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Welcome to my new home… On WordPress

Hi friends~  This is my first ever post to write in WordPress… I just dove right in, so I know I’ll learn along the way.  I’ve missed you.   And thanks to those of you who stopped by with your comments on the new blog look… I’m just now learning how to publish them. haha.    I think we are still under a tiny bit of construction, but I couldn’t resist stopping by here to say hello, and to thank a few people who helped make this new bloggy home possible.

First of all, I’m thanking my long-time blog friend {whom I met in real life not too long ago- and would love to link to that post, but don’t know how yet}, Kim, who has been such a champion for my blog and ministry.  She has been the encouraging voice and listening ear and idea inspiring machine on the other end of the line when I couldn’t make a single decision.  Kim is a wonderful wife, mom, homemaker, and encourager, and she has lots going on over on her blog, At Home With Kim.  You definitely feel as if you have been welcomed into her her heart and home when you visit her blog.  So go stop by and visit a while. She’ll welcome you in and you’ll be blessed.  😉 Kim, thanks for everything!!!!!

No blog re-design would be possible without the creative and un-understandable talents of a fabulous designer!  Kristi of Creative Kristi Designs is the brains behind this beauty.   She worked with me tirelessly as I changed and unchanged and changed again my mind.  Krsiti – thanks for your hard work, and your future instructions on how to operate in this amazing new home.  It’s beautiful. 🙂

And since this is sounding a bit like an Academy Awards speech, I’ll finish with this most important thanks:

Most of all, I’d like to thank Jesus, my Savior, my Leader, my Lover, and my Friend… who is truly the heart behind this blog and everything else I  strive to do.  Thank you  for the newly designed platform, for the many friends here, and for the opportunity to bring You glory through the hands, thoughts, and words You have give me.  I love you and am humbly blessed that you would use me in this and in any way.

Many blessings to each one of you, my friends.  I’ll write again soon… once I learn the ropes.  Until then, I’m praying for you and asking this on your behalf:

“May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!”  Romans 15:13, MSG

 

The nicest surprise in the bloggy-world!

It’s a strange but true thing, this bloggy-world in which bloggers and blog-readers live and love and share life with people they’ve never met face-to-face.  Something sweet takes place when one bears one’s soul in the cosmos and another one hundreds (or thousands) of miles away relates and responds in kind.  It is like having an old fashioned pen-pal out there… and a friendship is formed, grown heart-first.

It reminds me of the sweet relationship story in the movie Julie and Julia where Julia and Avis De Voto were dear friends via pen-palling… and when they met face to face it was as if they had known each other all of their lives. 

That sweet phenomenon has happened to me a few times since I began blogging in 2008.  And every time, it has been like meeting a long lost sister face to face.  In fact, I grieved leaving dear “in real life” friends in Nashville and prepared to start over, making new friends in Mississippi, only three things remained the same in my life:  Jesus, family, and heart-friends in the blog-world.  I consider some of these bloggers to be true friends, and we have supported and encouraged each other through some awfully difficult days – just like “in real life” friends do.  Friendship, no matter how or where, is such a gift from God! 

I’ve shared about meeting a a few of these blog-world friends.  In the past three years, I’ve had the joy of face-to-face meeting Sarah, of Nesting in Pleasant View; her sister Christy, of Between Here and Home; and Heidi, of Mom’s, Ministry, and More.  And now to add to that happily growing list, I finally met my dear sister-friend, Kim, of At Home with Kim.

Kim was one of the first blogging friends I met heart-to-heart.  When she began blogging, she blogged under the name “Kim…and her coffee.”  Waaaaaaay back in 2008 and the earlier stages of blogging, those of us with similar names felt an immediate connection.  Between both of us having “coffee” names, AND loving and living through Jesus, ours was a friendship just waiting to happen.  As I read and replied to her blog and she read and replied to mine, we began chatting through e-mail. 

Kim kept the names of her children anonymous back then, and the day she entrusted their names to me in an e-mail, I knew we’d moved to a new level of friendship.  I remember the first time we talked on the phone.  It was so sweet to hear the voice behind the blog – and of all things… it didn’t sound Southern!~  I hadn’t given a single thought to where she really lived until then.  Not that it matters one bit… it was just a shock.  And I’m sure she was just as shocked to hear the Southern accent in my voice.  Thinking about that day still makes me smile! 

Like many of my “in real life” {known in blog-language as “IRL”} friends, Kim (and other bloggers) constantly encouraged and prayed for and supported us when life got tough, and they hung in there with us from the time of    “The Rubber Meets the Road”  all the way through “Would You Like to See Where We Live, Finally?”.  It’s always been a prayer of mine to get to meet Kim face to face, IRL.  And God granted that request just a few weeks ago in the most unexpected of ways!

Kim and her family planned to come through Nashville on the 1st leg of their Spring Break, and I had told her of some fun places to tour and where to buy some incredible cowboy boots. 😉  But we never talked about specific dates.  I was scheduled to speak at a church in Nashville a few Saturdays ago, so I drove up on a Friday and stayed with my friends, the Joyces.  I was about two hours outside of Nashville when Kim texted me that she was about two hours outside of Nashville!  I immediately called her!  Neither of us knew when the other would be in town, but both of us were there on the same weekend!  It would have been just plain wrong if we had not tried to visit face to face!  Kim’s family was so sweet to happily let her have some time with me, and we met at Panera for coffee on Sunday morning before both of us continued on our ways.

It was as if we had known each other all of our lives.  We couldn’t talk fast enough, and time flew.  All too soon we had to get on the road.  But I’ll be speaking about 2 hours away from her this fall and the Lord willing, she is planning on coming to the retreat!  I pray that all works out to God’s glory!!!

Kim shared a lot of delicious recipes on her “Kim…and her Coffee” blog and soon changed her blog name to a clever “Quit Eating Out”.  Then she began running and incorporated encouragement for healthy lifestyles, so she changed “Quit Eating Out” to “Recipes to Run On.”  But recently she’s settled on a name that fits everything she shares –  “At Home with Kim.”  Kim shares all kinds of life encouragement, moments, recipes, ideas, etc, – and if you don’t know her or read her already, you’re missing out.  BTW, Kim is a much better cook and recipe blogger than I am, for sure!  She learned how to make Kale Chips, for heaven’s sake!  I don’t even know where one would buy some Kale around here! haha!

Kim wrote about our visit on this blog post, and just reading it makes me smile.  I will always be thankful for meeting my friend, Kim – both in the blog world and in real life.  Stop by her blog and give her a hug from me. 🙂  And, follow her on Twitter (as Kim and Her Coffee), and Facebook as At Home With Kim.

As I wrap up this post, I can’t help but think of so many of you that I’ve met heart-to-heart, but not yet face-to-face.  One of these days, as the Lord can be glorified in it, I pray that He will let us become friends IRL.  Until then, I remain so thankful for you and your presence and encouragement in my life.  Thank you for coming back to Smelling Coffee, and for the sweet responses you leave here, or reply in e-mail, or leave in Facebook.  I’m so thankful for your friendship!

Much love to all of you.  I pray for you often and praise God for putting each of you in my life.  As the Golden Girls’ theme song says, “Thank you for being a friend.” 🙂

Jennifer

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Since Spring has Sprung, is your wardrobe ready?

Easter day was just beautiful here.  It couldn’t have been more perfect – blue skies, comfortable Spring temperatures, and a day spent basking in the blessings of the Lord to those who trust in Him. I am so grateful.  How was yours?  I thought of and prayed for many of you!

Along with Easter in our home comes the semi-annual ritual of the changing of the closets.  And that leads me to my semi-annual ritual of blogging about my most important fashion tip I could ever pass along to anyone:  prayer.  Yep.  I’m serious.  Prayer.

Listen… I truly believe that whatever is on our minds, we need to invite God to be a part of it, and let Him help guide us as we mentally process whatever it is. For me and this time of year, especially since I’ve wandered into the perspiratory “waters” of hot-flashes, I’ve got spring-type clothing on a portion of my brain. If you do too, I offer to you the way the Lord helps me dress and stay “current” for each season of weather, and of life.

1. I look through fashion magazines in waiting rooms, the library, or wherever I find them, and try to get a feel for the common denominators in the clothing and accessories trends.  I’ll often invest in one fashion magazine in either March or April.  I try to find the most “modest” one if I’m going to bring it into our home.

2. I check the internet fashion websites to see what was on the runway for the season.

For Spring 2012, these are some of the trends I found while researching: long skirts, wide leg pants, peplums on tops, color blocking, colorful prints, floral prints- even in pants & shoes, flat shoes PTL, shades of tangerine, pastels, & unfortunately, bare midriffs. (When the skirts get longer, the tops get shorter. I was hoping that style would be one that wouldn’t return. However, you don’t have to worry about me rocking’ this trend, I promise! Haha)

3. Realizing that what is in the magazines and on the runways is not what will look “normal” in my middle-class-suburban-stay-at-home-wife-mom-Bible-teacher-life, I classify the trends in categories of clothing I would actually wear.

And these days, everything must fit into all three of these “C categories”:  Cool – as in the combatant for hot-flashes, Cute – because no matter how old I am, I still want to be cute for God’s glory, and Comfortable – as in life is too short to spend it in clothes that are too tight!  A men???

While I’m doing this, I’m doing it with the Lord, often talking through these things out-loud to Him, as if He’s sitting with me (which actually… He is right there with me).

4. Then WE (He and I) go through my clothes for the new season. He totally does this with me. We pull out the clothes and I try them on.  This ritual is most often accompanied by a renewed commitment to exercise and tone up the sagging muscles.

5. Remembering the trend categories, I’ll pray for wisdom to make “new” outfits out of old clothes. I don’t audibly hear this, but the Lord will put ideas in my mind, and I’ll try them on, with shoes and accessories.

6. Usually, I’ll “need” {disclaimer: “need” in the lightest sense of the word – in the true scope of things, I know that I have more than I’ll ever “need”}a few pieces to update my wardrobe from the previous year. I’ll write down what I “need” in my prayer journal on a page called “Requests and Wish Lists”. Then I let it go. I give it to the Lord, and ask Him to provide those pieces of clothing / shoes / accessories IF He will be glorified through them. Sometimes I feel led to write a price beside the item. It’s so much fun to see the Lord provide in such specific ways. Sometimes He’ll provide what I’ve asked for, and sometimes He doesn’t. When He doesn’t provide, I find that I really didn’t “need” it anyway.

7. I don’t go out and spend lots of money on clothing. I give the needs to the Lord, and then I wait to see how He leads me to find the items I need. Often, I can pick something up at Target or Wal Mart, or Ross’ or Khols on sale or clearance. One piece at a time, the Lord builds my “current” wardrobe. Sometimes I’ll be drawn to go to Goodwill and look around. When I obey and go when the Lord leads me to, I find just what was on the list. Occasionally someone will share their “hand me overs” with me, and something I’ve prayed for will be among those clothes. Our God is creative with His provisions!

8. Everyday (or night), I stand at my closet and ask the Lord to help me know what to wear. He guides my eyes and hands and helps me choose the outfit de jour.

I may not look “perfect” to everyone else, but when the Lord has helped me dress and fix my hair, the responsibility for how I look is up to Him, and I don’t have to worry over it anymore. I can leave my house knowing that He has dressed me spiritually (in my quiet time with Him), and physically.

After I get ready with His help, having done the best I can with what I’ve been given, I say Psalm 90:17 to the Lord: “Let Your beauty be upon me, and establish the work of my hands.” I’m then free to go about my day, confident of His handiwork in and upon my life.

Matthew 6:24-34 sums up what I’ve taken way too many paragraphs to say. No matter how big or little it seems, God can take care of it. Our job is to seek Him first, and all these other things will fall into place. Seeking Him first – even for our spring wardrobes – takes all of the worry out of it. We can trust Him to dress us in the way where He receives the glory – and we’ll be current and beautiful like the lilies.

(24) “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (25) Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? (26) Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (27) Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

(28) And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. (29) Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. (30) If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

(31) So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ (32) For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. (33) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (34) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

If you’ve never thought that God cared about these things before, or you never wanted to “bother” Him with the little stuff, I challenge you to try it. You’re not bothering Him. Ask Him to help you in the little things, and you’ll see Him being involved in your life in a big way!

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A little ministry post

Hey friends~  It seems forever since I’ve been on this blog!  Actually, it has.  I left town a week ago to head to a retreat in Gatlinburg, TN and am just now settling back in at home.  We had a wonderful trip and the Lord did a special work.  Abigail and my mom traveled with me, and that made it even more precious.  The last time the three of us went together on a speaking trip, Abi was around 4 years old.  This picture was made of us then:

I can’t believe those little kissable cheeks on my baby girl!  Of course, I don’t think I’ve changed a bit in 10 years! (right!)

Just for fun, I thought it would be extra special to try to recreate this photo10 years later.  Only, something just doesn’t look the same (never mind that there’s no way I could even hold my baby girl this time!  We propped her up on a bench):

I have to admit – Abigail wasn’t too thrilled to pose for my silly pictures.  At first she groaned and made all kinds of strange faces.  So I found a way to get a good and willing smile out of her – Moms of teens everywhere – this just might be the parental pictorial tip of the century!  I told her that if she DIDN’T smile and act right for the pictures I wanted to take, I’d post one of the pictures with her on-purpose-strange-faces on my facebook wall and would tag her in it.  Then ALL of my friends (and hers) could comment on it and her phone would be going off constantly over the not-so-good-pic.  Guess what?  She smiled beautifully for each pic we took all weekend. 🙂

Of our posed pictures, though, this is my favorite – it was *snapped as I was threatening the Facebook posting:

It was good to be back with some of the ladies from the first church James and I served in.  We were fresh out of seminary and cut our ministry teeth among those precious people.  God did more than we asked Him to, and revealed Himself to us in intimate ways all weekend.  It is a true privilege to serve Him by speaking of and teaching about Him, and I’m humbly honored for that to be one of my “jobs” in His kingdom.

Speaking of ministry – a blog change is coming to Smelling Coffee.  I’ve been gifted a “blog makeover” and will be switching from blogger to wordpress soon.  This is something I’ve been praying about for several years, and I’m so grateful that God has provided for me to do this.  My blogger address (and the one many of you are using is SmellingCoffeeToday(dot)blogspot(dot)com.  But you can also reach this blog by www.SmellingCoffee.com.  I’m not sure when the wordpress site will be completed, but if you will go on and start using SmellingCoffee.com, then it won’t matter at all to you when I move.  Make sense?
 

Along with that move will be the pulling together of the different avenues of ministry the Lord has given me.  I blog as Smelling Coffee, but I write as Jennifer Crawford Walker, and I speak under the ministry title of Malta Ministries (long but good story for another day).  As I’ve prayed, I feel that it’s time to pull it all together – under one ministry umbrella, but the Lord still hasn’t let me know exactly what He wants it to be called.  So… I’m waiting and seeking and listening with great expectation of what God will do.  He is so creative!  I know that whatever it is, it will be just perfect!  If He gives YOU any inspiration, please don’t hesitate to share!  😉

This week, among mounds of laundry, a house full of teenager friends in and out, and Spring Break at-home-fun, I begin praying and working toward speaking in a few weeks in Nashville at Tulip Grove Baptist Church (Old Hickory/Hermitage area).  If you live in or near Nashville, please come!  Call the church office for more info. 615-883-1856.  The luncheon is at noon on March 31st and will also feature some precious singers, Mosaic.  You’ll absolutely  L.O.V.E. them!!!  Tickets are $7.  I’d be so thrilled to see lots of my Nashville friends there!

You know, we don’t have to speak at women’s events to have a “ministry”.  You have a ministry.  Every one of us has a ministry if whatever we do, we do it as unto the Lord, in His strength, and giving Him the glory and credit for it all.  As I study and wash clothes and taxi kids and cook supper I have a ministry.  Because, underneath it all, I am serving the Lord as I serve my family and others.  If we need His strength to do something, and He gives it, then that something can become “a ministry” as we glorify God because of it. 

What is the ministry God has given you?  I’d love to know.  Because if it is from God, it is extremely important in His kingdom.  May He strengthen you to serve Him today – no matter what it is that you are doing.  🙂

“And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.”  Col. 3:17  AMP

*BTW, I saw these pics on Tammy Whitney’s FB page – hers came out better than ours. Thanks, Tammy! 🙂

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If you live in or near the Cleveland, MS area – 4 things for YOU!

Please join us for one or all of these events.  We’d love to have you with us… and please bring your friends!  Sorry,  men, only one of the invitations includes you. The others are FWO {for women only}. 😉

1.  Feb. 4  Ladies’ Night Out Event

Feb. 4   Festival of Tables
6:00 – 8:30 pm
FBC Cleveland Fellowship Hall
Beautiful tables, a fabulous dinner,
and a wonderful speaker: Heidi Plumley

Tickets: $10
Call the church office by Wed. Feb. 1 to purchase/reserve tickets: 662-843-2701
 

This is Heidi.  She came to see us and minister to us while Nathan was in the hospital in Memphis.  She and two of her children brought supper, snacks, and sweet encouragement and fellowship for me one day.  I’ve loved her as an online friend for several years, and she was even better in person!

I’m very confident in the Lord that she will also bring to our event that same type of food (Spiritual), fellowship, and encouragement in the Lord!  Please make plans to join us!!!

2.  Beth Moore’s new Bible Study – James – Mercy Triumphs will begin in February.

Two classes will be held weekly at FBC Cleveland in room 105.

Sunday Afternoons beginning Feb. 12.  4 – 5:45 pm.
Tuesday Mornings beginning Feb 14.  9 – 11 am.

Books are $10
Call FBC Cleveland for more information and to register.  662-843-2701
Grab a friend and join in the Bible Study fun! (I’m facilitating this class & would love to have you in it!)

3.  ONLINE Book Club

 One
Thousand
Gifts
By Ann Voskamp
FBC Cleveland, MS
Book Club
via Facebook

 How it will work: {Optional kick-off meeting Sunday, 4pm, Rm 105}

1. Buy your book (Bookstore, Amazon, Church office, electronic version, etc).
2. Make sure you are a member of the FBC Cleveland, MS Women’s Ministry Facebook Page. (Click here and join.)
3. Read the book, two chapters a week.
4. Watch for a “discussion starter” to be posted on our FB page each Thursday pm, then jump in and share your answers and thoughts. Comment on each other’s posts, and we’ll have a great discussion going – all at your leisure. You have all week to post your thoughts. We’ll read 2 chapters a week.

Beverly McWilliams will be moderating our Book Club by posting our discussion starters.

Get to know Ann Voskamp through her blog:
www.AHolyExperience.com

* If you are not comfortable participating  “online” – The club will be meeting “in person” at the home of Mrs. Betty Thigpin on Thursdays at 10am.  Call the church office for more info.  662-843-2701

4.  Men, this invitation includes you – the whole family, in fact!  Have you seen this movie?  It is WONDERFUL!  I’ve seen it three times and can’t wait to see it again!  Everyone is invited.  Bring the whole family!

Courageous Movie
Sunday, Jan. 29, 
5:00 pm
FBC Cleveland Fellowship Hall
FREE
Bring the entire family!
Snacks and drinks for sale in order to raise money 
for the Children’s Minnistry .
Nursery provided for birth – 3 years old.

Please consider joining us for one, two, three, or all four of these events.  It would be our honor and pleasure to serve you through these avenues.  Blessings of the Lord upon each of you this weekend, my friends…

Jennifer


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