Food for thought/More thought into our food

inspired by a friend

Creating your own 1001 Day Project

The Mission:Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

101 Things in 1001 Days
3/29/2009-7/3/2011

Green Signifies : In Process

Strikethrough : Completed

1. Go back to the Dominican
2. Run a 5k
3. Read my Bible every single morning without fail for a month
4. Visit Colorado
5. Go camping
6. Build a fire
7. Finish Jesus for President
8. Make something for someone I don't know
9. Graduate College
10. Take the LSAT
11. Apply to the University of Florida Law School
12. Go to Africa
13. Talk to the International Justice Mission
14. Visit Grant in Washington DC the Summer of '09
15. Finish an Internship
16. Go Skydiving
17. Send a Postcard to Postsecret
18. Actually learn how to play a song on my guitar
19. Build a tree-fort with my nieces and nephews
20. Go canoeing
21. Leave a gathering of friends to pray
22. Be intentional and show Jesus' love to someone I don't want to
23. Send my sister 1 letter a week for 2 months straight
24. Go on a prayer hike
25. Thank my parents for everything they do for me and for how great they are, you can't do that enough.
26. Stop downloading illegally
27. Fast from secular music for 1 month
28. Stop eating sweets from April to October '09
29. Go to an outdoor concert
30. Go on a spontaneous roadtrip
31. Make all my Christmas gifts one year
32. Read the Bible in a Year
33. Make brownies and soup for my grandma
34. See the Grand Canyon
35. Do something awesome after college, PeaceCorp/AmeriCorp/DR
36. Eat only unprocessed foods for 1 month.
37. Go Snowboarding
38. Watch the sunrise on a beach
39. Make a DR dinner for some DR friends
40. Throw together a big fundraiser for a good cause for no good reason :)
41. Climb a tree
42. Make a Carrot Cake for my dad
43. Drink 2 Nalgenes full of water for 1 month
44. Go camping in the mountains
45. Take a cooking class
46. Get a pro camera
47. Take a photography class
48. Send a package of fun things to someone
49. Not go out to eat for 1 month
50. Put $10 in savings for every task completed
51. Give $2 to a charity for every task completed
52. Get a rosary
53. Learn the rosary
54. Go to a Notre Dame football game
55. Re-read the Screwtape Letters
56. Read Mere Christianity
57. Read the Narnia books
58. Take a yoga class
59. Don't eat fast food for 1 year (1/365)
60. Write in my journal every day for 1 month
61. Take my vitamins every day for 1 month
62. Exercise every day for 1 month
63. Take my mom to dinner and a movie - on me.
64. Take my sister out, my treat.
65. Have a "chalkboard" wall
66. Write 1 thing I am thankful for every night before i go to bed for 1 month
67. Visit my cousin Jenny in Florida
68. Make a LG Cookbook
69. Say Yes to everything for 1 day
70. Give a 100% tip at a restaurant where the bill is over $10 ... and don't make the decision based on looks
71. Take 1 picture a day for 365 days, Post is on Flickr.
72. Lose 30 pounds
73. Give $ to a friend in need ... secretly
74. Have a meal and real talk with my brother Shaun
75. Take all of my nieces/nephews "out" individually for a day that's all about them
76. Watch all movies on AFI's top 100
77. Do something intentionally nice for someone else every day for 1 month
78. Start and finish writing a book
79. Get my bike fixed
80. Visit Ismelda
81. Don't spend any $ for 1 month
82. Fast, watch the Passion, and go to the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday
83. Send Merker a package
84. Participate in PFPChallenge.com
85. Go without white flour for 1 month
86. Make homemade tortillas
87. Do a Polar Bear Plunge
88. Read my personal journal from the Dominican
89. Make home-made sushi
90. Pay for a stranger's dinner
91. Make home-made strawberry jam w/ my mom's recipe
92. Raise 100 pairs of socks for the homeless
93. Donate 101 items to charity
94. Buy Alissa a new water bottle
95. Play intramural tennis
96. Try ear candling with Chris
97. Go to a vegan restaurant
98. Visit Brandae and Rachelle in Ohio
99. Share a meal with a homeless person
100. Give up texting for 1 month
101. Make a new list.

I see a generation rising up to take their place - with Selfless faith.

God is bigger than, the air I breathe - the world we'll leave. And God will save the day, and all will say MY GLORIOUS!

I ask God for my strength when I feel like I can't go on.


And He gives me it, He doesn't ask questions He just does it.


Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.

Jesus Your Love Has No Bounds

This week has been really weird for me ...
I felt very disconnected and I knew what was keeping me from full connection but I didn't do anything about it. I just kept fueling the fire for anything but Christ.
Yesterday I had a realization that Christ has to be number one, no matter what ever else is happening in my life if I neglect Jesus it will not be good for me.

I have been talking to a few of my closest friends who are struggling with relationships or lack there of. Sometimes it can feel like everyone is getting hitched, especially as we get up into our later college years. Society focuses so much on relationships and marriage it can be very discouraging. If you turn on a TV, go online, or flip through a magazine or newspaper you see many things trying to find you your "soul mate." Clever slogans and campaigns, "Wanna know if he's the one for you!?," "I found my soul mate on E-Harmony!!" "Meet local singles in your area today!" etc etc etc.

People focus so much on finding their "soul mate" that they forget to find themselves. I have spent time in my life attempting to find something that'll "complete" me on that physical human relationship level. Have we ever thought about the fact that we complete ourselves? That we are incredible people put on this earth by God to bring great joy to others... not just one other. A lot of times when you get into a relationship, or whatever it is, you focus only on that person -- you forget about others, yourself, God. Then you realize where you are and what has happened after you wake up... IF you wake up. Love is great and relationships can be fantastic, but they -- like everything else in this world, can be done the wrong way. It's a matter of finding you, and focusing on you and God. Not being self-centered, but being God centered. If you are God centered the rest will fall into place. It's about God, it's not about that person... when they say "His will be done" they aren't talking about John, or Jerome or Jenny's will -- they are talking about God's will.
Maybe God did intend some of us to be single forever and maybe that is okay. Maybe God did intend for some of us to find someone to marry and maybe that is okay too.

Maybe whether you eat, or drink, or marry, or stay single, or go workout at the SAC, or work on homework at the U-cup, or stay at home with your kids, or recycle a newspaper, or throw up from food poisoning ... maybe whatever you do, you should do EVERYTHING for the glory of God.

Amen.

God is Great!

Generally I want a somewhat captivating title to my blogs and not something too simple, I thought for a minute that, "God is Great!" wouldn't do for such a purpose... Until I thought about the fact that there is nothing simple about that at all! God is great and God is magnificent and there is no explaining Him but we all know (or have an inkling) that He is AWESOME!

He is.

This weekend was good and bad. I spent a lot of time with family and realized a bit that though I build up this awesome flawless family in my head when I actually get around and hear some of the words that are coming out of the mouths of these people (myself included) I get so sad. Sad is really the only adjective to describe it. It just gets so hard to see Jesus at those moments.

Today I got back to school and went to classes and meetings, cada dia. Tonight was different though because I got a piece of mail from my friend Steph who I was in the DR with. I can't express how much the DR has changed my life but one thing that I know for sure that God has done is given me amazing friends through this who would risk their lives to bring my life closer to Him. Anyway, I received a DVD from Steph and a note talking about how great God is and rehashed on a time when her and I were by our friend Heather's pool in Kentucky talking about the people we've lost and the greatness God has done in our lives because of it. Well this DVD is awesome, and Jesus def. tore my heart apart about the stuff I haven't given fully to Him and convicted me about not letting Him be my #1 comforter. The DVD is Hope When Life Hurts Most and it's a couple sermons by Louie Giglio. He talks about loss, and the fact that just because you become a Christian doesn't mean that your life is going to be all ups, Life Hurts. But Louie talked about the Cross, and how at that moment, being there, it had to be "worst case scenario," the God you have put all your hope in, His Son is dying on a cross right in front of you, everything seems lost. But God can use the worst for eternal good. Jesus rose from the dead! If we can see the Cross as beautiful, which is how I would describe it now, then we know God can turn ANYTHING around!!! Seriously. Think about that.
When we pass away we don't need to be brought back from the dead, WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN BROUGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD -- Jesus payed that for us and we have accepted His gift, graciously might I add.

Louie also talked about how through our lives we are broadcasting something to those who are involved with us. Our hurt can become a megaphone to amplify our message that God is HUGE and GREAT and so very REAL!

Using that pain to relate to people and help those who are suffering and show the amazing good that is God is priceless, and key.

So in a few simple words, now with a better background, you too see that -- God is Great!

Are You not the closest when it's hardest to stand...

For a while I have been wanting to update but unsure of what to write... Well I just wrote an e-mail to my sister that I think was just what I needed to hear also, So I have included it here.

First I will include my brother Shaun's e-mail...
"We all love you and think you are great. I am glad you are figuring things out. As you all know, it took me a while to figure things out myself, but one thing I did while I was figuring things out really matterred. Even though I did not know eventually what I was going to do, i still worked to improve myself and better myself in the meantime. Meaning, I did not know if I really wanted to be a pilot, but in the meantime it was a pretty cool thing to learn and it would get me a bachelors degree so I might as well get it done. When I went to lawschool, I did not know what I wanted to do with my law degree, but until I figured it out I was pretty sure a doctorate in law would not hurt me and would only put me in a position to do better things when I figured out what that was. I spent my time doing things that most other people deemed where smart things to do even though I did not know where they would lead me. You dont have to have a plan for your whole life, most of my plans have only been 6 month commitments.

Wether you realize it or not , you are doing the same things, you are sewing the seeds to success. You have 6 years and one tour under your belt in the United States Marine Corps, you completed your training for Corporal, and while defending our country you have even had the time to knock out some college credits. You have done more and learned more than most people have at your age. If I were you I would just keep on keeping on, you cant live in the past, it doesnt do anyone any good, look at all the bright things in your future, set goals and work toward them. Pray for God's guidance and set the goals, if he wants you to do it, you will as long as you bring the effort. Love you."

Now my e-mail...
His little sermon reminds me of a verse I have been thinking about a lot lately -- James 4:13-17 "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."

It's important to let God consume your life and not live for self-righteous things but rather God glorifying things in order to hear where God wants us and what we should be doing there. Even if you don't know why you are somewhere at that time you should still give 110% in everything you do, and be a good steward of what God has given you.
Last Thursday at church we talked about how we would want to be remembered, if you were to move somewhere or if you worse yet only had 60 days to live what would be our 6 word catch phrase... we had a "cardboard confessional" that was very moving -- check out this youtube for better insight on what that is, this isn't from our church but same concept shown here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niMhRvzS5aw

So after seeing that have you thought about what people could remember you by, at one point in my life ... "Addicted to drugs and alcohol..." now... "Addicted to my True Healer!"

This reminds me of a Christian song called "Here I am" by the band Downhere, one of the verses says,
"When setbacks and failures, and upset plans,
Test my faith and leave me with empty hands,
Are you not the closest when it's hardest to stand?
I know that you will finish what you began."

It's trust. We have to trust that these low parts of the road are going to better us because we CAN"T LET THEM GET THE BEST OF US! Satan can't win here! We can't let him! We have to know that when we are at our lowest He is at His nearest with His arms around us.
And we have to trust Philippians 1:3-6 which I can't think of a better group of better to apply it to than my own family, it reads ...
"I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

God planted that seed when you planted your mustard seed of faith in your heart and if you give up on Him He isn't going to give up on you, HE began a GOOD WORK and HE WILL CARRY IT ON TO COMPLETION! Once you acknowledged Him He decided that He will perfect the good that He started in you!

So don't hold back, let go and let God do His work -- because He is feverishly spending time with you and working things out for you whether you acknowledge Him or not. You know the good you ought to do...
Give a brother some credit.

Praying for you and always proud of you
-Brooke