The itinerary.

It's been a week since we returned home from Michigan and its almost time to hit the road again!

So where in the world are we headed now?

China!

It's my first time and I am EXTRA excited! 

Shaun has been twice already. He LOVES it!. 

We have the incredible opportunity to go visit our team of skaters that have been holding it down in southeast China since early December . 

(They will be there three months in total- just sharing the love of Jesus with skateboarders!)

Shaun will stay for a month. I will leave midway through to come back to LA.

To unpack.

Repack.

And head to New York City for another Fashion Week outreach!

The opportunities we have been given are beyond comprehension. In the natural we should NOT be able to do any of this- but with God, crazy things can happen. 

(Like being given 2 round-trip plane tickets to China!!)

So this week we are just getting ready to go.

Oh yeah... AND WE ARE MOVING THIS WEEK.

We aren't moving far from where we were living. Its just a fifteen minute drive. 

But moving in itself is a BIG job!

Not to mention all the other things we have been squeezing into our time here in LA... 

Like leading some meetings... throwing a baby shower... getting visas... painting... cleaning... 

you understand.

(PS. PLEASE pray for me... As wonderful as it all sounds... 

Sometimes I secretly just want to crawl in bed and sleep until my to-do list disappears.) :) 

With all that said, it's a total gift to follow Jesus 

and I'm deeply thankful for the doors He has been opening for us. 

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of providing for us this year. 

None of this would be possible without you.

For the Christian who is making big decisions.

A lot of times when I see Christians trying to make decisions there seem to be two extremes...

ONE is relying totally on self to figure it out- using all brain. logic. personal desires. finances. wisdom. and circumstances- to point us towards the right choice.

THE OTHER is totally relying on a "move of the Spirit"- using scriptures. feelings. peace. emotions. things other people say. and circumstances- to tell us where to go.

Both of these processes are motivated by great hearts, but they are unbalanced. 

God definitely moves through both of them, but neither method is my favorite.

The other day my friend Jesse and I were talking about this. 

Jesse used to be the guy that relied totally on an almost mystical move of the Spirit to show him what to do next. Essentially he would try to turn "off" his logic to hear from God. He viewed critical thinking as unbelief... by thinking critically he felt like he was doubting God's ability to function supernaturally. But God has been teaching him some awesome things that have revolutionized the way he makes decisions. He shared with me 5 things that he considers when he is making choices now, 

and I liked them so much I thought I should share them with you.

They are balanced. They are Biblical. They are fantastic.

When you are faced with big decisions in life- 

look at these 5 things to help discern God's will: 

1) The Word of God:
If the thing that you are considering does not line up with scripture- it is NOT God's will. If it does line up with scripture move directly to #2.
Example: If Shaun (my studly husband) meets a girl and feels like she is actually God's choice for his wife and he made a mistake in marrying me, the he wonders if it is God's will to leave me and marry her... Well, lucky for him, scripture tells Shaun clearly that God hates divorce and in marrying me, Shaun is not to be separated from me. Easy as pie. 

2) Peace from God when praying:
Peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit of God in us. If we don't have peace about something, it is worth reconsidering. God speaks to us in prayer so take note of things you think and feel.

3) Counsel from mature believers:

Find people who: love God, love you, and have wisdom. Their input will be helpful. They will see things that you don't see. Listen to them. 

4) Wisdom and careful thinking:
Ask God for wisdom and knowledge. He likes to give it and is glorified when we use our brains and think. Compare the positives and negatives when thinking through the options. Our lives are like a story book- it is okay to reflect on past pages as we decide what we will put on the next page. When we don't use our God given ability to think, it is like treating everything in life as a new book... and every past experience is its own book too. It's like if we were considering going into the Army... instead of looking backwards and saying, "Wow, ever since I was a little girl I have been interested in the military"... we disregard the past and try to face the decision as a totally new and separate thing. It can bring unnecessary confusion. Look at the big picture. Consider the past and the future. Factor in things like finances. Don't be afraid. You are smarter than you know.

5) Providential circumstances:
What doors are open? What doors are shut? Are there any awesome opportunities that have been provided? Any obvious supernatural provision? Factor those things in.

Sip on a lovely hot drink, 

write in your journal, 

read your Bible,

pray, 

& be ready to make some excellent choices. 

Hi! I'm Jess.

In case you'd care to know me a bit better...


1. What time did you get up this morning?
8:00 in the am. My alarm was set for 7:30... but I made use of the trusty "snooze" button.

2. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Les Miserables. It was BEAUTIFUL. All about the grace of God.
(PS. My husband cried. It was the second time I have EVER seen him do that, since I have known him!!! But shhhhhh... don't tell him I told you.)

3. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
I'm grateful to be living in southern California... but it would be fun to live even closer to the ocean. :)

4. What did you have for breakfast?
Vanilla Greek yogurt. Delish.

5. What foods do you love?
I am a huge fan of food. Italian- I can eat wayyy too much pasta in one sitting.
Thai food. Sweet potato fries. Sushi. You make it... I'll enjoy it.
However.... you should know... I am TERRIBLE in the kitchen. I'm workin on it... but its God's grace to me that I married a man who is an incredible cook.

6. What kind of vehicle do you drive?
We have a '98 Corolla. We bought it from my sweet Grandma Mary with 26,000 miles on it. I had a fantastic red jetta too, but we gave it away to our awesome missionary friend Mike Ausherman.

7. What are your favorite clothes?
Basically everything I wear was either bought for me as a gift or given to me second-hand. It's so fun. My favorite is when I am given adorable clothes that also happen to fit perfectly. Its the best feeling.
PS. Speaking of being given adorable clothes!- Yesterday I opened a gift from my sweet friend Hillary (www.lifeonsugarhill.blogspot.com). It was an extra cute shirt from her clothing line "Project Love" (www.projectyourlove.com).
I'll post a photo at the bottom of this!

8. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
Well... if I could go today... it would be home sweet home to see my friends in Colorado.

9. Favorite time of day?
Mornings. Love them.

10. Where were you born?
Great Falls, Montana.

11. How many siblings do you have?
One little sister, Meredith. She lives here in LA with me.
One older brother, Steve, from my Dad's first marriage. He lives in Montana with his sweet wife and daughters.
Two older step-brother, Matt and Nick. They are in Colorado.
Two brothers-in-law, Jason and Ryan.
Their wives, my sisters-in-law, Megan and Theresa.

12. Do you have any pets?
No, but my sister has a black lab named Lucy and she is often destroying living in our house.

13. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
My sister-in-law Megan is in labor RIGHT NOW. So excited to find out if it is a boy or girl!

14. What is your best childhood memory?
There are so many... but off the top of my head... one Christmas morning every gift we opened was something that had to do with traveling- like suticases, towels, a new outfit, toiletries... etc. It didn't make sense to my little self that was looking for something slightly more exciting... but after we finished opening gifts there was one envelope left on the tree for us to open. Inside was a picture of Cinderella's castle in Disneyworld and it said that in a couple of days we would all be going on a Disney family vacation! I cried. It was the best ever.

15. Any pet peeves?
I'm not a huge fan of people "verbally processing" everything they DON'T like. A bit of complaining is understandable... but excessive complaining drains me.

16. Favorite drink?
Hmm... on any given day it would be a grande two pump white chocolate mocha.

17. How many tattoos do you have?
Two technically. I got a white ink tattoo on my foot when I was 18 but it is mostly invisible now. And I have the one on my right arm.

18. What are you going to do now?
I am going to sit here at Starbucks a little while longer and set things up for this weekend's Model's For Christ leadership meeting. Thank you Lord for free wifi.