Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Praying for peace

It's August Again!

I know it's a good thing to be here with family and friends.  It's just hard.  August is such a hard month because that's when Daddy died.  I can't seem to get that out of my mind.  No matter how hard I try not to think about losing him, I do.

It lies beneath the surface of it all.  In the pressure, in the stress, in the laughter, in the mirror, in my every day life, it's just there.

So every year that school starts, I'm thinking it's another year without him.  I'm thinking about laughing and talking with him.  I'm thinking about him telling me to stop worrying.  I'm thinking about the last time that I saw him or heard his voice.  I'm trying to make sure that I remember, because sometimes I wonder if I'll forget.

I cry a lot in August.  I laugh a lot too!

I've come to accept this new normal.  This life I live without him...but I miss him so much.

And so today, I pray.  I pray for peace and comfort for everyone of us who's experienced this heartache.  My prayer is for us to lift our heads up and know that as we go on, we take them with us. I pray that we know that there is hope in our Savior.

                                                                                                   JourneywithJennifer

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Camp with Jesus!!

This year was awesome! Not only did I see the growth in my kids over this last year, but also in me!! We were all willing to take on new challenges and face our fears head on!!  We supported each other!! We cheered each other on!! We talked about some things we should have done, which means we set goals for next year! We laughed a lot and shed a few tears!! 

I'm so proud of all of our Campers! I hope they know how much they accomplished and that it's okay to celebrate themselves!!!

I can honestly say that we had lots and lots of fun!! Yes we were tired and worn out, but we were so excited! There was much to see and do and there was time to share the goodness of God!  God is awesome and He was there with us every single day!!  We danced, we sang, we praised His name!! From the rainy days to days filled with blue skies and sunshine, He was there!  We were happy and grateful to be there with Him.
 
Every night we had time to praise and worship God.  Our Pastor was there to share God's word with us.  We had several kids accept Jesus into their hearts for the very first time.  There were some who rededicated their lives to Him.  I cannot express in words how much this touched our hearts!!

Many of us know how much we need Him in our lives.  We know that without Him, we are nothing and we want to see everyone come to know Christ.  We love our kids and want the very best for them.  So when they accept Jesus, His goodness, His grace and mercy, we know what that really means for them.  It means everything!!

One of my favorite days was riding in the canoe, drifting along watching the water shift back and forth, taking in all the beauty of God's earth!  I felt the sun on my face and the wind in my hair.  I felt the peace of God.  It's so easy to get caught up in life and never take the time to just rest in His presence on His earth.  There's just something about being at Camp with Jesus that makes me want to go again and again :-)

                                                                                                             Jennifer Edwards
                                                                                                              (JourneywithJennifer)
 

 

Sunday, February 1, 2015

90 Day Challenge - Week 4

I think that I've found a good rhythm.  I'm faithfully taking my products and drinking water.  I'm super proud of myself.  I am not even sure that I had more than a cup of water each day prior to starting It Works in October.  So this is huge for me.

I don't drink as much diet soda these days.  I find myself wanting to drink more water each and every day.  I couldn't have made this statement a year ago.  It's amazing the difference a year makes or even a month.

I'm finishing up my cleanse phase and getting ready to lose.  I'm excited and I will say that I am a little intimated by the challenge.  I've never been great at weight loss and healthy eating.  Let's be real here... I started this blog a few years ago and here I am at it again.

I can turn intimidation into determination!  I can do this!  God has this...


                                                                                                Jennifer Edwards
                                                                                                Dedicated to the Wrap Journey



Sunday, January 25, 2015

How do I view life?

The latest series at my church is the 7 Building Blocks.  We started with Jesus is First.  Well last Sunday was about God's Word and how it defines our worldview.

Well of course this took me back to years ago when the world's view was my view.  I lived like everyone else in the world lives.  That's what I was lead to believe anyway.  So that's all I knew and it wasn't really working out as I thought it would.  I remember how much my life depended on others and not on God.  I realize now how little I knew. 

But God.. He's never left my side.  No matter what I go through in life, He's always here for me.  My best day alone was nothing compared to my absolute worst day with God.  My worst day was when my father died.  I am crying tears now just thinking about it.  It was on that day He took me...He gave me hope.  As bad as it was and is, He gives me more than I'll ever deserve.


So how do I view life?  My life, my journey has to be more about Him and not me. 

I want my life to depend on God.  I don't want to do any of this without Him.  I honestly cannot do it without Him.  So when I take my eyes off eternity (HUGE), I feel the world coming down around me.  And this world is temporary. I'll keep my eyes on Him for all eternity.  No matter where I go or what I do, I will always call on Him.

And no, I'm not perfect.  I share this because if there's someone out there that doesn't know Jesus, I want that person to know they're not alone.  No one is perfect.  I get strength from Him.  I am here today because of Him.  So we take what we have, right where we are and give it all to Him.  Don't be afraid to live.  Life begins when we accept Him who has called us.

                                                                    Jennifer Edwards ~Journey with Jennifer~

90 Day Challenge - Week 3


What can I say, it's been about three weeks now since I've been using all my products and I'm doing great!!
Every morning I drink my greens.  Occasionally I'll have one in the afternoon, depending on our family schedule.  I love the natural boost of energy I get from my greens.  I also take my Core vitamins each morning.  I feel absolutely wonderful each and every day.  I've noticed since drinking the greens that I haven't been sick or if I feel a little bad, I quickly recover.  I know this is due to the nutrients I'm getting.  This has truly been a no brainer for the woman who doesn't like to eat her veggies.
My evening routine includes my Regular.  I take anywhere from 1-2 each night.  The Regular has been really helpful for me in that it does exactly what it says. 
I love the products and cannot wait to see more changes in my life. 
 
                                                                                                Jennifer Edwards
                                                                                                On this Wrap Journey

Friday, January 23, 2015

90 Day Challenge - Week 2

I'm a few weeks into my 90 Day Challenge and it's not going as I planned...

I should clarify that I had a plan, but didn't do a great job sticking with my plan.  I didn't workout at all.  I am a little embarrassed, but I want to share the true journey as much as I can.  One of my biggest obstacles is I am trying to do too much at one time.  Something always overlaps and I end up missing something.  Add this to the fact that I'm a worrier and am completely guilty of making things a little complicated by worrying so much.

I'm going to try something different this week. 

1. Pick 3 things that have to be done each day.  Then add an additional 3 things that don't have the same level of urgency.

2. Take the 3 things and break down into manageable goals.

3. Don't overthink things and just go with it.

4. Don't spend more time than necessary on anything.

5. Keep smiling, laughing and loving!

6. Pray over my calendar... I need Him!

Anyone else guilty of being an overachiever at planning?  What have you done to make things easier for you this year?  I'd love to hear your system.




                                                                                             Jennifer Edwards
                                                                                             On This Wrap Journey

Sunday, January 11, 2015

90 Day Challenge - Week 1

I cannot believe it's been a week already since I started my challenge!  I'm still super excited!

I'll start out by saying that since I became a mother, working out has been a challenge for me.  I should also add that this was many years ago!! :-)  I mean it's been so crazy.... I would get an injury or have surgery.  I would have to work late.  Or I would not get to work out at all because something always came up!  I always felt like I had so many excuses.  But then at the same time, some of this is actually just real life. 

So I decided to start my challenge January 5 without having any of my It Works products.  I figured, once I received them, all would be okay.  My goal is to get back to a work out routine and I know this challenge will be key in my getting there!  So I went for it along with the excuses and real life.

Week 1 Lessons Learned

1. Do not work out without an adequate amount of sleep.  In other words, I need more than 5 hours of sleep every night to be successful.

2. When you workout 1-2 days a week, it may be a good idea to start on the beginner level.  In other words, I need to start out slow and work my way up to 4-5 days.

3.  Follow your gut instinct.  In other words, when something doesn't feel right, listen and take the appropriate action. 

For some reason,  I cannot move without something popping.  The very day that I work out, something aches.  I get up the next morning, and it's slow going.  It takes a little longer for me to recover from a workout... As much as I want to think I'm my 25 year old self, I'm really not and that's okay....

                                                             Jennifer Edwards (Journey with Jennifer)
                                                                                           On this Wrap Journey