10 Interesting Things About The Jenkins

1. Ronnie and I met at a party after the Texas A&M vs. Tech football game. I noticed his brother first because he is over 6', but decided to talk to Ronnie first.
2. Ronnie asked me to marry him on Easter. He hid Easter eggs with scripture about marriage inside of them all over College Station. The last egg was on my couch with a gorgeous ring inside. 3. Ronnie taught high school physics, life science, and biology before he went back to get his masters degree in Ag Economics.
4. Ronnie and I both flipped vehicles before we turned 21.
5. Ronnie and I both showed hogs and steers in high school.
6. Drew was born 2 weeks early and weighed 10 pounds 3 oz. Kade was a month early and weighed 8 pounds 2 oz.
7. My brother Chad is 12 years younger that Ronnie's brother, Richard.
8. Drew can sing the "Spirit of Aggieland".
9. My mom and Ronnie's mom are both breast cancer survivors.
10. Ronnie and I can't wait to move into the country, build a house, and start running cattle.

Captive?

Hello Friends...it's been awhile. Between Kade and I catching the stomach bug, and Drew having a 102 degree fever I haven't had much time to type. But God is good and has shown me something new today!!! Do you ever pray for God to show you His will in your life, but no answer seems to come? Do you ever ask God, "Here are my options in this situation. Will you choose A, B, or C for me?" Do you ever feel like an "unanswered prayer" is keeping you from experiencing the wholeness and joy of God?
Well I have answered yes to all of the above at one time or another. I have been "in prayer and petition" for God to show me what step He wants me to take next in my ministry. I have been so worried about figuring out and exploring every option ( A, B, or C) that I have taken my eyes off my doing my Father's will today. The result of this wrong "focus" is that the enemy has had the opportunity to make me a captive and keep me from experiencing the abundance God has for my life. I am reading Beth Moore's book, Breaking Free. I LOVE it!!! She says, "A Christian is held captive by anything that hinders the abundant and effective Spirit-filled life God planned for her." The dictionary defines a captive as "a person held under control; made prisoner in time of war". Captivity isn't where I desire to be or where God desires for His children to be in Christ Jesus. In fact Isaiah 9:4 says, "For you (Jesus) will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor's rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian."
I have been so occupied in what tomorrow will bring that I have risked ruining what God is doing in my life today. I want to tell you what He has planned for us today is good...Amen?!! I want to be like Gideon. Gideon was focused on obtaining food for his family while they were being oppressed by the Midianites, Judges 6-8. He was obedient to the task at hand, so God rewarded his faithfulness and gave him more responsibility. We have to focus on what God is working in our lives today and let Him worrying about tomorrow. Matthew 6:33-34, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else...So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries..." This is where we find freedom from the captivity!
I have faith. I know, that I know, that I know God will show me what He has planned for my life. Phil 1:6, "I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." God has good plans for all of us..."plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future..." Jeremiah 29:11. What would happen if we had a willing heart? What if we were quiet and still long enough to truly listened to God like Joseph? When Joseph learned of Mary's "predicament" he thought he had two options. Option A- quietly break the engagement. Option B- have Mary stoned. Joseph was a man of integrity and God showed him another option. The God option...marry her. God's ways are higher than our ways and He alone sees all the options, like a pilot flying in a helicopter above a parade. We are stuck on the ground level with a view of only the float in front of us. To stay out of captivity we have to allow Him to navigate our course. We have to quit giving Jesus our options and asking Him to pick one. I need to remember God's words in Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." Praise God!!! His name is the "I AM", and my name is "I am not." Again, this is where we find freedom because "it break(s) the yoke of (my) slavery" and "lifts the heavy burden" from my shoulders. Guess what...you don't have to worry about figuring it all out. The enemy wants you to think you have to be in control, but God is able!!! We just have to pray for the God option in every situation and be obedient in the things He asks us to do today. Glory to God!!!

Merry Christmas

The boys wore their Santa shirts to our Sunday School Christmas party that Nana bought for them. Way to go Nana!!! I know I am biased, but how cute are these two little guys? Of course, as all parents know, when you get ready for a big event and try to take pictures something always goes wrong. We were all dressed in front of the tree; we bribed the kids to wear their hats, said cheese, and my camera battery went dead. Gotta love it!!! God is good, and our dear friend next door, Debbie, came to save the day. She did a great job! I love that woman!

In HIM my balloon is filled

This week has been interesting in the Jenkins household. Monday night Kade woke up, vomited, and then smiled. I thought to myself, "Why is he smiling?" Well he was smiling because he knew he was kindly passing on his germs to his sweet Mama. I came down with the same bug Tuesday, but I didn't bounce back as quickly as he did. Despite Ronnie's bad allergies, he picked up the Mr. Mom hat for two days and kept us all clothed and fed. You ask about Drew...well, Drew just kept right on being Drew, not one sniffle or missed meal!!! God is good! After a million loads of laundry, last night I was just bummed out. I couldn't exactly figure out what the deal was; all I knew was that my spirit had no joy. Ronnie had been sweet, the kids were healthy again, the house was in decent order, so what was my problem? Well, I finally realized that I hadn't been in the Word in almost three days. Duh!!! Matthew 5:3 starts the sermon on the mount, my favorite scriptures. "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." For a long time I didn't know what "poor in spirit" meant. I couldn't figure out why God wanted me to be poor in anything. Being humble, or poor in spirit, does not mean we put ourselves down and is not self-degradation. Being poor in spirit is acknowledging I am nothing without Christ. We compare ourselves only with Christ, and in doing that we realize we fall very short. But through our salvation and His grace upon grace upon grace we become daughters and sons of the King of Kings. We inherit the kingdom of heaven. Isaiah 57:15 says, "...The Holy One says this: 'I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble..." God tells us to lean on Him, but the world tells us to have pride and to be personally independent. Well I can tell you I am poor in spirit. I recognize I am NOTHING without God. Every gift and strength I have is from Him. To keep the spirit of humility James tells us, "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts (lead a pure life), for you loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done (don't be afraid to express heartfelt sorrow for what you have done)...Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor." Living a life full of humility involves leaning on his guidance and not on your own way. God's ways are higher than our ways and He wants to give us worth and dignity IN HIM. When we totally lean on him; He restores our spirit and gives us peace and joy that surpasses all understanding. Praise God!!!
After three days of not being in the Word, I felt like a deflated balloon. I was sad, moody, discontent, depressed, etc. I was being lead by my emotions and not by my faith. When we are constantly being bombarded with things of this world, we have to fill our balloons up with God's Word or we'll be stuck on the ground with the enemy. A Sunday School teacher from Seminole related this to a story about two dogs that live inside us, a black dog and a white dog. These dogs are fighting within us everyday. Depending on which dog we feed will determine which dog wins. Ask yourself when you are sad or things around you are falling apart, when was the last time you had an exciting experience with God. Was it last month, last week? If the answer isn't today, you have found the problem. I don't know about you, but I am a deflated balloon with God and His powerful Word, but with Him I am filled!!!