Doing Life Together

"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up." - Bible: Ecclesiastes

I have read this verse over and over and I don't think I have truly listened to what it is saying. I am the type of person that tries to do everything on my own; I want to be independent and free from all no need for help. Well that's not Biblical, not at all!
We need people in our lives, two are better then one, and when you get with others that you have true chemistry with life is fun. We need others to do life with.

I made a resolution this year that has changed my life, changed my world. I told myself that I was going to step out and act my age. I was going to hang out with friends, stay up late, eat junk food once in a while, and be spontaneous! I am become such a compulsive freak that I don't know how to live on the whim. I know that I have moved all over, but it's all been pretty comfortable because my nature is to travel, but my nature used to be one that likes to be crazy, But that rebellious spirit of mine was leaving and now has come back, but this time with maturity behind it. I can have fun and be wise.

I am having so much fun now with my fiancé and my best friends. My "Hoes" are amazing and they have brought me back to life. I love being women of God and I love being loved. I do need others to survive to be me with. Friends and family are not here to just fill in the cracks they are the glue that keeps the cracks held together. So you hermits, you "Monica's" from Friends, get out cling to the people you love and let them love on you!

I AM ENGAGED!!!!

Well its been a long wonderful weekend in California, let see should I start with Friday or get straight to the juicy details of the engagement? hmm...ok I ll tell you all about the engagement:)So on Monday Matt and I were in California still, we had flown out there for two weddings that were on Saturday and decided to make it a little bit longer of a stay, because hello two days in Cali with all my family and friends is just not enough!! Ok back to the engagement, so on Monday Matt told me that he wanted me to just sit back and enjoy the day because he was going to plan it. Well part of me was thinking, he better get on Map Quest because there is a lot of directions he is going to have to look up but I know my man, he would plan the day perfect. So we headed to the Stater brothers Deli and grab some sandwiches to take up the mountain. Which just to let everyone know if you are ever in Cali stop by Stater Bothers and get the California Sandwich, lets just say its AMAZING, for lack of better words. Ok Ok I ll get on to the good part, so we headed up to Oak Glen, which is my favorite place to be in California, its beautiful country land and you can pick your own apples, and make your own cider. Matt and I had been up there once before when he came to Cali with me in May, and he really loved it too. So on the way up there Matt told me to close my eyes, and I did because I love surprises. He then opened the car door and told me to open them, I did and I saw that we were at a orchard that I have never been to be before but it was beautiful. There were a bunch of kids and families all around and Matt led me to a white gazebo, with a picnic table under it that was covered with roses, a basket with peanut butter kisses, champagne, apple cider, flowers, and chocolate covered strawberries. There was also some Frank Sinatra in the back ground and roses hanging from the ceiling (I found out later who the lead decorators were and I am thinking about hiring them for the wedding :)). It was just truly romantic in every sense of the word, it even started raining a little which was sexy let me tell ya!!:) So as we sat there I wondered to myself what this was all about but knowing Matt like I do I know he likes to spoil me and make me feel loved, so I thought nothing of being proposed, actually I did think if he doesnt propose then I dont know what could top this. So then Matt explained to me that he did all of this because he loves me, and I thought awww he is soo sweet and I can't believe that he belongs to me!!! Well then Matt started to set up his camera so that we could take pics together, well as he set up his camera he told me to close my eyes, so I did and then when I opened them Matt was on his knee with the ring in his hand and said, Will you marry me, my heart stopped and I exclaims "heck yes" and then he shot up and gave me a hug and a kiss and placed the ring on my finger. I shouldn't just say the ring I should say the "breath taking" ring!!! So just when I thought the surprises were done when I went to my moms house that night they through us a huge engagement party with all my wonderful friends and family, the night could not have been more perfect!!! Thanks to all who made this day so special! But more importantly I thank God for giving me the gift, Matthew Brian McCormick, I love you Babe!!

My Staff!!!

Week 7: God Believes in You!

I can not believe that I have been out of school and traveling for over two months now...So many stories to tell, so many lives that have changed, so many memories..

"God has an incredible high view of people. God believes that people are capable of amazing things."-Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis

I think that humans see themselves too small. I know that I am only one person but I know that one person plus another can do a tremendous amount of greatness. When I say one person plus another I mean, human + God! I have been reading the book of Matthew along with a lot of other books, and the one thing that seems to be popping right out of the stories is how much God wants us to view ourselves in Him, finding our identity in Him.

I know that we are sinners, which because of what Christ did on the cross we are forgiven and saved from eternal damnation, and it is nothing that we could ever do to save our selves but it is by his Grace that we are saved. With that Grace we can not sit back and think of our selves as dirt and scum, but we must rise up to Gods calling and that is for us to rise up and fallow him and be his disciples. Learn, grow, and trust that he is faithful. I place a lot of emphasis on believing in Christ and sharing my faith, but I miss something wonderful laid out for me in the scriptures and that is that Christ believes in me too.

God called the lowest of the low, fisherman to come and fallow him, because he believed in them and believed they could do amazing things for his kingdom. I think at times God gets frustrated at us like Jesus gets frustrated with his disciples in Matthew 17:14-20, "Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." I am learning that I need to view myself as a saint, not a saint because of anything that I can do but because that is what God calls me, not the dirty sinner that pops up here and there..."A Saint who Sin Sometimes". God believes in us as believers he believes that we can do amazing things for Him, do you believe in yourself?

This week as I was in Green Bay, I got the chance to see junior highers gardening at nursing homes so that the seniors would have a beautiful back yard and enjoy Gods beauty. I saw adult leaders love on staff, a love that was indescribable. I got to be a child at heart, and have eyes to see Gods children grow and ears to hear their hurt and pain...God Believes in us all, we are the breath of God….

Week Six

What a wonderful powerful weekend....I had a chance to get all of my staff together and have a mini retreat! It was a blast, we hung out at Lake Michigan, saw Superman, and had an extroidenary time in worship and prayer. I think it was just what my staff needed to get through the rest of the summer. I have already seen God mold and shape each of them more and more in to the men and women that God has created them to be. A Youth Work summer is kind of like a boot camp. What I mean by that is is realy pushes you to the ultimate limit, to places and in situations that you never thought that you could get through. But in times of pressure the only thing you can do is fall on your knees in prayer and ask for Gods help, fo he is the only one who can help us in times of weakness and times of lonlyness.

I listend to something this weekend that reminded me what it means to be a women and man of God.

For the Men: 1 Timothy 3:1-7

"Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer,[a] he desires a noble task. 2Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap."

For the Women: Proverbs 31:10

" 10 [c] A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

God's is so faithful and then some....

I am going on week six here in the Mid States, and my eyes are completely being renewed by the Lord every day. I think some times I forget how important it is to let God plan my life, and I shouldn't even say my life I should say this life. It is important to plan out what you will do each day therefore not to squander away all the little time that you have, but it is also important to remember that just because you plan it doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit can't come in and shake things up a bit for Gods glory. The lessons and leadership skills that I am learning as an Area Director are irreplaceable. God continues to give me wisdom in times of need, and courage in times of weakness. This past week has thrown me for a loop but because of the trial God was able to show his love and grace even more abundantly.

The Lord has been so faithful and I would be a fool to not share with you all what he continues to do in my life not so that I may boast in myself, but so that I can boast about the Lord and his goodness. Two weeks ago I felt the Lord tugging on my heart about something that he wanted me to do. You see I have a friend who I love dearly, and God was telling me to bless them with a certain dollar amount. I was not sure why but I do know that I couldn't stop thinking about it until I obeyed Gods calling. So I did....I know that I am a recent college graduate and I don't have much to offer my I have more then I need to sustain myself, so when God allowed me to bless my friend I knew that his will was being carried out. Two weeks later I was short a little money for some bills because some how the money I had sent in the mail never got to its destination, well today I got a call from my roommate telling me that I had three checks that came in the mail totaling the amount that I needed and then some. I do not tell this story to say that every time you give that you will get something back, I tell this story to encourage all of you to have faith that God will supply your needs maybe not in your timing but in his, and don't be surprise when it happens.

Also I got a bit of a refreshment this weekend becuase Matthew my love came to Chicago to visit little ole me. We had such a blast in both Milwaukee and Chicago. We got to see the whole city from Sears tower, look at the Buckingham fountain, Millinium Park, and the greatest part was the Cubs game. Not because we are Chicago Cubs fans(cause were not got Cardinals!) but because we got to see Wriggley Feild!!! It was an experience in itself, Cubs fans I have decided are at the game for two reasons, to yell cause they can, and drink until all of a sudden the Cubs look good in their eyes. It was a lot of fun, mostly because I got to hang out with the coolest person I know:) Here are some pics from the trip .....

creating memories one city at a time

Its the SIMPLE things in life we forget

I am on week five and things have been a bit challangeing. I have had to deal with some issues this week that were not so much fun. Its funny how life sometimes seems overwhelming when realy life is what you make it, so KEEP IT SIMPLE! and that is my challange for this next week to not worry and trust God, I think the Bible verse that speeks volumes to me right now is Psalm 28:7 that says

"The LORD is my strength and my shield;my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song."

When Life comes at me with guns and swords I remember these little things that I live for:

Family Friends

Love