Jennie Bishop's Online Journal

2011-02-03T12:56:00.005-05:00

Ch-ch-ch-changes …From 3000 square feet to 1300 square feet. What a change, eh? Look at that monster on the left. That was our house before. And that sweet little cottage on the right? That's where we're living now. (It has a palm tree! Can you see it??)The variety of questions and responses from friends who heard about our move is interesting. Some think we're heroic for "giving up" our house.

2010-10-11T05:53:00.002-04:00

In Life, We Will Have Trouble Especially when we’re trimming the dog’s nails. Our dog’s history is unclear to us as far as nail-trimming—yet one thing seems certain. At some point, she decided that she did not like it. Jack Russells have personality enough to begin with, but when they decide they don’t like something, they will have none of it, no matter how loyal they

2010-08-26T14:23:00.003-04:00

Twenty-five years.That's our anniversary this year - amazing! I hesitate to say how happy we are because I think everyone will be jealous. But it would also be wrong not to celebrate everything that God is accomplishing in our lives. I'll try to find a balance here, okay?This year has been a breakthrough year for our marriage. We have gotten rid of a good bit of negative baggage, and the payoffs

2010-06-21T14:55:00.002-04:00

Beginning to Let GoMy eldest daughter is gone - not for good, but she's serving at a military academy this summer, a few states away, for six weeks. Can I say without fear of reprisal that I am so glad for her to be where she is, though it's not here, and I miss her? The place she's chosen not only requires extremely high standards of modesty, discipline, godliness and respect - it's peopled by

2010-03-31T13:15:00.002-04:00

"Married couples should attend a retreat every year." So says the Kathy family of Chik-Fil-A fame, and I heartily agree. A getaway may not always be as organized as theirs, but time alone is vital to everyone. I had never been to a WinShape retreat, but since the Chik-Fil-A folks sponsored it, I should have known it would be good. Chik-Fil-A does just about everything well. This gorgeous property

2010-01-22T13:03:00.002-05:00

WaitingLast night I was gifted by a friend with the opportunity to see Amy Grant in concert. Though she personally moved me with her approachability and comfort in her own skin, a young man opened for her that I also enjoyed very much.Caleb Chapman exudes the "real-ness" that his father, Steven Curtis Chapman, has come to be known for. After sharing the story of tragically losing his younger

2009-11-18T14:42:00.002-05:00

JURY DUTY: No Whining Allowed!This past week I served in the District Court. I had been called to show up for jury a week prior, but had excused myself due to guests from Ukraine, thinking they might just pass on me altogether. Instead, they scheduled me the day after my guests left. When I called in, they rescheduled me to a day later. I called in again. I wasn't needed until the following

2009-10-23T14:55:00.003-04:00

Makeup and StuffYeah, I like this picture, too. I had just come from a TV interview and had a professional do my face. She did a great job, right? But I never quite feel myself in all that goop.I struggle over the makeup thing. Sure, I want to look good, but whose "good" am I using as a standard? As a business woman and an author/speaker, it's kind of the required thing to do. I honestly feel

2009-10-08T09:46:00.002-04:00

My eldest daughter just got her driver's license, and I've made all the obligatory jokes with my friends about moving their mailboxes.As the oldest drives off proudly to youth group, the youngest is whipping up angel food cakes from scratch, and is pounding away at her guitar, writing her own songs.OK, they're still my children, but it's time to think about letting go. My reaction to my new

2009-08-26T20:13:00.002-04:00

OK, how can a cute little doggie like this do any wrong, huh? Chloe is the darling-est dog ever to be found at a rescue, well-trained, usually fun and obedient - I've been calling her a "miracle dog." So how today does she come to be the dog from the flames?? Lemme tell ya - (I posted this to a friend and wasn't going to share it, but it's just too funny - you have to laugh.)Our tragicomedy

2009-07-17T10:35:00.003-04:00

Book signings are always fun for me, and humbling. This year The Princess and the Kiss: The Three Gifts of Christmas will be appearing in August. My publishing house is excited, and since I've worked with most of them as an editor in the past, I enjoy my time with the staff so much. Even better, the bookstore owners who were at the event this weekend (Denver International Christian Book

2009-06-16T16:41:00.003-04:00

After a trip home to Ohio, I'm always reflective. This has a lot to do with the cultural shift from major metropolitan area to farming community. In seminars I talk sometimes about trying to cultivate simplicity in our families' lives. Traveling to and from the farm reminds me to follow my own advice.A few months ago a tornado took the roof off Dad's ancient barn, and so he and the local nephews

2009-03-26T08:24:00.002-04:00

Sometimes a vacation is just a vacation—and then sometimes it's much more.Our family headed to the Dallas area to stay with some new friends in Tyler. The weekend prior I had flown there to be present at a play based on my children's books on purity. The performance included Irish dancing, excellent swordplay (with sparks!), a smoke-breathing dragon … not to mention wonderful efforts by 70 home

2009-01-28T12:50:00.002-05:00

Can I confess something as a mom? I struggle with putting my kids first. I don't imagine any of the rest of you do. (smile)But really—there are so many fun and exciting things to do, and we live in a country where it is so easily all about ME—I deserve this, I ought to take advantage of that—and sometimes walking kids through their personal "stuff" isn't too much fun. That's probably when I most

2008-11-27T09:16:00.002-05:00

Visiting Ukraine for the fourth time felt a lot like coming home. Kiev is familiar and we don't feel as though we are so easily lost (misplaced, my husband calls it). I'm still stunned by the beauty of the ancient buildings and churches, and the statue of "Mother Russia" still takes my breath away, even though I know some of my Ukrainian friends have reason to wish it was gone.We stayed at the

2008-11-02T12:06:00.003-05:00

Saturday is usually housecleaning day here, but with all the travel we've been doing lately, it hardly needs it every week. So this was a great time to help some friends who are starting a new season in life. A family with a tragic background, the grandmother had lived in a section of the house, shutting herself off and barely talking to the rest of the family for years. She had recently left,

2008-07-21T15:20:00.002-04:00

Forgive my blog today if it's a little foggy. I'm still recovering from jet lag, and a 32-hour trip home - oh my goodness! I can't believe how long it takes to get to Namibia - it's one of those "you can't get there from here" things. I keep telling everyone that it's like having a baby—the day after you say you'll NEVER do it again, but then a few days later you start to reconsider. We had such

2008-06-17T12:55:00.002-04:00

A winding, whirling vortex of suitcases, clothes, passports, gifts, teaching materials and power converters surround us. We're going back to Africa!If you don't know anything about Namibia, don't feel bad - neither did I. Go to your movie store and rent the Disney film "A Far-Off Place." That will give you a feel for the desert part of the country. We will see some of that, but most of our time

2008-05-11T13:22:00.005-04:00

All right, girls, I just have to brag about my treatment this Mother's Day … I was awakened (twice, I fell asleep again) to a beautiful strawberries and whip cream'd waffle on the back porch with no less than a mimosa on the side, there to view my gorgeous gift, a beautiful bird feeder for the back yard (yes, Susan, you gave me the idea!). All was lovely until the community irrigation system

2008-04-11T17:13:00.002-04:00

Note: I just found out you can see the fountain on the web site: www.canaaninthedesert.com! Just click around to find the info on the fountain, and there's a picture of it with running water on the front page!

2008-04-11T16:49:00.003-04:00

A week in the desert—sounds lonely, but it's not bad when it's in Scottsdale, Arizona. I was beset with cold/allergy symptoms when I got there, and then realized that everything was in the height of its blooming season. So I got to SEE a lot, but I also sneezed a lot. (-=I grew up in the Midwest, so Saguaro cacti only existed in cartoons for me. I guess it takes about 100 years for one of those

2008-03-25T20:37:00.002-04:00

Egad! What a rollercoaster lately. A sick child, a restless husband, a stubborn teenager, a picky editor (jk, Robin). AND my own issues, of course, up, down, all around. Too much in the schedule, not enough to keep me busy. When will I ever learn to be content?At the same time, I knew getting into the issue of purity was stepping onto the front line of a battlefield. At times we are definitely

2008-03-13T09:29:00.002-04:00

In trekking to an new area of Orlando, we found another great opportunity to share the message of Planned Purity. Foundation Academy in Winter Garden hosted us for a conference with a group of parents of elementary children—exactly the demographic we look for—and it was great! Not only was the hospitality team amazing, taking care of our every need, but the parents responded very enthusiastically

2008-02-27T10:10:00.003-05:00

Arkansas! I love it there. Not only because of the beautiful countryside, but because there are some folks in Fayetteville that I dearly love. They are passionate about parenting and purity, and we're watching the incredible effects of their efforts to bring Planned Purity to life in their congregation.Steve Alberts, the youth pastor I work with, loves to do drama. Last year they did The Princess

2008-02-04T12:25:00.000-05:00

Have you thought lately about how every day of life is a gift?With some ups and downs emotionally for me lately (anxiety issues, raising a teen and a preteen, financial pressures, ya da, ya da …) I find that I need constant reminders of this. Sometimes it's as simple as watching a comical squirrel peek out from behind a tree, hanging by one arm, as I'm being a good girl and taking my morning

2007-07-12T13:17:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm in Florida again after a month back home on the farm in Ohio. It was a packed trip, with lots of time with new and old friends, a couple of conferences (one rural, one in-city), and a number of speaking engagements, interviews, events, etc. There's a lot of interest in purity no matter where we go, and because this was my home setting, there a number of people interested in coming to

2007-04-25T09:24:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all of you who have asked about our recovery from international travel and moving into the new house. We're happy to report that we're back with very few problems, despite the difficulty of reentry into American life. The girls did great (thanks to Mary and Tom!), our daughter's ballet performance was wonderful, and birthdays have been celebrated. Last night we hosted a dinner for all

2007-03-17T17:09:00.000-04:00

Hello, folks … and see you later! We're on our way out of the country on Wednesday to Nigeria and will be counting on all of your prayers as we separate for a time as a family to do what God's asked us to.In the meantime, a great group of friends is moving us completely out of our rental and into our new house - exciting and VERY chaotic! But I think the peace of mind I feel in general is proof

2007-03-01T14:18:00.000-05:00

I have an acquaintance who says she gets stir crazy when she has to visit family in Ohio, but for me, it's just what the doctor ordered. I was with my dad for a week, visiting friends and updating them on our lives and what's going on at PurityWorks, shopping with my sister (finding cute shoes for $10 a pair!), and generally "hanging out with the folks." Can't say I wasn't glad to get back to

2007-02-13T08:43:00.000-05:00

OK, so this week I learned a good lesson about the dangers of packing my schedule too tightly. I had been tracking some mood changes that seem to be appearing in connection with certain changes of life, and recognized that I was going to be in my "vulnerable time" (that's a nice way of saying it) during a week fully loaded with women's events, appointments with doctors, editors and business

2007-02-05T13:01:00.000-05:00

Well, back from Arkansas and into the laundry - whew! God was so good to us in that our flights were fairly smooth, even with the bad weather heading to the east and the terrible storms that hit about 50 miles north of us here in Florida. Please pray for those who lost family members - about 19 are dead.We spent a wonderful few days with a church family in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The youth pastor

2007-01-31T14:47:00.000-05:00

All I want to know is WHY it is as cold in Florida as it was in Atlanta this weekend! We headed up to the land of peaches and pecans to see a videotaping of our good friend, comedienne Anita Renfro (check out her web site - she's a hoot and a half), and froze to death!But it was a good girl trip. Our girls are big fans of Anita's - they met her at the Christian Booksellers Convention and have

2007-01-24T20:19:00.000-05:00

What an amazing weekend - we actually had a Mrs. America contestant at our home! If she's reading this she'll probably kill me because she hates me bringing up the pageant thing - but listen, this woman is worth knowing and she's not your regular every-day "Barbie" girl. Lonna is the person who's heading our upcoming trip to Nigeria. She has a story you wouldn't believe - of abuse, abandonment,

2007-01-13T12:36:00.000-05:00

Tonight's a big fundraising bash, and we're all up in arms about what to wear. Does anyone else feel that dressing up gets to be a whole lot more work as you get older? I sure do.My husband is deciding whether his suit will do or whether he ought to rent a tuxedo. I have two dresses I'm waffling between. The invitation says "black tie optional." I haven't been to enough frou-frou events to know

2007-01-09T09:43:00.000-05:00

Last night we did a presentation at a large Baptist church here locally. It was a great turnout, about 60 people. It's amazing how the Planned Purity message just catches like fire in a dry field. The people who came left so energized and excited that it was hard to get them to calm down and retrieve their kids from the nursery!The staff volunteers at the book table really worked themselves silly

2006-12-22T12:10:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all - our board members, our staff, our donors, our readers, our friends from all walks of life and all over the world. What an amazing year this has been!Before we moved from Michigan to Orlando, we had a dear friend and prayer partner share with us a picture that had come to her mind for us: it was a huge gift box with a big ribbon, and my husband and I being squashed

2006-12-16T18:25:00.000-05:00

Well, we've entered FutureWorld - today we became the proud owners of a hybrid vehicle, a Toyota Prius, to be exact. The girls think it is the coolest because you don't need a key to start it, and the little gadget (um, not a key, but something like a key) you need to open the car simply has to be in your pocket and the car opens as you draw near. A spy car! Not to mention it's black!Pair this

2006-12-11T08:58:00.000-05:00

After a couple of weeks of engagements and Christmasing up north, I awakened in my Florida bed missing the"cozy" that can only come from cold weather.A friend and I had a discussion about this while I was visiting. We decided that you can't really use the word "cozy" unless a fireplace and a cold winter wind (and preferably, snow) are involved. Floridians have fireplaces (which I still find weird

2006-12-01T08:49:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the long wait between blogs! Life has been a blur with trips to North Carolina and then continuing north for holiday time with families. In the midst I took a much-needed break at home by myself. All the activity had me unravelling, and puttering around the house and catching up there was a great medicament.So we're in Ohio at present. The family drove north and I flew into Cinci to

2006-11-17T15:28:00.000-05:00

Well, we are back and recovering from jet lag. Today we have spent a good deal of time drinking tea and eating chocolate. The Ukrainian tradition of talking over tea is one we want to incorporate more often into our own family life, taking time to reflect, to talk, to rest. Our friend Helen sent some lovely tea home with instructions about exactly how to brew it, and we picked up some tea cloths

2006-11-04T08:43:00.000-05:00

I had some reservations about having a Princess event a day before we flew to Ukraine (especially since this was my own daughter's purity ceremony as well), but now I'm so glad we did - what a sweet, memorable night it was! Now I can separate from the girls for awhile and feel very positive about how we left each other.Some of you know about The Princess and the Kiss (a storybook about purity)

2006-10-28T08:50:00.000-04:00

Details are starting to pile up as we prepare to leave the country and then flow into a panoply of holiday gatherings, travel and all the accompanying arrangements. How to keep it all in pespective??I personally am devoting myself to enjoying the chaos, no matter what happens. I recognize that there will probably be no way to keep my house in order as I like it, maybe no time to clean, except for

2006-10-21T18:35:00.000-04:00

Boy, have I enjoyed peace and quiet this week. It will be the calm before the storm, with preparations beginning to gear up for our next Ukraine trip.The orphanage we're going to serve is four hours from Kiev in a remote northern village near the Russian border. Some of you know about it from our newsletter. Last visit we slept in a church in sleeping bags on inflatable mattresses. There was no

2006-10-13T12:16:00.000-04:00

Wow. We are recovering from an amazing, overwhelming weekend (which was almost a week) of events! In between shuttling children and friends' children (glad to do it, Jim and Dawn!), attending a book signing (that was barely attended and actually just gave me a chance to do some much-needed SITTING STILL), and hosting, feeding and chauffeuring guests from the Ukraine, we could barely breathe. I'm

2006-10-05T11:53:00.000-04:00

Okay, trying to get my entry in today before the weekend swamps me. We have two little boys at our house (who are being ridiculously well-behaved - are they trying to impress us??), Ukrainian friends coming tomorrow for a meeting and some video work, a book signing on Saturday, the boys going home, and two more Ukrainian guests from the Kiev Symphony and choir coming in for four days while they

2006-09-29T11:40:00.000-04:00

Here it is Friday already - at our house it's a free day because we homeschool on Mon.-Thurs. This morning I was trying to figure out if I should get the girls mopping or pulling weeds - big jobs that need to be done before we have Ukrainian guests from the Kiev symphony this weekend. (Not to mention that for three days prior to their coming, we have two very active little boys staying with us

2006-09-22T20:10:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here on the couch with my friends learning how to build a blog. My husband is a technology hound who was kind enough to do my journal entries for me until I could discover how to do them myself. And now . . . I CAN! So, now you get to read MY words! I admit that I'm not always tuned in to the technology scene. I'm more likely to curl up in a corner with good book, and living with a

2006-04-28T07:47:00.000-04:00

Upon returning to the US from Kiev, Ukraine, Jennie started preparing for an appearance at the Heartbeat International Conference which will be held in Orlando in May.The Bishop family is preparing to return to Kiev, June 5-18. They will be working at an orphan camp with Music Mission Kiev. Jennie will have further opportunity to teach purity there, using a Russian version of her book The

2006-03-24T09:29:00.000-05:00

Friday, March 24, 2006 - Jennie has been in Kiev, Ukraine since Monday. She is there with a team from Northland - A Church Distributed. They have been doing leadership and family training all week, as well as working with local orphans.Using her story The Princess and the Kiss and others, Jennie has had a unique opportunity to impact the lives of local Christians and non-Christains in one of the

2006-03-21T22:23:00.000-05:00

The Jennie Bishop on-line journal is back in business, linked up to the all-new website.This is a great place for you to hear the latest news from the Bishop house!You can even subscribe to this 'weblog' if you use downloadable software called a news reader. (NewsGator www.newsgator.com is a popular one, but there are others around as well, and many of them are free to use. It's not email, so