Save the date! More to come…
Tag: Alabama
July 8, 2024
Hey friends!! Just want to check in with you and see how your week was last week. I hope it is great but if it was less than that, don’t fret…we have this week. 🙂 It’s ok. Sometimes we have to take it a day at a time. Which is why I chose this week’s topic! What does the Bible say about being nice to others? As Christians, do we have to be nice all the time?
If you have read these motivations for any length of time, you probably know me well by now. I am christian who struggles daily; but, man do I love the Lord!! And for the record, I work on my struggles daily. I really do. But earlier this week, I had to give myself a talkin’ to about being nice. “Jennifer. That was ugly. Be nice.” Truth be told, I think I gave myself that talk a couple times last week. The main reason I told myself WHY I should be nice is because I’m christian. And that’s when it hit me…Jesus wasn’t always “nice”. Jesus was kind. Oftentimes as Christians, we equate the two as biblical kindness. But that isn’t true. So…let’s talk about it!
So first, let’s talk about being nice. The word “nice” is really generic. I had an English teacher that would lower your grade by 10 points if you used the word “nice” in any paper that was turned into her. If you look the word up in the dictionary the definition is, “pleasant; agreeable; satisfactory”. So in my mind, being nice can sometimes be fake. But, did you also know it comes from the Latin word nescius or nescience which means ignorant or ignorance. Also, did you know that no major Bible translation contains the word, “nice”? But I get it, sometimes, it’s easier to be “nice” than disagree with someone (notice I didn’t say argue).
Well, Jennifer, why is kindness so much different? GLAD YOU ASKED!!
True biblical kindness is really deep. It’s not topical or fake…ever. True kindness can only be obtained through abiding in Christ. If you look at a tree, you can’t have limbs without a trunk, right? Your faith is the trunk. Kindness is a branch. You can’t have kindness without faith.
Kindness isn’t always nice. I know, this is confusing. Listen, kindness is brave, fierce and daring. It’s fearless and selfless. It is not timid or frail. Can you be those things and be “nice” all the time? ABSOLUTELY not! Being kind is telling others things they don’t want to hear.
Let me give you an example. You have a friend who can be emotional at times (you can insert any emotion in this scenario and it will work). This friend, who is not married, is having an affair with a married person. There’s a whole lot wrong here, right? What do YOU do as their friend? DO you listen and say, “Whatever, it’s their life”? Do you say, “Well, they aren’t doing anything wrong because they aren’t married”? Or do you KNOW it’s wrong but don’t say anything because they will blow up or cry? Kindness is telling them they are wrong. Kindness is pointing out why it’s wrong and how that doesn’t glorify God. And guess what? That conversation is NOT going to be fun but you did it. And that makes you…kind. Even if they don’t see it. But I promise, they heard you and they will think about what you said even if they disagree.
You know you better than anyone, right? Even your spouse or best friend doesn’t know EVERYTHING about you. You have had thoughts and feelings that you shouldn’t. So, if you said and did everything you thought or felt, do you think people should show you absolute kindness? Of course not! That’s why we don’t act on all of our thoughts and feelings, right? So, why is God kind to you? You don’t have to act on those thoughts and feelings because He knows! He knows your heart.
This week, show kindness. I promise there are so many ways you can do this on a daily basis. You just have to look for it. By showing someone kindness, you are displaying the love of Christ.
I pray this week is a great week for all of you!
Love you all,
Jennifer
Hey friends! How was your week last week? This week HOPEFULLY will be a fun, safe week with the 4th on Thursday.
Recently, it has weighed heavy on my heart to do a private bible study about being a servant. I’ll be honest, I knew to serve but the word “servant” was catching me off guard a little. This might sound silly, but I always reserved the word “servant” for those who are in leadership positions in the church; when in reality, I am (or should be) a servant. So let’s talk about it!
Recently, I accepted the position of secretary for the church. When I accepted this position, I wanted to make sure my heart was in the right place and I was adequately serving the Lord, the church leadership, church members, visitors, my family and myself. So, I started a bible study on my own about being a servant. I didn’t expect to learn as much as I have but it has been eye opening. While doing my study, there are 5 traits that really stood out of a true servant.
- Humility
Some people believe being a servant starts with an opportunity. But if you aren’t humble, you wouldn’t recognize the opportunity. Being humble is not something that can be taught nor is ti an acquired skill. Humility is being honest with yourself and those around you. It’s being teachable and allowing yourself to be vulnerable. Humility is not thinking less of yourself or a sign of weakness.
- Seeing Needs
A true servant sees true needs. They are usually observant, compassionate, or have the ability to being open to allow people to share their needs. When I am in Walmart, I will talk to people I’ve never met and before long, I know they have been in rehab! People just tell me things. Are you one of those people? A true servant sees other people needs around you
- Compassion
Compassion is the ability to be moved by someone’s need or pain. Compassion is grounded in empathy and the ability to put yourself in their situation. I think the classic role model for compassion is the Good Samaritan. When Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan and robbery victim, he stated the Samaritan, “had compassion on him.” He helped the victim by tending to his wounds and carrying him to a safe place. Compassion leads to serving
- Courage
Man, if you have ever served then you know there are times it takes out of your comfort zone. This could be physically, emotionally or mentally. But a true servant pushes past the fear and uncomfortableness. If you don’t push past it, it can cause you to ignore a need that is happening right in front of you! Listen, self-protection is natural but there are times we have to set that to the side and help those who need us.
- Sense of Responsibility
A true servant doesn’t feel responsible for someone’s pain. But they do feel a sense of responsibility to alleviate their pain. When you follow Christ, this sense of responsibility comes from obeying God. In the Bible, we have time and again God has a soft spot for the poor and oppressed. By serving, you are just an instrument that God is using to heal.
At Spring Creek, I am so honored to say we have SO MANY SERVANTS. Truly. There are so many things I love about our church but one of my top 3 is the genuineness of our people. Everyone is ready to lend a helping hand if needed AND they do it without saying something under their breath! They WANT to help each other. I can’t tell you how many times I have been feeling down or just not myself, and someone will just ask, “You ok?” I know that’s small but they noticed a need.
So this week, I am going to challenge you to examine your servant heart. What are your strengths and weaknesses? How can you use your strengths to help others? Who can you lean on for your weaknesses?
Love you all and see you next week,
Jennifer
Motivational Monday
Hey friends!! How was your week last week? Mine was hot, thanks for asking! 😂
I was driving home tonight trying to decide what to write about and the word “reset” came to mind. What is a spiritual reset? Is it a good thing? Do you need to do this? How do I do it? Listen. I got you! So let’s talk about it.
The things we experience in life shape us. It could be a very simple sweet gesture from a stranger to losing a loved one in an accident. Unfortunately (but also fortunately), what has shaped me the most is negative life experiences. And as you have read from these motivations, it is so important to respond like Jesus. But if you live on the Earth with me, you know that can be difficult (there is no can be about it! It’s hard!). And when we struggle with our feelings, that is when we lose focus.
Resetting helps you refocus on the Lord. A refocus on YOUR confidence in the Lord. Resetting shapes your perspective and realizing you can’t work in your own strength. A reset button= humility. Why? When you hit that button, you suddenly realize that your way of thinking and acting ain’t working out for you. Your life is either getting out of control or you were there 3 years ago. It’s ok…I am not going to judge you for hitting that reset button. In fact, let me congratulate you because you are on step one of a reset.
Step 1: Recognize you need a reset
I realize this seems like a no brainer but if you have ever been in need of a reset, it takes a minute for you to realize it. When you realize you need a reset, now you need to dig a little deeper. Look at your ways of thinking or acting and determine what or who causes those feelings. And this could be multiple issues and that’s ok! If you go down the rabbit hole of roots though, you always find the strong tap root, right? I would start there but…
Step 2: Ask God for help
What got you here in the first place is NOT relying on God for help. If you skip this step, you are not resetting. If you are someone who struggles with relying on God, this step might take you a minute. It’s ok…we will wait because you CAN’T move on. You need to go to God and humble yourself asking for help in reprioritizing your life and moving past people or actions. God knows you. He knows your struggle and He is ready to listen. Pray continually and earnestly!
Step 3: Make a list of what you can control
Pinterest has a ton of graphics of things you can and can’t control if you need inspiration! But seriously, by making a list, you can see where you can potentially make changes in your life. This could be something as simple as avoiding a topic of conversation with an individual. You don’t see eye to eye on a subject, so avoid it if possible! If you can’t avoid it, then where can you discuss this topic without being inflammatory? Clearly this is just a scenario but in every situation, you can make it better or worse by actions YOU control.
Step 4: Thinking
This is personally my weakness. My brain works nonstop and sometimes that’s not a good thing (a lot of times 👎). Most times, your actions begin with a thought. Even if we “act in the moment”, there was an emotion that led up to the moment. For a reset, you need to identify patterns of thinking that you struggle with. And guess what? You need to really lean into Him.
Let’s go back to the scenario of disagreeing with someone over a certain topic. Is there a reason you continually disagree with them? Is this about THEM or YOU? Why did the topic strike a nerve with you? Ask Him to help you mentally process your circumstances.
Step 5: State you resetting!
State it and then do it! Again, I know, no-brainer. But how many times do we KNOW we need to do something but we don’t do it? All the time!! Like everything else in our lives, a rest is hard but the end results feel so good! So declare you are no longer depending on your strength alone. All of this reflecting and praying you have done to get to this point, is showing you you CAN rely on Him. He never left you! YOU mentally left Him.
Step 6: Adjust as needed
I would love to tell you that a reset will fix everything. I don’t want to break your heart but it won’t because we are on this side of heaven! But I can tell you it WILL get better with a reset. Like anything else, you will have setbacks in resets. Don’t give up or stop! It’s all normal. This is not a sign of weakness or failure. This is all His plan. If you completely fail at the reset, it’s cool! Just do it again! Jesus died for you so you can do it again and again and again. Just don’t stop.
I think most of us in our life have hit the reset button. We might not have known it at the time, but something brought us to our knees and we knew things had to change. Been there and done that!
This week reflect on if you need a reset in your life. This could be a general reset to a pinpointed reset on a specific subject. I cannot encourage you enough to stop what you are doing and work on that reset. Giving your issues to God is the most freeing, weight lifting thing you can do for yourself. And guess what? It’s what HE wants you to do! Win, win.
Love you all and see you all next week,
Jennifer
Hey Friends!!I hope everyone had a great week last week. Man! It is getting hot. I hate to think how hot August is gearing up to be this year. 🥵
This week I want to talk about God’s silence. We have talked in the past about silence. Sometimes we ask God or an answer and there is silence. And we know silence IS an answer. But as humans, we can’t see the road ahead. We don’t understand the lack of communication and we can pull away from Him because we are frustrated. Today, I want to talk about how to connect with God during the silence. So let’s talk about it!
Years ago, when Jon and I were just married we financially had it rough. This isn’t uncommon but it seemed like we struggled more than our friends and family. Neither of us had a college education at that point. We had “good” jobs but they didn’t pay well. Then, BAM! I’m pregnant with Logan. Wow. Such a blessing but definitely not planned for that moment.
Long story short, when Logan was a year old, we filed bankruptcy. In order to keep the house and cars, we filed a Chapter 13 which means we paid it all back. And we did! But those times were ROUGH. I remember our meal rotation for the week included hotdogs, ramen, spaghetti, etc. Logan was on baby food and honestly ate nutritionally better than Jon and I. I remember praying and praying for God to just help us. I didn’t want to be rich. I just wanted to pay all of the bills, and eat without working 2 jobs (which we did). God was silent. When prayers go unanswered, discouragement creeps in and waiting provokes doubt and questions. Why can’t SOMETHING go our way?
Be honest how you feel
You know what I am going to say here. But yes! Pray! Tell God how you feel! Guess what? He knows how you feel anyway. So you might as well vent to Him and get it over with. But second, tell a good spiritual friend. I know some might shy away from this but everyone goes through something! Most people can at least relate to you. Trust me, calling a friend is vital when you feel the silence.
Believing God is a CHOICE not an EMOTION
Isn’t it easy to measure our spiritual condition by whether or not we feel close to God? Listen, I KNOW better but I will still fall into this trap by relying on emotions to evaluate my spiritual connection. Emotions are NOT an accurate gauge of your relationship with God.
Examine your heart without self-doubt
“God. What have I done wrong? Why are you giving me the silent treatment? Are you mad at me?” Sound familiar? What do you do? You start confessing any and all sins asking for forgiveness. Hoping and praying that the silence will be “cured”. Friends. It doesn’t work that way. Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.”
Spiritual warfare! INCOMING!!!
“Well I guess I did something to make God mad. He’s not blessing me OR EVEN TALKING to me! He doesn’t love me. I’ve really messed up. Since I don’t know what I did, I’m over it.” Right there! That’s a spiritual attack. The enemy waits until you are vulnerable and he can be relentless with your thoughts and emotions. He spreads lies and misinterpretations. Be careful.
Which leads to…
Stand strong in your faith
Listen. You got this. The absolute BEST way to navigate silence is standing strong in your faith. If you need help, pick up the Bible. The word of God is a powerful weapon when there is spiritual warfare.
Trust God with your spiritual condition
So, here’s the thing. YOU, my frond, is not in control of your spiritual condition. God is. God sets the pace for our spiritual growth. Our role is to love, trust, obey and respond to God. When God feels distant, you need to trust he has not stopped working. He is more interested in that spiritual growth than you are!
God communicates various ways
Straight up friends…there are lots of times God IS communicating and we don’t hear or see it. 1 Corinthians 2:16, “God speaks in various ways including His Word, the church, circumstances, godly counsel and the mind of Christ within you.” Have you ever been in church and you feel like Pastor Scott is talking to ONLY you? Or you are on Facebook and a verse literally jumps off the page at you? You know, that was probably not a coincidence.
And lastly..
Believe God has a purpose for His silence
I am not going to begin to try to understand His silence because I’m sure it’s different with different scenarios. But the underlying theme to His silence is usually a reason to continue to seek Him. He wants your faith to grow but there are growing pains. My advice here is to embrace the silence. Sometimes when there are things going on in the background we don’t know about, there is nothing to say RIGHT NOW. Be patient.
I can’t tell you the invaluable lessons Jon and I learned during our bankruptcy days. I could go on for days about the lessons involving financial decisions, self doubt, self worth, the bond in our marriage, friends and family connections but most importantly God’s love. Listen..we made it. We paid everything back quicker than expected. We always had a roof over our heads, food on the table and an over abundance of love. These lessons have (hopefully) been passed down to Logan.
If you are going through a silent period, please don’t fret. I cannot say this enough but God loves you more than you can fathom. Silence is an answer and that’s ok. Embrace it. Seek Him. If you have a friend who is struggling, be a good friend. Don’t try to fix it! Just listen. Let them know you are there for them if they need you.
Love you all and see you next week,
Jennifer
Hey friends! Man, we had a FANTASTIC vacation bible school. If you missed it, our church almost has a 1:1 ratio for volunteers and kids. I have been a part of churches in the past that had to BEG for volunteers. Not with us! Our church really invests in the kids and I love it. Kathy Huggins is a genius when it comes to these kids and how to keep them engaged. Kathy, your hard work does not go unnoticed. Thank you to everyone that made it possible.
As for this week’s motivation…
This past Friday was my 22nd wedding anniversary. Like anyone who has been married 22 years, we celebrated by eating Mexican food and then going grocery shopping. 🙂 While we were eating, we shared with the server that it was our anniversary. She asked what was the secret. I looked at her and said, “Just don’t give up.” This got me thinking about why I won’t give up. So let’s talk about it!
There are some people who never argue with their spouse (or so they say). Well, for the record, we have and do. To be fair, it doesn’t happen often anymore but that’s probably because we have melted to be the same person at this point. But there were alot of times, I thought marriage was just too hard and we weren’t compatible. Thankfully, Jon saw my spunky, sassy attitude as a challenge and he has never been interested in leaving. But when we got married, we took a vow before God and it was my every intention to honor our vows. Listen, I am NO marriage expert but God has taught me a few things.
First, you have to love. I realize this should be a no brainer but we can’t not talk about it. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 defines love. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Notice the scripture talks about love and not being IN love. Why is this important? If you are like Jon and I (and not a unicorn couple) there will be times, you love each other but you don’t like them at that moment. But just because you have a fleeting thought of not liking them doesn’t mean you leave them. And you need to recognize that you can mentally blow up a minor argument into a full blown, “I’m done” thought. You have to keep a check on your anger.
Second, you have to trust your partner. I can honestly tell you that I trust Jon with all my being. And when I say trust, I mean it every way possible. I trust him with my heart, my soul and my physical self. Proverbs 31:11 states, “The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack in gain.” More times than not, when marriages fail it is due to trust (or lack of). It is not always pleasant admitting things to your spouse but being open and honest is vital to a marriage.
Third, respect. 1 Peter 2:17 says, “Show proper respect to everyone.” I mean, it’s pretty simple. After I make dinner, I plate Jon’s food. I don’t do this because he asks for it. I don’t do it because I feel like it’s my “job”. He can physically make his plate of food so there is no issue there. I do it because I love and respect him. I WANT to do this small gesture so he sees I appreciate him. Which leads into number 4…
Understanding. Every time we go to Taco Bell, Jon will ALWAYS look at the menu like he’s never seen it. 🙄 Lately, he will just look at me and say, “Order for me.” Want to know why? I KNOW this man like the back of my hand. There are times I order things for him he’s never eaten because I think he will like it. And this helps push him to try new things. I realize this is just Taco Bell but knowing him didn’t happen overnight. And there are times, one of us is upset over something. We have to stop and have a conversation and try to understand what happened that caused us to be upset. It’s imperative we understand each other’s point of view and respect it enough to work on not doing that in the future.
Lastly, the cornerstone of marriage is faith. For many years in our marriage, faith was a sensitive subject. One day, I sat down with Jon and explained my stance on my faith. And guess what? He honored it. Not everyone has a strong faith initially. Some people have to grow in their faith. That’s where we are and that’s ok. I grow in my faith everyday and so does Jon. I’m just a little further ahead and that’s ok. Because we are BOTH growing. Because of faith and that promise we made as a couple before God makes our marriage unbreakable.
Some of you read this and thought, “This doesn’t apply to me because I’m not married.” Hold on! Are you looking for a partner? Do you want to get married? Before you say, “I do” make sure the boxes above are checked. Marriage is not about being perfect because the Lord knows, we aren’t. But what I CAN tell you is I love him more than he knows and I KNOW he loves me more than I know.
This week, evaluate your relationships. Are you deficient in some of these points? If you are, first, it’s ok. Every relationship is deficient in one or more. And sometimes, your deficiencies shift around which is a ton of fun! Pray about your deficiencies. Ask God for help. See where He points you. THEN, talk to your partner. Be honest. Show your partner love, respect, trust, understanding all while honoring Him.
Love you all and see you next week,
Jennifer
Motivational Monday
Today is the DAY! What day is it? VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL STARTS!! Woohoo! I cannot begin to tell you HOW much goes into this every year. So much preparation goes into this and it feels like every single church member plays a part. Kathy Huggins puts on quite a show and we couldn’t do it without her. She is the mastermind behind it all! So of course, this week I want to talk about kids!
Now I know some of you reading this immediately said, “ This doesn’t apply to me because I don’t have little kids.” Well, actually…that’s not correct. This isn’t JUST for parents. It’s your job as a christian to lead any and all to Christ. This includes children. Now, let me be clear, it IS the parent’s duty to raise their children in the church but as a congregation we are there to support them. So as a parent or congregation, how do we lead a child to Christ? Let’s talk about it.
First, kids are going to make mistakes. We all do. But in order for children to put their faith in Jesus, they need to understand some basic truths. One of these is recognizing their sin. How can they stop a behavior if they don’t understand it’s wrong? And it’s on US to teach them. We can show them this with scripture. They need to understand they are going to mess up (Romans 3:23). They need to accept the consequences of their actions (1 John 1:9). But no matter what, God loves them whether they fail or succeed (Romans 5:8). And only God has the power to change their heart (Ezekiel 36:26). You see, WE don’t have to have the answers because it’s all written out for us to follow! We just need to know where to find it!
Second, kids need to understand the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection. I know this seems obvious but because it is so obvious, it sometimes gets skipped. Sometimes we assume they know this significance. When you have a child that you showed grace to, this is an opportunity to relate it back to God sending His only Son to forgive our sins (John 3:16). Jesus taught us how to live and to know His Father. He died on the cross in our place. And he defeated sin and death through His resurrection and he lives!
Lastly, it’s important for us to teach children that God is close to them. Now, don’t creep them out with this statement. But what I mean here is how important children are to Jesus. It’s so important to remind kids that they can talk to Jesus any time. He is literally just a thought away because He never leaves them (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus came to Earth to die and rise again for us to be closer to God (1 Peter 3:18).
I know some of you read this and thought, “I don’t think my child can comprehend this.” At the end of the day if you lead them by example then this will naturally fall into place with conversations. And even if you don’t have kids or small kids in your house, you can still show them Christ in everyday life. Which, if you think about it…this what we do in Vacation Bible School!
So this week, I would like to encourage everyone to specifically pray about children or just a specific child. You know and understand the needs around you. Pray for kids to come to Him. For them to feel like they can ask questions even if they are hard! Please pray for us during VBS. Please pray we can have fun while delivering, encouraging and enlightening young minds to His love.
See you soon and love you all,
Jennifer
We would LOVE to see you and your kids June 3rd- June 7th 6:00-8:30pm.
