Things that make you smile!

I was smiling all day long today! Can you tell I had a good day?? And yes, I did work today. I got to do one of my favorite things at work today..... dig thru old paperwork! Now Jess, you may say, where's the fun in that? It is sooooo much fun for a history buff! Especially when you work in a bank that has been in the same building for over 100 years. I was cleaning out the vault, and ran across the original stock certificates and the original blueprints for the bank across the street. can you say 1924??? (and all the dust to prove it!) It was sooo cool! And finding names of customers who are now in their 90's on these documents makes it even more personal!
So that was my cool thing today! Here's some things that made me smile this week......
Comments from an author you read regularly on your blog (thanks Cara!)
Text from a friend about a goof she made in school as a first year teacher
The simple faith of my kindergarten and first graders in Sunday School
The things that come out of said students mouths... :)
Zechy saying 2 memory verses to someone other than me or his mom
Fresh apple pie and coffee after a long day of work (thanks mom!)
Seeing the sun after a long Nor'easter
Your favorite song on the radio
Finding out your quarterly bonus at work is going to be doubled! Yay!
Perfect hair days....all week!
Heated seats in 30 degree weather

So what about you?? What made you smile this week?
Jess
PS Go Vote on Tuesday!

Jubilee

Hey!

Have any of ya'll been to the Sword of the Lord's Ladies Jubilees?? If you haven't I want to STRONGLY encourage you to go! It is worth every penny. I have been blessed to have the East Coast Sword Ladies Jubilee just about an hour away for the last 4 years. I couldn't go last year because of work, and this year was largely hit and miss, but it is worth it! I came away so encouraged.

Dr. Smith preached a message out of 2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

So I'm going to pass along some of what encouraged and blessed me!

First, Thanks to Kay Chandler who taught a workshop on "True Friendship Makes a Difference" and probably made me laugh harder than I have in a long time! We can make a difference by the things we say- Encouraging Words, Be Complimentary, Words of Wisdom from God's Word, Intercessory Prayer, Tame Your Tongue. We can make a difference by the things we do-Smile, Treat everyone the way you would want to be treated, Be a compassionate listener, Give a hug or a pat on the back, Share in other's joys and hurts. "A smile happens in a flash-but it's effect can last forever!"

Second, Sonya Williams who taught "Finding Balance in a Too-Busy Life" and "Standing Strong in Your Christian Life". "Pray believing-then leave it alone!" "If God can use a stick-He can use you!" Exodus 7:8-12 In the finding balance class she must have said "Learn to say no!" about 15 times. :) (maybe it just seemed that way to me, it's been my struggle lately and I needed to hear it!) She also said "Don't over-load yourself with ministry" and "Don't allow your ministry to become a burden"

Third, Samantha Jeffcoat "Don't wish for what isn't-embrace what is!"

Fourth, Susan Smith taught on "Spiritual Drought" and I really needed this one! "You can be in a spiritual drought and not be backslidden! Backsliding is a wrong response to spiritual drought." Psalm 42:1, Psalm 63:1

D raw Nigh to God Psalm 34:4, 40:1-3, 57:2 Don't give up because of feelings, keep going because of facts.

R emember God's Promises Psalm 71:20 Remember past victories.

O ffer Praise Psalm 68:19 For blessings and in trials.

U se Available Resources Gather in times of plenty-sermons,verses,truths proven, prayers, hymns, lessons learned, friendships.

G rasp Moments and G ather Lessons 1Timothy 6:17, James 1:17 Drink in positive moments.

H old onto Hope Lamentations 3:22-24

T rust God Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 58:11, Psalm 71

Hope you were encouraged! And please, next time, come with! :)

So Sad.. :(

So I finished the book ya'll. It was fantastic!!!! But, now I'm sad because it's done... :( I actually finished on Wednesday night. Yeah....I admit, I'm a speed reader. But the real reason I'm sad is that my stack of "books to read" has dwindled down to 2 books that I've already read. I know! I have a serious addiction! But anyway, the book was really good. In fact I would recommend anything by Susan May Warren at this point! Everything I've read of hers has been the kind of book that you wait and wait and wait for it to come out, and then you just inhale it when it comes! I mean, you finish it in one sitting 'cause you can't put it down type thing going on! So anyways, I was going to do a review, but I really don't want to give anymore away than I already have. So go buy it, borrow it, come visit me and I'll let you read it.... :)
Jess

It's here!!

Finally! My book has come! For those of you who know me, you know that I always have at least 2 books on me. No matter where I go, or what I'm doing, I have them handy. It must be a PK thing, always be prepared for anything to happen. I have always loved to read, so bringing a book along is something I've done since I was 3. People actually understand that one, but 2 books is just baffling to many people!

So back on subject, the much anticipated book arrived in the mail today, and proceeded to taunt me from the remote corner of my desk for the rest of the day. So now ya'll are thinking "this must be an awesome book!". Well, I'll let ya'll know how it is when I'm done! But meanwhile, I'll leave you with the blurb from the back of the book.

Wiser Than Serpents

by Susan May Warren

Into a nest of vipers....

Her sister had vanished, trapped in a human slavery ring. To find her, FSB agent Yanna Andrevka arranged her own kidnapping into Taiwan's sex-trafficking trade, and herself with no way out.

Until Yanna discovered an ally deep undercover: Delta Force captain David Curtiss. He was after the kingpin of the Twin Serpents, the organized crime syndicate that had Yanna--and hundreds of others--in their clutches.

With opposite agendas, David and Yanna had to rely on each other to outwit their cold-blooded enemy.

This is the third book in the series. I read the first two, and they were fantastic. The best part of these books is Susie's ability to transport you directly to Russia. Susie and her husband were missionaries in Russia for 8 years, so she's speaking from experience! :)

So now I have probably made ya'll want to read this... so I'll leave you wondering!

So now I'll leave you with a very serious prayer request. My good friend Shauna is having some very serious health problems. If her estrogen levels do not drop dramatically before tomorrow she will have to be hospitalized. Please pray for God's will in this situation. Thanks so much!

Jess

After all, tomorrow is another day!

Have you ever had one of those weeks? It really started off great! (as evidenced by my previous post) You feel invincible, like nothing can ruin your great mood. And then Tuesday at 9:30am it all changed. Between work, church, and even people who are a 1000 miles away, I had an awful week! It probably wouldn't have been sooo bad if I hadn't expected so much, but it is a let down when you head into work ready to have a fantastic week and get yelled at before you even get in the door! But, God did show me this week that even when I have one of "those" weeks, someone else has it worse. It just really encouraged me to pray for someone else every time I was tempted to feel sorry for myself. And you know what? It really does make you worry more for them! Just kidding! It did help me to stop obsessing about myself though. So please just pray that I will have a better weekend! (and that all the people I'm worrying about will too, because then I won't worry so much! Yes mom, I know, worrying is a sin!) So I leave you with a great verse:
Lamentations 3:22-23 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions they fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Or as Scarlett O'Hara would say "after all, tomorrow is another day!" :)

Day with Dad

So today I had the day off for the not so widely celebrated even though it's a federal holiday Columbus Day. But maybe that's just New Jersey! I mean there was talk that even one of the local banks was open, and most of the city department! So anyway it was great for me because I have been sooo totally exhausted lately. Maybe because of the cold I've had for a week...... or all the stress at work..... maybe both?? :) So back to the subject! I got spoiled today! First off, and I know it sounds trivial, but I've not really "needed" but could really use a new TV in my room. The one I have is an old hotel floor model, and you can only watch splashy colorful musicals on it because the contrast is soooo bad on it! So I have been half-heartedly been shopping for one, and let me tell you, they are expensive! People are willing to pay way too much for TVs these days! So it's just kinda turned into a back burner thing until I pay off my contacts. So last night in church the youth pastor and his wife tell my dad that they have to get rid of some stuff. (they just moved and got a new TV and the old house needs to be cleared out by the end of the week) They were selling their TV for $25! Talk about God answering prayers you haven't even prayed! So we had to go pick that up today! Whoo hoo! I got to sleep in... Yay!!! Mom spoiled me by making pumpkin waffles for breakfast. Yum!!!! Then my dad took me golfing. No, I did not golf. I excel in driving the golf cart.... :) It was nice to have daddy-daughter time. Our time is usually Sunday afternoons watching the game, but he's been napping during the game..... :) So it was overall a great day topped off by a trip to A&W! I will refrain from telling all the golf course exploits- like near death experiences and birdies- and just mention that he did shoot a 92. His best ever!
So I'll end this long rambling post with 2 prayer requests. My mom's skin cancer saga continues, they had to take another spot off. On her stomach this time (thank God not the face again!) but, it's causing some pain and we haven't got the test results back. So just pray that the pain goes away and that the tests come back good. And for my friend Shauna that God will give her peace and calm her nerves this week. Thanks!

Hey Ya'll!

So I figured it was time to start this up. If for nothing else but to chronicle my experiences through this season of my life! So for those of you who know me, you know that I will probably never stay on subject, post rather random things, and have far too many "blonde" moments! For those of you who don't know me, be assured it's endearing in person! (or so I've been told) :) Most of ya'll know my story, and what a rollercoaster my life has been. So the last 4 years has been a struggle in dealing with what the rest of the world craves- stability and predictability. Monotonous and boring to someone who has never lived in one house longer than about 3 years! But God has been teaching me to be content during this time and I'm trying to accept the lesson! So I'm going to leave you with a verse from Lamentations that I found today. Enjoy! And BTW.... Welcome to my blog! :)
Lamentations 3:26
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.