Don't Give Up

I’ve been contemplating this question lately.  Why does it feel like the distance between who I am is so far away from the person I want to become?  The funny thing is that even though I know the answer to my own question it doesn’t make me stop thinking it.  It can be discouraging the process of change.  During Converge, I struggled with this same question which is where I actually reazlied the answer.  Growth isn’t easy and it takes many steps to get there…but it will be worth it.  I found this video on at jonacuff.com and thought it was kind of cool.  Maybe it will inspire you to not give up just because it takes a little extra work. 

 

Who do you represent?

Black Friday I had the pleasure of working with my sister and brother-in-law at their Chick-fil-a in Reading at the Berkshire Mall.  Since this was the only time I really worked there I was basically restocking items, washing trays, and refreshing beverages.  I also had the chance of taking some chicken nuggets to some of the stores in the mall. I hate huge crowds so normally when I walk through the mall I try to be invisible because I want to just do what I need to do and be done.  But Friday was a little different.  Walking through the mall carrying food in the CFA uniform people notice you a bit more and noticed where I was working.  Everyone knows CFA and what they stand for.  So for that one day I represented Chick-fil-a.  I knew I had to watch my every move and be careful because I didn’t want to represent CFA badly. 

Realizing this and being cautious about this I was reminded about who I truly represent.  I am a child of the King, the one true God.  I asked myself on Friday do I represent God?  Do I show a true representation of who God is and what he stands for? I was challenged by these thoughts and I hope this challenges you.

Continuing on my Journey of Life

I wanna try something new.  My goal is to keep going with this blog considering the fact that my journey in life didn't end, just because the program did.   Now, I am not the best at this so no judging me based on my horrible grammar, spelling and writing abilities. 

Before Converge, I never really felt I was learning anything in life and was just living day by day. So I guess that is why I want to start using this blog again, to be intentional and focus on what God is teaching me.  In just another week or so I will have been home from my year at Sandy Cove for three months. It is crazy that so much time has gone by.  Recently I have been doing some thinking.  A lot about my experiences at Sandy Cove and how I have changed from my year there and since being home.  So my prayer is that with this Blog I will be open and honest about who I am and the daily lessons I am learning from.  I make no guarantees with how often I will post but I am going to post more often than I did when I was in Converge J. 

Passion of The Christ

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:16

So I just watched the Passion of the Christ for the very first time this past week. I didn’t know exactly what to expect since I had seen many different productions of Christ’s death.  I do have to say that I thought it was portrayed very well. The whole movie had a totally different intensity than anything I had ever seen before. I expected it to be tough, but it definitely gave me a different perspective on everything. The torture, beating, whipping, pain, betrayal, and temptation were hard to watch. 

I will never forget (at least I hope I never forget) the look of ‘Jesus’ eyes when he was being tortured. Every time he looked at the people in the crowd and the people who were beating him, he always had the look of love and care in his eyes.  I don’t know about you but if I am hurting, I don’t normally love those who are doing the hurting. I have a hard enough time loving those around me. (1 Peter 1:22). So seeing how much ‘Jesus’ loved the people around him, definitely makes me think twice about his love for me and for those around me.

Even though it was hard to watch I am definitely glad that I watched the ‘Passion’ this year and I challenge anyone who has not seen it to see it.  It brings the realization of what happened to a whole different level.

Many New Learning Experiences!

I realize that I haven’t blogged in awhile, so I figure I better fill you guys in on what I am learning.  There has been a lot going on these past several months.  About a month ago we were blessed to have a wonderful family, Morgan and Megan Mcray and their two kids (third due during the summer), join us for the rest of our journey.  I was a little worried leading up to the arrival of the Mcrays not know what they were going to be like, wondering how the change would affect my time at Sandy Cove.  Thankfully God knows what is best and he doesn’t listen to us and what we think is best, because I was very wrong about them.  It turned out to be perfect timing.  We, as a team, were going through some hard times for a couple of months and God knew just what we needed… the Mcrays.  I don’t want to go into detail but I definitely have been learning a lot through the difficult times.  I would love to say that I totally conquered everything but that would be a lie, there is still a lot that I personally have to work on.  One thing I have been learning, slowly, is that I am responsible for how I react.  Living and being around the same people 24/7 is hard.  God made us all with different personalities, backgrounds, childhoods, and passions.  With so many differences there are going to be tensions and annoyances, but it is about how I react to those that makes a difference.  One thing that people who know me well will know is that I hate conflict.  Hate Hate Hate conflict.  But living with others with those differences, it is on me if I flee from the conflict.  So I still hate it but I have dealt with conflict head on a couple times. 

Also something that I have been learning that is still a little fresh is that it is so easy to feel like you have lost control of your life.  Whether it is taking on too much at one time or getting caught up doing many different things that you forget about yourself and making sure that your own life is in order.  I am not going to lie that one of the things that I have slipped out of doing is devotions.  I hate it and I can tell that I have been slacking on them.  Also feeling clustered.  Sometimes you need to declutter your life and your room.  Once that happens it makes you feel like you are actually on top of things.  Also, being at Sandy Cove it is so hard to eat healthy being around all of the junk food (especially when working in the kitchen) and also going out to eat.  We have gotten so sick of the options at Sandy Cove that a lot of times the easiest thing and tastier thing is to just run out say to chick-fil-a or something. 

For those of you who might not know but I figured out what my plans are for after Converge.  I finish Converge June 1 and I will have a week off and then I will be returning to Sandy Cove to work in the snack shack for the summer.  I will be the assistant manager of what they call the 10^th Hole.  It is going to be an incredible experience and very stretching.  I am looking forward to putting to use the skills and leadership training that I am learning through this time in Converge.