"Ain't nothing sweeter than a Georgia peach."

Georgia...the land of peaches as my sister would say.

  This past week I have spend my time in Georgia/Alabama. What an incredible week I have had! I came down to Georgia for several reasons but primarily I came down to visit my best friend, Liv Lawnick. Liv and I met about 5 years ago at Newberry College in South Carolina. She was one of my athletes and I her athletic trainer. Liv and I did not become close until we both ended up moving to Columbus, GA in 2013. Now, if you would have asked me to chose one person from Newberry to bring with me to GA, it would not have been Liv. Liv and I were friends but not close and not someone I typically would call up to hang out with. We were in different stages of life. When I moved down to Columbus, GA, Liv was the only person I knew and she invited me over for dinner. Sense then our friendship has grown tremendously and we both have been through so much. She is my best friend. She is the person I can call up in the middle of the night and cry to. She is the person I can FaceTime 10x a day and not get bored. She is "my person." 

  I went on my first job interview for a physical therapist assistant position. The interview went great and I am eager to get started working wherever God leads me. I am not praying specifically for a position but just praying for God's guidance. 

   I turned 28 down here. Liv and I carried on our birthday tradition of thrift store book shopping! We both LOVE to read and kind of have an addiction to buying used books. After our binge shopping of books we went to get Mexican food at my favorite restaurant down here, El Carrizo. We topped off the night by going to Bruster's Ice Cream. Some may think, "What a boring birthday", but to me I enjoyed ever minute of it. 

   While I was down here, I also had a great opportunity to attend the Global Leadership Summit. I got to hear from some great speakers such as, Bill Hybels, Sheryl Sandberg, and Gary Haugen, to name a few. I will do another post on my experience at the summit later and go into more detail. I highly recommend the summit to anyone, even if you do not consider yourself a leader because everyone is a leader in some way.

   Another huge reason I came down to Georgia is to attend Cascade Hills Church. I talk about this church a lot because it has had a huge impact on my life and it is why I have a desire to be back down in this area. This church is AMAZING and I recommend it to anyone and everyone. This church gives you the opportunity to get plugged in as little or as much as you would like. Their is literally a bible study, small group, or church service you can attend and be a part of every day of the week. They do a really good job incorporating all ages as well. Living in so many places I have come to realize that my age group often times gets neglected and it's really frustrating, so I took advantage of the opportunities while I was here. On Saturday, I attended the Women's Fitness Group and got to meet a handful of ladies to workout with and fellowship with. Saturday night I attended the Young Professionals bible study. Following bible study I attended church service where I got to worship and here a great message from Pastor Bill Purvis. Following service Liv and I got to have a great conversation with Pastor. On top of all of that, we got to have shaved ice after church! Now, if you know me you know how much I LOVE shaved ice!!! 

   Today was the best of all the days here! I got to baptize Liv! What a great experience and opportunity! I am so happyy for her and I can't wait to see her life continue to flourish. 

   I have one more day down here and although it will be sad to leave my best friend and the church I love, I know that I will be back soon. I may even move back here if it is where God guides me. 

    After completing my 100 happy days and enjoying my trip down here, I will be taking some time away from social media and tuning in more to God. From August 16th - September 6th I will be fasting from social media. I need some time away from the distractions, the negativity, and I need to dedicate the time i spend on social media to God. I will still continue to blog as I feel more connected to God through my blogging and don't really consider a distraction but a channel for me to express my thoughts and spread God's word.

- Jenn 😘

   

Purpose Driven Life Day 15

Day 15, May 15th, "Formed for God's Family" 

  - God wants a family and created each and every one of us to be a part of it. Ephesians 1:5 says, "God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure." God didn't need a family He desired one. When we place our faith in Christ, God becomes our FATHER and we are apart of His family. This means all other believers become our brothers and sisters and the church our spiritual family. Rick Warren says, "Every human being was CREATED by God but, not everyone is a CHILD of God." In order to become a child of God you have to be born again. This means believing that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. "You become part of the human family by your 1st birth, but you become a member of God's family by your second birth." Rick Warren. The invitation to be a part of God's family is universal, it is having faith in Jesus. I know we think that our family here on earth is very important and they are but, our spiritual family is even more important because that family will last forever. Our family here on earth is fragile, the family can be broken from divorce, distance, growing old, and/or death.

BENEFITS OF BEING IN GOD'S FAMILY
   - The benefits of being in God's family are simple:
        1. We are given the family name
        2. We are given the family likiness
        3. We are given the family privilages
        4. We are given the family intimate access
        5. We are given the family inheritance
   - Galatians 4:7b says, "...and sense you are His child, God has made you also his heir." Heir is defined as a person legally entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death. "Here on earth we are given the riches...his grace...kindness...patience...glory...wisdom...power...and mercy but in eternity we inherit even more." Rick Warren. The 5 things we inherit when we go to heaven are:
   1. We will get to be with God forever
   2. We will be completely changed to be like Christ
   3. We will be freed of all pain, death, and suffering
   4. We will be rewarded and reassigned positions of service
   5. We will get to share in God's glory
Rick Warren says, "The eternal inheritance, not retirement, is what you should be looking forward to and working for." We need to look forward to eternity in heaven more than our retirement.

BAPTISM: IDENTIFYING WITH GOD'S FAMILY
  - Baptism is publicly proclaiming your faith. It signifies your inclusion in God's family. Baptism symbolizes your death to your old life and announces your birth to your new life. When I was growing up I grew up Lutheran, we were "baptized" as infants. Once I got in college and after college I started going to other churches and really felt that I had not truly been baptized. I did not have the choice when I was a baby, my parents chose for me. When I was doing a internship at Newberry College in Newberry, SC my baseball players invited me to church. I did not know they were doing baptism that Sunday but they were. I felt the tug in my heart to go up and get baptized. I went in my jeans and a t-shirt and was baptized right then! It was the greatest feeling! Now, baptism doesn't make you a member of God's family, only faith in Christ does. If you have not accepted God into your heart then being baptized doesn't mean anything. You have to accept God into your heart first and then get baptized. Baptism is like an act of initiation. It should not be delayed, once we accept God into our hearts we can be baptized that very day.

LIFE'S GREATEST PRIVILEGE
  - Jesus makes us holy. Being included in God's family is the highest honor and greatest privilege you will ever receive. If you have not accepted God into your heart and believe Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior you can say this simple prayer:

   Dear God, Thank you for loving me, enough to send Jesus to die for my sins. I believe he rose from the grave. I believe he is Lord. Come into my life and save my soul. Thank you for loving me today and receiving me into your family. 
    Amen


If you prayed this prayer please comment!  I'd love to hear from you and help you grow in your faith.

Point to Ponder: I was formed for God's family.
Verse to Remember: "His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by brining us to himself through Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:5a
Question to Consider: How can I start treating other believers like members of my own family?