Day One of Day Zero

The Challenge:
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 your part).

So my friend Suzy has inspired me to create my very own Day Zero Project. She created one a week or so ago and you can read all about it here. If you know me, you know I make lists... I consider it my own type of therapy. Making this list was fun and completing it will be challenging! Check out my list and follow along with me as I attempt to complete 101 tasks by February 28th, 2013.
 

1. Get scuba certified
2. Go skydiving
3. Visit Libby in London
4. Fast from solid food for 1 week
5. Go to a Dallas Cowboy game
6. Go to a Dallas Cowboy game at the new Dallas stadium
7. Spend a weekend alone on a retreat
8. Turn my cell phone off for a weekend
9. Go to church with my Mom
10. Run a 5k
11. Run a 5k in less than 23 minutes
12. Have a dinner party for more than 10 people
13. Get a new tattoo
14. Get a puppy
15. Come up with a great name for my puppy
16. Catch a fish
17. Do 20 consecutive push ups
18. Go to a wine tasting
19. Take an adult education class
20. Take 5 piano lessons
21. Write a letter for myself to read in 2020
22. Buy a plant
23. Keep a plant alive
24. Play a round of golf with my Dad
25. Go rock climbing
26. Visit AJ in college
27. Have a sleepover with Kyla
28. Get together with my step-sisters
29. Take the Glassford family to dinner
30. Run a mile in the sand
31. Detail my car myself
32. Send personalized Christmas cards
33. Go to yoga
34. Make dinner for my second family, the Casey's
35. Go to the beach with my Mom
36. Eat in a restaurant alone (without a laptop, book or phone)
37. Read an entire book in a day
38. Volunteer at a Soup Kitchen
39. Learn to change the oil in my car
40. Take Carter and Jonah to the zoo
41. Eat lunch with Kyla at her school
42. Surprise someone with ice cream
43. Blog about each completed task
44. Write a letter of forgiveness to someone from my past
45. Take a CPR class
46. Sponsor a child in Haiti
47. Bake cookies from scratch
48. Bake cookies for my neighbors
49. Go on a vacation with Maria (just the two of us)
50. Go kayaking
51. Re-do my website
52. Enter a writing contest
53. Go camping
54. Give to a friend for a mission trip
55. Buy new office furniture
56. Make new business cards
57. Get a massage, faciail, and mani/pedi in the same day
58. Visit the Farmer's market
59. Give up meat for a month
60. Read the Bible with a reading plan
61. Go on a hike with Kevin and listen to him tell me everything he knows
62. Go shopping with Sean
63. Finish Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself Study
64. Have a sleepover with my Crave small group
65. Swim in the ocean in the dark
66. Send someone a card with a hundred dollar bill just because
67. Try a new recipe
68. Purge my closet
69. Have a garage sale
70. Babysit for Layla & play every game she wants
71. Make a journal that is filled with people to pray for
72. Buy new shelves
73. Collect 10 antique books for new shelves
74. Do a craft project with Bethany Milby
75. Buy the Milby's a date & babysit the kiddos
76. Take Max & Emily out for the Cabrera's to have a stay-date
77. Take Carter out for ice cream
78. Memorize the book of James
79. Make a journal with prayers full of scripture
80. Visit the Liekweg's
81. Watch the sunrise and the sunset in the same day
82. Stargaze
83. Find my own outdoor sactuary
84. Install Russian Rosetta Stone
85. Donate to locks-for-love
86. Take a personal trainer lesson
87. Go to the Seminole Indian Casino with Dad & Maria
88. Host a tea party
89. Learn to tie a tie
90. Learn a song on the guitar
91. Dance in the rain
92. Identify 100 things that make me happy
93. Watch 10 "classic" movies picked out by the Henley's
94. Go Salsa Dancing
95. Find an intern for my business
96. Take a spontaneous road trip
97. Go to a Gator game
98. Buy myself flowers
99. Learn to drive a stick-shift
100. Host a foreign exchange student
101. Pay off my car

 

Craving Jesus

Tonight was my first night attended Crave. Crave is the high school youth group at Summit Church. For some time now, I have been trying to figure out what to do with my Tuesday nights. I was going to Crew so many times a week and realized I wasn't doing much to pour into others. I tried Ignite, I babysat a lot, considered Young Life... but didn't hear anything from God. I waited and waited... and didn't commit (which is strange for me). Finally, I was talking to April (my wonderfully young mentor) and complaining about wanting to give up BigEnuf and KidZone but that I felt like I wasn't doing anything else for others... she recommeded me to try Ignite or Crave and work with younger girls who would look up to me. I thought about Ignite, but honestly wasn't too pumped about serving there / didn't feel like I was 'qualified' enough. I started getting really excited about Crave after I emailed the youth pastor who told me there was a need for a 10th grade small group leader. A woman at the church, Desiree called me a few days later telling me a funny story about her daughter, Tessa, wanting me to be her small group leader awhile ago... which is pretty weird because I wasn't even thinking about it then! Tessa is an awesome girl and I am excited to get to know her and her friends better!
Tonight we learned about prayer and the importance of it. The small group discussion wasn't too organic...but I will pray that it gets easier and better with time. These girls are sharp too! One of them started asking me a question about the Old Testament and I totally didn't have the answer and Tessa spoke up and answered (I am pretty sure it went undetected). During the message I thought about where I was when I was their age in high school. Man, I was lost. I started to tear up thinking that some of these students are where I was. I went to church and youth group but I still chose to make horrible decisions.
Lord I pray that I can make a difference in the lives of these girls in my small group and others within Crave. I pray that you would use me to be an intentional part of their lives and that their hearts and eyes would be open to your love. Stir in the hearts of the students that don't know you and prepare the leaders that are pouring into the lives of those there. Take away my own will and my words, I pray that you would only allow me to speak your Truth and that you lead me all the way through.

Becoming a bit more selfish...

Tonight I went to the conclusion to a special series in Crew about our roles as Men and Women. I'll be honest, I had expectations about tonight. I have listened to many sermons about marriage and what my role should look like. I've spent a lot of time around Godly married couples, I have talked to pastors, pastors' wives, read books, prayed and studied about what it looks like to be a Godly wife. I really, truly desire to be a wife that glorifies God. I know all the 'things' to do and I love to learn about 'how to be'. (I may even go as far as to say that I love rules.) I was excited tonight, ready to hear something new or a verse analyzed further than I had read it. Something to "broaden" my study.
I was kind of skeptical as I was sitting, listening, taking notes- waiting for the epiphany to hit me! To be honest, I didn't seem to hear anything new... or exciting. A lot of the lessons I have read in the Bible- which are extremely important...but, again, I was looking for new! I know that wives are supposed to respect your husbands and serve them by being suitable helpers. I know that husbands are to love their wives and serve her by providing for her. Got it. Marriage works when you keep your identity, rely on God, be selfless...etc, etc, etc.
Then enters my epiphany. Todd says, the world has this idea of selflessness all wrong. (Actually, I am pretty sure he said this jacked up idea, but I am the writer here.) The most important part of being selfless, is being selfish about your TIME with Christ.
Somehow, I have missed this. And I am embarrassed to say that I just didn't think of it.
Every night I set my alarm to wake up early and have quiet time with God in the morning. Sometimes I do it. A lot of times I don't. I will sleep in... or sometimes I even get up and start getting ready and think, oh, I'll just do it later. But then I don't. I get wrapped up in getting to work, or meeting with someone or going somewhere. And then I have this guilt problem where I think I have already messed it up so its easier to just put it off and do it right tomorrow.
I think about keeping up with my friendships, with the ladies in my life that pour into me, the ladies that I pour into, spending time with my family, coaching soccer, serving in ministries, having people at my house, going to church, working and all of these things, that aren't bad things. They are definitely good things. But if I am not growing in my relationship with Christ and pursuing him daily then they are just things- just actions, motions. I will be even more honest here and say that sometimes I do them out of my own selfish ambition and vain conceit- specifically what the Word tells us not to do. I think, oh, I can do this, I will help you do this, I will serve here- people can rely on me- I am the girl that never says no.
That is okay if I do all those things or are involved in all those ministries... but if I am not pursuing Christ everyday- every morning- then I am just wasting my time. I am just trying to make myself look good. In order to be the servant God wants me to be, I must seek Him every morning through prayer, reading His Word and resting in the relationship with my Savior.

Ultimately, I should go into work everyday with the ability to answer the question,

What has God taught me today?

I went tonight to learn more about marriage and how to be a Godly wife. There is no font or italic or bold or underline that can emphasize how big this lesson is for me. The great characteristic I can have as a wife, a mother, a woman in general, is to Love the Lord-my God- with all my heart, with all my mind, and with all my soul. That definitely wasn't the lesson I expected receiving after tonight... but my gracious and mighty God works in ways that are unimaginable and inexplicable. Praise God for always keeping me on my toes!
(I'm of to set my alarm clock and pray that the Lord would have my neighbors jackhammering at 6am.)