A Tribute to Dad...

It's Dads birthday this weekend and I have been reflecting on the gift God

My First Wedding

gave me by allowing me to be his daughter. All these thoughts have been whirling around in my mind and I decided it was worthy of a blog post to celebrate His special day. 

Dad...this is for you, 

Growing up I never realized how blessed I was by having the dad I did. He sure set the bar high for any future man by being an amazing husband to my mom and an amazing dad to my sisters and me. He held us when we cried, through sobs of incoherent blubber, he brushed our hair and always told us we were so beautiful in our little dresses. He put up with hairspray, nail polish, chick flicks and boy talks - and still does! 

Dad's Birthday

Dad taught me how to drive, including letting me purchase a stick shift I didn't know how to work...and graciously let me ride when I broke down in tears - then took me out for ice cream. One of my favorite memories of my dad might have come during my junior year in High School. It was softball season. As I rounded the corner of 3rd base after hitting my first home run, I saw Dad in the stands with both arms in the air and the pride on his face...I could hear his voice cheering me on. This picture is locked into my memory and will never go away. I had never felt so on-top-of the world. He was committed to being at almost every softball game, track meet and swim meet including all away games; band concerts, parades and football games - all while pastoring a church. Family was his priority - we felt that.

Graduation 2013

Dad has taught me the importance of humility and what it looks like to be a life-long learner. We graduated last year just 6 days a part. Him with his Doctor of Ministry degree and me with my Bachelors. Dad has instilled in me a deep love for Jesus, a desire to commit my life to sharing Christ with the next generation, a love for kids - including a a childlike joy - and a fiercly competitive nature.

I will be forever grateful for the influence my Dad has had on me and on so many others - I can only pray I can keep this legacy alive. Dad, I love you more than words can describe and I am so grateful God made me to be your daughter. Happy Birthday!!

About that competitive nature...

Love,
Your Jenna girl

**Disclaimer: I know I have friends who do not have this kind of relationship due to loss - the affects of living in a broken world. Might I encourage you with the knowledge that Almighty Father has CHOSEN YOU. "...even as he chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him...." Ephesians 1:3-14 -- Look up the rest, then commit it to your memory...it's gold. 

Thankful for the friendship we have...<3

A Journey with Jesus

It is that time of year where rain is creeping in and fall is taking over. Any outdoor adventures are soon to be a thing of the past and not likely for another handful of months...so I had to sneak in another one today. I ventured out this afternoon for a local hike. Many people had been telling me about this one so I had to try it out. I think one of the reasons I like hiking so much is that it is a real life example of what it feels like to journey with Jesus.

This was a monumental hike for me...one where I experienced Jesus closer than ever before. My first hike by myself. Yes, I know that isn't the smartest idea on the planet, but I was told it was a safe one and I had food, shelter, pepper spray and a whistle should anything happen (Mom, you can lecture me later). I found this little cross etched into a tree about a mile in and I knew that it was going to be a good date with Jesus.

Today's hike by myself consisted of me and Jesus having conversations all day. Doing a hike alone made me think of what my life feels like as a single person - wishing I had someone next to me to journey through life with, to share experiences with and to laugh with. Every switchback I came to, I kept thinking this HAS to be the last one. I must be getting close. But, around every corner, there was another corner and another and another.

The further I climbed, the less city noise I heard and the clearer the sky was getting as I moved toward the top. Each new curve reminded me of the things of life that slow us down - those things that distract us from where God wants us to be. There were moments hiking up that I felt there was no way I could keep moving. My feet felt heavier and heavier with each passing step (it doesn't help that I did a 3 mile run last night so I started the day sore).

About halfway up I came across this beautiful bridge. Up until this point, it was a pretty steady climb up. Hitting this bridge was a reprieve....a little place to just stand and watch the creek below. See the water moving, see the birds flying from tree to tree. It was a little gift from God. I think in our daily lives, God gives us little gifts here and there but we are so often too busy to see those. Today, His gifts were much clearer.




 By the time I got to the top, I realized just why the rest of it was worth it. It was easy to forget what I was thinking, why I was climbing higher and higher. But once I hit the top, I took a deep breath in and was instantly reminded. As I journey through this life, though I dream of the day I get to journey with someone else, I realized today that God has me on the exact path He wants me to be on. I need to remind myself that every set-back, every unexpected turn and every "mountain" I am climbing, I am simply climbing to where God is calling me to go.


This year in BSF, we are studying the life of Moses. We are reading through the Exodus right now and I have been learning things I never realized. Reading things that I KNOW I have read many times, but never REALLY read. "God SAW the people of Israel - and GOD KNEW." Exodus 2:25 - God knew the Israelites were living in bondage, living as slaves to the Egyptians. Then a few verses later, "The Lord said, "I have surely SEEN the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have HEARD their cry because of their taskmasters. I KNOW their sufferings and I have COME down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians...." Exodus 3:7-8 Today, I remembered that God hears my cries, he knows my deepest prayers and HIS plan will only be revealed in His time. God is a God of detail and intentionality and I know He is working out all of the details of my life for His glory and my good. What a mighty God we serve.

One Year Already!?

Friends!!! It is with overwhelming delight, excitement and pure amazement that I can finally say I have survived my first year at Highlands. It was a year ago this weekend that I was finally able to announce to you what God called me to after I graduated and I wrote my MUCH anticipated blog post announcing that to the world. For those of you that haven't read that or met me after-the-fact you can see that blog post here.

The last week I have been spending a lot of time processing and praying through what it is that I have been feeling most recently. If I had to sum up all the lessons God taught me throughout the year in one big word or theme, what would that be? After some deliberation, prayer and reading through my journal I have decided that that one big lesson this year was TRUST - knowing that God was in control but letting myself trust Him in that and relying on Him to be my strength. Reading through Matthew this year with BSF, I was struck by chapter 14 when Jesus calls Peter to walk on water. I have read this passage many times before but this year that changed for me.

"...He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt..." Matthew 14:29-31

Now, I am not saying that my job is something as monumental as Peter walking on water. But, God did ask me to 'come.' To step out, in faith, to something WAY bigger than me...just as Peter was asked to do. As soon as Peter took his focus off of Christ, he began to sink. He saw the wind and was afraid. This year I have learned that when I have taken my focus off of Christ, that is when I started to fear, to doubt, to question, to believe I couldn't possibly be good enough, or do this well enough to make it worth it, or believing that this really was too good to be true.

God has taught me a ton this year, I have been humbled in more ways than I realized I even needed to be humbled, I have matured more than I thought possible for a 12 month period and the things I have experienced in this year have been incredible. All of these make me so excited to keep going. To have more experiences than most my age, to fall even deeper in love for Jesus, to continue to discover that He has made me for this purpose for such a time as this to share Jesus with hundreds of kiddos.

After all of this I can't WAIT to see what God is going to continue to do with and through me this coming year. This year more than any, God reminded me that He has a plan for my life, a good and perfect plan that He will bring to fruition...in His timing and His way. This year the song "Oceans" by Hillsong became popular. Morri shared it with me in one of my more tear-filled days and it instantly struck a chord with me. THIS is the song to finally put words to what I have felt this year has been. If you haven't heard it before, you can listen to it here.

Thank you to those of you who have walked this year with me. For those that prayed for me, that let me cry and cry some more, for the hugs, dinners and encouraging smiles. For correcting me when I mispronounced or got the wrong name and to those who answered my hundreds of questions. And thank you, in advance, for continuing to give me grace in the above areas. :) I honestly couldn't have done it without you...thank you for loving me so well! Here's to MANY more year anniversaries!

Some thoughts on turning 24...

I was one of those unusual people who knew at age 16 what I wanted to do with my life. For the last 7 years, I have been working towards the goal of being hired at a church to serve full-time with children. The last 7 years, every class, job and volunteer experience was in hopes of pushing me closer to this goal. This last year has been strange. After so many years of looking ahead to someday having this job as a career, I have made it. I reached my goal and haven't looked ahead at where I am headed like I used to.

The last few days I have sat and reflected more on this and decided that I needed to change that. Goals are important because they push us to do things. They give us something to shoot for. They help give direction. In light of this as I approach my 24th birthday, I have decided to come up with a list of things to do before I turn 25. I am an avid list person because I know that I don't do so well if I don't have a list and it helps me visualize what I am targeting. I thought a blog post would be perfect for some accountability and just maybe, since I am telling others about this list, it might help me actually stay on target and complete these goals before 25. So these are what I am looking to this year...to help me continue to grow in my knowledge and love of Jesus as I seek to steward this life He has given me well.

1. Sponsor a Child - Since going to Haiti in 2012, I knew that someday, when I had a job and could afford it...I would sponsor a child. Because I can't fulfill my dream of adopting my own little one just yet, I will let this be the first step in this process. 
2. Have a regular bed time - They say that having a consistent bed time and wake up time is better for you. Even if this isn't correct and it doesn't make much of a difference this seems like a pretty good goal to have. 
3. Monthly Retreats - In the busyness of life it is so easy to get so caught up in the go-go-go of things that we disregard time spent in silence and prayer with the Lord. This year, I want to start monthly day retreats. Either hiking by myself, driving to the beach for the day or whatever retreat it might be, I want to make this time a priority for just me and the Lord. 
4. Read my Bible through in 1 year - I can't tell you how many times I have attempted this at the New Year and by March have failed miserably. This year, however, I am going to do this. Hopefully being the first of many read-throughs. 
5. Read 12 books - For those that know me well, this is a bit of a large feat. In attempts to be a life-long learner, I want to read 1 book per month. I haven't done much reading for 'fun' since I was in school so this one should be quite interesting. 
6. Prioritize my crafting - Whether it be painting, knitting or scrapbooking, I want to make this time a priority. On a regular basis, I want to use this gift God has given me. To share with others what He is teaching me and simply to learn to rest and have fun using this gift of creativity. 
7. Learn to Cook - This first year of living on my own I have lived off of frozen meals and cold cereal far too much. Even though it is a pain to cook for one person, I want to learn to cook and not only that to enjoy it...because someday I hope to be cooking for a house full...I really should start practicing this now. 
8. Run a 5K -  I have done this once before, but I would love for this to happen again and just be a stepping stone for more in the future. 
9. Develop an attitude of THANKFULNESS - In the easy stuff AND the hard stuff, I want to do better at having a good attitude and not disregard the gifts God has given me. 
10. Blog regularly - Blogging is one way that I process all that God is teaching me. It helps put words to my thoughts and feelings. Even if not many people read what I write, it might be an encouragement to one person and that would be worth it. I also like blogging because it helps me be vulnerable. It helps me to articulate what I am feeling and how people can be praying for me. 

These are some of the things that I want to grow in this year. I am challenging myself to continue to develop a deeper heart for Jesus. A more urgent desire to know Him well and be all he has called me to be. What are some ways God is asking you to be ready to grow in this year? And, for the record, goals like this do not need to be done around New Years only. They can begin whenever. Just pick a day and begin. I am looking forward to all that God will teach me in this 24th year of life and am thankful for each new day...His mercies are new every morning...Great is Thy Faithfulness...

Anniversaries, Moments and Memories

The Mosser family....guessing 2001 or so.
Oh the  memories... :) 

Thirteen years ago today...April 1, 2001 Dad preached his first sermon as Senior Pastor of Sunset Bible Church in University Place. Every time this year I sit and reflect on that special anniversary and this year, it is even more special for me. When we started at Sunset, I was 11 years old....really just beginning to discover who God made me to be...with the gifts, personality and talents He had given me. It was a time of discovering and a time of exploring and trying new things. Those first few years were some of the hardest years I remember. Suddenly my 'normal' was changed. A new home, new school and new friends. A new church family that had only 50 people - a HUGE change from what I knew 'church' was. Despite the pain, the hurt and challenge of making new friends in a completely new setting, I can't help but think of the good that has come from it. It was in those early days that I discovered God had given me a special gift in working with kids and a deep deep love for sharing Jesus with them. I learned that God had given me a deeper patience and compassion for His little ones and I knew that someday I would have a job that would revolve around children.

This April 1st, I sit and can't believe the similarities I am feeling in this first year of ministry. The new home, new city and new friends all remind me of those days thirteen years ago. It has become so evident to me that God knew I would be moving to Renton after college. He knew I would be making new friends in a new city. He knew I would have hard hard days where tears seem to flow like a faucet. Yet, despite all the hard and the pain and the doubt, I have a deep seated confidence that I know only is from Him, that our move to University Place was extremely intentional in preparing me for my move to Renton. I had no idea thirteen years ago (or even one year ago) that I would be experiencing something so similar to thirteen years ago.

I am so thankful tonight remembering how God has blessed Sunset Bible Church and our family through our ministry there. It gives me great confidence that God will continue to bless me at HCC, despite the pain and tear-filled days. He knows what He is doing and has an even bigger plan than anything I could ever dream up myself.

Thank you, Jesus for calling us to places and things that are much higher than us. It is in these moments we realize our need for You and our inadequacy. I am Yours and You are mine. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m_sWJQm2fs

Living a Life of Contentment

One thing I have noticed about myself is that I am SO bad at sitting down...resting...taking care of myself and LISTENING to what God is wanting to teach me. You would think that I would have that figured out but no. Instead, I go go go and then get sick. I got bronchitis right before Christmas...which left a lingering cough and shortness of breath for the following month, and then a cold last week and finally food poisoning this week. As I laid on the couch feeling like death this week, I couldn't help but just laugh and say, 'Ok Lord...what is it this time.' Boy, was I not prepared for what that would bring about.

One thing I have felt the Lord really working on my heart lately is the concept of contentment. I have been blessed with an amazing family, a wonderful job in ministry, a growing love for my new church family and a beautiful place I get to call my home. Yet, there has been real discontent in my heart and I couldn't figure out why. The longer I am in ministry, the more regularly I am getting people saying, 'Oh I should introduce you to my neighbors Son' or, 'My grandson'...the list goes on and on and it won't be stoping anytime soon. Though these people have good intentions, I have found myself craving that next step in life more than I ever have...wondering why not now?

Instead of being content with what God has blessed me with, I am looking ahead to the next chapter. It grieves my heart that I have not been able to be content with today....this season now because nothing else will ever be the same as this season is. This morning I decided to turn off the phone, tv, noise and sat down and read through the book of Joshua. This was the next book I was to read through and it was so fitting today!! Sometimes I feel like life is such a battle. I come to challenges that feel like I have walked up to the wall of Jericho....where I just have to laugh and say, 'really, God?' Yet, God gave Joshua and the Israelites exactly what they needed to conquer Jericho and THEN some....I know He will do the same with me.

Often, young women in my stage of life say they are in a season of 'waiting.' This has always kind of bothered me...simply because, in a sense, we are all waiting for the place we are in perfect peace and that isn't going to happen until heaven. And secondly, God is using me NOW to do BIG things for His Kingdom. I do not have to 'wait' for God to bring himself glory. I have complete faith that for this season, I can bring Him more glory being single. Something my dad always said was, 'If it is not from the Lord I don't want any part of it...but if it is from the Lord, I want ALL of it.' That is what I am feeling. If it is God's will for me to be a wife and a mom, I KNOW that day will come to pass and when it does, it will be better than I could have ever imagined....just like my job is better than I could have dreamed. But for now, I am resting in the knowledge that I am right where God wants me to be. So, I am going to do my best to live everyday in a complete state of contentment....giving my life to serve Him and bring Him the most glory.

I have a couple hundred kids watching me. It is my deepest prayer that in me they can see Jesus. They can see a complete JOY in what God has blessed me with. I pray they can see my faith in Jesus so purely and that they too have a desire to have that complete peace with Jesus. I am resting today in the knowledge of this:

'Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had  made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.' Joshua 21:45. 

2013 - A year of Blessing and Adventure

Another year has FLOWN by and I sit here in MY home reflecting on all God did in 2013. This time last year I was getting ready to start my final semester of college, was busy applying for jobs, seeking God's direction and wondering with great anticipation for what God would do in my life post-college. In last years New Year's post, I wrote the following:

'I have no idea what will be happening once I graduate. And, I am ok with that. Sometimes it is nice to not know what God is bringing next...I am resting in the unknown. Here's to 2013 being a year of blessing and adventure!' 

Seriously, if I had any idea of what God would be calling me to after college, I would have simply laughed and said NO WAY! God BLEW my mind by giving me the opportunity to serve Him through Highlands. I would have laughed at the thought that God would put me in such a place of leadership and responsibility right after college...and not only that..merely DAYS after graduating....in the field I majored in! Who would have THOUGHT!?

The Chalet at Mount Baker. HS Winter
Retreat 2013. 

This year has definitely been one of the most wild and adventure-filled years of my life. I have fallen so much more in love with the Lord as I have seen Him provide in ways BEYOND what I could even dream of. I have no DOUBT that He will continue to allow me to fall more in love with Him because that is what He wants. He wants us to be so in love with Him that His love radiates out of us and shows others who God is. THAT is my biggest prayer!

Growing up I was often told by those older than me that 'college will be the best years of your life.' There is definitely some truth to that. I made life-long friends, learned valuable lessons about God, myself and ministry. I made some amazing memories that I know I will have with me for the rest of my life. I LOVED college. Every bit of it...the stress, the papers, the classes, the learning...I thrived in college and miss it from time to time. But really, I am LOVING this season of life that God has put me in. The last 7 months have looked completely different than anything I ever imagined my life could be...but it is WAY better and I wouldn't change it for anything.

2013 was a year of drastic growth, adventure, blessing and JOY. I am SO beyond excited to see what God has in store for 2014. I know it will not be easy. I will fail, I will doubt and I will question...but in my core...I will KNOW that God has me where He has me for a reason and I am STOKED to be allowed to serve Him like I do.

Here's to 2014 being a year of contentment, fun and JOY in all things!!!