Luke 2:6-7

"While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped
Him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

We have heard the story every year. The baby born in the manger to the virgin, Mary. The angels, shepards, and wise men rejoicing. The baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. But we so easily forget the depth and importance of this story. The significance. The humbleness. The heart behind it all. The virgin, selected by God Himself, who gave up all she had including her reputation to carry the Son of God. The man who God chose to stand by her side despite the embarrassment he was faced with. He had to trust with all that he had that it was really God's son in his fiance's belly. The long journey that the man and woman had to take only to find that there was no room to stay. The dirty stable that the couple was forced to stay in until the baby was born. The shepards that trusted what the angels said and left their way of providing just to get a glimpse of the baby boy. The wise men who traveled from far away and were threatened by their king. The sacrifices that were made by the man, the woman, the shepards, the inn keeper, and the wise men are so easily over looked. The story has become such a tradition that we overlook the small details that make the story what it is.
Even the phrase,"there was no room for them in the inn," holds great significance and tells the story of Jesus' life on Earth. John 1:11 says, "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." We, His own, do not even recognize our Savior and Deliverer. All He wants is for us to accept Him. especially during this Christmas season. We need more Christ in this Christmas season. Jesus is the best gift EVER given. Now, we need to make Him the best gift ever RECEIVED!

Merry CHRISTmas!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Daniel 3

"But even if the God we serve does not save us...

We will NOT bow!"

Psalm 73:26

"My body and mind may become weak, but God is my strength. He is mine forever." NCV

No matter who you ask, if they are honest, will tell you that they have felt weak in some way or another more than once in their life. I know for a fact, I feel weak at some point every single day. One thing I love about this verse in Psalms is that it is FILLED with hope and reassurance. "God is my strength." That is one of those phrases that can be heard over and over again but can never FULLY be grasped or understood. God is so powerful. If He were to fully reveal His strength to us, let's be honest, we would not be able to handle it. God made us to rely on Him and He knows what He is doing! He really does have the whole world in His hands. How great is that?! How can we not trust our lives in the Hands of a God who is not only strong enough to hold the entire universe but actually cares for what He is holding onto. He holds the universe, the world, everybody, you and me close to His heart. He doesn't just drag us around because He has to be holding us. But He cares! The second part of this verse 26 says "He is mine forever!" WOW! What an amazing concept! Unlike the things of this world (which God is carefully holding), God lasts forever! And He has loved us since before forever began and He will love us long after forever ends (Hey! All things are possible with God!) Although the materialistic things and the relationships that build us up for a little bit seem to make us feel good, the truth of the matter is, it can all be gone in the blink of an eye. But, the hope remains in the fact that there is a God who is stronger, smarter, and better than everything; all of the things that we so easily seem to rely on in this world. I get so confused and angry with myself at times. I wonder why I invest so much time in silly things or shallow relationships that always seem to disappoint instead of giving all that I am to the ONE who holds it all in His hands. I quickly forget that I cannot do it all on my own. In fact, I can't do any of it on my own. I am weak. My body and my mind have been weakened by this world. But, I have a GOD and a friend who is soo much stronger than I can every imagine. He is holding me, right next to His heart. And He will NEVER EVER let go. HE is mine and I am His FOREVER!

"Little ones to HIM belong,
they are weak but, HE IS STRONG!"

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

I know I have not blogged on here in a while. But, I'm back! With a lot weighing on my heart.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day..." NIV

So many times I have felt like I am just "wasting away" and I'm not sure I really have a purpose in this world. I screw up, fall flat on my face and ask myself if it is really worth getting back up, brushing off, and trying again. Sometimes the troubles of life just become too much to bear an it feels like there is just no hope or reason to keep pushing on. I know the typical "Sunday School response" to this problem is that "God is always there for you and He will pick you up when you fall..." I know that and I'm extremely grateful for that but, sometimes I don't believe it's enough. I KNOW it is. But sometimes knowing and believing are two different things. In 2 Corinthians 4, the last few verses describe why it is important to keep perservering PERFECTLY (God's good at that!) It talks about how we are wasting away, which is exactly how I feel sometimes. But, the part I love comes next..."Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes NOT on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." It is sooo true! And thats what I love about it. I try sooo hard to find hope in frends, family, success, belongings, and so many other things of this world. But these verses are just a reminder of what sould be obvious yet is soo easily forgotten. God did not make this world to satisfy us. Instead, He wants us to realize that He is the only thing that can truly fill our hearts. I used to think it was very inconvient that I couldn't "see" God (thats kindof selfish) but this verse reminds me that its BETTER that He is unseen. If we could really see Him then He would only be temporary. But He isnt! This seems like the basic information but, sometimes its important to remind ourselves of the basics in such a complex world.

"Do NOT lose heart.

God hasn't. Why should we?"

Ephesians 5:16

"Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times." NCV

Our world is clearly falling apart. It is so sad to see but we fight with ourselves about what we should do. I so often feel like I am too young, naive, or too small to make a difference in such a BIG world. It kills me to look around and see much hurt in the world. Our first reaction is to question, "Where is God in the middle of all of this?" It is so hard to trust that He has AMAZING plans for HIS children and the world that HE created so long ago. It is strange to imagine how much different things were when Jesus walked along the dirt of this world. But, it is also funny to think about how so much remains the same. The hatred, the fighting, the selfishness, the pain, the fear: it's all still alive today like it was back then. Why haven't things change? We acknowledge what is going on around us enough to complain for our own selfish reasons. But, when it comes around to actually DOING something for OTHERS, we just sit back and wait for someone else to do it. The celebrities that we SO admire are in other countries helping others but, it also makes you question their TRUE motives (which is sad). I cannot seem to wrap my hands around the fact that I am not the only one that matters in this gigantic world. I may watch the news or listen to my teachers ramble on about what is/has happened all around the world but, I still fear that I couldn't do enough to make difference. So, I just change the channel or start to day-dream about something that directly effects me and continue on in my own little unimportant world. I don't stop and think about ALL the people that are hurting around me. I forget about the people who have bad lives at homes, who do drugs to fit in, who drink to escape the pain, the ones whose bad days have turned into bad weeks, or even the people who just NEED someone to LOVE them. I forget that GOD put little me on this big planet because HE, the Creator, has a purpose for me. I forget that God wants me to LOVE like HE loves me. I can never seem to remember that the Author of Salvation needs me to make a difference in the world. Even if that means just being a friend to the friendless, or just smiling at someone who is having a bad day, or picking up the books of the 'nerdy kid that no one likes.' God needs me to be an example of HIM. He needs all of HIS CHILDREN to shine HIS light. (Even when times are tough and we just feel like giving up). God needs us MOST in these hard times. WE need to start small if we ever want GOD to make a difference in this fallen world. SHINE BRIGHT!

"BE THE CHANGE THAT YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD"
-Mahatma Gandhi

Proverbs 19:21

"People can make all kinds of plans, but only the LORD's plan will happen." NCV

"I know that you can do all things and that no plan of yours can be ruined." Job 42:2 NCV

Lately, I find myself trying so hard to do everything right. I want to say, do, act, think, notice, and understand everything just right. It wasn't until just recently that I realized that I have NOT been LIVING just right. You can try and do everything perfectly and try and master all the areas of life. But, that doesn't necessarily mean the life is going to be perfect. I struggle so much with wanting to do things MY way. Until everything falls apart because I find out that MY way is ALL wrong. I do the things that bring ME happiness, joy and pleasure. Without thinking about my friends, family, loved ones, and even my enemies. I easily forget the reason why I am even on this planet. I can never seem to remember that the ONE that I should live my life for is the only ONE who can really do a good job with my life. I just seem to be WAY TOO SELFISH with the control. I have all these ideas about things in my life. But, GOD is the only ONE with PLANS and REALITIES for my life. I am starting to see that in order to LIVE MY LIFE, I must first GIVE IT UP! I must give it to the Author of Salvation, the Perfecter of Perfection, the Way, the Truth, and the Light, the Prince of Peace, the Healer, the Protector, the God Almighty! He is the only one that I trust to run my life. He knows me better than I know myself. He is the ONLY ONE who can TRULY understand EVERYTHING that I am faced with before it even happens. He is the ONLY ONE who knows the outcome of every situation before they even come to mind. He is the ONLY ONE who loves me with an unfailing love. He is the ONLY ONE with enough knowledge, power, strength, wisdom, patience, love, understand, and mercy that I need to face everyday. He is more than I will every be. So why do I still try to "steer my own ship." He is the ONLY ONE I should rely on to control my life. I need to trust HIM with the "pen" to my life story. I give up trying to do it all by myself. I want help. NO...I NEED HELP! I want to, and need to, give God control. I need to make sure my plans are in sync with God's plans because...
GOD'S PLANS ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT FOLLOW THROUGH!

"LORD, HAVE YOUR WAY IN ME!"

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."



The world has so many ways of describing and showing love. But, is it REALLY love? In our society today, we use the word LOVE so loosely. "I LOVE this..." "I LOVE that..." But, is it REALLY love? We all tend to fall into the world's ideas of what love is. But, is it REALLY love? The last thing we ever love to for a description of love is the only One we can truly find it from. We don't seem to turn to the only place where we can get a true definition, and example, of what LOVE is! LOVE is more than just a word. It is more than an emotion. Real LOVE is a way of living. In order to really live a life of LOVE, we must devote ourselves to living a life the pleases the Only One who can ever master every aspect of TRUE LOVE! In order to experience what it means to fully LOVE someone we need to learn how to focus more on GOD's example of love and less on the world's idea of love. We need to stop taking love soo lightly because LOVE is sooo much stronger, better, and beautiful than we can ever truly imagine. I know I am SOOO not the love doctor or expert. But, I do know that I am loved by my Almighty Creator. I do know that I am soo not deserving. I can honestly say that LOVE is more amazing than my wildest dreams because if the GOD of the universe can TRULY LOVE someone like ME, than it has to be powerful. I want to learn to be patient, and kind. I want to stop being jealous, prideful, rude, self-seking, or easily angered. I want to erase all records of wrongs. I need to rejoice in the truth. I want to protect, trust, hope, and persevere through CHRIST. Then, and only then, will I be able to love with God's LOVE!

I [am learning to] LOVE you!

Ecclesiastes 9:17

"The quiet words of a wise person are better than the shouts of a foolish ruler" (NCV).

Lately, I have been learning the value of words. I recently came down with a sore throat that makes it feel like there is a knife in my throat everytime I try to talk or sing. (Those are the two things I like to do the most!) On Sunday, it got really bad so I decided it was best to just stop trying to make it work with me. On Monday, I stopped talking all together, it was definitely a challenge. But, it was worth it! Yesterday, I relied on whispers to be my mesengers. Last night, I tried singing for the first time in two days (which is like 400 years in my world!) It sounded terrible, and it hurt. But, I was soon able to start talking normal again. I knew being able to sing again would come sooner or later. I just hoped for sooner! The worst part of all is that I am supposed to be singing in our city's talent show this Friday!
Why am I sharing this?
Well, I am learning a lot because of this. I am learning that, as much as you may not want to admit it, God's plan isn't always the same ours. I am also learning that God really is in control and, He is good at what He does! (If you let Him do His job!) I'm also learning to be patient and wait on the Lord. Last but not least, I am learning to give God all the glory in ALL that we do!
So, if my voice is fully back soon...PRAISE GOD!
If my throat stops hurting quickly...PRAISE GOD!
Whether or not my performnce is good on Friday...PRAISE GOD!
In all the you do, say, think, feel, want, recieve...PRAISE GOD!
HE IS WORTH IT!

In the beginning...

My name is Jessica Dunn. I have big plans for my life. But, I am beginning to grasp the fact that my plans and God's plans may not always match up. I have been taught the hard way that I am not in control. But, just like all students, you may not necessarily learn everything that you've been taught. I know that life is a struggle because I have lived through many trials thus far. I cannot begin to understand the power of God's love and grace but, I know it's real and true! I cling to the fact that one day I will dance in heaven with my best friend, Jesus Christ. I strive to live more and more like Jesus everyday. Even though, I know that that goal may never completely be fulfilled. I desire to live a holy and pleasing life though I know I mess up a LOT! I want someday to hear God say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." I cling to James' words, "Consider it PURE JOY, my brothers [and sisters], whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." I know that I am perfect in God's eyes but, I struggle with only looking at myself through the eyes of this world. I know that I am loved by my creator but, I struggle with noticing that this world doesn't care for me. I know that I am forgiven by the grace of God but, I struggle with forgiving myself and others. I know that God is all I could ever need but, I struggle with wanting more. I know that I am not the only one that matters but, I struggle with thinking WAY too much about myself. I am by no means perfect at all, but I am LOVED by my Lord and Savior. And that is more than enough for me! I don't want to try and measure up to any one's unrealistic expectations for me in this world. I am who God created me to be. I am broken and beautiful. Just the way God wants me! I am also a sophomore in high school who loves to sing, spend time with friends and family, play volleyball, write, think, text, talk, listen, travel, go to the beach, and just have a good time! I am learning to focus on the good things in life. I plan to live a drug and alcohol free life. I absolutely love nature and all its beauty. I have come to realize the things in my life that need to change but, I won't change for anyone. (At least I try not too!) I have been through so much but, it has only made me so much stronger. I am single and loving it! I can talk a lot about a topic that I am passionate about. I am praising God for the person He has made me to be! I couldn't thank my parents enough for what they have done for me. I want to use all my gifts to bring glory to the only One who deserves it! I can write/talk all day if I had the opportunity. Although, I am learning when to talk and when to just listen. I cannot take credit for the words that I have written because, God is the One who put all of this on my heart! I am falling back in love with my best friend. I cannot say that this is all that I am because, I am nothing without the One who created me.