Cookie Cutter Friend (Part 4)

So I've been thinking about one of my best friends tonight .... she is far away. Sadness. ;( Just been thinking about how much I love her and miss her and wish she were here. ........... Yep, I'm talking about my final Cookie Cutter Friend - Shelley Chambers! :) ....... MAN! The "enter" button on my laptop is not working again! Gosh, I hate posts that are all run together! Oh well. ........ So it is hard to know where to start with this CCF. She is simply great. She has been one of my best friends since the first month I met her - just about 8 years ago. (For those who don't know, Shelley is my youth pastor's wife, and they now live in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, serving as youth pastors at a church there.) ............. Shelley is not only one of my best friends, but she is one of my mentors/role-models, my comfort (next to Jesus, of course!), one of my strongest encouragers, my second mom (even though she isn't old enough to be!), the person I tell all of my deepest longings and greatest joys and most awful hurts ... she's just someone I can share with ... and she is one of the people I adore most in this life! She has been there to listen to my hurts, my girly emotional "trauma," my joys ... and to watch me grow in Christ, in convictions, in dreams, in who I am as a person. And she has contributed to all of those areas of growth in my life. :) ......... Some of my favorite moments with Shelley have been our e-mail conversations - even when she was still here in Danville - we had some great e-mail conversations .... about boys, about love, about Jesus, about God's plan and purpose for my life, about my future husband, about growing in the midst of pain, about healing from pain, about God's word ... and the list could go on! She is the one I talk to about everything. :) She is one of the first people I turn to in any and every circumstance. Shelley is one of those people whom God cut out at the beginning of time - to be apart of my life! God knew I needed Shelley. :) .................. It is hard to think about her not being a 10-minute drive away anymore. It's more like a 6-hour drive. *Sigh* But God keeps us together. :) It's one of those friendships that will never fade ... one of those friendships that lasts even when the relationship is strained and we're apart for so long ... it's one of those Cookie Cutter Friendships. :) ...... Man, do I miss this CCF! Love you, Shelley!

Cookie Cutter Friend (Part 3)

Okay, so I did a little homework ... but I'm gonna have to do the rest later this weekend. I have been go, go, go all week! I'm taking a break! ... AND! I have another story to tell! It happened recently, and it just popped into my mind earlier today! I couldn't wait to post about it! Yes!!!

Back to the Cookie Cutters ...

This is one of my favorite moments with my bosom buddy, Emily! ... We were having a girls night at her house, and here's the story. Again, another simple one, but oh, so much fun! Emily and I rented a movie and went to Kroger for some ice cream. (Cookie Dough!) We went to the organic side of the store first ... 'cause Em's a crazy non-meat, healthy eater. (Sheesh maneesh ... ha ha!) Then we went to Fatsville or Junk Food City (whichever you'd like) - that's where I shop! ;) After she got her healthy, pretend ice cream and I got my real, yummy ice cream (he he!), we headed to the check out. We decided to be brave and go through the U-scan. I say brave because I am afraid of those "do it yourself" things ... mostly because I am too proud. I am always afraid that I'm gonna hit the wrong button, or my food won't scan, or I won't be able to find where the money slot is .... and that I'll hold up the line, or an employee will have to come help me, or the talking lady on the screen will yell at me, or something crazy ... and I'll look stupid. (If you think I'm joking ... I'm sorry. I am totally serious!) But anyways ... we must have been feeling brave. And we went through the U-scan. We put our stuff up there and pressed the screen, scanned our handy Kroger plus card, and then that scary lady said, "Welcome valued customer." I said, "thanks," and we scanned our items. Okay ... so we got done, and as we were grabbing our bags and as that lady was (still) talking, Emily turns to the U-scan machine, smiles, and waves. .... Yep ... if you didn't catch that, Emily actually smiled and waved goodbye to the U-scan! Ha ha! Way too much fun!!!!! We laughed about it all the way out of Kroger and then again when we got in the car. It was a great bosom buddy moment! ... I still think it's because that U-scan machine wouldn't stop talking ... it talks! Just like a human! How can she NOT think, for just a moment, that she should be courteous and say goodbye?!? Ha ha! Fun times.

Emily and I have had many fun moments together! Lots of goofy, bosom buddy stuff. She is great! She's my other half! We've always said that God made one being when He made us, and then split us up into two bodies. He just gave us some personality differences and some this and that differences so that we could balance each other out. Ya know ... she's a vegetarian; I eat nothing BUT meat! ;) She likes pink; I'm a big fan of black. She's sweet and conservative; I'm LOUD and obnoxious! Ha ha! We're quite a pair! :D But yeah ... I pretty much really love Emily Nicole Karas. She is my bosom buddy, my #1 role-model, my encouragement sister, and so many other things! I want to be just like Emily when I grow up! Love you, love! :D

Cookie Cutter Friend (Part 2)

Sweet! It is time for part 2 of my Cookie Cutter Friend series! (Yep! Calm yourself! I know you're excited!)

Okay! So my next CCF is Ben Nilsen! Yep, the only guy of the CCF club! :D ........ Have you ever had one of those friends whom you look up to so much you don't know what to do with yourself? One of those friends whom you are awed by because of all God is doing in their life and THROUGH their life? All the work they are doing for the Kingdom? All the encouragement they pour out? All the love and care they share? All the godly wisdom? One of those friends who pushes you to be MORE than your best? (And the list could keep going!) ........ Well, that is Ben Nilsen in my life!

The most amazing guy I know! So I had to put him on my blog ... and under the CCF posting!

Lately, he has been pushing me ... as he always does ... to step out in the ministries I'm called to - and so much further! He has challenged me to disciple! To disciple those around me. Whether they be on campus, in our group of friends, in my youth group ... he keeps asking me what I'm doing to disciple, how I'm doing it, and gives me extra encouragement and wisdom to continue. Other than Shelley Chambers, I have never had a friend do that! To push me to be MORE than I think I can be! To love me through it, encouragement through it, and help me do it all! ... And ya know? I help him too. :) It is a mutual thing! We encourage each other to step out for Jesus!

Just the other day ... wow! Yesterday! I e-mailed him to share my excitement about a couple of conversations I had on campus. Earlier in the week, Ben and I talked about ministries on campus and how to love people into the Kingdom. I asked him something like, "Ben, how do you do it? Do you just walk up to people and say 'Whatta think about Jesus?'" He kind of laughed. He simply said that he just talks to people. He goes out of his way to strike up conversations with people everywhere he goes, but specifically on campus. I got all loud and excited (as I ALWAYS do!) and told him about how I have always wanted to do that but that I'm not THAT outgoing naturally. So we talked about it some more ......... and yesterday (!), I did it! I was sitting outside, eating my lunch, on campus ... a girl sat down just a little ways off. I didn't really notice her at first, but then I just got up, walked over to her, sat down, and started talking to her!!!!!!! After she left for class, another girl who had been sitting near by sat right down next to me and started talking to me! ..... I almost fell off my seat - I was so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As soon as I got home last night, I e-mailed Ben about it! And later that night we talked for several minutes about how excited we both were!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Some of you are probably thinking, "Wow, Mical. Freak out. What's the big deal?" ;) But oh, it IS a big deal! That's the first step to REAL ministry on campus for me! ..... And I tell that story to say that I can't share that kind of excitement with anyone but Ben. ... I probably have something with each of my friends that I get excited about ... that I share with them and only them. And my (SUPER) excitement about ministry and discipleship is something that Ben and I get excited about! You all should find an excited Jesus Man friend too!

Okay ... so I am super long-winded. I can't help it! But Ben Nilsen is one of those friends who pushes me, encourages me, and keeps me goin'! I'm pretty thankful for you, Ben Nilsen!

Cookie Cutter Friend (Part 1)

Cookies! We all love cookies, don't we? I mean ... who COULDN'T like cookies!? Chocolate chip. Peanut Butter. M&M's. Oatmeal. Oreos! They are just GOOD!

Well, friends are a lot like cookies. Especially those I like to call my "Cookie Cutter Friends." Cookie Cutter Friends (CCF) are those friends whom God cut out specifically for YOU (me, in this case). (Sure, God uses them in other people's lives too ... not just mine ... but ya know.) ;) ... CCF are those friends that God planned out at the beginning of time. .... Okay. So God plans EVERYTHING out. He knew exactly which friends I would have and how amazing they would be. But ya know ... I think God "cuts out" special friends for us too. ......... I know He did for me! They each have a very specific shape ... ya know, like when you cut out cookies. Like at Christmas time! You've got your ginger bread men shape and your Christmas tree shape and your Santa shape and your ornament shape, ect., ect. :) God cuts out friends for us in different shapes too.

I have a few very special friends who take on the "encouragement shape." All of my friends make different "shapes" in my life, but the few I want to talk about in my 4-part series are my COOKIE CUTTER FRIENDS! :D

I wanna talk about Hannah Baker first ... because she was my FIRST CCF! She was the one who inspired the term!!!! She is one of the most encouraging people I know! .... Sometimes I marvel at how God put her in my life for such a time as this! God knew that I was gonna be on an emotional roller coaster for a while during this transition period of my life (COLLEGE! CHANGING RELATIONSHIPS! CHANGING LIFE PLANS!). And He made Hannah Baker to come alongside me and help me through it all in a way that NO ONE else can! (Now, don't get me wrong! Hannah has MANY talents and abilities! God didn't make her JUST for me. He made her for others too. ;) ... Okay, just making sure you know I'm not limiting this amazing woman!) ;) But anyways! Hannah Baker is amazing! One of my closest friends, and I've only known her for a couple of years. We've only been good friends since Higher Ground started ... I think. (Don't kill me, Hannah, if it's been longer .... but I think it's safe to say, that we didn't really know each other before HG started.) (Wow, I love side tracks!) Oh, man! ;) ... She is one of the first people I go to for help, love, advice, encouragement, and prayer. She is ALWAYS there when I need her!

Just last week, I called her up because I needed some encouragement. I was really down ... about one thing in particular. I called her, and she could tell right away that I was coming over for more than just some hang out time. I got there and almost immediately asked her if she could pray for me. So we sat down on the couch, like we always do when I come over for comfort. She sat and listened while I poured out my heart. She's one of those friends who genuinely hurts when her friends hurt, which is an amazing blessing in and of itself! After I got done with my pity party (ha ha!), she simply prayed for me. (She's a good prayer, by the way!) We talked a little more afterwards and then watched Alvin and the Chipmunks. ... It was just one of those CCF moments! One of my best and most cherished friends - there, when I needed her most! As she always is!

So do you have Cookie Cutter Friends in your life? Those people that you KNOW God put at your side for a purpose!? A GREAT purpose!? Yep! You need to thank God for them, and tell them how much you love them! .... I love you, Hannah Joy Baker!!!