And they call the thing rodeo

2 rodeos in the past 2 days. Cheyenne Frontier Days (the "Daddy of 'em All") and Scottsbluff County fair rodeo in Mitchell, NE. Definitely felt it was the appropriate time to listen to "Rodeo" by Garth Brooks on my drive home. Watched the bull ridin movie, "8 Seconds", with Paul & Cristine tonight. Yep. I'm definitely out West.

:)

Planet Earth

We're watching a Planet Earth episode right now and my 9-year old cousin was trying to explain a certain crab to me. He starts comparing it to a snail by saying, "you know how sometimes snails have eyes that stick up out of their head and..." and he continued describing the snail. And I go, "yeah?" and he paused and goes, "well it [the crab] looks nothing like that."

...

Hahaha cracked me up :) pretty good for a 9-year old.


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cool people I’ve met

I have met some really cool, random, interesting people since coming out West 3 weeks ago:

-a woman who previously lived in LA working as a paparazzi.  totally legit.  I’ve never met anyone from the paparazzi career field until now.  she was so fun to talk to!

-our first session at camp this week, I see this kid walk in with a “Rockford football” shirt on.  afterwards, I found him and it turns out he goes to the same high school I went to.  when he told me his name, I realized I knew who his brother was (didn’t actually know him) – his brother had bought a couch from my parents back when they were moving from MI to FL.  his brother was going to be going to Bible college out in La Grange, WY.  ok so then yesterday he comes to the session wearing a shirt sporting the name of the church I went to for awhile up in Michigan.  small world.

-on our trail ride yesterday, I was talking to the head wrangler dude and found out he just did his YWAM DTS in WY last fall and he’s thinking about going on staff there!  YWAMmers have like…an instant friendship because you’ve both been thru a DTS and know the experience.

just a few of the cool run-ins I’ve had out here.

did I mention I am absolutely loving this time out West?

Tornado Warning

This is what a tornado warning looks like...







Between the rattlesnakes and the tornado warning, this had been one of the more exciting trips I've taken to Nebraska :) I forgot to mention we found a dead baby rattlesnake today. Paul found it while digging up the snake hole. We think it died from either oil ingestion, drowning, or smoke inhalation. The reasons we think that shall go unposted. ;)

A few after-the-storm pics...









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My hero

Yesterday I decided maybe it was ok to walk around the yard at the ranch - we hadn't seen any snakes around the house yet. So I ventured out in my flip-flops. I spotted a cool rock so I walked over to it to get a closer look and came across a baby snake about a foot in front of me. It looked like a rattlesnake but it was too young to have a rattle so it was hard to tell. My dad came over with a shovel to kill it but decided instead to pick it up to look at it. So we're standing there inspecting it and my mom got close enough to see it and yells, "Charles!! That's a rattlesnake!!!" Baby rattlesnakes are usually more poisonous because they shoot all their venom when they bite.




Even after half severing it's head, it was still a fighter...


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Ode to the Coyote

To the coyote who woke me up with it's howling this morning at 5:15am:
That is not cool. You're not supposed to be howling after the sun rises. Plus, you didn't even have a pure howl. It was like a howl mixed with barking. Not a noise to be proud of.
Because of you, I will probably require more coffee today. Should you decide to have a repeat of this morning, I might have to try out my aim with the gun.
However, I can choose to have an attitude of gratitude toward you. And so I'll thank you, random coyote, because I got to have lots of extra quiet time with your Creator this morning.

:)


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Storm

Before the storm...



Heading into the storm...




Coming out on the other side of the storm...






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The green couches

This afternoon I'm laying low in the house we're staying at this week out at Maranatha Bible Camp. It's right on the lake and the living room windows overlook it and it's so bright and nice inside. I've spent the last 2 afternoons by the pool, so I'm giving my skin a little break. Plus I'm fighting a cold and felt more like laying low inside, spending some QT (quality time) with God.



The pic is dark but it's from where I'm sitting right now. Lake outside on the left. And the slit of light coming from the windows on the right? Every so often I look up just at the right time to see a body flying through the air. The blob. Quite hilarious because I can't see the blob or the lake thru that window. Just bodies flying in the air. Hahaha :)



And the amazing green couches make it. Totally.
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i will not fear

for the month of july, i am interning with my cousins’ worship ministry called Continuous Worship.  this week we are out at Maranatha Bible Camp right outside North Platte, NE.

this morning we led worship for the family camp that is going on this week.  ha – that’s kinda funny.  the 3 of us doing the worship are family, and it’s family camp.  :)  it’s ok, you can giggle.

this morning was humbling.

so, as colds always seem to have the best timing ever, I started coming down with a cold Sunday night and it’s continued to progress over the past couple days.  last night I skipped the 4th of July festivities in hopes of sleeping from 7pm-7am.  I slept from about 7pm-11pm.  then I tossed and turned the rest of the night.  I hate colds.  pretty sure they’re a result from the fall of man.  thanks, Eve.

(side note: if this post is jumbled and out of order, I blame it on this cold – I keep getting up every few minutes to blow my nose)

this morning I read through Psalm 103.  I love that Psalm.  these 3 verses stood out to me today:

verse 8: “The Lord is compassionate & gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”

verse 11: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him.”

verse: 13: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”

while I feel like God has called me to be a worshipper (as all His children should be), I wrestle with Him because I get scared out of my mind about being a lead worshipper – I don’t like getting up in front of people and singing.  but ever since I surrendered that to Him while I was on outreach in Norway and started trusting God instead of fearing man, I have experienced His strength and power over and over.  He is faithful.

so those verses in Psalm 103 were awesome reminders of God’s promises to those who fear Him, for those who trust in Him and His character.  so I resolved not to be anxious about leading worship, but instead to trust in God’s unfailing character.

however – lest I start relying on my own strength and not God’s, He keeps me humble.  about 3 minutes before the worship time started, my cousin asked how I was doing.  I told him I wished I wasn’t sick with this cold, but that I felt peace about being on stage.  as soon as I said that, I suddenly felt like I was going to throw-up. haha :)  I made a urgent trip to the bathroom and, sure enough, as soon as I got to the bathroom, I threw up.  :)  which was the exact reason I always turned people down when they asked me to lead worship over the past 26 years of my life.  I was afraid I’d throw up.  :)  because that’s what Jen does.  when she’s had to give speeches in the past, she’s thrown up.  it’s just what Jen does best sometimes.

it was at that moment in the bathroom stall that I was faced with a big decision.  either give in to this thorn in my flesh and run from the task ahead, or defiantly decide to fear God and not fear man and go forward anyway – whether I threw up on the stage or not.  :)

in the past, I would’ve fled.  I would’ve ran.  but I have experienced God’s strength in my weakness far too many times now to let fear of man determine my actions.

I didn’t feel like getting up and worshipping this morning.  I didn’t feel like singing into a mic with the altered voice this cold has left me with.  but I tried to do my best and let God take care of the rest (movie quote: Facing the Giants), voice cracking and all. it probably was a bit of a funky worship time on my part, but I have to trust God can and will still use me even when I’m not only weak, but sick and weak.  :)  and PS - I didn’t throw up during the worship time.  :)

later in the day, a jr high/high school age girl came up to me and told me she really liked my voice.  I was shocked.  I’m like, “really??  but I’m…sick…” and she goes, “oh, well I really liked your voice!”.  it was the encouraging reminder I needed – the reminder that God can use us even when we think we’re weak.

I hope that what you get from this entry (if you’re still reading) is that God is strong.  He is strong enough to help us face any battle that comes our way. and He is faithful.  His love for those who fear Him, who trust Him, is greater than the space between the heavens and the earth.

2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”