Jeniffer Dake - Creating opportunity for students to develop an ever-growing passionate educated faith.

cyberbully part 1

admin — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 01:52:37 +0000

i don’t know when my heart was moved for the victims of bullying, I have memories from early high school where i would befriend everyone especially those that were “picked-on” by fellow students for no reason. I spent years praying that those who were victims would graduate high school and accomplish something great. I mean really great. so that everyone who ever spoke against them or bullied them would be fed some humble pie by the success of the one they deemed unworthy. I have kept up with a few of the girls, and they have gone on to earn medals, have families and be successful. But they still carry the wounds of words and actions carried out by their peers in the formative years.

When i was in school, if you were bullied you could go home and get away from it or skip school and not deal with it. But now there is a new bully in town. . . . the Cyber bully! This is a bully that you can not escape, it shows up on every computer, phone, and electronic device with internet access. This bully isn’t limited to a few kids at school either. . . it is everyone who wants to join in. Anyone who has had a bad day and wants to join in can take a few key strokes to tell me how bad i am or that the world would be better off with out me, or if they were me they would kill themselves. they think i am fat, or ugly, or a dwarf, or a . . . you add the worst adjective you can imagine and it is there in cyber world and i can’t get away from it!

The affects of Cyber bullies are devastating, the suicide rate among teens who have been bullied is twice that of those who haven’t, and seeing as 9 out of 10 jr high students have had their feelings hurt online, the cyber bullies are wining.

Its time to “Delete the Drama”.

Empower those around you to stop the bully. . .

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science, a world of simplistic wonder

admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 01:22:55 +0000

Today I taught students how to tell the difference between a plant cell and an animal cell. while they thought it was mildly interesting to look at their cheek cells i got the feeling they didn’t really get to a point of awe… I really desire my students to see science as a way to better know their God and to be truly awed by His creation, to get to a point where discovery is beyond cool. Then today at the end of class students washed off the plant and animal slides and began to explore on their own…. even sticking their heads under a microscope to see their tongues! That is when it happened…. they were screaming to each other some even squealing with excitement… They found it. . . something they had never seen that way before.

I am amazed at the little details God has put into life. I mean truly in awe of the attention he has given to the shape of proteins that hold our skin on (laminin) and the exact balance of water in our body to keep us hydrated and transports of the right substances to the right places. But watching students “see” for the first time what i so often take for ordinary reminds me that God is to be worshiped.

How i choose to see something, will determine my reaction to the one who made it. And when i look expecting to see something amazing i open my eyes to be part of the works of God. May you open your eyes and see the greatness of God around you!

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behind before i begin

admin — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 18:09:03 +0000

somedays i feel behind before i begin and then that intial feeling of defeat defines my day. it is as though i don’t even try to fight it. My heart hurts, my mind is tired, and my body begins to physically ache. God sends me signs of his love he even offers to carry my burden in the midst of the day and maybe i let go for a minute, and then it seems as though i feel the need to grab a hold of it again. like i need it, or i am burdened with it, or it is my job to carry it all day and yet God tells me:

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11

What am i to learn lord as i fight myself. I live in a blessed nation, with few worries, i am clothed and fed, and yet my heart feels beaten today. Truly i have nothing to be burdened with. And so i have to repeat the work of Christ to myself in the midst of my surroundings, i must pull myself up by letting go of myself. Lord Catch me if i fall, hold my heart steady as i am weak.

so i let the words of the old run through my head and remind me that there is one who protects me even from myself.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

psalm 121

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ywam…new zealand…

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:56:35 +0000

I am so very proud of my dear Autumn, who has chosen not to go to go to college this fall with her friends but to serve with YWAM for six months. I had the chance to sit with her Autumn and talk with her about her heart and nerves about this great adventure. I was amazed at how open her heart was to whatever the Lord has for her. I know there is a great sense of adventure in her heart and spirit, yet there was an incredible maturity in her speech that told me she was fully aware that she was walking into the toughest 6 months of her life with both great heartache and awe inspiring worship of her creator. Take the time and keep up with her on this journey i guarantee you it will bless you. http://autumncrew.tumblr.com/

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new t-shirt designs

admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 04:02:42 +0000

After many requests to turn some of my most popular analogies into T-shirts and stickers! If you have been to an event you may have heard the dead dog in a suit case story (thanks to my friend in NY) or my cool whip and cockroaches story (thanks to my big brother and a few friends in Costa Rica!)

If you have never heard these stories you can find cool whip on youtube! enjoy!

To order a shirt please go to the store, shirts are sized from youth large to adult X-large. All adult shirt sizes have a v-neck to them.

Remember to let go of the dead dog, don’t eat the cool whip and keep the light of Jesus on!

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SpringHill Camps: Winter Retreat

admin — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:22:59 +0000

Spent the weekend in MI! With 20 inches of snow, hundreds of students, a HUGE tubing hill, and a light up tree. It was amazing!

Outside of the snow and the random winter activities, it was the students creativity and passion for life and desire for depth of understanding that impressed me the most. I always enjoying speaking to students about the potential power of Christ and desire of God to be the forefront of the life. This weekend what was different was the conversations i had with students after sessions.

I was so impressed by a group of girls who wanted to sit and talk about how difficult it is to TRUST God. One simple word, that seems like an impossible act. yet each one of these girls was able to tell me of a time that they trusted God and he was faithful.

There were young men who came to talk about how to THRIVE in their relationship with Christ, to walk as leaders, not just survive.

I truly believe this is a generation to change the world! and places like SpringHill Camps help equip them to do so.

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Teen Suicide

admin — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 04:07:57 +0000

Over the holiday break a local student took his own life. It is heart breaking, for his family, friends, teachers, and even those who just knew him in passing. people from the outside questioned his joy, his friendships, his home life, his grades, his supportive network of adults, everything. I think people were looking for an answer to the WHY? question that remains. But the truth is: he was a great kid, with an A average in school, top of the state in his sports, parents and aunts and uncles who were involved in his life, great friendships, relationships with mentors and teachers. None of which answers the WHY?.

A teenager kills himself every 100 minutes, the time between choosing to commit suicide and the completion of the act is less than 1 hour. It is a temporary lapse of judgment with permanent consequences.

I have had the opportunity to walk closely to a few students where close to this student. It is painful to watch their heart break and their struggle for understanding. It has been inspiring to watch them support each other, to grieve openly with one another and to trust in Jesus even when they don’t understand God’s plan.

An uncle that spoke at the funeral told a great story about a bad hair cut and how upset his nephew was over this haircut when he was young. then he reminded the students in the room that most of the problems we face are in life are BAD HAIRCUTS and over time they will grown out.

If you are hurting or alone, please talk to someone, that hour of your loneliness is when you need your parents and friends to remind you this is a bad hair cut. Please speak out for help, be clear in asking: “i need your help” “I feel like killing myself…help me remember that this is just a bad hair cut”

Your God is able to do immeasurably more then you are able to ask or even imagine.

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improving? is it always best…

admin — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:49:50 +0000

I just spent the last hour attempting to complete a green house i am building… it has been an on going project. I love plants and i am so exited to have my very own green house. I am thinking i will use part of it to grow cacti and carnivorous plants. maybe even some orchards… i stained all the little wooden panes on the window on wednesday spent the weekend putting the walls together and today all i had left was to hinge the roof….

I thought i would add a few brass looking hinges after all i couldn’t quite figure out the device that came with the kit. (did i tell you i am building this from a kit? i am not that skillful to build this from scratch…nor would i attempt it without some sort of blue print.) but a simple upgrade from metal bracket thing to brass hinge. this was definitely and improvement.

I spent the most frustrating hour trying to place hinges, attach hinges, test roof, open, doesn’t open, detach hinges, new plan, reattach, test, failure, start over… i finally decided it would be wise to look at the the little metal things that came with the kit. Now fully understanding that my ways fail i knew i should trust the directions and i did and in about 5 min i found success.

Okay so i can see where maybe this looks like i have under taken some major project but let me shed a little bit more light on the size of this… I am building a desk top green house that maybe 2 ft’ x 1ft’ by 1ft’. and yet i thought this needed improvement. And not until i failed with my own efforts did i know it is not my strength or wisdom but God’s alone.

Follow me here. This greenhouse was simple. 6 parts, 10 screws and nothing more. all i needed to do was what i was told to do. how often God asks me to walk in obedience, to strive to understand and complete the directions he has given me. But sometimes those direction don’t make sense at all. I can’t understand why God wants me to do something or how i will do it.

my response to this lack of understanding is NOT more faith or prayer but an improvement. sounds funny. I think i can improve what God has commanded me to do! I quote verses that state “God’s foolishness is wiser than the wisdom of men” and yet i think i can improve and i try and i fail and then i am broken and i realize that i need to go back to the directions.

and when i finally finish what i should have done in the first place i am left with a few wounds of my own disobedience.

Lord, Help me obey with a first time obedience.

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Trout lake …

admin — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 19:53:09 +0000

as i sit here in sunny nashville with 70 degree weather and prepare to return to trout lake i am haunted by the facebook updates that tell of the few inches of snow that have already landed. my first week there i thought that i was going to freeze! i was bundled in a wool sweater and cords, even sleeping in this great warmth only to be laughed at weeks later when the pictures arrived on facebook and my own mother asked me why i was dressed so warm and all the students were in shorts and t’s!!!! now i read that one of the staff members is debating still wearing his sandals this weekend… in the snow!

I however am packing a snow suit! and i am not to proud to be see in said snow suit =] wait for pictures :}

and of course i will be returning to sunny nashville and wearing my sandals . . .

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above ground

admin — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 03:11:44 +0000

I had the amazing privilege of spending a beautiful weekend in my backyard planting flowers. I won’t see them until next spring but they are there beginning the process of Life! In my attempts to best prepare them for the long cold nashvillian weather i went to the store to stalk up on mulch and soil toppers and such. while standing in the line my self and fellow shoppers were laughing at the chaos of everyone spending the beautiful day preparing their yards! As we were exchanging niceties, one of the ladies respond when asked: “how are you?” by saying… “I am above ground what more do i need to be thankful!”

I couldn’t help but smile. I watched them pull the miner out of their tomb for hours, and cried with each ones rise to the surface. There joy was incrediable, their energy and gratitude to those who brought them up humbling. Not one of them came out of their rescue tube saying: “I can’t believe you left me there for so long” “what took you all that time” “this is all you have for me? send me back” no they hugged everyone they gave thanks they shined with joy to be above ground, all before they would lay down on the cot to be wheeled into the hospital.

Scripture tells us that God has brought us up out of the miry clay. so why do i walk around as though being above ground is not enough to be grateful for!

God i praise you for you have brought me up from the depths of sorrow, you have raised me out of brokeness, you have filled my cup, and i will praise you.

I am above ground.

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