[JJMNews] Connecting!!

Wed Oct 28 16:39:41 EDT 2009

Good afternoon, my friends!!  I pray that your week is going well.  It's a busy one around here!  From keeping up with my part-time kids to putting together a special edition of The Living Room (more on that later!) to getting my office set up to do voice-over work from home (more on that, too!)... I don't know whether I'm comin' or goin', as we say here in the South! <LOL>  It's fun, though, just plenty busy... Can't wait for the weekend!! :) <Smile>

Okay, so what should I tell you about first?  Oh, I know... Did you know that I have a page on Facebook now?  I would have never dreamed that I would enjoy it so much!!  It's been such fun to connect with old friends and to make new ones... Some of the comment threads are absolutely hilarious!!  I really have to make myself stay away for a minute, so that I can concentrate on those things that are just a part of life. :) <Smile>  So if you've taken the Facebook plunge, I encourage you to help me to build my page by adding me as a friend.  I'm told that I'm not easy to find, for some reason, although I do have a fan page that comes up easily.  However, if you do a search for the email address on my account,
bookings at janajackson.com/,
You'll get right to me!!  Soon I'll be creating a page on Twitter, and I'm told that I'll have a lot of fun with that, too.  I'll let you know when Twitter is all set... But let's just get me through this week first, okay?! <LOL>

Okay, so I am SO jazzed about this week's time in The Living Room on Friday afternoon!!  If you are a young person, or if you're young at heart, I encourage you to tune in and help me to rock de house!! :) <Smile>  I'm not a hard-rocker, but I will be playing a wide variety of Christian music that is popular with those of us who are 25 and under... Yep, I've been 25 for quite a while now... That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!! <LOL>  And for the first time in the history of The Living Room, I'm talkin' with TWO guest artists!!  My very special guests this week are Big West, a young hip-hop artist with a radical message aimed straight at the hearts of today's youth, and Paige Armstrong, a young contemporary Christian singer/songwriter who lives every day to the fullest... Paige was diagnosed with cancer at a young age, and you will be inspired by her vivacious spirit and her story of survival!!

So, do me a favor... Let every young person in your life know about this special week in The Living Room that I call the Fall Jam.  You will be challenged, inspired, and encouraged... And we want LOTS of people to join the party!!  And if you're able to do so, why not whip up a batch of chocolate-chip cookies, maybe some hot cocoa, for the party... I mean, I'm just sayin'!! <LOL>  Just go to
http://thepowerstation.uk.com
from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. CST to join in the fun!!

The next thing I want to tell you about is my new career as a voice-over artist, or voice actor.  With the economy being what it is, I have been praying that God would give me an idea that would generate some income.  I've considered voice-over work before, but it just hasn't been the right time.  Thanks to modern technology and to software for recording and editing audio, plus a small sound-booth that is being set up in my office this week, I am now in business!!  I've always loved to read, so reading scripts for cchildren's books, commercials, even voice-mail greetings, is right up my alley!!  I'll be telling you more about this later, so stay tuned to find out how you can hear samples of my work, and how you can take advantage of special offers for your voice-over needs, specifically for the JJMNews family!!

Well, as soon as I hit Send, I'm sure I'll think of something that I forgot to tell you about... Isn't that just how it is?!  Before I go, I just want to share something with you.  For some reason, I've been thinking a lot about friendships... What they are and what they aren't, the various ways that we do or don't reach out to make friends, etc.  Earlier this afternoon, I was sharing with someone about the unique challenges I have sometimes with making new friends... When you deal with life with a disability, it can be hard to find a place to fit in, no matter how outgoing or independent you are.  We were talking about how hard it is for me to get things done, to get from Point A to Point B, to get people to stop talking louder to me or (even more absurd!) to get them to stop talking FOR me when God knows I have a mouth that works perfectly fine, and my hearing is 20/20!  Now, I wasn't having a pity party... I wasn't even upset, just thinking about recent occurrences in my life.  The lady that I was telling about this is older, and she's known for speaking her mind!!  At one point, she bluntly said, "Well, the bottom line is, you just don't have any friends!"  OUCH!!!  Now, you would think that such a statement would have caused me to be depressed for the rest of the day... But instead, it made me laugh!!  The reason is, nothing could be farther from the truth.  It's true that I have a pretty weak support system at the moment.  It's also true that I often feel alone in a crowd.  But you know what?  It's just as true that God has blessed me with a ton of friends all over the country... When I was little, I used to say that I wished that we all lived in one place, meaning one town... Sometimes I still feel that way! :) <Smile>  But I just love it when one of my friends will call to say Hi or to chat for a minute... Don't you?!  Have you ever noticed that God sends those words of encouragement at just the right time?  The Bible says that He's a friend who sticks closer than a brother... He sees where we are, and He knows what we need!!  And then there are the friends who live close enough to reach out in more practical ways... Maybe offering a ride to the store, helping me to clean the house, helping me to get through the stack of mail that never goes away, or just hangin' out to watch a movie or have a BIG bowl of ice cream... I'm convinced that my Friend who sticks closer than a brother has a hand in that, too! :) <Smile>  Maybe you struggle with loneliness, or maybe, like me, you have a pretty full plate and often feel overwhelmed when a lot of things need to be done, a lot of fires need to be put out, seemingly at once!  God's Word has a lot to say to us during those lonely times.  Today I keep thinking of one of my favorite verses, Philippians 4:8: "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report: If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things!"  Now, that doesn't mean you're not going to have those moments when you wonder how things could possibly get any better... It doesn't mean that you won't ever shed another tear of frustration... But you know what I've discovered?  When I'm having a super-hard time thinking on the positive things, when I have to let go of all the frustration and hurt, my BEST FRIEND is walking through those times with me.  The Word says that Jesus was moved with compassion when He walked the earth.  If He's the same yesterday, today and forever, He is STILL moved with that same compassion... SO moved, in fact, that He has made a way of escape from every burden, every frustration, every temptation we face!!  So if it's a rough day today, if someone has said something hurtful, if you wonder how you can take one more thing... Talk it out with your Best Friend!  Ask Him to help you to think on those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report!  I'm a living witness to the fact that He will gladly answer that cry for help!!

Well, dear ones, the kids are about to walk through my door at any moment... So my quiet time for the day is just about over!! :) <Smile>  Thanks for all of your little notes of encouragement... I treasure every one of them!!  And thanks to those of you who have taken the time to join me in The Living Room once in a while... It means a lot, and I appreciate your feedback!!  Love you guys... Have a great rest of the week!!

Jana

____________________________________________________________________________________________
Thanks for being a part of JJMNews!  If you need to leave the list, we hope it's just temporary... But you should know that unsubscribing is easy!!  Simply send a blank email to
jjmnews-request at janajackson.com
with the word Unsubscribe in the subject line.  When you're ready to return to the list, or if you want to help a friend to subscribe, just send a blank email (or have your friend to send one) to the above address with the word Subscribe in the subject line.  If you run into problems with this procedure, let us know, and we'll do our best to help!  Thanks, and have a blessed day!!

____________________________________________________________________________________________
Join Jana every Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. CST for The Living Room, her exciting 3-hour on-line radio show!  Featuring a blend of the music that makes Jana tick (contemporary Christian, praise and worship, and urban gospel music), The Living Room is quickly becoming a favorite on-line hang-out for lovers of Christian music.  You can visit The Living Room by pointing your Web browser to
http://thepowerstation.uk.com/.  Hope to see you there... We LOVE ya in The Living Room!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
For information about Jana's music ministry, visit her web site at
http://www.janajackson.com/
Or find her on MySpace at
http://myspace.com/janajacksonministries/.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://janajackson.com/pipermail/jjmnews_janajackson.com/attachments/20091028/0552cf04/attachment.html>