I Am A Work of Art (with a messy room)

In theory, celebrating Advent seemed like such a great idea! In reality, we've been too busy! But we have managed to have at least one night of celebration. Week 2: Scripture: In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was take while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. Luke 2:1-7 Prayer: God, journey with us to Bethlehem. Go with us and lead us to your love. Go with us and teach us to love others. Light the first candle, and then the second candle. Sing or read: O Little Town of Bethlehem Devotion: This is the second Sunday of Advent. Today we remember that Mary and Joseph went on a journey t...

I've struggled this past week with Chapters 3 and 4 of  Greater ! I am afraid of failure when it comes to stepping out into my faith. These concepts of casting away my "nets" and "burning my plows", has not been easy. It's taken a lot of quiet time to process these concepts.  My life has sunk to the level of baseline living in my relationship with God, in work, and at home with my family. I have been praying less. Day in and day out it is the same routine over and over again. I've been experiencing a calling that I don't completely understand yet. I am scared yet burning alive inside with this fire that I know isn't going to disappear any time soon. I even tried ignoring the issue of figuring out my nets and what plows to burn! Do you know what happened? Friday as I was sitting in traffic surrounded on all 4 sides of my car, I realized that I've been stuck in life just like sitting in traffic going nowhere surrounded by all kinds o...

Yesterday, marked the first day of Advent. My family never celebrated Advent so I don't really know how to even begin this tradition with my own family. My church gave us an advent wreath yesterday! I have it sitting on my kitchen table. We have the candles: 3 purple and 1 pink. We then went out and purchased a white candle for the middle. Not sure if we were supposed to do that or not... Then I took my kids to the "Dollar Tree". They each got to pick out one decoration. Kaelie picked out a red bird siting on a branch with pine cone, holly leaf, and glitter. Eli picked out, of course, a green bow. We also set out the creche with the angel. We are going to slowly put things out with that to build on the story of Christmas. Here are some pictures of our set up: We didn't get to do our ceremony last night because Kaelie was not feeling well. But we are going to do it tonight! Here is how our family celebration will begin: Gather around the Advent wreat...

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ~ John 14:12 NIV84 As I started reading my new online bible study book, Greater  by Pastor Steven Furtick with Melissa Taylor's OBS, my mind began racing. Already the self doubt that has plagued me most of my life had set in and I was ready to continue my life of complacency. My very first thought was that this guy is crazy. How could I possibly be greater than God or Jesus? A few more pages flipped and I got my answer from pages 4 and 5, "If you're looking to be greater than Jesus, put down your crack pipe, my friend. That's not happening. By leaving and then sending His Spirit to dwell inside His followers--ordinary people like you and me--Jesus released a greater power for us to do extraordinary things on an extraordinary scale." "Jesus isn't calling us to be greater than He is. H...

On the eve of my appointment with the new psychologist, I am now having some doubts. What if this one doesn't agree? What if I really have been wrong all this time? What if I really have just been imagining all of his quirks? What if this new doctor thinks I am a complete idiot? What if I am wrong? What if I fail my son?What if, what if, what if...I can't sleep because these questions keep ruling my thoughts! I am not sure that I am doing the right thing. I keep going over his history, my history, and all my notes. Why can't I shake that feeling that I am right? Am I really scared of being right? If I am so wrong, then why can't he handle transition like today when we went to Sunday school? He cried for quite some time and his favorite helper had to hold him with a deep pressure hug. How do I help my son when other people think I am crazy or don't see what I see? Is this related more to sensory or is this a link to autism? Why does he tell me that he loves me ...

I am only 2 days behind! 5 more days to go of this series. But with November ending my thought and question for you, shouldn't we be thankful every day? My goal for the next 5 days, next month, and all of next year is to find the joy and thankfulness of every day life. For me, that is going to be hard because my typical pattern is to only think with a "glass is half empty" perspective. Who knows, maybe it will change my life if I think with a different perspective. In a part of today's sermon at church, my pastor spoke about being generous by being the one who refreshes. Perhaps thinking with "the glass half full", I can be the one who refreshes others. Proverbs 11:25 New International Version (NIV) 25  A generous  person will prosper;      whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Day 24:  I am thankful for the time spent today with my side of the family. For brothers that still stick up for their baby sister. For sister-in-laws ...

I am behind in my "Being Thankful" posts! So much has happened from Day 9 to today! I have been busy, busy, busy! I am posting all my thankful posts from Facebook! Some of  you will have already read these so I will try to make it quick. I have so much to say today! Day 10: I couldn't find a day 10 on Facebook! LOL I think I skipped that day! hahahaha...I am snort-laughing at myself right now! Day 11: I am thankful for Veterans. Thank you to those who have served, are serving, and will serve. I am also thankful for Kids Own Worship! I love teaching Sunday school and my class. I have been blessed with some spunky, active kids! Day 12: I am thankful for my GS troop! My girls never cease to amaze me! Day 13: I am thankful for therapists. I met a nice pediatric therapist that explained a few things about Eli and she was so nice, patient, and understanding. Day 14: I am thankful for my Dad. He helps me get the kids off to school and Kaelie home. He is so kind abou...

Today, I must tell you that I so very thankful for my Lifegroup at church as well as my group for my online bible study. I am surrounded by some amazing, real, caring, kind, and godly women! God has really blessed me with this! You see, a few months back, I cried a deep earth shattering cry and begged God to help me find some Godly women and help me to use them in my life to become closer to Him. God answered that prayer the very same day! I was contacted by someone who wanted to be a pen-pal but over email.  I thought, at first, oh my goodness this is probably psychopath trying to kill me. Well, I prayed and decided that I would step out and take that chance.  I have an awesome friend who prays with me and we work on things together. We confide a lot of details about our lives to each other. She has made some really dark days become much brighter. The next set of Godly women He threw at me: women from my church! My lifegroup and other women I have met just by saying H...

Angry     I am angry.   I am so ticked off that I can't see straight and have a headache.   I am a mother with a son who has PDD...possibly. He was diagnosed and then the doctor changed his mind and said well, maybe.   I live in a city where I cannot find the help I need to get done what needs to be done!   I am disappointed and frustrated that my only option to get done what needs to be done is through a hospital that is a monoply near where I live!   It's not fair that I have to spend $600 to go one other place that does this testing because they don't take commercial insurance.   I can't get Medicaid for my son because we make too much money. We both work. We both work so that we can survive.   If I had Medicaid, I could probably get a lot more done.   What is wrong with this city? this country? this world?   Not even scripture is calming down this anger.   What do I do? ...

I am so behind with my being thankful posts! This past weekend and this week have been busy with a family crisis, a defiant daughter, etc., etc., etc... My father in law was in the hospital over the weekend. On Monday, they did an angioplasty and placed one stent.  He is doing just fine. My daughter has ADD and she is taking a new medicine, Adderall XR.  So far, feedback on this medicine from a friend has not been good.  The "coming down" on this medicine is so abrupt and so harsh. I am at my wit's end trying to get our morning routine to run smoother. I am lost as to what we should do as far as this medicine goes...do I continue you to give her the newest dose or do I research a different medicine? On the flip side, my son with PDD has developed some new quirky behaviors sponsored by the color green. Yes, folks, it's not easy being green and I do not like green eggs and ham...no really it's about how he thinks he must wear a shirt that is the color green or...

It's now day 2 of my thankful journey. I have been thinking to myself about what it would be like to be thankful every day of the year. To find that one small joy of the day... Day 2: I am thankful for my family. Not just my husband and my kids. I am thankful for my parents, my brothers, my sister-in-laws, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, nieces, and nephews. I am a lucky girl to have family around that even when we don't get along....God help the outsider who messes with one of us. I love each and every one of them! My family is my rock and I know that I can call any one of them up for any reason at any time of the day or night. I have cousins that I have called to see if they could pick up my son from school for me. I haven't talked to them in a few months. But I called them and they were able to get Eli. I could call any one of my sister-in-laws on any given day to get advice on kids, discipline, school, life, dental problems, illnesses, etc. Each time I h...

Thoughts Vs. Truth     These are my lies:     And this is my truth: I am wondering how I can apply the above truth... When my thoughts get out of control, I will give myself a pep talk that is wholesome and in that way I will build myself up to my need which is truth and if I listen there will be great benefits.  That is what this verse is telling me. This is exactly how I am going to change and I will make imperfect progress.   Thoughts can be dangerous and deceiving but dipping into the truth (my bible) and learning to lean on God and His word will change my life.   I keep going back to thoughts and negative chatter because that is what is holding me back on almost all areas of my life.   Here is my pledge to myself:   Now that I have accepted the invitation to imperfect progress, I, Jenny Snyder, will: Share this knowledge with all women or men and urge them to read this book. Continue to make impe...

  The above Tom Turkey was made by Kaelie last year! Being that today is November 1st, I decided that I am going to post a thankful post every day this month. What am I thankful for? hmmmm...I do have a long list. Today, Day 1...I am thankful for God. For God loving me so much that he gave his one and only son for me so that my sins are forgiven. That I can one day meet our Father in heaven and be able to see my friends and family that I hope I will see one day. So my thankful verse today is....Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT So, I also found this list to help remind us how to be thankful in all circumstances: That God is good (1 Chronicles 16:34) That His love lasts forever (Psalm 106:1) For God’s amazing grace (1 Corinthians 1:11) For the wonderful things God does (Psalm 107:8) Because God answers prayers (Psalm 118:21) For His perfect laws (Psalm 119:62) Because ...

Get Out of My Head! Part 2   Loser, Failure, Bad Mom, Psycho, Worry, Not Good Enough! (Yes,that's me, yours truly!) I have had it with all these thoughts and I am ready to quiet this nasty and deceitful "negative inside chatter"! I started this assignment literally in the midst of this very thing as I wrote about in Part 1. I decided Tuesday afternoon that I was going to begin a quest to find some resolution to all this! **********************************************************************************   Step One: #1 Weapon: The Holy Bible mixed with #2 Weapon: "Unglued" Chapter 10 by Lysa Terkeurst (Lethal combination, indeed!) I started reading chapter 10 skipping only up to 5 chapters! ;) However, what I found in these pages was just inspiring. I became a highlighting fool!   In the second paragraph, page 141, "Toxic thoughts are so dangerous because they leave no room for truth to flourish. And lies are what reign in the absence o...

Get out of my head! This past week has been full of negative inner thoughts.  These thoughts are stealing my joy and I want to get them out of my head! Be gone! I started reading (I am still behind but decided to skip to this one and then will go back...shh! inner self!) Chapter 10: Negative Inside Chatter from the book "Unglued" by Lysa Terkeurst.  So many times in my life I have let negative inner thoughts or chatter ruin that point in time. This has robbed me from joy.  I WANT MY JOY BACK! When I read this assignment, I started writing notes...that very day there was already some of that "negative inside chatter" gumming up my day. That was just Monday of this week. Monday Morning, 7:45 am EST I woke up already telling myself that I was a failure because I woke up late. I even convinced myself that the children were going to be awful and all that was going to happen was another bad unglued mama morning.  There was no time to get dressed, eat breakfas...

I am so super excited to finish the Unglued study and move on to the Greater study with my OBS group on Proverbs 31! I have shared prayers, thoughts, and encouragement with some amazing ladies and cannot wait to study even more with them! Shout out to Group 39...Thanks so much for all of you! Karen, our group leader, is such a kind a caring woman and her advice has really touched my heart.  The other ladies are such wonderful people too!

quirk·y /ˈkwərkē/ Adjective: Characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits: "quirky charm". Synonyms: peculiar More info » Dictionary.com - Answers.com - Merriam-Webster - The Free Dictionary     Yep, that's my boy! He definitely has quirky charm! When I first thought my son had a problem, I didn't understand the exact problem. So, me being "the one who researches mystery illnesses and issues with google", came up with nothing. But I knew in my heart, that something was different.   My son was 18 months old and he was not acting like he should at that age. I brought this up to my husband and told him about how the pediatrician wanted us to take him for some evaluations. I should have listened to my gut feeling and not my husband's advice.  He said, "There is nothing wrong with our boy. We do not need to have him evaluated for anything. You are just being paranoid." From about 18 months to 3 years, he continued ...

This blog is being written for many reasons. Mostly because I feel like I am being called to share my journey with you. This blog is about my journey in faith, life, love, and joy. I have 3 main goals I want to accomplish with this blog: 1. To remind myself daily that I am a work of art with a messy room. God made me beautiful. To break free from the labels that tear me down. How can I be a great Mommy, wife, and Girl Scout leader if I don't think I am beautiful? 2. To document my journey of discovering my gift.  Since God has made us all unique and beautiful, I want to find out what is so special about me, Jenny, the one with the messy room. How can I teach my Sunday school class about having a gift if I don't know my gift? 3. To tell my story of being a Mommy to a perfectly imperfect quirky boy named Eli and a girl named Kaelie. Sharing not only my joys and triumphs of motherhood but also the failures. I may steer away these 3 goals at times...ADD isn't it gr...