Life Transformation

Well, the 12 week challenge at Gold's is over and I am proud of myself for setting out on a life long journey of a healthier lifestyle. Initially I signed up because Trey asked me to and I wanted to support him. But then I realized that I needed to take advantage of the opportunity and put forth 100% effort in all that I did--for ME. 


So, I did it. I completed the challenge and saw some incredible results. I'm not done. There are still a few pounds to be shed, some toning that needs to take place and a little more muscle to be built in some areas...but overall I am proud to have seen the results at the end of the 12 weeks! 


I lost 10lbs., 3" in my waist, 3" in my hips, 4% body fat, and a total of 6.6% of body weight lost!!! As a result, I have dropped 2 pants/short sizes & have reached a healthy BMI. Since Bear, I have lost a total of 55lbs (I only gained 35lbs with him) and I am just 5lbs shy from being at my PRE-Trey weight!! 


Oh and I can't forget to mention that Trey and I ran a 5K last weekend and I finished in 31:55!!! Not bad for a girl who never consistently runs and never completed the C25K app. 


None of it was easy but the truth is life isn't. Anything that you want in life takes work...IF you want it to last. If you want to be healthy-- it takes work, if you want your marriage to last till death do us part-- it takes work, if you want to draw closer to the Lord-- it takes work, if you want your children to be mindful and respectful--it takes work, if you want to be successful--it takes work, if you want a clean home--it takes work. Get me?


Work is good! If you don't like to work (and I don't just mean the kind of work where you clock in and out to get a paycheck) then you are just merely existing and I believe that we have a greater calling then to just exist. There are people around us who need to hear our success stories, who need to know that with work your marriage can survive, with work you can lose that 25lbs, 50lbs, or even 100lbs. 


More importantly, I want that for my family. I don't want Bear to ever know what it is to struggle with his weight a day in his life. Trey and I know what it is like and we don't want that for our son. So we are choosing to raise him in a way where we hope and pray he doesn't ever experience a weight issue. 
I want people to look at my marriage and think, "WOW, they have been through hell and back but yet they still stand side by side in love." 
Financially there was a time in our life where it was a struggle but we were faithful with our "little" tithe and as a result the Lord has blessed us beyond measure. 
I want people to look at our son and see his "little" ears and closed ear canals and hear us say, "the Lord is faithful and good our son can hear unaided!"


At the end of the day, I want the Lord's blessing over my health, my marriage, my child(ren), my work, my home, and my friendships. I want HIM to bless the WORK of our hands because we do it to bring honor and glory to his name. 


Through this 12 week transformation I am that much more convinced that through Christ I can do ALL things! 




My prayer for you is that you would be determined to set out to work hard and as a result you will be able to sit back and see the goodness of the Lord shining down on you! 


Have a wonderful weekend!


~Jenni~

Good Friday!

I can honestly say in my 28 years of life this Easter has more meaning to me then any other. That probably may sound really pathetic, but now that I am a parent my world operates differently. I see things through the eyes of a parent; naturally, of course.

Bear has not been feeling good and has been running a low grade fever since early Friday morning. As a result, he is extra cuddly and whiny but who wouldn't be?
As I held him very close, in his nursery, while we rocked I couldn't help but think about how great, how deep, how wide the Father's love is for us. I know the love I have for my son and, well, there are no words that were ever written to express or show the love I have for him...the crazy thing is that the Lord's love surpasses my ability to love. How absolutely crazy is that? It's hard at times to wrap my mind around, but it's true. There technically are no words to express his love for us either but through action only as He sent his one and only son to hang on that old rugged cross to carry our shame, our sin, and our sorrows.

So, the next time you feel ashamed, unworthy, unloved you better think again. The God I know sacrificially sent his Son to take on all of that so you didn't have to.  The God I serve, his love surpasses that of an earthly parent's love and a spouse's love. Lord knows I need to be reminded of this and maybe you do too!

Enjoy the weekend with your family and if you want have an Easter egg hunt for your kids, but first instill in them what Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday (actually Monday) are really all about. Explain to them that there's a God that loves them more then you do and as a result He sent his son that we would have life and have it more abundantly. That through Jesus' obedience we are no longer condemned to hell but are able to spend eternity with the One who loves us most. That's the real meaning behind Easter...make sure they know it!

He has Risen!

~Jenni~

Moved to tears...

It's been an emotional last few weeks for me. Not because I am sad but because I'm blown away by God's constant faithfulness in my life. Last Wednesday Bear had his EEG and the night before I laid in bed and was looking through pictures of me carrying Bear all the way till now and the flood gates opened. Trey was next to me and asked me if I was ok and I was, just extremely grateful.

Have you ever been there? Where your heart is so full from seeing God move mightily in your life that you just can't help but cry...weep? If you have then I'm sure you are totally relating to me right now.

Yesterday I met a little boy who had Cerebral Palsy. As he laid across me I couldn't help but want to lay hands on him and pray but I was so overcome with emotion that I couldn't get words out. I could barely say 'Jesus.' I was trying to fight back the tears but the harder I tried the more they came out. My heart was heavy and I just really needed God's healing hand to be upon this boy. I can't imagine what his parents face or deal with on a daily basis but I do know that God still heals and in that moment there was nothing I wanted more then to see that boy healed.totally.by the blood of Jesus.
I was that much more moved when Bear came over and placed his head against the little boy's head for a good 15 seconds. I didn't ask him to he just did it.
In that moment, I was reminded of when we were in the NICU with Bear still waiting on news about his ears and tests etc...when our Pastor's wife and friend texted us and told us that she had all the little children in the kids room praying for Bear. The amazing part of this story was that they all had their hands placed over their ears praying for him. Chills. And yet here I was, trying to pray and my son came over and in his own way reached out to this little boy. Talk about fighting back tears. Whew.

If there is anything I desire for Bear it is that he understands, at a very young age, who the Spirit is and what He is capable of doing when we allow ourselves to become open to his moving. I'm thankful that we are part of a church body who instills this in our children at a very young age. There is something about the acts of a child that touch the heart of God.


Matthew 18:1-2
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.


Just think on this, why would God call us to become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven? 




Acts 2:17‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams...'

If we ever needed a move of the Spirit we need it now; in our families, on our jobs, and in this country. However, it won't happen if we shy away from who the Spirit is and what He has come to do in us and through us. We are here to be vessels of his light. So shine BRIGHT! 

~Jenni~

Trust Him!

So, with the start of this New Year came a lot of new changes in the Sheneman household and with in me....
One of those things I wanted to do differently was to not focus on the 'what ifs' but to fully place my trust in the God who knew my path before I ever walked it.

Have you ever met people in your life who were so caught up in asking you questions like, "well, what if?" or "are you sure that's what you're suppose to do?" you know all the questions that really make you rethink what you are doing because someone else asked. My question to you would be, "where exactly does your trust lie..in God or man?" Man doesn't control or set your destiny God does...and if you are being obedient to what He has called you to do then He will provide! He's just GREAT like that. Don't give place to negativity; it is breeding ground for the enemy. Not trying to be overly spiritual but it's truth.

There are some really exciting things that are starting to unravel for my husband at work and as his wife I can either ask questions like, "well, are you sure... or what if?" but I believe that's not what God would have me do. I am called to be his helpmate and supporter so instead when he begins to doubt I shut down that mindset and 1) bring to remembrance the prophecies that were spoken over our household and his business & 2) remind him that in the natural it looks impossible but with God ALL things are possible. If it were possible to do in the natural then how much credit would we actually give God? Chances are none of it...and He knows it. That's why He operates in the SUPERNATURAL. Right? Make sense?

You may be a wife who needs to support your husband in the same manner or you may be a husband who needs to support your wife. Either way if God called you to do something and it seems impossible chances are it is but that's why you have God on your team! He is ABLE.

It's all about a changed mindset. When the world brings fear and doubt His word brings peace and hope!  
Romans 12:2 "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." NLT


Just trust Him, be obedient and let Him show off BIG in your life! 


By Grace Alone,
~Jenni~

New Season.

For the most part, the majority of us know when a new season is approaching & I don't mean because today is Wed., March 21st--the second day of Spring because the calendar says so or is it?
There is something that changes in the air...our environment. There's a shift that takes place allowing one season to end and another to begin. For me, the pollen and heat is a given that 'Spring has Sprung!' I didn't need to see it on a calendar or watch the news...I could feel it...There was a change that affected my body as a result of the shift that took place in the environment--the new season.

I won't go into a full blown Earth Science lesson here because that's not where I want our focus to stay and plus I am no longer a 6th grade teacher. However, there's a correlation between a physical and spiritual change.
When I was a teacher, Biblical integration was necessary. We were required to integrate Biblical principles/scripture(s) into "secular" curriculum. It was a must before our principal, who would pay a visit to "grade" us, as well as the accrediting team who put the stamp of approval on our school.

Anyways,so here is where the Biblical integration is going to take place: just like the change of seasons that take place here on Earth, we each experience seasonal changes in our own lives. You may be in a season of sewing and you  are....waiting...waiting...and still waiting...while others of you may be in a season of reaping. God tells us in Genesis 8:22, "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."


If you know anything about planting or gardening then you know that the minute you plant that seed there's not going to be an INSTANT harvest. There's the watering, the sun light & the natural maturation that needs to take place for a healthy, well nourished plant to blossom. Are you with me? Great! 
Just like in our own lives we go through different phases of maturation AKA growth spurts. God has each given us a purpose and destiny. With that being said, we all start off the same--a "seed" and from there is where our growth spurts vary. 
Ecclesiates 3:8 "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."

There's no doubt that we reap what we sow--Biblical principle; however, the principle that we have a hard time grasping is that our season of harvest doesn't always come in the same season that we sowed our seed. Got me? I know. It's a hard concept for me to grasp much less type. The good news...the harvest WILL come...Why? We sowed our seed! The problem with instant gratification is that it isn't Biblical...plain and simple. It seems as though that is the American way of life--see it...get it! But that concept is totally contradictory to The Word. There's a reason why we must wait. There are lessons to be learned & most importantly there's got to be an unwavering faith and trust in the One who is watching, helping, and enabling us to grow bigger and stronger. He can be trusted. I promise. 

The biggest problem we face is when we are ready to 'throw in the towel' because it hasn't happened when we wanted it to. **NEWS FLASH** Prepare to keep waiting if that's your mindset. God knows best we don't. 

This is coming from a girl who is a fighter but almost got to a point in her life that 'throwing in the towel' was a better option. Thankfully I didn't listen to the lies of the enemy but I trusted in the One who had my life, my destiny, my purpose in the palm of his hand. As a result, I'm a little bit stronger today and my faith and trust is greater in Him. 

I will leave you with this verse in the hopes that whatever season of life you're in that you will cling to the One who knows your end from your beginning. Galatians 6:9, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

In His Timing,

~Jenni~

P.S. I now must tend to my motherly duties...it's 11:03pm I should be asleep but I'm not and it's probably not a bad thing seeing as though my son is screaming in his crib and I have a husband who is out of town for the next few days! Just a season...right?!?!? ;)

Worship!

You may be like me when it comes to worship in that there are just a few of those songs out there that bring you to tears and maybe even your knees when you hear them.

Well, that was me this past Sunday. You may know it, 'Worthy is the Lamb!' It is a true worshipers song. It's a song that I know all the lyrics to and can have my eyes shut the entire time basking in the glory of the One who is SO worthy. It pretty much is my 'Thank You' song to my Heavenly Father.

I am a worshiper. I'm not a singer in the least bit, but I believe God doesn't care whether or not I can sing, heck if He wanted me to sing then he would have given me that ability but He didn't. He gave me the ability to worship! I'm so thankful that He has given me arms/hands to raise to Him and a mouth that can sing praises unto Him. I really believe He smiles down on his children who are unashamed to enter into his presence that way. There's so much freedom in being able to do so. I realize that for some it is uncomfortable at first (been there), but when you really understand what and who you are doing it for it doesn't matter who is looking at you. You aren't there to put on a show it's about glorifying the One who paid it all for me and you. The One who sacrificed his ONLY son (gulp) for us---undeserving...sinners. I get a lump in my throat just thinking about it. I have a son and right now he is my only son (child) and there is just NO WAY I could or would sacrifice him for anything or anyone. There is NO ONE deserving enough to me that I would send my son in your place. Did you get that? Did you think about your own child(ren) for a minute? If so, then you should have some serious conviction and gratitude to the One who DID do what we could never do.

At night, when I rock Bear in his nursery before putting him in his crib I typically will sing at least one song to him and it pretty much goes like this: 'Jesus loves Bear this I know...for the Bible tells me so...little ones to Him belong...they are weak...but Jesus is strong...Yes, Jesus loves Bear...Yes, Jesus loves Bear...etc...'
My prayer during that time with him is that God would instill in him a love for worshiping Him. Trey can sing & he has family members that do so as well...and there are plenty of singers on the Hartley side of my family so I can only hope he has that talent, but above all I want Him to be a worshiper. The one who at a very young age raises his hands before the Lord, eyes closed just fully engaged in the One who is worthy of it all.

When I was pregnant with Bear I would have visions of him standing in the front row at church with his hands stretched out as far as he could reach them. It was beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes. The irony in this is that when he was born we were told he couldn't hear. The devil is a liar. I laugh now because God is good and I believe that much more that those visions were from Him.

I write this blog to encourage you as a believer to really grab a hold of the fact that God enjoys when we worship and praise Him. Psalm 22:3 "Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel." (NLT) And I don't mean just standing there singing a song. Let your guard down and I promise you that the feeling that overcomes you when you "let loose" is one of the greatest feelings ever. 
Most importantly, worship is our "repayment" to Him to show how appreciative we are for what He did for us. 


This boy gets it even at a young age. He is anointed. He is a worshiper. 

Double Whammy...

So this past week was a complete wash in the Sheneman household. On Monday of last week we woke up, had breakfast and headed to the gym...little did I know Bear and I were about to get tackled to the ground...and we were down for the count for a good 5 days.

There is nothing worse then watching your child vomit profusely in front of you. His sweet eyes would gaze up at me crying out for help and there wasn't a thing I could do for him but hold him in my arms, cup my hands to his mouth and pray that this would pass quickly.
Unfortunately, "passing quickly" was not going to be the case for my boy. I was by myself with Bear and towards the latter part of that day I began to feel nauseous. Unfortunately, diarrhea had reared it's ugly head and Bear was that much more pitiful. Oh.my.word. I managed to get him in the bath tub, grabbed the garbage can and sat next to him outside of the tub (I'll spare you the rest of the details). Needless to say, it was not a pretty site. It was at that point that I became so helpless and wondered how I was suppose to tend to him and take care of me.
Of course, it was the night that Trey had a business dinner to tend to. Thankfully Gigi showed up, mask and all, and then right behind her walked in Trey. I said, "Thank God" and headed back to the bathroom.

Seeing my son so sick was frightening...it had gotten so  bad (no wet diapers in over 17hrs) that Trey & Gigi headed to Children's. I stayed back because I was still sick. Me sitting at home didn't last long as I called on a friend to take me to my boy. I couldn't not be there for him despite how incredibly awful I felt; It's a mamma thing. So, after some blood work, zofran and gatorade they sent us home. They told us if Bear didn't have a wet diaper in the next 4 hours that we were to head back to Children's. I was REALLY doing some praying. That was the last thing any of us wanted for him.

Praise Jesus for wet diapers! From there the diarrhea continued and a few isolated vomiting incidences occurred.  Meanwhile it was Wednesday and Trey was still feeling good (Praise Jesus), Gigi on the other hand not so much...and I can't say it escaped Trey because it didn't. But it's now Sunday and we all are doing well.

Boooo to the God awful stomach virus that reared it's ugly head in my home. Don't EVER come back here. Thank you.