It's Saturday and I'm stuck writing a paper

Yes-It's Saturday and I'm here at the house working on a paper. Not my favorite way of spending my Saturday especially when the weather is so nice outside! But I can't complain, I'm pretty much done with the writing and will wait until tomorrow to write the second paper that is due. I really can't wait until this doctoral program is over with and I'm able to do away with school work!

These past few weeks have been extremely busy. So many things going on that it is hard to find some free time to get anything done. As many of you know, Luke and I continue to send out our resumes to a variety of colleges in the hopes that one of these days we will be offered a position. You know what really bugs me? The fact that almost every position "requires" that you have prior experience working on a college campus. Well, how do you get that experience if no one is willing to give you the chance? Anyway, about a week ago I had a phone interview with Colorado Christian University and on Monday I have an interview with Union University for the position of Associate Director of Career Placement and Development which by the way, I would LOVE this kind of position. I would be able to include my purpose training in so many ways to assist students as they seek out what it is that the Lord is calling them to in this season of their life. As I've said before, I am not getting my hopes up being that I have been turned down so many times. But, who knows. Luke and I continue to send those resumes out trusting that if the Lord wants to open a door for us at this time in our life, He will. And if He desires for us to stay put in Clermont at our current jobs, we are ok with that too. Life is pretty good in Clermont, we can't complain.

Things at my job are actually going well. I do enjoy working with the students and there's actually a part of me that doesn't want to leave them. I feel like next year could and would be so much better being that I will have an understanding of how the school works and will also know the students. Not to mention that I will have a much better idea of how to run my classroom next year in regards to curriculum and that Luke will be there too teaching! So, if the Lord keeps us here in Clermont, I will not be disappointed. We like it here and we've got a great church family and friends. But at the same time, if the Lord opens up a position for either one of us on a college campus, I do believe that we would need to take it so that we can get that "Experience" that is so needed. So, only time will tell. I still have my days where I would love nothing more than to be a full-time writer and actually have the time to sit at my computer and write. Who knows, maybe that will come about one of these days. So many things to accomplish, so little time! :)

On Monday I am actually heading out to one of the local Christian Private Schools to observe a teacher who teaches AP Literature. I am scheduled to teach this college level course next year to some of my junior and seniors, so I thought it would be great to go observe someone who has been teaching the course and in turn, get some great ideas. I am actually looking forward to this and learning lots from the teacher.

As far as my doctoral studies go, I have decided to stick with the current program at Nova. I have a real peace about staying put and I truly feel that the Lord will open a variety of doors for both Luke and I. Maybe one of these days when I get the urge to go to school again (didn't I just say that I couldn't wait to be done with this school stuff?) I can attend DTS and get my D.Min in women's ministry. You know, maybe that's why I am in the field of education, I just can't get enough of it! Yes I know, I'm weird!

I am currently in the process of going through the book, "Live Your Calling". This is a WONDERFUL book. If any of you are questioning what it is that you are passionate about and how you can use your gifts and strengths, I highly recommend this book. There are a variety of assessments in this book and as I am going through each one, it's becoming more and more clear as to how the Lord has created me and in turn, what He has created me for.

Last-The weekend of April 27th I will be heading to Tampa to attend the Growth in Faith conference for women where Katie Brazelton will be the main speaker. This is who I have been trained through to be a Life Purpose Coach and a 2-Day Life Plan Facilitator. After the conference, I will be taking part in Level 5 training with Katie which in turn, will certify me to lead my own training sessions to women who want to be trained as a Life Purpose Coach or a 2-Day Life Plan Facilitator. The great thing about this training is that women will no longer need to go out to California to be trained. They will now be able to find a regional trainer who can train them right at home! Going to the conference and training will allow me to meet up with many of the PTPM gals that I have not seen for quite some time, so I am really looking forward to that!

Ok, that should do it. I think this post may be long enough! More meandering thoughts to come later!

Ahh, Spring Break!

Yes, it is Spring Break and I am thrilled! It's so nice to have a week off. The only bad thing is that this year, Luke and I have different spring breaks, but I guess the good news is that I should have a good amount of time to catch up. I have about a million papers to grade and I have two projects due for my doctorate within the next couple of weeks. So, as much as I would love to just sit and read one of the many books I have just ordered, I must get some of my school work done.

This morning I had the opportunity to meet with two women from a local church who would like to have me as their women's retreat speaker! I am 99.9% sure this is going to happen. Our meeting went great and it seems to me that they are pretty sure that they would like me to come out and speak to their women. The retreat will take place in September at a local retreat center and it looks like I will be leading the 3 main sessions. I must admit-I'm nervous as ever! It's been some time since I have spoken in front of a large group, let alone a group of women. So please, if you think about it, please say a prayer for me! This is a biggie!

As far as my doctorate is concerned, I'm still going back and forth. Here's the deal-I know that one day I would like to work on a college campus overseeing their ministry program. I would really like to interact with students on this level. It seems to me that many schools would like you to have a D.Min degree or something of that nature. I do believe that again, if I stay with Nova or if I don't, either degree will be used. I guess I just need to really figure out financially which would be better and also, if I were to switch, how many credit hours will be accepted by the other school. I have been in touch with Dallas Theological Seminary and it looks like they will accept some of my credit hours. I have applied and hopefully within a month, will know exactly how many credit hours they will accept and such. So, we will see. I just keep praying and really seeking the Lord's advice along with others.

What's so interesting is that this past weekend, our good friends Jim and Lynne had quite a few college students from Cederville University staying with them. Lynne, who attended Cederville was hosting the Alumni meeting and both her and Jim invited us over for some food and fellowship. We had the opportunity to meet with the president and a variety of college students. The following evening, the four of us along with 10 college students went out to eat. It was great! I not only got to share with some of the college girls what Blooming Ministries is all about, I also was reminded of how I truly long to one day work with college students. One of the students told me that in the near future the school will be looking for an on campus women's ministry leader! Of course, my heart jumped and I immediately gave him my business card. So, after this weekend, it has become quite apparent to Luke and I that we do hope to make it to a college campus in the future. Maybe that was God's way of encouraging us to keep going down the path we are on and to not give up!

Last week I had the opportunity to hang out with my junior students all week. On Monday and Tuesday we did a local service project and then Wednesday we headed down to Palm Beach Atlantic University to do a campus tour. We stayed the night at a hotel and then came back on Thursday. Then on Friday we headed out to Islands of Adventure. We had a GREAT week! It was so much fun playing ultimate Frisbee and beach football with the kids! They also got a huge kick with me screaming while riding the Hulk roller coaster. If you have never been with me on a roller coaster, one thing that is unique about me is that I tend to yell out the name of Jesus-seriously, it helps calm me! It's crazy, I know! My students just laughed and laughed! I'm happy to be able to bring humor to them in so many more ways than this (beach football, etc.). It was really nice bonding with them!

Well, I should probably get going here. I am planning on meeting Luke at his tennis practice with his high school girls and from there, we are planning on getting a run in. Then after that, Jim wants to head to the mall with us to buy some stuff. Fun filled evening!

At home with the flu

Well, here it is Tuesday February 27th and I'm at home with the flu once again. This must be like the 10th time I've had it this year. It still amazes me that I am getting this nasty virus so many times this year. I'm beginning to wonder if there is something in my classroom (besides the students) that is causing all of this. Anyway, I'm hoping that the doctor will just prescribe me some medicine and not require me to come into the office.

Life is Clermont is going well. I am pretty sure that the Lord has made it quite apparent that Luke and I are to stay here. The Lord has just not opened any doors for us anywhere else. So, I'm pretty sure that this is where he would have us for now-and to tell you the truth-I'm happy with that. We love our home, friends, church family, etc.

Regarding job situations, I am planning on staying at Foundation Academy next year. I really do like the high school kids and next year, we will have the joy of being on a new campus. The good news is that it looks like Luke will also be at Foundation Academy next year. He went in last Friday for an interview and there is no doubt that they REALLY want him there on campus. So, Luke and I are excited about working at the same school once again. I will have the opportunity to teach an AP Literature class and Luke may have the opportunity to teach an AP Biology course. So, that will give us some experience teaching a college level course. Praise God that he has made it possible for us to work together at this school. He has made the finances possible for this to take place and that we are so grateful for!

A couple of weeks ago, the Lord really blessed Luke and I beyond what we could have hoped for. We went and had our taxes done and we got back so much more than we have ever received in the past and so much more than what we expected. We have been able to use that extra money towards a good chunk of our car debt (being that we had to get a new car this year since our other one went out on us), so we are very grateful for that.

As many of you know, about a week ago I came across the website of Dallas Theological Seminary and realized that in the summer of 2008, they will begin offering a Doctorate in Women's Ministry. Well of course, when I saw that, my heart jumped for joy. I have asked many of you for prayer because there is a part of me that would really like to be a part of that program, but at the same time, I have been working hard on my current doctorate which I am 24 credit hours into. As of now, it seems to me that it might be best to just stick with the program I am currently enrolled in. I'm still praying about it, but for now, it just seems to me that maybe I need to stay put. Who knows-I am still communicating with DTS and seeing if they will take any of my credit hours-if something drastic happens, then I may switch over, but for now, I am staying put.

Blooming Ministries is doing well. I am going to be coaching someone from the Dominican Republic, so that is exciting. I also received an email yesterday about possibly speaking at a women's retreat in September, so we will see if that happens to work out or not. I have also had the opportunity to teach 4 women one of the training books for becoming a Life Purpose Coach, so that has also gone really well. All in all, the ministry aspect of it is going well. I just keep taking it one day at a time and in turn, just allowing the Lord to do with me what he wants to do.

Next week, I have the opportunity to hang out with the Junior students from Foundation. We will be doing a service project on Monday and Tuesday and then Wed. and Thursday we will be taking campus tours of UNF and Palm Beach Atlantic University. Then Friday we are off to Islands of Adventure. So, we have a fun filled week ahead of us. Then the following week is Spring break!!! So, hopefully, that week off will be a time of rest, relaxation, and refreshment, along with working on my concept paper for Nova.

There's the latest happenings! Hope each of you are doing well! Blessings!

A New Outlook

Gosh, It's been some time since I have written. Things here are going well, but I must admit, things are just a tad too busy for my taste. Now that classes have started up again, Luke and I are busy writing papers and such. Along with that, my English classes are into their Literature books so I now have three different Literature books to read on a weekly basis. The past two weekends I've spent like 3 hours on lesson plans. Not really how I want to spend my weekend.

Other than being busy, things are going well. I must admit that I do just have a peace about what the Lord is doing in our lives. For the past week, I have been reading the book, "Shattered Dreams" by Larry Crabb. If you have not read this book, I HIGHLY encourage you to do so. It is amazing. One of the main points he makes (which I knew this already, but it just needed to be reinforced) was that many times God has to shatter our dreams in order for us to draw closer to him. As I've been reading through this book, I have just really felt that the Lord has been wanting to break me. Break me of so many things so that in turn, all I can do is turn to him. One of the things I have had to really "surrender" and pretty much open my hands to is the the fact that what if the Lord never blesses me in Blooming Ministries? What if he continues to bless Kelly in some amazing ways but yet chooses to not use me within this ministry? If so, I have to come to a point where I am totally ok with that because the reality is that the Lord wants me to want him above anything and everything else.

Going through this process is not the easiest thing. But with that, I must admit that the Lord has really been giving me a sense of peace. It's apparent that He is trying to teach Luke and I lots this year. Since the school year has started, things have been somewhat rough. Our 2004 car gave out on us completely, causing us to have to get another car. That was not such a great time being that we were so close to having the other car paid off. Then of course, having to adjust to a pay decrease has not be the funnest thing. And lastly, just having that feeling of, "ok God, what are you doing in our lives" has not always been fun. But with all of that said, I must say that I do have a sense of peace and I do feel as though the Lord is wanting to do a mighty work within us. And no matter what it is, I have to be ok with it and in turn, trust God and what it is that he is doing and what his plan is for our lives. In reality, Luke and I are truly blessed.

So, the past few weeks have been good in that sense. I am looking at staying at Foundation because the truth of the matter is, I really like these kids even though they can be a pain at times! :) And also, I just don't know if I want to teach high school students at the public school. And lastly, I just don't know if I really want to go back to middle school students. So, it might be good for me to just stay planted until the Lord opens another door. I will have the opportunity to teach an AP Literature class next year, so that will be some good experience.

As many of you already know, I am in the process of trying to get the word out about Blooming Ministries. Kelly and I are in the process of having one of my great friends from college, Shana, re-do our website. She is awesome and has an amazing store in Dallas, Texas. Check out her website when you get a chance:
http://www.theurbanblossom.com/

Also, I am possibly going to be coaching a woman in the Dominican Republic and from what Kelly says, there is a lady in Kenya who desires us to come out there and work with some women. Kinda crazy-but all we can do is pray. I also just got an email from a church in Clermont that wants information about what BM can offer for the women of their church. And finally, I have the priviledge of teaching 5 women one of the workbooks for the Pathway to Purpose Ministry. These are women who are looking at getting certified as a Life Purpose Coach too. Those are some exciting things coming my way.

If you think about it, please continue to say a prayer for us. Luke is still on the job hunt and is truly hoping at some point, to get on a college campus. We just ask that the Lord will open some doors for him. Hope each of you are doing well and I look forward to hearing from you!

Stuck

Do you ever feel as though you are just stuck in life? Stuck in your job, stuck in your housing situation, stuck in your relationships, just stuck? It seems to me like many of us do tend to feel this way at different times in our lives. For me, it has been recently. As many of you know, both Luke and I work as full-time high school teachers. Well, this year, we have felt stuck. Stuck in our profession. This stuck feeling has not been the best thing to go through. It has kinda left us hanging. For quite some time we have felt as though our life is just floating in the air. We feel as though we are stuck in our teaching profession, when the reality is, we are ready to move on.

Kelly, my friend and partner in Blooming Ministries sent me an instant message today mentioning that I go to this website: http://www.northpoint.org/messages
and listen to the message titled, "Asking Big". Well I did, and oh my goodness, my prayer life needs to change. I encourage you to listen to the entire message and in turn, view the questions that are listed and really take to heart what is being said. After listening, I am determined to no longer allow myself to just kinda let each day stroll in and out-I am determined to really pray, I mean pray hard for those things that only God can do-because in the end, he will get all the credit.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being stuck. I want the passion back in my life. As I have been going through this whole job "stuckness" my mom and I have been communicating via email. One of the things she mentioned to me is that it is quite apparent that my heart beats for full-time ministry. As we have been talking, I was reminded of when I was doing full-time youth ministry and how one day while I was on the phone with her, I told her that I truly could not imagine doing anything else but full-time ministry. Its where my heart was and still is. It is what I am passionate about.

So, needless to say, I'm determined to get unstuck and I'm determined to ask big so that in the end, all I can do is point to God and say that it's only because of him that I am where I am!

Stress

I HATE STRESS! I hate the fact that stress can just sneak up on you and then all of a sudden, it's all you are thinking about. It drives me crazy. I have to admit too, I'm not that great at handling stress. As you know, our lives have been floating up in the air. Needless to say, my husband is stressed tonight and in turn, that makes me stressed.

Today I was talking to a few teachers at lunch and I'm just starting to wonder if I need to take a break from my doctoral studies. I just feel as though I have so much on my plate that at some point, something has to give. I just don't know.

Also, something kinda weird happened last week. I get this email from my good friend Simon who is a youth minister in Texas. He writes me to encourage me to apply for a female youth minister position in Texas. The church is looking for a woman to begin a girl's ministry where the average youth attendance is 500. WOW! I have to admit, when I got the email, I was immediately excited. I have not been looking for a position like this, it just kinda appeared. Needless to say, I applied and will be speaking on the phone tomorrow with the organization that the church has hired to find someone for the position.

At this point, all I can do is leave everything in the Lord's hands. There's no use in stressing out about what the Lord is doing in our lives, what good will Stress bring to my life? All we can do is take one day at a time, enjoy each day for what it's worth, and in turn, continually trust the Lord. I often have to remind myself that the Lord has never let me down in the past, why would he do that now? He has always been faithful and He will continue to be faithful.

So, if you think about, please say a little prayer for Luke and I. This has been a weird school year for us-not what we really planned for, but I know that in some way, the Lord is trying to teach us not only patience, but to also trust Him, even when we have no idea as to what is going on or what will take place in the future. I have no doubt that He is causing us to rely on Him more and more with each new day.

Jen

PS-please say an extra prayer for my hubby-I don't like to see him stressed-all I desire is to see him enjoying what he is doing in regards to his career.

The Latest Happenings of the Bennett's!

It's so hard going back to work after you've been off for two weeks! Last Tuesday, my Christmas break ended :( What's even worse is that as soon as the kids came back, I once again caught the flu and am now in bed trying to recover. I think this is like my third instance of this. Welcome to the life of teaching!

Luke and I had a fabalous Christmas and New Year's. We were invited to attend our friends wedding-Jessica and Jason on December 31st and spend the last of 2006 with them and friends from church. The wedding was beautiful and the reception was held at a Cuban restaurant that Luke and I had no idea existed! It's located in Winter Park and oh my gosh, the food was the real thing!

Another exciting event that took place was the Disney Marathon festivities this past weekend. Our friends Michelle and Jonathan from Jacksonville came up and on Friday, Michelle and I took part in the 5K. We also got to meet up with my sister-in-law and her sister who were there too for the festivities! Then on Saturday Jonathan and Luke ran the 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) and then get this, on Sunday, Luke and Jonathan and some other friends, ran the full marathon (26.1 miles)! Both Luke and Jonathan made it through both races! It was amazing! It was absolutely amazing to see the people coming through the finish line. After running the full marathon, many people immediately were put in wheelchairs once they crossed the finish line-their legs could no longer handle the run. It was also amazing to see just what incredible shape these people were in. Michelle and I had the awesome privilege of going from spot to spot to take pictures of the boys throughout the race! We also had the privilege of sitting on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom at 6:30 a.m. waiting for two hours to see the boys pass us by for one second. What was cool was that we got to see the lead runner who I must say was running very fast and didn't have anyone behind him for like 15 minutes. He finished the 26.1 mile run in 2 hours and 19 minutes. I think his pace was like 5-minute miles. AMAZING!

All in all, it was a great weekend. We even stayed the night one night at the Dolphin hotel which I must admit, was beautiful and come Sunday, I had no desire to leave. As of now, Luke and I along with Michelle and Jonathan are going to look at running the 5K in March at Disney. Should be another fun filled weekend.

Classes have once again started up for Luke and I. We are now in our second year of our doctoral studies. Hard to believe. I am in the process of trying to get the first part of my dissertation completed. Not such an easy task. Trying to really motivate myself to do it. I'm hoping to get some of it done this weekend. We will see.

Well, I must go take a shower and after that, I must continue the task of grading essays from my English classes. Found a couple today that were plagerized. So discouraing.

Talk with you soon!