New Website

Josh and I have now combined our blogs into one website. We will now be at:

www.joshandjenny.weebly.com.

Mother Teresa, St.Francis, and the Wealth Doctrine

We must not worry if we are not wealthy and do not have money to give to the poor. Paul and the apostles were not limited by finances. Jesus did not give the prostitute a new start, by handing her cash. He healed her heart with the supernatural love of God and a word from God Himself. He gave her the freedom to be loved and He gave her the opportunity to be made pure. She might have been making money all day by prostitution, but only Jesus could heal the brokenness inside of her.
Only Jesus could heal the crippled beggar who Peter and John met in Acts 3:6-8.

But Peter said, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you:In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene--walk!"
And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened.
With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

Although Peter and John had no money for this man, they did not pass him by without giving. We can give Jesus. It's so easy to take Jesus for granted and not even realize the weight and the transformation that can take place when someone meets Jesus. We can think we have Jesus for so long that we forget how wonderful he is to us. We can forget what it is like to be hurting and lost, just trying to make any sense of life. We who already have Jesus, need to experience and fall in love with Him so much more. We need to love Him so much, that we have to offer him to people. Money and food runs out but the joy, peace and intimacy that Jesus freely gives, will never run out.
I do think it is so important and absolutely necessary to meet the practical needs of people. I do not think we should preach to people but not give. I do however feel, that we should not feel limited by a lack of finances. Some say that we must have money in order to help the poor. I don't think Mother Teresa and St.Francis felt that way. They may have not had much money to offer, but they did offer themselves. They offered their lives to God, and weren't satisfied with keeping their ambitions, clean image and security. Hundreds of years later we are still talking about St.Francis and Mother Teresa is a household name and beatified saint.
I believe that God isn't looking into our wallets but into our hearts. We think we know what we want and then we meet the poor, the rich, the needy, and the broken. We begin doing things that we never wanted to do like serve others, and suddenly we realize the true longing of our hearts, which is Jesus, as we discover him in unlikely places. We think the desire of our hearts is for a better job, swimming pool or a bigger house. God reveals to us the true desires that are worthy for Him to delight in.
Money we may have not, but who we have to give is Jesus.

St.Dorothy: The Garden of God's Delights

St.Dorothy, now the patron saint of 'brides, fruit and flowers' was a young virgin living in 304. She lived in Caesarea of Cappadocia, and it is believed that her parents were martyred.
The Governor Sapricius questioned her about Jesus and His whereabouts.
Dorothy replied "As Almighty He is everywhere, but for weak human reason we say that the Son of God has ascended into heaven, to be seated at the right hand of the Almighty Father. It is He who invites us to the garden of His delights, where at all times the trees are covered with fruits, the lilies are perpetually white, the roses ever in their freshness. If you believe me, you too will search for the true liberty, and will labor to earn entry into the garden of God’s delights.”
The governor placed Dorothy in custody with two women who had fallen away from faith, in hopes that they would pervert her. Dorothy listened to the stories of these women, rekindled the flame of God's love in their hearts and led them back to Christ. They joyously professed Jesus as their saviour to the governor and they were martyred in front of Dorothy, who encouraged them to die for their faith.
As she was placed on the rack to be executed, she is said to have been glowing with joy, explaining that she would soon be in paradise with the 2 souls who she has brought back to Christ.
On the road to her execution a lawyer called Theophilus, who had grown accustomed to persecuting the Christians, asked her, in mockery, to send him “apples or roses from the garden of her Spouse.” St.Dorothy smiled and prayed for this to happen and soon she was killed. Later in the day, a child showed up at Theophilus' door with three freshly picked apples and roses. The lawyer became a Christian and later died as a martyr as well.

Lost Vegas

My and Josh's honeymoon has been fun and interesting as we've toured around the hotels on the extravagant Las Vegas boulevard. I cannot imagine how much money has been poured into this city with it's indoor animal exhibits, gondola rides, beautifully sculpted fountains, museums, and the list goes on as the 'entertainment capital of the world' seems to require more and more to satisfy its people. There is so much construction work taking place as new resorts are being built and hotels are being added onto.
Josh and I have been touring around the many hotels and eating at the free buffets which were given to us by Time Share presentations. Our favourite hotel has been 'Caesar's Palace' with it's amazing architecture and moving statues. It's difficult to describe the place and even photos (although Josh is a very talented photographer) don't seem to do its justice.
Aside from all of the sight-seeing and the great people we have met during our honeymoon, I love being with Josh constantly. I enjoy him so much and I am so excited to be married to such a passionate, dedicated man who loves Jesus with everything. Although, we can appreciate the beauty here, I am so glad that our whole lives aren't just about being entertained.
For our complete photo collection of Las Vegas feel free to flip through our pictures:http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshuajduffy/collections/72157607226344455/

The Homeless of Vegas

Josh and I have also been spending time with the homeless of Vegas. On our way to the 'Hooters Hotel' we met Larry and Tawny, a married couple. We sat with them and heard their story. They told us that they their Bible had gotten stolen, and so it was such a blessing for us to be able to give them a New Testament which became instantly precious to Tawny.
We ran into Dwight yesterday, who was 'taking the day-off' sleeping in and not asking people for money. Dwight is the funniest homeless person, that I have met. The homeless situation here is unique to what I have seen in Canada, since it is always warm here and weather isn't a concern for the people on the street. Many of them also tell what sound like 'tall tales' about once owning major hotels and then losing everything. Although some stories are not believable and some of the people like Dwight are voluntarily homeless, they need Jesus badly like any other person. I don't think they should have to be justified in being poor in order to be ministered to.
On Sunday, Josh and I had attended First Presbyterian Church on Sunday and met Jan and Jack who are elders in the church. After the service,they invited us to their beautiful home which was decorated like the desert.
This evening Jan, picked Josh and I up and took us to a church where a ministry called 'Amazing Grace' was serving dinner to the homeless. We had the great opportunity to help serve and visit once again with Larry and Tawny.
Tomorrow is my and Josh's last day in Vegas.

Mr.and Mrs.Duffy in Las Vegas

Heymans arrived into our honeymoon for a couple days and we went to the desert together. The Red Rock Canyon was gorgeous with its mountains, and of course Heymans climbed everything in sight while we snapped pictures. We got a taste of the night life by touring around the Caesar Palace hotel and MGM. We dropped Heymans off at the airport yesterday morning as he continues on his way to Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry in Redding, California.
My and Josh's honeymoon continues as we are now alone for the first time in Las Vegas. Last night we met some people who live on the street named Dwight, Susan, and Robert. We look forward to spending more time with them and their friends.
Today, Josh and I attended 2 presentations for vacation companies (Time Share and Vacation Network), with the incentive of free buffets and 2 free shows:V(acrobatic show) and Steve Wyrick (magician). Our morning at the Time Share presentation was enjoyable as our representative Randy showed us around a resort, and then we sat down with the manager who shared his testimony with us.
Tomorrow we plan on attending a church here in Vegas. A few churches have been suggested to us by Robert and our Time Share representative.
Las Vegas is a pretty crazy place. It can even be considered a present day 'Sodom and Gomorrah' with its sex shows, love for money pornography, and female escort services. 'Sin City' is a great place for the Holy Spirit to dwell. I believe that for some people here, the experience of Vegas will cease to be the highlight of their life, and that God will win their hearts. I feel that I cannot just be a tourist here but Josh and I do have a responsibility to our people here.
May love compell us to be bold.

Josh and I get Married

I cannot describe how wonderful it feels to be married to Josh, and it still feels so surreal, as our wedding took place only yesterday. We flew into Las Vegas, Nevada at 1:30 and met with Josh's Holy Given friends Joy Waide and Paul Adams. Joy and Paul are two people who Josh speaks so highly of, and now that I have met them, I understand why.
It was a fun wedding day, as we prepared for our drive-thru wedding at the Little White Chapel. We were picked up in a white stretch limousine, which took the 4 of us to the courthouse. The procedure was very simple as we filled out information for our marriage licence. Many other couples were there for the same reason as us. Actually, a bride and groom walking around is a very common sight here in Vegas- marriage capital of the world.
Josh looked so handsome in his tuxedo and his vows to me during the ceremony were so heartfelt and Christ-centered.
Our ceremony was short and sweet, led by a minister, as we stood in the sun-roof of the limousine.
Following the ceremony, Joy, Paul, my new husband, and I had dinner at an Italian restaurant in our hotel, The Stratosphere. Josh and I stayed dressed up for dinner which was fun as people congratulated and called out to us.
Today, Josh Heymans arrived, joining in the merriment of our honeymoon. Although, Heymans' vision of Las Vegas has been crushed due to him being underage, he will hopefully enjoy the rest of his stay here.
I still can't believe that I am now 'Mrs.Duffy', but it is such an honour.
Please enjoy the video of our wedding!

Jessica and Colin Get Married!

My dad and I made a special trip to La Ronge, Saskatchewan to attend Jessica and Colin's wedding on Sept 6. It was an outdoor wedding in Colin's parent's backyard and although it rained the ceremony still continued. The rest of the celebration took place in the Jackson household which held the aroma of countless homemade dishes cooked by Colin's grandma. It was a fun wedding that very much suited Colin and Jessica's simple but sentimental taste. It was quite the experience as my dad and I traveled what felt like a long journey back to Ontario all in the midst of Jessica getting married. May Colin and Jessica's marriage make such an impact on this broken world as they commit themselves together to serve Jesus endlessly.
Colin and Jessica are now getting ready to leave for Mozambique, Africa in October.

St.Catharines, you kept us busy!

I will be leaving St.Catharines tomorrow with a smile on my face, because I feel that this visit was very valuable. Pastor George and Marilyn Woodward gave us a crash course on Premarital counseling from the work books 'How To Save Your Marriage Before it Starts'. The Woodwards even canceled a trip they were planning, just to be able to take their time and counsel us. These two wonderful people have already poured so much into Josh and I. It is very sweet to be able to include them in our very important decision of marriage.
I feel like I experienced a little bit of a 'family life' with Pastor George and Marilyn, as we ate a breakfast of omelettes together, went browsing for Ipods, and discussed Pastor George's first day of work as president today (of the 700 Club's Canadian office). It is sad to leave them, but our time with them has been greatly utilized and very much enjoyed.
Today, Josh and I had the special pleasure of visiting our congregation at Scott Manor, who eagerly welcomed us back. It didn't take long to get caught up on all of the Shenanigans of the 'Manorites' as we gathered together and discussed God's involvement in all of our summers. They happily told us about pastors who have been visiting them regularly and we were so relieved to find out that their spiritual care is being continued.
One of our dear brothers Eddie suffered a massive heart attack, and is currently in intensive care. Josh and I visited him today, and prayed for him. Please Pray for Eddie.
This evening, Chantel and I spent time together. I have met many kids this summer but Chantel remains so close to my heart, and I am grateful that she can be my 'little sister'. She is a young girl whose servanthood exceeds her age, and I believe God is going to use her to reveal His beauty to many.
We also celebrated Josh's 31st birthday on Sunday. We went to our favourite restaurant Sahla Thai and later that night we got our wedding bands tattooed.
After a busy few days, Josh and I are getting on a bus early tomorrow morning and heading to Windsor. I am looking forward to being with my dad and to also attend Jessica and Colin's wedding this Saturday!