LISTEN

This is going to be short and sweet, but it's on my heart so I wanted to share.

Friends...there are so many people that you are going to speak to throughout the day and there are many that are going to speak to you.

If I can encourage you today - SPEAK LIFE!

Surround yourself with the people who will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.
This may mean making some changes in your life - - - this is ok!
Sometimes tough, but also doable.

Our pastor spoke about this some in his message this past week; a reminder that God will ALWAYS send someone to speak life to you.  A reminder that you have to have people in your corner that are able to show you the bigger picture.

Sometimes, I think you have to be willing to drown out all the noise and listen to who He is using to speak to you.  What you need to hear can come in so many ways...

I can tell you - I'm a words person and my family and friends know this.
And my inner circle is small, but it's filled with people who speak life!!!
Within the past 3 weeks, my love tank has been filled just when I needed it most.

It actually started with a text that simply said:  "So while doing my last bit of homework for my Bible study, this question grabbed my attention.  I did end up writing other names, but none came as instantly and effortly as yours.  I just wanted you to know the effect your have on others just by being who you are..."  The question - In a world where Jesus followers often feel alienated, we can run to one another, huddle, laugh, and muse for a moment and almost taste home.  Whose company gives you what you think might be a foretaste of Heaven's fellowship?

I'm sharing this, not to boast, but to show - God will send people to speak life to you!!!

What this person didn't know when she sent that message was that is came at the end of a very frustrating day when my "mind" was getting the best of me and I felt defeated because nothing, and I mean nothing, was going the way I intended at work.  My "job."  What I get paid to do. And what I strive to give my best daily.

That text was a simple reminder that it doesn't matter what my "job" is day in and day out - what matters is the work I am doing for Him.

Speaking LIFE!!

We need people in our corner speaking life over our jobs.
We need people in our corner speaking life over our marriages.
We need people in our corner speaking life over our children.
We need people in our corner speaking life over our finances.   
Over our situations.
Over our hurts.
Our troubles.
Our fears.

And we need to be able to return it and speak life into those around us!

Take a look at the people around you.
Listen to them.
What are they speaking to you?
Drown out the noise, and take time to listen.

If  their words are not building you up, but bringing you down - you  may need to rethink the interaction you allow yourself to have with them. 

And take a good listen to yourself.
Are you using your words to build others up or tear them down?

Oh, goodness - we are so much better together!
Speak life to the people around you and let's watch this world change person by person!

xox

Failure to Thrive

Failure to Thrive.

You hear this a lot with pediatric patients, sometimes adults.
It's defined as decelerated or arrested physical growth and is associated with abnormal growth and development.

My parents were told this was what I had as a child; I wasn't gaining weight or inches.  And, unfortunately, that "title" stayed with me for a long time.

And I don't like this term, "failure to thrive."

There.
I said it.

In all honesty, I really don't.

And in my case, not only was I being compared to what an "average" child should be doing, but I have a twin sister I was being side by side compared to as well.

Failure to thrive.
How dumb is this?
Seriously!
I think they need to come up with a better term.

Which has led me to some thoughts:

Failure to thrive is so much more than a medical term given to patients.
Thrive means to prosper, flourish....do well, advance, succeed.
Failure - lack of success.  Defeat.

This is so much more than weight and inches.
Am I right?!
Think about it.

We have so many things that we are able to thrive with, yet we often let failure overcome.

Our jobs.
Our marriages.
Our children.
Our friendships.
Our talents.

And I often wonder is this failure to thrive more about what we can't do OR more about keeping up with the image of what we think others think we "should" be doing and we set our own self up for failure.

Meaning do we put limits on ourselves because we see others rocking it out and just feel like we're "never going to get there..."

With your job - it may not be what you want to be doing for the rest of your life, but do you show up and give it 100% no matter what?
With your marriage - are you giving what you want to be receiving?  Are you pursuing your spouse 5, 10, 15 years later like you did when you were dating?
With your children - are you setting the example, are you loving them when it's hard to even like them sometimes....just keeping it real, y'all - tween and teenager years can be tough.
With your friendships - are you allowing grace? Being there for each other in the highs and lows and not just out of convenience?
With your talents - are you using what you have or hiding it?

I hope you see where I'm going here.
It's really easy to get caught up in how it looks from the outside looking in to someone else thriving, but guess what?!?
Those people are probably feeling the same.exact.way.

You have everything you need to thrive; God has equipped you with everything you need for this journey through life.
They have everything they need to thrive; God has also equipped them with everything they needs for this journey through life.

Let's stop comparing side by side and just start blooming and creating a beautiful place for us all.

Sunflowers stand tall and mighty.
Lily of the Valley sits low and delicate.

Both just decided to bloom!
No need for competition...just determined to thrive!

Friends, we are better together.

xox,
Jenny

Dream With Me...

 

Today, I would like to take the time to introduce you to a local organization, Epoch Dream Center, that is doing HUGE things for our local community!  I've asked they share their story and how you can get involved!  Please share this post!!!  The more people we can make aware of all they are doing to help just one local community, the better! 

 

Epoch is all about showing how we truly are better together and have stepped up to make sure our children are geared for a better tomorrow!  Please consider volunteering your time or financially coming alongside them to ensure this program continues to reach our future!

 

 

**********



 

The Epoch Dream Center is a free after-school program servicing under-resourced children in Kindergarten through eighth grade. We are located in Hebron, MD, just minutes outside of the town of Salisbury. To paint you an accurate picture of Hebron, you need to know that there are approximately 400 children. Fifty percent of these children are living below the poverty level. In Hebron there is one school, one bank, one park, three churches, one local pizzeria, and one mini food market. (And that is about it!) Studies show that between the hours of 3:00 – 6:00 PM every day, students are most likely to experiment with alcohol and drugs, violence, and criminal and sexual behavior. If you were to drive through Hebron at this time of day, you can see plenty of children walking home from school, many of whom are unsupervised for a few hours.
 

So here is where we came in: about five years ago, our directors, JoAnn and Erin, saw a need to offer the children of Hebron a place to be supervised. They wanted to create a place for children to be fed, a place to be mentored, a place to be nurtured, encouraged, academically supported and a place to build character. And from that, the Epoch Dream Center was born!

Each day, when students arrive at the Dream Center they immediately participate in what we call the “Epoch Mantra.” They say in unison this declaration that they will have a positive, productive and purposeful time at our center that day. They then have a snack, have a “family meeting” (relationship building time) with their class, and they read for twenty minutes every night. Our students complete their homework, spend time with their interest-oriented club, have gym time, eat a family style dinner and participate in family chores.

 

So what makes Epoch different than any other after school program? One reason, is mentoring. We believe that relationships are the key to everything with our kids. We put so much effort in building relationships with our students because when we do that, we then have the right to speak life, influence behavior, and catalyze change in our students. To take this a step farther, we match every student with a personal mentor of their same gender who visits for at least an hour every single week. What better way is there to build relationships with these precious kids than through mentoring?

Another way Epoch stands out among after school programs is because of our focus on nurturing. One of our main goals is to fill necessity gaps that a child might have while they are growing up. A common gap that we see is the need for nurturing and encouraging. So, we show up. We show up to every concert, every school play, every award ceremony, every field day. We show up to the funerals for grandparents and brothers; we cut their grass while they get back on their feet. We are in the schools every week visiting and collaborating with staff. We hold kids when they are sick and when they are sad. We celebrate with them through every passed test, every project they give their best in. We listen to their hearts. We listen to their dreams. We listen to their frustrations. We listen to their cries because that person let them down again. We hear them. We know them. We know how different and unique they are. 

Epoch is different because of our desire to serve as “family." When we think about our own childhoods and how we are raising our own children, one of the most influential factors at play is family. So, we thought to ourselves, how can we recreate this family atmosphere at Epoch? Here is what we decided: we make our program operate like our own families. Every day we talk about our days… not just the “how was your day at school” … “fine” conversations. We discuss them. We talk about what was great and what wasn’t, and how we can change it for tomorrow. We get to know each other and we learn how to participate in family discussion. We eat dinner as a family every night. Our kids participate in chores and have responsibilities just like they would in our own homes. We build a sense of belonging within and among our children because we know that this is one of their greatest needs. We have had so many of our children whisper to us: “Epoch feels like my family.”

And finally, Epoch is unique because of the values that we instill. We have something that we like to call the “Epoch Code.” This code is what guides our teachings, our behavior interventions, our intentionality and basically our whole program. If you come to Epoch, ask any child to say the Epoch Code and this is what they would tell you: Work Hard. Respect Authority. Love Everyone. Forgive Quickly. We hold each of these values very highly and we believe they are the key ingredients to make successful, enjoyable citizens! If our students learn anything from their time with us, we hope it is how to do these four things. 

 So here is where you come in!!!

We are always looking for more mentors (especially men!) and volunteers. If you are interested in finding out more about this, please contact Rachel ( rachel@epochdreamcenter.com ).

 

Although, our greatest need at the moment is financial. Our program is expanding, we are experiencing changes in funding, and we need a new financial avenue to keep our program running. Out of this we have created a child sponsorship campaign. We want to give you the opportunity to directly and positively impact the life of a child living in your own community! We have different sponsorship levels, as low as a $35 monthly gift to partially sponsor a child. There are multiple levels, all the way up to a complete monthly scholarship for a child at $300.

Would you consider sponsoring a child? Would you consider beginning a better story in the life of a child?

Maybe this could be something you do as a family, a small group, a club or a group of friends. Maybe this is something your church, religious group, or service organization could do? Think about this: if you could ensure that a child in your community, that goes to school with your children, could have access to the same nurturing, mentoring, encouraging, character development and basic human needs that your own kids have, why wouldn’t you do it?

 

 

We would love to come present our program and campaign to your group, just ask us! You can access specific information about sponsoring a child and more information about our program at our website, www.epochdreamcenter.com, and you can follow us on Facebook or Instagram to see what is happening day to day!