Christian Romance that will warm your heart.

jen@authorjenrodewald.com

  • Stuck In Pessimism? Look up. Try God-centered focus.

    Stuck In Pessimism? Look up. Try God-centered focus.

    Sometimes I need to refocus. Because discouragement and frustration can be symptoms of self-focus. I need God-centered focus. (the following was originally written in 2014) I was watching the Big Ten Network (don’t all good Nebraska wives do this on a Saturday night? Good thing I like football.) and the special feature snagged my attention.…

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  • Morning Desperation! (what if I was as desperate for Jesus?)

    Faced a crisis–a morning desperation! Crawled out of my bed after the third round of snooze-slapping, wandered to the kitchen and hit power on the Keurig. Pod in, mug positioned…go. It dripped about a quarter of a cup…and then broke my heart.  Cue morning desperation! I slunked back to my room, my day now ruined…

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  • The Ache For Happily Ever After

    I was thinking about happily ever after… The sermon series at our church has been themed on happily ever after. I’m a Christian romance author, so you know this had me from the start. This week, in a dry tone, the pastor asked us to open to the last chapter, the last verse in the…

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  • Identity. Do You Know Yours?

    Thinking about…. Identity. My kids’ youth group has been talking about this, and when the youth pastor and I were chatting, he was sharing about how profoundly important he felt like the discussion is. I completely agree. Knowing who you are… and who you are not willing to become… it’s like a runner putting in…

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  • What will you do with what you believe?

    What will you do with what you believe . . . This is the question God has me wrestling with right now. I’m not sure of the answer. It seems like it should be easy to nail down… but it’s not. Perhaps that’s because I live a pretty cozy-comfy life. Or maybe I want a…

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  • Purpose birthed into the storm.

    “Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord oh my soul, and forget none of His benefits.” ~Psalm 103:1-2 The storm gathers. I feel the winds sweeping, growing in strength and chill. The gray clouds cluster, swirling, churning, warning. It has been for a…

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  • Guilt

    Thinking about… guilt. I once asked a friend how to weed through the feelings of guilt that I was wresting with. Balancing being a wife, motherhood, writing, and volunteering in ministry is an ever-present concern in my world. At that moment (when I talked to  my friend) I couldn’t shake the guilt I felt every…

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  • The Snowflake Hunt

    I find myself in search of snowflake ornaments now. This is the first year I’ve experienced this obsession. Honestly, I don’t think I currently own even one of said decorations. But this woman—her name is Kale Brennan—has put into my heart a need to collect these things. Her story, which involves snowflakes, and hot cocoa,…

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  • No Escape

    Fiction… that imaginary place of story that becomes an escape. True. Sometimes. Not always. I live an ordinary life. We juggle the norm…joys, fears, tears, and the expected struggle to figure out this living thing so that we may do it well. If you were a fly on my wall, and you managed to escape…

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  • Imaginary Friends and Real Life Lessons

    Know what I love? Learning. Truly, I do. I miss school. When my kids were younger, I signed up for correspondence courses, because I just needed to use my brain, to stretch my knowledge. To know that my life skills went beyond the laundry room. (Those skills aren’t very good, to be honest, so, yes,…

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