About the Author

Jen encourages women to embrace both the beauty and bedlam of their everyday lives at BeautyandBedlam.com. A popular speaker, worship leader, and author of Just Open the Door: How One Invitation Can Change a Generation, Jen lives in North Carolina with her husband, five children, and a sofa for anyone...

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
Find more at DaySpring.com
(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. God put it on my heart a few years ago to volunteer at a food pantry. I finally got the opportunity and started this past Fall. Last time we were open for food distribution, a woman, I’ll call her Sandra, pulled up to our door. Even though we didn’t open for an hour, I let her know we’d take care of her. She didn’t have enough gas to go home and come back. As I was talking to her she shared with me that she just wanted to go “home”. She was defeated. She is battling breast cancer, her husband left her, she is living with her daughter and her family and they lost so much in this past year. As we prayed, the holy spirit just took the wheel and spoke his heart over Sandra. When we were about to part, she asked if I’d call and pray with her. I ask for prayers that the Lord would lead, guide and be glorified in all our interactions.

    • Yes! Praying that Sandra and her family will be incredibly blessed by your obedience to the voice of the Spirit, for God is able to do so much more than we ask or imagine. I will be praying for this situation to bring glory to God.

  2. Jennifer,

    My investment isn’t necessarily into 1 person but usually to groups of people. I have cooked for, served & bought items for “Recovering Soldiers Ministry”-prisoners who are hearing about Christ & changing their lives. Also help cook & serve for “Loaves & Fishes” – they feed less fortunate. At work I have a co-worker going through a trying time with her aging dad plus she moved last summer. Use my talents to help her out & pray for her. We haven’t had church in a while so I call some of the older, single women or send cards to those going through medical issues. I love that your children gave up social media. It shows they care more about face to face interactions than what you see on screen.

    Blessings 🙂

  3. The Lord leads me through each day as a new widow and I am so thankful to have his presence. But secondly, is my CPA son who figures my taxes for me in return for sending him to business school. Mary and Joseph traveled to be counted and pay taxes, and we are still doing the same. My mother used to say, death and taxes are 2 things you cannot avoid!

    • Oh Connie – I can’t even imagine being a new widow during this time of Covid. I echo your statement about thankful for HIs presence, but I know that the days must also feel long so I will pray especially that you are met during this age of isolation and loneliness.

      Grateful you have a son who can help in such a practical way. My hubby does taxes too and I am so thankful. 🙂

      Prayers of blessings over you today,
      Jen xoxox

  4. I hope to be there for my grown daughter but also need prayers to say or be what at least one student needs each day.

    • Yes, Jane. Praying for how you can meet the needs of one student today is such a beautiful desire. You will impact them in so many ways we can’t imagine.

      Blessings,
      Jen

  5. Jen this might seem strange. God has told me to invest in my Dad. He is not saved. My Dad the type person he nice but does not know how to be a real Father to you. He does try. So I help as much as I can. Do what I can spend as much time with him as can. I am the only one saved in our family. God told me live my life in front of him for Jesus. As if you did tell him he needed to get saved he get stubborn say. Do you mind keep that to yourself please. Or something along those lines. So I just live my life in front of my Dad for Jesus. But my Dad can be stubborn at times. God showed me my Dad will not change until he gets saved. God told me just to say nothing. Just live my life as Follower of Jesus in front of him. Telling my Dad when I leave his home to go to my home. I love him. Which I do love him. I tell him that Because he my Dad. I do that anyway tell him when I leave to go home. I say love you Dad see you soon. Then this last while. I have not been so good at this. God has asked me when I go to my Dad’s home to say a quite prayer for him for him salvation. God said Dawn I want you say Lord I want you bless my Dad that lives in this home and make him see he needs you as his saviour and make him see Jesus in me his Daughter want what I have that is you as his Saviour like me his Daughter. But I do not always remember to do that. I going to have to get better at remembering to do that every time I enter my Dad’s home. As God has asked me to that. I must pray and ask God to help me not forget to do that every time I go to my Dad’s he is 80. He was good my Dad sent us me and my sisters to Sunday School. He only went himself to Church to here us if we were taking part. But now not unless someone is getting Married or Furneral that sad. I want nothing from my Dad only to see and know he is saved when his time is up. Love today reading. Love your part incourage Jen. Thank you for all you said today. I love you all incourage. Dawn Ferguson-Little

  6. I am at a mental health apt with my middle-aged son today and he is the one God needs me to support so I do my very best with heavy reliance on God’s help and the support I get from friends.

  7. The name of a young woman at church has been on my mind. You’ve inspired me, Jen, to text her and see if we can’t have a Face-Time coffee or tea and get acquainted. I’m much older than she is, but my ears can still listen well!

  8. I love this so much, Jen!! My ONE is Paige, and she is a brand new mom I met last fall at our church community group, before Covid shut it down. We’ve been texting and looking at dates to get together for the first time! Your post was such good timing to encourage me to not let our plans fall through the cracks.

  9. It is my pleasure to invest in the every day lives of my three daughters; Valerie, Victoria and Vanessa.

    I am fortunate to have three distinctly different young ladies. God knows how to mesmerize parents when their children are unique, intelligent and very determined to chart their own paths.

    I have always had input during conversations with my daughters. I am more mature now and I understand that children don’t want to imitate their parents usually because they may seem to be uninteresting, quirky and not exciting. I guess that’s true in my case and my husband has always been very strict, especially about finances.

    So now I have learned to accept the differences in my girls and truly appreciate what they have to share with me of their personalities, likes and dislikes, and knowledge and experiences.

    God created them differently from me and my husband and in different generations. Music, dances, literature, styles in clothing and hair, all are different. What I am thankful for is knowing that my Girls know the love of Christ and know how to pray to our Creator. I pray with them and for them. I want to be part of their lives as God shapes and develops them into God fearing young believers of the One True Living God.

  10. Hello! A very powerful article that has a very deep meaning! I very often think about what kind of people are around me now and what they were around me before. It is really important to give your energy to one person, and not hack into many people at once. I try to devote all my attention to my family, it seems to me that these are the most important people in our life, I also try not to use social networks, if I do, I just read something important there. It’s great that your kids don’t use them! This teaches them to be kinder and see not only online life, as many now see. Social media can be dangerous. Thanks for writing!

    Blessings