Hey guys how's it going? Hope all is well.. things are going pretty well for me right now. But lets cut the formalities and get to what you are really here for... ;)

So yeah! I started my second semester here at Toccoa Falls this past week! It was pretty stressful at first because I signed up for three CE (Christian Education) classes - which all you do is write MASSIVE papers in- and then a couple of required classes as well as signed up for a student ministry! However, when I looked at the syllabi for all my classes and the requirements for student ministry... I literally curled up in a ball and cried I was so stressed out! So I (begrudgingly) dropped one of my CE classes to lighten the loads so I actually gained my weekends and free time back! :D In all honesty, it was some of that but more so if I'm going to learning and studying this stuff in which is going to more than likely require me to later apply and use in life for the vocation I've been called to, I need to FULLY understand and retain as much of this stuff as possible. Cause hey, these are just any lives I'm going to working with and help to lead to the Lord but children's lives and souls - heavy responsibilities my friends... :S



So with the classes I'm taking now, I'm slowly being introduced and understanding some of the things that are being asked and called for from people who are going into ministries and not just children and youth ministries but more so FAMILY ministry! If there is anything that I've figured I have a passion for its for the concept and vision of what family is and really what God intended it to be. My passion has become this and the importance of syncing the various ministries of the church so that it may better serve the family and putting the responsibility of educating the children and yourself in a better understanding of God and his will for everyone's life! As I've begun finding and establishing a desire and goal for the kind of ministry I wish to one day construct and do in a church, I'm learning more and more the importance of a child's soul and how when a child is well established in a Christian worldview they are more likely to continue their relationship with Christ and be far more effective Christians in this world than the generation before them was. I can't wait to see what I learn and what desire and passion comes next... :D



So right now with school getting under way and yet to find a good book to read for my devotional time, I'm walking through and reading the Gospel of John. "Truly, truly I say unto you" that his guy loved Jesus (probably why he was called the Beloved Disciple). I'm up to chapter 20 now where Jesus has just been crucified and taken down and buried. But today one of the chapters I read was about when he was before Pontus Pilate being tried and the Jews wanting Rome to crucify him. First of they said they brought him to the Praetorium (generally the place where the governor of that area lives and works), very early in the morning! Meaning these dudes drag Jesus to the Governor's house possibly before or even when the sun is rising and starting banging on Pontus Pilate's door to get him to come out and judge Jesus (no they couldn't go in because then they wouldn't be able to partake in Passover). Really... if you were Pontus Pilate and some dudes (who probably really don't like nor care for much) come banging on your door before the butt-crack of dawn wanting you to trial a man who you know nothing about? Or maybe he did... after all this happening, Jesus is summoned inside and the first question out of Pontus Pilate's mouth is "Are you the king of the Jews?" Maybe he had seen and/or heard about Jesus and probably already knew the stigma this guy had amongst some Jews. Of course Jesus asks him if he was saying this willingly or if someone told Pilate about him. Of course Pilate tells him he knows nothing and begins asking him again whether or not he was a king. Jesus tells him he has answered correctly and tells him, "For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Then Pilate states one of the oldest philosophical questions ever: "What is truth?" After that all it says is that he had him flogged, found no guilt in him and was about to turn him over to the Jews who were about to have him killed when he found out another fact about this man: He claimed to be the Son of God. Pilate immediately returns to Jesus and asks him where he was from. No reply. Then he said something that probably struck a nerve with Jesus: "Do you know I have the authority to save your life?" In that one sentence, whether knowingly or not, he literally spat not only in the face of God and his authority over all things but he also spat on the greatest mission God had ever concocted: the plan of salvation for all of his creation. I can almost see Jesus responding, not just fatigued by the beatings but also in pure anger and frustration, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” Of course afterward it talks about how Pilate tries to save Jesus' life but to no avail. In the end, the question was asked of the Jews "Shall I crucify your king?" I can't help but look at this and see it as a last chance for them to try and see what God was doing and actually letting God be their King! However in one quick and devastating proclamation, the Jews turned their backs completely on God: "We have no king but Caesar." Makes a person really think doesn't it...

Well that's it for now! Hope y'all have a great rest of the week! Hope to see some of y'all soon! Later days!

~Jeanne;)

Hey guys! Hope y'all are having a great week! Hopefully y'all are doing well with New Year's Resolutions, avoiding sickness and getting back into "normal mode" now that the holidays are over with. I know I am...

Now, some of y'all have already headed back to school and are beginning to feel the pressure of the academic world upon you (like I am). Some of y'all still have some time before heading back and are enjoying their time off and even more of y'all are done with school (not going to lie I envy y'all latter two). I had to come back and take a required class for my degree (Western Thought and Culture or Humanities as some call it). Its been pretty interesting because of some of the history aspect to it. However - not going to lie - its almost pointless to take because of how condensed they have made it. I, more than likely, will not remember much of this after I'm done because of quickly we went through it and how very little time was spent on some of the material. The cool thing, I think, about all this is that the class I'm in is taught by the philosophy professor here at TFC so of course he puts alot of the philosophical spin on it, when he can. So I am somewhat enjoying it... somewhat... ;)



Well as I talked about last time, I was going to try and dig deeper and establish a better understanding and practice of spiritual discipline and in all honesty guys I had no idea what I was getting myself into. For the past week I have tried and tried to read and develop some kind of discipline in my prayer life and in my quiet times and you would have thought I had given an open invitation to the Enemy to come at me! I can't believe how much the Enemy has used things (and succeeded in using them) to keep me from establishing some kind of discipline in my spiritual walk. The distractions, the worries, the lies, the temptations... its crazy! The thing is as much as I want to give up, I can't... I know it would be easier to just roll over and take the hits from the Enemy however I can't. As I sit here and think about it, the same question keeps popping up: Why? Why is he doing this to me? I know that the Enemy doesn't want me to get closer to my heavenly father and he wants to see me fail and fail miserably (as CS Lewis once said -loosely quoting - that its not the nonbelievers that the Enemy has to work to have them in hell, but its the believers who fall away from God that are the greatest victories for him). The thing is that that can't be the only reason. I feel like there is something else... like there is something that the Enemy is afraid of me learning, establishing and becoming and he is doing everything he can to keep from that goal. And because of that, it only makes me more determined to do this now... pray for me as I do this... :)



So I know that this is a rarity but I want to ask you guys to pray for me and for some of the people in my life:
-Me: God's strength and courage to face the enemy and truly begin to develop discipline in my life. (A little less minor one-I'm still looking for a car. Prayers for that would be appreciated as well)
-My boyfriend: he's been pretty sick. Pray for God's healing hand on him.
-My family
-My friends here at TFC: A lot of people are either sick or are dealing with some serious financial issues which is keeping them from coming back for school. Pray that God's will be done in all of these things.

I also want y'all to know that if you ever need someone to pray for you about something, I'm always here. Let me know if y'all need prayer for something, whatever it may be! I love you guys and I want to be able to help you however I can and I know the least I can do for y'all is pray.

Well that's it for now! Gotta get back to studying and preparing for the week! Y'all take it easy... later days!

~Jeanne;)