Hey everyone! Hope y'all are having a great one, especially to you dads out there! I hope y'all had a wonderful Father's Day! I got alot stuff actually I'm working through right now but I know its all for the best... in the end... ;)

Right now, my biggest success is that I finally finished all of my paperwork for Toccoa Falls! It took forever to get together all of my medical stuff and to finish off tests and stuff but I got it all done! I also found out that my schedule has been put together for me so I will be seeing it soon! Can't wait... just about 7 more weeks! :D


~Courtesy of Books-A-Million

Right now I've digging into a new book for my devotional time, "Knowing God Intimately" by Joyce Meyer. This book, already in its first chapter, is grabbing hold of me and shaking me! In the first chapter it not only talks about us addressing and identifying the feeling of something missing inside of us, but also so much more. Like when it comes to striving to get closer to God. Joyce states it as bluntly and as simply as possible: "At this moment, each one of us is as close to God's throne of grace as we choose to be." ((O.o)); Okay, I don't know about you but if I get as gut level honest with myself as possible, the truth is I really spend hardly ANY TIME with God and there is no one else to blame for that but myself. Not my family, not work, not the kids, not chores... NOTHING! I'm the one solely responsible for my pursuit and time with God! Even though I think I'm spending enough time with him, I can't help but feel ashamed of not spending ENOUGH time with him.
She continues on shows examples out of both the old and new testament about the levels of intimacy that the Israelites (Old Testament-Exodus) and Jesus' followers (New Testament-Luke) had with God/Jesus. In the old testament, specifically in Exodus 19, it talks about the different levels that the people of Israel, as well as certain leaders of theirs, could only go so far. The actual people: the base of the mountain, the 70 leaders along with Aaron and his sons: a little further up, Joshua and Moses: higher still, and finally Moses: to the summit. I can't help but see the huge contrast not only in the devotion and level of intimacy that the people had compared to Aaron and the leaders, these leaders compared to Joshua and Joshua to Moses. If you know the story of what happens afterwards (the making of the golden calf) then you can see that their level of intimacy played GREATLY into their devotion to God:

-The Israelites - only allowed to the base of the mountain - they wanted a golden calf to worship and worshiped it after not hearing or seeing Moses in 40 days
-Aaron, his sons and the 70 leaders - only allowed a little way up - lead in the production and worship of the golden calf
-Joshua - only allowed to go up just below the summit - assisted Moses faithfully, stay in deep devotion with God on a DAILY basis, was one of the twelve spies to go into the promised land but only one of the two to come back and speak in good report about God giving it to them and later became the leader to lead the new generation of Israel into the promised land
-Moses - allowed to go to the summit - received the Ten Commandments, spoke to God face to face as if his friend, continued to lead the Israelites and saw the promised land in his final days.

In the New Testament, another story plays a bit different but you see the same 4 levels being displayed in Luke 10:

-70 people - sent out to cities ahead of Jesus to let them know of his coming
-12 disciples (apostles) - chosen to share a deeper relationship with him
-Peter, James and John - these 3 were chosen to take part in situations that none other could be a part of with Jesus
-John - of the three, he was the only one comfortable enough with his relationship with Christ to lay his head upon his (our) savior's chest as the Lord taught of the kingdom and God.

I don't know about you but I wanna be like Joshua, Moses, Peter, James or even John. And I know God wants me to as well and is willing to get that close to me. HOWEVER, its up to ME to make the sacrifices and make the decisions to become like these men, no one else is responsible for that. :)


~Courtesy of WaxOwl on Flickr

Okay, so you know how people will say things about you and sometimes it either rolls off your back or it kinda shakes you a bit? Well that happen to me this week... one of my coworkers at work was having a terrible day and was feeling quite bad. Then suddenly she walked over to me and hugged me! "Okay..." I thought and proceeded to hug her back. I could tell after hugging her that she was looking for some kind of comfort. Finally she pulled me away and said, "You have the best hugs... almost like a motherly, comforting kinda of hug. I love that and need that some times... thanks... " Now I really took this as a compliment and told her that I am more than happy to hug her when she needed it. But it wasn't until I left work that I realized that that wasn't the first time that I had been labeled as "motherly" and I also know why I'm that way. You see for those of you who don't know, I have four kids in my house all under the age of 11. Ever since the first one was born I've helped to raise them and take care of them. I didn't really realize until now that I have ALOT of motherly qualities and was able to possess them without actually having children myself. I also know that for many people, teens, college students and others, this can be comforting for them when they are needing it! For a single, 26 year old this is a good thing, I guess. My mom says it prepares me for my own kids when they come... I hope so... :)


~Courtesy of Cap-Com.com (sorry but those that know me know I have to get my anime in some way...)

This pic pretty much describes what I'm feeling right now: like the enemy is relentlessly at me, gnawing and picking at thoughts that I know aren't true but I can't help but feel are and they're really gettin' at me right now. One of which is the feeling of being used. Now this isn't a new feeling... this is one I've had for years. And its not just with my friends but even complete strangers just so that they can get what they want. I know that to some extent that this isn't true but in other ways, I can't help but feel like it is. You probably know what I'm talking about: people who come to you, asking for help, for advice, for confirmation, for money, to be the plan B person, to be the backup in case something falls through, for... whatever! And yet these same people who call you "friend", they don't ever return it to you, or they don't call you to check in on you or invite you to anything. You're just the good, wise friend who always is able to make others happy, content and point people in the right direction yet is never happy or content with themselves. *Sigh* Sorry... venting a bit, but right now this is where I'm at and this is what I feel like! Please understand that I don't want to feel this way: I love helping people, giving them advice, blessing them however I can... and yet, it feels like I'm always giving and never receiving anything. I feel almost burnt out... :(

Well, that's it for now. Thanks again for checking it out (sorry for all the venting and it being so long). Take care... later days!

~Jeanne;)

~Provided by Look13 - Desafio Maio 2010 Blythecombr on Flickr

Hey y'all! Hope everyone is having a great time as summer is getting underway. I've heard alot of people are getting some vacation done already, heading to the beach, the mountains and all... lucky ducks... ;P* (j/k)

Well, life is going... well lets just say its going right now. One of the upsides to life is that I've started the new job at Barnes and Noble working in their cafe as a barista! Love it! So much fun... the people there are incredibly friendly and fun! I'm learning the routines and everything right now for the job... hopefully I'll learn them quickly and be an effective worker there! :)


~Provided by Delviking on Flickr

So, confession time: I'm absolutely OBSESSED with reading right now. Okay, I was kinda bad before I went to school and even during school but now that I'm on summer vacation (as well as working in a bookstore that encourages you to read as much of the books they have to help be a better bookseller) its gotten so much worse. On top of that, a new library has opened near our house so I have access to even more books! As of right now, I'm about to finish the Chronicles of Narnia and start into the Lord of the Rings series. After that, I'm thinking about checking out fantasy/fictional stuff... getting excited here! (Pardon my geekiness) :D


~Provided by Anivide.com

Also, this plays some into my quiet time material. Right now, I'm reading Brennan Manning's "The Furious Longing of God" (and soon "Knowing God Intimately" by Joyce Meyer) which is playing a part in teaching me what I really believe God is trying to remind me: don't forget the basics! Sometimes, with everything coming at me and other people who have new and/or huge responsibilities, jobs, and lives while living in this world with its politics, economy, etc... one can definitely forget the basics of life: God, family, love and quite a few others. Right now I'm focusing on and digging deeper into an area of God I've really never bothered with much and just kinda took what people have told me or what I've heard here and there (but probably I was afraid to touch myself): that God is in love with me. That he is the lover of my soul and that he desires to have a relationship with me but not as a servant would have with their master or a child would have with their father but as two lovers would have with each other. Truly, this is going to be a doozie for me... ;)

Well, as of right now I'm counting down the weeks until I get to Toccoa and start my education program there (which happens to be about 8 weeks, give or take a day)... can't wait! I know God is going to do extraordinary things up there for me and with me! :D

Well, That's it for now... time for me to hit the sack and prepare for the week! Hope all of y'all have a great week and as Truman from the amazing movie, The Truman Show, says: "Good morning! And in case I don't see you: good afternoon, good evening and good night!" ;)

~Jeanne;)

Hey guys! Sorry its been awhile... TONS of things happening at once and helping the family out as much as possible! But here ya go...

So... SCHOOL IS OVER! Well it was over like a couple of weeks ago but still...Trying to take it easy and not focus too much on school next year. Just relaxing and enjoying my summer. Although some awesome stuff has been happening when it comes to Toccoa: I had all my credits accepted so I'll be a junior this year going in, I've been awarded two scholarships and I've already met some wonderful people who are going to be attending up there this next year! I'm really excited!! :)

So the summer is beginning and I really don't know what to expect during this time! I want to hang out with friends and try to pick up relationships I left off from a while ago but I don't know anymore. So much is going on with my family financially I don't know if I'll even really have a vacation. Please pray for us as we are trying our hardest to make ends meet! It would be much appreciated...


I've tried to help them out some by looking for a job... and I got one! I'm working a very part time job at Barnes and Noble near home as a barista in their cafe! I'm excited to be working and doing something I'm good at and love doing-making people happy and making their day complete! Pray that I get more than 15 hours a week though...


Right now, life - especially my spiritual walk - feels somewhat on coast mode, which to me doesn't seem right! I've tried to do quiet times and seek what God wants but right now I don't seem to hear anything from him! It feels like for now I need to just read some stuff on the Holy Spirit and encourage myself/remind myself who I am. I'm doing that right now by reading Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" and I'm about to start reading a book I read when I was a missionary in Mexico, Neil Anderson's "Who I Am In Christ". Pray that God speaks to me... I feel like I should be hearing something from him but I don't know what!

Well gotta go! Heating up the grill and making the family some burgers for dinner... y'all take care and have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend! Later days!


~Jeanne;)

~Courtesy of me! ;)

Hey there guys! Hope all is going well for y'all! This week has been quite a week for me...

First of all, Spring has sprung... with a vengeance! Not only have the flowers bloomed and the grass has turned greener, but the pollen is killin' alot people's sinuses here! For some reason it only affects me the first couple of days but then I'm over it. Weird... anywho, thanks to school finally slowing down some I've been able to get out and do favorite hobby I hadn't done in a while: photography. Yep! I got out and took some pictures (as you can see above) of some of the flowers here at ACC in full bloom. It was so nice... and then earlier this week I also happen to a little free time to sit and snap a few shots of a couple of volleyball games... all in all, it was great! ;)







Also this past week, it was my 26th birthday (don't really feel 26...) and it was good. Not much to do when you have hardly any money, time or a car to do stuff. Anywho, people did wish me a happy birthday and I got a lovely home-made card from my friend Rebecca, a massive birthday cupcake from my "twin" Kate (btw, after eating that thing I had to detox from sugar the rest of the day... @.@; ) and a wonderful birthday card from my best friend Rich! Absolutely made my day!! :D



One of the interesting things I've been encountering here at school as well as with people who are a part of my college ministry is the topic of relationships! Yes, spring is in the air and everyone is going to become "twitterpated" (hopefully y'all know what that means and if you don't go watch Disney's Bambi) - and it very much has here at ACC. So many people have going into relationships here and its wonderful to see! As I talk to some of these people, they talk about one thing in particular that they have faced before in other relationships and fear in these new ones: the possibility of losing their significant other and how it will affect them. I can understand... its not something everyone wants or needs. Many of these people have talked to me about how they've become so distraught and in shambles after the relationship has ended. With about every single one, I've told them the same two things: First of all, the human heart was meant to be broken. As I shared in a previous blog about one of the unforgettable quotes that CS Lewis says in his Four Loves book, "To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one...But in that casket...it will change...it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell." We, as humans and more so as Christians, are meant to have breakable hearts. If not, it is a damned heart - one that can't love and can't be loved, can't be changed and will become nothing but a dead weight on one's soul. Secondly, the level of pain and agony one goes through after a relationship ends shows just how much one has lost their true identity in the relationship. I understand loving a person can make you blind and change you in dramatic ways but if you use the relationship in order to add another label to yourself instead striving and seeking God and what he has created you to be, then you have lost perspective of the truly bigger picture in your life. One of the reasons if not the main reason for you not to lose yourself in a relationship is this: how is that going to benefit you and your significant other in the end? If God created you a certain way, why are you changing yourself and not allowing others to see you for who you really are? To do this doesn't help edify the person you are with, it hinders them from growing and maturing and more so goes against God's will and plan in the situation. As Chris McCandless said in the movie "Into the Wild", "...you are wrong if you think that the joy of life comes principally from the joy of human relationships. God's place is all around us, it is in everything and in anything we can experience. People just need to change the way they look at things." If we keep God in the forefront of our thoughts and make all relationships, friendships as well as intimate ones, God-centered then you will not only stay your true self -the one that God created and ordained for his will - but you will see others for who they really are and the blessings and lessons that come out of those relationships. ;)

Finally, I'm entering the home stretch... that's right! School is almost over! This next week is the last week of normal classes and the following will be final exams for the semester! I'm so excited about it almost being over and summer beginning but I'm also sad due to this being my last semester at ACC. As sad as it is though I also know this is what God wants of me so I have peace about it and I look at it as... well another adventure for me to experience, another chapter to the story of my life that God pinned so long ago. I know its going to be interesting to see what God has in store for me: the people I'll meet and the relationships that will come out of it, the opportunities I'll have at this new school and the lessons and growth that I'll experience up in Toccoa Falls. Hopefully, I won't stick out... too much... ;)

Well that's it! Thanks again for checking out my blog! Hope y'all have a great week... and remember you students out there: only a couple more weeks! Hang in there and finish strong! Later!

~Jeanne;)

Hey guys! Hope all is going well for you in your lives. Many things are going on in my life right now so lets get started shall we? ;)

This past week we had dorm wars here at our school. Now, I'll admit, I didn't want to participate because I had ALOT of work and working to do here at school so I was really trying to avoid it as much as possible. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out so well. Our team, the girls' apartment aka The Flamingo Chicas, was having a hard time trying to get people involved so I agreed to help with a few competitions but not all of them. So, of course, they had me in arm wrestling, dodge-ball, and tug of war. I didn't think it would be such a big deal and that I wouldn't get hurt... I was wrong...


*Rope burn that stretched from my wrist up to my shoulder*


*Bruise from the rope straining and rubbing against my arm and one of the girl's fists being pinned under my arm during the matches*

LOL! Sorry if this grosses any of y'all out, out there in internet world. Fortunately, these "battle scars" were worth it because in the end our dorm (apartments) won overall! So I'm proud of my girls for working so hard and participating as much as they did and could! Go Flamingo Chicas!! :)

Moving on to other things going on in my life, right now its the last few weeks of the semester here at our school so of course projects are in the processing of being made and turned in. Luckily I finished one of three of mine (12 page paper on the Egyptian gods of the underworld, focusing primarily on Osiris, Isis and Horus). It wasn't fun typing and constructing but it was fun researching and finding out all these different myths and stories connected to these gods. After researching various articles and 15 or so books (including the original transcripts and translated transcripts of the Book of the Dead and Plutarch's "On Isis and Osiris"), I was able to get it done and with a week to spare. Right now, I'm just letting it sit and "breathe" a bit before I look back over one more time for revision and then I'll turn it in. Right now, however, I'm working on my other two projects: an interview paper for my Women's History class in which I had to interview an older woman, 60 or older, and tell of her experiences and how she could be placed in history. My other project, a group project, focuses on the debate of whether or not Christians should participate in military service and show the different perspectives of people from the 2nd and 3rd Century church and people's perspective today. Hoping to get these two done ASAP! We'll see... ;)

Moving on, earlier this week I FINALLY got my refund check from my school so I'm UBER excited about being able to use some of it to get my car. And then my parents called... they called me last night and told me that this woman had come to our house and telling them how she was working on behalf of our landlord (who we hadn't heard from in like over a month because for some reason he's in the hospital... please be in prayer for him) and was demanding our rent for the month or she would have us evicted! (Please continue to pray for my family and that we can get out of this house ASAP!) Unfortunately my family didn't have all the funds to pay for the rent and asked to borrow money. Naturally, I told them I would help them out however I could. I knew that that money had been given to me for a reason. By the grace of God, he gave me far more than enough to get some kind of a car and pay for the deposit at Toccoa Falls. I knew that the rest of that money was going to be used to bless and help my family or anyone else God needed me to use it for. Thankfully, years ago when I was first trying to get out on the mission field, I went through a type of bible study with a group of people at my college ministry that focused on the importance of being a God-centered steward of your finances. By the end of the study, I learned a number of things:

1) Anything and everything that I possess (clothes, finances, etc) were given to me by God.

2) Anything that is given to you by God will not just bless you but others eventually.

3)Learn the difference between what is a need and what is a want.

4) How to split your money: 10% tithe, 10% saving, 80% spending - first for bills and necessities and after that anything left over is for fun!

I also was blessed to hear my pastor at my church, 12 Stone, preach a series called "Economic Atheist" and explained how we, as followers, will trust God with anything and everything else EXCEPT our money. When we act like that, we aren't fully relying on God and really not believing in God to watch out for us and help us in our financial area of our lives. Not believing in God, no matter how small the area is, is being somewhat atheistic. We are either all in on our trust and belief in Him or not at all, we can't be lukewarm (God tells us what he'll do about that - Revelation 3:16). Just some food for thought... ;)

Any who, earlier this week someone was so "kind" to remind me that my 26th birthday was coming up in the next couple of weeks (April 21st). I swear, the older you get, the more your birthdays have the tendency to sneak up on you. Anyways, just to let y'all know I have no idea what I'm doing and in all honesty I'm too busy to really thing about what to do right now. So I don't know... we'll see what happens as it gets closer...

Well, that's it for now! Sorry if this was really long! I hope y'all have a great week ahead and to the students out there, hang in there! We're almost done! Just a couple more weeks! Love y'all! Later days!

~Jeanne;)

~Courtesy of www.catholicbishops.ie

Hey guys! Happy Easter to you all and I hope all is going well! Things are pretty much going right now for me...

Easter is pretty good this year! I went home for a nice 3 day weekend since we got Good Friday off. It was great spending it with my family, eating some good food and relaxing some (thanks to homework/projects... >.<). My older sister, Jess, sang at our church, 12Stone, for Easter! OMG!! She was incredible! She did Eva Cassidy's version of "Somewhere over the rainbow"... so amazing! The reason for the song was because our pastor, Pastor Kevin or PK for short, talked about how all great stories have the same general make up and structure of the first and greatest story ever told: the story of Jesus. He pointed out that all great stories have the same three basic components: We all get lost, We all need help and There's no place like home. It was such an amazing sermon and it had me and my mom ballin' like babies! We also became witnesses to so many people accepting Jesus as their Savior for the first time and we couldn't help but be moved and rejoice with them! God was there and He changed lives these past couple of days. So incredible! Afterward, we came home, decorated eggs with the kids and chilled out for the rest of the weekend! It was great... :D



Along with all this happening, I've been working through some things of my own (like that's anything new - ;) ). Amongst clearing out all the rubbish in my mind and heart that I'm trying to throw out that aren't true and focusing on things in my life right now that are good and pleasing to God, I can't help but feel feelings I hadn't in a very long time: the feeling of love. Now hold your horses before you jump to any conclusions... I'm talking about a few different versions of love (For those of you who haven't read "The Four Loves" by CS Lewis this might not make much sense but stick with me). I usually experience and know agape love (loving/caring regardless of circumstance) as well as storge love (love/caring through familiarity like family/friends) but recently I've felt more the loves I haven't and I'm not use to feeling: that of philas love (love/strong bond shared between friends who have alot in common) and possibly eros love (the sense of "being in love") have begun to resonate a bit more than they usually do in my heart. I'm trying to understand and figure out what exactly this all might means. In all honesty I'm scared... these are feelings I haven't felt in so long and I'm terrified of jumping to the wrong conclusion or getting hurt because that's how it ALWAYS ends up. Just pray that I can figure these feelings and situations out right now... it would mean so much to me... ;)

Well to end a happier note... I have about 4 weeks left here at Atlanta Christian College! I'm trying hard to finish strong and do my best on these last few projects I have to do here for a few classes! Pray that I can get them done on time and done well! (Trying to maintain my 4.0 GPA as I transfer to Toccoa in the fall) Things are starting to pile on top of me but I know if I buckle down, grit my teeth and do my best I'll get through it before I know it!

Well that's it for now! Thanks for reading and I hope that y'all have a great week and for God to bless you! Later days! ;)

~Jeanne;)

~Courtesy of DFW JobLog

Hey guys! Hopefully all is going well for y'all... Wish I could say the same here...

My family and I are going through some terrible financial stress right now. My dad has been out of job now for more than 9 months and its trying everything he can to find something, pretty much anything so he can provide for his family right now. My mom is the only working in the house right now and I know that's pretty stressful for her, trying to pay the bills and feeding 8 mouths including me and her. I ask that you pray for her that she might keep up her strength and not get stressed out. I'm so amazed by her and her hard work she's been doing to keep the family going. I love her so much! (Mom, if you're reading this, I love you and thank you for everything...) They've also been looking to move out of the house we've been in for over 5 years now. They've found quite a few and all are possible for them to get into but they need some kind of financial stability in order for it to happen. Please pray that this can be done! I'm personally going through some serious financial stress right now. I've been helping my folks however I can but due to that I've become broke and I still need to get necessities for the week (groceries, bathing stuff, etc). Please pray that God would start moving in a miraculous way, not just for me but my family as well...

I do have something to praise about: I found out this week that I've been accepted to Toccoa Falls!! YAY!! :D Now I just have to give them a $200 deposit and attend the Campus Visit Weekend... which is another reason why I need prayer. Again, no money and with my parents strapped for cash they more than likely won't be able to come get me in Atlanta and take me up to Toccoa (which is a 2 1/2 to 3 hour trip just one way! :/ ) or help me pay for the deposit! Again, pray that God's hand move in a big way right now! (more specifically, to have the deposit and the transportation to get there by Thursday!)



If you hadn't notice all the requesting of prayers right now, that's because of so much happening but more so I just helped finishing leading our first school sponsored All Night Prayer night here at ACC! We had about 5-10 people show up (people came and went through out the night) but regardless of that, it was so amazing! Something I hadn't experienced in quite some time (my college ministry use to do it and that's where I got the idea from). We talked about Lent/Sacrificing, Empowerment, Spiritual Warfare, Communion/Communing with God and others, Family and Friends and Community and prayed over all these things in our own lives and in the lives of others... it was some awesome stuff I hadn't seen since I've started at ACC. If there was one thing I can honestly say I took away from there it was this: Spiritual warfare is definitely at work more than we would like to admit and take notice of and my faith in God has been strengthen more so than it has been in a while. Thank God it was so successful and I hope that we can do it again and even more people get involved (maybe some teachers). There's no way to know or truly understand it except to experience for yourself... ;)

Well.. that's pretty much it for now! Sorry it was so short but I've got alot of stuff I got to get back to doing (homework, studying, etc.). I hope you all have a great week and I'll see ya around! Later days!

~Jeanne;)