For Real This Time… January 16, 2009

So, I’m waiting for my hair dye to react and set, which means I have downtime. So I’m taking this very rare opportunity to actually update my blog. FOR REAL THIS TIME. Haha.

Huge news, I’m now an official Volunteer Leader!! I now facilitate the Quest Room for the 6:00 pm worship experience at Butler High School. Last week was my first week, and I love it!!! I get to go to VL meetings, and I’m supposed to be a getting a super cool lanyard! Hehe. I’m so excited for the opportunity this can shape up to be. And not only have I become a VL, I’ve been doing little odds and ends for the Quest Room too. Like last unit I painted these boats for the stage, and I even went in to the office and printed out supplies for an entire lesson. It’s exciting with all the stuff they’re trusting me to do!!! Plus, for next unit I’ve been put in charge of getting together some killer detective costumes. Very much in my wheelhouse!! They’re going to be sooooo cool.

The most exciting news really is just my role in Ekidz at Elevation. Everything else is the same. Boyless. Thankgoodness too. Haha. Not that I’m anti relationship, I just have SOOO much going on between work and church and school in a few months, that I can’t really afford all the drama that comes into life along with a Y chromosome. I know that must sound terrible, but It’s nice.

And I’m still working at Stool Pigeons. No big news there. It’s super slow, but I love all the people I work with, so I’m pretty much not going anywhere.

I’m sure there’s been things along the way that would have inspired amazing entries, but life’s too busy. But I am going to seriously, desperately try to keep up this time. I’m going to start a regularly occurring themed weekly blog. I’m not sure what about. I’ll brainstorm and it’ll be fully formed on Tuesday. So keep an eye out!!

 

For now, I’m gonna take off. Time to rinse out the wild red hair dye!!

Slacker… December 14, 2008

I’m pretty much a blog slacker…stupid social life is getting in the way. I’ll post a real entry later tonight. If I remember and I’m not super tired…I have lots of good stuff to talk about

Second Annual Jenkins’ Thanksgiving… November 29, 2008

My family has lived in North Carolina for four and a half years now, and we’ve had four Thanksgivings here. Two have been at our wonderful neighbor’s house. They’re the Jenkins family, and basically they’re my family. Last year was an awesome Thanksgiving, and this year lived up to, if not surpassed the year before. A truly wonderful amazing holiday.

It got to spend the holiday with my Mom, Dad, Mark, Kathy, Mark’s brother Todd, Todd’s girlfriend Katie, and Todd’s friend Corey. Todd used to live down here, but he’d been living up in the mountains for a while, so it was awesome to see him again. I got to meet Katie and Corey, and they are both just amazing people.

We ate a ton of food. Played a lot of games. Punched each other  a lot. Laughed a lot. I got educated in some new music thanks to Corey. (Shout Out dude! I love my Cd’s) We even watched a movie on VHS. I didn’t even know people still had those. It was fun times.

This year’s Thanksgiving was one of the best ones ever, and not just for me. And I love that. I love that I got to be a part of this awesome family and just be around awesome people and just soak up all the awesomeness. (three awesomes in one sentence…bet you’re impressed)

And being around such amazing people with amazing life stories and transformations got me to thinking about what I’m really thankful for in my own life. And of course it’s a huge list…so here’s my top five:

1: The fact that I’ve got The Lord, my Savior, Jesus Christ in my heart guiding me through some of the most pivotal times and decisions of my life.
2: My amazing family/extended family/friends. I’ve got the most amazing group of people who are in my corner forever and always. People I know I can count on and will keep me accountable for my own actions. I’d do anything for these people, and they know it. 
3: The fact that I live in a wealthy nation. I know that sounds horrible, but seriously, I’m thankful that I have a nice house with heat and running water. That’s a luxury in a lot of places, and I’m very thankful I don’t live in any of them
4: My amazing church. I know it kind of goes hand in hand with number 1, but you can have Christ guiding you spiritually in a stagnant church. And I’m extremely thankful that Elevation is anything but stagnant. I love that it’s exciting and growing and pushing and bursting and loving. I don’t even know where my life would be with out it.
5: Last but not least and kind of cheesy…but my job. A lot of people hate their jobs every single day. And I won’t lie, some days I don’t feel like going, but for the most part…i love it. I have fun, i meet cool people, my co-workers are awesome, and I make enough money to pay for school and and have fun. I’ve had crappy jobs, but stool pigeons isn’t one of them, and to any of my co workers that reads this…i’m thankful for you =]

So yay for thanks giving. I’d list forever…and if you read my blog you know this. But I will stop at five, only because it’s almost midnight and I should really sleep before work tomorrow. And I’m super sleepy too…all that turkey is finally catching up with me. Darn tryptophan. (And if you weren’t impressed by my three awesomes before, be super impressed I spelled that right on the first try!!!)

 

 

…what are you thankful for?

Sorry. November 27, 2008

Sorry I’ve been super neglectful of my blog lately…i’ll be back sometime in the very near future to post something forrealllls. Happy Thanksgiving!!

IT’S OFFICIAL!!!! November 7, 2008

I just got back from a celebratory lunch out with my mom. Our cause for celebration? I just got back from my admissions meeting with the Aveda Institute. And guess what!! I GOT IN. I passed the entrance test, which was all that I really needed to do since she had already decided that I was accepted.

I’m fully enrolled. I payed for my kit today and my enrollment. I picked out my first two Aveda Shirts that come with my kit. And I am totally excited about life right now. My official first day is March 18th and I’ll be finished by march of next year!!!!

Oh man, I am so excited. I can’t wait to start school. It’s a whole new chapter in my life. And it’s all just beginning!!!!

HEY YOU! November 4, 2008

Yeah, that’s right I’m talking to you. If you’re 18 years of age, are not a convicted felon and are registered to vote…you better make some time in your schedule today to go vote for yor chosen candidates.

I don’t care if you vote ObamaBiden or McCainPalin. But you better drive your happy self down to your assigned voting facility and cast a ballot. I got up at 6:30 this morning, brushed my teeth, put on pants and voted. So no excuses people.

It’s your right and your responsibility as an American citizen, so get out there and do it! And remember, if you don’t vote, for the next four years you don’t get validly complain about anything going on in this wonderful (and a little messed up) nation.

Don’t suck. GO GET YOUR VOTE ON!!!

The Change Starts With Me. November 2, 2008

I’ve kind of always wanted to change the world. I have a lot of friends who got really involved in a lot of different causes in high school. A lot of friends who got really into green living, a few who got really involved in the Save Darfur Coalition, some who began supporting Fair Trade, a bunch that were really active in To Write Love on Her Arms, and some miscellaneous causes here and there. Through out high school I was very exposed to amazing causes that were reaching people all over the world.

A few times I tried to initiate activism in people who weren’t exposed to it before, but most of the time I didn’t get enough momentum to really get things going. And this discouraged my own personal ambitiousness. My friends who were involved were all scattered, and so we all just kept up with things for our selves and didn’t really do a whole a lot to involve each other and really set things in motion. But I’m tired of reading about things other people are doing in the world, and I’m ready to actually be the change that needs to happen in this totally screwed up world.

My pastor preached today about thinking inside the box. It was a economic sermon, but it really can be applied to any type of change. If you only think out side the box, you’re thinking about the things that you have no control over, but if you focus on what inside your own personal box, you have the ability to change your self and the things you do have control over. The change begins with what I have. It begins with me.

As a Christian, I am to be a leader of change. Change for a better life. For a better world. I don’t need other people to initiate the change. All I need is me and my own momentum. And I’m ready to finally be active. I’m ready to put into motion all the things that I want to personally accomplish.

I want to be more environmentally conscious. Recycle more efficiently. Use less non-renewable resources. That means no more Styrofoam cups a work. I want to buy locally grown produce. Drive less. Carpool more. Conserve energy. Go Green. Saving the Earth is extremely important. And little things in my daily life can make a huge difference. With out any body else I know adapting their lifestyles to a greener one, I will still make a difference in the long run. And maybe if people see what I’m doing and how easy and cost effective it is, they’ll follow suit.

I also want to solve all the worlds problems. Those going on in Sudan, India, South America, Uganda, and so many more. But I can’t travel, so I’m committed to making Charlotte a better place. There’s so much poverty all over the world, but there’s people in my own city who go to sleep at night on park benches and under overpasses. There’s many different kinds of need out there, and they all happen with in a 30 mile radius of where I live. There’s so much good to be done in the place I am, and until I’m in a position to travel the world, I want so much to be a part of the good stuff here.

And I’m ready to take my faith to a new level. I don’t regularly study the Word. I study enough of it that I know my way around a Bible, but I’m ready to know it inside and out. This is very important if I’m to lead a smallgroup of young girls in a Christ Centered way through middle school and into high school. The next level for me is to be so accustomed to referring to the Bible for problem solving that it comes naturally when I help others with what they’re going through in their lives. I feel that I’ve been called to minister to middle school girls, but I’m not ready to acquire my own smallgroup. However, I am very ready to prepare my fields for the rain I’m praying for.

I’m very excited about this sudden burst of energy. Tomorrow I intend to read up on all the causes I got unacquainted with lately, a few new ones, and really look at local opportunities to do good. And tonight I intend to begin really studying the Bible. I feel as though I have a lot of potential in me and I’m finally ready to see that potential really realized. I want to do well in life, and I think doing well and doing good should go hand in hand. Its time for me to do good and embed that in my daily life so that when it’s time to makes the decisions that will cause me to do well, they also cause me to do good.

If I lost you there, I’m sorry. Short and sweet: a lot of people sacrifice doing good by human kind in order to reach success and get ahead in their personal life. I never want that to be me. If a decision is going to make me successful, but take advantage of another, I don’t want to make that decision. If more people adapted that mentality the world would be a different place. But I can’t control what other people do. All I can control is myself and my own actions. This starts with me. The Change Starts With Me.

Choices. October 27, 2008

Do you ever feel like God gives you two choices to test out your ability to make the right one? Because right now, I’m kindof feeling like He’s up there watching me thinking “You got this.” But here’s the thing…I don’t got this.

Without spilling forever, because I probably could, let me explain my self. I feel like I have to separate and completely opposite opportunites to further a friendship with two separate guys I know. Both are very amazing guys. The first guy is a strong Christian, involved with the church, cute, loves Jesus, treats girls with respect, is sweet, encouranging and fun to be around. We have a lot of common interests too, and our lives seem to be heading in the same direction physically and spiritually. Perfect right? I could totally see my self with him.

Well, there’s also the other guy. He’s not so much a Christian. But he’s exactly the kind of guy I usually go for. Sarcastic. Funny. Charming. Cute. Sweet when the moment calls for it. Flirt. We have the same kind of sense of humor. He’s really cute too. Same taste in music, movies, and pretty much everything. Did I mention he’s cute? But he’s got a serious flaw that I can’t compromise on. I told the girls that if it weren’t for his smoking habits I’d probably persue a relationship with him. But it’s getting harder to ignore him.

And I think I know what the right choice is. The Christian, obviously. He’s good for me. He’s good to me. And he’s good with me. But then again, I’m not God and I don’t really know. Because God does “give us the desires of our hearts.” And maybe, it’s His plan for me to further my friendship with the other guy because I have the opportunity to impact his life in a very positive way. But then again, it could just be an opportunity to fall back into my old lifestyle of sinfulness. Because every one thinks they can overcome temptations, but in reality it’s easier to pull some one down than it is to pull some one up. And in that case…I’m not supposed to end up with him. Which doesn’t neccesarily mean that I automatically end up with the Christian guy. But it does give me more insentive to return the feelings and further the relationship in a more serious direction.

Then there’s a whole other third option. Forget them both. And continue to further my relationship with Jesus Christ until there is just one option for me and I don’t have to make any serious decisions.

Do you see me dilemma? My head is saying the Chrisitan guy. But the rest of me just isn’t into him. The rest of me is into the one that I click with but has the smoking habit. It’s all so confusing. Because I would love to impact him and show him all the amazing things Jesus has done for me and the grace that the Lord could give him. But know how easy it is to fall into sin for me. I’d like to think I wouldn’t slip with the Christian. I suppose the only thing I can do is pray and follow my heart, knowing my heart is a different heart than it was two years ago. Wish me luck!

Today I… October 19, 2008

Went to bed at 1:00 in the morning…
Woke up at 6:00 am to get ready for church…
Got a very yummy triple grande white mocha…
Arrived at the Providence Campus and 7:30…
Lead Large Group Worship in the Quest room there…
For all four services…
Saw some of my favorite Elevators…
Went home at 2:30 and immediately collapsed on my couch…

 You might think I’m complaining. But today was actually a pretty amazing day. I missed all my Butler Volunteers and the kids I usually lead there. But today was an awesome opportunity to see how things are done at Providence and show them a little bit about how we do things at Butler. It was cool to just bounce ideas off of Jeremy at the end of the day to see what all we did differently. There was all sorts of stuff that the two campuses did differently, and some stuff that I definitely want to bring up next Sunday and maybe start doing at Butler. For example, Providence has a Quest Offering. I think we had talked about starting one, but never got around to it. After seeing how excited the kids were to give to the offering, I definitelythink that we need to have one too. I also really was liking how they played a song (“Let’s go!”) as the kids transitioned into large group. It gave me something to be doing with them as every one shuffled in to the Large Group area. It’s not one that our kids know too too well…but if they hear it every week with some one doing the motions as they come in and sit down, they’ll know it and play along too. Also. Providence doesn’t do a group potty break, witch was different. I don’t think we could get away with that. Plus…when would we do the wiggles or the hokey pokey? Also, the kids all got cool rubber wrist bands that was their group color for the day. I really like that. It seemed to move more smootly into small group over there, and that might be why. It might not be, but it’s worth a try.  

Also, Jeremy said there was a couple of things I did different that they want to keep. The way I did the finger play for the prayer was different than the normal way, and he thinks he’s gonna try to implement that. Also I have the kids repeat each line of the prayer after I say it, which they didn’t do at Providence before. Some how we also talked about the back of the coloring sheets for the parents to look at and I mentioned how we have our boards set up at check-in and check-out. We put a reminder about the coloring sheet, along with other important stuff at check-out. And we put the Special Words on our front check-in board along with a welcome and a food allergy reminder.

Which reminds me…Providence didn’t do snack. They might be on to something there. No one asked for it, no one wanted water. Nothing. I strongly feel that snack is just a hassle and we should do away with it too. I’m gonna bring that up with my room facilitators and see what they think about it. The kids will probably ask for it for the first few weeks, but they might get accustomed to just not having it. We usually only do it if we have time anyways, and it mostly just causes issues. I’m hoping they agree with me.

It was a very nice change of scenery for one Sunday. Every body was so thankful that i was able to step in and help out to lead large group for all four services. I guess that’s not really the normal thing over there…but since I wasn’t aware that most people only did two services, I totally stepped up. Not that  wouldn’t have other wise. Because I so would do all four services again. More sleep and more caffeine. And a cough drop or two to help preserve my voice. Hahaha.

It was fun to lead for a whole bunch of new faces. Got to meet some pretty cool kids and small group leaders. I’ll be glad to be back at Butler next Sunday. But I’m definitely looking forward to the next time I get to help out over at Providence. I made sure every one over there knew that I was willing to come back over if they were in need of an actor and would have me back, but they don’t want to burn me out. I understand that, and am very thankful for it.

I love my church and all the people who are involved with making it happen. And am so thankful I get to be a part of what’s going there. It’s a crazy amazing awesome move of God, and I’m fighting on the front lines. It’s an awesome feeling. I love it.

A Care-package for a Friend. October 16, 2008

So my best friend is stuck in a rut. She’s been battling depression for a few years now, which came as very shocking news to me a few nights ago. At first, I had no idea what to say or do, if there was anything I could say or do, to help her out of this low place. And I thought about what brought me out of my two year long depression.

Jesus Christ. That’s it. Just like her, I had every body fooled that I was okay and happy. But the turning point in my life when I actually stopped acting and started being happy was when I got excited about what God was going to do in my life. My best friend is also a Christian, always has been, always will be. And what she needs right now is a little spiritual awakening. Something to get her fired up about the potential she has and the life plan God has in store for her. So that’s what I’m gonna send to her.

I am so excited about what I put in this Spiritual Care-package. I won’t go into detail now, because if she reads this before she gets it, it won’t be a surprise. But it’s good. It’s exactly what she needs. It has all sorts of little things, and big things, medium things too. Once she gets it I’ll put up all the stuff I put in there.

I’m so glad to have her as my best friend. And I’m also very thankful that God has moved so much in my life, because I don’t think I have the power to lift her up with out His help. Man, I can’t wait to send it to her. Saturday I’m going to the post office to ship it 600 miles north. I have a feeling once she gets finished with everything in it, she’s gonna see the world through brand new eyes, hear it with brand new ears and feel it with brand new fingertips =]

 

What are you going to send your best friend? Because you should send your best friend a care-package. Even if they don’t seem like they need one. It could be just the little something they were wanting.