Seek First His Kingdom...

Recent conversation between That Dude and me:

TD: “How was work today?”
Me: “It was WORK.”
...Silence while That Dude is in serious thought...
TD: “You know something, that is exactly my problem with your job. I can get over the late and weekend meetings, I can get past how far it is but I will never be able to get past the fact that every time I ask you about work you respond, ‘It was work.’ It shouldn't be that way Mel.”
Me: “But it’s not EVERYday. There are some days when I come home after having had a GREAT day at work!”
TD: “I know, and I treasure those days.”
Me: (Frustrated) “Well, I’m sorry honey, I NEED this job right now. Our wedding is just a few weeks away and I’d like for us to have food to eat and I don’t want to have to live in a shelter!”
TD: (Exhausted) “I know...”

Let me begin by saying that I don’t hate my job. I love that we get to help people who are in serious need. I love my co-workers. I have a swively leather chair and business cards and voicemail and Internet. My job involves a ministry component, so I can spend time reading the bible or about church history at my desk and nobody would think it odd. I’ve sat and spoken with politicians and Directors of great non-profit organizations and I’ve added significantly to both my network and my résumé in just 3 years. But even with all of that, I look forward to the weekend (and dread Monday mornings) more often than I’d like to admit. I come home feeling exhausted but unaccomplished many nights. And while I make more than I have any right to complain about (and more than the median household income of the community that I work in!) I sometimes feel like the money isn’t worth my stress levels, you know?

And as I was putting together a blog post about God being in control, I was reminded of a verse in the Gospel according to Matthew that says that we shouldn't worry because God sees what we need and as long as we are doing the work of His Kingdom, He will continue to provide for us. (Matthew 6:31-34)

I’m not planning to quit my job, but this was a great mental nudge. I don’t NEED this job. If I lost this job tomorrow, I’m lucky enough (in huge part because of my experience AT this job) to know what resources are available to us. If I lost this job tomorrow, I have the contacts and experience, and most importantly a Daddy God to help me get something new even in a time of nationwide recession!

What does all of this mean for me? It means that it’s time to get on the ball. This is where I am at the moment, not because I NEED to be but because it’s where God placed me 3 years ago and where I’ve chosen to stay for the time being. For as long as I’m here I need to excel at what I’m doing (“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Colossians 3:23)but I also need to be open to the Lord’s movements and only stay here as long as He says I should. Then, when the time comes I need to be prepared to trust Him to guide me in whatever comes next.

You Reap What You Sow

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

(2 Corinthians 9:6-8)


This particular passage is hitting me in so many different ways right now, it is amazing!


1. You must sow before you can reap. Keeping the pack of seeds in a box at the top of the closet does you no good.

2. You reap according to what you sow, so if you plant apple seeds, don't expect oranges to grow and if you plant one seed and he plants 100, don't expect the same results!

3. Make a decision for yourself and stick to it. Don't give because you have to, give because you GET to!

4. Don't be a grumbling giver. Every time you give, check your heart and see where it's at. Be HAPPY about giving!

5. There is nothing wrong with expecting a ROI (Return on Investment) from God. If you do your part, He's more than willing to do His part!

6. Similar to the apple seed analogy, the turnaround time isn't instantaneous. You don't expect a flourishing 10 foot tall apple tree the morning after planting the seeds! You have to wait and water and prune your seed into a sapling and eventually into something that bears fruit and gives back.


I've heard/read the passage lots of times before, but as I stumbled over it today, it was like it had been written for me, right there and right then. I hope it does something for you guys too!

Six Words...

Make sure to visit Cate to see who else is participating this week!

My six words this week:

Trusting God to respond to prayers...

7 Quick Takes

Life has been an absolute whirlwind of activity lately and it's sometimes hard to keep up with writing, but since a faraway friend asked for an update, I knew I had to oblige! **I wrote this out and forgot to post it on Friday, sorry!

1. The concert is over and we took a financial loss. I still don't know what that will mean for my job, but I'm totally relaxed about it.

2. We've started the wedding planning process again. Checked out a photographer, DJ, and a bridal show at a Catering Hall, so far. The wedding party is pretty much set, except for a flower girl and ring bearer, although I'm pretty sure I'll be asking to have my cousin's daughter or my boss's daughter as our flower girl.

3. That Dude bought me a Blackberry and added me to his phone account, and despite my former aversion to all things Blackberry, I must admit, I actually don't hate it! It's WAY better than the Samsung Instinct from Sprint (IMHO) so I'm happy as a clam!

4. I have officially taken on the position of Kids' Church Coordinator for the non-denominational church that I belong to. I've also agreed to coordinate the Youth Group at the Catholic Parish that That Dude and I will be getting married at. With work and the possibility of school this semester, I've pretty much got every minute of the day taken up! But I love it, so I'm not stressing.

5. Many people have only heard about my oldest younger (step) brother in passing, but don't know much about him. First, although we aren't biologically related, he has always been and will always be my brother in my heart. With that said, I've been pretty actively searching for him for a few weeks now, and finally have some good news! He's not laying dead in some California ditch but is in fact taking the necessary steps to improve his life and I'm so proud of him. I hope to someday share his story, not today.

Also, my search has brought me two wonderful new friends that (based on my limited experience so far as well as the fact that my brother very obviously loves them both) I can't wait to repay them for all that they've done.

6. Each day That Dude manages to say or do something that makes me fall more in love with him. There had been some tension because of my stress levels, but as the fund raiser becomes nothing more than a memory, we've worked our way back into a (semi) normal relationship - well, at least normal for us!

7. The Lord is revealing different facets of His glory and mercy to me everyday. It seems though, that each time I have a glorious moment with the Lord, I get a spiritual attack that I always feel is "the worst it could ever possibly get.". I'm spending a lot of time in prayer and praising the Lord. I know that I cannot let these attacks get the best of me.

Thanks for reading!!

Monday Micro - A Godly Surprise

I've decided to borrow a great idea from C Beth called "Micro Monday". I'll even share her description since I love it!

"New series--Monday Micro. It'll be a nice, short post. Guaranteed to be one of the following--funny, profound, or neither."

After telling quite a few people that I was tired of the youth and young adult groups and that I would probably be leaving for good, I had a wonderful time with the parish youth group yesterday and God has once again managed to put in my heart the want to work with them (He is SO sneaky sometimes!) They really are a wonderful group of kids and while they can sometimes be difficult to deal with, I know that the adage "You may be the only God they see" absolutely applies to this group of young people growing up in a very urban area in Brooklyn. Seriously though, God is going to be doing all of the work, I'm just along for the ride!

NaBloPoMo - 31 in 31

Here's the plan, this month at NaBloPoMo the topic is "Thankfulness" and I've decided to make the attempt to post at least once daily for the month of December. Will you read along?

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I felt that even in my blog there is a need to put God first, so today I'll talk a bit about how thankful I am for Him and what He's done for me.

While my posts don't say anti-Christian, there little that someone stumbling across my blog would find that would tell them that I'm a God-loving, nut for Jesus either (I really am though!)

God has been my foundation all along, but there are so many blessings that I can testify to especially in the last five years including being delivered from Chronic Depression and GAD (General Anxiety Disorder), my mother truly* coming to Christ, healings, financial blessings and so much more!

So today and every day for the rest of my life I'll be thankful for Christ's sacrifice on Calvery 2000 years ago.


*My family has always been Roman Catholic and our actions in life were loosely based on church teachings, but there was always (at least for me) a little something missing. In the Summer of 2004, I had a Romans 10:9** salvation at a church picnic in Central Park NYC and that Winter my mother and sister were saved also.

**Romans 10:9 says "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."