I Kissed Dating Goodbye - By Joshua Harris

PART ONE: IS THERE A BETTER WAY?
CHAPTER ONE: SO THIS IS LOVE? : Beyond What Feels Good, Back to What IS Good

ok.... I fibbed! I don't have time to email my closest family and friends - how in the world am I gonna make the time to re-write a book on here?!? So, sorry everyone! :) But, I still do recommend that you read the book! It is really good!! :) Hugs, Kisses and Cookies!

Joshua 1:9

ok... well, for the last 3 weeks in church we have been discussing Exodus! :) And I have been reading Joshua! lol! Believe me, with the tapes we have been watching about the things that archeologists have dug up from biblical times, and reading the Word to follow along with it, itmakes for some great learning. (We've been readin Luke, too!)
Well, we are waiting to leave for Kadena! :) that's in Okinawa for my Geography illiterate friends! ;) (heehee). So.. not too much has happened since the last time that I wrote. I'm going to back track and put in soem pictures and stuff from a little town that I wen to with the church, which by the way is Grace Bible Church, ran by Wayne and Melody Hala and their two daughters, Annette and April. Please keep the church and its family in your prayers!
I have decided that I am going to start something on here. You see, I am reading this book called "I Kissed Dating Goodbye", by Joshua Harris. Now, I know the title makes it sound retchid! But, it's really not actually about dating. A little bit, but not really. It's mostly about putting the Lord first and foremost in your life. Dating can sometimes become a distraction from our relationship with God. And with societies twisted views these days on "romantic relationships", it has become easier and easier for Christians to step off the path God has intended for us and to step onto the beaten path of the world. So, I have decided that, as I read the book, I will write the book on here as well, so that anyone who wants to may follow along. I'm farther along now, but, I don't mind backtracking. Maybe I will pick up something that I missed the first time around. So, I will write the book on here and I will still keep up on my life and things happening here, and of course my own views on the book as well. Please, pitch in your own thoughts and feelings to me! From here on out, until the book is finished, everything in RED will be from the book. Any other color will be my own personal thoughts and ideas. :)
Well, I need to get off of here! I have sooo much to do! Sister in Him, I love you all! ~Jess

*PRAYER REQUESTS:
~For my brother, Robert. He is having some troubles being 17. :) I wish I could be there to talk to him and guide him along, but because I cannot be, please pray for him, and look out for him if you are near enough. He needs the Lord in his life right now more than ever before. And pray for a friend of his as well. She is my unspoken but she desperatly needs prayer and guidance.
~For Melissa. She is having a rough go of things right now. She is stuck between the Rock and the world right now. She is having trouble finding the Lord and what His mission is for her right now. Keep her in your prayers please. She is a wonderful woman who knows God, she has just wandered onto the beaten path, as we all have from time to time.
~For Tom. For his family who is having a tough time at the recent loss of his grandfather. It is always hard to lose someone you love. And it can be even harder if you are the only one who can show your family Christ and His wonderful gift of grace. The Lord Himself said that those closest to you would be the hardest ones to reach. Please keep them in your prayers.
~ For my family and friends back home. I love them all very much and the Lord showed me again just how very important family can be. And just how very easliy they can be taken from you. I thank the Lord for watching over my grandparents this week. A tornado missed their house and demolished the one next to them. Thankfully no one was hurt, but it could have been much worse. So, please keep my family and YOURS in your prayers. Family is all you have. Cherish them everyday that you can.

Tswano, Japan

WELL!!!!! Went with my new found church family to Tswano, Japan today! It was a BLAST!!!! First off, it rained thee ENTIRE time! Awesome! Well, we drove for two hours along the coast to reach this wonderful little town. We visited this temple and ancient ruins (insert angles singing here) and took tons of pictures! Between a few of us we had a hundred pictures at least! :) I hope to get everyones! And then we went to this paper factory they have in Tswano. Well, to edjumacate you all, there are 44 paper factories in Japan, 3 being National Treasures. And Tswano just happens to have one of those National Treasures. I believe that is because they make the paper there by hand. :) I LOVED IT!! And then we fed these Koi that were HUGE! They were longer and thicker around than my LEG! (if you can believe that!) THEN we went to this Church where they martyred Christians. A few of us hiked further up the mountain and walked the Stations of the Cross. It was a wonderful walk, especially with the rain there. I talked to the Lord the entire way. There was no one around to interrupt me and we had a wonderful little conversation going ;) Confessing to God in the rain..... it was like He was washing away every bad thing I was giving up to Him.... and I enjoyed every minute of that rain soaked day. I can't wait to go again, this time with a fully charged battery in my camera! :)

230th Marine Corps Ball

OOOOOHHHRRRAAAHHH!!! Happy Birthday to all the Marines out there! Today we are now a year older, making all of us 230 years old! AR! To every Marine out there- young, old, gone from this world, sitting in a fighting hole covered in mud with enemy fire over their heads, and to those who remember having been there... Thank you Marine. And Happy Birthday to you, wherever you are.
Semper Fidelis Devil Dogs,
Jessica M. Fail
LCpl/USMC
VMFA-212 Lancers

Fried Green Tomatoes

:) Well, who remembers the story of Ruth? After her husband, brother-in-law, and father-in law died, she decided to travel back with her mother-in law, Naomi, to Naomi's home land, where the Lord was providing for Naomi's ppl. (Naomi was a widow, as well as Ruth's sister-in-law. Naomi changed her name to Mara, I think, which means bitterness,<> Don't quote me there). Well, Naomi told her 2 daughter-in-laws to go back and stay with their own ppl. Ruth was the only one of the 2 to refuse. She said to Naomi, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."
I will not ruin this wonderful story ( I urge you all to go and read it yourselves), I just wanted to make a comment on it.
Last night, Melissa and I watch the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" which is a WONDERFUL movie and I recommend everyone to watch it! Well, at one point in the movie, the woman, Ruth, wrote to her friend, Iggie, asking for help and sending this passage from the Bible with it. Ruth was in a bad situation and the only thing she knew to do, was to ask someone she loved and trusted to help her. It made me start to think (and not pay attention to the movie! I had to go back a few scenes!). When Ruth followed Naomi back, she did not know what was in store for her. She knew no one. She did not know the culture or what she would do once she arrived. All she knew was that by following Ruth, she was doing the right thing, whatever that may be. She trusted blindly. She went on faith. And in the end, she was rewarded by God. Does anyone know off hand the lineage of Jesus Christ? I believe that you will see Ruth's name there.
I'm not sure what this has to do with anything really. Only that I wanted to write about it. God never ceases to amaze me, I s'pose. His grace and mercy are more than we can ever imagine, and more than we will ever deserve. And no matter what we do, He still loves us and is willing to forgive us, if only we ask Him to. But, how do you ask Him to forgive you for something today when you know tomorrow, you will most likely have a repeat of today? Sigh* Talk about a parent with infinate patience! Shoot, If I were God, I would have stood me in a corner a LONG time ago!!! Oh ya I would have! I would be a permanant decoration!
Seriously tho, we need to remember that when we need help, or someone to talk to, we can always turn to the Lord. The only one with enough patience and wisdom to handle us all! Never be afraid to follow God, either. Even when it all seem absolutely impossible, it will work out. Because He is the Guide. All you have to do is follow. Sounds easy right? Try it. Its not all that easy. But what better than a challenge? Take that step over the deep end of the pool. You may find out that you know how to swim after all. Just be willing to trust in that which you cannot see, and listen for whispers in the wind. You may never get a straight answer on what you need to do and where you need to go. As long as you remember that God is guiding you. Take a Leap of Faith. Follow.
"...Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God..."

"The Faith of a Friend

"hhey girl! how are you? oh my- your blog about heidi was amazing, and it totally made me cry! it's like you should be speaking at the funeral or something! girl you should write sermons and preach and be a pastor....well i mean, i am just saying, listen for your calling, because you never know if God could be calling you into the ministry and you are just missing it...I get to talk to people every day about their call in the minstry and how sometimes it's really clear and sometimes it's not so easy to understand. But you know God has called to a high purpose, living for Him....and that's pretty much all He asks...if you just live for Him and spend time with Him and get to know Him, then you WILL begin to fall in Love with Him and want to serve Him with everything you have! that is where I am right now....and you know what, you are not in a bubble like me, surrounded by 10 church services a week and TONS of on fire Christians and professors...etc....but YOU are in the mission field- YOU have COUNTLESS opportunities each day to show people Jesus and be a light in the dark and love people the way God loves them. You can make a difference in people's lives who might never have known Jesus otherwise...if two people had not taken the time to love me and show me Jesus, my life would never be the same, and yours either....just think about that....so anyway- sorry this is a weird email,girl. God has put you on my heart right now, and I love you so much and pray for you. You are amazing!!! :) write back.
-Sister in Christ,
-Lynne "
Thanks Lynnie! :) Thank you so much for always believing that I can do anything! It's hard sometimes but I know what I can do anything with friends like you to back me up and to believe in me and with God on my side. Well, I need to go for now, I 'll get on later to let you all in on the Ball last night! :)
Semper Fidelis and Love in Him,
Jessie