February 13, 2019

Shame is a Prison; Humility is a Highway: The Story of a Woman Who Loved Jesus

February 13, 2019/ Jennifer Blair

This year I really don’t want to post about anything we’re doing for Valentine’s Day. It’s not that those things aren’t good, or that I don’t want to celebrate my wonderful husband or do fun things with my girls. But looking at so many posts gets to be too much sometimes. I don’t know were your click on this post fell in your feeds full of happy faces, lovely dates, crafted perfection or special gifts, and I just don’t want to be another one of those this year. Instead, I want to tell you a story about a time I messed up.

I had just made one of those sweet, heartfelt posts for a special occasion…you know, sort of like today. I was happy and feeling the love. Later that day, the same special person I wrote about said something and I took it the wrong way. I’d like to say I responded in a loving and gracious manner, but the truth is that I didn’t. In my pride, I responded selfishly. And I felt pretty awful about it afterwards. I wish I could say I repented right away as well, but again, I didn’t. Putting something kind and loving online is a lot easier than actually being kind and loving all the time. Of course, I’m not advocating that we should all share our mess-ups with the world online. It’s just that what we say online and what we do in person are sometimes different. I’m no more immune to my own humanity than anyone else, but I carried around the shame of my words the rest of the day. I felt the dichotomy between what I had said and how I had acted, and it felt like a chasm.

January 01, 2019

The Secret to Being on Fire

January 01, 2019/ Jennifer Blair

To be “on fire” is often how we term someone who is visibly passionate for God, and the ones who seem consumed by working for God’s glory. It’s a good term. Rewind about 15 years, and you’ll find little teenage Jenny (as I was called then) sitting on her bed reading of the heroes fo the faith, and asking God to make her “on fire” too. I wanted to live out God’s purpose for my life with passion, all in and whole-hearted…on fire. But how does it actually happen?

I don’t know much about building fires, but I do know that you can’t rush it if you want it to be long-lasting. Sure, you can get a lot of heat quickly by grabbing anything flammable, pouring gasoline on top and lighting it. Will it last? Probably not. A truly good fire takes experience to construct. It needs the right kind of wood, kindling and design. Our lives are the sticks for the flame. God has created us with passions fit for a purpose in His Kingdom. The potential for flame is there and often the desire for it too. The problem with passion and wanting to be “on fire” comes when we rush God’s purpose or try to arrange our lives on our own. We feel a nudge towards our calling, and feel as though it must happen immediately. I sense God’s calling, so I want to pour gasoline on everything. I want the sticks to light. I want to see a tangible result in burning brightly. It’s easy to think God should make our flame start quickly. We’re passionate, after all! We want to follow the Lord’s calling on our lives. And then we look around us and don’t see it happening how we envisioned. Our sticks aren’t arranged how we think they should be. Maybe we question, “Surely my calling can’t happen here?” Or perhaps we look at someone else and think our fires should burn like theirs. We can easily presume that we know the way God should light the fire of our lives. We can go after things in our own strength, but we’ve all seen how that turns out: burn out. Lasting fire comes when we first let God arrange the sticks of our lives and light them in His time.

December 21, 2018

Starting Homeschooling: Our Early Journey

December 21, 2018/ Jennifer Blair

Well, hello old blog! I started this post in October…but then the hurricane hit our house and I lost my computer! So, here we are in December. Better late than never. I hope it is helpful for anyone considering homeschooling. Forewarning: this is very long! I’m sure that is partially why it has taken so long to pull together. My new normal (less work, more time home with my kids) has consumed most of my time, and things like blogging fall to the wayside. Still, I say all of that with gratefulness and excitement! I’m not sure when it happened but I realized the other day that the emptiness in me where my business had been no longer feels empty anymore. My new normal hasn’t changed much since I stepped back, but now truly feel content. The Lord has such perfect timing. He knew it would take me probably longer than it should to adjust, and has brought me into a new journey, with a heart fully ready. Part of that journey is homeschooling! Last year it would have felt like a burden, but now it is a joy.

November 30, 2018

2018 Christmas Tree Hunt

November 30, 2018/ Jennifer Blair

Well, I haven’t blogged nearly as much as I would have liked over this past year. I have lots of things in the works, but most of my ideas just end up as long posts over on instagram. It’s just easier I suppose than finding a larger chunk of time to sit down and blog. Regardless, I knew I had to document this year’s tree hunt! It’s become one of my favorite Christmas traditions as a family. The girls mostly played in the dead grass and dirt with sticks, but we managed to get a few sweet images…sans dirt. I barely remember last year because I had been in a blur of Genevieve’s awful teething experience and not sleeping much at all. That reason and many others are why I love making time to document our family life. It’s crazy how much has changed! Just scroll down a few posts for last year!

I could go on and on about this season and these girls, but I’ll save that sappiness for another time. As you can see from these photos, Eleanora and Genevieve are such fun, adventurous girls. They bring such joy and light wherever they are. I absolutely love creating these experiences for them. I hope their childhood is the most magical time, filled with lighthearted, fun-filled adventures, even in the simplest things.

May 29, 2018

A Legacy of Worship

May 29, 2018/ Jennifer Blair

Worship probably isn't the top word that comes to someone's mind when thinking about a legacy. Words like heirloom, character, stories, and love might be more common. But have you ever thought about the fact that how (and who) you worship will also become part of our legacy?

Scripture says we should pass down the worship of God from one generation to the next:

“These things we have heard and known, that our fathers told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generations the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might, the wonders he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.” (Psalm 78:3-4, a Maskil of Asaph)