The Gift of Christmas

"May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and PEACE as you trust in Him, 

so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Romans 15:13

I am now back in Arizona from being home for the holidays
For one week I was surrounded by family and friends
My heart was filled with nostalgia of old Christmas memories
Laughter of my nephews filled the rooms

I was the only child staying at my parents house this holiday
My sister has her family in Enumclaw
Both my brothers have moved out now
It was just me and my parents

Though I am (cough) 30, I cherished this time to just be their daughter again
My parents even waited to get our tree until I arrived so I could help decorate
A tradition I always enjoy

Coming home for the holidays is a new experience for me
I came home last year from Arizona but I stayed two months through all the holidays
This year I was only home for a week

If I am honest, I was a little anxious how I would handle the emotions of being home and the holidays

 But before I left one of my friends gave me some of the best advice
She said, "Put your phone down and be present with the people you are with. Facebook and Instagram and all of that will still be there. Even when you feel like you are sitting around, look around and think about amazing things going on around you like your nephews laughter. Even in the car rides. You don't realize what you are missing."

I wasn't perfect the whole week being off my phone, but I tried hard
And for the first time since moving away and coming home I truly felt present

I gave myself permission to JUST BE this Christmas 

I gave myself permission to feel the nostalgia of the season
... to be joyful
...to be still and listen to the sounds of Christmas carols and laughter of my nephews
... to stop and smell the balsam & cedar candles and my moms cooking
... to let go of my past failures and mistakes of the year
...to let go of the responsibilities of the future

I gave myself permission to find peace in the knowing my Savior is coming to clean up this beautiful mess of mine

Because through all the hustle and bustle
Through the hard and the messy
I almost forgot the most powerful message of the season
One that got lost in my anxiety and the pressure I put on myself

The Christmas message of Hope, Joy and Peace

JOY that my future is already secured
PEACE that my future will be better than imagined
HOPE that my Savior is coming and will come again

Yup, Jesus is truly the reason for the season

And the best part?
Because of Jesus, we can receive HOPE, JOY and PEACE, the gift of Christmas, all year

This past year I have opened myself up to letting Jesus take over and He has taken me on an adventure that excites me more everyday

The gift of Christmas

The past year (especially the last couple months) Jesus has romanced my soul into an intimacy I have never known

The Gift of Christmas

The past year Jesus has placed dreams and passions that have set my heart on fire 

The Gift of Christmas

The past year Jesus has given me endless amounts of Grace from my mistakes

The Gift of Christmas

The past year Jesus has shown Mercy in situations I labeled impossible

The Gift of Christmas

The past year Jesus has given me friends and family that have blessed me more than I deserve 

The Gift of Christmas 

Jesus has given me Salvation

The Gift of Christmas 

Jesus is... 

The gift of salvation 

The gift of Grace 

The gift of Love 

The gift of Blessings 

The gift of Peace 

The gift of Favor 

We can receive them every single day of the year 

As you take down your last bit of christmas decorations

As you begin to reschedule your work and school schedule 

As you begin to write your resolutions and To Do lists.. 

Remember...

Peace is not ultimately a place

Peace is the ultimate Person

JESUS 

The gift of Christmas is Jesus

You don't have to wait until next christmas to receive 

Receive it today and everyday 

The magic of Christmas truly lives in our hearts 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6

My sister and I

Just the best grandpa and his grandkids and great grandkids!

Grandpa and his girls

My beautiful cousin Rylee and my brothers baby boy

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Living My Answered Prayer

Me and Sarah! 

This is my roommate Sarah

She was the original dreamer of Arizona

Almost two years ago she came to me and said, 

''Jess, I am moving to Arizona and you have to move with me"

The old me would have laughed at a statement like that

The old me wanted Seattle to forever be my home

But you see, at that time in my life I knew God was calling me somewhere else

Calling me into something different with my life

 Calling me to use my desires, strengths and dreams elsewhere

I guess it was Arizona and that following summer we drove down to a new chapter! 

Arizona winter evenings are my favorite 

We have been living in Arizona for a year and a half

God has given us community, fellowship, and comfort

To say we both LOVE Arizona would be an understatement

But just because we have a deep peace that Arizona is where God called us, does not mean the transition has always been easy or painless 

Most days I doubt where my life is going

 I wonder why God called me to Arizona

Moments my heart physically hurts to see my family

Pain from losing close friendships 

Heartache from relationships

Fear my dreams won't come true

Then something happened last night that changed my whole perspective

Let me share quickly a little about Sarah 

Sarah was along side me working at Seattle Pacific for four years

We lived together in Seattle for two years 

Sarah knew the ache in my heart for more

Sarah knew my dreams and longings

I will forever be grateful for Sarah taking a leap and asking me to move with her to Arizona

 Sarah and I were on our way to have a roommate Christmas date at local, cute Arizona restaurant called The Henry, we walked in on a beautiful evening, Christmas lights around cactus', Christmas music playing, cool, brisk weather of 60 degrees, dressed up for the first time in a long time, on our way to celebrate the holidays in a city that is now our HOME

....The Lord compassionately stirred in my soul and reminded me, "Jessie, remember you ARE living an answered prayer." 

One of my absolute favorite people in my life- than you for your YES Sarah!

 Remember the times sitting at your desk in Seattle crying because your heart longed for a change?

Remember praying to Me to make your purpose bigger and to enlarge your territory?

Remember daydreaming about life in Arizona and how excited you would be IF ONLY you could leave now? 

Remember that life with no vision?

Remember that life of wanting a stronger purpose?

Remember that life of small dreams?

I have been so consumed with what is NOT happening in my life in Arizona I forgot ALL that God has brought me out of and I simply forgot what God has already answered  or answering prayers in my life 

When we forget God the goodness of God, we forget where we have been and where we are going

And when I look back at my life I see that God has been faithful through it all

All the trials, valleys, peaks, twists, turns, doubts and fears

When I look back at my life, every single past moment God was faithful

Every single past moment He delivered me through it 

Every single past moment made me stronger

Those past slides of my life I see God's hand on me through it all

You know how I know? Because I am still here

Stronger than ever with a love for Him so deep it scares me

With dreams I never thought possible

Because of my past, I can see where I have been 

Because of my past, I can see where I am going

I know where God has delivered me

My past gives me faith for the future

My faith builds and increases because He was good

He will continue to be Good and Faithful

 He will continue to prepare me for His future plan
I have a purpose in this life
His purpose

For His Glory

Yet, it is still so easy to get distracted in this world

When things are going great in life it is easy to get content

When we go through trials and tribulations it is easy to abandon Him

We can easily forget that we are living an answered prayer 

When that happens, let's rewind my friends

Rewind the tapes of your life and be reminded where God has delivered you

He delivered you from your past and He will deliver you still

Let your past build your faith for the future

He forgives your sins—every one.

He heals your diseases—every one.

He redeems you from hell—saves your life!                                                          

He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.

He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.                                                       

He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- 

Psalm 103:1-5

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Be a Farmer of Your Dreams

If you are anything like me, being patient is not easy

And it is especially hard for me to be patient with my dreams

That dream of a blog with a platform to encourage thousands of women

That dream of starting a ministry

That dream of getting married

That dream of writing a book

Those dreams that seem to be taking waaaay too long

Well, in my naive, selfish, human opinion

But listen to what God says;

" With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness... He’s giving everyone space and time to change." 

2 Peter 3:9 

I might be in a hurry, but God is always on time

I might be anxious, but God is always calm

I might think I am ready, but God says,"not just yet, daughter"

He is never late or early in keeping His promises

He is always ON TIME

So, what can we do while in the waiting...

 We prepare by planting seeds of faithfulness in our life

The "seed and harvest" cycle is a way of life for progress to occur

When farmers plant seeds they EXPECT it to harvest when the time is right

We are farmers of our dreams and every day we are planting seeds for our future

When can choose to plant seeds of joy and happiness when we want to be bitter

We can choose to plant seeds of service and generosity when we don't feel like helping

We can choose to plant seeds of faith, trust, and belief in the midst of fear and doubt

 We can choose to plant seeds of boldness and expectation in the midst of confusion

However, we also must be aware of the GAP time of planting those seeds and harvest

The time in between can be miserable and extremely difficult, but also necessary

During this time is God working on our hearts- even when we can't see it

This time is where our hearts are refined 

We grow as leaders

We grow as women of faith

We grow as mothers, daughters and wives as we wait

Then, when the time for the harvest comes, we will be prepared 

So, at the end of my day, sometimes it isn’t about how many items I checked off my list, how many blog followers I have, LIKES on Facebook, or how many pages I wrote in my book 

Sometimes, it just about knowing I did my best to plant as many seeds as I could to help nurture those dreams- seeds of love for others and love for my God

Because by the Law of Harvest and by the Law of God's Perfect Timing

I WILL reap the blessings when the time is right 

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Galatians 6:9 

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Where is Your Power Source?

Such a blessing to be able to share my love for Advocare and my story of the joys and disappointments of chasing my DREAMS. 

This past weekend some women and I hosted a Ladies Night Out using AdvoCare as our platform

We got to share about some of our amazing holiday products while encouraging & empowering  women

BOTH I LOVE

But let me share a bit more why I LOVE AdvoCare 

The world class products literally transform people's lives from the inside out

The business opportunity allows ordinary people to live an extraordinary lives

This company goes above and beyond to give their distributors the best leadership training

Not only on the products but how to be a leader with your family, friends and community

Leadership is one of the most fulfilling jobs but it can also be quite draining

People can be difficult 

Business may be slow

You lack direction in your business 

We may be quick to give up

So, what do we do in the world of AdvoCare?

We plug into our "source of power"

We have a chat with our leader and mentor

We listen to a team phone call

We attend an event

We get filled up with encouragement, inspiration and wisdom 

Then we head back on our way reenergized and continue to lead!  

These two are the best! Loved being able to speak into the hearts of women with them.
My best friend Molly, Rachelle from Advocare Corporate and myself 

But where do we go when we get drained in life?

Where do we go when we feel lost?

When our future seems so foggy we can take another step?

When anxiety and worry take over our hearts and minds?

Where, or Whom, do we plug into to give us our power?

These past two weeks, on top of the two major events I was planning and creating a new normal routine in my life, I also attended my hillsong ministry school, worked my AdvoCare business, worked all week at the Non-profit, got my crossfit workout in, and of course Facetimed with nephews! 

ALL I LOVE but when I am just going through the motions to get them checked off it is exhausting

And quite frankly, not how we are supposed to live

 I was exhausted, feeling no energy, feeling sorry for myself 

I had literally no energy, no power left

 I tried everything from a couple too many cups of Spark to thinking I could take a nap during the Seahawks game- MISTAKE!

This week I finally stopped and asked myself what was going on

Why do I feel so "off"?

Where do I usually find my strength?

 I find physical strength in sleep, eating healthy, exercise and SPARK!

That gives me my physical energy

But what about when I mentally can't go on?

I find my strength in Christ 

From prayer

Daily devotions

Prayer

Communicating daily with the Lord

Prayer

Encouraging others

Yup, I didnt do much of any of those things this past week

I opened my mind to receive information on leadership training

But didn't fill my mind with the Word 

I opened my heart to feel unnecessary emotion for a friend

But didn't ask God to fill it with His love 

I filled my mind with thoughts of fear and doubt

But didn't the Lord to take those away 

Think of trying to turn on your hair dryer without plugging it in

How would that work for you?

Not very good and probably pretty exhausting and frustrating

This was me this past week

Trying to gain energy from my own power source

I realized I only work well when I am plugged into The Mighty Power

Plugged into the Power Source who promises to protect and provide

The Power Source that speaks with wisdom and knowledge 

The Power Source that ignites purpose, hope and passion

He gives me energy

Plugging in for me includes finding time for morning and nightly prayers

Morning devotions

Staying in communication with the Lord

Asking Him to fill my heart with His Promises

Purposeful prayer

Intentional prayer

Reading His Word

Being filled with Him instead of looking for the worlds source of power

Where do you plug-in?

My prayer is you chose Him as your Power Source

I promise He will always give you the energy you need 

Molly had this event on her heart for a year and we started planning it this past summer.
It was  a dream come true and hopefully more to come!

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In The Waiting...Don't Wait

Let me take you back to when I was in preschool

I remember asking my mom if I could wear a dress to impress a boy I liked

I had a crush on a boy every single grade since then

(just ask my sister!)

When I was younger I would be the only girl invited to all boy parties

I was what people called “boy crazy”
But I did not care

So, at an early age I was familiar with the desire to "be in love" 

I did not know exactly what marriage was at that age, but I knew I wanted it

As I graduated high school and started college, it seemed only natural for me to meet my husband freshman year, get engaged senior year, married after graduation, move back to my home town, buy a house with a white picket fence, have 2.5 kids, a dog and start my carpool duties

So, that did not happen after college
And it didn’t happen at 23, 24, or 25 either

So, you can imagine my frustration when I was 26 years old, most my friends were married, in fact I was in most of the weddings, and I was still totally single

On the outside it looked like I had a good life
Living in the city of Seattle, great job, great friends and family
But inside was empty
I was not fulfilled at all

I was lacking purpose and passions in my life

I was just existing and not living to my full God given potential

Not even close

One evening, I knew I had to confront my life

So, I asked myself “what am I waiting for?”  

I realized that I had put all my dreams on hold while I was “waiting” to get married

I would tell myself I would wait until I was married to do this or do that

"I will wait until I am married to find a home church, move out of the state, or go on a mission trip"

Ethiopia- July 2014 with my mom and four other daughters and mothers 

One evening in October 2011, I drew a line in the sand
I decided to start taking action steps to pursue my dreams

I started getting involved with non-profits, which was a passion of mine

 I started investing in my health goals, which is how I started with AdvoCare

I said NO to the business right away , but when I got my first check of $150 which I used to go to Nashville to run in a half marathonfor St. Jude, which was a dream of mine, I saw AdvoCare as a vehicle to pursue more dreams

I said YES to start my own business with AdvoCare

Within, the first three months I saved up enough to go on a mission trip to Ethiopia, which was another dream of mine

Last spring I felt God calling me to move to Phoenix to pursue some dreams of mine

Because the income I was making with Advocare and my commitment to pursue my dreams, I stepped out in faith, left my job, my friends and all my family in Seattle and moved toPhoenix

My best friend Molly, who I would never have met if I didnt move or pursue AdvoCare
My sister Beth on the right, visiting me in Arizona at my HOME church

So, here I am today, working at a non-profit, which is a passion of mine
I  have a part time business helping others in health and wellness with AdvoCare
I have been to Africa
And moved away from home, and found an amazing home church
 All without being married

My life is not how I imagined it
Not even close
But guess what?
I  am more happy now than I was when I was "just waiting"

So, whatever you are waiting for, whether it is to get engaged or married, to buy a house, to fall in love, to start your own business, for an addiction to be broken, whatever it may be
 I want to encourage you that there is a whole life to still be lived while in the waiting

There are dreams to be fulfilled in the waiting

There are adventures to be had in the waiting

There is love to be found in the waiting

There are goals to accomplish in the waiting

There is growth and transformation in the waiting

There is joy and Grace in the waiting

Some of my best friends I met at City of Grace- My HOME church 

So, here I am at 30, and still not married, the desire still strong, yes, and if you would have told me when I was 18, that this would be my life at 30, I would have never believed you or would have punched you in the face for speaking that over my life (just kidding...maybe) 

But now, I have a completely different approach on my life while in the waiting

You will never see me on the sidelines of life

I will always be running full speed in the race that God has laid out just for me

Yes, I fail and stumble sometimes

I make mistakes and I offend people

But I am not waiting anymore to chase my dreams, pursue my passion, or take adventures

I know that some dreams are meant to be lived now and I know that when I get married we will create new dreams, new adventures, and new experiences together

I want to encourage you, while you are in the waiting...do not wait

Something amazing happens when you choose to have a decided heart and start pursuing those passions that stir up your soul and sets it on fire 

Doors start to open for you, people come in your life that bring purpose, opportunities come up you never imagined, and you will start to see that there is a beautiful and thrilling life that needs to be lived in the waiting

“Never allow waiting to become a habit. 

Live your dreams. Take risks. Life is happening now.”

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