The Browning Tribune

There is no scrooge crushing my Christmas spirit this year.  I used to love Christmas. I loved counting down until the special day. I loved everything about the season. In kindergarten I remember some kids taking about Santa and me telling them that Christmas was Jesus' birthday.  I remember being about six years old and going to bed at 6pm because I thought it would make Santa come sooner. December 25th was my favorite day of the year. Everything about it was perfect. For the past few years the holidays have not been the easiest time for me. There have been lots of crazy emotions attached. The holidays just marked the end of another year for me. No one really knows this. I have just recently opened up about it, honestly I am only now realizing it for myself. I just accepted that this is the way the Christmas feels when you get older. This weekend I realized this is not true, I also realized my need to let go of my past. It all started when I was in eighth grade. This ...

You are called and capable. HE calls you worthy.  "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows." Luke 12:6-7 Lately I have been feeling like there is no way someone could look at me the same if they knew all the baggage I carry. I know God has forgiven me, but somehow I still struggle to believe that others could accept me even if they heard the stories about me from my high school years and the beginning of my college experience. I often think to myself that no one would recognize me if they saw the first semester Jourdyn.  I have also realized over the past few months that this is the devils way of trying to pull me away from my Father. He uses this lie and the lie of many others to tell me that I am not good enough. He tries to get me to give up.  I look back to two summers ago when I was on sum...

I am Jourdyn and I struggle with anxiety .  Yes, you read that right. I am Jourdyn and I do struggle with anxiety. I can not pin point when it started because for as long as I can remember I have got worked up and stressed over situations. Even in grade school I would come home worked up about a situation, then in high school, and in college it still continues. Before I continue let me get one thing straight, I am not writing this because I want people to feel bad for me or to get attention. I am writing this because I want people to know that they are not alone.  It took me until I got into college to pin point my overthinking and getting worked. I always just thought I was a girl being dramatic. Lets be real, in middle school and high school for me it might have been. Once I got to college it became very real there was no drama behind it. Most of my anxious moments have been me all alone. It has been me crying in my room alone during the early hours of the morning...

I looked my fear dead in the face.  This week I had to face a fear that has been haunting me for over six months. As many of you know, in February I was on my way to Bozeman and did not make it there. My car lost control and I ended up in a 20 foot irrigation ditch. Thank God only my car was messed up and not me. Ever since that day I have been afraid to drive Montana Highway 55 alone. I stared my fear in the face on Wednesday. I got my days mixed up and thought I had to be in Three Forks that afternoon, but turns out that is next week. I did not do this for nothing though. I think it was God' s way of helping me overcome something I have been afraid of for so long. I prayed for God to protect me the whole time I was driving. I gripped my steering wheel tighter than ever before. Then I got to thinking what is fear when Jesus is on my side? This summer I came to the realization that I am a fearful person. If you looked at me you might not see this at first glance because not...

It is Thursday, also known as Friday Eve. If you are anything like me this week has been crazy and you have been all over the place. I have tried my brain with some mind boggling homework, ran errands all over the place, attempted to clean my house, ended up in the emergency room with no answers, and gave up Instagram for over 24 hours. Yes, you read that right. I deleted my personal Instagram account for over 24 hours. I was up late Saturday night into Sunday morning. I had came across a blog of a girl who was writing about how she wanted to be married. If you read my  post from a couple weeks ago  you already know how I feel about this. One line got me and it goes a little like, "I am 20 and I read my Bible more than I look at social media." I thought about that for a second. For me personally it goes a little like this, "I am 20 and I click the Instagram app more than I open my Bible or pray." That really convicted me. I sat up turned on my light and grabbed...

"The grass withers and the flowers  fall,      but the word  of our God endures  forever." Isaiah 40:8 Happy first day of fall y'all! You know what that means? The leaves begin to fall and the comforting smells fill the air. This also means the flowers of summer begin to disappear.  Just like there are seasons in the weather there are seasons of life. I have just entered a new season of my life. A season unlike anything before. A season I have been praying about for three years. This is a great reminder that nothing lasts forever.  I am entering into a new season filled with community, love, and joy. I am surrounded by people who lift me up in prayer and love me. I am surrounded by people who remind me to dig deeper into what the Lord has for me. I know this season might not always be as perfect as it is now, but there is one thing that never changes.  God's truth never changes. HE is never chan...

Hey Girl, It's me, the girl just like you. I understand your feelings completely. Everywhere I look I see someone I know finding love. All I have to do is scroll through my Facebook news feed and I see relationships changing left and right. It seems that right now is the time for people my age to be engaged. Oh, I can't forget my Instagram feed, where I see pictures of hashtag relationship goals every time I open the app. It seems like almost everyone I know is in a relationship, or at least talking to someone, except me. Don't get me wrong it is not that I don't want to find love, it just hasn't happened yet. I feel like every time I tell someone I am twenty years old and have never been in a real relationship, they look at me like something is wrong. I feel like the people I am close to in life are not so patiently waiting for me to get a boyfriend. This would be easy for me to blow off if it wasn't a huge desire of my heart. Every time a cute song abo...