Getting Excited About the New Album!!!

My new album- Hope Rising is in the mix down stage and I cannot wait to share the finished product with you!  To prep for the album's official release we wanted to give you a visual of what to expect on the album.  So over the next few weeks we will be releasing Lyric Art (images based on lyrics from the album).  We hope that you enjoy them!

Keep checking back for more info on the release date and maybe a surprise or two!

You are LOVED!!!

Jessie & the Team

Lyric Art from the new song "Wonder" to be released on the Hope Rising album

Lyric Art from the new song "Wonder" to be released on the Hope Rising album

The Adventure Called Family

So thankful for the ones who have poured into the lives of my children. I love you so much!

So thankful for the ones who have poured into the lives of my children.  I love you so much!

 As crazy stars-in-their-eyes newlyweds Mike and I wanted to start our family one whole month after we were married.  For years we went through the anticipation and the disappointment that accompanied that season of our lives.  I don't entirely cherish the heartache that was woven into that time, but I do cherish the lessons that my heart learned.  Month after month and test after test I had to lean into the presence of my Daddy God.  I learned to delight in the Lord.  Whatever the result my delight, my joy, my happiness was in the Lord and His unfailing love.

Shortly after our ninth wedding anniversary the desire of our hearts was realized in the tiny form of our daughter Jasmine.  My heart expereinced a myriad of emotions!  Overwhelming love, gratitude, awe, and a solid assurance of God's faithfulness threatened to burst my heart every time I looked at my lovely one.  

In December of 2011 another hope deferred became a hope realized as we welcomed home our son Benjamin.  And again my heart was flooded with the overwhelming sense of God's faithfulness as my arms finally embraced the one whom previously only my heart could.  Our Daddy God is so good!

Along this journey of motherhood and the adventure called family a few words have resonated in my spirit:

Entrusted  Children are a gift from the Lord, they are entrusted to our care while here on planet earth.  We have them for a season and in that season we must impart all the love, strength and wisdom that we possess.  We are raising them for a King.

Partnership  I have been blessed to have a fantastic partner in my husband.  Mike has incredible wisdom and such a stunning servants heart.  Without him raising up the Little Bits would be an entirely different task.  This is not to say that moms cannot raise their children on their own.  One of my dearest friends, a single mom, is doing a bang up job of raising three girls.  She is doing thus in partnership with their Heavenly Father and is profoundly shaping their lives to value the things of God.  She is my hero!

Legacy  Recently, true to form, I blurted out "I can't wait to be a grandma!  It's gonna be so cool!".  As my kids are 4 and 5 I have sometime to prepare.  What we instill in our children today is what they will instill in their children tomorrow.  We must place value upon them, speak blessing over them, and instill godly wisdom into their hearts.  For those who are to come...

Fun  It's so easy to get caught in the "work" of parenting that we forget what makes parenting work.  Our children need to have fun with us!  Look for ways of making even the most regular tasks such as going to the market an adventure.  For kids, it's more about the journey than the destination.  Mark the way with fun-loving frivolity!  Parenting is so much easier when we (and our children) enjoy it.

So moms (with and without children in your home) pray for your kids.  Don't be too proud to apologize.  Cherish the moments.  Always bless and encourage your kids.  Forgive.  Discipline with grace.  Love with reckless abandon.   Take every opportunity to invest in your children.  And remember that your greatest asset in raising your children for the King is the love of the King Himself.

Be blessed and Happy Mother's Day!  

Jessie xoxo

All Things April and BIG NEWS

This month has seen a flurry of activities!  From leading worship in many different places, to studio time, my daughter's birthday, and everything else that we call life!  It's beautiful, crazy, and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

We had a great time leading worship at XLR8 Youth (Oasis Church)- my heart loves seeing teens worshiping their Savior.  Seriously- you guys were beyond incredible!!!

We also went back to where it all started- Christ Community Ministries of Estero.  This fantastic family invited me in two years ago to lead worship and from there we kicked off our summer tour.  CCM's Pastors, Mark and Donnitta Goodman, had a profound impact on my life throughout high school.  They loved and encouraged me when I saw no value in myself. I am beyond grateful for their friendship over these years (not saying how many!).  It has been an honor my dear friends!  I love you heaps and heaps!  Great things are in store for you and the CCM family.  

I'd love to ask for your prayers as we have some adventures approaching us!  First of all, in May we are traveling to Nashville to be a part of The Objective Sessions.  The Objective is an opportunity for us as a team to perfect our craft and become more equipped to fulfill the God-call on us.  We have a lot of logistics to figure out as we will be traveling with the entire team.  We believe that this is a great opportunity for us all and we know that our God is able to work it all out.

Also at the Objective Sessions will be find out if we have been accepted onto The Extreme Tour!  The heart of the tour is to minister to youth and young adults- which is our heart as well.  Please pray as again there are logistics and finances to be figured if we are invited on the tour.

And as if that weren't enough we have decided that after being in Florida for over 13 years that we are looking for a new adventure.  So this summer we will be moving to the Atlanta area.  We will miss our family and friends dearly but we are thrilled to see what God has in store for us in the red clay state of Georgia.

You can keep checking in here as we move forward on all of this- I'll keep you posted!

Thank you for standing with us in prayer.  You are amazing! You are loved!

Jessie xoxo

Come Home

Hello all!

It is a bit blustery in Florida today (it felt very peculiar to type that), with cool temperatures and heaps of wind!  I actually like it!  It gives me a greater excuse to drink copious amounts of hot tea!  Weather aside, I hope that you are finding yourself caught up in the embrace of an all-loving God.  His love is so fantastic!  Somehow this great, incredible and all powerful God who created wonders beyond our comprehension loves us.  Stunning!  This particular passage has been buzzing around my head recently:

"How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master,        Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before                  he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the            focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.  Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son."       Ephesians 1:4-6 The Message (emphasis added)

The other night as we were putting our children into their beds my son Ben told me that when he was in China, he was sad. While I was steeling my heart, he calmly continued, "I happy now in this house 'cause I have a family."  Oh, how I pray that the collective heart of humanity would feel the same happiness!  For the sons and daughters who haven't experienced this great happiness and joy of finding yourself in The Family- come home.  There is a Father who loves you and a family who believes in you.  And it's so easy to find your way back, in fact the moment you decide to take your place in the family the Father brings home to you.  His love and grace will ever meet you just where you are.

I love you.

God loves you.

Welcome home.

If you made a decision to take your place in The Family, please send me a message through this site.  I'd love to have the opportunity to welcome you home!                       -Jessie

Praisefest & A Proverbs 31 Purpose

Hello all!

Last weekend at Praisefest was phenomenal!  It is fantastic to see The Church coming together to praise our God and Savior with one voice, one heart.  I am still overcome by the beauty of it!  

Huge thanks to the team- Chris & Kyle Anderson, Justin Beaver, Travis & Troy Black, and my bass slapping hubs, Mike!  These guys are the best and it's an honor to lead with them!

This weekend we're honored to be leading at Proverbs 31 Women's Conference, for more details please click on the Schedule page.  If you are a woman- you should come!  It's going to be an incredible time as we lean into the promises and purposes of God.  We have each been uniquely designed and positioned for a divine purpose.  And it's my prayer that as we assemble God's daughters our hearts will be encouraged to live out our purpose.  Do come!

And finally- drum roll please- here's a quick look into the photo shoot that we did for the new album.  We had so much fun!  

Enjoy the pics!

Enjoy life!

You are loved!!!

      Jessie

Photos Courtesy of Ashley Berry Photography

Photos Courtesy of Ashley Berry Photography

3 More Sleeps

As I type this we have only 3 more sleeps until Praisefest!  The event is going to be phenomenal and we so hope that you can be a part of it.  Something incredible happens when The Church crosses denominational lines and stands united with other redeemed children of God in praise of the Savior of the world.  The Church looks beautiful when she is worshiping!

Again, I hope to see you there!

We are making our final push on the new album- I literally cannot wait to see and hear the finished product!  Keep us all in your prayers as there are some thrilling possibilities ahead.  I'd so love to tell you about it now- but I can't.  Sorry!!  I still love you!

Speaking of love- my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary recently!  Stunning!  My parents are the best and I am so thankful for everything that they are.  I love you Mom & Dad!

Don't forget to remember that you have been made with great potential.  You are loved.  You are treasured.  And you can smile confidently at the future because God is with you.

XOXO  Jessie

For more info on Praisefest click here!

Undeserving

Recently I've been reading a pre-release copy of Pastor Judah Smith's book "Jesus is____."  It's phenomenal!  It's all about Jesus, which is my favorite thing to talk about.  Life is all about Jesus.  And when we know who we are in Jesus our lives are transformed by His infinite grace and we find ourselves living the expansive life that God intended for us.  (I think that I just used the word life a lot!)

So, yesterday I'm reading the pdf of the book on my phone (the type was so cute and tiny!) and had one of those "A-ha!" moments.  So here it is...

We humanoids try to qualify or conversely disqualify ourselves and each other from receiving the grace and goodness of God.  There's a deep theological reason for that, but you'll have to come back later to hear it.  We compare, we belittle, and/or we come up with reasons why God should or should not use a person in ministry.  Don't look around if you've ever done that.  Just keep looking at your screen and no body will know...except for God.  But don't worry He loves you.

Let me make this personal.  I've had people tell me that I'm not talented enough, not godly enough, too young, made too many mistakes (etc, etc), and that I don't deserve to be doing what I'm doing in ministry.  And you know what I have to say them?  "You're absolutely right."  But isn't that the point?  No one deserves God's love.  No one deserves God's grace.  No one deserves to have His calling imprinted on their spirit.  But He does it anyways.  He loved us when we were messed up and utterly useless to Him.  This is our God.  Where we see deficits He sees an opportunity to display His abundance of strength of power (1 Corinthians 1:27).

So that area in your life that you've been struggling to work though on your own, stop and take heart; let God work on it for you.  Remember that God picked you to be you.  He knows every fault, every sin, every foible and He still wants to use you.  In fact He is cheering you on right now.  And He loves you with a reckless abandon.  Don't disqualify what God has put His Grade-A seal of approval on.  Don't focus on the faults, focus on our Father's lavish, extravagant, over-the-top love and watch as He shows off in your life.

You are loved.

Jessie

For more info on Pastor Judah Smith's book visit www.jesusisbook.com

Endings and Beginnings

I don't believe that anything was put in the Bible to simply take up space.  So when Jesus says that He is the Beginning and the End I tend to believe Him.

This week there was an end in my life, I am no longer the worship leader & youth pastor at Pilgrim Church.  The church leadership wanted to return to a more traditional style of worship in their contemporary services and that is not how I would chose to lead.  Simply put, they wanted something that I was not.  

Even though I was half expecting this change I must admit that my heart is having a hard time dealing with it.  I am disappointed for the church, saddened at how things were handled, and heartbroken at being denied the chance to tell my church family goodbye.

Yet in the midst of these emotions my spirit is reminding me of an unfading truth- that He who began a good work in me will complete it (Phil. 1:6).  Just because it is over does not mean that I am over.  He is the Beginning and the End.  Sometimes it is difficult to stand at the end of something and feel that there could ever be something beautiful beginning.  Yet this is how our God works.  He takes away the first to establish the second.  So I take heart, hold fast to my confidence, and set my heart to expect good things.

And above all I know, that I know, that I know that my Jesus is Lord of the Endings and the Beginnings.

 

You are Loved,

Jessie

Hello!

Time goes ever marching on...and this girl does not update her website the way she should.  SORRY!  I trust that you are finding yourself content and blssed.  Christmas is rapidly approaching and I still have oodles of gift buying/making to finish- prayers appreciated!!!  

Since the last entry my children have been growing up, and becoming more and more lovely.  I know, I'm a bit biased...  On the 17th we'll celebrate our one year anniversary of bringing home the Benjamin.  YEAH!  My heart is so very thankful for my family.  My Daddy God was showing off when He made them...

We are back in the studio and working on a new project, featuring new music, my kids, and some incredibly talented musos!  Keep us in your prayers throughout the process.  We are believing to bring fresh songs to the body of Christ that will help them connect with your God & Savior.  Keep checking back for updates on the project and release date.

May you and yours be so incredibly blessed this Christmas season.  Be sure to pause and think on our Emmanuel and that our God is With Us.

Big Hugs!  Love you!  And Merry Christmas!!! 

Jessie

Overdue

Hello all!

 That greeting was long overdue!  So sorry!!  My Pastor looked across the desk at me last week and said,"I believe that you lead a very full life."  And yes, yes I do.  Between the kids, traveling, songwriting, church life and all of the seconds inbetween my life is incredibly full on.  Praise God that He wired me to be able to handle it!  Life is moving right along.  We enjoyed a wonderful summer.  I hope that yours was the same.

We traveled to Sydney in July to attend Hillsong Conference- yeah!  

It was incredible!  Hillsong Conference exists for one purpose- to champion the local church.  It’s not about pushing the latest music album or getting the Hillsong name out there, it is truly all about a group of believers coming together to see how we can further the kingdom.  The conference was Monday through Friday with church service in the morning followed by leadership training and breakout sessions.  After that we broke for a meal and came back together for an evening service. Every night closed with what I would call a praise and worship party.  Each service was lead by top notch pastors and speakers from across the globe such as Joyce Meyer, Pastor Joseph Prince, Louie Giglio, and the Hillsong team.  Worship was lead by the Hillsong Team Greats, alongside of Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, Israel Houghton, and Darlene Zschech. 

It was marvelous to see 26,000+ people coming together for the cause of Christ.  We were worshiping alongside Baptists, Wesleyans, Assembly of God folk, Catholics, Salvation Army members and many other denominations.  But as one would look around the massive arena there were no denominational lines.  We were united as one for The One.  It was pretty close to heaven.  Which is the way church should be, right?

If you couldn’t tell by now we loved the trip!  My heart is so thankful for the opportunity to attend conference!

This is me promising to keep ypu better informed on what is happening in Jessie Land.  So keep checking back!

There is a heavenly host who believes in you,

and I do too.

Much love,

Jessie

 

It's Already May!

Hello dear ones!

  It's seems inconceivable that my last post was nearly three months ago!  Where has the time gone?!?! In February we took on a position with Pilgrim Church, where I am the worship director.  Since then, we've also added Youth Pastor to the job description (a responsibility that makes my heart go pitter patter).  I so love working with teens!  My amazing husband has been a huge help as we enter into this God adventure with great enthusiasm.  By the way, I am absolutely convinced that my hubs is the best and I cannot imagine having success without his immeasurable support!  Shameless rave on my husband- accomplished.

The leadership team, staff, volunteers- everyone in the Pilgrim Church family is INCREDIBLE!  Such genuine people who have overwhelmed us with love and support.  I love you all heaps!!

If you are in the area, I'd love to host you at one of our Sunday services.  I lead in our 9:25am and 10:50am services.  We can also be found Wednesday nights in our youth group- 6:30pm. 

These are interesting days that we are living in.  Keep your eyes locked on Christ and pursue His Cause in your life.  I promise that everything will fall into place.

Consumed by the Cause of Christ,

Jessie

 

p.s.  You are loved :)

A Powerful Combination

Hello Amazing People Who Are Destined to Impact the World With the Gospel of Grace!

  Some intro, huh?  I won't tell you how long it took me to come up with it... :)  Beloved, I hope that you are finding yourself incredibly happy and blessed!  Everyone here in the Bittner household is excellent!  My kids have gone through growth spurts challenging me to find clothes that fit and forcing me to contemplate becoming a cobbler (the shoemaker- not the dessert)!

  We are starting to line up some more worship events- YEAH!  So keep an eye on the Schedule page to see if we'll be in your area.  I'd love to worship with you!!

  We are also going to be doing some work on the website, revamping it and giving it a bit of a freshening up.  We are going to add some new content and maybe there will be a surprise or two... KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR THE LATEST HAPPENINGS!

  I would be remiss if this journal closed without some sort of encouragement...Are you ready for it? It's a great one!  I am getting encouraged just by typing it!!!

  Whatever you are facing in life let me remind you that God is able.  Once more for emphasis- God is able.  And not only is our Magnificent Creator able- He is willing.  What a powerful combination!  It is one thing to have the power to produce change but it is something far greater to be motivated to use that power.  What good is the ability if there is no desire to use it? Beloved, our God who designed everything above the earth and all things in it, our God who calls the stars by name, your God whose strength knows no limits is not only very able to help you in every circumstance of life; He is ever so willing to help you. 

Meditate on the simple yet profound truth that He is able and willing and watch His glorious plan of salvation unfold in your life.

 

You are deeply loved!

   xoxo Jessie xoxo

 

Passionate & Personal

Hello dear ones!

  It is the day before Christmas and I pray that you are finding yourself full of the joy and peace of Christ Jesus.  We are getting ready for family festivities as we'll have a house full tonight and tomorrow.  Our son Ben is adjusting incredibly well to life on this side of the globe.  He and Jazzy are two peas in a pod!!  When they combine their powers they are a force to be reckoned with!  Hopefully they will learn to always use their powers for good and not for evil...

As the rush that may accompany this season settles, I pray that you may be mindful of God's incredible love for you.  You may hear "God loves you" so often that it becomes an empty comfort.  Stop and think for a moment that the creator of heaven and earth, whose strength knows no end loves you passionately and personally.  He loves you so much that He gave you the very best that He had- His perfect Son.  When you realize how much God loves you- that He gave His only Son so that you could become His child and forever have His presence, blessings, and favor in your life, comfort and joy will fill your heart.

I pray that you will know and believe His unwavering love for you.  May you have a very merry and blessed Christmas as you celebrate His constant love.

Continually awed by His love and grace,

  Jessie

 

 

 

More Stamps In My Passport

Hello loves!  We are getting ready to embark on our grand adventure to the other side of the world.  We are far from packed and the list of things to get done before we leave seems to be growing by the second.  Oh well!  It will all get done, as it usually does in a flurry of excitement with only hours before we leave.  This is my life (and I love it)! 

  We fly out Friday morning bound for China and our son Benjamin.  If you happen to be awake drawn into the Facebook vortex at 3am Sunday morning- think of us, as we will be meeting our son for the first time.  My heart does a somersault each time I type "our son"!  I personally hope that it doesn't ever stop it's acrobatics.  How funny is it to be in love with someone that you've never met.  Ben- mommy loves you so much, my bao bei!

  We'll return home Dec. 16, landing in Fort Myers three hours before we left Hong Kong, it will probably be Dec. 20 before we return to running on eastern standard time.  Jet lag- gotta love it! Yeah, not really... 

  Please continue to pray for us and Ben...and Jasmine...and my parents as they'll be caring for my baby girl and our three critters!  :)  Thank you Mom & Dad!!  If possible I will keep you updated on our progress in China and post some pics of our Benny boy.  

Know that whatever trouble may have popped out at you from seemingly nowhere that God is never surprised.  He loves you.  He cares ever so much for you, and He has already prepared the way for you to overcome any obstacle.

As always, know that you are very deeply loved.

BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG Hugs!

  Jessie

Website Changes

Hello again!

  I hope that you are enjoying life wherever you may be on this beautiful planet!  We are looking to make some changes to the site- design, content, all the fun stuff- and I'd love to have your input into the process.  If there's anything that you think would be useful or super cool on here- send us a message. Thanks!  You are awesome!

 I'm off to bed.  Sweet sleep!!

BIG HUGS!

  Jessie

Announcing Our Newest Band Member...hehehe!

So maybe we won't put him in the band just yet- but I would very much like to introduce to you our son, Benjamin Michael Bittner!  We just received our invitation to travel for the China Center of Adoption Affairs- basically it's the letter that states "Congratulations!  Your paperwork is all done and we are now ready for you to travel to China, pick up your child and fill out more paperwork before you leave the country."  :)  Hopefully, we should be traveling to China in the next 2-6 weeks to bring home our little guy!

Currently, Ben resides in Bao Ji City, Shan Xi province in the PR of China.  His birthday is Feb. 1 and he 3 years old.  From the latest medical report he and Jazz are about the same height!!  Jazz has just gone through a growth spurt so I'm pretty sure that her competitive nature is already showing in the great height race with her older brother!

We are so thrilled to be reaching the culmination of this adoption process!  Thank you so much for all of the encouragement and prayer that you have offered up for us.  We truly cherish it all!  Please continue to pray for us and Benjamin as we prepare to travel- that everything would come together quickly and easily, and that Ben would transition very well into life on the other side of the globe.

God is so good, so faithful!  Thank you Daddy for bringing this desire to fulfillment. My heart is overwhelmed!

Caught in the Rhythms of Grace,

  a Very Joyful Jessie  :)

 

P.S.  You are loved!

 

Don't Miss the Moment

Hello all you fantastic people!

  I hope that you are finding yourself caught up in the embrace of your Daddy God and drawing the hurt and broken into the same place.  My sincere apologies for not keeping up on the journals.  I love you still, I promise!!!  :)

  My mind went wandering this morning, per it's normal habit, and I thought of all the different places that I've been honored to lead worship.  We've worshiped with masses of people where the sound of their praise was most likely heard in the next state, and we've worshiped in churches with only a few precious people.  When leading, it's not about the size of the crowd facing you.  It's about encouraging those same people to worship God and their Savior with all their heart. 

  How beautiful is worship?  I love it that God inhabits our praises and that in worship we have the opportunity to meet with Him in such an intimate and profound way.  During worship we have the chance to fix our hearts on God alone.  To sing out incredible truths of who He is and to allow those truths to transform our hearts until our hope and faith is full to overflowing.

  When we worship it is for our own good.  God has angels that worship Him tirelessly.  Worship benefits us- that's the way God designed it.  And what a gift it is!  Personally, in the moments of my deepest pain and sorrow whilst singing the praises and the goodness of God I can feel Him mending my heart.  He hears and answers the cry of the broken.

  Let me encourage you, as we prepare for worshiping with The Church this weekend- don't miss the moment.  Relish every second of the worship service.  Raise your hands, sing loud and proud because He is present and ever ready to bind up the brokenhearted and to fill you anew with His Hope, His Faith, His Extravagant Love.

Many Blessings My Loves!

 

Caught in the Rhythms of Grace,

  Jessie

 

 

A Week Later...

Hello everyone!  I hope that you are finding yourselves happy and well!  We had an incredible time at Night of Joy!  Especially after the squall moved past us, and the instruments, band members, and Mike were safely in the park and we had all changed into our dry clothes. :)  Throughout the night I had to keep reminding myself to breathe and that My God has Got This!  In spite of the foul weather we had a FANTASTIC crowd and some surprise guests!  All of the bands that took the stage were phenomenal!!  It really was an awesome night!  I got to catch up with some of my former students who came to NOJ and some very lovely friends stopped in. 

Jazzy was overjoyed to go back to Disney this year!  We took her on the Small World ride for the first time and she was enchanted by it!  Grandma even bought her a pair of light up Micky Mouse ears- which she refused to take off, that is until she fell asleep as we exited the park.

What I love the most about our NOJ experiences is the way the body of Christ comes together for a singular purpose.  During our last song (All I Need) I looked out across the mass of people and thought about how beautiful the Church looks with no denominational boundaries, not one person caught up in the issues of doctrines or disciplines.  That night the church was simply worshiping her Savior.  She never looked better!

We have some worship events, rallies, and such coming up here in the next two months.  Keep an eye on the Schedule page- you know you want to stop by and say "Hi!" :)

I love you and your Daddy God loves you so very much!

BIG HUGS!!!!!

 

P.S.  Be sure to check out the pictures from Night of Joy!! :)

 

On Our Way to N-O-J!

Just a quick note as we are literally heading out the door!  Me and the band are playing tonight at Disney's Night of Joy tonight.  You know you want to stop by and hear some of our brand new music!!  It's going to be incredible!!  I love you and and I hope to see you tonight!!

I'll post something more soon and let you know how everything went!

Here's the details again-

7:30pm by the Pirates of the Caribbean ride (Talent Spotlight Stage)