Cryfest - I Love My Job.

So I have the best job ever.  Over the last 3 weeks, I've been training in my new position as a Promotions Manager at K-LOVE and Air1.  It's still surreal to me that I am already in my dream job...my last place of employment (God willing).  This was the desire of my heart and God absolutely delivered!  Everyday, I get to wake up, happily go to work, and serve God through a ministry that has such a huge impact on the lives of our listeners - and on the lives of all of the wonderful people who work behind the scenes.

What are my duties?  I came from the Run-TNC Listener Services night crew, where I had the opportunity to take call after call from our listeners, and now I get to meet with them face to face at events.  We plan and schedule events we are attending, create spots, do giveaways, run social media (at this time, I encourage you to follow @air1norcal and @klovenorcal on Instagram), and so much more.  My favorite part though is that we connect with really incredible people.

Each month, all employees get together for a team meeting (field employees watch online).  At these team meetings, there is often worship, fun, and stories that we otherwise wouldn't hear.  The videos are made extremely well - and the stories are touching and often intense.  So much so that I end up crying at literally every one of them.  Without fail.  I don't cry often at all...so it's actually a little refreshing to be part of this cryfest.

What I love most are the things that make me cry though.  I love the stories, and the opportunity to pray and praise God for what He is doing in my life and through our ministry.  Immediately after the meeting, I posted the following to Instagram:

I just got out of our monthly team meeting/cryfest and I am just in awe. The things God is doing through K-LOVE and Air1 just amaze me...and I get to be part of that?! Today we got our photo book, which we get each year - sort of like a year in review thing. These aren't just books though; they are a snapshot of how God has been able to use this ministry in the lives of others. There are outreach and event stories, mentions of new stations and upgrades - but my favorite part is the listener stories. Reading about what God is doing in their lives and how they are being changed is just incredible. As pointed out in our meeting, these books help us to see what is happening all around the world as a result of this ministry. They help us remember our purpose. To wake up each day saying, "Hey God, I'm going to work. How can I serve you today?" I am blessed to be part of something so life-changing, not just for our listeners, but for everyone here at K-LOVE and Air1. ‪#‎ididntdothat‬ ‪#‎Goddidthat‬ ‪#‎bestjobever‬ ‪#‎blessed‬ ‪#‎klove‬ ‪#‎air1‬

I get to wake up every single day to work full time in a ministry.  I don't even have words to describe how fortunate I feel to be part of such a wonderful outreach.  I love and am passionate about every part of this job and can't wait to see how God uses me in this.  I am so grateful.

In other news:  I'd like to address the subject of cyber-bullying.  While it does happen to teens, for the most part, it isn't just limited to them.  Yep - sometimes, adults choose to attack others through their various social media platforms in the form of private messaging, commenting, and even cyber-stalking. Bullying is pretty disgusting no matter where/how it's occurring.  I found a pretty interesting article in Huffington post, explaining the "heartache of bullying" discussing a side that isn't often represented.  A very noteworthy quote:   "In many cases, bullying acts as a coping mechanism and a way to overcompensate for lack of self worth."  There is so much truth in that statement.  You can read more from this article here.

-jennilea

A Very Different Relationship (Officially Official)

For almost a year, I've been single.  It's really weird to think about - but this last year has so been needed!  As I've explained in many a blog post, God has used my singleness to point me back to Him. I've been more focused, and continued to push forward towards where I'm being called.

During that year, I've had a ridiculous amount of support from my family and friends - who have continued to be there for me the entire step of the way.  I've had adventures, the opportunity to grow in my friendships, and to really experience a very different kind of friendship.

Twelve years ago, I met Brian.  He was dreamy.  We built up a friendship, that eventually led to my first [real] relationship on January 19, 2004.  Finally, in October 2004, we called it quits and, after some time, we found a way to develop an awesome friendship.  Since then, he's always had a space in my life as a very good friend - there when I needed him, even when he lived in Mississippi.  Distance never made a difference.  Both of us got married, and out of respect for the marriages - we kept our distance.  When both of those fell apart, we were there for each other.  Our friendship picked up right where it left off;  he was my best friend.  Talking to him was always like therapy - I am pretty sure I worked out most of my issues through those conversations.  The really neat thing about it - he always pointed me back to God.  When I would get nervous about something - or ridiculously frustrated, he encouraged me to pray.  We would read the Bible with each other - and tried our best to dig deeper into what He wanted for our lives.  Eventually, these feelings started to develop again.  It was weird...and out of the blue.  I was enjoying my singleness.  I needed more time.  He was respectful of that - and our friendship never changed.

December rolled around, and something just sort of clicked.  I had peace and was ready to pursue a relationship so, I let him know.  In that awkward, not really sure where to go from here, moment I asked, "sooo...what now?"  He replied, "Give it time - we'll create a memory."  More time, I could do that.  With that time, we carried on as friends, as usual.  Behind the scenes, he was seeking permission to from my parents to date me.  Again - this is not something I've ever experienced in a relationship.  The amount of respect he has for my family and I is just unreal.  For once, both of my parents approved!  My mom has always been a little more conservative in her approval - and has literally never approved of any relationship I've been in.  Her "yes" means the world to me.  My dad has never been given the opportunity to have an opinion, so I'm sure he was pretty happy to have a say.  My dad and Brian get along really well too - which is also awesome.

I patiently waited, wondering when this memory would be made.  Finally, January 19th, we went out to the Melting Pot to celebrate my new job!  Little did I know, we'd be celebrating so much more.  Right when we sat down, he gave me the most perfect card.  It pretty much described our entire friendship - then some sweet writing from him on the inside.  After I finished my card, which ended in making us "officially official" (on the same date we were eleven years ago) - he gave me a box, which held a beautiful heart necklace.

We are one week into the relationship - and it's pretty neat.  Nothing has really changed other than a title.  We continue to grow in God together - keeping our focus on Him being in the center of it all.  We maintain those boundaries, respect each other, and have adventure.

This is a very different type of relationship in that God is involved through and through.  This is how a relationship should be.  :]

In other news: "Butterflies taste with their hind feet."
Find other useless facts online here.

-jennilea