now Mrs. de Jong profile picture

now Mrs. de Jong

jenabbas

About Me


Generation Ex
Of the many hard truths about divorce, one of the most difficult is that every divorce--no matter when it occurs--will have lifelong, lasting effects on the children caught in the crossfire. It is common knowledge that children suffer during a divorce. Yet their most significant insecurities, questions, and doubts may not show up for years--until after they, as adults, begin to seek their own intimate relationships. In fact, millions of adults continue to feel lost, displaced, or unwanted years after the ink has dried on their parents' divorce decrees. They often fear abandonment, betrayal, or the failure of their own marriages. Now, author Jen Abbas provides the guidance desperately needed by adult children of divorce (estimated at 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 40), helping them to understand the effect of their parents' divorces on their identity, faith, and relationships--especially marriage--and giving them the tools to create a dramatically different legacy. more
About Jen
Jen Abbas is an author, speaker and ten-year publishing veteran. In addition, inspired by Bob Briners classic, Roaring Lambs, Jen spent a year working with the Green Bay Packers' promotion agency. Sidelined by a mild traumatic brain injury shortly before the release of Generation Ex, Jen embarked on a eighteen-month journey that not only brought healing, but a renewed perspective on grace and community. A passionate self-promoter, Jen has shared her skills at the Calvin Festival of Faith & Writing and at an American Christian Writers conference and is featured in the book, The Making of a Christian Bestseller by Ann Byle. Jen has been a speaker at After Eve, SAM, FutureGen and many other events and her work has appeared in Christian Single, HomeLife, CCM and Life & Style magazines as well as .. publications including ChristianityToday.com and Radiant.com.
Quick Links
View EPK
Read an Excerpt
Downloads for Media
Take the survey
PURCHASE GENERATION EX
Jen's Website
Jen on AmazonConnect
Jen's Blog
Speaking Topics
* Long Term Effects of Parental Divorce (& How To Minimize Them)
* When Your Blended Family isn't the Brady Bunch
* Meeting the Unique Needs of Families Affected by Divorce
* Creating a Personal Promotion Plan
* Promoting Your Book Day by Day
* Making the Web Work for You
Jen's Schedule
Book Jen for a Speaking Engagement
Attention Authors
Stay tuned to learn how you can be a part of my next book!

My Interests

books, writing, Christianity, China, volleyball, NFL, ultimate frisbee, travel, board games (Settlers of Catan, Cities & Knights, Ticket to Ride, Sequence, Apples to Apples...)

I'd like to meet:

* anyone interested in my book (or at least the topic!)
* adult children of divorce
* teens with divorced/divorcing parents
* divorced parents
* counselors, teachers, pastors or others who work with children of divorce
* churches and ministries
* friends old and new
* authors and readers
* bookstores and libraries
* any of the 200 or so artists I interviewed while at FCS
* Christians sharing the journey of faith
* anyone who can help me learn HTML!
* dog lovers (especially those with Shih Tzus)
* new GR friends who like to play volleyball, golf, disc golf, Ultimate and Settlers of Catan, or who like checking out the local culture scene. * new Canton friends to help ease my transition to life in "the heart of it all"

NOTE: I'm a pretty friendly girl and will accept most anyone who fits any of the above criteria. At the same time, I want to make this a safe and happy place for my younger friends. If your profile isn't easy on the eyes of kiddos, please understand I can't accept your invite or post your comment.

Music:

If children of divorce had a soundtrack, these would be our songs.

Others I like:
Aaron Shust, Andrew Osenga, Avalon, BarlowGirl, Bebo Norman, Billy Buchanan, By the Tree, Caedmon's Call, Casting Crowns, Chad Jarnagin, Chris Rice, Chris Tomlin, Clay Crosse, Daily Planet, David Crowder band, (the late great) dc talk, Derek Webb, downhere, Don Moen, Doyle Dykes, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Everman, Fernando Ortega, FFH, Forty Days, Frank Sinatra, Fusebox, Jadon Lavik, Jaci Velasquez, Jami Smith, Jars of Clay, Jesse Butterworth, John Mayer, Joy Williams, The Katinas, Kelly Clarkson, Kevin Max, Lifehouse, Louis Armstrong, Margaret Becker, Matt Kearney, Matthew West, MercyMe, Michael Buble, Natalie Grant, Nichole Nordeman, Out of Eden, Pocket Full of Rocks, Rebecca St. James, Sara Groves, Shane & Shane, Shaun Groves, Switchfoot, Superchic[k], Tait, Third Day, TobyMac, Tree63, Warren Barfield, Will Bannister

Movies:

50 First Dates, An Affair to Remember, Alex & Emma, The American President, Amistad, Anna and the King, As Good as it Gets, Bounce, Brian's Song, Bruce Almighty, Bye Bye Love, Catch Me If You Can, Charade, Chronicles of Narnia, Cool Runnings, Elf, Ever After, Finding Forrester, Forrest Gump, Frequency, Glory, Groundhog Day, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not, Hitch, How to Make an American Quilt, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, Kramer v. Kramer, The Lake House, Les Miserables, Life is Beautiful, The Manturian Candidate (old and new), The Man Who Knew Too Little, Meet Joe Black, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, National Treasure, Never Been Kissed, NOOMAs, The Notebook, Office Space, The Other Sister, Pay It Forward, Places in the Heart, The Princess Bride, Radio, Rat Race, Remember the Titans, A River Runs Through It, Roman Holiday, Rudy, Sabrina (old and new), Serendipity, Shadowlands, Shall We Dance?, Shallow Hal, Shawshank Redemption, Shrek, Shop Around the Corner, Simon Birch, The Sound of Music, The Story of Us, The Sum of All Fears, SuperSize Me, The Thing Called Love, That Thing You Do, The Truth About Cat & Dogs, The Wedding Planner, While You Were Sleeping, When Harry Met Salley, You've Got Mail

Television:

NFL Football, Friends, Grey's Anatomy, Men in Trees, the late great SportsNight, Studio 60, West Wing

Books:

Titles:
Authentic Faith, Between Two Worlds, Blue Like Jazz, Brother's Keeper, Captivating, Conversations with the Voiceless, Devotions for Sacred Parenting, Do You Think I'm Beautiful, Every Man's Battle, Generation Ex, HIS Rules, Letters from a Skeptic, Lost Daughters of China, The Making of A Christian Bestseller, Ragamuffin Gospel, Sacred Marriage, Safely Home, Screwtape Letters, See How They Run, To Own A Dragon, Urban Tribes
Authors:
Angela Thomas, Ann Byle, Brennan Manning, CS Lewis, Don Miller, Elizabeth Marquardt, Fred Stoeker, Gary Thomas, Greg Boyd, Lorilee Craker, Matthew Paul Turner, Randy Alcorn, Philip Yancey, Tracy Groot
My Book:
First Edition of GE
Books that Cite My Book
Between Two Worlds
Devotions for Sacred Marriage
Every Heart Restored
The Making of a Christian Bestseller
The Singlehood Phenomenon
When Your Marriage Dies
Other Books for Adult Children of Divorce:
Books for Writers:
Chapter 39 is an interview with me!
On the Nightstand:

Heroes:



My Space or Yours? Myspace Layouts and more at myspaceoryours.net!

My Blog

Our Wedding Day!

As of July 29, 2007, I am now Mrs. Niels de Jong. We had a beautiful wedding here in Ohio, attended by friends and family from four countries and seven states. We returned last week from our hone...
Posted by now Mrs. de Jong on Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:45:00 PST

At Last !!

After 35 long years, God has answered my prayer in an amazing way.Last night, in a garden at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, Niels proposed to me and I said YES! Niels is an incredible,...
Posted by now Mrs. de Jong on Wed, 21 Mar 2007 04:11:00 PST

Media Alert: Sunday, November 12

Last week I braved the Michigan snow to meet Judy Wagley from The River 100.5 FM here in Grand Rapids. We had a great time recording a 20 minute interview that will air Sunday morning, November 12th o...
Posted by now Mrs. de Jong on Tue, 07 Nov 2006 06:40:00 PST

FamilyLife Interview Day 5: Approaching Marriage

Adult Children of Divorce: Healing the Pain That Lives On10/27/2006Divorce has a dramatic impact on the lives of children. But how does it affect a person's approach to marriage as an adult? Today on ...
Posted by now Mrs. de Jong on Fri, 27 Oct 2006 11:35:00 PST

FamilyLife Interview Day 4: Forgiving Our Parents

Adult Children of Divorce: Healing the Pain That Lives On 10/26/2006Today on the broadcast, Jen Abbas, author of the book Generation Ex, and Elizabeth Marquardt, director of the Center for Marriage an...
Posted by now Mrs. de Jong on Thu, 26 Oct 2006 07:34:00 PST

The Singlehood Phenomenon

My friends Tom & Beverly Rodgers have released a new book called The Singlehood Phenomenon: 10 Brutally Honest Reasons People Aren't Getting Married. Generation Ex is cited on page 15, and include...
Posted by now Mrs. de Jong on Wed, 25 Oct 2006 11:51:00 PST

FamilyLife Interview Day 3: The Sleeper Effect of Divorce

Adult Children of Divorce: Healing the Pain That Lives On10/25/2006On today's broadcast, divorce survivors Elizabeth Marquardt and Jen Abbas tell Dennis Rainey how their parents' divorce nearly 20 ye...
Posted by now Mrs. de Jong on Wed, 25 Oct 2006 10:35:00 PST

FamilyLife Interview Day 2: The Emotional Hurdles of Living Through a Divorce

Tune in here to listen or read the transcript from day two of my radio interview on FamilyLife Today....
Posted by now Mrs. de Jong on Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:17:00 PST

FamilyLife Interview Day 1: Surviving the Aftermath of Divorce

Tune in here to listen or read the transcript from day one of my radio interview on FamilyLife Today....
Posted by now Mrs. de Jong on Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:16:00 PST

MEDIA ALERT: FamilyLife Today

Elizabeth Marquardt and I will on the FamilyLife Today radio program all this week, October 23-27 talking about the long-term effects of divorce. Check your local radio station for air time, or check ...
Posted by now Mrs. de Jong on Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:12:00 PST