How I Met Jesus by Jenna Vick Silliman

On a day in early springtime, I rode on a big yellow bus with a bunch of other kids up to the Santa Cruz Mountains of California to a Young Life retreat weekend at Mount Hermon Conference Center. The cherry trees were covered with showy blossoms. During the day we played games and did a lot of singing. One of the leaders asked me, “Are you a Christian?”

I gave her a puzzled reply, “Of course! Isn’t everybody? Isn’t this a Christian nation?”

The speaker that night told of God’s great love for me. He quoted Bible verses about how God loved me so much that He came to earth in the form of a sinless man and died for me to pay for my sins. Jesus died for ME!? This was news—He did it for me, personally. Wow! I also never knew that Jesus was God—I thought He was just a cool guy and a good example to follow. Jesus is God! Amazing! With new thoughts going around in my head, the speaker gave us a fifteen-minute quiet time. We were to walk out in complete silence and go somewhere alone to talk to Jesus/God.

I sat under one of those blooming cherry trees, looked up at the stars, and cried my heart out. In the midst of much confusion, because I thought I was already a Christian just by attending the Catholic Church and being a U.S. citizen, I talked to the Lord Jesus for the first time. I thanked Him for His death for my sins. I thanked Him for His love. I remember feeling a deep sense of relief and I felt settled in my heart about my faith when I got done praying.

When I walked back to my cabin, my Young Life leader smiled at me. My eyes were red from crying, but I smiled right back at her and looked into her sparkling eyes. I could tell she knew. She asked me again, “Are you a Christian now?”

I said, “Yes! I am now!” She took both my hands and jumped up and down and spun me around and laughed. Then she opened her Bible and shared a Scripture verse that has become one of my favorites.


2 Corinthians 5:17,18 If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.


She had a little butterfly drawn in the margin of her Bible by this verse. She explained that a good analogy of becoming a Christian, is a butterfly coming out of a cocoon—a new creation. It is coming alive, spiritually, on the inside. In the Bible, Jesus calls it being “born again.” In fact, Jesus said, “You must be born again.” John 3:7

The next day I bought myself a Bible in the camp bookstore. I wrote my name inside the cover and copied out “my” verse and drew a butterfly beside it. Then I wrote down the date I became a new creation and started a new life in Christ—March 25, 1974.

I committed to reading two pages of the Bible, God’s Words to me, each day. On March 25 this year, 2012, I celebrate 38 years of life with Jesus, and He has been much more than my redeemer. He is my creator, my friend, my counselor, my provider, my strength, my teacher, my father, and He has even been a mother to me. Because we as Christians are the Bride of Christ, I have also come to know Jesus as my Groom, the love of my life. Jesus said, “This is eternal life that you KNOW Me.” John 17:3 Isn’t it amazing that we can know the Lord of all creation a little bit better every day?

Thank You, Jesus, for Your love, Your life, and Your JOY. I’m so glad I met You 38 years ago. I love You, God! "You show me the path of life and in Your presence is fullness of JOY!"Psalm 16:11 and Acts 2:28.

Top Events of My Year 2011 by Jenna Vick Silliman

This has been a year of delighting in the Presence of the Lord Jesus in dance and flagging. “God inhabits the praises of His people.” (See Psalm 22:3) I started the year 2011 celebrating with Revolution Church at a New Year’s Worship Night at the fairgrounds in Port Angeles, WA with all live music. I brought my only flag, my blue and silver flag, and enjoyed flagging my heart out. Before each song I would pray and ask Jesus if I should flag or worship dance. I had a blast dancing and twirling and singing and flagging the night away! What a way to start the year! We worship in a home fellowship called Deep River in Sequim, a town right next to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula in the far Northwest of the United States. Though we always dance around for worship, there isn’t much room for dancing and flagging, so I enjoyed this huge venue for New Year’s Eve worship.

Another highlight of my year is in July I met my half-sister, Bonnie, that I found out about a year prior. My other two sisters and Bonnie and I met at a café in Northern California and we had a sister’s day to talk and get to know each other. Bonnie is an awesome person and we are looking forward to another gathering this summer to spend more time together.

A third top event in my life is teaching girls about worship dance. In the summer I taught an eight-week class and had 15 girls join in. For each class I gave a short talk, demonstrated by dancing myself, and then I put on worship music and let them dance freely and have fun. Sometimes we danced with teddy bears and sometimes I let them choose a colorful scarf from my collection to “flag” with. They loved it and so did I! As a result, in December I was asked by the Sons of Norway Club to start teaching children, ages 4 to 9, how to dance some traditional dances. I accepted and will begin every Tuesday night at the Sons of Norway Hall in Port Angeles. Also I was asked to teach on worship dance and flagging to the Deep River Youth Group, which I did in the end of December. One thing leads to another and now I am planning a flagging prayer walk down the main street of our town on Saturday afternoons—a happy hour of intercession for the people of Sequim, Washington.

I attended Open Heavens Conference at Bethel Church in Redding, California in October. This conference is my fourth top events of my year—more on that another time. I enjoyed more flagging and worship dancing and enjoying God’s presence! I was blessed to stay an extra day and that was the day I met Andrea York. Flags drew us together. She makes these amazing angel wings for flags that make you feel like flying when you use them. As I tried out a few different pairs, some other flaggers gathered around us. Soon we had a flagging workshop with each of us sharing how we got started, how we flag, about the creation of our flags, and where we’ve flagged. I was drawn to Andrea from the first minute and a friendship was born.

Andrea and I connected on Facebook and began messaging each other. In the end of November, another conference, similar to the one at Bethel, was held in Canada about four hours north of me. Andrea invited me up to stay with her and worship flag at the conference with her. I had acquired two more flags, a white one and a purple one, so I packed my bags and my flags and headed to Canada. I got to meet her sweet family and spend time with Andrea so we could share our hearts and our dreams with each other. The whole trip was a fifth highlight of my year, but the best was flagging on stage, Andrea front left, me on front right, with Georgian Banov on his violin and everyone singing out their love to the Lord Jesus!

To begin the year 2012, I headed to the fairgrounds again to worship in dance and flagging. Now I have three new pairs of flags made by Andrea too--shiny gold, a turquoise pair, and some rainbow flags—each with their own kingdom meanings. I enjoyed ushering in a new year with praise and worship of our living God. I wonder what God has in store for us in the year ahead?

I saw Michael Jackson's head burst into flames during that Pepsi commercial...

I remember vividly the Sunday morning that was to be my first at FFWBC in my small home town...

My now wife, Candice, wasn't even my then girlfriend, but she had been persistent in her invitation for me to attend her church one Sunday. Her eyes would sparkle as she described the people, the place and most importantly the Divine presence in the house of worship. She had grown up in the church and was as active as any youth that attended in the numerous ministries the church conducted. 

Reluctant is an understatement for my initial feeling as I approached the entrance. I would carry with me through the doors that first Sunday morning an attitude near contempt. I realize today that my demeanor was much more a reflection of my own self-loathing than a true feeling toward any single person in attendance that Sunday.

After a few hand shakes and pleasantries with people I had known for many years, I parked myself near the back row almost perfectly diagonal from where Candice and her family sat. No way I was walking up there where they sat...the back of my head might burst into flames from the laser-like stares and feelings projected in my direction of ill-repute. I would have soon danced naked on Main Street that very moment...and I was completely sober!

Today, I look back on that day as a pivotal day in a new beginning for my life. Was I comfortable? Absolutely not! Did I run to the altar and fall on my face begging for God to forgive my many transgressions? Unfortunately no. But the one word that best describes that day, hands down, as I look back is...love.

God brought me to a place of His love, filled with His people, using one of His own. I get pretty emotional when I look back and think about it. My negative attitude was completely absorbed by people of His body doing what they were commanded to do...love your neighbor. Even if he's a bum like me.

I never imagined I could be as close again as I was with the church family I grew up with twenty years before walking through those doors on that Sunday morning. Again...I was wrong. I still love and cherish every single person from my first church. Many have been promoted to Glory, and I celebrate for them.  My new church family is just as precious to me. As I sit at my laptop typing the last bit of this post with tears flowing down both cheeks...I thank God with ever fiber of my being for blessing me so greatly with the new church family He did, and for the new beginning He gave me that painful Sunday for just taking a single step in obedience. 

May all my efforts be in service to Him and may He receive all the honor and glory for it all.

Every Day is New

New beginnings huh? I’m old enough to have had LOTS of new beginnings. Funny thing, you never stop having new beginnings.  I was struck my David’s comment yesterday about how the mercies of God are new every morning.  For me that means that even in the day to day grind something every morning is new – the unfailing, unceasing mercies of the Lord.  I don’t know about you, but I need them.  I found myself humming a song we used to sing in church:

Mercy is falling is falling is falling

Mercy it falls like a sweet spring rain

Mercy is falling is falling is falling

Mercy is falling all over me

Hey-Yo I receive your mercy

Hey-Yo I receive your joy

Hey-Yo I will dance forevermore

 And yes, I love to dance to this song!  You can tune in here and dance if you like.

In May of this year I became a doctoral student.  While I have been working on a degree or going to school now for about 6 years, this is new territory.  Frankly, I’m still scared.  I’m older than most of the people in my cohort.  I have children older than some of them.  I still haven’t gotten used to looks of “what are you doing here?”  They were more blatant at the seminary or during my master’s work at Trevecca Nazarene, never the less, they are there.

One of the women in the cohort mentioned that she had just had her 33 birthday.  I thought yikes!  I’ll be married 33 years in February.  I am soon to be a great-grandmother again.  Should I share this with my cohort? Or will it just accentuate how old I am?

Since May I’ve wondered at times if I could do this.  I even asked myself, what’s the point?  I am old after all.  Besides the absolute joy I have in learning and research, I’ve learned a lot about myself in this experience.  We kicked off this experience with eight days of dorm living.  I’ve never lived in a dorm nor had any great desire to do so – it was good for me.  It was very good for me.  To say I found myself again during this summer is not an overstatement.  I had been lost.  Even I didn’t know who I was anymore.  But just like summer camp, the time away helped me fine myself.

This new beginning gave me new focus on living.  Gave me something to be excited about and to plan around.  While I shuttered when I heard we had to do a 100 entry annotated bibliography, I hit the ground running and had nearly 150 when it was due.  I learned a lot too.  I have a renewed excitement about life and the future.  New  beginnings are like that. 

This is a new year.  I’m old enough to enter into a new year with a bit of trepidation.  As I look back on 2010, it was not an easy year.  I lost my mother.  I saw my plans for education at the seminary fall apart.  I had many other disappointments.  I imagine 2011 will have disappointments as well.  However, I am excited about ushering in the New Year.  As the mercies of God come with every sunrise, I’ll once again know His faithfulness.  I’m ready for the new.  How about you? 

The Curse of New

New years are a curse for me. Some things I don't want to start over. In fact I was happiest with 1982, and wish it could have lasted forever. Well at least I thought I was.

This week your beloved Kingdom Bloggers are writing about new beginnings - but not salvation.

The Bible is filled with "new" metaphors. Spring, rebirth, born again, be like a child, spring forth, fresh fallen snow and I am sure there are many more. Well, I don't like new unless it plugs into the wall, a USB port or smells like a new car. Personally, I prefer things that are antique, vintage, retro or aged to perfection. I am still using Windows XP Pro!

I often hear in Christian circles that God is the God of a second chances. I used to think that was true until I needed a third chance. Actually the Bible says that his mercies are new every morning. That is a refreshing thought for a guy like me.

I have had a few fresh starts, and I eventually ended up pretty close to where I had started. Grace is a beautiful thing. I went to three colleges, had a few dozen jobs, and belonged to a number of churches. I used to view new as exciting. At just past the half-century mark, I am trying to make time slow down!

A few months back, 6 in fact, I started going to a new church. (HERE is the story about how I got there.) I had gotten pretty disillusioned about going to any church,  the lack of commitment, the lack of relationship and religious behavior, that was not connected to God's power. I honestly didn't have much hope, but I liked the music and kept on going. It's a long drive to the church. It takes 1 hour, sometimes a bit more.

It was a another new start. Who knew how it would turn out. HERE is a story about what is going on there for me now.

The Bible says not to despise small beginnings. This church is a new beginning - maybe even a small one. If you read either of the other blogs, you be able to see that it is God. It is not like getting unhooked from drugs, or getting remarried - both of which I have done. It is like having another child, one that you were there for the delivery, and one that you can enjoy as it matures. I love kids. Each one of mine brings a different sort of joy.

I guess in truth, I am not looking for a vintage, a retro or an antique God. I am looking for one that charges my batteries, and transforms my life.