On Sandy Hook

In the aftermath of the tragedy at Sandy Hook, I have paid close attention to the news.  There is so much talk about gun control and mental health and the horrible events that lead to 27 deaths in Newtown.  While there are many opinions in the news and on the internet surrounding these events, there is one constant:  it is a tragedy of unfathomable proportions.  I'm sure that parents all over hugged their kids tight on Friday night and appreciated their blessings a little more.  After all, that's what we do as people when bad things happen-- our hearts ache for others, and we gain a little perspective, however brief, on the good things that we have to hold on to.

I think there is another thing that we do as people when bad things happen.  We rise to the occasion.  We put aside any difference that we may have, and we rise to the occasion.  We help.  We grieve.  We bake casseroles.  We stand vigil.  We remember.  And we have hope for those who have lost their hope in the darkness of loss.  We recognize the humanity in each other and we reach out.  This is the most beautiful thing about being human.  Even in a world troubled by politics and saturated in the war to be right, we recognize each other in grief and our sole desire is to help and to comfort.  There is no "I told you so" in tragedies, there is only "I am sorry, how can I help?"  And you know, from where I sit, we could use a little bit more of that in the world.  Certainly, not tragedy or indescribable grief, but we need a little more humanity.  We need to extend a little more compassion.

So whatever your outlook is on the aftermath of the shootings at Sandy Hook- whether it be a national crack down on gun control or whether it be a serious conversation about mental illness- I hope that the national take away of this event is a a little recognition that when we have no hope, others are willing to lend what they have.  There is a lot of simple beauty in that, I think.  That even where terrible sadness and fear have shaken the core of so many, we have not yet lost our ability to willingly give what we can.  It may not be much- a few Christmas trees, some coffee, some toys, some thoughtfully chosen words.  But it is what we have and what we have is given freely without the expectation of ever being returned. And when nothing we can offer can ever be enough- it is enough.

In the face of tragedy, I am thankful that I been given some brief perspective and a little hope.  The Lord really has given us to each other to lean on.  And I am grateful that, though often divided, we remember to lean and let lean when there is need.  My prayers extend to those who have been touched by tragedy and my deepest hope is that in the trial they will remember to hold onto the heart God, the ultimate comforter and healer.

Thankful for Wesley

I hope that the past week has filled your heart with plenty to be thankful for!  One of my favorite authors, Bob Goff, tweeted on Thanksgiving day: "It's Thursday, never quit being thankful."  There are a lot of things that I am continually thankful for, and the Wesley Foundation is one of them!  Check out this video made for our annual Fundraising Dinner, and listen to all of our interns say why Wesley has impacted us and some of the countless reasons we are thankful for Wesley!

Wesley Staff Montage Video

It's Merry November!!

Remember this?

Well, it turned out "it" was Christmas!  In November!  Merry November, everyone!

All of our stockings are hung over the little fake fire with care...

In hopes that massive St. Nicholas soon would be here!

Jessica in her sweater & Kristi with no cap

And the manikin on the tree is fondly named "Rahab"

Uncle Dusty told stories,

And Aaron waved from his shelf...

... Until he came down to take pictures with Santa!!

Merry November to all!

On reaching out

Living in Athens I see a lot of Christianity being shared in a way that hurts my heart... people who yell at students as they make their way to class, people who yell at strangers downtown from street corners, people who first express a message of damnation before a message of unconditional love.

But I am fortunate- and deeply blessed- to work with an outstanding group of people and to worship with an outstanding community of people who see and understand Christ to be a giver of grace, a giver of as many second chances as we need, and- most importantly- a giver of unconditional love.  And I am so grateful to minister alongside these people who simply want to share with others our God who cares so deeply about each of us.

Ashley, Jamie, me, and Josey-- 4 of 57 UGA Wesley Interns

Tonight after our normal Wesley worship service, a group of us will be heading downtown, hopefully to extend a little token of love with encouraging notes and warm cider and hot chocolate to students and locals participating in the holiday festivities.  Our goal is simple: to pray for people if we can, to encourage people with notes and goodies, and to just reach out and let people know that there is a God who loves them, a community who is constantly praying for them, and that they are always invited at God's table, and always invited at ours.

October stands for Hectic

It's been a crazy couple of weeks! October is in full swing and Fall feels like it's here to stay a while. Of course, that means that it's time for pumpkins and cardigans!  And, this:

Dazzling in our red, black, and while at Wesley's annual Fundraising Dinner! 

L-R: Mary Claire, Nico, me, Erin, and Elizabeth.

A visit from my friend Sarah!  Naturally, we went to Target simply to test out their Fall collection of beanies, Fedoras and floppy hats. 

Catalyst Conference with the ah-mazing youth pastors at Athens FUMC and senior youth leader Anne! We enjoyed speakers like Jon Acuff, Mark Burnett, Francis Chan, and Christine Caine.  We also enjoyed the musical stylings of Gungor and Michael W. Smith.

L-R:  Anne, Jason, me, and Eric.

A mystery at Wesley... what's coming?  No one knows!  Guess we'll find out on November 1st!  Stay tuned for pictures/blog posts about said surprise! 

On group "DT"

Discipleship, or "DT", is one of my favorite parts of being involved with Wesley.  In addition to being individually discipled twice a month, I'm also group-discipled twice a month with other beautiful, wise, and caring ladies who teach me so much about what it means to love the Lord and be comfortable in my own skin. I value their hearts and treasure their wisdom.  Here are some pictures of what my group discipleship looks like...

My group DT for this year.  Autumn (second from the left) disciples the three of us this year!  She is gentle, stunningly wise, and a talented fort-builder. It's so exciting to see all that the Lord has for us as this year unfolds!

My group DT from the 2011-2012 school year.  Literally, I have no words for the amazingness that this group was.  Jessica, in the middle, was my discipler for two years and I continue to glean truth and wisdom from her words and actions. These ladies are some of my dearest friends. 

On being tough

I work with the youth at Athens First UMC.  I love working with them for a lot of reasons: because they're funny, because they're kind, because I like to dress up, and because I like playing silly games.  But mostly, I love working with them because I love reminding them that they are brave, that they are tough, that they are loved, and that they are powerful.  And so whenever I have the opportunity, I tell them because I remember how strongly and greatly influenced I was by my youth leaders when I was younger.  I am constantly reminded of the ways in which their love and encouragement shaped my character, my confidence, and my faith.  I hope that I can have that kind of impact on even one of my students.  So while I have silly hair, silly facial expressions, like silly games and have silly dance moves-  there are a lot of meaningful things that I hope for these students: that they will grow deeply into Christ, that they will feel deeply loved, be powerful positive influences, and always, always, always remember that they are tougher than they think and braver than they know.

Shout out to my Orange Team from the Amazing Harvest Race-- how tough are we??

This also happened...

In honor of our Harvest Camping Retreat this weekend, AFUMC hosted it's first Hoedown Throwdown: consider it properly thrown. 

The few... the brave... those who dressed hillbilly in honor of the occasion!

 Anne and I- one of our leaders!

 Camo and overalls forever, y'all.

Being among the watchmen

In a lot of Christian teaching, there is a great deal of metaphoric language.  One such metaphor is the image of "breaking down walls" which has frequented sermons that I've listened to since I was a kid.  It just seems to be an easy way of expressing the Lord's desire to break strongholds in lives-- like pride, or anger, or depression, or grief.  These are emotions that can weigh heavy upon us and, at times, feel inescapable; like a wall built to prevent escape... not built to protect.

In the Old Testament (or, the Hebrew Testament), there are verses that reference the watchmen who are designated to guard the walls of protection.  These are very different walls than those that guard our strongholds.  And the watchmen wait diligently for morning to come.  In Psalm 130, David proclaims

I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for morning, 

more than watchmen wait for morning.

There are walls that are built for the purpose of protection.  And guardians who are also given to the protection of the wall and what it protects.  What I love most about this verse about the watchmen is that David equates the diligence of the watchmen to the way that his soul longs after the Lord.  Diligently, with patience, with alertness, and with the promise that morning comes each day.  This year at Wesley, one of our themes for the year is: rebuilding the walls and re-digging the wells.  We have taken a place on the wall... metaphorically, yes.  But also, quite literally.  

This is a picture of our staff praying outside of the building where we meet.  We have taken the place of the watchmen.  We are intercessors for what happens on the inside of this building ever Wednesday night.  We ask the Lord to protect this place; to make it a place of freedom, of safety, of joy.  As we guard the wall of protection, we simultaneously ask God to remove any walls that are preventing people from feeling loved, heard, and fought for by God. And that when those walls come down, people find safety behind the Lord. 

It is a true place of humility to be among the watchmen... to bear witness to joyful intercession, to see hearts broken out of love for those who have been broken by life's circumstances, and to diligently watch the wall.

Our parts compose a more beautiful whole

As most of you know, I work at the Wesley Foundation.  What you may not know, is that we pray... a lot!  We have 2 morning prayer meetings a week, 2 evening services, a 36-hour prayer watch before our Wednesday night service, and interns have their own personal intercession times throughout the week as we prepare for discipleships ("dts"), meetings, and generally prepare our hearts for ministry.  Here's a picture of 7:30 Tuesday morning prayer!  It's a bit blurry-- but the beauty is that a bunch of people show up just to pray for UGA's campus, for Wesley's leadership and service, and specific needs that arise in our community.  It's AWESOME.

We also kicked off a new sermon series called IMPRINT last week.  The series is all about leaving an imprint on Athens and on UGA- and what kind of legacy each of us leaves here.  The most amazing, fantastic, out-of-this-world, blow-your-mind cool thing that is happening right now is that there are 8-10 other college ministries in Athens that are also doing the Imprint series!  On Sunday night, we all joined together and prayed for unity among our ministries, for breakthrough on our campus, and just for good things to happen here in Athens.

 It was incredible.

I was so blown away by the uniqueness each ministry brought to the table and to prayer-- for example, at Wesley, we're generally known to be the loud pray-ers who generally stand.  People from other ministries come to the Lord more quietly, are more ready to sit and pray, and sit in small groups to pray.  But as we worshiped together and prayed together for Athens and for UGA, our differences began to be stripped away and we began to simply be the Body of Christ- contending for our friends, classmates, sorority sisters and fraternity brothers, teammates, professors, and coworkers.  We prayed for those held in the strongholds of addiction, depression, negative self-image; those consumed by anger, fear, jealousy, and hostility.  Most of all, we just asked to love people well-- so that we can share our faith well.

As we prayed, I began to really understand a part of truly being the Body of Christ: it's understanding that our parts-- all of our parts-- are constantly shaping and composing a more beautiful whole.  Our ministries are set apart to be good at different things, to be gifted in certain areas, and to attract people who feel at home in that ministry.  The most beautiful thing about differing ministries is that no person is the same. So, as ministries beneath the banner of Christ, we serve a higher calling than our numbers or our lights & sound.  We serve Christ the best way that we know how- digging into the Word, relying on the Holy Spirit, trusting Christ's promises, and pressing into the heart of the Father.

And when we pray collectively for our campus, we know that our God hears us.  As we trust and believe big things for Athens, I know that our parts are composing a bigger, more beautiful whole than imaginable.  I'm so excited to see what's in store for Athens this year-- and what imprint each of us involved will leave.

August Updates

Tomorrow, deeply felt thank you notes and August updates hit the mailbox!  Do you know how grateful I am for your support?  You all make me feel so brave!  Thank you for your kind words, your generous support, and your hearts!  I am so grateful for you!

Welcome Back

Nothing says "welcome back" quite like an 80-person whipped cream fight. Am I right?

This is one of the Wesley leaders, Anne, and I at the Athens First UMC welcome back brouhaha whipped cream free-for-all to welcome our students back for another year of fun, fellowship, and a whole new curriculum as we dig in deep and learn more about Jesus!


I love my job.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who make my presence here in Athens possible!  I am exceedingly blessed... and I think I still have whipped cream in my ears.

Interning is not the Olympics

Hello, blogsphere!

July was an insanely busy month, and that is why I have been neglecting this page since the end of June- yikes!  On June 30th, one of my dear friends, Laura, was married to her beloved, Scott.  I was privileged to be one of her bridesmaids, and the whole day was wonderful!

 Besides, perhaps, the fact that it was a whopping 107 degrees outside here in Athens!  Wow!  Can you tell?  I thought we kept our cool pretty well during pictures! Below is a photo of some of the bridesmaids as we walked outside to take group pictures after the ceremony.  As you can see, I'm pumped for Laura & Scott... but maybe not so much for the heat!

 Then, on July 6th I turned in my final paper for my final class of my undergraduate college career!  Woohoo!  In celebration, my roommate Kelsey and I ate a big bowl of popcorn and watched Stick It- a really funny movie about gymnastics!  The very next day I trekked far up in the hills of Georgia to good ole Berry College to celebrate the wedding of my dear friends Ellen and Stephen.  We met as first-time counselors at Camp Glisson in summer 2009.  Ellen and I were never co-counselors, but were soul sisters from the start!  Stephen and I were co-counselors for 2 weeks at Glisson's Outpost program.  He's an all-star in my book- very wise and very funny!  Here's a picture of us fist-pumping for Ellen and Stephen's wedding with our friend Kay!

The next week was dedicated to packing up the 3-bedroom house that I have shared with 3 of the most wonderful ladies I could be blessed to share a year with!  It doesn't sound challenging, but somehow all of my things exploded in the 12 months that I lived there.  It was a bit of a nightmare, but we made it through!  I polished off the week of July 13th with a celebration of my friend and roommate Melissa, as we bachelorette-partied it up in a cabin in Dahlonega, GA in celebration of her upcoming wedding!  Here's a photo of Melissa, her wonderful bridesmaids, and her wedding coordinator at the end of our weekend.  It was so great to relax with friends, eat the BEST baked potatoes I think I've ever had, and watch hilarious movies together!

Immediately following the Bachelorette Party, I turned right around and headed through the gates of Glisson to work as a Gap Counselor for a week.  My co-counselor's name was Ashley and she was such an incredible friend and teacher that week!  Together, we shared 12 AMAZING rising 8th and 9th grade girls.  We worshiped the Lord, hiked 3.6 miles in one day, had a princess/craft day, went kayaking, and rewrote Justin Beiber's song "Baby," which, I must say... our version would certainly make top 40 on the radio!  Due to our media policy, I won't post any pictures of my campers... but here's a photo of Ashley and I right before we scooted off the zipline platform to fly through the air!

When I returned to Athens after a whirlwind week of goodness at Glisson, it was time to move to my new apartment, fondly nicknamed 'The Palace.' I live with 3 incredible women, 2 of which are fellow Wesley Foundation interns!  The 3 of us share a carpool, and the incredible gift to be on staff at one of the most amazing College Ministries we know.  I moved up 3 flights of stairs with the help of my rockstar parents (thanks, Mom and Dad!) into a room with a big closet and a ceiling fan!  It doesn't sound like a big deal... but it is!  After surviving (literally) in a house last year with practically no air conditioning and no ceiling fans, a ceiling fan feels like a luxury and I am certainly thankful for it!

Last Friday began the opening ceremonies of one of my favorite sporting events in the world: THE OLYMPICS.  I love them.  I watch the NBC nightly replays.  I follow the Olympic twitter account.  I feel super American as I cheer on our finest to victory... and sometimes I yell at the TV.  It helps, right?

Finally, this past Monday we began Intern Training at Wesley.  {If you're on Twitter, feel free to search #it2k12 to find all of our silly and serious tweets about our day to day at training!}  The past 4 days have been all that I could have expected and more.  I am more pumped than I thought possible about the vision, the ministry, and the fellowship Wesley is going to bring to UGA's campus this year!  Incredible!  More about training and pictures coming soon!  Along with: consistent weekly posts and youth quotes... I maintain my stance that there is no human being more hilarious than a middle school boy.

Over and out,
Jess

learning about letters {again}

So, I've been reading a blog called Today's Letters recently,  by a couple named Tim and Emily Loerke.  And as I've read, I've found the Loerke's to be a source of great inspiration.  Their blog is based off the idea that letters can change lives [I totally agree!], and so the blog is letters that Emily and Tim write to each other, to friends, and even to inanimate objects [frequently tacos... which are always accompanied by scrumptious photos].  One of the things that both Emily and Tim write about sometimes is how important it is to ask for forgiveness.  I love them for this!  It's not often that people have the courage to admit that they don't have all of their ducks in a row.  Admitting imperfection is BRAVE [Loerke's, if you ever read this- I think you're one brave duo!].  But finding ways to right our wrongs, apologize for hurt feelings, and forgive gracefully is equally as noble as recognizing our humanity. These are just some of the life nuggets I've gleaned from reading the daily and weekly musings of Emily  and Tim Loerke; along with a favorite new nickname for things [Emily, I hope you don't mind if I borrow "little"], a renewed love for letter writing [I used to write letters faithfully on my bi-weekly late night shift in the RA office], and a childlike joy for hiding them around my house.  Here's to Today's Letters for reminding me that words of encouragement are always readily welcomed by anyone, that I certainly don't offer up kind words often enough, and for giving me the inspiration to write my own!

thoughts on street corner evangelism.

Last night I attended AthFest with a friend of mine.  AthFest is a local music festival held here in Athens.  It's wonderful!  We walked around downtown where the streets were blocked off and browsed around the rows of vendors selling anything from handmade hair bows to handmade pottery.  AthFest also had some very special visitors-- some street corner evangelists.  The signs they held towered high over the crowd and the booming voice of rotating men on microphones echoes through the small crowd that gathered around them.  As I watched different people interacting with the evangelists (some even entering nearby restaurants to acquire cardboard to make signs of their own), I felt so many mixed emotions.  As a Christian, I understood what the evangelists were saying.  I knew the references, I knew the language.  The people surrounding the evangelists did not.  And it got me thinking about perspective.

From my perspective, I know that these folks were doing what they felt called to do: to share the gospel.  But what about how they were perceived by the crowd?  I tried to put myself in the mindset of those around me-- those who felt directly threatened by the evangelists, their signs, and their microphones.  I realized how hurtful and judgmental  the evangelists sounded... and my heart ached for everyone around me.  I looked directly at the evangelists and realized that this is how the world sees me, though they do not know me.  Because some Christians don't take the time to know the people they accuse of blasphemy, adultery, and sin.  When we get to know one another, we begin to care for one another... and we begin to open our hearts to each other.  It's only then that we have the opportunity to share the incredible, deep, never-ending love that Jesus has for each of us.

The music at AthFest was awesome, I met so many new friends, and made some deep realizations about what it means to partner with God and be in ministry.  I realized that my need to judge others should decrease as my understanding of Jesus' love deepens.  I hope one day I'll be brave enough to reach out to my brothers holding the signs on the street corners and gain insight into their perspective as well.  Until then, my aim is to live alongside all of the people their sign claimed Jesus hated, and restore in them an understanding in divine, unconditional love.

stamps & envelopes

Kissed all these littles goodbye today and dropped them in the mail.  Sayonara!

Funny that happened on their journey to the Post: the woman at the post office did look at me strangely when I told her I needed 100 stamps.  She asked me if I was getting married & wanted rose stamps.  I declined, and told her I needed them for support letters.  Hope you like my selections!

A friend recently tweeted this, and I felt it needed sharing.  What a loving God we have-- who always shows up in the big, expansive moments and in the very smallest of details!

things to smile about

Well, it's been a whole month since I last visited this place-- the blogsphere, that is.  In the past 30 days, I turned 23, began and completed a Maymester class, attended 3 weddings, attempted to get a tan, saw The Avengers (twice), and picnic-ed by a river.  In the next few days, I'll be saying sayonara to my support letters as they hit the mailbox and make their way across the state and country.  This month has reminded me that I am blessed beyond belief.  Blessed to be alive, blessed to have the means to attain an education, blessed to bear witness to incredible people's lives, blessed that I don't easily burn and am quick to stand in awe of incredible artists, and am so blessed to have quiet places to be grateful for.  Ultimately, I am so exceedingly blessed to know people with giving hearts and willing hands to lift me up in prayer and support me however they can.  And those things, are certainly things to smile about!

expecting miracles.

I was able to go to Encounter (AFUMC's Sunday youth stuff)  tonight for the first time in what honestly felt like forever!  It seems I'm always writing some paper, reading some article, or generally gearing up for the week ahead, and am rarely able to attend on Sunday nights.  It's always so sweet when I can go, though, because I genuinely and truly love these students as if they are my own.  Tonight, Eric (youth pastor extraordinaire) taught on miracles.  He spoke out of John 14:13, one of my all-time favorite verses out of easily my favorite Gospel (if, I'm allowed favorites... John will always take the cake.), which is Jesus speaking to His disciples- promising them equal, if not greater works than even He did on Earth.  The reason that this passage has such a special place in my heart is that John 14:13 speaks to our inheritance.  We have been given the Kingdom, the Fullness, a gracious Father and a faithful witness Jesus Christ, we have been given all things that God gave to Jesus through our faith in Him.  How insane is that??  Who gives an equal share to their neighbor's kid as to their own child in their will?  Certainly, no one I know.  Yet, this is what Jesus does for us:  He gives freely of Himself so that we might have the boldness to walk in His path eternally.  Whatever we ask in accordance with God's will, He will hear us (1 John 5:14).  I don't know about you, but I say heck yes to that inheritance!

Anyway, tonight Eric spoke about how miracles are a basic, foundational aspect of our faith.  We have built an entire tradition on the fact that Jesus Christ was dead.  Flat-line dead, wrapped in cloth and laid in a tomb; yet we believe- and know to be true- that God raised His Son from the dead.  Eric explained to the students that not only do we believe that Jesus was raised, but we believe that He raised others:  Jesus healed the blind, the paralytic, the sick, the unbelieving... and then He promised us that we could do it too.  It is our inheritance.  It is a beautiful message because Jesus is raising us up and saying:  you are enough! If you have willing hands and faith in your heart- You can be like me.  Wow.  That is simply incredible.  

Eric ended by sharing with the students our higher calling:  to be different. We are called to be believers who live uniquely with the boldness that we have been given.  We are called to pray for each other, and we can live expectantly that big things are going to happen.  It also means that we are called to have great faith, because miracles don't always happen the way we see fit- in our timing or in our way- but they do happen.  So we are called to be a people confident in our inheritance, believing in a big way that our prayers are powerful and effect change, and always be giving the Glory to God- who makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).  I hope that I live my life expecting miracles... and I hope that my witness invites others to do the same.

ASK... and it will be given to you.

Two weeks ago, Stephen Byerly- one of the directors at Wesley- sat down with the interns for the 2012-2013 school year to chat with us about raising support.  What is support, you ask?  Well, as interns at Wesley, we are not paid.  We invite people in our communities; friends, family, mentors, friends of friends, and sometimes acquaintances to partner with us both financially and prayerfully for a year, two years, three years, and for some who go on to be directors- many more years after that.  Support can be one of the scariest parts about being a Wesley intern.  It can also be one of the things that blesses interns the most.  As I've been drafting my support letters and brainstorming folks to ask to join my support team, I've also been pondering the act of asking.

As children, we're taught to ask for things we want or need.  A child's initial instinct is to whine, cry, or desperately point to something until their message is properly conveyed to the adult they wish to satisfy their desire.  I can remember as a child being told often to "use my words."  As a babysitter and generally "older" person now, I find myself asking children to "use their words."  Words are important and powerful.  They indicate our wants and our needs, they provide us the ability to connect with others and to create community.  So, why is it that there are some things that are hard to ask for?  

Sometimes it's hard to ask for emotional support.  When I need a hug or a word of encouragement, I occasionally find myself reasoning my way out of asking a friend.  Why?  My friends love me, and want to support me!  If I use my words, my needs become known and can be addressed.  Sometimes its hard to ask for help.  When I don't fully understand a task I'm given, why do I shy away from asking for clarification?  My professors, mentors, and co-workers are very wise and their purpose is to impart knowledge.  If I use my words, my misunderstandings can be redirected and guided properly to achieve success.  More than sometimes, it's hard to ask for forgiveness.  Words  (and actions) can be powerful in both directions- positive and negative- and I am prone to hurting people because I am human (as, I'm sure, we all are prone to be).  If I use my words, I can rectify my mistakes and humble myself to repair hurt feelings.  These are all good things that happen when I ask!  

While listening to Stephen give his presentation on raising support, he addressed the challenges of asking for money.  It is the hardest thing to ask of other people.  I can't pinpoint exactly why that is, but my assumption is that money is representative of all the ways that our world is saturated and consumed with the importance of status.  No one wants to admit that they are in financial need, and no one wants to add to financial burden.  I think we fear exposing our financial status to others, being turned down or feeling indebted to others.  But I think this is backwards.  I think it should be our joy to ask our friends, family, mentors, and even mere acquaintances for support! There are so many ways that we offer blessings to one another- and having the ability to offer financial support- no matter how great, is just another way to bless.  By asking, I'm inviting people to join me, partner with me, and be a part of a very important community that builds me up and provides for me.   Good things happen to those who ask.  Jesus says that we are to ask because those who ask, receive (Matthew 7:7).   I think that it could easily be added that those who ask, should expect to be greatly blessed by what they receive, and by those from whom they receive.

All that to say:  I'm kind of excited about raising support.  It's something different- a new way to trust the Lord to provide.  But I believe that I will see great love poured out in this next year as I continue to learn how to ask for hard things, and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

the tire swing. and why it's important.

You might be curious if you've stumbled upon my page for the first time why I've decided to call it thetireswing.  Well, beginning in late summer, I will be interning at the University of Georgia's Wesley Foundation.  It's an exciting season to be entering into and preparing for, and one of the things I've chosen to do is blog throughout the year about my experiences as a youth intern at Wesley.


My blog’s title holds great significance for what I desire for this season of interning.  While I was praying about interning at Wesley, the Lord showed me a picture of a tire swing and used it to describe my ministry.  The Lord represents the tree- which grows in both directions, both deep and wide.  He is my sustainer and my provider- challenging me with change and offering me wisdom.  The rope represents all of the people who support me financially and prayerfully- I could not do all that I am blessed to do without you.  Finally, I represent the swing.  This year of interning is an opportunity for me to extend an open invitation to those around me to lean on the Lord, to experience His goodness, His mercy, and His love.  And, let’s be serious, what greater metaphorical invitation than to swing into so much support and Truth?  


Together, we advance the kingdom.  Together, we create community.  Together, we are the hands and feet of Jesus.  I cannot walk this road alone, and it is my joy to partner with you in this journey.  

who's that girl... it's Jess!

My name is Jess,  I’m an almost 23 years-old, and will soon be a youth intern at The Wesley Foundation at the University of Georgia.  My goal is to serve a higher calling by loving others in humility and servitude— hoping to show the hands and feet of Jesus to all I come into contact with.  I love scarves in the winter, Gingko trees in the Fall, and acoustic music all the time.  I think I have a higher-than-average tolerance for things normally considered "gross," and I attribute that to working with middle school students.  I'm excited and a bit nervous about this whole blog thing- so get pumped for some stream of consciousness and a bunch of mid-high quotes that double me over in fits of laughter every week.