12.5 Hours…
… of love will get you this:
Man, I love Tam.
What happens to you when you are so exhausted that you become delirious?
Tam’s 39th
This past weekend, we went to down to surprise Tammy for her 39th birthday.
We (Cathi, Mark, Lynse, Kristen, Brent, Brian & I) planned this out a month for this… and this is what happened:
To view Brent’s view of the whole thing, click on this link: Tam’s Surprise
We love you, Tam! I’m so glad you were born 39 years ago… and so blessed to call you friend.
Tammy Hodge: Bringing Freedom
Today’s post was written by my mentor, encourager and good friend, Tammy Hodge.
She’s probably one of the most gracious and loving people I have ever met. Her story proves a bravery beyond anything I have ever known or imagined.
If you know her at all, you’ll know she HATES talking on the phone… yet she knows JUST when to call me and exactly what to say. And when she’s with you… she’s WITH YOU completely, undistracted.
She’ll be 39 here in a few days… but has the wisdom of an 80-year-old AND the potty humor of a 13-year-old boy. I say that with love… because she’s actually also one of the FUNNIEST people I know (she has made me laugh so hard, I’ve had panic attacks because I couldn’t breathe. the girl ain’t right.)
Tam, you may NOT know how to hold a baby or brush your teeth correctly… but I love you more than words and feel SO fortunate to have a friend like you in my life.
Thanks, Tammit!
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freedom: the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous
onerous: involving an amount of effort and difficulty that is oppressively burdensome
lately, there have been a lot of testimonies being written. several people have shared some deep dark secrets from their pasts. i know, first hand, this is not an easy task. and it is a task. it’s extremely difficult to muster up the courage to reveal something that has kept you in bonds for so long. it somehow becomes your identity. the thing you are. at least, we make it who we are. we force it to be so that we might possibly feel better about ourselves. but…it never works. there is always a nagging truth, reality, that hangs over your head and sits heavily on your shoulders each day. you carry it around and allow it to slow you down. it slows you down from everything. yet…letting that weight go can be terribly scary. partly because of the reveal part…the fact that you are sharing something for the first time. but mostly it’s scary due to what is being revealed. it’s often the thing that keeps us from releasing what bonds us.
so when i see someone releasing an oppressive burden… i know what they’ve gone through to get there. i immediately feel lighter for them. i retrace the steps it takes to get to that moment and i breathe a deep sigh of relief for them.
all this to say…
jenni – what you have done this year took courage. it took a hell of a lot of courage to say that. i am proud of you is so lacking the right word. a confession does not excuse a behavior. but it does prove an acknowledgment and ownership of an act that caused hurt. and in my opinion, very few people are willing to put their necks on the chopping block. but you did. and i applaud you! your story will change lives. it will liberate others. it will shed light where there has been darkness for far too long. it will bring freedom. it is bringing freedom!
thank you for choosing the tough route…for knowing enough that the alternative route would have been even tougher.
i love you.
asian.
Memorial Day Weekend
Though this weekend was one of the most devastating weekends I’ve ever experienced, it’s was also one of the most fulfilling weekends.
Brian and I had some pretty amazing house guests. Crystal, Brent and Tam (along with Kass & Kota) stayed with us over the weekend. The original reason was for vacation, down-time and friend-time… but once the news hit, this weekend became something VERY different.
Our amazing house guests became our pillars. They listened, they encouraged, they comforted, the supported, they spoke God’s truth, they LOVED, they babysat, they made us laugh and most importantly, they PRAYED. Crystal even extended her stay to help us move this weekend. You couldn’t ask for better friends.
What’s MOST crazy is that everyone in our house this weekend – we met through the blogosphere!
Here we all are (plus Tyler) on the waterfront today.
And here’s a couple of just Tammy, Crystal & me.
Yes… Tam knew about her teeth. That was a good laugh there! And yes, that’s Kota in the back trying to get in the pic.
Here are some more of my favorite pictures from this weekend. They were taken by all of us from our iPhones, so some are blurry… mostly from us laughing:
Worship Confessional – 05.24.09
Today has been an amazingly emotional teeter-totering day.
Most of me is still in shock about Scott, and though time feels like it’s standing still… it’s not and we have to continue moving… so we do.
As most of you know… the better part of this week has been mostly due to the Hodge Lodge and Crystal being here. Crystal was our speaker – her sermon title: “Women Don’t Look At Porn”. You can hear it HERE.
I also had Brent, Tammy and Kass help in leading worship with me. Best part of my weekend was worshiping with my good friends.
Our Sunday Setlist:
- You’ll Come – Brooke Fraser
- Meet With Me – Lamont Hiebert
- How Great Is Our God – Chris Tomlin
- By Your Side – Tenth Avenue North (special sung by Brent & Kass)
- Healer – Mike Gugliamucci
- Nothing But The Blood – Hymn-Matt Redman Version
- Lead Me To The Cross – Brooke Fraser
Brent and Kass sang “By Your Side” to wrap up Crystal’s talk… and it was so perfect!
The service went really well. We didn’t hide that we were all emotionally raw from this weekends devastating news. We were real about it… which is what made the service so great. It was obvious that all we wanted to do was worship in our hurt. God is good… even in times like these when we don’t understand what He’s doing behind the curtain.
My sister, Helen, wrote me an email this morning. Here’s a quote from it:
“When difficult, seemingly pointless things happen, we have the tendency to forget that God is there. Furthermore, we sometimes believe that Jesus is the enemy — responsible for the pain we are experiencing. I’m not saying this as a self-fulfilling prophecy, but these are particularly volatile times when Satan attempts to shake our faith and what we know. It’s always best to beware of that, and to constantly fill one another with Truth.”
So much wisdom from my baby sister.
Please keep covering the Resnick Family in prayer.
How was YOUR Memorial Day Sunday?
50 Pics Friday
For some reason… I thought I would be blogging more than I have been this week with Crystal in town and all. Apparently, I DO enjoy real life time with my friends more than blogging or twittering.
The Hodges, Brent, Tammy, Kass & Kota, just rolled into town too… so it’s a full house for the next few days and I’m beyond thrilled.
I’ll post more soon… but for now, here’s my 50 pictures marking today:
oh… and this pic was #42 (I couldn’t use my iPhone for this pic so it’s not in the sequence):
If you captured all your moments on Friday…
Exponential Conference 2009 – Day 2
I took notes today but I’m not posting them up tonight because of a million factors (one factor being Craig Groeschel kicked my booty across the room… twice… so I need to just let that sink in first), but I DID Twitter a lot of it.
However, today, I want to focus on the people portion of the conference. I have gotten the privilege of meeting some really AWESOME people. Most of them, I have been following via Twitter or blog for quite some time… so it’s more like reconnecting with an old friend.
I got to meet Dave Ferguson (@daveferguson). First thing he did was come up and give me a hug. Second thing, he says: “You Twitter a lot about food!” HA! He’s right, ya know. I think that’s how he’s been introducing me to people too. HAHA!
Also met Mary Beth Stockdale (@mbstockdale), who is just about as cute as a button. Ever met a person who just has the “glow-of-Christ’s-love” on them? Yeah… that’s her. When she talks to you, she makes you feel like you’re the only person in the room. I need to learn how to be more like her when it comes to people.
Then, there’s Eric Bramlett (@billshazzar) who is SO funny, he just about makes me pee my pants from laughing so hard. Seriously… every time he opens his mouth, only KUH-RAZY comes out. There is something NOT RIGHT about him…
But the coolest couple we’ve had the privilege of meeting is by FAR are Justin and Trisha Davis (@justindavis33 & @trishadavis23). It started with me standing in the main worship auditorium. Justin and Trish walk by and Justin stops, looks at me for a minute and says something like:
“Hey… you’re Jenni Clayville?”
I think I started to sweat. I was, like, um… ruh-roh… what did I do now? But I replied, “Yes…” Was I supposed to know him? Cuz seriously… the babies took away ALL my memory brain cells… every last one. Could have been a REALLY awkward moment!
Long story short, they went to high school with Matt Payne (@mlpayne) and are also good friends with Pete & Brandi Wilson (@pwilson & @brandiandboys) who are friends with Brent & Tammy Hodge (@inworship & @inprogress) who are my friends frienemies enemies people (whatev!).
Nice full circle, right?
Their story of how God has restored their lives from a place of complete brokenness humbles me. You can read their story HERE!
Brian and I seem to be surrounded by friends who are calling it quits in their marriage. The sin that has crept up in their lives or the brokenness that seems to be irreparable looks too difficult to conquer. Forgiveness and redemption appears impossible. Then, we meet Justin and Trisha… a couple who made is making it. A couple continuing to CHOOSE to make it every day after pain and brokenness beyond any describable words.
I think that may be my next tattoo: CHOOSE LOVE.
When was the last time you CHOSE love?
Jenni on Skype: jclayville 
