beach party weekend: january

It was January. The sky had every right to be gray. But it chose to be blue. And I’d like to think it was just for us – the few hours we sat on the front porch of a beach house and sipped coffee and played volleyball on the beach. Then just when we went inside to make lunch, the sky turned gray and little teardrops started to fall from the sky. It had waited for us and I was thankful.

This past January, a group of us first year ISFers took to Newport in comfortable clothes and warmth at our friend Drew's family beach house. It was definitely a blessed weekend and for me, a great getaway from my Old Testament class.

it's a process

It was early. A saturday morning and slightly overcast. Kacey called and I hurriedly gathered the rest of my things to meet her at her car. We were going on retreat. My heart was a little flustered at what to feel. My mind knew this would be good. And my body so looked forward to sleep.

Late that evening after napping and walking briskly — without a need to — about town, I realized something. It had taken me the entire day to finally desire to begin processing life, my spiritual walk, and possibly the comfy bed I was lying in, with God. And I still couldn't.

My life often runs on a level equivalent to the high heat level of a hair dryer. I continue to live my life until it gets too hot, too heavy and I have to take a break, turn on the AC. Unfortunately, in life, that AC should be God, but it's often not. Through this realization, I also realized why I hadn't blogged often the past few months.

Writing is a process for me. It's a place to think about life, contemplate issues, take time to delight in the small things. And the last few months when I sat down to blog, it was as if my mind and soul said, "yay, it's time to process." And my body said, "now, I'm too tired to write and type." I didn't make space to process in between, hence my being overwhelmed every time I attempted to create space — in a too small of space.

As Kacey and I drove home two days later, I came home with a realization, not an entirely spiritual high experience, but a sense that God was revealing to me how much I really need to process with Him, to spend time with Him and to allow Him to work in my life whilst me processing. My mind was right — retreat was good and my heart eventually found a place to sit, the hard part is keeping it there.

Here are few photos from our time in Ocean Beach...

procrastination

it looks like this.

and by 'this' i mean texture, mind wandering and possibly taking random photos with my iPhone.

so happy to say that procrastination will not be needed for at least another week when my summer class starts. lovely...or not so lovely. but for now, lovely.

happy california day.

well, hello there

folks, i may be back. 

with a vengeance. 
and some beauty. 
in words and photos. 
and short sentences. 

short and sweet. love, j

with friends

Nights like tonight remind me why friends are so important. They refresh our souls, they love and carry joy with them and give without expectations. With no pressure to look a certain way or be a certain person, I was able to just be me tonight. And without fluid discussion, I simply sat with a few friends this evening and as we snacked, chatted and crafted with each other, I was able to soak up our friendship and felt washed with love by the time they left, refreshed.

One of my professors has been asking if we have a community who loves us, accepts us, forgives us and models Christ's love to us. Tonight, I was able to taste a bit of that community and why it is so important. It encourages us physically, emotionally and spiritually. And it is one of the most refreshing tastes you can experience.

the photo is a blurry snippet of our crafting tonight. more to come on that. 

oh yes, the last month

February, where did you go. You seemed to be here for so long, yet I seemed to be somewhere else...trapped in a time warp, perhaps? Or maybe under a pile of books? Or in Wonderland? I wish the last was true. Or the second too. Well, wherever I was, which I probably will uncover for you in new posts, I have found myself here wondering about my lack of blogging abilities in March. Never the less, I have returned. 

If this was nonsense, know it is not you. 

Happy Sunday, blog folks. Jenna is back. Yes, in third person too. 

ps. i took this photo on my iPhone while driving and kind of love it. dangerous or victorious?

give a damn?

Listening, breathing in and experiencing a person's story is one of the main reasons I became a journalist. Dan Parris' story is one of those that forces me to listen, breathe in and experience life in a new way. 

The first time Dan and I talked about his documentary project was in a house filled with people a few days before his graduation. Amidst the chatter, I sat in a chair across from Dan who had perched himself on a coffee table and he told me his idea. I had graduated a year earlier and wondered what my life would look like if I took the approach to life as he was. This past November I spoke with Dan again for more than two hours on the phone sitting states away and heard a new story. One filled with adventure, fulfillment, tragedy and hope. Again two weeks ago, I was able to hear yet again where he was at and once again hoped that I approach life with the same approach he does, seeking what God has in store for him and truly following - no matter where that takes him.

Today, Relevant Magazine's Reject Apathy site published an extended version of Dan's story that I had the honor of writing — the original shorter version was published in Biola Magazine. I must thank him for his honest, openness and vulnerability as he told me the story of Give a Damn? and where he is at today after surviving a plane crash during filming. I invite you to read his story: Planes and Perspectives.

rejecting apathy