A waterfall adventure...

While we were in the mountains, we decided to go on a little adventure. (I love adventures!) We drove on a little winding road through the mountains until we reached Gatlinburg. Just a little outside the town there is a hiking trail to Rainbow Falls in the middle of a beautiful forrest. I am so glad that our country has preserved such beautiful wildlife. I'm sure we would have commercialized all of our national and state parks if it was left up to the general populous!

You just can't recreate the feeling of being in the middle of nature, far away from the hustle and bustle of life in our media driven world. It is good be with the rocks, trees and moss...away from it all for a while.

As Mary Bennett said in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice, "what are men compared to rocks and mountains?"

Now, this hike was not for the faint of heart...or the out of shape! None of us hike a lot by any means, so it was very challenging indeed! There were 3 miles of going up hill on a very rocky (and often wet) path.  We passed some people who had given up half way and others who were trekking right along.

Despite the challenges, the journey was beautiful. The farther we went up, the air became cooler and more delicious.

At last we reached the falls! Can you tell how sweaty we are? All of my clothes were seriously drenched. Jonathan put his shirt back on just for the picture too! (Pardon my granny shorts and sweaty make-up less face! Ha! Hiking isn't very flattering!)

These photos don't even come close to doing it any justice. It was magnificent. It is also said that on days when the sun is shining brightly that there is a rainbow in the waterfall. I wish we could have seen it!

And now I leave you with this! Haha! My hubby and brother in law discovered that they were wearing the same underwear. Apparently is some special you-can-wear-it-for-weeks-and-it-won't-smell kind. Some guys hiked the whole AT in them and took a picture like this...thus this picture. Ha!

On a more serious note, this little hiking adventure reminded me of a book called "Hind's Feet on High Places." (I don't know if anyone has read it or not.) It is an allegory about a girl named Much-Afraid who follows the Chief Shepherd who is helping her grow as she climbs the mountains to the heights. It is especially profound to me these days as the Lord is teaching me how to climb over rocky, not so fun places with Him.

"The sovereign LORD is my strength;

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

He enables me to tread on the heights."

(2 Samuel 22:34)

PS: I am also over here today!

Spotlight on Sponsors

Without further ado, I would like to introduce my wonderful sponsors for this month. I can honestly say that each of them are beautiful women who seek to follow Christ. I have been following each of them for a little while now and they are always encouraging to me. You won't be sorry to add them to your list of reads! 

Hello friends! My name is Natalie and I am the potter and blogger behind NS Pottery. I have a heart for taking dirty clay and turning it into something beautiful and useful in everyday life. I strive to live for Christ  every, and hope that I can inspire other to do the same. On my blog, I talk a lot about my faith as well as my life as a potter. I hope that you'll join me in my journey.

Check out her blog here! 

The blog of a girl who is a lily among thorns. She gave up living for herself so that her Lover could live through her. She owes Him her life. I'm pretty much your ordinary girl with an extraordinary hunger for beauty, which can only be found in Him. This blog is pretty much a diary of my life through His story.

Check out her blog here! 

I'm a twenty-year old undergrad studying english lit and history, who fell into blog design by frequently redesigning her own. I seek to create custom, classic designs that put the focus on the content while maintaining the aesthetics of the whole. I love Jesus, reading, writing and the color orange. You can also find my personal blog here.

Check out her blog here! 

Vibrant Grace is a reflection of the blessings and grace God has bestowed on us. A reminder to glorify Him in all circumstances. To see God as the master artist of the beauty all around. To recognize that the life He has prepared for me will be far more interesting than anything I could ever imagine for myself.

This blog is both a creative outlet and a means to glorify God through my words and photography. It is an attempt to slow down my frenzied life. To capture treasured moments through my camera lens. To soak in the quiet and truly appreciate the beauty of God's creation. It is the chronicle of my journey for balance and understanding of faith and I sincerely hope that it blesses and encourages you.

Check out her blog here! 

Hello! I'm Hanna Singer. Wifey to Patrick and mama to Elijah Grey. The relentless grace of Jesus is something I strive to be daily grateful for. What a journey this life is! Two years agao we moved from Maryland to North Dakota. Though the many changes we've experienced as a family, we have become more closely knit to each other and the Lord. On my blog Happy Days, you'll find the eclectic mix that is my life. Old hymns, hip-hop, favorite finds, adoption, homemaking, cupcakes, coffee and encouraging words. Stop by and say hello! "I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me." (Psalm 13:6)

Check out her blog here! 

O heart, O heart

O heart, O heart I am sick of you.
Why must you torment me this night?
Give up, surrender, and let me go;
Stop this awful, unending fight.
You know you cannot even have
This thing for which you long.
Listen to wisdom and be still;
Don’t yield to this desire so strong.

O Lord, O Lord, I give you this heart
With all its hopes, and dreams.
I will do what you will in my life
No matter how hard it seems.
You know my true thought and intents;
You see to my innermost core.
My every impurity is exposed
And I can’t stand here any more.

O Love, O Love, You are all I need;
You bring the fulfillment I crave.
My heart says I need something else,
But all my love for you I save.
This is my precious sacrifice;
I pour my treasure store for You
Though I want to hold on to the desire
I give it to You to break and make new

O heart, O Lord, O Love, 
This is my only plea:
Take away every wrong desire
And replace it with Thee.

NS Pottery

I have been absolutely amazed by those who have chosen to help me. To be honest, it hasn't been been a ton of people that I know in person that have helped me the most. It has been those who have heard my heart and know my passion for missions. For that I am so humbled.

One such person is the lovely lady Natalie of NS Pottery. She has a lovely pottery shop and she is giving me 20% of her online sales to help raise money for my trip to Ethiopia. I am so grateful and thankful! Please look at the beautiful things in her shop!

She makes beautiful rings, earrings and other pieces of jewelry.

How would you like to drink out of this beautiful mug in the morning?

Check out NS Potteryon etsy for more beautiful, hand crafted pottery.

Faith & Fear

I have embarked on a new journey. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea where I'm headed. I know this is the path of the Lord's will but at times I am terrified. The simple fact of the unknown, unplanned and unseen future causes worry to fill my mind.

You see, a little over 2 weeks ago God made it very clear to me that I was supposed to quit my job. I had no doubt that my time there was over. It wasn't the most exciting job ever, but it was comfortable. I had a full time position with benefits and I worked with nice people. Still, I knew I had to leave. I had no plans and nothing else lined up. My husband told me that I needed to follow the Lord's direction, but that didn't make it any less frightening to know that the paycheck was going to end soon.

I knew my Master was telling me, "take this step of faith and I will open the door."

So I did.

Here I am almost 3 weeks later with nothing on the horizon. My heart battles back and forth between fear and faith. The question of what lies ahead is almost maddening at times. Each morning I pray fervently for direction and every day I am comforted by His Word, by His Spirit and told that I need to trust in faith. He knows that I am desperate to follow His will. He knows I will do whatever He asks of me. He knows we can't make it to much longer before the money runs out. He knows my desires. He knows...

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for , the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)


"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)


Faith - it is all I have to cling to. I have faith that He is good and that He has a plan for our lives. So I wait for the word of direction. I will continue to walk along the path He has laid out for me, though I know not where it leads or what my next step will be. I rest in knowing that He is faithful though I am faithless. He will fulfill His promises. His ways are higher and I trust Him.


So there you have it. Raw and real. 


I am jobless. 

I have an etsy shop!

That's right! I opened an etsy shop called jen christine designs! I'm really excited. For now I am using it to help raise money for my mission trip to Ethiopia. I can't believe the trip is only 2 months away! This week we are working on more paperwork and sending off our passports to get approved for visas. I just want to thank all of you who are helping me and spreading the word about my fundraiser. You guys are so sweet and I've been humbled. 

What do you guys think of the new headband design? As always, you are more than welcome to get one from the blog as well. Just click on the button below.

Pick one!

shabby chic checkers $25.00 something blue $25.00 donate more? $50.00

PS: Check out the new post on Compassion's Cry today!

Portrait of a lady

The other day I got to snap a few pictures of my 'ole college buddy, Amanda. She needed a few good photos for her music business and I was more than willing to get a little more practice, despite my lack of a nice camera. I really do love the creativity involved in framing a good photograph. I'm no where near good, but I get a thrill from pulling out my little camera. There's just something about creating something isn't there? Creating with your friends is even better.

It was great to catch up on life as we frolicked through the field. (Ok, it was more like carefully trying to avoid stickers.) We actually had a funny experience with my in-laws alarm, braved the sweltering heat and had silly-stupid fun.

So what have you guys been creating this summer?


PS: Thanks for the love about Compassion's Cry. Keep checking back! We've got more stuff you guys to get involved.

Compassion's Cry

Compassion's Cry

This has been a long time coming. It is my great pleasure to reveal Compassion's Cry. It all started back in March and it has been a long journey. Let me share a bit of the story with you...

On my way to lunch one day I was suddenly struck with a thought. I had been thinking about how I could get more involved with helping people. I knew there are tons of needs in the world, but I really didn't know where to start. So the thought came to me: What if there was a place that  had lots of information about different ways to get involved and stories of what others are doing to make a difference? That night I started bouncing ideas off of my husband, but it was very clear that I couldn't tackle such a big project by myself. Nevertheless, I told God that I would obey (despite my inadequacies) if He called me to do it. Not a week later I get an email from a girl who has the same vision. Soon there are 3 of us working on this project.

Now it has come to life. So please take a minute to go check out Compassion's Cry and see what it's all about! Tell us what you think about the first post over there! Is this kind of thing needed? How might you get involved?

A big reveal is coming...

This is me today guys. Well, really this is me for the next few days! My computer and a cup of tea will be my companions at all times, and my fingers just might be numb from typing by the end of this weekend! I have something very exciting to reveal this Monday, but it still needs a lot of work first! Just to give you a little insight, me and a few other people have been working on this project since March. It's been a long journey but we are almost ready to launch! I am beyond excited.

I would greatly appreciate your prayers as I finish a few last things. I am really praying that God uses this in a powerful way.

Stay tuned for the exciting reveal on Monday!!!!

PS: Don't forget to think about sponsoring my blog for August! Each sponsor will help me get to Ethiopia!

Sponsor for Ethiopia

All sponsorships go towards my trip to Ethiopia.

I have finally decided to accept sponsorships for The Blair Affairs. I am very excited to promote your blogs, etsy shops, and photography sites. I am thankful for how this blog has grown in the past few months and I want to use it to glorify Jesus, not only by what I write but now in sponsorships. Even after my trip, I plan on using my sponsorships for missions around the world.

Each sponsor will get a spot like the one below, and a summary post.

 

Contact me for more details at jenchristine88@gmail.com