =) p.s. it was rainy all day, so it looks dark already for the last sunset, but I believe it was still a little blue out =)

                                             The Fab 15!!!
           
                 1. Jesus Calling
                                        - Ok, so in my senior year of college, my roommate, Taylor, got me the Jesus Calling devotional for CHRISTmas! I've loved it! However, I haven't been the best on my discipline of doing it everyday. It goes in spurts here and there for days and then a break and so on. What was really cool to do last year was seeing the days that I did the year before and what I wrote from the previous year, to what I was writing that day! I really want to go through the whole book daily. I was looking at devo's to do for this year at a bookstore, and I saw a Jesus Calling devo that had a space to write each day as well, and prompted questions. I've done the writing portion my own way the last two years, but this year I decided I'd have it more focused. With all of that said, my goal is to complete this Jesus Calling devo this year. If I miss a day here or there, I can catch up, but I don't want to get far behind, and I want to complete the book on December 31, 2015! If you're doing Jesus Calling as well, let me know! We can help keep each other accountable! If you have a suggestion for a good devo, whether it's a full year one, or a few weeks- please share in the comments below, or on the Crossroads Corner Facebook Page   =)

                          2. Blessings Jar
                                        - There have been a few times in previous blogs, where I have mentioned counting blessing for 30 days or however long. The first time I was waiting for the pieces, and the next time I started in on my phone- and in all honesty it didn't last long :( I feel it's easy to forget on the phone, because I use it so much. Well, today I went out and bought a jar, and some non-sticky post it's. I will post a picture on the blog below as well! I saw something like this on Pinterest originally, and am super pumped to do it. Ideally, I would love to write at least one blessing a day and drop it in the jar…realistically, there will be days that I forget, yet there may also be days where I really want to write about more than one! So my goal is to fill the jar, and go back at the end of the year and look at all the ways God has blessed me in 2015. I'm hoping it ranges from simple things to big events and such. There are so many things we take for granted and there is so much the Lord does for us. So the blessing jar isn't a "look at me, or how awesome my life is" because it's about what God is doing in our lives. There will be storms in 2015, where it will be harder to find a blessing or think positive, but I strive to (as Casting Crowns would say), "Praise You in the Storm." It's a cool reflection of God's Presence in my (your) life, as well as a way to reflect on the year.

                             

                       3. Prayer!
                                    - Prayer is something I am continually striving to get better at. I actually have a few resolutions that deal with prayer, because it's really important to me. My Grandma Lynn was wearing a t-shirt once when I was visiting that said: PRAYER: THE WORLDS GREATEST WIRELESS CONNECTION ( I guess I mentioned it last year too, but I'll add a pic of it below).  I want to pray more continually throughout the day. God is my Lord and Savior, but we have a relationship, a friendship! When things are going good or things are going bad, we tend to go and talk to our friends and family right away! Well the LORD is the BEST friend and family we will ever have and it's important to communicate with Him, thank Him, ask Him guidance, learn from Him, just talk with Him and so much more. So I want to grow in prayer. As well as not be afraid to pray big! I'm reading the Circle Maker by Mark Batterson too, and have a devo, that I want to do that goes with it. I want to do that this year at some point, and not be afraid to pray bold, big, prayer. God is omnipotent! We shouldn't be afraid to pray for big things, dream big, pray for things we can't do on our own, because honestly, we can't do anything without Him! If we truly believe in Him and who He says He is, we shouldn't be afraid to pray big!

 

                    4. Focused prayer at intentional times
                                  - This one is fairly new but I was on Facebook only a few days ago, and I came across a list of resolutions from at the Hillsong United team. I read them and they are all great, but there was one that specifically stuck out to me, that I really want to do, and hadn't thought of. I want to first link the Hillsong Blog because it was really good and has a great list as well: Hillsong Resolutions . Ok, it says "I bet you can't pick one" and though I am specifically adding one of their's to my list, doesn't mean that we have some similar =) I really like Hillsong's explanation of this resolutions, so here it is, "When you walk out of your front door in the morning…When you comb your hair…When you set your alarm clock. Take something you do everyday and make a habit of praying every time you do it." An example could be when you brush your teeth pray for__________.  I will be joining in this prayer discipline and hope that you will too!!!
                 
                     5.  Pinterest!
                                   - One of my goals it to make more things I pin on pinterest a reality! Whether it's trying new recipes, a new craft, a new work-out,  travel destination, style, etc.  I spend so much time pinning things, but I don't want to just wish about what I pin, I want to get busy and do some of it. My favorite thing to make, I found on pinterest! The blessing jar, I found on pinterest!  Just last week I cut some fuzzy socks into "leg warmers" for an outfit!  There are so many great pinterest ideas, and I want to make more of them a reality!

                   6. Money, Money Money- Money! (to that tune??? lol)
                                    - This is also to save and budget money. I may not have all the specifics for this yet, but there is one thing I learned from my Aunt MJ, that I'm going to apply. I spent about half of the last year living with my aunt and uncle and with Starbucks runs and such I learned a strategy.  The strategy I learned from her piggy-banks off one my parents taught me. My parents have encouraged me to carry cash, and that is the "money" I have (use my card for gas & groceries/ online shopping type things). That way, you are more prone to stick to your budget- plus you can physically see the amount get smaller and smaller. Maybe you reset it every two weeks. So now comes in my aunt's money saving strategy. She too likes to pay with cash, and whenever she receives a $5 (for example you pay $13 for something and get $7 back. A 5 and two 1's), she puts the $5 in saving and the rest is still there to use. So my goal is to use cash more, and save my $5's =)

                   7.  Hair Extraordinaire
                                    -  I want to have fun with my hair and try some new things. Pinterest (once again) and such. With my straight hair, I'll switch my part here and there throughout the day, but I usually straighten it, or put it up. I love doing different things with it, but don't always make the time. I found a cool way to curl my hair (while sleeping…found on pinterest) that I've started to do, as well as I love the beach wave spray that is available. If I'm going to wear my hair down straight, I can use bobby pins, tease it, etc to switch it up a bit. So this year, I want to do more hairstyles with my hair =)

                  8. Organize!
                                - I want to be more organized. From my bedroom to my classroom, to my car, to my schedule, etc.  I feel they all somewhat tie in together. There are also great Pinterest ideas for organization. As far as schedules, they can be flexible, but I want to have a routine for days when there isn't a "special event or outing" - yet flexibility is key.

                  9. Cook More!
                                 - This includes packing myself a lunch for work! I like to cook and bake, but I often use my schedule as an excuse, yet there's ways around it. Can someone say leftovers!! I can cook on the weekends and have left overs throughout the week, plan meals ahead of time and so on. I'm excited to try some new recipes as well as continue the old!

               10. Enjoy God's glorious masterpiece
                                  - I want to spend more time outside this year. Whether it's hiking, swimming, canoeing, walking, roller blading, volleyball, ice skating, movie in the park, walking the dogs, camping…hopefully learning to ride my long board (well start and stop w/o help) etc. I feel like I spend a lot of my time inside and there are ties when it's too hot or too cold, but dress appropriately and hydrate yourself accordingly. #nowrememberthisforwhenyourinMinneSNOWtaanditsfreezingout There are many activities to do outside as well as places to see! I want to spend more time in the world God created, instead of inside =)

              11.  Healthier!
                              - once again this has multiple aspects, but I wanted to chunk it all in one =) There three biggest aspects I want to work on is sleep, exercise, and eating healthy.  I can be somewhat of a night owl, but I can also be a morning person. I want to get to bed earlier/ get more sleep, and on work days, not be rushed to get to work type thing- get stuff done in the am. I want to be in better shape at the end of the year than right now. There's some tools I'm going to use, as well as work-out or run more frequently. I also want to eat healthier, which includes: fruits, veggies, healthier choices, smaller portions etc. There's this no-sweet challenge I want to do at some point too, I believe it's a 31-day challenge.  Those are some of the ways I want to be healthier in 2015.

           12. Read more!
                            - Ok, I love to read! But I don't always make the time for it. I would set a book goal, but I don't know what number to start at, so I think I'm going to keep track of the books I complete this year (not including children's books I read to my students). Then next year I can have a # goal. My friend Joy posted a resolution from this funny resolution generator and I found this funny one, which is true. I love reading and netflix, but it's easy to "binge-watch" as in watch a whole t.v. series, movie marathon etc, but instead of doing that with videos often, why not read and grow your imagination? So I want to read more this year! I'm excited! I love dystopian society books, Karen Kingsbury books, Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult, and Christian books, as well as World War II. I'm open to other books to, so if you have any book suggestions, please mention in a comment or on the Facebook page =)

       

          13.  Write More
                            - This encompasses a lot. I want to blog more, and actually have some cool changes…well more additions, that I'm wanting to do on the blog this year. I will either make a post on them, or give you an update as they come. Consistency with the blog as well.  I want to write more songs, stories, letters. Letter's to my Compassion Child, letters to sick children, family, friends, thank-you's, get well's, etc.

          14.  Love Does
                            - So I've recently read Love Does by Bob Goff, and it has inspired me to live more intentionally and love like Jesus does at all times. Being more intentional in what I do and say, and show love to others even among differences. I highly encourage you or anyone to read this book, and pass it along to others. It is truly inspiring. DC Talk says, "Luv is a Verb". That is true, "love" is a verb.  Love requires action. And I'm not just talking about the "romantic" love, there are all sorts of love. A love of a friend, sibling, family, something you're passionate about etc. A verb means action and it means to go out and do things to show love. I want to show God's love to others through actions and I want to work on that and spread God's love, but not just by words, but actions as well.

         15.  Not live in the past and worry about the future.
                             - This last year was different than any other year I have had so far. One thing I want to work on this year is not living in the past and thinking what could have been and focusing on the here and now and look forward to the future. Yes, the first thing that came into my mind was relationship based, but even other things. I'm not talking about regrets. I am talking more about when times were simpler or easier. For example, when we were children there wasn't a lot to worry about, in college it was about finishing the next paper, but now there are so many things you need to do and such- being a out-of-college working adult. I want to remember the good from the past, learn from the good and bad, use them to help shape my future, live in the present, and trust God with the present and future! Don't worry flashback Friday's, throwback Thursday's, and Blast's from the pasts are ok =)


        Now is time for the big word reveal:

                                 

Found on google images

Happy New Year,

                         Love, 

                              Jalynn (Jessica Lynn)