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
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Clothing-Day 10
Hey there everybody! Today is my BIRTHDAY!!:) I've gotten so much love from all of my friends and family all day long. So thank you to everyone who has made my day so special!! :) I had a funny encounter today during school, actually. My cousin, Whitney, is a sophmore and we have biology lab together, and today she flicked really really cold water and I then replied with, "It's my BIRTHDAY," and she was like, "Ohmygosh. SO sorry, happy day beautiful! Oh, and it's my cat's birthday!" I was like, really? Really? You remember it's your cat's birthday, but not mine. :) I just rolled my eyes and accepted all of her apologies. I laughed though. So that was my funny thought for the day:).
Today is also TOMS's day without shoes. Council member Megan C. and I had thought of going all day without wearing shoes, but ended up not. I think this is a good testament to my journey though. Not only am I doing this for my own benefit to cut excess out of my life, but think about all of the other people in the world who have even less than 7 items of clothing to wear. Most kids in under developed countries don't have shoes to wear on their feet, that's why TOMS is such an amazing thing. We (those of us living in very wealthy countries) can afford to buy the shoes at a more expensive price so that another kid somewhere in the world can also have a pair of shoes. I wish that we didn't have to get something out of it just to do it; that we would want to give a pair of shoes to a kid somewhere else no matter what we were getting in return, but sadly this is not how it works in our overprivileged heads. :( Today, when I am celebrating my birthday with gifts and a family dinner, somewhere else a kid might not even survive the day. This is a sobering idea that I wish I knew how to fix.
Dear God, I know that you have a plan for everyone's life, but sometimes I don't always understand the path and where it's headed. But I know that you have it under control, and I need to learn how to let go of control and just let you have it. I pray for those children who don't have enough food to eat, while I eat 4 meals a day. I pray that no matter our story, that we can be bright lights for YOU. We can't ever know why things happen, but everything happens for a reason, and You are our Creator who has thought through our entire life plan before we are even born. I pray for the kids who starve today and those that eat until their stomachs hurt. I pray for those who have one pair of clothes and for those that have closets full. I pray for every atheist, Christian, Catholic, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and everyone else in between. Everyone needs You, Jesus, and without you I would have no purpose. Help me to understand more and more your great and all encompassing love, for me to follow you with my entire heart and to go along blindly with what you have in store for me and to not question what Your plans are for me.
On another note, we are getting really into our TED talks in english (I mentioned TED talks in my last entry, see Clothing Day 4 if confused). I'm going to be using this blog to jot down some things that are going through my head about my TED talk. I am one of the biggest One Direction fans you have ever met. In fact, council member Megan C. hates them (because she loves Big Time Rush) and I have to consciously not talk about them when she is around. My phone, and 2 computer backgrounds (one at home and one at school) are of LIAM (SO SO SO SO SO SO SO CUTE!!!) and One Direction. In fact, I am even listening to them right now. For my birthday council member Emma asked me what I wanted and I said I want anything One Direction. I am totally OBSESSED!! But my point is, as I am listening to their music, it really ties in to the idea that us girls don't understand that we are made perfectly by our Creator and we don't need to change who we are just to be liked/have lots of friends. In their US hit, "What Makes You Beautiful", which is not my favorite song, they sing about how this girl that they like doesn't even know that she is beautiful. How true is that in today's society? Girls constantly compare themselves to others and feel that they are never quite pretty enough or outgoing enough or have enough friends. It's so stupid, yet it is crammed into our brains. If we look at magazines, we see these beautiful women who are clearly airbrushed, and we think to ourselves that if we only looked like them, we would have that 'perfect' guy or that everyone would like us. But it's not true. We are created perfectly by our Creator and nothing we can do will ever make us more perfect. He made us who we are on purpose and we will always be seen as beautiful in His eyes, and those are the ones that matter. I will probably be using this example in my TED talk, because it is so true. This is a repeating thing as it is not only in that one particular song by them but it is also in their other songs as well as by other artists (Bruno Mars' Just the Way You Are, etc). It is upsetting and true, and yet it is apart of our everyday life. This is one of the many subjects that I plan on bringing up in my TED talk. (Hopefully I'll be able to post a link or something so that you all can see it when I perform it which won't be until the end of May).
I also want to thank so many of you for sending me lots of love today. You have made me feel really special and I am so thankful to have all of you in my life. Just know that without you supporting me and keeping me headed in the right direction, I don't know where I would be. You will never know how much you truly mean to me. I have prayed for so long that God would give me people like you that I can share my life with and know that you will stick by me no matter what. I have prayed for all of you and I hope that you know that God is going to be doing amazing things in your life, whether or not you even realize it. I have waited so long to have you in my life, and I am truly blessed to have you. Love you and can't wait to see what God is going to do in your life.
love always,
m
Today is also TOMS's day without shoes. Council member Megan C. and I had thought of going all day without wearing shoes, but ended up not. I think this is a good testament to my journey though. Not only am I doing this for my own benefit to cut excess out of my life, but think about all of the other people in the world who have even less than 7 items of clothing to wear. Most kids in under developed countries don't have shoes to wear on their feet, that's why TOMS is such an amazing thing. We (those of us living in very wealthy countries) can afford to buy the shoes at a more expensive price so that another kid somewhere in the world can also have a pair of shoes. I wish that we didn't have to get something out of it just to do it; that we would want to give a pair of shoes to a kid somewhere else no matter what we were getting in return, but sadly this is not how it works in our overprivileged heads. :( Today, when I am celebrating my birthday with gifts and a family dinner, somewhere else a kid might not even survive the day. This is a sobering idea that I wish I knew how to fix.
Dear God, I know that you have a plan for everyone's life, but sometimes I don't always understand the path and where it's headed. But I know that you have it under control, and I need to learn how to let go of control and just let you have it. I pray for those children who don't have enough food to eat, while I eat 4 meals a day. I pray that no matter our story, that we can be bright lights for YOU. We can't ever know why things happen, but everything happens for a reason, and You are our Creator who has thought through our entire life plan before we are even born. I pray for the kids who starve today and those that eat until their stomachs hurt. I pray for those who have one pair of clothes and for those that have closets full. I pray for every atheist, Christian, Catholic, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and everyone else in between. Everyone needs You, Jesus, and without you I would have no purpose. Help me to understand more and more your great and all encompassing love, for me to follow you with my entire heart and to go along blindly with what you have in store for me and to not question what Your plans are for me.
On another note, we are getting really into our TED talks in english (I mentioned TED talks in my last entry, see Clothing Day 4 if confused). I'm going to be using this blog to jot down some things that are going through my head about my TED talk. I am one of the biggest One Direction fans you have ever met. In fact, council member Megan C. hates them (because she loves Big Time Rush) and I have to consciously not talk about them when she is around. My phone, and 2 computer backgrounds (one at home and one at school) are of LIAM (SO SO SO SO SO SO SO CUTE!!!) and One Direction. In fact, I am even listening to them right now. For my birthday council member Emma asked me what I wanted and I said I want anything One Direction. I am totally OBSESSED!! But my point is, as I am listening to their music, it really ties in to the idea that us girls don't understand that we are made perfectly by our Creator and we don't need to change who we are just to be liked/have lots of friends. In their US hit, "What Makes You Beautiful", which is not my favorite song, they sing about how this girl that they like doesn't even know that she is beautiful. How true is that in today's society? Girls constantly compare themselves to others and feel that they are never quite pretty enough or outgoing enough or have enough friends. It's so stupid, yet it is crammed into our brains. If we look at magazines, we see these beautiful women who are clearly airbrushed, and we think to ourselves that if we only looked like them, we would have that 'perfect' guy or that everyone would like us. But it's not true. We are created perfectly by our Creator and nothing we can do will ever make us more perfect. He made us who we are on purpose and we will always be seen as beautiful in His eyes, and those are the ones that matter. I will probably be using this example in my TED talk, because it is so true. This is a repeating thing as it is not only in that one particular song by them but it is also in their other songs as well as by other artists (Bruno Mars' Just the Way You Are, etc). It is upsetting and true, and yet it is apart of our everyday life. This is one of the many subjects that I plan on bringing up in my TED talk. (Hopefully I'll be able to post a link or something so that you all can see it when I perform it which won't be until the end of May).
I also want to thank so many of you for sending me lots of love today. You have made me feel really special and I am so thankful to have all of you in my life. Just know that without you supporting me and keeping me headed in the right direction, I don't know where I would be. You will never know how much you truly mean to me. I have prayed for so long that God would give me people like you that I can share my life with and know that you will stick by me no matter what. I have prayed for all of you and I hope that you know that God is going to be doing amazing things in your life, whether or not you even realize it. I have waited so long to have you in my life, and I am truly blessed to have you. Love you and can't wait to see what God is going to do in your life.
love always,
m
Friday, April 6, 2012
Clothing-Day 6
Hey there! I'm trying to get better at doing this this month. Well just a little update is that yesterday I realized that, like I said before, God is putting certain people in my life for a reason. Last month I talked about how I went out to dinner with some of our family friends and how much I realized I need to be looking for guys like them, and not those other guys who don't love Jesus like I do. And yesterday, my neighbor and Karol's son who I have known since I was born, drove me to dance. He is the sweetest guy who is just learning to live out his faith in this crazy life just like me. He has been dating this girl for about three months and yesterday I asked him how everything was going. He said that he was planning on breaking up with her because she doesn't love the Lord like he does. I was so surprised. I guess I shouldn't have been, but the way he said it really struck a chord with me. Later that night I was journaling about my day and I started to see a pattern. God is putting certain guys in my life to show me what I should be using for my "standard" when it comes to guys. I don't know if He is trying to warn me about something or just put me on the right track, but I have been really trying to meet sweet, nice guys who love Jesus as much as I do. One of my council members, Meagan T., has recentely started dating this guy and he seems to be the sweetest thing ever. He treats her so perfectly and is so in love with Christ, it's unbelievable. It seems that no matter what I do, I am always surrounded by these guys. So, if you're reading this, go after the good guys. Not the jerks who know that they can get anyone. Go after the ones that are going to be more in love with Christ than they are with you. That's the only way a relationship will work, as I have seen throughout my whole life (both in my love life personally and with my family and friends).
Also, my english teacher is making us do a 5 minute speech as our final and it has to be about 'an idea with spreading'. Since I have already been going on this journey, and one of my biggest 'things' I guess you could say, is how young ladies see themselves and how they compare themselves to others I thought I would use that as the basis for my speech. I used to struggle with self-image and not feeling good enough for anyone. Jesus has really been putting this idea that the way young girls see themselves is not okay and we need to be doing something about it so that they can see how beautiful they really are, and that their Creator made them perfectly just the way they are in my head. One of my reasons for going on this journey and why I have been so excited for clothes month is because I kind of wanted to test myself to see if I could really do it and not care what other people think of me and what I look like. Yesterday, I was walking through the halls and felt as if everyone knew that I was wearing the exact same outfit that I had worn the day before, and I texted Council member Katie, and we prayed together that God would take these thoughts out of our heads. And the rest of the day I was totally fine and no one even said anything. Throughout this month I have really wanted to prove to myself that I don't need anyone else's approval, only our Saviour's. After week one, I don't feel like I do need anyone else's approval. I'm doing fine, just me and Him, and that's what it truly is all about. I could rant and rant and rant about this subject, but I will spare you all for today.
Love you all and happy Easter! More to come in the near future!
love always,
macy
Also, my english teacher is making us do a 5 minute speech as our final and it has to be about 'an idea with spreading'. Since I have already been going on this journey, and one of my biggest 'things' I guess you could say, is how young ladies see themselves and how they compare themselves to others I thought I would use that as the basis for my speech. I used to struggle with self-image and not feeling good enough for anyone. Jesus has really been putting this idea that the way young girls see themselves is not okay and we need to be doing something about it so that they can see how beautiful they really are, and that their Creator made them perfectly just the way they are in my head. One of my reasons for going on this journey and why I have been so excited for clothes month is because I kind of wanted to test myself to see if I could really do it and not care what other people think of me and what I look like. Yesterday, I was walking through the halls and felt as if everyone knew that I was wearing the exact same outfit that I had worn the day before, and I texted Council member Katie, and we prayed together that God would take these thoughts out of our heads. And the rest of the day I was totally fine and no one even said anything. Throughout this month I have really wanted to prove to myself that I don't need anyone else's approval, only our Saviour's. After week one, I don't feel like I do need anyone else's approval. I'm doing fine, just me and Him, and that's what it truly is all about. I could rant and rant and rant about this subject, but I will spare you all for today.
Love you all and happy Easter! More to come in the near future!
love always,
macy
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Clothing-Day 4
Today is day 4 of the clothing month. Sorry I haven't been able to write about it yet, but I have been doing it. For this month I am to only wear 7 clothing items. The seven I chose were:
-jean capris
-jean shorts
-one grey short sleeve t-shirt with blue and orange writing on it that says YoungLife
-one purple long sleeve t-shirt
-pair of sweatpants
-shoes
-one hoodie/sweatshirt
After much discussion, the clothing I have to wear for dance doesn't count on this list. I will be wearing the same dancing items, but there are too many of them to put on the list. Council member Katie and I also decided that we would wear minimum to none for jewelry. Goodbye beautiful feather earrings!
On the second and third days of this month, it snowed here in Colorado. Today there is still snow on the ground and it is quite rainy looking outside, and I can only hope that it will soon warm up. For the past 3 days, I have been wearing the same long sleeve t-shirt. So far, no one has said anything. My council member, Emma, goes to school with me, and we have talked about this month, and our friend Bekah was right there, so she knows already. At dance, my council member Megan C. has also brought it up along with our good friend Carley. These people already knew what I was doing though, so I feel that it is a good step in the right direction, but I want to reach people who don't know about my journey and what I am doing. So far, this has been much easier than possessions month. It has been nice getting to sleep in an extra 15 minutes or so, because I don't have to pick out my outfit; it's either one or the other. I caught a cold though as soon as I got back from Spring Break, so that has been a bit of a bummer. I am very congested and the cold weather with only a hoodie for a coat is not making it any better. Hey, I'm excited though! I can't wait to see all of the people that God is going to put in my path that I can show His love to. Council member Katie is also doing this month with me. I believe her seven items were jeans, athletic shorts, shoes, a hoodie, a long sleeve t, and a short sleeve t. She's doing great with it, and I can already see that because we are doing it together, we are going to be much more successful than we were with possessions month. Katie will also be giving away one piece of clothing everyday for this month to go along with only wearing seven clothing items all month.
This was my favorite month going into this journey, and so far it has been my favorite. I wish that more of my council members wanted to do this one with me, but with sports and having to dress up for school, and PROM, I understand why they can't. And, today is my little sister's birthday, so HAPPY DAY PEACHY!!!:) She is 10 today and I am so excited for her. She is such a little bundle of joy and I am so proud to call her my sister. (And let's just say, her name fits her perfectly!). Only 6 more days until mine. GET EXCITED! I will probably be getting lots of clothes from family too, so I won't be able to wear them until May, but hey, that's okay! It will be funny though to get a bunch of clothes and then not be able to wear them. :)
This Sunday is Easter, and I am really excited. I might have to cheat a little bit (sorry guys) for Easter because my mom likes us all to be dressed up and looking good and I doubt she would approve me wearing a long sleeve purple shirt to church to celebrate why we can have a relationship with Him. And I don't want to be disrespectful of the Lord on His day. So again, I'm sorry if I cheat a little bit during this week. But during this week I hope that you all can take the time to thank Him for giving us this opportunity to be with Him because His son died for US. It's Easter week, and that means a lot more than hunting eggs and eating lots of good food (although I do enjoy both).
Dear Lord,
Thank you for giving me so much in life. You have truly blessed me with good friends, good family, and an amazing relationship with YOU. I pray that this week, we don't lose sight of what You are doing. Thank you for sending your one and only son to us, so that we can have a relationship with You. You are a kind and generous God who deserves all praise. As we continue on in this journey, I pray that you would show us how to influence those around us for Your glory. This week means so much to me and to everyone who loves You like I do. The story is sad, but the ending is good. Lord, please keep my family healthy, because we have been passing stuff around. Jesus, help certain people in my life who say they know You to really realize it the upcoming days that are all about You. I pray for my council, for my friends at school, and for those that I don't know or don't hang out with. They all need You in some way. Show up this week God at our schools, in our families, something God. You are the author of our story, and I trust you whole heartedly with my life. I am yours. Amen.
-jean capris
-jean shorts
-one grey short sleeve t-shirt with blue and orange writing on it that says YoungLife
-one purple long sleeve t-shirt
-pair of sweatpants
-shoes
-one hoodie/sweatshirt
After much discussion, the clothing I have to wear for dance doesn't count on this list. I will be wearing the same dancing items, but there are too many of them to put on the list. Council member Katie and I also decided that we would wear minimum to none for jewelry. Goodbye beautiful feather earrings!
On the second and third days of this month, it snowed here in Colorado. Today there is still snow on the ground and it is quite rainy looking outside, and I can only hope that it will soon warm up. For the past 3 days, I have been wearing the same long sleeve t-shirt. So far, no one has said anything. My council member, Emma, goes to school with me, and we have talked about this month, and our friend Bekah was right there, so she knows already. At dance, my council member Megan C. has also brought it up along with our good friend Carley. These people already knew what I was doing though, so I feel that it is a good step in the right direction, but I want to reach people who don't know about my journey and what I am doing. So far, this has been much easier than possessions month. It has been nice getting to sleep in an extra 15 minutes or so, because I don't have to pick out my outfit; it's either one or the other. I caught a cold though as soon as I got back from Spring Break, so that has been a bit of a bummer. I am very congested and the cold weather with only a hoodie for a coat is not making it any better. Hey, I'm excited though! I can't wait to see all of the people that God is going to put in my path that I can show His love to. Council member Katie is also doing this month with me. I believe her seven items were jeans, athletic shorts, shoes, a hoodie, a long sleeve t, and a short sleeve t. She's doing great with it, and I can already see that because we are doing it together, we are going to be much more successful than we were with possessions month. Katie will also be giving away one piece of clothing everyday for this month to go along with only wearing seven clothing items all month.
This was my favorite month going into this journey, and so far it has been my favorite. I wish that more of my council members wanted to do this one with me, but with sports and having to dress up for school, and PROM, I understand why they can't. And, today is my little sister's birthday, so HAPPY DAY PEACHY!!!:) She is 10 today and I am so excited for her. She is such a little bundle of joy and I am so proud to call her my sister. (And let's just say, her name fits her perfectly!). Only 6 more days until mine. GET EXCITED! I will probably be getting lots of clothes from family too, so I won't be able to wear them until May, but hey, that's okay! It will be funny though to get a bunch of clothes and then not be able to wear them. :)
This Sunday is Easter, and I am really excited. I might have to cheat a little bit (sorry guys) for Easter because my mom likes us all to be dressed up and looking good and I doubt she would approve me wearing a long sleeve purple shirt to church to celebrate why we can have a relationship with Him. And I don't want to be disrespectful of the Lord on His day. So again, I'm sorry if I cheat a little bit during this week. But during this week I hope that you all can take the time to thank Him for giving us this opportunity to be with Him because His son died for US. It's Easter week, and that means a lot more than hunting eggs and eating lots of good food (although I do enjoy both).
Dear Lord,
Thank you for giving me so much in life. You have truly blessed me with good friends, good family, and an amazing relationship with YOU. I pray that this week, we don't lose sight of what You are doing. Thank you for sending your one and only son to us, so that we can have a relationship with You. You are a kind and generous God who deserves all praise. As we continue on in this journey, I pray that you would show us how to influence those around us for Your glory. This week means so much to me and to everyone who loves You like I do. The story is sad, but the ending is good. Lord, please keep my family healthy, because we have been passing stuff around. Jesus, help certain people in my life who say they know You to really realize it the upcoming days that are all about You. I pray for my council, for my friends at school, and for those that I don't know or don't hang out with. They all need You in some way. Show up this week God at our schools, in our families, something God. You are the author of our story, and I trust you whole heartedly with my life. I am yours. Amen.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Possessions-Day 29
Hey there friends! Happy spring break to you all! I am in Arizona right now with my cousins and aunt and uncle. Just hanging out by the pool! :) Its so gorgeous here! Really hot, but a good change from cold and windy Colorado! So now that I have totally ditched the possessions month (sorry if you missed that, look at the previous post), I am now just going to write about some things that I have learned about what I am supposed to be doing as God's daughter that I have learned while here on spring break.
First off, on day 27, my family and I met up with some of my dad's college friends. They were in Arizona for spring break, like us, and we all met up for dinner. They live in Washington state and I haven't seen them in seven years. (coincidence, I think not!) The last time I saw them, they were on a RV trip across the country and just stopped in for a night. I was 8. Now I'm almost 15. And they have 3 teenage sons. Let's just say, I had a lot of fun! But we went to a baseball game all together during the day, and then we went to a fancy dinner afterwards. They have twin sons who are juniors in high school, a son who is a freshman in high school, and then a daughter who is in 6th grade. So I had lots of friends! :) We got to talk all together and we had a BLAST! It was so easy to just sit and have a conversation with them. I could tell them anything, ask them anything; it was so carefree. I talked to their freshman son a lot, since we are the same age, and we had a good time. When I left dinner though and got back to my aunt and uncle's house, I realized what great men of God those guys were. Once I was in bed, I then sent out a text to my council saying this:
"REALIZATION FROM GOD: ok so today we hung out with some friends of ours who liv in washington and we havnt seen them in 7 yrs..they have twin boys who r jrs, a freshman son & a 6th gr daughter..after visiting with them, I realized that I dont want anyone (guys I mean), I want someone whose going to luv Jesus as much as I do and even more..without Him as the center, the relationship is sure to fail..plz help me stay accountable for only dating guys who luv the Lord..without Him, we would be nowhere..thx for listening and always keeping me in check..luv always, m".
I realized that I wanted to be with someone only if they loved Jesus. I didn't care what they looked like, what activities they were into, as long as they love Jesus, then they have an opportunity to be the one He has already picked out for me. I know that this might sound simple or easy to some of you, but I'm the kind of girl who looks at a guy and immediately thinks to herself, could I be with that guy? Does he like me? It's stupid, but that's in me. I have been trying really hard to just let the Lord take care of all that, but I have been easily sucked in a few times. So after being with these great guys, I realized all that His plans had for me and that they were much greater than I could ever planned or done on my own. And then that next morning, my friend and council member Kelcey texted me saying:
"Hey Macy!!! You know that's so interesting because before even reading your txt I was thinking about that this morning!! I will absolutely keep you accountable for the right guy who really has a deep passion for Jesus and if you would not mind overlooking me on that too that would be great! I'm here for you always and love you!! Xoxo K".
I was so happy to hear this from her, you have no idea! To know that I'm not alone in this thing and that someone else is struggling with the same exact thing was such a relief to hear. So now me and Kelcey are keeping each other accountable for who we pick to date and why. We are just there to support each other, and I love it! I know that all of my other council members would do the same thing too, but it was just nice to hear from Kelc.
Another thing, I absolutely LOVE with a capitol L the Hunger Games. I can't even begin to tell you how much I adore them! I've read all three books and have seen the movie and can't explain what they mean to me exactly, other than the fact that Katniss and her pretend lover Peeta show Christ-like qualities for each other throughout all 3 novels. In the first one, Peeta sacrifices himself so that she can live, in the second she sacrifices herself to save him, and in the third, they both sacrifice themselves so the other can live. There is much more to the plot line, but because of their love for one another, they are willing to die to save the other. That's exactly what Jesus did for us. He died, so that we could live and be sin-free. But we have to accept the relationship. If we don't accept it, then we can't be saved. But if we do accept it, we can have eternal life. That's exactly what Katniss and Peeta do for each other. In the first book, Katniss doesn't want to accept a relationship with Peeta and just pretends to be in love with him, and he still does all he can to save her. By the end of book three though, you see that change and you see her actually fall in love with him, and then they no longer have to sacrifice for the other; they just protect each other naturally and truly do love each other. It's a great metaphor for what Christ did for us. I'm not going to go too much more into it, because I don't want to ruin the books for you, but there are many similarities that I just love. (And don't see the movie until you have read the book..its always better that way!)
That's all I've learned over spring break. And in 3 days I will begin the clothing month! I'm super excited for that month already!! :) My council member Katie is going to be doing it with me for the entire month! I'm so stoked!! Love and miss you all..xoxo m
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Possesions-Day 20
I'm sorry to say that I have not given anything (yes, NOTHING) away since I last wrote on here. Nothing. I am clearly not perfect, if you can't tell, and I apologize. This first month has been an epic fail. :/ I wanted to start off strong, but to give things away is so hard. No doubt about it, I have THROWN things away, but giving is much harder. You probably don't have this problem, but I just didn't really want to do this month. I can honestly tell you that at the beginning of this month I was not motivated to give my things away. So I'm sorry that I have been lying to you, telling you how excited I am to be doing this, when really I wasn't. Don't get me wrong though, I am SUPER pumped for next month. Already I have been thinking about what I'm going to wear and what people might think of me. I'm so excited to see how people will look at me (I know that sounds crazy, because people will be giving me such weird looks, but at least I'm getting recognition for HIM!) and how they will treat me; what they will ask me. Let's just say, I have been dreaming about this month since I read the book in February. I'm also really excited because this month some of my council members will be joining me!! :) Katie has already committed to doing it full on with me, and Amanda is doing No Makeup March and into April, so I will have my team behind me 100% (not that they weren't already, they will just be going through exactly what I will be).
It's my sister's birthday today! She turned 12 and thinks she's all that. She and I are on better terms now, not so much fighting anymore. We are pretty much the same person, so we used to fight about which one of us was better, which was stupid, but now I feel that I love her and she's coming around to loving me. She's growing into her own person, and I love watching what God is going to be doing in her life. :) She has the SWEETEST friends ever, and I pray that her friends would stick by her no matter what. That they would trust each other and be able to share their hearts with each other. I never had those kinds of friends until this year, and I pray that she wouldn't have to go through all of those horrible things that I did with friends.
Anyways, I got to tell some of my friends from school the other day about this lovely journey that I'm on. One of them was talking about this guy (whose mom is on my mom's council and their whole family is doing it too) who wouldn't eat these cookies in class because he said he was only eating 7 things for a month. I then got to explain what we are doing and why we are doing it. It was a cool thing to be able to bring it up and say, "Here I am, take me or leave me" and they all decided to stay. I can't wait until next month when I wear the same outfit 4 days in a row and they ask me about it. Lord, I pray that you would give me the wisdom and the right words to say to those girls when they ask me about why I am doing this. I pray that I could show them what living for You looks like and how You have changed my life. I love you and trust in your timing and all that you have planned for me.
Friends, I apologize for my lack of commitment for this month. I haven't been in it, and I'm sorry. I promise next month will be better, and you better keep me accountable. :)
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Possessions-Day Ten
For the past ten days I feel as if I have cleaned out almost every thing in my room. It is a great feeling, but kind of nerve racking when I know I still have twenty more days to go. I am now trying to find things all around my house that I can give away, because I know that my sisters don't need all of the things that they still have. (Like beanie babies? I mean, come on.) But I went to youth group last night, and it was really powerful. God has been doing something in my spirit lately that I guess I haven't had time to see, so He decided to make it more grandeur so that I would take notice. I sing up front for my youth services and thought that because God has blessed me with a voice, I should use it. Well it turns out that it's not what I think that matters, but what God thinks. I was standing up front and all of a sudden I realized that my mic wasn't on, which isn't that big of a deal, but this is the third week that it hasn't been on. And I started getting frustrated, and then we started singing this verse:
Today, I'm walking to the beat of your heart
You take me all the way to the start
Stretch your hands, straighten the path
I'm found in open skies
Your heart it lives in mine
Today
And then I started feeling a little bit sick. I can't explain it, but I knew that God was trying to tell me something. All of these set-backs that have been going on with worship, I realized that He was trying to get me to listen. Sometimes I use worship as my excuse to get out of doing what God has called me to do. I think, well I'm singing at youth group so I can't bring people or talk to them about who He is, or something. And when I was standing up there, God was telling me to stop singing and to go preach and speak. I have a calling on my life to go spread the Good News, and I have been avoiding it. I want our youth group to grow and I want to see revival at my school. If I don't step up and do something about it, then it might not ever happen. Last night I realized how much I had been putting God aside to do my thing, while saying it was all in His name, which it wasn't. I have vision for my school, and my leader Lisa told me last night to just relax, because God has it all taken care of. I have three and a half years left at my school to see a change. I can't back down now. God is going to give me opportunities to speak to people about who He is, and I'm excited to share! I can already tell that God is going to do something amazing with my high school, and I can't wait to be a part.
This might not have anything to do with possessions, but it's been on my heart. God's doing something powerful at my school, I can already see it.
Lord, right now I pray that you would bring the right people to my school and that they would have a stirring inside of them, just like me. I pray that you would give me the courage to walk in a new person and to speak your name. I pray that I would come in contact with people who are living for You, so that together we can make a difference. I pray for all of the people that I want to bring to my youth group, that they would see what You are doing in their lives. Give me the wisdom and the words to speak so that they are for Your glory, not my own. And Jesus, I pray that you would show up this week, somehow, somewhere. I want to see You change my school, and without You, it is never going to happen. I love you with all that I am, and I am your faithful servant. Whatever You call me to do, I will listen. You are my all. I love You, and am grateful for all that You have done for me. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Today, I'm walking to the beat of your heart
You take me all the way to the start
Stretch your hands, straighten the path
I'm found in open skies
Your heart it lives in mine
Today
And then I started feeling a little bit sick. I can't explain it, but I knew that God was trying to tell me something. All of these set-backs that have been going on with worship, I realized that He was trying to get me to listen. Sometimes I use worship as my excuse to get out of doing what God has called me to do. I think, well I'm singing at youth group so I can't bring people or talk to them about who He is, or something. And when I was standing up there, God was telling me to stop singing and to go preach and speak. I have a calling on my life to go spread the Good News, and I have been avoiding it. I want our youth group to grow and I want to see revival at my school. If I don't step up and do something about it, then it might not ever happen. Last night I realized how much I had been putting God aside to do my thing, while saying it was all in His name, which it wasn't. I have vision for my school, and my leader Lisa told me last night to just relax, because God has it all taken care of. I have three and a half years left at my school to see a change. I can't back down now. God is going to give me opportunities to speak to people about who He is, and I'm excited to share! I can already tell that God is going to do something amazing with my high school, and I can't wait to be a part.
This might not have anything to do with possessions, but it's been on my heart. God's doing something powerful at my school, I can already see it.
Lord, right now I pray that you would bring the right people to my school and that they would have a stirring inside of them, just like me. I pray that you would give me the courage to walk in a new person and to speak your name. I pray that I would come in contact with people who are living for You, so that together we can make a difference. I pray for all of the people that I want to bring to my youth group, that they would see what You are doing in their lives. Give me the wisdom and the words to speak so that they are for Your glory, not my own. And Jesus, I pray that you would show up this week, somehow, somewhere. I want to see You change my school, and without You, it is never going to happen. I love you with all that I am, and I am your faithful servant. Whatever You call me to do, I will listen. You are my all. I love You, and am grateful for all that You have done for me. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Possessions-Day 4
So on Friday, which was day 2, Emma from my council came over to my house. She had been planning to come to youth group with me so she could meet all of the other council members. She came over and she helped me clean out my desk beforehand. Now, my desk has always been a mess ever since I got it. It has a really neat story though. I got this desk from my grandma when she moved from her big house into her smaller house. The desk was my grandpa's. My grandpa died when my mom was in college, but he got this desk from when he worked as a professor at the University of Kansas. It was the desk in the library that they gave to him when he left the school. It has only ever been in my grandma's house, but I was lucky enough to receive it when she moved. I was redoing my room at the time and really needed a desk, and my grandma didn't need it anymore, so voila! I got it! Anyways, this desk is really old and the drawer doesn't work very well, but I pile things up on it. I don't have a bookshelf in my room, so I just put everything on my desk. I have so much junk on that desk that I've had for YEARS, and Emma was kind enough to go through it with me. As we were throwing so much crap away, she kept saying things like, "Oh my gosh, you need to come to my house so we can do this in my room" and "I am totally the same way". She was very good at helping me see that I didn't need even a quarter of the things that I was keeping. It took us about an hour just to clean off my desk. We filled 2 trash cans of junk that I did not need at all. After everything got thrown in the trash, there was practically nothing on my desk anymore. It was such a relief to look at my desk and not be overwhelmed with all of that crud. It was an amazing feeling! I know that I wasn't giving anything away, but it still felt good to cut all of that stuff out of my life. I am realizing more and more that I don't necessarily have so many things to give away, but more things to throw away. Because really, who wants all of the programs that I have kept from every show that I've been to? No one except for me. So thank you Emma for helping me throw all of that stuff away. It is greatly appreciated! :) I am finding little things to throw away and I am seeing that this month won't necessarily being giving 7 things away, but getting rid of 7 things every day. My mom will greatly appreciate this month, as she is always trying to get us to throw our junk away. So here's to you Mom; I know your going to love this month much more than me!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Possessions-Day One
Well, today is March 1st and so this crazy journey begins! Last night I got a headstart on my giant giveaway for this month. I went through my closet and came back with 83 items of clothing to give away. I also had a bit of a dilemma with shoes. Do they count as clothing? Or are they their own seperate category? This is important because I am supposed to be giving away 7 items per day. Now clothes only count for 1 week of things, no matter how many over the daily rate I am. So if shoes were to count as clothes, then they have to go this week, but if they're not, then I can give them away later and they can count then. But after calling 3 council members (Emma, Amanda & Kelcey) there seemed to be a consensus. Shoes count as clothing. So they got added into the ginormous pile of things I was giving away. So great, I have given away 83 things. But, my sisters are going through it first, which I guess I am okay with because I would still be giving them away, but I feel weird just giving some of it to my sisters. Isn't that kind of cheating? My mom doesn't seem to think so, but whatever.
On another topic, today I realized something while sitting at my kitchen table eating breakfast before going to school. There is a girl who I sit next to in choir who is just searching for something. I used to get really annoyed with her because she would sing the wrong part, but I've learned to just love her through it. But I see her sometimes at school outside of choir and she seems to be throwing herself onto people. Now, this girl is different than me. She doesn't always brush her hair and she has gaged ears, but she's a good singer and very unique. I don't always think that she's getting into the right things, but that's her choice, not mine. I have no right to judge her. This morning though, I realized that she just wants something more. Guys haven't worked out for her, even though she tries really hard, her looks don't appeal to everyone, causing people to judge her, and her friends aren't exactly the best people. Aren't we all searching, though? Jesus is working in my heart and showing me the people all around me who are just searching for something more. Sometimes they are searching in relationships, in getting good grades, trying to impress people, etc, etc. The list goes on and on. But He is the only one that can fill the need. I wish I had the guts to just say to this girl, "All you need is Jesus", but sadly I don't. So I'm just trying to show her little ways how much He means to me. The same goes for my friends at school who don't believe the same things that I do. Everyday with them seems to be a struggle. I trust in His timing though. His plan is far greater than my own, so I put my complete trust in what He has for me. I want to change my school; I want to see my friends on fire for God. Isaiah 41:10 says, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Dear Lord, I pray right now that you would give me the strength to continue on this journey. I pray that you would open up my eyes to those around me who are calling out for you. I pray that I would have the courage to proclaim you as my own and to help change my school for your glory. You are worthy of my praise, Lord, and without you I wouldn't be able to carry on. You are my all and I love you.
On another topic, today I realized something while sitting at my kitchen table eating breakfast before going to school. There is a girl who I sit next to in choir who is just searching for something. I used to get really annoyed with her because she would sing the wrong part, but I've learned to just love her through it. But I see her sometimes at school outside of choir and she seems to be throwing herself onto people. Now, this girl is different than me. She doesn't always brush her hair and she has gaged ears, but she's a good singer and very unique. I don't always think that she's getting into the right things, but that's her choice, not mine. I have no right to judge her. This morning though, I realized that she just wants something more. Guys haven't worked out for her, even though she tries really hard, her looks don't appeal to everyone, causing people to judge her, and her friends aren't exactly the best people. Aren't we all searching, though? Jesus is working in my heart and showing me the people all around me who are just searching for something more. Sometimes they are searching in relationships, in getting good grades, trying to impress people, etc, etc. The list goes on and on. But He is the only one that can fill the need. I wish I had the guts to just say to this girl, "All you need is Jesus", but sadly I don't. So I'm just trying to show her little ways how much He means to me. The same goes for my friends at school who don't believe the same things that I do. Everyday with them seems to be a struggle. I trust in His timing though. His plan is far greater than my own, so I put my complete trust in what He has for me. I want to change my school; I want to see my friends on fire for God. Isaiah 41:10 says, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Dear Lord, I pray right now that you would give me the strength to continue on this journey. I pray that you would open up my eyes to those around me who are calling out for you. I pray that I would have the courage to proclaim you as my own and to help change my school for your glory. You are worthy of my praise, Lord, and without you I wouldn't be able to carry on. You are my all and I love you.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
The Beginning
Almost a month ago I went to Portland, Oregon with some of my best friends. I had such a great experience there being in a room filled with thousands of young people all just lifting their hands and praising Him. It was one of the coolest things I have ever been apart of. The day I got back though, my mom received a book from our neighbor. Our neighbor had recently found this book called Seven, an experimental mutiny against excess by Jen Hatmaker. My mom started to read it from the encouragement of our neighbor. Our neighbor, better known as Karol, said that she wanted to go on this journey along with my mom and whoever else wanted to join. They started talking and realized how much they needed this in their lives. One night my mom and Karol were sitting in our living room reading the book aloud to each other. I was in the kitchen doing my homework when I started listening in. As they were reading I realized how much I wanted to go on this journey as well. And so, here I am starting on this journey. The official launch day is March 1st. We will have to see where all of this goes, but I am praying that God will really show up in my life during this time. This journey that I am embarking on goes something like this: for the next 7 months I will be cutting excess out of my life. The first month will be possessions: meaning I will give away 7 items of mine every day for a month. The second month will be clothing: meaning I will only wear the same 7 items of clothing every day for a month. The third month will be food: I will only eat the same 7 foods for a month. The fourth month will be spending: only spending my money at 7 places for a month. The fifth month is media: I will be cutting out 7 pieces of media for a month. The sixth month is waste: I will adopt 7 new greener ways to my life. And the last month is stress: praying to Jesus 7 times a day. I will not be alone though. I will not only have my mom and Karol behind me but also my council. My council consists of 7 of my closest friends helping me through this journey and participating in some of it as well.
Meet my council!
Kelcey: One of the sweetest people I know!! She is the better, more outgoing half of me. She was with me when I went to Portland and considered my best friend. She will be the council member that will not let me give up. She is a Jesus freak and proud of it! She is finding ways to help her school find Jesus, one person at a time. She is by the book and won't let me cheat.
Amanda: She is the busiest of all my council members. In fact she was informed of the journey TODAY and still wants to be apart of it. She is super willing and also went with me to Portland. She and I were the first teenage girls in our youth group and she will be lenient with me. She will probably be the one I call when I want to cheat. :)
Katie: She's probably the one most excited about this whole thing! The day I told her about it, she was all about trying to figure out what I was going to eat, what I was going to wear, etc..and then a few days later had went out and bought the book and had already started reading. She also went to Portland with me and I love her fun spirit! Definitely won't let me cheat.
Meagan T.: I have known her through my cousin for about 4 years but actually met her about 8 months ago. I love her and she has such a beautiful voice! She goes to a Christian high school and God is doing great things through her at her school. She went to Portland with me as well. She was a bit hesitant at first about this whole thing, but totally on board after prayer. She has a sweet spirit and might let me cheat. :)
Faith: I met her through Meagan T. and I totally love her. She also went to Portland with us last minute but she was totally meant to be there. She goes to the same school as Meagan and everytime I'm down all I have to do is talk to her and she will always give me such a prophetic word. She has such wisdom and is so in love with God. She might let me cheat, but she will also be the one that keeps me in check with God. If I'm not doing it for Him, she'll let me know.
Emma: Emma goes to my school and is in my grade. I met her the first day of school this year because she sat next to me in my english class. She is one of the smartest people I know and I chose her because I felt that I wanted to grow in my faith with her. She was also so excited to do this experiment with me! As soon as I told her she jumped right on board and started talking about all the things I should do to spread the word about it. In fact, this blog was her idea. She wants me to go around and talk to people all about it, so I just opted for the blog. :) She probably won't let me cheat..
And last but not least is Megan C: I've known Megan since elementary school and I picked her because not only have I known her the longest but also because I dance with her. I dance 10 hours a week and I felt that if I wanted to go on this journey I would need some support everywhere I went. Megan not only goes to my school but also at dance; the two places I spend most of my time. Megan is very unique and crazy and I don't know if she is going to be able to actually do the experiment with me, but she is going to be a great support system. She will definitely let me cheat.. :)
So now you know about me and where I got this crazy idea to do this. You've met my council and my support group. But I want you to know that I'm doing this to be more like Jesus. Jesus didn't live the rich life, even though he could have. In today's society enough is never enough. As a teenager, want is more important than need. The poor do not matter, all that matters to us as teenagers is image and being the best WE can be. I'm done with self-consciousness and thinking only about myself. I want to go on this journey to become more like Jesus and to experience what he experienced, to feel what he felt. In the Bible it says the poor will be rich and the rich will be poor, because the poor gave everything they had to Jesus, while the rich only gave a little bit. I want to be more like the poor. All that I am is yours, Jesus, and during this journey I pray that you would give me the strength and the courage to get through it. I also pray that you would bless my council as they go on this journey as well. I also pray that you would give me the right words to say as I come across people who want to know and understand what I am doing and why I am doing it. Lord, you are my all and without you I would be nothing. Bless this time set before me as I embark on a journey like no other.
Meet my council!
Kelcey: One of the sweetest people I know!! She is the better, more outgoing half of me. She was with me when I went to Portland and considered my best friend. She will be the council member that will not let me give up. She is a Jesus freak and proud of it! She is finding ways to help her school find Jesus, one person at a time. She is by the book and won't let me cheat.
Amanda: She is the busiest of all my council members. In fact she was informed of the journey TODAY and still wants to be apart of it. She is super willing and also went with me to Portland. She and I were the first teenage girls in our youth group and she will be lenient with me. She will probably be the one I call when I want to cheat. :)
Katie: She's probably the one most excited about this whole thing! The day I told her about it, she was all about trying to figure out what I was going to eat, what I was going to wear, etc..and then a few days later had went out and bought the book and had already started reading. She also went to Portland with me and I love her fun spirit! Definitely won't let me cheat.
Meagan T.: I have known her through my cousin for about 4 years but actually met her about 8 months ago. I love her and she has such a beautiful voice! She goes to a Christian high school and God is doing great things through her at her school. She went to Portland with me as well. She was a bit hesitant at first about this whole thing, but totally on board after prayer. She has a sweet spirit and might let me cheat. :)
Faith: I met her through Meagan T. and I totally love her. She also went to Portland with us last minute but she was totally meant to be there. She goes to the same school as Meagan and everytime I'm down all I have to do is talk to her and she will always give me such a prophetic word. She has such wisdom and is so in love with God. She might let me cheat, but she will also be the one that keeps me in check with God. If I'm not doing it for Him, she'll let me know.
Emma: Emma goes to my school and is in my grade. I met her the first day of school this year because she sat next to me in my english class. She is one of the smartest people I know and I chose her because I felt that I wanted to grow in my faith with her. She was also so excited to do this experiment with me! As soon as I told her she jumped right on board and started talking about all the things I should do to spread the word about it. In fact, this blog was her idea. She wants me to go around and talk to people all about it, so I just opted for the blog. :) She probably won't let me cheat..
And last but not least is Megan C: I've known Megan since elementary school and I picked her because not only have I known her the longest but also because I dance with her. I dance 10 hours a week and I felt that if I wanted to go on this journey I would need some support everywhere I went. Megan not only goes to my school but also at dance; the two places I spend most of my time. Megan is very unique and crazy and I don't know if she is going to be able to actually do the experiment with me, but she is going to be a great support system. She will definitely let me cheat.. :)
So now you know about me and where I got this crazy idea to do this. You've met my council and my support group. But I want you to know that I'm doing this to be more like Jesus. Jesus didn't live the rich life, even though he could have. In today's society enough is never enough. As a teenager, want is more important than need. The poor do not matter, all that matters to us as teenagers is image and being the best WE can be. I'm done with self-consciousness and thinking only about myself. I want to go on this journey to become more like Jesus and to experience what he experienced, to feel what he felt. In the Bible it says the poor will be rich and the rich will be poor, because the poor gave everything they had to Jesus, while the rich only gave a little bit. I want to be more like the poor. All that I am is yours, Jesus, and during this journey I pray that you would give me the strength and the courage to get through it. I also pray that you would bless my council as they go on this journey as well. I also pray that you would give me the right words to say as I come across people who want to know and understand what I am doing and why I am doing it. Lord, you are my all and without you I would be nothing. Bless this time set before me as I embark on a journey like no other.
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