“Ask and receive.”

“You have not, because you ask not.”

“When you ask, expect to be trained to receive the gift.”

“Ask and receive.”

Have I told you lately how much I’ve been hearing this message in my heart and from others?

Why would I keep hearing this, I wondered?

Could it be I was not asking?

Yes.

Let me tell you how this came about.  One day as my son and I were standing in line at Whole Foods Health Store, a young girl about – oh I’d guess 12 – was happily putting her groceries on the belt.  A man comes upon behind my son and says, “Excuse me, tiger” as my son was blocking the way between him and the young girl.

The girl lights up as the man comes up.  He sees this belly diet headline on the cover of a magazine and he proceeds to make fun of his own belly.  The girl giggles.

I start to wonder, is this the girl’s father?

If he is, they’ve got an amazing relationship.

Not only is the girl super responsive to her dad, she was beaming – her eyes RADIANT – as she makes sure they’ve got everything on the belt they were preparing to purchase.

I got LOST watching them.  He side-hugs her and she’s literally filled to the brim with confidence and security in who she is.  Her cup was so full, she could not contain her joy and she smiled at me – a random “stranger” in line behind her in the checkout.

It was overwhelmingly BEAUTIFUL!

I left there thinking, “I want that.”

I want that for myself with my Dad.  I want that for my husband with our daughter.  I want that for each and every father and daughter who’s never experienced that.

I want that.

Dear God, I ask for beautiful father daughter moments around the world- starting with my own.

If you were to ask for something you truly desire in your heart, what would it be?

When silence speaks, listen. You may hear something special just for you.

A lot of changes have been happening with me and my family lately.

With any change, there’s a need to make adjustments.

Adjustments in schedule, priorities, communication.

So many wonderful new people have come into my life to speak life, love and joy…I am overwhelmed with gratitude and feel so blessed.

I’m also being stretched keeping up with the sheer amount of contacts, paperwork and digital accounts.  It’s a good “problem” to have really…

This week I committed to a longer period of silence in the morning.  It has been heavenly.  I feel so much more connected and whole…

Loved and treasured…

And I want to share that with you.

When we live and breathe true LOVE, love finds its way to us. Be loved today my friends

What happens when life is throwing you multiple curveballs?

When others are talking about how great life is and you look at your life wondering what’s happening?  It’s a tough place to be when the current of life is pulling you down and dragging you in mud…

How can you know what you want out of life when you’re fighting to keep your head above water financially, relationally, emotionally?  These are hard questions to answer directly because each person’s situation is different.

Each person’s experience of pain and belief is different and there we get to meet each person where they are at.

Half the battle is getting to that point where you’re asking, “How can I change how I view my life?”

When you ask that question sincerely and pursue answers, Change is coming.

Here’s a nature lesson to illustrate that when life is throwing you curveballs, you can set your sights on THAT RIGHT THERE. Watch the video to find out what THAT RIGHT THERE is…

Start with what you need most now.  If you don’t know what you need, ask God to show you exactly what you need right now and work to believe that He will.  You can also ask God to give you a vision of what you want so you can keep HOPE alive.

Here are a few tips to take with you when you’re ready for change:

1.  Take a deep breath and take it one step at a time, one day at a time.  Remember God has your back.  He hems you in the present, the past is behind and the future awaits.  (Psalm 139:5)

2.  Find something to live for and set your sights upward on that person or thing.  Ask God to give you a vision because where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18 KJV)

3.  Find a credible source that can help you heal in finances, relationships and how you view yourself.

For years I’ve struggled in different areas of my life.  You’re welcome to hear more of my story and how I’m changing.  Go to the upper right of this page where it says ‘Gift for You.’  Enter your name & email there to get this audio recording from me.

I’m so excited I get to do the kind of work where I can help people who want change, to get on a path to get change.  I’m happy to share resources and give all that I can to help people get to a better place.

Get a better footing on life.

And I can’t believe I get paid doing this, it really doesn’t get better than this for me.  I’ve dreamed of and worked hard to get to this point and I’m excited to share a project coming up with a community of God-loving, supportive & powerful women who are doing amazing things to bless other people.

Next Tuesday we will be meeting over the phone to discuss this special project near and dear to our hearts.  You’re invited to join us!  It’s a time-sensitive project and it’s not for everyone.  If you are someone who’s concerned about the health, finances and state of future generations, then you are someone who may be qualified for this project.  For access info, visit http://organichomehealth.com/

I’ve been seriously contemplating speaking out more on this blog about God.  It’s been so long since I gave myself the freedom to express my relationship with Him here.  Life has a way of bringing to you and to me those things which are most important and meaningful to us.  God is the most important relationship in my life- in Him I live and move and have my being.  He gives me thoughts, ideas, desires, plans.

When you and I are connected to those desires, thoughts, ideas, then it’s up to us to implement them.  God doesn’t always give you a step-by-step formula.  Sometimes He does.  He wants us to be creative and utilize all the resources He’s given us.  He wants us to be co-laborers, co-creators with Him.

This is the part of personal responsibility and accountability.  Without the action upon God-given dreams and desires, they fall by the wayside and as lovers of God when that happens we get to fight with bitterness (and win!).

In her collection Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Benedicta Ward says that society “was regarded as a shipwreck from which each single individual man had to swim for his life…These were men who believed that to let oneself drift along, passively accepting the tenets and values of what they knew as society, was purely and simply a disaster.”

The following video was taken at Yosemite. It shows a strong current of water that I thoroughly enjoyed watching and…

Depending on where the current leads, will determine whether you and I want to let ourselves drift along, not passively…

But actively engaging in our God-given desires and dreams for He said, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

What about you?  Do you allow yourself to be in touch with your deepest desires?

I am so excited about life!  This past weekend I heard something that resonated deeply with me from an Easter church message.

God is a masterful Creator, merging artistry with practicality.

I love this.

Merging Artistry with Practicality

It speaks of supreme intelligence, limitless wisdom and amazing conviction spelled out in four simple letters.

L-O-V-E

When we grasp love as it truly is and meant to be, our hearts leap for joy!  Never before have you tasted any love so good, so real, so full.  My description is not enough to describe it- it’s akin to indescribable artwork found in nature merged with the practical bridge provided for us humans to walk along in order to admire that beauty.  Something like that anyway.

This past weekend we celebrated a birthday and I got to love on my in-laws.  It is such a wonderful feeling to give something tangible you always wanted to give, that speaks to them, that for a long time had been locked away somewhere (know what I mean?)

Last week during our kids’ Spring Break, our family took a mini-vacation to Yosemite and it was breathtakingly beautiful.

For the next week or so I will be posting pictures with corresponding videos daily to illustrate themes of what I saw in those scenes.  Here’s the first video that goes with the above picture!

Have you ever gotten so into something that you forgot about other things or people around you?

Some people call it concentration, others call it focus or putting blinders on to get something done.  Still others call it being imbalanced.

I’m starting to believe it is how you look at it and what other factors are there.

For example this past week I got so into preparing to teach a class that I got really focused.  I got everything I needed for this class and learned all I could to teach it the best I could.  It was my first time and I wanted to put my all into it.

In doing this I was not as attentive to things around the house, so cleaning, laundering and cooking fell to the back burner.  Also I spent less time with my husband and kids.

I don’t always do this so it felt okay for me to do it THIS TIME.  I was preparing a framework and a template for classes I would teach in the future so it took extra time to get it done now so I can refer to it later.

To be honest I did feel stressed and I got to practice what I’m teaching to help others de-stress.  I’m finding this to be a great learning experience and very exciting times ahead as I continue to work to bring forth this passion and vision in my heart to help you feel renewed in your life.

For you, what’s the first thing that falls to the back burner when you get really into a project that you’re passionate about?

For a while now my husband and I talked about him cutting my hair for fun.  Well tonight he did it.

For the first time.

I was a little nervous.  Deep down inside, I somehow knew he would do a good job.  He’s good with visual and artsy things.  Still, I took a deep breath as he came to get me.

Very happy to report he did an awesome job, even layered my hair nicely.

Here is a before pic…

…and here are some after pics:

Beaming proud of him!

This past weekend our family attended a funeral and said good-bye to a beloved relative.  This particular relative lived a long and full life.  As I sat there listening to family members share stories about her life, I was touched and the tears started to come.  Her kindness and generosity touched so many lives it was incredible to hear how loving and loved she was.

One thing she loved to do was feed her family.  Even on the day of her burial, she made sure all her guests would be fed well at a dinner feast afterwards.  It was truly moving to be there and take all this in.  She believed in Jesus so it’s a happy celebration for her to now be home with the Lord.

When a life impacts others in a positive way like this relative’s had, it’s a beautiful thing to behold.  It inspires me to remember what really impacts people for the better – spending time, appreciating them, and giving of ourselves to them so they know they are loved and valued.

It reminds me of this:  “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”  ~John 12:24

What helps the people in your life know they are loved, accepted and valued?

When was the last time you finished reading a book in 2-3 days?

For me it was a long time ago until my friend Kelly Baader published her book “A Little Girl Called Grace” in January.  I got my copy and immediately read it with my daughter, finishing it together in 2 days last weekend.

Watch the video testimonial below to hear why…

All opinions are my own, I’m not compensated to do this testimonial – just a very happy advocate of this message of HOPE and GRACE.

Feel free to get a copy of Kelly’s book at http://amzn.to/GraceBook or http://amzn.to/GraceBookKindle

What about you?  When was the last time you enjoyed a good book?

Hey there!  You may or may not know (I don’t talk about this a whole lot), I love to scrapbook…

…when I have the time.

7 years ago, I started this fun hobby.  My daughter was born 8 years ago and I’ve been meaning to finish her baby book.

Just hadn’t gotten around to it.

So…maybe you can imagine my delight at the chance to try out digital scrapbooking software that’s rated #1 by Amazon and Top Ten Reviews.  The opportunity came at a sweet time!  Our family had just purchased a MacBook, my hubby had just imported our kids’ early year videos in there, so we were set to experiment!

In this review of My Memories Suite digital scrapbooking software, you’ll get an idea of:

1. How easy it is to use within the first 2 hours “playing with it”
2. Beautiful pre-designed layouts and different project ideas from the video
3. How to use more of the functions to create more cool designs in their Tutorials videos
4. A 4-page sampling of what you can put together when you’re short on time
5. An opportunity to purchase the software at a special friend’s discount
6. A chance to win your own copy for free ($39.97 value)!

1.  It was very easy to download and use My Memories Suite.  I started using it and had lots of fun!  All opinions are from my own experience with using it for a mere 2 hours.  I’m not super technologically savvy and I could figure out how to use it without watching any tutorials.  That means they designed it to be extremely intuitive. Take a look at the video below to see what I mean…

2.

3.  Watch the Tutorials here to learn how to use more of the functions and create more cool designs.

In 1.5 hours, I was able to create 8 scrapbook pages of my daughter’s birth and first birthday!  I did not get too fancy and did not try to create a page from scratch yet.  After all, I hadn’t scrapbooked in ages and felt rather rusty…so I used a couple of their pre-designed templates and dropped in the photos – it was a lot of fun to watch those pictures be quickly framed by some nice designs.  There are a LOT more beautiful templates to choose from and I can’t wait to do more with this software.

4.  Here’s a 4-page sampling of Sweetie’s birth and 1st birthday…

Journaling your thoughts is quick and easy – just a matter of entering text in a box.  You also have the option of purchasing more design kits or elements if you wish and there’s a lot of gorgeous designs by some well-known names in the scrapbooking world.

If you’ve been wanting to get your kids’ albums done but haven’t had the time…or maybe you have paper scrapbooking supplies but don’t feel like taking out all that stuff after a long day with the kids, My Memories Suite digital scrapbooking software is a great way to get some pages done in a short amount of time, and have lots of fun doing it.  I encourage you to give it a try!

5.  If you want your own copy of this cutting edge software, and you know you want it right away, you can go here to purchase it now.  As a bonus for being a reader and friend, you can get $10 off using this coupon code:  STMMMS14206

6.  My Memories has also authorized me to give away a copy of My Memories Suite ($39.97 value) for f.ree!

Enter the My Memories Suite Giveaway Here

Required Entry: Visit www.MyMemories.com and choose your favorite digital scrapbooking kit, then leave a comment here sharing which one you chose.

Optional extra entries: (Once you’ve done the required entry, you may do as many of these extra entry options as you’d like!)  Leave a separate comment for each entry.

1.  Follow My Memories Blog – 1 entry (leave me a comment saying you now follow)

2.  Like My Memories Facebook page – 1 entry (leave me a comment saying you now follow)

3.  Follow My Memories on Twitter – 1 entry (leave me a comment saying you now follow)

4.  Follow me publicly on Google Friend Connect – 1 entry (leave me a comment saying you now follow or already do)

5.  Follow my blog on Networked Blogs – 1 entry (leave me a comment saying you now follow or already do)

6.  Like my Facebook fan page – 1 entry

7.  Follow me on Twitter @jinnialow – 1 entry (leave username)

Giveaway Ends on Valentine’s Day 2/14/12

Winner will be chosen using random.org and announced on Wednesday, 2/15/12.  Be sure to leave me your email so I can contact you if you win!  You’ll have 48 hours to claim your prize after I email you or another random winner will be chosen using the same method.  Have fun!