Thoughts and Ramblings

So... Christmas is over, New Years is tomorrow... Christmas was a big family affair with all our NZ family over in Papamoa. Christmas Day and often Boxing Day always seem to end up being days of compulsory doing nothing. Dunno why but you just can't plan anything or go anywhere or do things with people. It's family, food and little kids with presents! It actually wasn't all that bad despite being laid up on the couch all day 'coz I tore the ligaments in my ankle last Sunday and have been on crutches for over a week. Although I can hobble quite well. I spent most of the day wishing Jesus Happy Birthday - for some reason that made me quite happy - maybe the thought of wishing God in human form a Happy Birthday when God is beyond time seems a little silly but I know he appreciates the thought! I love how God limits himself when we talk to Him so it's fresh and exciting for Him too! God's amazing :-)

I spent two days at my friends house at Lake Tarawera with her family and Alana. It was sooo good. So relaxing and just amazing company and beautiful views! We took the boats out on the Lake and the others went water skiing and wake boarding (due to afore mentioned injury I didn't) but I just love water and being on or in it and have decided to buy a boat when I'm older and have money :-) I think it would be amazing to be able to go flying across the water and up and down or even just cruising leisurely- its just so nice and it is rather fun when the waves are under you and your going up and down like an amusement park ride or something! Despite the fact it was raining quite hard yesterday, we ventured across the Lake in Mirante to the hot water beach and a secluded hot water pool in the middle of the bush which was also very nice and such a good space to be close to God and friends and just chill (while being very warm). Nature just makes me feel so in awe and yet so close to God I can't help it. Even just looking at views and being on the lake or walking through the bush or walking the foreshore or taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of God's creation fills me with such a happy, loved feeling, like He made it all for me and He's there. He gifts me the sunrise every morning and made the birds sing for me to have a song and its like He's reaching out to me in the beautiful sunsets. I feel close to God with my friends too in a group sort of way but also like He's gifts me such amazing friends I can't stop thanking Him. In nature I tune out everything and it's literally just me and God. No one else, its our own private world, me and Him in our passionate love affair! So I got both group and personal amazing God time at the Lake.

Sometimes it feels like although God never wants to hurt me, He let me hurt my ankle to use it for good; to avoid the impending burn out which was round about due and to force me to relax and to spend more time with Him and to remind me not to take everything for granted. Believe me, it worked. Sometimes I think God knows what He's doing, don't you?

So in closing, I really can't complain - I have been very blessed this Christmas period and I know God loves me definitely and infinitely. Pain makes us stronger and so does increased personal time with God. May your New Years celebrations be safe and fun, and may 2009 be the most God filled year of your life yet. I certainly hope it will be for me. Any questions - just ask.
Love and blessings,

Jenny xox

Worship

For sure I love our beautiful foreshore. I can't help but be in love with God and feel close to and at peace with Him when I am amongst such beauty and nature.

This is my Fathers world

I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees

Of skies and seas

His hand the wonders wrought.

*****

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the Heavens, Your faithfullness to the skies. (Ps 36:5)

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. (Prov 16:9 NIV)

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thes 5:16-18)

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. (Zeph 3:17 NIV)

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress. I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2 NIV)

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. (Ps 95:6)

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. (Ps 145:3 NIV)

Looking Forward!

Yay I'm excited! I'm looking forward to so many things.

I'm looking forward to having Andy and Amanda back, I'm looking forward to study leave and then summer and beautiful weather. I'm looking forward to next year (and rather scared). I'm looking forward to tonight and the bonfire and fireworks and all the church being there and all the youth and leaders and playing rugby with the boys before we have dinner then lighting the giant bonfire then setting off fireworks and laughing as boys like A & S & P & T all go running on the fire/edge embers at the end to see who can get in the closest/last the longest and laughing more as me and the other youth do amusing things too. I'm looking forward to taking lots of photos and to one day having a relationship like Christina and Jesse do (only better!)!

Today was such a great day and I hope tonight will top it off. God is so good to me it seems unfair but I'm not going to complain! I will try to work for what I can and to live for God and to have God as my goal at all times so His desires are in my heart. I love the feeling of being loved. Soon today will be a memory but God is a God of the now and will be with me in tomorrow, just like He's with me now. I'm looking forward. With God in my future I have nothing to fear.

Keep smiling, it suits you :) (Only 5 minutes then I can leave lol!)

Haircut

Well while everyone seems so taken with change, i've taken it physically and had a haircut (and am slowly changing body shape for good). I'll admit I haven't spent a huge amount of time with God lately (since Sunday) but we're still tight. It's a comfortable companionship at the moment, wouldn't mind getting back into my passionate love relationship though! Work is very busy and tiring but that's no excuse. God is and should be number one in my life and no haircut will ever change that (it is a lovely haircut though, not sure about the practicalities of fringe for summer admittedly). I'm so tired i have nothing else on my mind except that i'm looking forward to seeing my beautiful girls (A,C & E) again - asap preferably, pay day (next week) and Captain T's hol club.
Oh and I watched Bridget Jones 1 & 2 the last couple of nights and after the 1st one had a very definite feeling of being very much like Bridget Jones - was quite bizarre but funny how happy I was to feel like her: i didn't/don't mind at all! Also, (yes I took the quiz) it would appear I am the Mr Darcy type, though I think actually I'd be very happy with a cross between the two combining the best qualities of the (fictional) Daniel Cleaver and the (fictional) Mr Mark Darcy.
:-D xox

What a week!

Wow what a week and it's not even over! Sunday was powerful and exhausting - 5 baptisms in 1 day! God is so totally moving in my/our town it's incredible.

Got all my mock results back, been planning for our ball all week and now it's tomorrow- so excited!

Tonight we had a youth service at the church round the corner. People from Stratty, CityLife and a whole actual bus load from Oaks came. It was packed out and really gd! All about how when we get our acts together God gives us a fresh start, every day if we need it. So relevant! Get your act together! Now!

That's it from me. That's the main stuff anyway :-D Praise God, He's awesome! And very very Crazy!

Firstly:

Well, this is my first blog. My inspiration for the name EpicJenny came from the fact that my youth group in my hometown is called Epic and so its easy for people to keep track of me when I move away next year (scary/exciting), by having a name easy to remember/related to me and also its a word play on Epic Journey - Epic Jenny - Epic Journey... Get it? It's like life is one big epic journey, one amazing trip with God as my guide and I want to make the most of it! I really can't promise to be a very regular blogger at all but I'll do my best to keep it updated with anything I feel needs to be shared/I feel the need to share.

Jenny :-)