*Inconveniences

This morning I woke up to the very loud and piercing sound of my smoke detectors alerting me to a power outage. It is November but it still feels like summer around here so after 30 seconds of no air conditioning I got out of bed. The dogs started whining and I let them out. I proceeded to the bathroom and flipped the switch...no electric. I went to the kitchen and put my cup under my keurig...no electric. I will be honest other than laughing at myself...it frustrated me. I can't live like this!

Little inconveniences can be quite frustrating! They are annoying and are often time consuming. But in the middle of it all there is always something to be thankful for. When I finally realized that I had a gas stove that wasn't affected from the power outage....I put my tea kettle on and had some hot tea. In the midst of my irritation I found something to smile about. 

What about you? Is there anything in your life that you can just look past the muck and the mire and find something to truly smile about? I am sure you can....if you look hard enough :))

You Are Graciously Adorned!

❤ Jonna

*Assumptions

I like to help around the church office every once in a while. I heard my husband talking about his
incredibly early flight that he and our executive pastor had in the morning and I thought I would take matters into my own hands. I googled flights and in just a matter of seconds found a time that would fit them better AND much cheaper. One gold star for me!

Well to my dismay; the flight that I booked for him to the city of Charleston was to the wrong state!!!! Imagine my surprise when I got a call from him at the airport and he told me! I was shocked and embarrassed! Who would have thought that there was an airport listed in South Carolina and in West Virginia with the same city name?

Oh my face turned even redder when Don told me that the only seats on the right flight were in first class and they were a cool one thousand dollars! Yikes! I found myself saying, Well go for it! haha. Of course he wasn't going to do that. I hung up the phone and prayed. Oh my did I mess things up!
A few minutes later I got a call from Don and he said that a manager walked up and told him that they could get on this other flight with no extra charge if they left "right now". Of course they jumped up and ran and called me when they were getting seated. I wish I could say that all turned out great at this point....but their golf clubs AND their luggage didn't make the switch.

Sometimes when you don't know all the information and you are just looking from the outside in....you can make assumptions that it isn't being done right. The fact in this case was...the flight that they got was the best one available. I jumped in at the last minute thinking I knew more than the secretary who booked it...and made a big mess. What lesson did I learn?

Assumptions can get you in trouble...in fact you can think you know what exactly is going on....and later find out that you were FAR from the truth. Communication is the key and if I would have talked to the person that made the arrangements first...well this blog would not exist and my husband would not have a ban on me ever making ANY travel arrangements for him or for the church! haha.

When in doubt...do not assume anything...ask!

You Are Graciously Adorned!

Jonna

*Giving Thanks for the Little Things

"Only he who gives thanks for little things receives the big things. We prevent God from giving us We pray for the big things, and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet not really small) gifts. How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from him the little things?  If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even where there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith and difficulty; if on the contrary, we only keep complaining to God that everything is so paltry and petty, so far from what we expected, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow according to the measure and riches which are there for us all in Jesus Christ."
the great spiritual gifts he has in store for us, because we do not give thanks for daily gifts. We think we dare not be satisfied with the small measure of spiritual knowledge, experience, and love that has been given to us, and that we must constantly be looking forward, eargerly for the highest good. Then we deplore the fact that we lack the deep certainty, the strong faith, and the rich experience that God has given to others, and we consider this lament to be pious.
- DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, exercpt from "Life Together,"

ahhhhh Selah...there just anything for me to say or add :))

Adjust That Crown

Jonna
 

*Life is Like A Theatre: Invite your Audience Carefully!

Not everyone is healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives.
There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a DISTANCE. Seriously! It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of, or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible,not-going-anywhere relationships or friendships. Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention to how you are influenced.
Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones discourage? Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill? When you leave certain people do you feel better or feel worse? Which ones always have drama or don't really understand, know or appreciate you? The more you seek quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you...the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the front row of your life and who should be moved to the balcony of your life. "If you cannot change the people around you, CHANGE the people you are around."

Remember that the people we hang with will have an impact on both our thought processes and ultimately our actions. Jesus hung out with the down and out and the sinners but he influenced them in a positive way. In our lives we must have our focus and our eyes on Jesus who is the one we are watching and trying to be like in our Center Stage. We need to be striving to be like HIM so we should be surrounded with "heroes of the faith"...people we want to be like and who are going to help us be more like Jesus.

We never want to forget about the back row friends or those we had to place in the balcony of our lives. We should love and respect them as people but not let their words cause us defeat or cause us to REACT. We need to be people of ACTION that is thought out and timely; filled with the love of Jesus and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. My prayer is that those "balcony or back row people"will eventually be influenced by us and come on down closer to the front as we learn to not just be a disciple but to also disciple others.

          Adjust that Crown!
          ❤ Jonna
 

Burger King Crown

We all love a crown...even if it is a Burger King crown. I remember being a kid and putting on that flimsy paper crown and instantly walking straighter and holding my head higher. Then telling my siblings, "off with your head!" It is funny how even being a small child you realize the authority that comes with wearing something on your head.

Most of us would say that we are not deserving of a crown. In fact we would say that we are meek and lowly and would never be worthy enough to wear something of such value and title. Well I am here to remind all of you that we have eternal crowns that we will wear in Heaven so why would we not consider it here on Earth?

There are five Heavenly crowns mentioned in the New Testament that will be awarded to believers. They are as follows; the Imperishable Crown (1Cor 9:24-25), the Crown of Rejoicing (1 Thess 2:19), the Crown of Righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8), the Crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:4), and the Crown of Life (Rev 2:10). The Greek word translated “crown” is stephanos and means “a badge of royalty, a prize in the public games or a symbol of honor.” This word is used figuratively in the New Testament of the rewards of Heaven that God promises those who are faithful.

So if we are going to rule and reign in Heaven; why wouldn't we rule and reign here on Earth? Well I am here to say that is what we are supposed to do! We get confused about why we are here...we are to spread the love and the saving grace of Jesus to everyone we meet! We are the ambassadors of Christ! Since we represent Him and are actual kids of the King then of course we wear a crown...whether we like it or not...whether we think we are worthy or not. It is a lie from the enemy to believe that you are less. You were made worthy by the precious blood of Christ...not defined by your past or even what you did yesterday.

So straighten your back and sit like you are of worth because you are. No slouching...because we all know that causes your crown to slip. If your crown falls...well put it back on for goodness sakes! No one is perfect on our own. Now speak and act like you have the authority of all of heaven at your fingertips. We are to be a light to the World and to cause change and betterment of our communities and our homes...we can do this by speaking life and speaking the truth of Jesus.

Just share your story...it may not be much but it may be everything to someone in your path. You may see yourself as wearing a flimsy crown but Christ sees you through His Righteousness and that my friend is the most valuable crown of all.

Adjust That Crown

Jonna