I thought it would be a fun thing to share some of the things I have learned, a few things I have experienced, and other stuff I just want to share from my forty years. It hardly seems possible that I would even say that I am forty years old. In many ways that feels very strange, but here I am. Maybe someone can learn a few of these things sooner than I did, or easier than I have. Regardless, I am who I am today because of all these things.

1. First and foremost, I am a Christian and it is the biggest blessing and most important part of my life. I hope you already knew that one, that’s my favorite!
2. I didn’t believe that God was truly real soon enough. I spent too many years joking about God and relying on myself.
3. Forgiveness is way better than bitterness. It’s what began the journey of life again for me and Rob.
4. Your kids are a reflection of who you are.
5. Never say “Never” to God…it doesn’t work out for you. (Well, it didn’t for me. I told God I’d never homeschool my kids, never get divorced and never be a missionary. See what I mean?)
6. Children are an amazing blessing…always.
7. Having stuff doesn’t really mean anything and in the end can leave you empty. Most of my life I have tried to hold on to “things” and never really was enjoying what I had been blessed with.
8. Prayer has power.
9. I have experienced many miracles in my life.
10. As a kid, I thought going to church was enough to save me.
11. I quit cussing when Colby started using my own bad words in context. Totally not cute on a little kid, not sure why we think it sounds great as grown-ups. Little did I know that that was actually a beginning for me to recognize the need for purity in my life and the call on my life to pursue it.
12. Some of my greatest suffering and sorrows have strengthened me in ways I never would have been able to grow otherwise.
13. I have three children…ages 21, 13 and 3. I have basically had one a decade. (I also have a beautiful daughter-in-law now too!)
14. One of my biggest prayers is for people in my family to accept Jesus into their heart.
15. My favorite treat is cake. Well really it’s frosting, but that usually comes on cake.
16. I had to be rushed to a NICU at another hospital shortly after being born.
17. A couple of the first jobs I ever thought about having was to be either a vet or to train dolphins. Pretty sure I just like animals. However, living in Iowa, there weren’t a lot of dolphins, and I don’t really like to be in the water too much.
18. I became a Christian on June 7, 2000 at Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque. This year marks 15 years as a believer in Christ.
19. I was born in Des Moines, Iowa. Not Idaho or Ohio.
20. I’d rather be by a river than any other type of water. A mountain stream would be great.
21. I quit college because I was convinced into being too arrogant to need it.
22. I can’t stand the “favorite” game. Like what’s your favorite song, movie, tv show, restaurant, anything. I won’t play. I pick several or none.
23. I have been in very dark places emotionally and spiritually in my life, even to the point of almost forgetting who I was and who I was supposed to be. It took the strength of God Who saved me and pulled me back up and reminded me of who I really was and shed light on who He wanted me to become.
24. After having a baby out of high school, I got married and moved out of Iowa right away to try and prove that I was ok and still had worth. I think I was more trying to prove it to myself, and was too afraid to be known as a failure. There is much more wisdom in trusting in God and waiting things out. He has a good plan for each one of us!
25. I love to go hiking.
26. I don’t like little dogs.
27. After making fun of Christians for many years, the first time I actually went to a Christian church, I felt super embarrassed because I didn’t bring a bible with me.
28. My heart is to be able to lead others to Christ by sharing my journey of faith and teaching the importance of trusting in God even when you can’t see what He is doing.
29. I love gardening even if I’m not very good at it. It reminds me of my grandfather and all of the time I spent with my grandparents growing up.
30. I have a sweet interest in birds. So beautiful. So fun to watch.
31. I am just now learning to play guitar. I have been thinking about trying to learn for around 22 years.
32. One of the hardest things for me as a parent is to not be a part of my teenage son’s everyday life. I have two ways to deal with it: I could be angry at everything, or I can choose to trust why the Lord has allowed it. I choose the latter, and may God be glorified!
33. My husband and I are in lifelong ministry together. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
34. One of my favorite holidays in the 4^th of July. I would just love to spend one Independence Day in Washington D.C.
35. I love teaching others about the bible and sharing about how the Lord has been with me through my life. It’s really awesome when I get to do that with my husband.
36. I want to travel and teach about purity. I used to just want a vacation, but now I want to be led where to go to minister to whomever He calls me to.
37. It breaks my heart to watch families crumble. There are definitely tools, boundaries, structure and choices to be put into place to protect kids and to save families. God doesn’t just hate divorce because it separates two people, but it wrecks everything connected to it too. This leaves lifelong wounds that while they can be healed, can also be made much worse before getting any better.
38. My oldest son got married a virgin, and he married his one and only love. They kissed for the first time ever on their wedding day. Purity is not dead and it doesn’t make you a loser. It’s one of the bravest, most self-less, most difficult and most rewarding choices you could ever make for your spouse. I pray that our sharing of his story along with me and Rob’s story can encourage others to make that choice for themselves and their future spouse.
39. One of my favorite bible teaching ministries is Truth for Life. If you haven’t ever checked it out, you should. Solid.
40. Philippians 3:7-14 “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

If anyone has questions about the bible, about my life with Christ, or to know more about what Rob and I do in our teachings or trainings I can be contacted here on FB, through our website (www.crossroadsclub.org), or by email at jennac@crossroadsclub.org.

Be blessed today as I have been richly blessed now for forty years. 😉