Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.  Instead, fix your attention on God.  You'll be changed from the inside out. Romans 12:2 (msg remix)

"I should have people around bugging me and getting under my skin because without people I could not grow-- I could not grow in God, and I could not grow as a human.  We are born into families and we are needy at first as children because God wants us together, living among one another, not hiding ourselves under logs like fungus. You are not a fungus, you are a human, and you need other people in your life to be healthy."Donald Miller.

The more my partially introverted self tries to avoid this truth, the more i realize its true... its through my relationships (good and bad) that i have learned the most about God and His Love.  

Have I said yet that I LOVE MY JOB...

I actually look forward to coming to work. I wake up at 6am now... EWW and i look forward to that... I KNOW I AM WEIRD

Gregg even asked me today if i was on drugs or if I was just happier now... I am happier. I feel like for the first time the gifts match the job.  I swear if i didn't know better I'd think i was in love... ;)  Too bad my job isn't a cute boy. 

Its funny how you can spend an entire day working your arse off and still not get through one thing on your list.  HOw does that work?  Man... But i do lvoe my job and i am not complaining... just trying to figure out where the last 8 hours went...

Ok so I totally love my new job description... but oh my... i think my head might explode with information overload.  BUt hey i got to have Thai food with my friend Sid today.  THai food makes me smile really big!!!!

SO not only am I learning a new job, i am continuing much of what i did before as well as training a new staff member on the other aspects of my old job... Not good for this ADD brain but i think i am going to love doing what i am doing. 

I hope all of you Passion kids are having a great time. Thanks for the call reminding me of what i am missing.  That was nice... HAHA...

Can you take a picture of COLD... Its cold outside

Have you ever just noticed how all things weave together.  YOu are marching through life and witnessing the random moments it brings.  Not quit sure what each moment is leading to and then bam it all kind of comes together.  God has totally been keeping me in his little classroom the last several months... teaching me slowing little by little how he works, who he is, who I am in Him, where i lack, where i am gifted.  He's been showing me my strengths and teaching me that where I thought they were weakness they are now seen as strengths.

Ok well This week I have had to deal with some pretty random moments.  From no heat in my apt during 20-30degree weather to my computer completely dying, i lost 2 things that i rely pretty heavely on. But in the midst of this small chaotic weekend I got to learn a little more about myself, my friends, and my God.  All of this helped me sit down and seek God in a new way... which i am now very thankful for because in the next 5 days i have to make a pretty big decision.  With some transitions going on with my job I have been given an opportunity to restructure what i do... My job will not be the same... SO do I take the new job or do I leave?  I no longer think its a "what's in God's Will" kind of decision... but what will i do with the opportunities I am given...

So in this little web God has been weaving, i am trying to find my way... do I start over or do I stay in this web?  THings to consider. 

So many of you know about my new hypersensitive desire for photography.  I've had a lot of encouragement lately... people telling me i should pursue it more... even Gregg, my boss was encouraging me to check out working with Troy Plota who is a profesional photographer in our church who has worked with celebrities as well as major campaigns such as IZOD, Arrow, Boss, etc.  Well I was showing my Life group guys some of his stuff today and i came across this picture.  www.troyplota.com Look at the  11th picture under Personal Work.


 Then look at this one .

THis one is mine.  Is that not the coolest.  I took that picture in St. John.  Now his is better and he has a better eye but i thought it was cool. I am totally reading too much into it but it was cool to see a picture on his website and go "hey that's my picture"  Made me smile... plus he was in a place not many people have been too...

Its in the 30's outside and I have no heat.  My space heater keeps tripping the circuit... so needless to say its cold in here.  BRRRR.... ANd its only getting colder... ITs supposed to get in the 20's.... BUt i shouldn't complain. I do have a roof over my head that i pay very little for... I live in a nice neighborhood...in manhattan...   I have a million blankets that i can bundle up in... I have plenty of clothes to layer with and  I have family that i will be visiting in 24 hours so... I am not complaining... ;) WOw that was a reality check.  Like the outloud processing of that one?    

Change is good...change is good... change is good.  Someone told me today that i like change... i hope its true because my life is definitely about to change... 

Do you ever have people come into your life that immedialtely push all of your buttons. Being around them is just excruciating more because you are just two different/opposite people.  Well in the last year i have had those people in my life... and it has amazed me how now looking back I see those people in a totally different light.  They are the people that have humbled me and taught me the most.  They have so much to offer and I was to quick to judge them.  I admire them beyond measure.  THe things that pushed my buttons are now what makes them endearing. I love how God used those people to teach and grow me... HE's much bigger then me!!!

These are some of the pictures i took today with my new camera.  I love fall in this city...

Isn't she beautiful.  I finaly got one. Meredith and Carmen... now i can leave you two alone.  I love this beautiful toy about like some of my friends like Macs.  

photo from kimkmcil

You are Deb and you could drink whole milk if you
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but who's counting... not me..

It's a beautiful morning to worship our God
THis is the day
This is the day

Its a wonderful mrning to worship our God
This is the day
THis is the day

I have had this song running through my head all morning and afternoon ... well because the sun is finally out. After 8 straight days of rain and floods... the rain stopped... the sun came out and boy is the sky blue.

People are actually walking around Manhattan smiling and enjoying life in the city... its a beautiful sight...

Its also been good cause... for now Alabama is beating Ole Miss... ROLL TIDE... I spent way too much money that i don't have on clothes i don't need... I got a free diet cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper and i got to see one of my most favorite people and got to hear how he, his family and their new church plant is going. Its a good day. Tonight i get to go see the producers with another favorite person of mine. I think today is just what is needed after a week of rain... I used to like rain...

All this rain brings two images to my head... and each time that happens i laugh... so i hope those of you tired of being wet will laugh too...



photo from kimkmcil



photo from kimkmcil

Anyone want to go puddle jumping. God knows there is enough out there. I need to get some aggression out... since i am not a boy and can't hit walls... i'll just go jump in the water. ANy takers ;)

Hey seriously. i hope all of you are doing well. THose in the NYC area. Stay dry...

I am not sure what day of rain this is but i know its been close to a week if not more of straight rain and we are expecting a few more days... till sunday I believe. New York CIty in the rain is FUN... we get to walk through puddles of who knows what... subways shut down... You get your eyes poked out by umbrellas... Oh so much fun...



photo from kimkmcil



photo from kimkmcil



photo from kimkmcil



photo from kimkmcil

I wish I could edit text right now cause I would scream (in a good way) all over this page. TOday we had 440 people in church. We almost trippled in one week. We went to two services this week and started Purpose Driven Life. I just "knew" going into this series that Purpose Driven Life (PDL) was getting old... I was tired of it... and when gregg said to expect 400 I laughed at him. God is so good... and so faithful... and so much bigger then my brain can imagine. 440 people. Most of which were new... I am in complete awe of him right now.

For those concerned about my mental state this morning with 440 people and two services. I think I did a good job and I was dancing... during the service... I even smiled MANY MANY times. And guess what... the service still went well... that was sarcasm if you didn't catch that...

Ok need a nap before Chris Tomlin... i love him.

I am tired, soaking wet, over stimulated, grumpy and ready to poor myself into my bed and its only 5pm on Saturday...I still have to get through a concert tonight and 2 services tomorrow (I am going to hate 6AM)

BUT....BIG BUT... I had one of the best weeks and weekends I've had in a long time. God continues to amaze me.

First after a good week of hanging out with friends, seeing lots of shows (I’m now a huge David Gray fan), and working hard to get a huge project done I left for a weekend with 40 women from Mosaic... We went to a Beth Moore conference in Jersey (I drove a 15-passenger van and paralleled parked it by myself...) Anyway. This weekend was like the bow on a beautiful Gift god gave me. He's really been so faithful to reveal himself to me over the last 4 weeks. He brought me out of a 2 year old self-inflicted drought to a place where I am getting to know my God over again. I missed him...

THEREFORE, this weekend... was just the clincher to it all. I would put all of the take always from this weekend in this blog but I won't bore you... just know that God reaffirmed many things to me this weekend that he's been teaching me over the last 4 weeks. I am finally seeing how the puzzles of my life over the last two years (hec, the last 10 years) are fitting together to make this picture. All the good, bad and ugly relationships that I have been a part of... (personal and professional)... how my sin and my attitude affected so many people... and most of all how it over time left me missing and craving a God who never really went anywhere. I am just in such awe over who he is.

I am so excited about where he's going to continue to take me... I am excited about what His Word has to show me... I am bubbling with joy right now...even though I would love not to be around one person right now...

The rain will not get me down!!!!

You are Ephesians.


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Can I just say that I love my life group (for those none mosaic people, thats like our mid week bible study). I am so incredibly challenged every week by these men and women. We are very different people with different backgrounds. But God is using all of them to help me see things from a different perspective. Honesty and realness are so alive in this group. THe last two months have been the hardest yet most life changing two months of my 2 years in New York. GOd is so amazing and so ... i don't know... GOD... it brings tears to my eyes just recalling what he's done in my life in the last two months and how much I've grown... I am just in awe right now... sorry to spew that on all of you... some of you strangers... but wow... I love this group and I love the rough roads GOd has had me on cause boy i see the purpse behind them now!!! DOn't get me wrong... I can totally see that GOD IS NOT THROUGH with me yet but it makes me so excited about the next steps.

Tonight was Movie Night at 236 West 72nd. I haven't had one of those since the part time new yorkers left this summer. IT was a joy to have my apartment full of people. MY friend Sid kept fussing at me for not hanging out with them (sound familiar) so we were going to go to his place in Queens. Well most of you know me on Sunday... going to queens was going to be a stretch so I called him and told him I wouldn't make it so he invited people over here. We ordered GOOD new york pizza. Sid made fabulous from scratch cookies and I made from the box banana nut bread. SUCH A GOOD night. MAde me think of my friends from the summer... but I am truly enjoying my new friends. No replacement... but still nice.

Oh and 23 days till I will be basking in the Sun in the Virgin Islands. CAn't wait.