What to Do Before You’re Ready

“Do everything before you’re ready.” -Jodie Fox, lawyer turned entrepreneur, co-founder of shoes of prey I read this quote as I finally began #therechargechallenge. (A guided reflection/goal-setting program hosted by The Rising Tide Society on instagram) Ironically, as I was reading the introduction in the guide, I was already thinking about my big takeaway from this year being: the year that I finally released my book was the year I was least prepared for it. And then I read those words above and laughed at the irony. This is EXACTLY what the last two years has been about for me. On my journey to publishing, I learned that I needed a platform to…

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Hover Boards and House Shopping

[Clayton is the 9 year old boy who lives in my house with his mom, Jenny.] Last night, Clayton came home from his dad’s house, where he had been since our “Christmas morning” celebration on the 24th.  He left ecstatic about all the incredible gifts Santa brought him – books and DVDs, video games, a razor scooter, a hover board, even his very own .22 rifle! When he came home from his dad’s all he talked about was how much better the hover board he got there was than the one he got at our house.  This hover board is so much smaller than the one I got at my dad’s house.  The…

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Do Everything Before You’re Ready

“Do everything before you’re ready.”  -Jodie Fox, lawyer turned entrepreneur, co-founder of shoes of prey I read this quote today as I finally began #therechargechallenge. (A guided reflection/goal-setting program hosted by The Rising Tide Society on instagram) Ironically, as I was reading the introduction in the guide, I was already thinking about my big takeaway from this year being: the year that I finally released my book was the year I was least prepared for it.  And then I read those words above and laughed at the irony. This is EXACTLY what the last two years has been about for me.  On my journey to publishing, I learned that I needed a platform…

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Connecting Santa and the Savior

Jennifer Moye – Guest Blogger of the Month Around this same time a couple years ago, our boys were sitting in the living room floor creating their Christmas lists to send to Santa. The lists consisted mostly of cut out pictures from the Toys-r-Us catalog pasted sloppily with glue sticks on poster paper. They jumped up and down with excitement with every page turn as they found a new must-have toy. In all the fun of that day, I noticed that our oldest boy had only 3 things listed on his paper. An IPad, a phone like mommy’s, and crutches. Crutches? Yep, that’s right. Those were his must-haves of that Christmas. As Christmas…

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Promises, Promises

Just shy of two years ago, while holding a completed manuscript in my hands asking, “OK God, what’s next?” (Because I had no idea how to take the three-ring binder full of word documents I had and turn it into a real book). God made me a promise that He would bring “joyful and influential women” into my life who would help champion my book and my message. It was only a week or two after that I received this fortune cookie. For whatever reason God speaks to me quite regularly through fortune cookies, and that might be a sign I eat way too much PF Chang’s.  But the promise was reaffirmed. It’s…

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Chain Breaker

If you’ve got pain, He’s a pain taker If you feel lost, He’s a way maker If you need freedom, saving, He’s a prison-shaking Savior If you’ve got chains, He’s a chain breaker. -Zach Williams, Chain Breaker Every Thursday night that I’m not out of town for work, I get the opportunity to volunteer in the senior high ministry at my church.  And every week when I walk out of that room I feel overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude, awe and wonder. Gratitude that I get to be a small part in these young adult’s lives, at such an impressionable and vulnerable age.  The things they are learning about themselves and the…

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I Prayed for You

With all the busyness and to-do’s of launching my book, it occurred to me earlier this week I hadn’t actually prayed for the people who will hold my book in their hands in just a matter of days. I had prayed laboriously for guidance while writing and creating this project, I have thanked God at every opportunity for allowing me and my story to be used to help other people, I have prayed for God to bring the people and resources into my life to get it off the ground and into as many hands as possible (and He has SO faithfully delivered!), I have praised Him for how much life change I…

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How to Find Your Reset Button

Earlier this month, while sitting across the table from a beautiful 16 year old, I recognized the familiar look of overwhelmed-ness on her face and in her tone that I have felt myself for most of the last 18 months. She told me about changing schools so now she’s in a vocational program in addition to her normal school load, she is in the Army Junior ROTC program, and on top of all that is interviewing for other jobs. We talked about other things, but in between each conversation topic I would see her sigh heavily – something I catch myself doing a lot – and could watch her mind reeling with all…

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Find Your Reset Button

Earlier this month, while sitting across the table from a beautiful 16 year old, I recognized the familiar look of overwhelmed-ness on her face and in her tone that I have felt myself for most of the last 18 months. She told me about changing schools so now she’s in a vocational program in addition to her normal school load, she is in the Army Junior ROTC program, and on top of all that is interviewing for other jobs. We talked about other things, but in between each conversation topic I would see her sigh heavily – something I catch myself doing a lot – and could watch her mind reeling with all…

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My Old Kentucky Home

(Originally published in the Grant County News Oct 13th, 2016) Sherman Mt Zion Road. That’s where the Pennington’s live. All of them. Well, we used to. My father, Donald Pennington, has 6 brothers and sisters, and I remember a time in my life when every single one of them and their families lived on our road. We lived in the white brick house on the curve from the time I was born till the time I graduated high school and moved to Cincinnati.  My parents sold the white brick house that Fall of 2003.  They moved exactly one quarter mile down the road to the old red brick farmhouse that was my Father’s…

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