Life According to Jenn

Surprise!

2011-02-12T09:40:00.000-08:00

I bet you didn't expect to see this feed go active again, did you? Assuming it's still in your reader at all. I haven't posted here in months. This was intentional on my part, and not just a matter of letting other things take priority. For many different reasons, I needed to write posts that were only really seen by me, and so I've been writing elsewhere. But I'm ready to share again. So,

Sold for Sex

2010-04-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

Warning--This blog post is probably something you don't want to read, and it links to a post that you almost certainly don't want to read. But you SHOULD read them. I read this yesterday during my lunch break, and it stopped me in my tracks and broke my heart. I sat at my desk at work, staring straight ahead, unseeing, blinking back tears. My mind raced, my heart pounded, my head swam. How can

Wanting Love

2009-11-25T07:41:00.000-08:00

He just wants love.Of course, he won't tell you this, not in so many words, but the truth of it lurks just beneath the tough "I don't care" attitude he wears like a cloak. It has its influence in every decision he makes, every word he says, every look he gives. Though it can be difficult to detect beneath the cigarette smoke and profanity, though the half-closed eyes and drawled speech and uncut

Inspiration

2009-11-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

I'm breaking my (unintentional!) silence today to point you to another blog.I discovered Stuff Christians Like by Jon Acuff a few months back, and, like the other 75,000-90,000 people who read that blog, I've found it witty and challenging all at once. Of his recent posts, I especially appreciated this one--because it addresses something I do ALL the time.Yesterday, Jon wrote of his desire to use

The Agony Ride

2009-07-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

Every July, as the month draws to a close, people gather in the beautiful Sierra Valley in the high mountains of California. They come from various parts of the country and different walks of life, each with his or her own memories and stories and reasons for being there. Together they paint a picture of the larger body of Christ.They are ordinary people, these folks who gather once a year, this

On Writing

2009-07-22T21:33:00.000-07:00

I sit at the computer, fingers hovering over the keyboard. Staring off into space, I let my mind wander, thoughts and feelings and ideas jumbling together into a heap of confusion. I have no idea how to express what I want to say. Hesitantly, I peck out a few words, think better of it, and press the delete key until my screen is blank again. This is my writing process--sifting through thoughts,

Wonder

2009-07-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

I want to be passionate about this life I'm living, to grab it by both horns and go for it with everything I'm worth. I don't ever want it to be a habit, a go-to-work-then-go-to-bed-then-do-it-all-over-again kind of thing that is routine. I want to approach each day with wonder, amazed by the universe, its God, and the people He created, living my life in a constant state of gratitude and

Missing Creativity

2009-07-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

The last few months have been filled with teaching and learning and working, with graduations and memorials and family visits, with weekend trips and outdoor adventures and time with friends--in short, with the moments and events that shape a life. And so, because the number of minutes in a day is finite, other things, important things, have gone undone. My creative outlets have been neglected:

Twenty-Five

2009-04-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, Sesame Street was one of my favorites. They always had a part of the show that was "brought to you by" a particular letter. Well, today's blog post just happens to be brought to you by the number 25! Are you excited?In honor of 25, here are 25 random facts:1)25 is the smallest square that is the sum of 2 squares (3^2 + 4^2)2)The atomic number of manganese is 25.3)Twenty-five is

Save the Words!

2009-03-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

Every year, hundreds of words are dropped from the dictionary. These words are perfectly good words, beautiful words, useful words, fun words--but nobody uses them anymore. And so they are doomed to be outcast, not even really recognized as words any longer--for really, if it can't be found in the dictionary, do we even consider it worthwhile?"But wait!" you exclaim upon learning of this sad fact

Back to the Basics

2009-03-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

God has seemed distant to me in the past few weeks. He is Someone whose songs I sing on Sunday morning, whose words I read during the week, but whose face and voice are lost to me amidst the daily details of life. And, while I know that valleys and times of silence are a normal and expected part of this Christian walk, I find myself wondering what I have done to seek Him lately. Have I made the

Square Root Day

2009-03-03T21:25:00.000-08:00

Because I'm a nerdy engineer (and proud of it!), I thought I'd take a break from the usual* content of Life According to Jenn and wish you a Happy Square Root Day (3/3/09). In all honesty, I think it should be perfect square day and have the true square root day be 9/3/03, but nobody else is calling it that. Perhaps this is wise--who wants to be a perfect square?When I googled "square root day",

Feed My Sheep

2009-02-18T22:05:00.000-08:00

In the vain privacy of my own heart, I proudly gather my filthy rags and place them before Him. Look, Lord. See how much I have done for You?And, with echoes of a biblical account, He responds.Jennifer Marie, do you love me?Flustered, expecting praise and gratitude and receiving instead this question, I answer. You know I do, Lord. Why, look at this evidence. Flourishing one of the stained scraps

Thru Jenn's Lens

2009-02-11T21:46:00.000-08:00

I've started a bit of an experiment. You should check it out.http://thrujennslens.etsy.com/Please do let me know what you think regarding layout, prices, publicity, and anything else that might be relevant. I'll be honest and say that I'm not really sure what I'm doing yet, and would love to have any feedback from people who know better than I about business-type stuff. And if it flops, it flops

Looking Forward

2009-02-11T21:43:00.000-08:00

I was a senior in high school, counting down the days and hours until graduation, when I could finally shake the dust of my sleepy little hometown from my feet and move on to bigger and better things. To pass the time and to save a bit of money (and, as my parents said, to help me appreciate the value of a college education), I worked as a courtesy clerk in the only grocery store in town. My

Grace

2009-01-31T22:47:00.000-08:00

He calls to me during a conversation with another believer, planting a whisper in this stubborn heart. A small Voice hints that something is not right, that this dark chamber in my mind defies the Light that is within me, that my attitude is not what it should be. At first, I ignore His quiet prodding and proceed in my own way. Isn't He being a bit unreasonable, anyway? This is just a small

A Historic Moment

2009-01-20T08:30:00.000-08:00

Just in case you've been hiding under a rock for the past three months, today we will witness a "historic moment", "the beginning of an era", and "hope and change" in spades.I don't want to belittle the moment, because it really does show how far we've come. At noon today, an African-American will hold the highest office in the country and will be the leader of the free-world, a seemingly

That Was Then

2009-01-07T22:07:00.000-08:00

Another Sunday morning comes, another open sharing time for the community of believers we have come to call home. It is mostly a prayer time, but some use it for the telling of stories, for giving small snippets or anecdotes about things that have occurred since we last met. My engineering mind rebels against such practice--I appreciate short, concise requests that get directly to the point and

How much do you have to hate somebody?

2008-12-23T18:07:00.001-08:00

Life has been wildly busy lately with work and Christmas parties and making gifts and the like, and so this blog (and, for that matter, my photo-blog) has been lonely and neglected. Hopefully, that will change soon.But until then, here is something that made me think. (h/t to American Catholic)

Sorrow

2008-12-08T22:14:00.000-08:00

The news comes, and with it a heaviness, a sadness that wraps itself around me like a blanket. Lies have been heeded, truth ignored, and a precious, innocent life has paid the price as a result. A life that was unique, special, wanted. A child who had been offered a home, a place where he would be loved and cherished and taught of a God who loves and cherishes him infinitely more. A wee one who

Trek

2008-11-20T21:39:00.000-08:00

A clear, crisp, beautiful autumn Saturday with no obligations, no plans, no commitments. Daylight hours grow shorter each week and the weather slides toward frosty winter, so we head out on the trail to enjoy creation with friends while nature is still friendly toward visitors.The first of the season's storms have already blown through the Sierras, leaving a generous coating of snow in their wake

An Open Letter to Focus on the Family

2008-11-20T21:30:00.000-08:00

Dear Focus on the Family,You are better than this.There are important battles to be fought, critical cultural issues to be addressed, crucial points to which we must cling as faithful Christians. What retailers call December 25th is NOT one of them.Christ is not taken out of Christmas when people begin to say "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings"--He was removed from that holy day long before

Advent Conspiracy

2008-11-13T22:05:00.000-08:00

Ann, over at Holy Experience, posted this video and it made me think.I realize that I just had a mini-rant about stores already playing Christmas music, but somehow, it doesn't seem too early to start thinking about ways to make a positive difference this holiday season.It's not that I have anything against giving gifts, either. I'm not trying to be a Scrooge or a Grinch. I enjoy the process,

In Gratitude

2008-11-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. --Winston Churchill.Churchill was speaking of a specific group of soldiers (the R.A.F fighter pilots) in a specific battle (the Battle of Britain in 1940), but the statement holds true today. From the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror to the great world wars, from Iwo Jima to Gettysburg to the Battle of Yorktown, the

Clarification

2008-11-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

Oops ... I guess I need to clarify something in yesterday's post. A friend of mine found the Star Wars video on YouTube and posted it on Facebook ... I don't actually know the guy who did it. I do know some very talented people, just not this talented person :). Sorry for the confusion!