Guess What?! No More Waiting

Hey friend! 

I am so glad you found In The Waiting and you stopped by at the perfect time!

Here is why:

Throughout my five years of writing, the Lord has taken me on an adventure I never dared to take myself, shown me more Grace than I deserved, and showered me with bigger blessings than I ever imagined. Throughout my journey, He has reminded me over and over again that I am Worthy. Beautiful. Strong. 

The Lord has also placed many dreams and passions on my heart, ministry being one of them. My heart's deep desire is to empower women to see, hear and know God the way I have experienced Him; to remind them that THEY too, are Worthy. Beautiful. Strong. 

I am so excited to finally introduce to you my BRAND NEW website and purpose of my ministry. 

No more In The Waiting. My desire is to help empower and encourage YOU to unlock your daily destiny and access all God has for you RIGHT NOW. 

I want to point you to a few new features on JessieBChristensen.com as you head on over and take a look! 

• Unlock Your Daily Destiny 
• Meet Jessie B. 
• Join My Team 
• YouTube- Yes, even videos-Yikes!

Of course, I will continually be writing and blogging! In case you’re new around my blog, here are a few blog posts that have seemed to hit a cord with a lot of people. I’d love to hear your thoughts on these! 

Here are the three top-read blog posts:

When Comparison Becomes Your Thief of Joy

There is Grace For That 

Waiting For The Call {Guest Post} 

With any blog post, you can add your thoughts in the comments, send me a tweet, or post your comment on Facebook.

I am so excited for this new leap of faith and I am thankful you are going along with me as we unlock our daily destiny and access all God has for us! 

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There's Grace For That

A moment of surrender four years led me down to Arizona

I left my home in Seattle on a leap of faith

I came with big dreams and big visions

It has almost been two years now down in Arizona

I know I am supposed to be down here

I know God is paving His Will for my life

However, this surrendered life doesn't come without difficulties

God didn't promise that even if you walk in His Will it will always be easy

If we are not careful and mindful to put God first, our comfort will set in

Our selfish desires start to overpower His desires for us

My story of Grace is one of vulnerability

I thought I had it all figured out coming down to Arizona

I thought I was bullet proof to the ways of the world
To the ways of the enemy

Turns out, I am not

And neither are you

We are human beings not meant for this world

We are more broken and fallen just like this world

More than we ever dare to admit

But we are also loved more than we ever dare believe

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

and are justified by his grace as a gift, 
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"

Romans 3:24

So, what is Grace?

When we stumble

There is Grace

When we fall

There is Grace

When we turn away

There is Grace

When we make a wrong decision

There is Grace

When we mess up

There is Grace

Even in the all out cry- face on the floor- hands in the air- surrender moments

There is Grace that wraps you up, holds you and says "I am here"

Grace says "You are loved"

Grace says "You are forgiven"

Grace says "You are seen"
Grace says "You will be OK"

Grace is not something we deserve but something that is freely given to us by The One who loves us 

Grace says, "No matter what you do, nothing can separate you from me and my love"

Grace says, "I understand this world is hard"
Grace says "There is no shame, no judgement, no condemnation" 

Grace says, "No matter what you did to yourself, no matter how you got into this situation, I still forgive you, I still love you"

 No one is too far away where the Grace of God cannot go
No one is in too deep where the Grace of God cannot reach down and rescue


Grace allows us to live freely and boldly, knowing that no matter what happens we are covered in Grace

Continuing my journey in Arizona, that is exactly what I am going to do

I will continue to press into the Lord asking for His Grace daily

Never taking it for granted

I am going to go boldly into this world knowing I will stumble

But knowing the Grace of God will ALWAYS help me back up

I am confident that He will help me & Grace me to do what He has called me to do
And because of that, I will rest in His Amazing Grace

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Currently in April

                Linking up with Jenna and Anne today for another edition of their "Currently" series.

Currently this April I’m…

MAKING room for more "me time" in my life. Well, trying at least. I am in a season of growth and hustle in all areas of my life, which is exciting, but also exhausting. I am learning the importance to make time for myself. Whether it's to blog, read, journal, quiet time, call my family, I need to make time to rejuvenate and refill so then I can pour more of myself into my true passions. 

WISHLISTING Some new outfits for Arizona. I have lived here almost two years and I still have not found my "Arizona style" I am comfortable with in this heat. 

CLEANING everything! Seriously, I just cleaned my whole room and bathroom tonight. I leave tomorrow for Seattle then my aunt is coming into town and staying with me. 

POSTING I have been posting a lot of quotes from Christine Caine. I love that women. She just came out with a new book called Unashamed that I am reading and loving. If you want to be inspired, then read it. If you want help to discover your purpose, then read it. If you need help getting over guilt and shame, then read it. 

TASTING blended AdvoCare vanilla Muscle Gain, strawberries and spinach. Every single day for the past week and a half for breakfast. They are quick, easy, simple, yummy and a completely balanced meal! Win/win! 

Currently in March

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You Haven't Missed A Thing

"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." 

Phil. 1:6 

Sometimes it is really easy for me to believe that God has forgotten about me

Sometimes in the waiting for dreams and prayers to be answered is hard! 

Can I get an AMEN?

"Hey God, remember me? Remember that prayer I have been praying? Ya, I am still waiting?"

Did I miss something?

Did I make a wrong turn somewhere?

Did did say the wrong thing to someone?

Did I end the right relationship or stay too long?

Where did I go wrong?

Do you ever feel this way?!

"Indeed, the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 

Don't be afraid; you are worth more than sparrows." 

Luke 12:7 

A God who knows every hair on our head

A God who provides everything for the birds

Are we not worth more than sparrows?

Our life is not a surprise to Him

Our actions are not a surprise to Him

Our decisions are not a surprise to Him

So, let's take a deep breath today

God has not forgotten about us

He knows exactly where we are and need to be

He knows our pain and heartbreak

He knows our desires and dreams 

He sees every tear and hears every prayer

He sees every decision and action we make

I was reminded today from one of my most faithful friends, that I have not missed a thing
 Her sweet prayer that still brings tears to my eyes every time I read it

I hope you find peace in it as well

Praying peace over your heart as you meditate on how much your Father God loves you. Things in this world are still very broken and painful, but He has not forgotten you or forsaken you . 
He understands your pain and is there holding you, whispering...

"I have a perfect plan for your future... you can trust Me. 

The best is yet to come. You haven't missed a thing. 

Not one thing my precious girl." 

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Currently in March

                

                 Linking up with Jenna and Anne today for another edition of their "Currently" series.

Currently I’m…

WISHING that I could come home this weekend. My sister sent me the most adorable videos of my nephews. And when I say adorable, I mean probably only adorable to an aunt. My almost two year old nephew Hudson ends up hitting his three year old brother Jace. I have been watching these videos over and over again today wishing I could just come home for the weekend. I love Arizona, but I miss my family and sometimes I long to just to drive home for the weekend. 

CRAVING quiet time and rest. I feel like my life is a little out of control lately- spinning and I can't keep up. I need rest but can not seem to find it. Hoping this Sunday I can truly rest and do some writing that I have been missing. 

GOING HOME! Well, not until April. As you can tell from above I am a little homesick. Thankfully the opportunity presented itself where I can flying home with my friend Jill who can get us on standby. Jill is also on my AdvoCare team and there happens to be an AdvoCare Ladies event up in Washington. So it works out perfectly! 

WEARING too long of pants right now for this Arizona weather. Seriously, Arizona?! It has hit 90 degrees the past couple days and it is the beginning of March! I guess it is 10-15 degrees hotter than average this time of year. Of course. So, it seems I need to get getting my summer closes out sooner than I wanted. (notice I didn't say spring clothes because in Arizona it is either summer or late summer clothing) 

LEARNING to seek more of Him and less of me. Seek more of His strength and less of my own. Learning how weak I really am and how strong He is.  This season of life has been challenging, draining, exhausting, but also in the midst of hardship and stretching, I feel peace. I feel restoration. I see growth. I see God's favor. It has been tough, but the trials have made me lean on Jesus more. When we seek Him out, when we run to Him, we always find Him. And it is in only Him where we find peace. 

Pictures from February when I went home for a weekend

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Jesus, My Superman

"Every woman was once a little girl. 

And every little girl holds in her heart her most precious dreams. 

She longs to be swept up into romance, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, 

to be the beauty of a story. Those desires are far more than child's play.

 They are the secret to the feminine heart" 

- Stasi Eldredge "Captivated"

Lois Lane grips the seat belt as she hangs from the helicopter that dangles 600 feet above New York 

 Nothing but the concrete jungle below her

She tries to pull herself up, but her grip keeps slipping

One by one her hands let go and she is free falling down to her death 

Or so we thought! 

But then out of no where, Superman sweeps her up mid air 

And Lois Lane falls safely in the arms of Superman 

She is rescued

This is the scene from Superman I watched over and over when I was a little girl

And every time my heart would fill with longing

I wanted to be Lois Lane (maybe not the near death part) 

But, I wanted to fall into Superman's arms

I wanted to be rescued (by Superman in this case) 

Since I can remember, I always had that longing "to be rescued"

When my siblings and I would play dress up, I would always be the princess rescued by the prince

Or we would re-enact the scene of Lois Lane being rescued by Superman 

My heart would set on fire during those "make believe moments" 

As I got older I would still find that longing deep in my heart

I didn't truly understand what it was or the purpose
I thought it was a silly, little girl desire I would out grow

But I didn't
And I sought after to fulfill the longing from boyfriends

Because of that, I would place unrealistic expectations on them

And every time I would be let down by unmet expectations
(Here is a hint: my boyfriends were never meant to fulfill that longing in the first place...

...And neither is yours)  

Then I met Jesus

Ya, I knew who Jesus was before but I never took the time to truly get to know the man 

But after being let down so many times I decided to seek out the only person I have been told, 

"Never lets you down"

So, I sought after this man named Jesus

I would read the Gospels and the life of Jesus every morning

I read about His compassion

His Grace

His Forgiveness

His tender Mercy

And I read about His love

His passionate, radical love to the least of these

I pursued this man more than any boyfriend I ever had

And guess what?

He never let me down

Not once

Every time I opened the Bible He would fill every longing

And I kept reading about Jesus

I could not stop

Then one day I read some verses that changed my life forever

"For God SO loved the world that He gave His only Son (Jesus). 

That whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, 

but to save the world through Him (Jesus)"

John 3:16-17 

AND 

"For the Son of man (Jesus) came to seek and to save what was lost (You and I) "

Luke 19:10 

So, let me get this straight, Jesus came into this world to save me?

You mean, I have been saved?
By Jesus?

You know what this means right?

My rescuer has already saved me

In fact, He saved me over 2,000 years ago

My "falling from a building"rescue has already been completed

(SIGH)
This changed EVERYTHING for me and I hope it does for you, too

No more unrealistic expectations put on men

No more unfulfilled and lonely nights

My heart now rests in the fact that I have ALREADY been rescued

I believe God puts longing in our hearts to be reminded that He is the ONLY one who can fill them

And as I continued to study and read more of the Old and New Testament, I realized that the whole BIBLE points to the Jesus's coming as the rescuer 

The whole BIBLE is a story about the world's biggest rescue mission with Jesus being the ultimate rescuer 

So, I may never be rescued falling from a building (heaven forbid)

But, I have been rescued from my sins 

I have been rescued from guilt and shame

I have been rescued from the pressure to be perfect

I have been rescued INTO a life of Grace and Mercy

I have been rescued by The One who saved my soul

And from what I watched when I was a little girl, Superman could never do that  

#IchooseJesusasmyrescuer

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{Believe} Boldly

When the New Year comes, I always think it's a good idea to choose a word to reflect on

But, I have never done it...

...until this year 

Call it a sense

Call it a feeling

Call it a knowing

Call it the Holy Spirit 

But this year feels different than any other year 

 So, to be different I decided to choose a word 

BELIEVE

AND... I even chose a bible verse to go with it

Yay me! 

This past year I didn't think of a word 

But if I were to describe the year, it would be the year of preparation

That is what I am going to call it

It was also a year full of new beginnings, growth, and lessons learned

 And my favorite, lots of pruning of relationships, bad thinking habits & selfishness

It was both painful and joyful all at the same time knowing that pruning always leads to sweeter fruit

And all of that pain and joy was preparation for THIS year 

That is what I am BELIEVING

I am also believing that in 2016 the Lord will open up doors only He can open

I am believing for unusual miracles

I am believing my deepest desires to come true

I am believing for chains to be broken and miraculous healing

I am believing for answers to my boldest prayers

I am believing for a bigger platform to be used for His Glory

I am believing for stronger confidence and bolder faith

I am believing for my deepest dreams to be fulfilled 

And I am believing my biggest goals to be accomplished 

"What you BELIEVE about God will directly determine the legacy of your faith and your impact on the world for the Glory of God" 
- Steven Furtick 

I am believing God will show up big time in 2016
Why?
Because I want to leave a big legacy for His Glory 

Because I want to make an impact on this world
I am believing boldly because this is what I know about my God;

1) He is faithful to those who BELIEVE

Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. 
In fact, his faith grew stronger and in this he brought Glory to God. 
He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises.
Romans 4:20-21 

Keep in mind, that the Lord your God is the only God. 
He is a faithful God who keeps His promise
Deuteronomy 7:9 

 2) He is faithful to complete the good works He started

Being confident of this, He who began the good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ
Phil. 1:6 

3) He is loves to give the desires of our heart 

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart
Psalm 37:4

4)  He always gives us more than we ever dream or imagine

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine
Ephesians 3:20 

5)  He is not an ordinary God, so our lives shouldn't be either 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth
Genesis 1:1 

 6) He is loving

For God so LOVED the world He gave His only begotten son, 
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life
John 3:16  

All over the Bible, there are examples of ordinary people, with extraordinary BELIEF
And because of their faith, amazing things happened in their life for His Glory
This is the kind of belief I want this year

I will be a woman who believes in the promises of God
I will be a woman who believes that God will fulfill her desires
I will be a woman who believes her God is trustworthy and faithful, even if

The best part?
He promises it only takes the faith of a mustard seed
(if you don't know, they are extremely small)

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to that mountain "move from here and there" and it will move
Matthew 17:20 

Will you join me in BELIEVING that God is able, willing and ready to make this a life-changing, extraordinary year for you too? 

My and my girls

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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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