Hey everybody. Last friday was my last day of school, and I am so blessed to have gone through such an amazing year. High school is much different than middle school, but that's what makes it so awesome. My TED talk went AMAZING if I didn't talk to you already about it. After I gave my speech, I had numerous students in my class come up to me and talk to me about my faith and how they had been meaning to ask me about my youth group and Young Life, but they just had never gotten around to it. I can already see the minds of those students churning and the need for something more becoming more and more of a reality. I can't wait to see what God is going to do next year! I am sad to say though that my journey is almost over. I am leaving for the ENTIRE summer to serve at 2 different Young Life Camps. First I will be serving at Wilderness Ranch in Creed, Colorado, where I will be on Work Crew, nannying the camp directors' 2 small kids. I will be there for 4 1/2 weeks, and I can't tell you how excited I am to be going! I leave on May 30, and I have been keeping a countdown for the past 3 weeks! I come back for one day, July 4th, and then my family and I are leaving on the 5th to serve at another Young Life Camp. We will be serving at Lost Canyon in Williams, Arizona, and that will also be for a month. My dad will be camp director and my mom childcare coordinator, and my siblings and I will get to meet lots of new people and serve in whatever ways we can. One week there my sisters and I will be childcare workers for when the teen moms come for the week. My mom works with teen moms in YoungLives and the mommies get to bring their kids and experience camp for a week. My sisters and I, along with all of the other childcare workers, get to take care of the kids while the moms get to experience teenage life again. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE getting to serve at these camps, and I can't wait to get there already. I have been having dreams about these two camps that I am going to be working at since February. I am SUPER PUMPED!!! I grew up going to camps and serving for a month of my summer ever since I was little. Camp is like my second home, and getting to serve there is one of my favorite things to do. All of this being said, I will not be able to continue my blog throughout the summer. I am so sad, but just know that I will be serving Jesus and seeing kids' lives being changed every single week.
I don't know if I am going to keep going on my journey. I feel like I did the months that meant the most to me (possessions, clothing and media) and it would be really hard to keep going throughout my summer. I am going to be super busy and I want to be fully committed if I am going to do something, otherwise I just won't do it. God is working on me and I can't wait to see how He is going to continue to change my life throughout this summer. My journey has been amazing and I am so happy that I decided to do it, because without it, I wouldn't be the same person that I am today. I have encouraged many of my friends to try to go on this journey, and we will see what happens. I am extremely blessed to have gone through everything that I have, and I really want to do clothing month again in the future. Thank you all for following this blog and being committed to me and what I have been doing. I have loved having your support and I will continue to treasure it. This blog will not be going away, because I have loved sitting down and writing about how God is changing my life. It just might be called something else. I hope you all have a FABULOUS summer and I will be praying that God changes your life in new ways this summer. Please pray that God will use me this summer to affect others and show others His love. Also pray that I will meet and develop great friendships this summer and that I will learn to serve in ways that I never have before.
I want to thank my council for being there for me when I really needed it. You guys are amazing and I can't wait to see how God is going to use you seven. Thank you to all of the people who weren't on my council, but acted as if they were. You guys have been so amazing and I know that I can turn to you all in any situation. Every single person has been put into my life for a reason, and I thank God for you each and every day. I hope you all have a great summer, and I hope to keep in touch with you all throughout my crazy summer. (I will post the addresses to the camps below). God loves you all and wants to do amazing things with your lives! Can't wait to see what that is! love always, macy
Below are the camps I will be serving at and the dates I will be there:
May 30-July 2
Young Life Wilderness Ranch
P.O. Box 1274
Buena Vista, CO 81211
July 5-August 5
Young Life Lost Canyon
1450 Perkinsville Road
Williams, AZ 86046
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
TED talk
Hey all! Sorry I haven't been doing this a whole bunch this month. It's been media month, so I kind of gave it up. For the past couple weeks though I have been working really hard on my TED talk, which I will be giving TODAY in front of my entire english class (8:45am). I decided to go in a little bit of a different direction then what I had talked about on here a couple weeks ago. I am going to be speaking about Cutting Excess Out of Your Life. Much like this blog! I am really excited and can't wait to see what my classmates think of it. I practiced all day yesterday, and I think I might have another sinus infection, so please pray that my voice won't give out in the middle of my speech today. That would completely ruin the entire thing. I am trusting that God will open the ears and the hearts of the students that will be listening to my talk, and that they would receive it well. I want to impact my school, and this is just one step to get there. Please pray that the students would want to know more about what I am doing and that they might even come and visit this blog! I am praying that I won't forget my words or leave out a really important part, but also that this talk would kind of sum up everything that I have been doing. I want to honor God in everything that I do, and this is no exception. I pray that God will give me the strength to keep going and the words to effect these students the most. I have prayed for every single student in that class multiple times, and I just want them to take my message to heart. I want to effect their thinking, and show them that they are missing out on so much when they are not choosing God. I had multiple people in that class sign my yearbook saying something along the lines of, 'Oh I wish I was as strong in my faith as you' or 'The way you live your life out through your faith is amazing, I wish I did that' and other things. These students are calling out to God, but they just don't know that He is walking towards them with out stretched arms. Please pray for these kids as they are constantly searching for things, only to be let down. They need Jesus. This class is one of my favorites, and I am going to be sad next year when we are all split up, but I hope that what I say today will stick with them and that they will be intrigued. Curiosity does wonders. Again, please pray for me, that my voice won't give out and I won't have to stop, and pray for these kids. They are the ones who need prayer. I can't wait to see what God is going to do in their lives; they are going to do amazing things for Him. Thanks for always reading and praying. You guys are the best and I love you. Thanks again, m
Monday, April 30, 2012
Day 30-Clothing
Today is the last day of clothing month. I am so relieved, but also really sad. I have absolutely LOVED wearing all of the same clothes for the past month. I might cry tomorrow when I wear something new. :( There are many things I have learned throughout this whole month. But most of all, I frankly don't care what others think of me anymore. I have endured so much this month, I can't even explain it all. I hope you've gotten to see a little bit of it as you've been following my blog posts. My favorite part of this month was seeing people's faces when they realize I'm wearing the same thing as the day before; I love to surprise people, and I have definitely surprised some people this month. This month there has been a stress taken off of my shoulders that I can start to feel creeping back on even as I type this. The need to look good and feel confident in ourselves, all through the use of clothes and how we look is horrendous. But frankly friends, people don't care what we look like. The only opinion that should matter to you is your own, and know that you find your worth in GOD and no one else. This month I have felt so at ease with who I am and how I feel about myself. I don't care what others think about me or what they are saying about me. I am secure in who I am and what I believe in. Nothing anyone does or says about me or to me will effect the way I live my life out for God. I used clothes in the past to cover up what I was hiding or feeling. This month, everything was out in the open. I couldn't hide anything or try and cover up the fact that I was still wearing the same clothes that I wore yesterday. And I loved it. There was no way I could cheat, or try and get around the rules. It was one way, and that was it. No one has said anything to me about it, but I know that many people know what I am doing. They don't understand the why part, but they understand that I was doing something. Tomorrow should be interesting. I am nervous though. I am afraid that all of those insecure thoughts and feelings will come rushing back. I don't want that, but it might happen. I can only pray that I will stay this strong with how I feel about myself in the future. I hope you will pray for me too, I'm going to need it. Tomorrow marks a new journey. The time AFTER clothing month; the true test of how I feel about myself and my looks. I'm scared and I don't know how it is all going to play out, but I know that God has it under control. I can't worry about it any longer. I've decided that anytime I think these insecure thoughts, I will stop whatever I am doing, and just pray. I had that cool moment at the beginning of the month where I was feeling like everyone knew that I was wearing the same clothes, and then I prayed, and all of those thoughts went away. From now on, that's what I'm going to do. God's opinion is the only one that matters to me; in Him I find my worth.
Next month is going to be media month. I am cutting a lot of things out of my life. The list includes:
-texting (unless it is faster than making a phone call, ex: one word replies)
-Twitter (I am obsessed and need to take a break)
-movies
-shows on the internet
-radio (this does not include the music that is played at dance, I can't control that)
-TV
-everything else except for phone calls, this blog, and anything that I need for school
I have told my cousin about it and she is joining me for this month. I have kind of kept her in the dark for this whole journey (not my finest moment) just because I thought she would think I was crazy. But it turns out that the moment I told her, she jumped right on board and wanted to do it with me!! I am really excited for this month, especially since I just went a week without my phone, the computer and TV because I got in trouble, (I am clearly not perfect) so I've been doing it for a week already and I know now that it isn't all that hard. In fact, it's been really good for me. I've been able to spend more time with my family and friends, and I've been reading a lot more too. I am really excited, and you guys can join me in any part of my journey as well. I encourage you all to try and cut things out of your life. It's been amazing for me and I know that it can be amazing for you too if you want to try it.
Clothing month is coming to a close, and all I can say is that this month has taught me a lot about myself and how much I really can lean on God for His support and His love. He is the one that fills me up inside, and I am so grateful that I am on this journey for Him. love u guys...xoxo m
Next month is going to be media month. I am cutting a lot of things out of my life. The list includes:
-texting (unless it is faster than making a phone call, ex: one word replies)
-Twitter (I am obsessed and need to take a break)
-movies
-shows on the internet
-radio (this does not include the music that is played at dance, I can't control that)
-TV
-everything else except for phone calls, this blog, and anything that I need for school
I have told my cousin about it and she is joining me for this month. I have kind of kept her in the dark for this whole journey (not my finest moment) just because I thought she would think I was crazy. But it turns out that the moment I told her, she jumped right on board and wanted to do it with me!! I am really excited for this month, especially since I just went a week without my phone, the computer and TV because I got in trouble, (I am clearly not perfect) so I've been doing it for a week already and I know now that it isn't all that hard. In fact, it's been really good for me. I've been able to spend more time with my family and friends, and I've been reading a lot more too. I am really excited, and you guys can join me in any part of my journey as well. I encourage you all to try and cut things out of your life. It's been amazing for me and I know that it can be amazing for you too if you want to try it.
Clothing month is coming to a close, and all I can say is that this month has taught me a lot about myself and how much I really can lean on God for His support and His love. He is the one that fills me up inside, and I am so grateful that I am on this journey for Him. love u guys...xoxo m
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Clothing-Day 19
Hey all! As I am sitting down to write this, I am feeling much better than I was even a few minutes ago. It's amazing that when you pray to Him, all you have to do is change your perspective that He has it all under control, and you immediately feel better. Wow, what a great God we serve! Anyways, today during my english class, we got to go see the Art Attack art show that is taking place throughout our high school. Art Attack is where students who are in art classes get to display their artwork all around school and they have the opportunity to win prizes. Today we took a field trip during english to go visit the art. Our assignment was to write something about the art. We could write our response to a piece, or write a story in which we were in a piece, or even just write a letter to an artist. I found this acrylic piece that when I saw it I immediately knew I wanted to write to the author. Her acrylic piece was of Jesus hanging on the cross. It was done by a senior named Laura. As soon as I saw it, I sat down and started constructing a letter to this girl. I told her all about this journey that I'm going on and how it has really effected me personally, and then I told her that it was incredible that she would do this piece of work. I told her that she needed to stay strong with her faith and to keep living for Him, even when it got hard and it seemed as if no one else understood. I told her all about this blog and how I led Ashley to Jesus last weekend. I told her that I'm only wearing seven clothing items all month and that last month I gave seven things away every day for the entire month. I ended my letter telling her that her painting was a bright spot in my day and that it encouraged me to keep going strong. Finally, I ended it saying that I was glad that she was just as much in love with Jesus as I was, and that I was glad that we weren't alone in this. I then gave that letter to my teacher, who is going to deliver it to her tomorrow at about 1:30pm. So if any of you wanted to pray tomorrow that Laura would feel loved by her Savior when she received the letter and that she would accept it with open arms, that would be great. It's amazing how many people I have come in contact with who I have been able to talk about Jesus with. God is using me in ways that I could have never imagined. I can't wait to see what else He has in store:)
It's funny how we as a society don't want to hear the truth. I am sitting here at my computer listening to One Direction while writing, and I was listening to the song "Tell Me a Lie", which is where the guys sing about how a girl breaks up with them, but if it is because she wants to be with another guy, they don't want to hear it. How true is that in today's world? We don't want to hear the truth, so instead we would rather hear a lie to make us feel better about ourselves. That feeds into my idea of we don't know that we are made perfectly by our Creator and we can't do anything to ourselves to make Him love us more. How messed up is that? We can't take the truth and would rather hear something ELSE to make US feel better (we discuss this in english class all the time). This month, I would rather someone just come up to me and ask me if I have been wearing the same clothes every day rather than them just being nice to me and avoid the topic all together. I know that some people have noticed, and yet they don't say anything about it. That's rude, in my opinion. I am going to be rejoicing when someone tells me that they noticed I am wearing the same clothes. I LITERALLY WILL BE SO HAPPY, because it's better than living in this false lie that it isn't happening, when really it is. I understand that denial can be a defense mechanism, but it bugs me so much. There is this kid in my english class who on Day 16 told me that I wasn't looking too good. At first I thought to myself, did he really just say that? And then I almost wanted to go up and kiss him. I was like, FINALLY an honest person. Where have all these people gone? It seems as if we would rather sweet talk our friends so that they are never mad at us (which I can understand to a point) than be honest and tell people what we really think. Sometimes it is appropriate to hold our tongues, and not be so judgmental, but sometimes you just need to be blunt with what you are thinking. I have a friend at school that bugs me so much. She can get so worked up about little things, and finally today I was like, you need to stop being so difficult and listen to what others have to say. She kind of gave me a funny look, but then she took my advice and it was so much better. Sometimes you just need to take charge and be honest. Because if you don't, then it's possible that no one else will either.
That's all I have for today. Thanks for always reading! xoxo m
It's funny how we as a society don't want to hear the truth. I am sitting here at my computer listening to One Direction while writing, and I was listening to the song "Tell Me a Lie", which is where the guys sing about how a girl breaks up with them, but if it is because she wants to be with another guy, they don't want to hear it. How true is that in today's world? We don't want to hear the truth, so instead we would rather hear a lie to make us feel better about ourselves. That feeds into my idea of we don't know that we are made perfectly by our Creator and we can't do anything to ourselves to make Him love us more. How messed up is that? We can't take the truth and would rather hear something ELSE to make US feel better (we discuss this in english class all the time). This month, I would rather someone just come up to me and ask me if I have been wearing the same clothes every day rather than them just being nice to me and avoid the topic all together. I know that some people have noticed, and yet they don't say anything about it. That's rude, in my opinion. I am going to be rejoicing when someone tells me that they noticed I am wearing the same clothes. I LITERALLY WILL BE SO HAPPY, because it's better than living in this false lie that it isn't happening, when really it is. I understand that denial can be a defense mechanism, but it bugs me so much. There is this kid in my english class who on Day 16 told me that I wasn't looking too good. At first I thought to myself, did he really just say that? And then I almost wanted to go up and kiss him. I was like, FINALLY an honest person. Where have all these people gone? It seems as if we would rather sweet talk our friends so that they are never mad at us (which I can understand to a point) than be honest and tell people what we really think. Sometimes it is appropriate to hold our tongues, and not be so judgmental, but sometimes you just need to be blunt with what you are thinking. I have a friend at school that bugs me so much. She can get so worked up about little things, and finally today I was like, you need to stop being so difficult and listen to what others have to say. She kind of gave me a funny look, but then she took my advice and it was so much better. Sometimes you just need to take charge and be honest. Because if you don't, then it's possible that no one else will either.
That's all I have for today. Thanks for always reading! xoxo m
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Clothing-Day 17
Hey all. I know I was just on here yesterday, but I felt the need to come on and share some thoughts for the day.
I am an avid Twitter person. I love to write tweets, stay connected with friends and celebrities, but most of all I love to read those stupid quotes. If you're on Twitter, you know what I am talking about. There are these people who devote their lives/Twitter accounts to just spreading quotes. It seems like everyday I go on Twitter, I first check out One Direction, then some of my friends, and then I spend most of my time looking at these peoples accounts and just scrolling and scrolling through all of their quotes. But today I realized that when people post things on Twitter, sometimes they say things that they might not say otherwise. Take one of my friends. I love following her on Twitter, because she tweets things all the time. She is in love with Big Time Rush like I'm in love with One Direction. So most of her tweets have to do with BTR, but some of her quotes hint about things that sometimes I'm not so sure about. In fact, most always when I go on she has said something about some guy that she leaves anonymous, but when I ask her about it, she denies that those feelings exist. How many of you do that? How easy is it to hide behind a computer screen or a cell phone screen and be someone totally different online then who you are in person? When I'm talking to my friends, I have no reason to be anybody but myself, but with guys, well that's a different story. Last year, there was this guy who everyone loved. He was the type of guy that every girl wanted to date and every guy wanted to be. So when he started emailing me, I was happy at first, but also thinking, why the heck is he emailing me? When I would try and talk to him at school though, he would ignore me and pretend as if he didn't even know what I was talking about. I feel that this happens all of the time. We tend to hide out behind our technology and not want to have those face to face relationships. I know that everywhere it seems as if people are preaching all about how we need more face to face relationships, and it can get annoying. But its so true. This week, I have found that there is so much more that I wanted to say to somebody, but I couldn't quite do it because the conversation was over text. There is so much that I wanted to get across to these people, but I just couldn't get it into words. I was afraid I wasn't going to get the point across, so instead I replied with a short answer, probably not being very helpful. I crave people's approval (one of my biggest downfalls) and so I constantly need that face to face connection, so that people can praise me on what I am saying or doing (again, a total people pleaser here). One of my friends told me the other day though that her parents don't take her phone away when she gets in trouble because they know that she would absolutely die. I realized at that point that I don't NEED my phone. I just got my phone 8 months ago, so I feel that I could definitely do without. But of course, I WANT it. It is apart of who I am, just like my room and my clothes. It helps define me, which is stupid. My technology shouldn't define me, and yet it does. I am not saying that technology is a bad thing, no way. How do you think I could connect with all of you without it? But sometimes it can just be an excuse for us to live our lives out a different way then God is calling us to. I used to think that I would be discovered off of YouTube, much like Justin Bieber. In fact, I can't really watch that movie anymore because every time I do, I get really obsessed with the idea that I could be a major pop icon one day, if only I posted videos of me singing on the internet. When really, that is not the plan that God has for my life. I am called to something different. Yes, God had blessed me with a voice that I hope to use for Him someday, but that is not what I am truly called to do for Him. (You might recognize this from Possessions month & how I quit being on the worship team at youth group). People can be different on the internet than who they truly are in person. I know this is kind of random, and has not much to do with clothing, but I urge you all to come out from your phones and your computers and your technology, and just be who you truly are. It can be hard, I understand. No one wants to be judged, BUT people on this world's opinions don't matter. Only God's do. That's what I'm learning this month. NO one's opinion matters more than His. Don't let others get you down, when He will be the only true judge when we get to heaven. It's a hard rule to live by; not worrying about what others think. But if we can get past what others think about us, then we can revel in what God thinks about us and how much He loves us, and that's what I'm looking for. I want to be loved unconditionally, and by the great power and grace of Jesus Christ, I know that I will be forever loved by Him, if I choose to have a relationship with Him. I forever want to please my Creator, not some worldly person who lives here on earth. Thanks for reading..xoxo
I am an avid Twitter person. I love to write tweets, stay connected with friends and celebrities, but most of all I love to read those stupid quotes. If you're on Twitter, you know what I am talking about. There are these people who devote their lives/Twitter accounts to just spreading quotes. It seems like everyday I go on Twitter, I first check out One Direction, then some of my friends, and then I spend most of my time looking at these peoples accounts and just scrolling and scrolling through all of their quotes. But today I realized that when people post things on Twitter, sometimes they say things that they might not say otherwise. Take one of my friends. I love following her on Twitter, because she tweets things all the time. She is in love with Big Time Rush like I'm in love with One Direction. So most of her tweets have to do with BTR, but some of her quotes hint about things that sometimes I'm not so sure about. In fact, most always when I go on she has said something about some guy that she leaves anonymous, but when I ask her about it, she denies that those feelings exist. How many of you do that? How easy is it to hide behind a computer screen or a cell phone screen and be someone totally different online then who you are in person? When I'm talking to my friends, I have no reason to be anybody but myself, but with guys, well that's a different story. Last year, there was this guy who everyone loved. He was the type of guy that every girl wanted to date and every guy wanted to be. So when he started emailing me, I was happy at first, but also thinking, why the heck is he emailing me? When I would try and talk to him at school though, he would ignore me and pretend as if he didn't even know what I was talking about. I feel that this happens all of the time. We tend to hide out behind our technology and not want to have those face to face relationships. I know that everywhere it seems as if people are preaching all about how we need more face to face relationships, and it can get annoying. But its so true. This week, I have found that there is so much more that I wanted to say to somebody, but I couldn't quite do it because the conversation was over text. There is so much that I wanted to get across to these people, but I just couldn't get it into words. I was afraid I wasn't going to get the point across, so instead I replied with a short answer, probably not being very helpful. I crave people's approval (one of my biggest downfalls) and so I constantly need that face to face connection, so that people can praise me on what I am saying or doing (again, a total people pleaser here). One of my friends told me the other day though that her parents don't take her phone away when she gets in trouble because they know that she would absolutely die. I realized at that point that I don't NEED my phone. I just got my phone 8 months ago, so I feel that I could definitely do without. But of course, I WANT it. It is apart of who I am, just like my room and my clothes. It helps define me, which is stupid. My technology shouldn't define me, and yet it does. I am not saying that technology is a bad thing, no way. How do you think I could connect with all of you without it? But sometimes it can just be an excuse for us to live our lives out a different way then God is calling us to. I used to think that I would be discovered off of YouTube, much like Justin Bieber. In fact, I can't really watch that movie anymore because every time I do, I get really obsessed with the idea that I could be a major pop icon one day, if only I posted videos of me singing on the internet. When really, that is not the plan that God has for my life. I am called to something different. Yes, God had blessed me with a voice that I hope to use for Him someday, but that is not what I am truly called to do for Him. (You might recognize this from Possessions month & how I quit being on the worship team at youth group). People can be different on the internet than who they truly are in person. I know this is kind of random, and has not much to do with clothing, but I urge you all to come out from your phones and your computers and your technology, and just be who you truly are. It can be hard, I understand. No one wants to be judged, BUT people on this world's opinions don't matter. Only God's do. That's what I'm learning this month. NO one's opinion matters more than His. Don't let others get you down, when He will be the only true judge when we get to heaven. It's a hard rule to live by; not worrying about what others think. But if we can get past what others think about us, then we can revel in what God thinks about us and how much He loves us, and that's what I'm looking for. I want to be loved unconditionally, and by the great power and grace of Jesus Christ, I know that I will be forever loved by Him, if I choose to have a relationship with Him. I forever want to please my Creator, not some worldly person who lives here on earth. Thanks for reading..xoxo
Monday, April 16, 2012
Clothing-Day 16
Today, people actually recognized my clothing. Not in the sense that you would think. But multiple people actually realized what I was wearing. In one class alone, 3 people commented on my shirt, asking what it said. Now, they didn't say anything about the fact that I have been wearing it practically everyday, but just the fact that they noticed it, that said something to me. Girls, listen up. Most people don't even notice WHAT you are wearing. It took these girls 16 DAYS realize it. So when you think that girls really do notice and care and will make a big deal about if you are wearing the same thing, even me, who notices everything, can't remember exactly what you wore the day before, and they surely don't care.
I had an amazing experience this weekend. On Friday, Day 13, I went to youth group which I mentioned at the end of my last post. Kelcey, my best friend, brought one of her good friends to youth group. I had met this girl before, her name is Ashley. In fact, while Kelcey, Meagan, Faith, Amanda, Katie and I were all in Portland, Oregon, Kelcey and I prayed for her. I had gone to the movies with her and Kelcey before and Kelcey really felt that Ashley was put in her life for a reason. On Friday, I got into a good conversation with Ashley all about her family, and all of the guys that she had been with and this new guy that she wanted to be with. Later that night, I was talking to Kelcey on the phone and texting Ashley at the same time. At one point, I sent Ashely the link to my blog (this one right here). She then responded saying something about God and how much He loved ME. I was so surprised, I asked her if she had a relationship with Him. Then she responded saying that she wanted to give it a go. I was so amazed and bewildered, that I interrupted Kelcey (as she was talking on the phone with me) and told her that we needed to start praying and then call Ashley together. We then stopped everything, and just started praying that God would give us the right words to say, that He would soften Ashley's heart, so that she would be able to see all that He had for her. We called Ashley up, and I asked her if she wanted to have a relationship with Jesus. She said she would like to see how it went. I then tried to explain everything that Jesus has done for us and the fact that he sent his one and only son to die for US, so that we can have a relationship with Him if we choose. She said she would love to be able to have a relationship with God, as everything else in her life is going wrong. I then prayed a simple prayer with her repeating after me, and at 1:40 am on April 14th, 2012, Ashely committed her life to Christ. I can not tell you what a powerful and moving moment that was. Kelcey and I then prayed for Ashley, and I hung up the phone so that the two of them could talk more. Kelcey told me the next day that Ashley balled her eyes out and was just so overjoyed with all of this new information about God and that he loves us no matter what. The next day, the guy that probably wasn't the best choice for her told her that he didn't want to be with her, and it was the perfect opportunity for her to turn to Him. I am still on such a high, it's incredible. When God shows up in ways that you can't imagine, its hard not to just be in awe of His wonder and grace. To see/hear someone be saved so powerfully like that, I'm just so happy that I got to be apart of it. Thank you Jesus, for doing all that you have done for us, so that people like Ashley can find a new hope and new way to live out their life. You have so radically changed her life, I just pray that she would stay committed to you and all that You have in store for her.
Friends, to be apart of something like this is incredible. I hope that one day all of you can experience something like this. To be in God's presence and to see Him grab a hold of someone's life is so moving. I am clearly not doing it justice. This journey is starting something up in our community. It's not because of me, but because it is in God's timing. There are so many people that get placed in our lives for a reason, and I just can't wait until we realize that we can see a change in people, if we just trust in His timing and His love. Kelcey didn't know how God was going to change Ashley's life, but she knew that she just had to trust him. A little over 2 months later, BOOM, God showed up. So be patient, and just keep praying and asking God to change someone's life. Anything is possible with God. Never give up, and if you take anything away from this blog, I hope that you would have renewed hope that God is out there and he is just waiting for you to let everything go and give it all up to Him. When you let Him have control, things go EXACTLY the way they should. Thx and love u...m
I had an amazing experience this weekend. On Friday, Day 13, I went to youth group which I mentioned at the end of my last post. Kelcey, my best friend, brought one of her good friends to youth group. I had met this girl before, her name is Ashley. In fact, while Kelcey, Meagan, Faith, Amanda, Katie and I were all in Portland, Oregon, Kelcey and I prayed for her. I had gone to the movies with her and Kelcey before and Kelcey really felt that Ashley was put in her life for a reason. On Friday, I got into a good conversation with Ashley all about her family, and all of the guys that she had been with and this new guy that she wanted to be with. Later that night, I was talking to Kelcey on the phone and texting Ashley at the same time. At one point, I sent Ashely the link to my blog (this one right here). She then responded saying something about God and how much He loved ME. I was so surprised, I asked her if she had a relationship with Him. Then she responded saying that she wanted to give it a go. I was so amazed and bewildered, that I interrupted Kelcey (as she was talking on the phone with me) and told her that we needed to start praying and then call Ashley together. We then stopped everything, and just started praying that God would give us the right words to say, that He would soften Ashley's heart, so that she would be able to see all that He had for her. We called Ashley up, and I asked her if she wanted to have a relationship with Jesus. She said she would like to see how it went. I then tried to explain everything that Jesus has done for us and the fact that he sent his one and only son to die for US, so that we can have a relationship with Him if we choose. She said she would love to be able to have a relationship with God, as everything else in her life is going wrong. I then prayed a simple prayer with her repeating after me, and at 1:40 am on April 14th, 2012, Ashely committed her life to Christ. I can not tell you what a powerful and moving moment that was. Kelcey and I then prayed for Ashley, and I hung up the phone so that the two of them could talk more. Kelcey told me the next day that Ashley balled her eyes out and was just so overjoyed with all of this new information about God and that he loves us no matter what. The next day, the guy that probably wasn't the best choice for her told her that he didn't want to be with her, and it was the perfect opportunity for her to turn to Him. I am still on such a high, it's incredible. When God shows up in ways that you can't imagine, its hard not to just be in awe of His wonder and grace. To see/hear someone be saved so powerfully like that, I'm just so happy that I got to be apart of it. Thank you Jesus, for doing all that you have done for us, so that people like Ashley can find a new hope and new way to live out their life. You have so radically changed her life, I just pray that she would stay committed to you and all that You have in store for her.
Friends, to be apart of something like this is incredible. I hope that one day all of you can experience something like this. To be in God's presence and to see Him grab a hold of someone's life is so moving. I am clearly not doing it justice. This journey is starting something up in our community. It's not because of me, but because it is in God's timing. There are so many people that get placed in our lives for a reason, and I just can't wait until we realize that we can see a change in people, if we just trust in His timing and His love. Kelcey didn't know how God was going to change Ashley's life, but she knew that she just had to trust him. A little over 2 months later, BOOM, God showed up. So be patient, and just keep praying and asking God to change someone's life. Anything is possible with God. Never give up, and if you take anything away from this blog, I hope that you would have renewed hope that God is out there and he is just waiting for you to let everything go and give it all up to Him. When you let Him have control, things go EXACTLY the way they should. Thx and love u...m
Friday, April 13, 2012
Clothing-Day 13
Hey all! Just wanted to shoot a line out to you all. I realized that I actually really enjoy writing to you. It tends to calm me down and helps me focus more on what I'm thinking! So thanks for always reading and actually caring about what's going on in my life:)
You might have heard, but I will reiterate it again: ONE DIRECTION IS COMING TO DENVER ON JULY 24TH, 2013!!:) Yes, I did say 2013, but I don't care. STILL planning on going! But this kind of ties into what I was thinking about for my TED talk. Again, I mentioned this on Day 4 (not 6), so look there if you are confused. My teacher this week talked to us about starting our talks well. I started thinking about the best way to get my point across at the beginning. I think I have decided on singing 3 songs to start off my talk. I wouldn't be singing the entire song, just parts of it and how it relates to my topic of We are made Perfectly by Our Creator. The songs that I am debating are: The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra (singing, and the way you look tonight), then go immediately into Just the Way You are by Bruno Mars (singing, when I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change, 'cause you're amazing, just the way you are), and then go immediately into What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction, (singing, and when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell, you don't know you don't know your beautiful, that's what makes you beautiful). I was trying to rack my brain on the most creative way to introduce my subject, and I realized that if I wanted to get my point across I needed to come at my fellow students in a language that they can relate to. Everyone knows those songs or have at least heard them once, and I want my point to be heard and if I want to do that I have to make them understand it in their own personal way. Music is a great way to do that. I am trying to decide if there are better songs that I can pick, but as of right now I think I am going with those songs. (Pink are the words that I would be singing). Then I would go into how those songs represent the feelings that we keep to ourselves; about how we feel so unworthy. It's funny, ever since I decided my topic, I have been finding things all over the place about how girls feel about this issue. Even today, when I opened up the internet, there was a picture of a girl with the caption under it that said, "Am I...Enough?" It was eye opening that AOL would have that on their front page, and a true testament to what the world thinks of women. Crazy. So I'm coming across all of these things and I am also just trying to listen to what God wants me to speak about. Last night I was searching through my past bible studies to try to find some scriptures that I could base my TED talk on. I prayed first, just saying to God that I want Him to flow through me as I speak to my classmates, and that He has to be in ALL of it, or none of it. Then I came across these scriptures that I will probably use in my talk. The first scripture I came across was Psalm 139:13-14: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." The second scripture I found was Psalm 100:3: "Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, we are his, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture." The Psalms have a lot of good scriptures on how much he loves us and how he created us to be the way we are on purpose. As it says in Colossians 1:16, "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rules or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him." Nothing we do will ever dispute this fact. He created us in HIS image, as it says the verse before. He loves us more than we could ever know, as it says in 1 Corinthians 13.
Update on clothing: No one has said anything to me about it. I have worn the same shirt 4 days this week to school, and still not one comment. I did get a bit of a dirty look, but I think that was just because she didn't like what I was wearing, not because she noticed that that was the same shirt I had worn the day before. But funny thing that happened today was that I was standing on the corner of Dry Creek and University and there was this guy standing in front of me (we were getting ready to cross the street). And I looked at what he was wearing, and I was extremely impressed. He was wearing this blue t-shirt and these really awesome red jeans that were rolled up just above his AMAZING blue shoes. He was also wearing a hat that matched the whole ensemble as well. I don't know why I was so impressed with this guy and his styling, it could be due to the fact that I have been wearing the same clothes for the last 13 days, but he was seriously impressive looking. So I took a picture of him on that corner. That might sound a bit creepy, but I was in shock at how he dressed that I couldn't resist. I then preceded to text Council member Kelcey, and she responded with:
"Haha creep;) jkjk love u haha!:)" Love that girl! She knew that I was greatly impressed and kind of jealous of what he was wearing (yes, I wish I could have been wearing my super cool teal skinny jeans and coral flats, neither of which I chose as part of my seven). But it was the perfect icing on the cake. Totally my highlight! So thank you dude who was standing on the corner of University and Dry Creek at about 2:20pm today, looking cool in his red/blue ensemble. You definitely made my day!:)
Youth group is tonight! I can't tell you how much those people have blessed my life this year, especially in the last 4 months. And Daniel, who I talked about on day 6 (my neighbor, Karol's son), is coming too. I am so excited. I've been trying to get him to come for about a month now, but he's had to work. Not tonight though. Can't wait to see all that God is going to do in his life and all the people that he meets and effects. Please keep praying for me, as I am with you. Love you and so glad that you are apart of my journey! xoxo
You might have heard, but I will reiterate it again: ONE DIRECTION IS COMING TO DENVER ON JULY 24TH, 2013!!:) Yes, I did say 2013, but I don't care. STILL planning on going! But this kind of ties into what I was thinking about for my TED talk. Again, I mentioned this on Day 4 (not 6), so look there if you are confused. My teacher this week talked to us about starting our talks well. I started thinking about the best way to get my point across at the beginning. I think I have decided on singing 3 songs to start off my talk. I wouldn't be singing the entire song, just parts of it and how it relates to my topic of We are made Perfectly by Our Creator. The songs that I am debating are: The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra (singing, and the way you look tonight), then go immediately into Just the Way You are by Bruno Mars (singing, when I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change, 'cause you're amazing, just the way you are), and then go immediately into What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction, (singing, and when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell, you don't know you don't know your beautiful, that's what makes you beautiful). I was trying to rack my brain on the most creative way to introduce my subject, and I realized that if I wanted to get my point across I needed to come at my fellow students in a language that they can relate to. Everyone knows those songs or have at least heard them once, and I want my point to be heard and if I want to do that I have to make them understand it in their own personal way. Music is a great way to do that. I am trying to decide if there are better songs that I can pick, but as of right now I think I am going with those songs. (Pink are the words that I would be singing). Then I would go into how those songs represent the feelings that we keep to ourselves; about how we feel so unworthy. It's funny, ever since I decided my topic, I have been finding things all over the place about how girls feel about this issue. Even today, when I opened up the internet, there was a picture of a girl with the caption under it that said, "Am I...Enough?" It was eye opening that AOL would have that on their front page, and a true testament to what the world thinks of women. Crazy. So I'm coming across all of these things and I am also just trying to listen to what God wants me to speak about. Last night I was searching through my past bible studies to try to find some scriptures that I could base my TED talk on. I prayed first, just saying to God that I want Him to flow through me as I speak to my classmates, and that He has to be in ALL of it, or none of it. Then I came across these scriptures that I will probably use in my talk. The first scripture I came across was Psalm 139:13-14: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." The second scripture I found was Psalm 100:3: "Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, we are his, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture." The Psalms have a lot of good scriptures on how much he loves us and how he created us to be the way we are on purpose. As it says in Colossians 1:16, "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rules or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him." Nothing we do will ever dispute this fact. He created us in HIS image, as it says the verse before. He loves us more than we could ever know, as it says in 1 Corinthians 13.
Update on clothing: No one has said anything to me about it. I have worn the same shirt 4 days this week to school, and still not one comment. I did get a bit of a dirty look, but I think that was just because she didn't like what I was wearing, not because she noticed that that was the same shirt I had worn the day before. But funny thing that happened today was that I was standing on the corner of Dry Creek and University and there was this guy standing in front of me (we were getting ready to cross the street). And I looked at what he was wearing, and I was extremely impressed. He was wearing this blue t-shirt and these really awesome red jeans that were rolled up just above his AMAZING blue shoes. He was also wearing a hat that matched the whole ensemble as well. I don't know why I was so impressed with this guy and his styling, it could be due to the fact that I have been wearing the same clothes for the last 13 days, but he was seriously impressive looking. So I took a picture of him on that corner. That might sound a bit creepy, but I was in shock at how he dressed that I couldn't resist. I then preceded to text Council member Kelcey, and she responded with:
"Haha creep;) jkjk love u haha!:)" Love that girl! She knew that I was greatly impressed and kind of jealous of what he was wearing (yes, I wish I could have been wearing my super cool teal skinny jeans and coral flats, neither of which I chose as part of my seven). But it was the perfect icing on the cake. Totally my highlight! So thank you dude who was standing on the corner of University and Dry Creek at about 2:20pm today, looking cool in his red/blue ensemble. You definitely made my day!:)
Youth group is tonight! I can't tell you how much those people have blessed my life this year, especially in the last 4 months. And Daniel, who I talked about on day 6 (my neighbor, Karol's son), is coming too. I am so excited. I've been trying to get him to come for about a month now, but he's had to work. Not tonight though. Can't wait to see all that God is going to do in his life and all the people that he meets and effects. Please keep praying for me, as I am with you. Love you and so glad that you are apart of my journey! xoxo
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)