I left for work at 4:30 AM this morning and I looked at my sun glasses on the counter and thought "hmm maybe I should take them, I might want them after work....nahh the sun never comes out in michigan." As I left work at 1:30 (the benefit of going in at 5) I had a bitter sweet moment. Something like this--yay sun!--boo no sun glasses!
I got an award at work today. It is called the mug award. Basically I was sweet today working "the bar" and the coffee master (its a whole new language inside the coffee world) gave me an award because I worked so well with him and I just finished training. I did a dance when he gave it to me! Oh the things that excite me:)
I registered for classes yesturday. Im really going to be a student again. Woohoo!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
Rain...it makes me smile:)
I don't ever update anymore. I think about it a lot but I just don't do it. I never feel like there is anything really exciting to write about.
I did get a new job at Starbucks. I really like it but it is too early in the game to declare it the best job ever. Every job has always been good in the beginning. I do know one thing: Im glad I no longer am employed by good ol' Biggby. I am officially sick of that place. (Ironically Biggby is where I am currently writing to you from, gotta get the internet from somewhere right?)
I am enjoying this weather. Maybe it is actually spring. Buttt I wouldn't get your hopes up.
I am registering for classes tomorrow. I am very stoked about it.
I am reading "Believing God" by Beth Moore right now. I really love Beth Moore. She encourages me. This book is about about having an "action verb" kind of faith. It is about Beleiving God is who he says he is, that he can do what he says he can do, and that I am who he says I am. Im really being challenged by it and it is about time because I feel as though I have had a stagnant faith.
She encourages you to make practical changes in your life for a given time to further sanctify your life. Have I ever mentioned how practical of a person I am and that my favorite thing in the world is for someone to challenge me to do practical THINGS. So for now I am going to REcommit myself to not watching R rated movies, not reading non Christian books and basically not letting junk in my mind. I used to be so careful about this because I have a super vulnerable mind. If I see it or if I read it I begin to fear it or dream it or think it. I am not the person that can watch it, enjoy it and forget about it. Some people are that way and I think there is nothing wrong with that and I trust that each person follows there own convictions of what they can and can't do. But for me I am going to go back to being uber careful. My husband has chosen to recommit to this with me as well.
Im exicted. Its good for us because we have let a lot of things that we once felt strongly about slide.
I was really excited about putting pictures on here until I realized that I have very few. This new camera that I was so excited about...well I kinda forgot about it soo I will try to start taking pictures again. But don't hold your breath.
Im cold and tired. Its bed time.
Try to remember this daily with me and lets live our lives accordingly: God is who he says he is. And God can do what he says he can do. i.e. heal the blind, or the broken hearted or the sick. Do you really believe that?
I did get a new job at Starbucks. I really like it but it is too early in the game to declare it the best job ever. Every job has always been good in the beginning. I do know one thing: Im glad I no longer am employed by good ol' Biggby. I am officially sick of that place. (Ironically Biggby is where I am currently writing to you from, gotta get the internet from somewhere right?)
I am enjoying this weather. Maybe it is actually spring. Buttt I wouldn't get your hopes up.
I am registering for classes tomorrow. I am very stoked about it.
I am reading "Believing God" by Beth Moore right now. I really love Beth Moore. She encourages me. This book is about about having an "action verb" kind of faith. It is about Beleiving God is who he says he is, that he can do what he says he can do, and that I am who he says I am. Im really being challenged by it and it is about time because I feel as though I have had a stagnant faith.
She encourages you to make practical changes in your life for a given time to further sanctify your life. Have I ever mentioned how practical of a person I am and that my favorite thing in the world is for someone to challenge me to do practical THINGS. So for now I am going to REcommit myself to not watching R rated movies, not reading non Christian books and basically not letting junk in my mind. I used to be so careful about this because I have a super vulnerable mind. If I see it or if I read it I begin to fear it or dream it or think it. I am not the person that can watch it, enjoy it and forget about it. Some people are that way and I think there is nothing wrong with that and I trust that each person follows there own convictions of what they can and can't do. But for me I am going to go back to being uber careful. My husband has chosen to recommit to this with me as well.
Im exicted. Its good for us because we have let a lot of things that we once felt strongly about slide.
I was really excited about putting pictures on here until I realized that I have very few. This new camera that I was so excited about...well I kinda forgot about it soo I will try to start taking pictures again. But don't hold your breath.
Im cold and tired. Its bed time.
Try to remember this daily with me and lets live our lives accordingly: God is who he says he is. And God can do what he says he can do. i.e. heal the blind, or the broken hearted or the sick. Do you really believe that?
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
hmm...
Hi friends! I think this may be attempt number three in the past week or two to update but it just didn't work out the first few times. I have been super busy these last two weeks. I got a job at Starbucks ( I know its silly. I started training last week while I continued to work normal hours at Starbucks. That made for a very long week and I will be doing the same again this week. But then next week it will just be Starbucks and I am excited for that.
I don't really know what else to say. I have lots of pictures to post but Im not sure when I will get around to it.
Im still waiting for spring...
At least though we have seen much sun in the last week.
Well this was a very boring post...possibly I will think of more later!
I don't really know what else to say. I have lots of pictures to post but Im not sure when I will get around to it.
Im still waiting for spring...
At least though we have seen much sun in the last week.
Well this was a very boring post...possibly I will think of more later!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Pink fingernails and bouquets of flowers...
Yesturday I painted my fingernails and toenails hot pink (something I don't usually do...with my fingernails anyways) in an attempt to see something bright and pretty since outside I see only gray and white. This weather is killing me...I need sun plain and simple. I got really excited at Meijer today when I saw flowers. Mark's response was "You really need it to be summer don't you?" And it's so true. I can hardly even bring myself to wear a coat anymore because I am sick and tired of being bundled up...so please spring come quick!
Anyways, life has been good. We went to Roanoke which was a great getaway and a very encouraging trip. We came home and had about a week of normal life before I got very sick. I felt like I was the sickest I had even been but it is possible that I feel that way every time I get sick. But it passed quickly and I am feeling great now. I went to Chicago for a weekend. It was supposed to be Mark and I and two other couples but after a crazy string of events I went with Erica and one other couple. It was a great trip and I had lots of fun. We shopped, ate, watched movies and read which in Jenny world is the perfect trip. It was good to be away with another girl and just be girls. I did though miss Mark considering it was our first nights apart since we got married. Journey is going good it would be better if we could quit getting snow storms on Saturday nights. But God is bigger than snow storms so we move on and press forward.
We started our small group of "young marrieds" last week. It was a lot of fun. Im excited to connect with people in our life stage, to be encouraged by those going through the same life things as we are and to get advice from those who have been there and done that.
Mark is doing well as a full time pastor. It has been an adjustment for us but only for the better :)
But for now Im just hoping for sunshine...and a warm breeze! But until then I will just keep painting my nails and doing other things that will at least create a delusion of the possibility that maybe I will look out the window and see green grass and flowers again. Although right now it seems impossible that I will ever again see nature alive and blooming outside....
Why Michigan again?
Anyways, life has been good. We went to Roanoke which was a great getaway and a very encouraging trip. We came home and had about a week of normal life before I got very sick. I felt like I was the sickest I had even been but it is possible that I feel that way every time I get sick. But it passed quickly and I am feeling great now. I went to Chicago for a weekend. It was supposed to be Mark and I and two other couples but after a crazy string of events I went with Erica and one other couple. It was a great trip and I had lots of fun. We shopped, ate, watched movies and read which in Jenny world is the perfect trip. It was good to be away with another girl and just be girls. I did though miss Mark considering it was our first nights apart since we got married. Journey is going good it would be better if we could quit getting snow storms on Saturday nights. But God is bigger than snow storms so we move on and press forward.
We started our small group of "young marrieds" last week. It was a lot of fun. Im excited to connect with people in our life stage, to be encouraged by those going through the same life things as we are and to get advice from those who have been there and done that.
Mark is doing well as a full time pastor. It has been an adjustment for us but only for the better :)
But for now Im just hoping for sunshine...and a warm breeze! But until then I will just keep painting my nails and doing other things that will at least create a delusion of the possibility that maybe I will look out the window and see green grass and flowers again. Although right now it seems impossible that I will ever again see nature alive and blooming outside....
Why Michigan again?
Friday, February 15, 2008
Thursday, January 3, 2008
McQuiet Time
I'm at McDonald's, on my MacComputer, just finished a McShake and some McNuggets, thinking about how the McDonald's experience applies to my life. The Dollar Menu is still the cheapest meal on the planet, and the Golden Arches are one of the most recognized logos in the world. When you come to McDonald's, you know exactly what you're going to get, you know it will be cheap, fast, portable if you want. It's done YOUR way and it doesn't take up too much of YOUR time. Fabulous.
You get a different perspective when you're on the other side of the counter, though. I just finished my last shift at a "McJob." I'm glad it's over, but I'm also glad I worked that job for a while. I think people who work McJobs have a better perception of the state of their community than anyone else in society. You really see where people's priorities are. You get a glimpse of how they view life, what they care about.
And I'm telling you - it's a sad picture.
Of course, there are plenty of caring people out there. But what sticks out is how many selfish, lonely, angry, bitter people come through the doors and the drive-thru of a coffee shop (or any other McEstablishment).
Tell me this: Why do you have to roll your eyes at the minimum-wage employee who is just doing what they've been told by not taking a coupon from a different store?
Since when is the cashier's counter some sort of mystical barrier that de-personifies the person on the other side and deprives them of all feeling and rational thought?
What about me following the policies of the company that employs me makes me an "ass hole?"
Yep, it really happened. A drive-through customer didn't get a stamp on her frequency card because she used a coupon, and immediately I became an idiot, an invalid person, a stupid clone that represents the unfavorable policies of the establishment and (while we're at it) all of the misfortunes and hurts that have come through this woman's life and the lives of her two friends in the car. And I, Mark Potter, became an ass hole.
After I stamped her card and handed it back to her saying "I hope you feel good about yourself" (I'm not perfect either), I retreated to the back of the store and finally let tears moisten my eyes. Yeah, the comments hurt. But what hurt the most is that I cared about her. According to a challenge from our lead pastor, I had fasted the day before and prayed for God's heart for lost people. Nothing magical happened that day, but as God often does, He was preparing me for events to come. As I leaned my head against the wall next to the mop sink and spare toilet paper, I prayed.
"God, how did we ever get so selfish? How have we become such inward-focused, non-caring people? It's actually a GOOD thing that it was ME she treated that way, because anyone else in my position could have taken a MAJOR blow to their character and confidence, or even worse - repaid her with verbal damage of their own. God, we've GOT to change the world."
We've GOT to change the world.
People, whether you believe in God or not, you can't deny that selfishness SUCKS, and that there is at least a little bit of selfishness in YOU. In the church world, we call selfishness "sin," and sin is what makes this world terrible.
So here's my challenge, and my mission. Your life is going to suck if YOU are the one at the top of your list. You can either believe me now, or we'll talk on your death bed and I'll say "I told you so." The reason I believe in Jesus - besides the miracle of His story which we'll talk about some other time - is that HE is the one who pointed this out to us. HE knew what He was talking about, and HE modeled it. Someday soon the world will begin to change, and I intend to be a part of it.
Think of others - how would you feel if you were in their position? You've heard this before, but this time make a LIFESTYLE out of it. And secondly, find something worthwhile to live for. So many of the things that people work towards and care about are SO WORTHLESS. Good things are good things, but they're only WORTH something if they have a big-picture purpose. And I mean BIG picture purpose.
Thanks for reading. Remember, make your life count. If you have any questions, please consult the bibliography below to see what resources I started with.
-Mark- +
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. The Bible.
You get a different perspective when you're on the other side of the counter, though. I just finished my last shift at a "McJob." I'm glad it's over, but I'm also glad I worked that job for a while. I think people who work McJobs have a better perception of the state of their community than anyone else in society. You really see where people's priorities are. You get a glimpse of how they view life, what they care about.
And I'm telling you - it's a sad picture.
Of course, there are plenty of caring people out there. But what sticks out is how many selfish, lonely, angry, bitter people come through the doors and the drive-thru of a coffee shop (or any other McEstablishment).
Tell me this: Why do you have to roll your eyes at the minimum-wage employee who is just doing what they've been told by not taking a coupon from a different store?
Since when is the cashier's counter some sort of mystical barrier that de-personifies the person on the other side and deprives them of all feeling and rational thought?
What about me following the policies of the company that employs me makes me an "ass hole?"
Yep, it really happened. A drive-through customer didn't get a stamp on her frequency card because she used a coupon, and immediately I became an idiot, an invalid person, a stupid clone that represents the unfavorable policies of the establishment and (while we're at it) all of the misfortunes and hurts that have come through this woman's life and the lives of her two friends in the car. And I, Mark Potter, became an ass hole.
After I stamped her card and handed it back to her saying "I hope you feel good about yourself" (I'm not perfect either), I retreated to the back of the store and finally let tears moisten my eyes. Yeah, the comments hurt. But what hurt the most is that I cared about her. According to a challenge from our lead pastor, I had fasted the day before and prayed for God's heart for lost people. Nothing magical happened that day, but as God often does, He was preparing me for events to come. As I leaned my head against the wall next to the mop sink and spare toilet paper, I prayed.
"God, how did we ever get so selfish? How have we become such inward-focused, non-caring people? It's actually a GOOD thing that it was ME she treated that way, because anyone else in my position could have taken a MAJOR blow to their character and confidence, or even worse - repaid her with verbal damage of their own. God, we've GOT to change the world."
We've GOT to change the world.
People, whether you believe in God or not, you can't deny that selfishness SUCKS, and that there is at least a little bit of selfishness in YOU. In the church world, we call selfishness "sin," and sin is what makes this world terrible.
So here's my challenge, and my mission. Your life is going to suck if YOU are the one at the top of your list. You can either believe me now, or we'll talk on your death bed and I'll say "I told you so." The reason I believe in Jesus - besides the miracle of His story which we'll talk about some other time - is that HE is the one who pointed this out to us. HE knew what He was talking about, and HE modeled it. Someday soon the world will begin to change, and I intend to be a part of it.
Think of others - how would you feel if you were in their position? You've heard this before, but this time make a LIFESTYLE out of it. And secondly, find something worthwhile to live for. So many of the things that people work towards and care about are SO WORTHLESS. Good things are good things, but they're only WORTH something if they have a big-picture purpose. And I mean BIG picture purpose.
Thanks for reading. Remember, make your life count. If you have any questions, please consult the bibliography below to see what resources I started with.
-Mark- +
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. The Bible.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
update!
Mark and I very much enjoyed our first set of holidays but we are both thankful they are over and we can get back to a somewhat "normal" sort of life. It feels like we have been on somewhat of a vacation the last week between Christmas, no church, and new years. We were grateful for time to relax and we very very much enjoyed our first Christmas ALL BY OURSELVES! We opened presents, made pancakes, watched movies and made home-made chicken noodle soup for dinner. It was a great way to spend our first Christmas as husband and wife. We had no church this week so we with no question went back to Faith on Sunday. It was so good to be back and see our friends and family whom we miss a lot. But as always it was nice to return to our home in Grand Rapids.
Mark worked his last shift at Beaners yesterday and now he is officially the full-time Worship Ministries Pastor at Journey Church! I am very excited and proud of him.
Thats about all that has been going on here...We have some exciting things to look forward to in the next month or so...
-My 21st birthday is January 15th!
-The end of January we are going with the staff team to Roanoke Virginia for a few days
-In February if all works out we are going to Chicago with another couple
- We are doing a mass mailer for our upcoming family series in the end of January and bringing in a comedian for our next big push at Journey
-Our small groups are starting the end of January at Journey, Mark and I will be in a young marrieds group...
-We start a Financial Peace University class this month, which we are excited about as well...
Life is good and exciting right now. We are enjoying each other and still enjoying our new life here in Grand Rapids.
Mark worked his last shift at Beaners yesterday and now he is officially the full-time Worship Ministries Pastor at Journey Church! I am very excited and proud of him.
Thats about all that has been going on here...We have some exciting things to look forward to in the next month or so...
-My 21st birthday is January 15th!
-The end of January we are going with the staff team to Roanoke Virginia for a few days
-In February if all works out we are going to Chicago with another couple
- We are doing a mass mailer for our upcoming family series in the end of January and bringing in a comedian for our next big push at Journey
-Our small groups are starting the end of January at Journey, Mark and I will be in a young marrieds group...
-We start a Financial Peace University class this month, which we are excited about as well...
Life is good and exciting right now. We are enjoying each other and still enjoying our new life here in Grand Rapids.
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