we're all in this together.

The Girls: Lacey, Me, Sween
Madison, Emma Jean, Emma, and Lauren

My friends. My Co-leaders. My eternal Sisters in Christ!

I am on a "Jesus high" probably for the first time in way too long. Camp was amazing this year. Nothing really out of the ordinary happened but at the same time everything happened too. Sween was awesome, like always, the girls were great (except for cabin clean-up) which is expected, and the weather was beautiful. What made it so great? I have a few ideas...

• I was rested before I left and I woke up early each day to spend time with JC
• So many people I love were up there and I got to see them all hard at work serving Christ.
• The head leaders were FANTASTIC (Josh, Jodi, and Janie)...but even more then that... I felt like I took the time to get to know the staff which I've never done before.
• The girls were asking every question on the planet, every little annoying finger pressing detail....they were challenging me....what about this, who was that, compare and contrast that, tell me more about that... Haha. I was challenged, I was put under the light, I was also humbled because there was still a lot of questions I had no answer for.
• The girls prayed out loud for the first time together, and even though we prayed for an entire population of donkeys at one point...it was the most beautiful thing my hard of hearing ears had ever heard.
• The Jesus Chills were constant this week...every little thing just reminded me that God is great, that his timing is perfect, and that I will never EVER be able to do anything without Him.

More to come, but I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd try updating! YL 5k tomorrow! HOOORAH!

"I Choose" by Max Lucado

It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.

In a few moments, the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I choose.

I CHOOSE LOVE…

No occasion justifies hatred;
no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love.
Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY…

I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…
the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see
people as anything less than human beings,
created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as
anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE…

I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE…

I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll
invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the
wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment
to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new
assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS…

I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.
I will be kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to
the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS…

I will go without a dollar
before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked
before I will boast. I will confess before I will
accuse. I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS…

Today I will keep my promises.
My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates
will not question my word. My wife will not
question my love. And my children will never fear
that their father will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS…

Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it only be in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it only be of myself.

I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL...

I am a spiritual being…
After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal.
I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy.
I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God.
I will be taught only by Christ.
I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
To these I commit my day.
If I succeed, I will give thanks.
If I fail, I will seek His grace.
And then, when this day is done,
I will place my head on my pillow
and rest.

When God Whispers Your Name by Max Lucado

we will survive.

About a week ago Starbucks announced that they were closing 600 stores and laying off 12,000 people. Howard Schultz, our CEO, has gone above and beyond to make sure that each store is informed properly and that each partner understands the reasonings behind store closures.

It was also stated that each partner who was layed off would have the opportunity to work at another store or receive a buyout, Starbucks was no just going to leave us on the street. They were determined to redistribute their partners and help them in any way the company could. I wasn't worried because I still have my parents to help me out and who I am dependent on, but the majority of the employees depend on Starbucks for insurance, tuition reimbursement, and for a salary. We were all willing to give up our jobs so moms, dads, and people who rely on their job to support others wouldn't have anything to worry about.

We officially found out yesterday that our store on Jolly and Okemos gets to stay open! This is a huge relief for everyone, but there is still a huge tug on all of our hearts for the thousands of people who are being put out of a job.

I just really can't believe all the crazy things that are happening in our economy. Along that note, when I went home to Saline a while ago I learned that a house in our neighborhood had been foreclosed. In our affluent and established neighborhood, a family had been forced out of their home because they could no longer afford to live there. It was a devastating picture and a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I just see all this tension, anxiety, and end of the rope living going on everywhere. I want to help whoever I can, I want to reach down and pull them out of their misery...I wish I had a million dollars to put straight into an account that goes to families who have lost their jobs and another million to give to every American so money would never be a problem.

Then I stop and realize I have more then millions of dollars to give to people. I have an eternal bank full of unconditional love and grace to give to people. I have God to share with the world. I have this amazing knowledge of Jesus who died for my sins and who will one day come and remove me from a world full of misery and shame. That is worth more then any amount of monetary donation I could make to the world.

That's cool.

Affirmative Prayer for Confidence

I know that God is the one and only source of my being.

Spirit Itself created me. Life Itself lives through me. Love Itself sustains me. I am in important and connected part of this spiritual universe.

If God loves me enough to create me and to give me life, then I can love and respect myself no less. Therefore, I no longer believe in unworthiness, limitation, and shame. I no longer believe that I am undeserving of the best life has to offer. I deserve and accept all the good things in life - for myself and everyone else in my world.

I ACCEPT my own beauty, and I see it reflected in the world around me.

I ACCEPT my own power, and I use it wisely.

I ACCEPT my own worth, and I live abundantly.

I ACCEPT my own love, and I share it freely.

I ACCEPT my own potential, and I live it fully.

My past, my false beliefs, and my feeling of unworthiness no longer limit me. I accept full responsibility for my life, my thoughts, my feelings, and my actions. I may not always like what I do or how I feel, but I choose always to love myself in the meantime. Never again will I judge myself as undeserving.

Growing and evolving feels good. Accepting responsibility feels good. Giving myself permission to become the person I was meant to be feels good.

And I deserve to feel good about myself and my life.

And so it is.


[wow.]