MOVING!

Hey ya'll!  I am not physically moving!  I DO NOT LIKE that one bit!!!!  My blog is moving over to www.yakadoo27.wordpress.com  Go check it out!  For awhile I will have both up but linked together!  I needed to create a new name for my blog and I got permission from the ever fabulous Sam Glenn to use the YAKADOO in my blog title, after all he is the create of such a fun word!!!!  I learned the word "YAKADOO" back in 1999 at Acquire The Fire Day One!  It was FANTASTIC!!!!  YAKADOO means JOY FOR LIFE and I most defiantly have that!!!!  So, without further adoo go start reading over at yakadoo27!!!! 

Almost Wordless Wednesday

You may be thinking does Jennifer know that it is July?  Does she realize that this is a Christmas song?  The answers are Yes and Yes and there is a point!   As I was driving, which I LOVE to do, I was listening to random music on my iPod and "Hark The Harold Angels Sing" came on and I listened to the song several times.  As I listened to this song it came alive to me, the virgin birth, the angels celebrating!  It was a moment in time that we should celebrate not just in December!  As I take time to reflect on this song now in the stillness and humidity of July I am able to get a better image of what Mary had gone through and the celebrating that had gone on when Jesus Christ, the Messiah was born!!!!  I'm grateful that I heard this song in July.  I think at times we get so caught up in the busyness of December that we don't take time to truly reflect on the words of the song but rather we go through the motions.  So, even though it is July and there are no Christmas decorations up at your home take time to reflect on the words of this Carol!  Be blessed as you are a blessing to others!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mujlhR5VG40&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Rest for the Weary!!

In Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I WILL GIVE YOU REST!"

When was the last time you took time out to rest in His presences?  These past two weeks I've had the opportunity to go to some good friends "Camp Parker"!  They have a really cool little underground house!  I've had the opportunity to stay there.  Its peaceful!  It reminds me of spending many summers at Camp Adventure, the place I felt closest to God.  Its a great place to go because I get to unplug from the cell phone world!  At first I was frustrated but I learned how much I needed that peace!  And granted I did not take the opportunity to lay out under the night sky, it is no doubt God who created the star lite sky!  Take time to rest!  We live in a day and age where we want it now but yet we are so desperate for the peace and quiet!  The few things I cherished over these past two weekends were the fellowship despite sinking chairs, amazingly yummy home cooked food and the bugs in the bathroom!  Yes, BUGS in the shower brought a smile to this face!   Why you ask because it brought back memories of camp!  The shower how ever was beautiful clean clear water bliss!  If you've been to Camp you know exactly what iron, rusty water I am talking about!  The other quirk that made me smile was to keep the shower temperature "normal" you had to have the sink water running too!  :-). Its the little things that make me smile!  So, I encourage you to make a way to find time to take rest!  Be blessed as you bless others!

Scrapbooking

When you think of scrapbooking what comes to mind?  Beautiful pages with perslicely placed pictures? Hours upon hours of work put into one page?  For many it means different things.  I started scrapbooking when my daughter Lily was born.  I did it to create something beautiful for her to have.  I journaled some.  And I am grateful for the books I have made for her.  Timmy has a scrapbook for his first year that is not complete but I found great comfort in journaling about his time in the hospital.  William has a scrapbook for the first three months of his life.  My goal is to work on it some more!  Right now I am working on a scrapbook that has good memories but also brings along with it grief and heartbreak.  Why would someone want to put themselves through that when it would be easier to put the pictures in boxes?  If I were to do that I would not receive healing from the hurt.  You see Walt Disney World is the last great memory of us all together (minus) Josh.  There are happy pictures.  My ex MIL is in the pictures.  It would be sooooo much easier to cut her out.  The hurt would be gone but I choose to leave her in because my boys love her and she was part of that memory for them.  I encourage you if you have photos that bring hurt, dig them out allow the emotions to surface and scrapbook them.  It will bring healing and you'll be writing your story!!

Your children

Lily my oldest, she is 10, has been having a hard time getting to sleep at night.  She wakes up having nightmare's that Hyena's and bears are going to get her!  Or she also dreams something bad is going to happen to someone important in her family at night.  We pray every night for the enemy to flee and for the God of angel armies to be around her, before the door, in between the door and on the other side.  We also pray for the precious and holy blood of Jesus to wash over her!  We listen to praise and worship music that she knows too.  Last night was a sweet moment for me as a mom,  she started praying that the enemy would get out of her head and that Jesus would protect her!  It's a powerful moment as a mom when your child is praying and believing the prayers they have heard prayed over them!  It is so important as a parent that our kids HEAR us praying over them not just a dinner or when something goes wrong but each and every day.  For some it may be hard for you to do this because you don't like the way your prayers sound,  it does not matter HOW they sound rather it matters that God hears them and your kids here them.  Now you may be reading this and not have any kids of your own BUT there are kids in your life, allow them to see you pray.  You may be the only person they every see pray! 

"...future generations will be told about the Lord.  They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn--for he has done it." Psalms 22:30-31

Communion

I am not sure if I did a post on this or not but it means so much to me that I am going to write about it again!!!!  At my church, Madison Park, each Sunday during worship that are 5 different stations you can go to.  They are a cross where you can pin your prayer requests to it and KNOW that a member of the pastoral team is praying for that request throughout the week, light a candle, kneel and prayer, communion and finally anointing with oil.  I LOVE the fact that my church ENCOURAGES you to get up out of your seat and move around as the spirit leads you!  I have served communion for a while now.  I have served every Sunday despite my best efforts to get out of it one Sunday because I just wasn't feeling it!  I am BLESSED beyond measure to serve each and every week!  I can not tell you how amazing it is to look somebody in the EYE and say "The Body of Christ Broken for YOU!"  Sometimes they will tell you their name and it takes it to a whole new level because now you have made the connection!  What I find interesting is that you can tell the people who do it week after week because its ritual and then you can the people who do it out of the spirit moving them to do it!  The differences is that the person who does it week after week is going through the line quickly, just to get done.  The person who is taking the elements because the spirit is moving them takes it all in.  Takes that moment to share their name.  The savor the moment's of partaking in the body of Christ and the blood shed for them!  We have had some new worship leaders leading us in worship for about a month now and the ice BROKE yesterday!!!!  I can not tell you how AMAZING it was to be at the back of the church serving communion AND singing GIVE ME FAITH!!!!  The Holy spirit's presences was so powerful, I wanted to stay there FOREVER!!!!!!!!  My challenge to you is to serve communion.  It's not hard.  It does not requiring anything special.  All it requires is a WILLING heart to present the elements of JESUS CHRIST!!!!!!!!!

Show Us Your Single-Jennifer!

Introducing the author of this blog!  Jennifer Johnson
Quick Facts:
Age: 34 1/2
Height 5'11"
State: Indiana
Kids: Yes 3 beautiful children!

Past the quick facts!  I LOVE to have fun and live life to the fullest! I am straight forward and direct.  I don't beat around the bush!  My relationship with Jesus Christ is most important next to my family.  I have been back in the work force for about 9 months.  I was a stay at home mom for 10 years!  I considered myself blessed to be able to invest in my children's lives for that time. I am divorced but have a good relationship with my kids dad.
Going to church is NOT optional, it's what I do!
I don't smoke nor drink.  I won't date someone who does smoke!
I do not have any pets but would love to get a dog at some point in time.
I love listening to Christian music and going to concerts!  My favorite group at the moment is Third Day!

 My 3 fun, cute children!

Love the Peanuts gang!