JennieGScott.com - Page 9 of 22 - Enjoying the Journey
0
home,blog,paged,paged-9,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,qode_grid_1300,qode-content-sidebar-responsive,qode-child-theme-ver-1.0.0,qode-theme-ver-9.5,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-6.0.3,vc_responsive
07.12.2016

  Hey, everyone! I wanted to jump on here really quickly and let you know about two books that are currently a great price on Amazon. The first is a new favorite of mine, Grace for the Good Girl by Emily P. Freeman. This ebook is on sale for only $1.99! If you haven't read it, don't let this great price pass you by. (And if you don't have a Kindle or e-reader, don't worry. You can download the free Kindle app on any device, including your computer, and read it from there. Super easy.) Another one I wanted to tell you about is a new ebook by a new friend of mine! Cheryl Cannon has written a sweet little book called The Best Three Bucks You Will Spend This Christmas, and it's all about how to make holiday gatherings with your family a little more meaningful. You'll love Cheryl's voice. Great prices for these - let me know what you think of them!   Disclosure - affiliate links are included in this post....

2 Likes
06.12.2016

  Before you get outraged by the headline and assume I'm bashing being an American - don't. I love being an American. I get misty-eyed at football games when 80,000 people pledge allegiance to the flag and fighter jets fly over. I vote proudly (if hesitantly like this November), and I cried when I bought a soldier coffee the other day. So please don't assume I'm unpatriotic or say I should move to another country. But I was scrolling through social media this morning (mistake number one), and I had a sudden realization that being American allows us to be ridiculous in ways others around the world don't have the luxury of being. I watch the evening news every day (I've turned into my father for whom the world stopped at 6:30 pm), and I know of the world's wars, famines, and threats. I follow organizations that try to stop human trafficking, and I give money to relief organizations that feed and educate the poorest children. My Instagram feed shows me every day the life-threatening, desperate situations people are facing. But it also shows me how self-absorbed and hypocritical I am. How are we Americans ridiculous? Consider these examples: we spend money on...

5 Likes
05.12.2016

  I love to read, and while I typically choose nonfiction, I just read three fiction books in four days that I want to recommend to you. They're all super entertaining, and I couldn't put any of them down. I read them on my Amazon Kindle app (which you can download onto any device for completely free! If you have your phone, then you always have a book to read when you're waiting somewhere). The Good Girl by Mary Kubica. Oh. My. Goodness. If you liked Gone Girl and love thrillers, you've got to read this one. I could not put it down! Mia, the main character, returns home from being kidnapped with no memory of what happened and a new identity - she only knows herself as Chloe. Her well-known father, a judge, and her beautiful mother try to uncover what happened to Mia during the months she was gone, and throughout the discovery process, the book moves from one character's perspective to another and back in forth in time. You will not see what's coming - this I can promise you! The Wonder by Emma Donoghue. (The author of Room, if you've read that one, too. Very good but...

1 Like
04.12.2016

  Maybe I'm the only one who has days where I feel ugly, fat, and stupid. But I'm guessing if you arrived at this post, you probably feel that way too. Some days, for no particular reason at all, I wake up in the morning and just feel blah. Inferior. Incapable. Unable to move past the voices lying to my heart. Ugly. Fat. Stupid. I try not to compare myself to other women, and I avoid the 'keeping up with the Joneses' game as much as I can. But my enemy knows where I'm most vulnerable, and my Achilles heel is not feeling good enough. My weakness is wondering whether I'm doing enough and whether I myself am enough. So that's where he attacks. His plan to defeat me often involves degrading my appearance, and he's done it since I was 12. I know this about him, but knowing doesn't always prevent believing. Where does Satan attack you? Maybe he doesn't tell you you're ugly, fat, or stupid, but maybe he tells you you're a terrible wife. A distant mother. A sub-par business owner. Maybe he whispers that your personality is boring, or your giftedness is a joke. Maybe he reminds you of a decision you made...

7 Likes
30.11.2016

  When I learned my second pregnancy was with a little girl, I immediately had visions of tutus and hairbows. Parenting up to that point had consisted of Tonka trucks and John Deere tractors, so the thought of dressing up a little girl fascinated me. I left the ultrasound and went straight to the store, needing to buy something pink and prissy to hang in her closet. Today, that little girl is nearly 10 years old, and although I dressed her in pink and placed the biggest bows I could find on her tiny baby head, she did not turn out to be a prissy girl. She is athletic and strong, and she would rather wear running shorts and t-shirts than dresses and tights. Her dark brown hair cascades down her back, and a ponytail has become her signature look. But that dark brown ponytail has become the biggest argument-inducer between the two of us. She hates to condition it, hates to dry it, and hates to brush it. If she had her way, her hair would always air dry and be full of tangles and knots. We’ve gone around and around about it, and every night I find myself asking, “Have you...

1 Like
28.11.2016

  Sometimes our lives feel like quicksand. What we thought was solid ground turns out not to be so solid, and it unexpectedly grabs us and pulls us down. No matter how much we struggle to escape, we continue to sink. We want to get out more than anything, but we're stuck. We are trapped in circumstances beyond our control, and there seems to be no obvious solution. Where are you stuck today? In a job you hate? With a spouse you can't change? In a financial crisis you caused but can't solve? Maybe there's no external situation trapping you - maybe you're stuck in your own thoughts. Maybe you're trapped in a cycle of self-hatred and depression. Worry and anxiety. Condemnation and doubt. Maybe your life is a combination of internal and external traps. I've certainly been there. It feels hopeless, doesn't it? Like you'll be there forever, and there's no way out. Every second drags by, and you look around at everyone moving freely while your own feet are in chains. You'd do anything for a change, but you've tried everything that didn't work. You literally have no control, and there's nothing you can do but wait. You are at God's mercy, and you pray He will...

2 Likes
20.11.2016

  When I was a little girl, all I wanted to be was a mother. Sure, I played around with being a marine biologist (who knew you had to be good at science?!), and I would teach school to my dolls and stuffed animals. I dreamed of being an ice skater when the winter Olympics were on, and I toyed with the idea of being a journalist. I considered different careers, but in my heart, I knew my greatest desire was to be a mom. And now I am.   I'm the mom of two incredible human beings, and God has given me the desire of my heart. But man, is it ever hard. Before I gave birth, I knew exactly what kind of mom I would be. I'd be patient all the time, my house would always be tidy, and I'd be a phenomenal cook. But according to these standards, I'm actually a colossal failure. I lose my patience daily, my house looks like a tornado blew through, and my cooking would make Rachael Ray grimace. I am not the mom I thought I'd be, and I'm willing to bet you're not, either.  I heard from a friend recently who said, "I always wanted kids and never...

1 Like
17.11.2016

  I know it isn't what you planned. The life you're living right now - the schedule you keep, the unexpected twists and turns, the dissatisfaction you feel - it isn't exactly what you pictured, is it? The child born with special needs. The child you're praying for but still haven't conceived. The job you lost without explanation. The husband who left and gave another his name. The bills you can't pay and the house you can't keep. The family that's imploding. The diagnosis that took your breath. It's not what you planned for, it's not what you prepared for, and it's certainly not what you prayed for. How do you move forward at all, much less with peace and joy, when the life you thought you'd have looks nothing like the one you live? How do you trust that God is good when everything feels so very bad? How do you set your mind on things above when the things nearby demand your time and attention? There is a way, but the way is never easy. It's never natural. It's never obvious. The way is through surrender. Deep down in our cores, we all know we aren't in control. We know we aren't the masters of our universe, and we know things will happen...

2 Likes
15.11.2016

This blog post is inspired by the new book: Listen, Love, Repeat by Karen Ehman which releases today, November 15th! You can purchase a copy at http://listenloverepeatbook.com.   I won't deny that I'm naturally selfish. When life is in constant motion and I'm just trying to make it through my days, I become all about me. My focus is on what makes me happy, what is most convenient for me, and what is easiest for my schedule. My gaze is fixed inward, and my actions reflect my heart. But my heart needs realignment. You see, as a Christ-follower, I no longer have the luxury of being all about myself. I can no longer be satisfied with being selfish, and I can no longer be consumed with what is convenient for me. This world is not my home, and this world is not about me. My focus must shift to the Savior of my soul, and my actions must show His love to His people. With the call to love others is the call to listen to their hearts, love them where they are, and repeat. In her new book, Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World, Karen Ehman teaches what love in action looks like in our very...

0 Likes
11.11.2016

  To all those who have served this country: I can't begin to imagine the sacrifices you've made for me, someone you've never met. I don't know what it's like to leave a comfortable life for difficult training or to face your mortality on a daily basis. I don't know how it feels to say goodbye to your family and friends, prayerful but unsure of whether you'll ever see them again. I can't imagine the physical discomforts you've endured or the anxiety that's plagued your mind. I also don't know what it's like to readjust to civilian life after coming home, a head full of images you can never describe and a heart full of stories you can never really explain. And I cannot fathom, for the life of me, how it feels to be rejected, abandoned, and ignored by the countrymen you fought to keep free. Or what it's like to need care and rehabilitation but be denied those things. I don't know what it's like to be you. But I will not let my ignorance prevent my gratitude. You, sir and ma'am, are heroes in every sense of the word. You have forsaken yourself and put others first, risking all you value for all we value. You are selfless...

0 Likes