A Night in Paris (or Italy)

Ok, ok, not really in actual Paris, France

Bu with the smell, music and lighting it seemed like we were!

 

Through my job at Seattle Pacific, I meet a lot of students

(one of the best things about my job by far!)

 

Christa, has been a student-worker, turned great friend over the past couple years

She was with me from the beginning when my passion started with childrens charities

She was there with me to visit Memphis for a St. Jude event

She was there when we pulled off the 2nd highest fundrasier in the region for St. Jude

She was there for me when I needed someone to fill in for an athletic event

She has been there for me almost all of my time at SPU

And this past summer I was able to be there for her when she married the man of her dreams

She is just one of many examples of student-workers turning into great relationships

 

On top of being a student and a wife, Christa is an excellent cook!

From someone who can barley boil an egg without complications

I jumped on this opportunity when she asked me to comeover and cook!
Yes, please share with me some of your cooking wisdom

 

So one night last week we opened a bottle of Pellegrino and made gnocchi

(Dont worry, I didnt know what it was either)

 

 

A Night in Paris (or Italy)

 

Cooking by Christa

Photos and taste tester by Jessie

 

Love the white lights she added!

Pandora station "Cafe Paris"

 

 

Christa and her husband Jeffrey

 

 

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Life lately

Life has been a bit of a whirlwind lately

I was able to take some vacation time and get away for a bit

First stop: Camping reunion 2013

Winthorp, WA

I was spoiled with an amazing childhood

I have so many great memories of many camping trips

There were five families with children all around the same age

We went all over the northwest 

beach, lakes, mountains

The children have grown up, married and now children of their own

We thought it was time for a reunion

Finally, we made it happen!

Throwback Sunday!

Megan Cleveland and myself 

Thanks mom for the wonderful girlie haircut 

Second stop: NBC Camp

It has been three years since I have coached at NBC Camp

This place has made one of the most impacts on my life thus far

So when I found out my sister and some other friends of mine were coming back to coach, 

I knew I had to come out of retirement!

This place feels like home away from home

Being able to play the game I love and share my faith = One of the best weeks of my life

...more on this later 

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The New Has Come

The night before Jackie's wedding 2009

This past weekend I went down to Portland for the weekend to visit one of my best friends

We were teammates and roommates in college 

We always had a great time

For better or worse

Jackie and I summer 2008

This past weekend we did what girls do best

Lots of shopping, walks, talks, and Starbucks 

We talked about our jobs, family, old friends and caught up

However, as we reminisced about our past, our conversations went something like this:

"Remember when we did_____? I cant believe that happened"

"Remember you and _____? Oh man that was an emotional roller coaster"

"The old Jessie would not think twice about that!" 

Lovely. 

........But this time those stories felt different

Instead of the normal laughter from me, I felt shame

Painful, gut wrenching shame

I didn't want to laugh anymore 

I wanted to run far away

Can you hide from God?

Of course, we shared some great stories

We do have many amazing memories

But I couldn't stop thinking about the "other" memories

The "not so good" stories where I was supposed to just laugh at
Shrug my shoulders and say

 "that was just college"

Are those the stories I left people with?

What was I doing?

Why did I do that?

Why didn't I let him go sooner?

Why did I act that way?

  I was not honoring God in the way I lived my life and that left me with guilt 

I spend the entire car ride home asking myself,

Who was I back then?

Sarah, Lisa and myself in Cali 2009

The car ride home ended up being extra long
4.5 hours from Portland is NOT OK!
But, God knew I needed some more time to reflect

AMEN 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; 

the old has gone, the new is here."

2 Corinthians 5:17 

See, the "old Jessie" was not living a life that glorifies the Lord
I wasn't pursuing Christ
I was not putting Him first

But you know what is so amazing?

I don't have to be tied to the "old Jessie" any longer
The old has gone

I am a new creation
He has forgiven
He has redeemed
I am anew
In Christ

And that brings me total freedom

In Christ. 

United with Christ through faith in Him and commitment to Him 

New Creation. 

Redemption is the restoration and fulfillment of Gods purposes in creation 

and this takes place in christ, through whom all things were made

 and in whom all things are restored or created anew

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Oldies but Goodies

Europe adventure 2009

Pool time with roommates and teammates 2005

SPU Falcons 2005-2006 

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Climbing Montana Mountains

"Being confident of this, that He who began a good work 

in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

-Philippians 1:6


Though I am going to miss the beautiful mountains 
The simplicity of life 
I am thankful to be back for a couple reasons
I realized I was too comfortable 
We grow in those parts of our lives we are most uncomfortable
I need to grow right where I am at in my life
(Plus, I wont be missing those mosquitos!) 

I am so many emotions right now about last week
I was broken emotionally, physically and spiritually 
Yet it was by far one of the best weeks of my life

This week I was reminded that walking with the Lord is a constant journey
We are forever growing, learning, preparing, being created for Him

I should not expect to have arrived to where I want to me
As a leader, role model, impacter, women of faith
And you know I should not be expect to be even close!

I have no doubt God used this week to humble me to remind me that He is all I need
He will provide when needed
He will strengthen when need
He will carry out His plan for me in His timing

I truly believe God used this past week to show me a glimpse into what He has in store for me and to remind me that when we are walking on the path with Him we don't need to be perfect--->just keeping going forward towards Him
With Him


"Don't lose sight of the future God has for you because you want to be comfortable right now." 
-Joyce Meyer

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more 

than all we ask or imagine, 

according to his power that is at work within us"

Ephesians 3:20 

Hiking with some athletes and our new friend and guide Austin

Every good and perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,
who does not changelike shifting shadows.
James 1:17 

This was one of the coolest moments of the trip
Sharing our vision statements up in the mountains
"I am going to use my gifts of compassion, servant leadership and hard work
to bring Faith, Hope and Love to children in need ALL around the world"

I got to bond with these amazing athletes during our 18 hour car ride

"We step right out with recognition of God in some things, then self-consideration enters our lives and down we go. If you are truly recognizing your Lord, you have no business being concerned about how and where He engineers your circumstances.  

The things surrounding you are real, but when you look at them you are immediately overwhelmed, and even unable to recognize Jesus. That's when he asks "why did you doubt?" Let your actual circumstances be what they may, but keep recognizing Jesus maintaining complete reliance upon Him"

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Directly to the Mailbox

  

          -----------------------------------------

DON'T LOSE The WONDER, The JOY, The CHILDLIKE ENCOUNTERS you can have every day

They help you see and listen to God a little better

Don't take things too seriously,

             You'll miss the purpose for which God placed them in your life                
        

God has given you teams to coach, families to raise, friends and neighbors to cherish, and LIFE to experience ABUNDANTLY (John10:10). 

Don't let the ENEMY of your soul STEAL any of it.

Do that and you'll press ... ONWARD and UPWARD.

My own little blessings

                                                

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Just a Glimpse

I was absolutely blessed to have my best friends supporting me!
So inpsired by them all and blessed to have them along this journey!

I was able to go down to Cali and run a 5k for The Jessie Rees Foundation

This past winter a little girl named Jessie stole my heart

I have since then made it my mission to help her continue her dream of spreading JOY

I dont know why this charity has stole my heart but it did

My heart has found a passion so deep I never thought was possible

A passion and desire to forever help bring children hope, joy and a future

Have you ever had a glimpse of what you think God is calling you to do?

Just a little taste of what your future holds, your dreams and goals?

I did last weekend when I decided to run the 5k

After the race I met my friends by the The Jessie Rees charity table

Just having your best friends support you is an amazing feeling

But I felt like I needed to talk to the founder of the charity and father of Jessie

His name is Erik Rees

I read all about the charity online and the letters he writes to his daughter in heaven

I am forever inspired by his strength and faith

I just needed to tell him

If you know me, you know I can be a little reserved so after talking myself in and out of doing it
I found a the right time and walked up and introduced myself

A blink of a moment

That was all it took for me to see the glimpse of my purpose

We chatted for a few minutes

I told him how inspiring him and his family are

We talked about the weather and our SPU connection

He then thanked me and hugged me goodbye

But I knew it was not goodbye

It is only the beginning of what I truly believe is my future

I kept asking myself "Is this real? This is happening?"

I felt like I was in a dream

My dreams

They are becoming true and real

I am back home in Seattle now after two weeks of "glimpes" of my dreams

Sometimes I feel my heart becoming heavy and thinking "what now God?"

I am yearning for God to teach me to just TRUST

Trust He has me

Trust He will work things out

Trust that He has something absolutely amazing in store for my life

So much more than I can ever imagine

A life that radically shows that He is God of all

A life that honors & serves Him

A life that fills, rocks and shakes me to the core of my being

However, I must not forget to be thankful during this time of waiting
I must wait Intentaionally
Wait and remember that moment chatting with Erik
That glimpse, that taste of my future
That moment my dreams slowing became reality
I was reminded these past two weeks just how BIG our God is
And you know what? Our goals and dreams should be just as big!

I dont want to barley get by
God created us to be brave
 Created to excel
Created us to live a life of adventure
Take risks

 “(smile) I’m yours today Lord, I’m ready now and listening…” 



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In Living Those Dreams, You Dream Again

Well, Hello there May

Where did the time go? I cant believe it is already May!

It just seemed ike yesterday I was ringing in the New Year

The season of spring has sprung around the Seattle area

You know what else has sprung?

My dreams

goals

desires

HOPE is alive

 thriving

Last spring my passion for childrens charities began

Fast forward 12 months and here I am

Just completed my first half marathon for a St. Jude

I saw "my first" because I know this wont be the last race to complete for charity

This was a weekend that was only a spark of my dreams

 Only a glimpse of what I feel is my future

One of the best parts of the weekend was spending time with my best friend Sarah

She drove from Alabama with her husband Jon and 3 month old, Everett

Sarah is a friend that no matter the distance we remiain close

We share our life with each other, all the ups and downs, dreams and desires

We spent the weekend doing just that but in Nashville!

We always talk about traveling together and going on adventures

They will be moving to Germany for three years and I cant wait for those adventures!

I flew by myself on the way there and then we all flew back together

Baby Everett was so good on the two flights home!



Blessed and humbled by all the support I received. Thank you for your donations, but most importantly for your thoughts and prayers.

I was truly blessed with amazing support for this race

I know so many people were cheering, praying and thinking of me during this race

If I could just run for charity the rest of my life I would

I dont know where I am going with this passion of mine but I know I am on my way

My dreams, goals and passions that I have are being fulfilled

 The best part is I know God has only just begun

I have realized this past year the power of a dream

Let go and just dream

We actually live today, in our dream of yesterday, and in living those dreams we dream again

God places those dreams on your heart for a reason

Listen to what God is whispering to you

I encourage you to block off some time to dream

Set some goals, get after what you can, and dont be afraid to dream

If you dont ever dream it, it can never happen!

^" Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."

Ephesians 3:20  

My daily reminder

“The Future Belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”

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Jamil and Jenzie Journals

I met my friend Jamil last year at the marketing convention, NACMA, in Dallas

Our friendship continued to grow rapidly throughout the year

He is one of my most encouraging, supportive friends I have

He pushes me in my faith and inspires me to chase my dreams

We have our own blog called "Jamil and Jenzie Journals"- Long story on Jenzie :)

We use the blog to write our thoughts, inspirations and anything that encourages us

We both feel God has placed us on one wild adventure and we wanted to share it with eachother

We share our dreams

Our goals

Our passions

Our love for Christ

Back and forth

We share our hearts

I decided today to share one of my most vulnerable post I wrote to Jamil last Saturday...

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Hi Jamil!

I just got back from working a spring soccer game. However, I say "spring" loosely because the weather proved otherwise. It was sunny, then downpour, hail, sunny and now back to raining. I am sitting on my couch in Seattle, just had a nice dinner, wrapped up in a blanket with my favorite sweatshirt on, and the Mariners game is on in the background. One would say I have all the necessities in life to live. But am I really living? Am I really living the life God has intended me to live? Yes, I can survive but I just don't want to survive in this life. I want to really live, live for God and the passion He has placed on my heart.

My dreams and desires have been at an all time high this past week and I just don't know why. I went to a fundraiser breakfast the other morning for the Seattle Matt Talbot center. What a wonderful organization. It gives the homeless a second chance at life. A Christian based foundation that is doing amazing things in Seattle. After the breakfast I was full of gratitude for the employees and sponsors for this organization. I am thankful that God gave us all different hearts to serve different brokenness of this world.

But you know what I kept thinking about?

You know what my heart longs for?

You know what my heart is on fire for?

Children

I want to serve, help, give hope to children and their families

ALL over the world

Physically, my heart aches
Mentally, my mind is elsewhere
Emotionally, I am longing. Longing for more

Jamil, I have never been so sure of something in my life. I sit here on my couch and my heart continues to ache as I write this because I believe that my life passion is to serve, cherish and work with children, locally, nationally, and even internationally. I have no doubt God has placed this on my heart for a reason. I know God is preparing me for something greater than I have ever imagined, and much greater than myself.

Yet, my heart still aches. I don't know where or what that entails for me, but those desires have only grown. I think my running for charities is only the stepping stone to what God has planned. Which is very exciting, almost exhilarating knowing I could spend my life doing what I love. (sigh)

This was a very spur of the moment blog. No pre planning, just something on my heart at the moment. I am so thankful for you and this opportunity to write my feelings to you. God has placed me on an amazing, extraordinary journey...both of us:)

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Love you!

Love,

Jessie

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Passions, Dreams, Desires

Here is little randomness on what is going on in my life latley!

My sister sent me this today

Talk about exactly how I am feeling

Life has been one whirl wind of blessings and heart transformation lately 

God has been showing me just how big He is

For one, my best friend had a healthy baby boy!

Everett James Tracy!

She is fulfilling her motherly role amazingly and loving every minute

I cant wait to hold this little guy!

I am LOVING this new band I discovered

All Sons and Daughters

I dont use Twitter that often but when I do I always go to Joyce first

She is one inspirig woman!

Loving my time at home

I seriously can not get enough of my family

My nephew has been a bigger blessing than I ever imagined!

Funny, when you think life could not get any better it does :)  

And lastly, this is where my heart has been for awhile

I never in my wildest imagination thought I would desire to travel so much

I dont just want to travel though

I want to make lasting, life-changing memories

I want to make memories getting dirty in the brokeness of our world

I want to make memories serving others, playing with children

I want to make memories by putting smiles on faces

I want to make memories spreading the Good News of the gospel

Letting the lost know they are loved by THE greatest Shepherd of all time

They are strong
They have a purpose

 They are loved more than they ever know

Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. 

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It's Your Move

I just got done reading "Love Does" by Bob Goff

You should read this book for many reasons

Many funny, relatable stories about ordinary people, like you and me, doing extrodinary work for God

However, instead going on about each story and how they impacted me specifically

I am going to share just one significant, encouraging, hopeful lesson I took away from Bob

This will forever change my life

Yours too, I hope

....And just because Valentines Day is less than a month away!

Last night was my roommates 27th birthday!

We went to celebrate with some friends in Bellevue at Wild Ginger- WOW! YUMMY! AMAZING!

Happy Bithrday Candice!

I am forever grateful for your friendship and our journey in life together

Thank you for your endless passion to live life, grow, and learn

I admire your heart to serve others and to live a life of helping others

I have no doubt your obedience and heart for baseball will be rewarded
I hear God is a huge baseball fan :)
 I look forward to seeing where God takes you this upcoming year

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