Caring for the Widow, the Orphan, the Alien

My husband has been delivering sermons for about twenty years. A couple Sundays ago he preached likely the best sermon he has ever preached. (Yes, I am biased, but I have also heard almost every single one of his sermons, so if I say it is amazing, that means something.) :)

It is incredibly difficult for me to stay informed with current events without feeling frustrated and overwhelmed and to let pessimism sneak in. (However, I press on, trying to read as much daily news—and I mean actual “news,” not simply my favorite podcaster or only one source of anything, always—as I can handle, because I do believe it is our responsibility to be informed citizens.

This message reminds me who Jesus was, who Jesus is, and who Jesus encourages me to be. The message starts around minute 49:00, and the scripture he references is read just before (around 43:00 minutes); the scripture is Jeremiah 1:1-10 & 7:1-11 and John 2:13-22.

As/after you listen, please think about and share:

• What lands personally for me when exploring these ancient texts?

• What connections can be made between these stories in history and what is happening in our world today?

• What would I like to know more about?

• What questions do I have?

Be self reflective. Take some time to pray and wonder about how you are and want to be showing up in this world. Be curious.

And for God’s sake, be kind.

Summer So Far

It is difficult for me to describe, but I feel a physical desire to write every day. I have not written anything for many days, weeks even, but I think about things I would like to write about all the time! In the spirit of self-grace-giving, I am going to do a quick bit of writing now and keep looking to carve out pockets of time to write and share more.

In the spirit of my first writing practice—which started with me journaling most everyday of my life from about sixth grade all the way through high school—here is a super quick journal-ish check-in from summer so far:

• A couple weeks ago, my son Justin and I ran over to our nearby city and caught up with my friend Brian, a brother-like figure I grew up with in small town Montana, and his family. One of his sons was playing baseball, and we got to catch up on a picnic bench, shaded by a tree.

• That same weekend, one of my best friends since preschool, Kaitlynn, and her family stopped through on their way to yet another baseball tournament. Her family stayed with us for several days, and it was such a gift to watch our kids—who hadn’t seen each other since they were tiny—reconnect and have so much fun together.

• Then my husband Jeremy took our boys to MN to attend some live sporting events and got to spend time with a family who housed Jer during seminary and also the best man from our wedding, Peter. We love connecting with people from so many seasons of life!

• Last week our family has gotten/is getting to spend time with parents/grandparents, which is the best! No matter how old I get, it is comforting how comforting it is getting to spend time with our parents. (Still going to post this pic, even though apparently I still can’t figure out where to look in selfies; how does my mom know how to do this so well, and I don’t?!)

There are other fun things that have happened this summer, but the summer has also been a bit of a blur! So with this post I am stopping to reflect and send some encouragement that, even as we experience and observe struggle and confusion and fear and tragedy and uncertainty, we simultaneously experience connection and joy and love and laughter and hope. We as humans always have and always will—until God comes once again and once for all—live in this wonderfully mysterious paradox. As we name and acknowledge this complicated reality, I hope you can find fun and fulfillment and faith!

How Did That Go?

It is my birthday! Milestone days provide the perfect opportunity for reflection. On this podcast episode, Jeremy asked me lots of questions that tapped into trying new things and how we learn and grow from it.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4KUl8376z5bx6tSt0n09HC?si=PkXMl70hTkStMXdfQc_uQA&nd=1&dlsi=cb88843c746b4b9b

And now I am heading to dinner to celebrate!

Enjoy!

Rising Star

Our daughter Jordan has been fighting a lot of health issues for the last three years. A silver lining—which hopefully we find within any struggle—is she has learned a lot about self advocacy, self care, and considering what exercise and eating habits serve her best.

Jordan submitted an essay to a local news station and was chosen to have a segment recorded on “Rising Star of the West.” She shared about processed food in school cafeterias and considering healthier options for her and her peers (unfortunately there isn’t an option to re-watch the segment, but that’s the message in a nutshell).

If you have a chance, please click the following link, insert your email/info, and click the last star (you only get one shot, so it’s important to click the last star and not the first)! :)

Her segment was Friday, and voting only goes through Sunday, so please take a second and vote now. (The link has been really hit or miss for me. There should be five blue boxes, each with a student name. Jordan’s is the fifth. If you only see the top three, maybe refresh, or check if the very top of two blue boxes are showing—hers will be the bottom-right.) If she wins, she gets to write and share another piece in May and has a chance to earn a scholarship.

Thank you!

Self Reflection

So nice reflecting on “the old days” with my college basketball coach!

https://open.substack.com/pub/jamieduprey/p/self-reflection?r=qk0tn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

You Have Got to be Kidney-ing Me

This past week my husband donated his kidney to our dear friend. I wrote about it on my Substack. Please click and head on over. There are several other new “stacks” (is that what they call them) as well. I would love for you to read them! Have a wonderful week!

Disclaimer: Not Exactly a Blog, (Yet Equally as Exciting!)

Sixteen years ago I attended a weekend training on the skill of active listening. Up until that point in my life I had never considered listening as either “active” or a skill. Long story short: it changed my life!

I began to consider interactions and relationships in new ways. My spouse also attended the training—and he often trains with me—and engaging intentionally in active listening has been an incredible gift in our marriage.

Shortly after that initial training I had a phone interview (phone interviews were not common in 2010). The man who hired me—now one of my favorite people—has since told me again and again that he never thought in a million years he would hire someone via a phone interview, but after our conversation he felt like he had no choice but to hire me. I told him it was because I actively listened!

I could go on and on, (but I am a little tired and ready to eat dinner). I always want to share about active listening with anyone who will, well, listen, and so I am sharing a two-part training on May 14th & 21st. Please consider joining me!

(I made a cute flyer with all the info but can’t seem to be able to attach it here. If you are interested, please email me and I will get you all the details!)

Tres mas

Hello!

In case you have still missed my new Substack profile, this will get you all caught up. Please subscribe and support my writing!

Thanks!

https://jamieduprey.substack.com/p/so-now-what

https://jamieduprey.substack.com/p/well-what-did-you-expect

Substack Take 2

Good morning!

As I mentioned earlier, I am experimenting with the Substack site. Sounds like it was tricky finding my actual story due to link confusion. My apologies!

Please try again.

Here is a link to my first Substack article, titled “Groundhog’s Day.”

Here is a link to my new one, “I Can Write!”

Enjoy and let me know your thoughts! (And if you like it, please click the “Like” button!)

New Site, Same Fun Writing

Hello, all!

Thank you for reading my blogs. My hope is to connect with you, encourage you, offer points to ponder—with the goal of self reflection and growth—and to hopefully make you smile and laugh here and there.

Thanks to encouragement from my friend Russell, I am moving my blog posts to my new Substack space. We are going to give this a try. Please click on the link and remember to subscribe.

Thanks for being willing to explore this new space with me!

https://jamieduprey.substack.com/p/groundhogs-day?r=qk0tn