introducing::JENAH (a how-to columnist)

JENAH IS CLUTCH'S NEWEST WRITER. 

HER COLUMN "MARY&MARTHA" IS A HOW-TO COLUMN FOR PW'S ON EVERYDAY LIFE ISSUES.

Hi!  I’m Jenah and I am super excited to be blogging for CLUTCH!  I’m 31 years old.  I have brown hair and brown eyes.  I don’t like seafood.  Here's a little bit about me:


How did you end up in the ministry?
How could I choose any other lifestyle?  The comfortable life in a quiet subdivision seemed so, how would you say, predictable.  I much prefer to drive old cars as opposed to brand new minivans.  I really like the fact that if my husband says he’ll be home at five, it could actually mean 7:30.  Such spice!

I especially like having my home tidy all the time because you never know who will show up at the front door, maybe even for dinner!  I love getting my kids ready all by myself for church, too - that’s the best part.

Really, I just couldn’t see purpose in any other life.  Working to make money never seemed like a goal to aspire to, but working to build the kingdom of Christ here on earth?  Now that’s a noble goal, I just didn’t know how many sacrifices would come along.

How did you and “Pastor Eye Candy” meet?
As soon as I could, I lit out of the Minneapolis area where I was born and raised, headed for the booming metropolis of Chicago.  I attended Moody and met my husband Craig through mutual friends.

Our first official date (actually my first date ever) was a Cub’s game and a dinner at Mr. J’s.  We’ve been together for 12 years, married for almost 10.  We both majored in Urban Ministries, so don’t ask me how we ended up in a small town in southeast Minnesota.

Speaking of southeast Minnesota, how did you end up here?
That’s a good question!  While we loved the city, we knew God was calling us out of our community there.  We had lots of options, but somehow ended up at a church that I had visited several times before.  Good friends of my parents attended (and still do) this church, in fact, their daughter was one of my best friends growing up.  It was really one of those super weird “It’s a small world after all” sort of moments.  We’ve lived here for about 8.5 years now.

What sort of pastor is that "Pastor Eye Candy" of yours?
If I knew, I’d tell you! He was hired as an associate pastor in charge of worship.  After much drama, his position has morphed into something more complex.  He's not the senior, but he's the only full time pastor our church has.  He’s in charge of all pastoral care, worship, counseling, preaching once a month, relationship building, outreach, etc.  We have a part time guy who preaches 3 times a month, he lives out of town and commutes two hours every Sunday. 

At a larger church, Craig would probably be labeled a campus pastor, but since we’re smaller, I guess you could just call him “The Man.”

Do you’se gots kids?
We do.  Three.

Malin Fran is 8, Aiden Fritz is 6, and our adorable little muffin Vienne Elinor is 1.  We are proud public-schoolers and I am actively involved in our Early Childhood Family Education program and am the secretary for its PTA.  (And yes, I drive a Honda Odyssey.  It does NOT, however, have a sticker of a soccer ball in the back window.

What do you like to do and how would you describe yourself?
I am very stubborn and strong willed.  I have strong ideals, but I can let them go if I feel like a relationship might get compromised.  I am a task-master, but think people are important, too.  I like to be organized but I’m not OCD.  I love to be in the kitchen.  I have about 25 frozen meals in my freezer and I love to bake bread.

I am recently gluten-free (hooray) to see if that might help some of my fibro-myalgia-esque symptoms.  I love yoga, pilates, riding my bike, and I believe “taking walks” is the cure for many an ailment.

I love to travel and have been all over the stinkin’ place.  Vienna was one of my favorites, as well the good ol’ American west coast.  I love to write, love to watch 30Rock, America’s Next Top Model, and any movie with Jason Schwartzman in it.  I make my own laundry detergent, use cloth diapers, and make some yummy freezer jam with the berries we pick in the summer.

Oh, I’m also a photographer, and yes, I do make money taking pictures, just not very much.


What do you want to be when you grow up?
I want to get a degree in nursing and either:
    1.    work in a fistula clinic;
    2.    train midwives in developing nations;
    3.    teach women how to be advocates for themselves/their children as well as teaching them simple health care (also in developing nations).

If I don’t do that, I would love to teach teen moms in the inner city how to successfully breastfeed their little ones.       

So that’s the skinny on me!  Thanks for reading!

© CLUTCH, 2010 unless otherwise sourced.
Use allowed by express written permission only.
Tweets, trackbacks, and link sharing encouraged.