Four North Central

Thats the name of the flag football team I belong to. I am so bruised and sore.

A few dedicated fans (aka floor counsel + 1) went to the brother’s (1 West’s) football game at Franklin park at 8 am this morning. Last night our brother sister floors watched The Mighty Ducks for kicks and it could not have been a more perfect movie to watch. For all those who don’t know, Franklin park is where Coach Bombay drove out onto the ice in a limo. We played football on the field they faked a pond out of. Our brothers played one of the hardest teams at our school: 2EP. They’re famous for having a very athletic team and they very much care if they win. 1 West does not. They just went out to have fun. So we had fun with them. Because we had just watched Mighty Ducks we had a blast doing Mighty Ducks cheers. We quacked. We shouted: “Play hard! Grab the flag! Get indignant!” We sang them “We are the champions” even though they lost 7-6 (each touchdown is a point).

Then it was our turn to play. 4 North and 4 Central combined teams to create Four North Central (which I love). We were playing 3 South. I was super nervous because girls are vicious in flag football. It was my very first game and I was playing line. We started the game off strong with a touchdown and a safety within the first five minutes. I didn’t feel like I was doing very well and I had no idea what I was doing. Thankfully, my brothers knew this and there were a few of them coaching me through the game LOL. I did have one brilliant moment when the QB faked a past and ran to the left which was my side. I grabbed her flag. I was so happy and surprised I threw it up in the air and jumped up and down. In the final few plays, they put in a girl who was about 5 ft tall and maybe 100 lbs against me. I really didn’t want to hurt her but on the second play she clawed me in the neck so I laid her flat on her back. She started to bleed. I felt guilty, but I’m told that’s how flag football is played at North Central.

In the end, we won 5 and 1/2 to 0.

Then in true Miller Girl fashion, we had a shower party.

Lifecore

Our first 4 Central Lifecore was tonight. It was a thoroughly beautiful experience between a passioniate, deep conversation afterwards to listening to Monique’s crazy stories to listening to the girls I live with talk about their desires for our community.

Jess spoke about what it means to be “authentic,” which is our floor theme. I love that I am paired with Jess this year. I wouldn’t want to work with anyone else! I spoke about how each of us is responsible for making 4 Central the community that we want it to be. We are not choosing to join an already formed floor. We have the opportunity to create it. This is OURS. The girls shared what they want THEIR floor to be. Home, family, safety, belonging, encouraging, spiritually supportive, united… these girls are amazing. Lifecore will be about “iron sharpening iron,” and with guidance from Jess and myself, Lifecore really belongs to them.

My desire is that each of us walk away from 4 Central in May having been changed because we allowed God to use each one of us in eachother’s lives.

A New Year

About an hour ago, NCU had it’s first chapel service of the new year. I love chapel and I love Dr. Anderson and, almost equally, I love the actual sanctuary room. That might sound strange but last September when a string of prayer meetings and prayer walks took place unexpectedly, I found my place to be sitting at His feet in the Sanctuary when everyone else dispersed to pray. The Sanctuary is my (along with thousands of others over the year’s) meeting place with God.

There is so much in the Bible to learn and to live by that I often lose my focus. So, every time I begin a new chapter of my life I ask God for a few words and concepts to concentrate on. Before I arrived at Allison Park Church for my internship, God told me to keep a positive attitude and never complain. Looking back on the summer I laugh because there could not have been two more fitting commands for Him to tell me. I think all the other APC interns who are reading this can say “Amen” to that lol. I have not perfected these values – far from it, actually. There are days when trying to live as peacefully as possibly leaves me crying at night from exhaustion. I know that can’t be right… I’m still working on what God told me three months ago.

But with a new school year starting up, God has given me four new words: Clarity, Freedom, Grace, and Healing. Hopefully as the year progresses, I will be able to write about what these four words look like in my life, on my floor, in the lives of others, and in areas I don’t even know about yet.