Apologies and Good-byes

I wish that I could have posted a blog for each are I've done, but sadly my life hasn't really been open enough lately to settle down and write.

It has been a crazy year. I have changed almost everything in my entire life...my friend group, the guys I spend time with, my relationship with the Lord, my ministry, my busy lifestyle, etc. With each dare, I have learned a little bit more about myself but now it is crunch time because I only have 7 days left on campus and I'm about to do some of my most risky dares yet.

Here is the thing, in the past three days I've learned how little I've actually stood up for myself this past year, and I'm ready to change that. It seems like I'm not only sad about leaving, but also sad with some of the negative changes I've seen in myself this year...my confidence being one of them.

If you've met me, you probably know that I love being outgoing, meeting new people, and loving life...and I've been confident in who I am for quite some time, based off of the fact that I am a daughter of the king. That doesn't change the fact that I still struggle with having a back bone occasionally when it comes to not letting people push me around. (If you ask any of my guy friends back home they will tell you this is super opposite of who I was back in the day).

I think that you should serve the Lord and treat others with respect, but you have to also be willing to find confidence in Christ and have respect for yourself. So BIOLA, be ready for a few personal challenges this week, especially in my own relationships. Let's start outward and work in towards the heart... For starters, tomorrow is a new day. I am daring myself to get this little cartilage part of my ear pierced.

Friday will also consist of going to Disneyland, where I will take some long awaited dares :) I need as many as I can get because this is the last time you'll be hearing from me for awhile. Alright friends 7 days, your dares, my own dares, and counting down to heading home! Let's go!

--Kendra

Weekly Preview:

Friday: Ear Piercing, Disneyland (Fireworks), etc.

Saturday: Buffalo Wild Wings Challenge, Surfing lessons (?)

Sunday: KEEP 'EM COMING!

Do It.

I wish it was that easy. That you could simply make a decision in full faith that what you were deciding was the will of the Lord.

Yesterday at church, the speaker stated that to find God’s will, look to where He is working and chase after it. For the past 4 summers I have served on camp staffs ranging from Discovery Outfitters (white water rafting, hiking, rock climbing) to Tadmor’s S.A.L.T. team, to being a guest counselor.

All in all, God has been shaping me from even before I left my mom’s tummy! The best part is that He has put me in some crazy situations to challenge me and mold me into the Kendra Wise you know to this day.

Roadside week was crazy. To think that the past two months of my life have been entirely dedicated to six days of service was honestly unthinkable! Let me show you a few dares that I did during the week:

1. Kiss a frog.

2. Eat dish soap.

3. Eat dirt.

4. Do the “Wave Rider” (and ultimately fail three out of four times)

5. Eat a live goldfish.

6. Demolish an old gazebo.

7. SO MUCH MORE!

Roadside brought about a new understanding of my confidence in the Lord as well. We worked on an Indian Reservation near Porterville, CA and met some awesome people who seriously challenged my faith in ways that I loved. They just seemed to have such a beautiful understanding of God’s ruling in their lives.

Now that it is over, I finally have some time to do a bit of debriefing of my own and finally get back to these dares. I fulfilled No-Makeup march with a few bumps along the way. All in all I had about five days without makeup so to make it up I’m going to start choosing one day a week where I don’t wear any makeup at all.

It actually drastically changed how I do my makeup now, and let me tell you I threw out the majority of it last month!

My mind is scatter-brained and so is this blog but I just wanted to remind you to leave me some dares and I’ll be right back on it soon!

Talk to you soon J

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Dare of the day: Go Swing Dancing!

Top Ten Rules of Swing Dancing Learned tonight:

1. Always take a back up buddy (preferably a boy) to dance with when asked by creepy boys who are older than your father and not in the cute grandpa kind of way.

2.Never, I repeat, NEVER dance with a 27 year old from Chicago who is on the Blues Cruise (Blues=dirty sex dance move, no bueno). (No matter if it is the last song of the night or not)

3.If a boy states, "I'm easy". It is a red flag....RUN AWAY. (Even in the middle of a song)

4. Don't dare a Freshmen to pole dance for a dollar....they will.

5. Always look for a man (listen up ladies) who enjoys and isn't afraid to swing dance...super bonus points!

6. Always wear spandex shorts under your dress.

7. Never dance with a freshmen from APU who rubs last night's basketball game score in your face while doing spin moves and telling you you should work on your footwork.

8. Don't wear chucks (converse) dancing...it is a turn off for middle aged men (so sad I know). Nix that...do it!

9. Always keep an eye on your pearl necklace...mine was jacked.

10. ALWAYS HAVE A CODE WORD for your girlfriends of who to run away from...like "CHICAGO" and follow through with it :)

Oh and last but not least....always say yes when asked to go swing dancing :) I had a blast tonight and I learned some valuable lessons. For instance, although you may think BIOLA men lack initiative in dating...they are bomb at initiative in dancing. They guys literally would come up each song and grab a girl, maybe even more than one song in the night....so fun!

I also learned confidence is key. I used to swing dance last year but stopped and was super nervous going back tonight...so I gave a fair warning to any guy who asked me to dance...dumb. I usually try and hold confidence but tonight I ultimately lacked it, as if I wasn't already self conscious about the no makeup thing...I was struggling with the fact the majority of my girlfriends were out on the floor each song...while I stood with my friend looking available, but then I thought to myself something.

First of all, this whole confidence month has already been challenging, but I'm loving it at the same time. You see, it is pushing me to look beyond the whole getting ready in the morning thing. Today, I wore a dress with heels for the first time in MONTHS and people freaked out and asked what was the occasion. It made me realize that I've already been growing a ton in this area from last year. I used to think I had to get ready each day in order to look put together, but I missed a lot of the heart behind feeling put together...that which I'm trying to attain now.

I'm also learning to prioritize God time. As cheesy as it sounds, when that isn't at the point of my life...everything else, especially my confidence is out of wack. By the last song, I just let go completely and had a blast. I wish I would have learned to not give the prewarning each time and just done my thing. I miss doing my thing. I miss having time to "do my thing".

See, I work 40 hours a week with a full time schedule at school. I'm also in choir, a few campus ministries, and trying to maintain a community group and Bible study. I'm learning that for some reason I have allowed everything else to fade to the back burner of my life and put my job before everything. Now that would usually be a good thing...seeing as how my job is ministry, but instead it is already causing me to get burned out and I'm only 20.

After taking a solid look at life tonight, I'm starting to realize my schedule needs some quality tweaking. I can't remember the last time I went out like this on a night and wasn't in bed by eleven. I'm finally learning what it is like to be balanced and hopefully gain a new understanding for letting my hair down in work, just as I do in play.

Keep the dares coming... :)

Bare Naked.

Dare of the day: No Makeup March.

Aside from the one exception of Mock Rock, I, Kendra Wise will be embarking on a makeupless adventure for the next 30 days. Let me tell you, I thought giving up makeup was hard, but I've also paired it with giving up sugar as well. If I can't be a river guide this summer, I mine as well pretend I'm living as though I am!

If you had asked me a year ago to do this I would have laughed at you, peed a little, and ran away to buy more MAC eyeliner. (It's a good thing if you don't know what that is) But seriously, I used to hide behind it as a way to mask who I was. In high school, I was told that I needed more makeup to be pretty..and I used to believe that. The sad thing was that I held so much of my identity in who I could look like, not who I belonged to. (Cheesy..but you get the point)

So my gorgeous friend Katherine challenged me to go a month without makeup...and let me tell you, it is going to be awesome! I'm learning to find confidence in my own beauty (rather God's I should say) and I'm loving it. It is hard though, even when I'm just hanging in my room I'm tempted to throw on a few pounds of cover up to hide that nasty scar from sophomore year....lol okay it was a pimple and it was two weeks ago (just a bit dramatic) but the truth is that it is causing me to recheck where I'm laying my identity!

Also, today I went on a lovely BIOLA date to the cafeteria with Joey, an incoming student on my brother floor at school. I learned that dates can actually be fun (I guess it was more of a "frate" or "friend date") because out of it I gained a bomb new acquaintance and a new opportunity to hear someone's story. I also learned that I really enjoy just meeting new people, and love any opportunity to gain a friend!

So, back to life...today was seriously super hard. I woke up at 4, on a plane at 7, at school at 10, class at 10:30, lunch with Joey, class at 12:30, work at 2:30, work at 3:30, dinner w/Amanda, college group, feeling sick came home early, talk with the girls, in bed now :)

Oh not to mention a few trials here and there, some craziness mixed in with everything i have to get done this week for both my jobs, some added pressure of what i'm doing this summer (I hate that my "i's" won't all capitalize!) But I had an incredible weekend home with the family, loved seeing Rachel and Tom and the Hall family, enjoyed catching up with old friends, got a cute new haircut for spring, and even managed to get some homework done! All in all, life is good, God is great, and I'm going to bed because I don't even know if this whole blog makes a bit of sense! Sleep tight!

--Kendra

In the Glass House

Today's Dare: Vulnerability.

This morning started off beautiful. The weather reminded me of home, with the morning mist making the ends of my deep brunette locks curl. I was walking to the caf to meet with an old friend, whom I haven't actually spent time with until...well...today. As we caught up in the caf, I realized how much I enjoyed his company, and how much I wanted to pursue friendship this year in my own life.

It is crazy to me how much my friends have changed over the years. I have probably had the widest range of friends...starting with the nerdy re-enactment kids in kindergarten, to the popular clique in middle school, to the surfers, the boarders, the pot heads, the preps, the pretties, and the drama geeks up until junior year then it was the choir kids, the jocks, the asb students, and ending with the Kendra you know (and hopefully love) today.

What an incredible testimony to who God has created me to be. I can honestly say that I haven't been feeling truly used by the Lord in my life since my rafting ministry this summer. Roughly 6 months ago I started an internship at Yorba Linda Friends. It was well into the small group year, meaning that I would be stuck taking on a group of mismatched kids from high class suburbia and low class urban culture. The pairing that one would usually find a burden turned out to be one of the most beautiful arrangements that God could have chosen for me.

Tonight we were discussing "Salvation", the first lesson in our new series at church. Two of my Cypress Street girls (the urban area) were struggling with grasping the concept of a Savior. That is when the Lord began to speak, and thank God for His interruption. I told the girls to close their eyes and envision watching the Lord be whipped to near death in front of them. (I avoided being overly graphic, but still tried to make a point). I explained to them how the whips were made in those days, how Jesus was barely recognizable through His wounds and blood.

As I recalled the story, the girls expressions marked utter fear and pain for what He was going through. When I finished, I explained to them how Christ did it FOR them. (For me) I didn't want to do the tradition reciting of a prayer together, so instead I prayed a prayer over the girls and then went on to sharing that if they wanted to except Christ they could repeat after me in their own hearts, not having to say anything out loud.

My two girls, the ones whom I've been struggling with since day one accepted the Lord tonight.

As if that wasn't incredible enough, one of my students began sharing with me of the struggles she has been facing in her life, bringing me to tears by the end of her painful journey through the broken intimacy and love she has experienced.

Today's dare was simple: Vulnerability. Isn't it interesting how often we avoid being plainly open with one another? Instead we put so much pressure on playing these games. I often view this as relational flirting. No, I'm not just talking with someone of the opposite sex. I'm talking about flirting with the reality of who we are as individuals. We love to better our own appearance for the pleasures of others and even ourselves.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in a world where sarcasm was vanished, and vulnerability flourished? Where if you wanted to date someone you would merely ask them to dinner...not manipulate your way into their heart? Or where friendship was no longer a process of getting to know someone to the point where you constantly fight as a way of protection against going any deeper?

Tonight my girls showed me the power of vulnerability. It is incredible to me to see such strong witness from two girls who haven't even celebrated their 15th birthdays yet! So I challenge you...who are you? Who are you really? Are you living accordingly? Think about it.

Dare for tomorrow: Fly home to Oregon :) Pray me through!

Just Dance :)

Dare of the Day: Dance with the cutest boy at prom.

Today started out like any other Friday: 8:10 AM wake up. 8:30 AM coffee with Holly Dulaney. 9:30 AM Chapel. 10:30 AM Work Out. 11:30 AM Errands.

As the day progressed I got more and more amped about the fact that I was going to a prom tonight that supported one of the ministries on campus. I am not going to lie, my Orange and diamond dress was so nice, it cost me $899. (Whoops, forgot to add an ".", I'll let you figure it out :)

Here was the dare: Dance with the cutest boy there. You know, I was never a big fan of prom. I actually told the boys at school senior year I didn't want a date, but the day of I got asked by an incredible guy just hours before school ended. Good thing I was planning to go to another school's prom the next weekend :) Already had a dress and everything ready!

It is funny how things seem to turn out sometimes. Like tonight...the prom was so great, with a sexy live band from the 80's...or maybe they were 80....but they were amazing!

I got to dance and let loose with my girlfriends! I realized how much I missed those quality times!

Then, I did it...dare completed. I danced with one of the hottest boys I've ever seen. It was so great, I even learned a bit of salsa, thanks to you Mr. Dance Partner.

To a quality note...I came back from the dance and noticed the sprinklers were on, which by the way has always been one of my dreams to dance in a prom dress in the sprinklers. I ran around in the water and realized that I am truly blessed by the awesome life I have.

You know what else I learned tonight? I'm kind of over dares involving the opposite sex, they often turn out for the worse and I'm also on this new kick where I only go on dates with boys who ask for them...crazy I know! (You'd think I'd be nuts to go to a school where it is the opposite! Hehe :)

I hope you all had a blessed night and I can genuinely say that it was one of the best days ever!

Going to retreat tomorrow so dare me a good one!

Love,

Kendra

Friendly Reminder:

1. If you have no idea WHY I'm doing this...read post 1 :)

2.If you have a dare...write a comment on my facebook wall with it in it and I will do it.

3.The dares must be appropriate: a.k.a.: nothing that will risk my integrity.

4. Have fun!

Baptismal Diving.

Dare of the Day: Swim in a Fountain. (Location choice: Downtown Disney)

Well, I am sure a few of you at least would like to know how my Valentine's Day turned out. Let me tell you...it was one to remember :) I could probably count this as my second favorite right up there behind the time when my youth leader got pulled over by a police man and we got picked up by a gangster in Sherwood, Oregon.

But seriously though...it was more like my favorite.

Today started off with my job, and I was surprised to find one of my students had brought me a Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte (you are the best :)! Then, we had a crazy awesome worship day at nRoad, followed by a quality afternoon of watching movies, doing homework, and trying to get a grasp on what this semester will actually require mentally.

After that, we got all gussied up to go to Downtown Disney for a girl night slash one boyfriend night seeing as how only one of us actually had a legit valentine. Throughout the entire day however, I got my 3 wishes all wrapped up in a beautiful way. This morning at church I got about 50 killer side hugs! I got my coffee and to top it all off I got to see Valentine's Day..which was all about flowers hence I received my lilies!

After we headed downtown, it was time to think about the dare. This specific dare didn't have a location but we chose Downtown Disney as a prime spot. The only problem was that the only fountain worth diving into is the one by Rainforest Cafe...also located DIRECTLY behind one of the security houses...Fail.

So we decided to get a little more creative and go somewhere new :) You will see a lovely video this next week of my adventure!

Oh and we also got to have frozen yogurt and I had an incredible little valentine waiting for me when I got back to my room :) All in all, it was the best one yet. Dare completed!

Need one for tomorrow!

Sleep tight!

A Heart Shaped Mailbox.

Do you remember those mailboxes that you would make out of shoe boxes when you were a kid? You'd put hearts all over it, and on Valentine's Day, you would get one Valentine from EVERY kid in the class so you never had to feel bad about not getting any? If only life were as simple as back then...

Last night I was up until one thirty reading the end of "Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks. Let me tell you, he makes summer love seem to be one of the best things you could possibly be blessed with in a lifetime! Too bad Grease puts a realistic slap on the fact that summer lovin' happens so fast and is merely based on the fact that he has a car.

I wish I could tell you I did it. I wish I could tell you some romantic story of how my knight in shinning armor showed up today with a bouquet of white lilies, a skinny cinnamon dolce latte, and a side hug ready.

To tell you the truth, I even wish I could tell you that I wasn't writing this lovely little blog with someone in mind to fulfill that daydream, but the truth of the matter is I failed my mission of finding a Valentine. Yes, we still have all tomorrow to find someone, but I've decided to avoid defaulting to one of my many lovely soccer friends and instead taking this one for the team.

The team of course meaning me, myself, and I. But here is the thing....I am totally okay without a Valentine because today, as I was driving the PCH, wind blowing in my hair, blaring the Shrek soundtrack with one of my closest friends in the driver's seat, I realized life simply couldn't get much better than this.

The sun was setting, the road was open, and to make everything a bit better, my favorite smell in the world was as potent as ever...bonfire. As I said before, I wish I could tell you some beautiful story of love...in fact, I know I could tell you one but you'd have to promise not to place me in the category of cliche Christian girl...actually, forget it. You can do whatever you want :) I'm telling it anyway.

This week God has romanced me in ways that don't even make much sense for me. For starters, I needed to buy foundation the other day, but realized I didn't have enough money to purchase it at that time...the next day, guess what was waiting for me in my mailbox? A package from my grandma from Oregon, with...you guessed it...foundation!

Next, I got to go out to a LOVELY dinner tonight with my good friend and her sweet mom at Chronic Taco, one of my new favorite places! I also got to spend an entire day with two of my favorite people doing errands...ERRANDS! Can you imagine having friends who will literally drop everything simply to take you on an errand run to buy nothing better than shampoo and conditioner?

My life is full, God is good, and I have NEVER felt more loved.

On top of that, I got to return to my Bible study tonight, which has been kicked off in such a blessed way, with all of us finally being on the same page as far as the vision goes!

I am just so excited to see what else lies ahead this year!

I have to get to bed, and I'm sorry I didn't fulfill this dare, but I promise you that as far as what Valentine's Day is even made for....to show the one you love that you care, God has done enough for me this week to keep me content until the 4th of July! :)

Keep the dares coming...

Kendra

Valen TIME.

Dare: To find a Valentine's Date.

So, yesterday was a big success! I started off the morning in the BIOLA gym, and let me tell you a few things I learned...

1. When you go in the "Man Gym" (a.k.a.: weight room) prepare yourself to be awkwardly gawked at when you can bench press more than the guys. (Okay not really, but seriously give a girl a break in there!)

2. When you are going to walk the track with free weights: a. have a set plan of what the heck you will do with the free weights so the elementary p.e. class doesn't think you are totally inadequate.

3. When you set your goal as 4 Miles and get to Mile 3...Don't stop :) (Whoopsies!)

4. When weighing yourself always guess 2o pounds higher than what you actually way BEFORE you step on the scale to make you think you lost 30 pounds...great feeling!

It is about time I start seeing some results though, and I am very proud of being at the halfway mark! It is a bummer I had to leave "Insanity" (the video series my staff was doing) but I feel as though I'm making up some quality work out routines!

So...today's dare. You can pray for me because A. I've never had a Valentine and B. I've never really done the whole seek man out game. I'm excited though, it should be a great story of epic failure seeing as how the last time I tried to legitally flirt with someone I ended up breaking a heel...long story. But to be totally honest, I think that the whole "Valentine's Day is just a Hallmark Holiday" let's rise against it is a bit cliche. I'd rather just enjoy a fun night with my friends going to see Valentine's Day and then out for some ice cream at Downtown Disney, and if a boy (preferably of my dreams um right...) happens to join, then so be it :)

Wish me luck!

P.s.: Need a Dare for tomorrow...BE THINKING!

A Dye for A Dye

Dare of the day: Dye your hair a different color.

Last night was a success! If you see me around today you will see the lovely work of one of my closest friends, my new hair stylist :)

Last night I went into the on campus coffee shop and was dared to have the barista make me something that I didn't know what was in it. (Thanks!)

After receiving my drink, I went on my way and let me tell you that it is now one of my new favorite drinks at Commons!

I know it was simple and sweet, but that spurred me on to do a day of Situational Dares...meaning that today it is a little different and I will let people dare me on the spot to try something new! Hope you all have a blessed day, talk to you tonight!

--Kendra

Dares are Back On :)

Hello readers, thank the Lord that I'm finally back and ready to go with the dares! Sorry for the sad inconveinence of my car dying half way through launch week. I will have you know I am very pleased for the fact that my car is back and good to go and I am ready to go along with it!

Today's Dare: Dye your hair a different color.

I have so much to catch you up on in life it is crazy so before I dive into actually doing the dare, I'd like to catch you up on what God has been doing in my life.

I did it, I moved out of Horton and down to Stewart (if you aren't familiar with the BIOLA campus, no worries!). It was one of the hardest and best decisions that I've made so far. I still am going to miss seeing some of those girls daily, but I can guarantee that it has been an overall better experience for me.

I am just loving this new year. I recently have plugged in with a new friend group, whom I absolutely adore (if you watch It Takes Two you will get that comment) and am back in a singing group which has seriously rocked my relationship with Christ.

Check out these dares I've been doing while you were gone:

1. I dare you to kiss six boys for your birthday. (On the cheek of course).....Check.

2. I dare you to lose 20 pounds by May. (On pound number 8 as we speak!)....Half Check.

3. I dare you to not wear make-up for a month. (Hello March, here I come!)...On Hold.

4. I dare you to have a Valentine's Day to remember. (This one needs some work!)...Working on it.

5. I dare you to fall in love with God all over again. (This one is my favorite and has been incredible!)

#5 on the list was one of my favorites. Let me tell you, this week especially God has revealed Himself in my life in entirely new ways. Even as I write this, my heart keeps flipping in excitement of how full He has made my life this year.

If you have read "Every Man/Woman or Young Man/Woman's battle", than you know the author, Shannon (for some reason her last name is escaping me.) Well, she came and spoke at BIOLA this entire week and the moment she stood up on Monday morning, tears filled my eyes with passion knowing that she is doing EXACTLY what I want to do with my life.

Even more amazing...she has an online mentorship program that I will be partaking in next September, so please be praying for that. Then, I got to walk the track with her this afternoon and talk about our shared visions for what we would hope God has for men and women in their dating relationships.

She completely affirmed me in my calling, and shared with me that she thought I would be a solid candidate for her program, and that she sees in me the willingness to do it! I am so excited you guys, especially about life right now.

Also, my internship has now added on two hours in the college ministry at church, making it an incredible opportunity for me to share my heart with my own peers. I've loved every minute of building up my own ministry in jr. high and God has been blessing my life with more and more incredible women who have been exemplifying true faith for me these past few weeks.

So, back to tonight's dare.

I will be going back to school to meet up with my new roomie, who I have to say is one of my favorite new people! To grab some berry cool and hit CVS for a 10 dollar dye job...ya, that's right...ubber classy!

I'll let you know how it goes!

Need a dare for tomorrow....Keep them coming :)

Much love and God's blessing,

Kendra

Last Box to Move

Dear Readers,

Sorry for the inconsistency of my blogs, once the school year starts on Monday I guarantee you will be reading more and more dares, they are already backing up!

I forgot to mention that if you'd like to partake in this journey with me please let me know :)

Today I moved half of my stuff into my new room in Stewart with an awesome friend and realized that my own life at the moment is going through a move of its own.

I don't know where I will be next year to tell you the truth, and while I am moving in my life, I also find myself realizing that God is right there with me.

Tonight I was driving my friends car, which I literally prayed at every light for safety (as I always do when driving someone else's car). I started fidgeting with something on my purse at the red light.

Just the other day I was praying about a friend who got into a large wreck over the break, and I realized I've never seen someone really run a red light...to the point where it is dangerous.

As I looked back up I noticed the light turn to green, but something in my gut told me to wait a second...I usually count a few seconds regardless but this was a solid ten seconds after the light had changed or so and a car completely ran the red light, to the point where if I had gone forward at all I would have been completely crashed into and the car next to me could've gotten hit as well.

Just then I thanked the Lord so much for protecting me.

Life is kind of like waiting at that light. Sometimes all it takes is that Holy Spirit tugging on your heart to be a bit more patient before He reveals something incredible. I feel like that has been my job at church for the past few months. I continue to be surprised at how wonderful my co-workers are and what a joy it is to be on a staff that genuinely takes care of me in and out of the office.

Like the other day, a few of the girls from work invited me to Laguna for dinner and I can honestly say it was one of the best nights I've had in a good while!

Tonight's dare is a bit different. It is for the entire week.

At college group we talked about treating others as you'd like to be treated (typical golden rule verse). But my discussion group was so frustrated with how many times we say we will apply something and don't. So on my way home (before the car running the red light) I stopped at the gas station.

A man next to me began talking to me, nothing weird or creepy just small talk. In our conversation I realized I had two options, completely ignore him, or actually hold a conversation. I chatted with him about where he was headed. He was actually driving to Oregon! He said he was a truck driver for FedEx and I explained how I would love a job like that where you can travel to different states!

The conversation wasn't super spectacular beyond that point. I didn't share the Gospel or tell him to try Yorba Linda Friends church on Sunday morning, but in those few moments of small talk I realized how easy it was to just try and treat others the same way you'd like to be treated.

Tonight's dare: Ask God for opportunities to put this into practice.

Sleep Tight.

Accepting Your Own Dares.

Task 5: Owning up to asking for help.

At camp there is a challenge on the ropes course where you are blindfolded and you are led to a rope where you have to hold on and follow the rope around (sort of like a maze) in order to find the ending. The trick that the campers don't know is that the only way to get off the rope is to ask for help.

Today was definitely the day when I realized I needed to take the blindfold off and ask someone to help.

Since my car has been broken I've realized that there is a deep prideful spirit about me that had yet to surface until a drive home from Disneyland.

I've been having to rely on everyone for quite a while, and it is so hard for me to accept offers when it comes to help...especially if I have to ask for it.

I think it originated when I realized that the vibe of the majority of the people that I spent time with back in the day was that they were all "Daddy's Girls" and got almost everything they wanted handed to them. I was never one of those girls. I've been taught in live to work hard for what you get and to use what you make and be wise with how much you use.

My parents are incredible, and upon the many life lessons that they have blessed me with, using my money well was something that I had to learn by experience versus their great teaching.

I hate that I struggle with being to prideful to ask for help. I think I am just scared that I'll take advantage of someone or use too much or be a pain.

Instead of being dared something crazy today I got hit with a dare that needed to happen. Christ created us to be in relationship with one another, and He blesses us by one another. I'm heading into a new semester, new roomie, new dorm, new friends, and I'm so excited to see where God is taking me.

It is time to realize that help is only a slice of humble pie away.

Spooktastic Failure!

Task 4: Ride the Haunted Mansion Ride 13 Times.

Today's dare was one of my favorites slash one of the more difficult ones to complete. We went to Disneyland around six o'clock and hit up a few of my favorite rides like Thunder Mountain and Indiana Jones but when we got to Haunted Mansion we realized that it was a prime opportunity to live out this dare.

There was a five minute wait period, and people literally would walk in and walk out. So we jumped in line and enjoyed our first time through the spooky picture room, the crazy storm hallway, and onto the death buggies taking us into the haunted world that was one of Disney's prized creations.

The first time was wonderful. Here are a few things we noticed: 1. There is a crow in every room. This is because when the ride was first created they had decided to make the crow the narrator; however, after the ride was finished they decided to nix the idea, but leave the crows in because they are a well-known symbol of death, especially in poetry. 2. There is a hidden mickey in the party room. 3. The girl ghosts are leading the boy ghosts in the dancing: This is because the ghostly images are a reflection and when it was originally created, they forgot to switch the image so that the boys would naturally lead.

After the first time we got out, ran back around and entered for our second ride. That is when I realized we should probably just ask to stay on the ride, especially since there was only a five minute wait and it was useless to get out.

We asked and enjoyed 2 more rides. Let me tell you, you may or may not find the Haunted Mansion to be a scary ride, but if you stay on and go up around the back of the ride it is a different story. Honestly, that room alone probably freaked me out more than the ride as a whole. You enter this area that is pitch black aside from a glowing light beneath you where you can see the machine push and pull as you are guided back to the loading section. (Semi-creepy) Oh, and to make matters worse, there was a black curtain which I felt like someone was watching us the whole time!

At our fourth time through, one of the workers leaned into our buggy and told us that this would have to be our last ride, seeing as how the park was closing soon and it was unfair to continue on our great adventure. So sadly, I have to report that we got kicked off the ride after a lame 4 times; however, I don't think my mind could take another round of the Spanish translator trying to creep you out by lowering his voice four octaves. The dare was all in all a good time because my ride buddy and I had a chance to catch up on a few things and spent the majority of the time discussing life concepts and lessons we had been learning. So thank you to the dare creator for making this a memorable time at Disneyland and for marking this the first time I've ever been kicked off of a ride :)

Keep your dares coming,

Kendra

Achey Brakey Car!

Task 4: Go to Chuck E. Cheese and be a kid!

Hey guys, sad to report I'm a day off on my dares because my car broke down today. I don't have money to fix it but I was looking to sell it regardless because I work at a church 30 minutes away and have to pay about 20.00 a day to get out there. (That's bad gas mileage!)

Please pray for me that somehow God uses this situation to bring me closer to my trust in Him! I don't have much money in general but I really need to work on trusting Him through these situations as well.

Thanks guys!

Like A Melody in My Head :)

Task 3: Sing a song in front of a group of 3 or more.

So, my best friend from Colorado dared me to sing a song. The problem is that I don't mind singing songs...I just usually do them in an awful way to semi-mock the fact that I am not willing to really try in case people don't like it. I have confidence in my voice, but the truth is that I don't like when people who know they can sing really well sing EVERYTHING, causing you to feel self conscious about your own talents.

Tonight I went to 242 Group, which is the small group that I lead for junior high girls on Wednesday nights. They got to go around to different stations to connect with God in different ways. At one of the stations they were to pray with one another...that was my favorite station to watch!

Isn't it interesting how sometimes we can get so caught up in teaching other people that we forget to check ourselves? I can't tell you the last time I acted out those 6 stations in my life, and the girls only spent about ten minutes at each one...totally doable!

After group, many of the girls left when I decided to play piano for a few of my girls. As I played, I sang a worship song to my girls. They really liked how it sounded and told me I had a beautiful voice! You know, it was actually really cool because singing has always been a passion of mine, but there was something about singing with those specific girls that made it so much better than just merely performing.

Although today's dare was small, it kept me in check in realizing that God truly has gifted me in a way that I can connect with Him...by song. So tonight, I am going to try and grab a practice room at my school and own that skill by spending some quality time with Him.

Keep the dares coming :)

Into the Mud Puddles

Task Two: Play a game of mud football with jr. high students!

You know, today started out like any other day in the office. In fact, it even started out a bit better seeing as how I decided to skip starbucks today and make a nice cup of own coffee! Sometimes, it is the little decisions in life that can make our day that much better! For instance, last night after my sushi task, I was trying to start my car in the Stewart parking lot and it wouldn't shift out of park!

After turning it off, turning it on, trying almost everything I could have...(yes boys the car was on, I put my foot on the break, the steering wheel wasn't locked, my thumb pressed in the shift button, and I'M NOT CAR STUPID!!!!!!) Sorry, but if you heard half of their suggestions you'd get the hint that they may think I might be :) But I loved them nontheless, and that is what I'm getting at. You see, after realizing my car may be broken, I texted a few of my friends to try and solve the problem. One of my best friends was first on the scene, trying his hardest to figure it out, going the length of even calling his best friend from back home who works with cars.

Then, another friend immediately got online, trying to figure out what the problem really was, keeping me posted when he found out new information. The cool thing was that, regardless of the fact of my car not working, I am surrounding and blessed with some incredible friends! I went back to my room last night a bit defeated and told the Lord that I honestly had nothing left but to trust Him. Isn't it interesting how some situations, trusting God is our last resort, our "default" if you will, when in reality it would've been much easier to turn to Him in the beginning?

Well, this morning when I woke up I went to Stewart to grab a few things from my car when something tugged on my heart to try one more time. So I did...and with that my car easily shifted into reverse and I backed out! God is so good! I'm sure that you could explain what had happened by justifying the car problems with the weather conditions (raining) at this time, or the fact I hadn't driven it in a while, or even the fact that something the guys had suggested must've worked....but at the end of the day, I know what I truly believe in the situation.

SO back to my task today. After the nice cup of coffee was in hand, I settled down at my computer to start on some work when I received a phone call about going out to lunch with one of my friends, Becky. It was semi-work related, but we still got to spend the day in Anaheim touring the Hilton hotel and visiting nearby restaurants to map out site locations for our upcoming youth retreat! After that, I came back to work, now POURING DOWN RAIN OUTSIDE, to get dressed down for our mud football game!

When I arrived at the field I was a bit underdressed, wearing only shorts and a t-shirt, and began shiverring to death! NO GIRLS showed up from my ministry, but I was so pleased at the turn out, seeing as how our students had school of today! Plus a few minutes later two of my favorite staff women showed up to take action in the sport! The game was honestly one of the best football matches I've ever played.

We got to tackle one another, and it turned into one massive mud fight and sliding game, but I really do think that I proved my worth as a girl on my team! I was tackling, catching, running, and getting beaten up pretty good not to mention that I loved blocking and think I found my football position!

After the game we had a massive sliding contest, and I have to say that I've never really slip and slidded in my life before this. See, we had one at camp a few summers ago but I always just ended up sliding on my booty or waiting to play the soap games, rather than actually sliding down the hill like you are supposed to! So, it was my first true slide, and I have to say it was one of the most fun things I've ever gotten to try! So much so that I kept going back to try again!

Then we headed back to get cleaned up for our work-out, which I sadly failed to complete due to being so beaten up and tired from the football game (don't worry I'm doing cardio tomorrow morning!) And after that it was off to my friends to watch the Bachelor! I have to be honest with you, these dares aren't super intense yet, but they are truly making my days that much more exciting!

Thank you all for your posting!

Keep it up! (By the way, as the days progress, feel free to up the dares as I get more and more daring!!! Don't forget: post it as a facebook comment so I don't miss it!)

Sushi is as Sushi Does

Task One: Make Sushi. Thanks for the dare :) It was actually a rather enjoyable task but I have to start out with a quick summary of how my day went. I currently work at a church roughly 30 minutes away from my house. In order to get there on time I should leave my house around 8 am. When I started the care this morning it was 8:10....

To make matters worse, the gas was stubbornly remaining on empty, regardless of the fact that I kept hitting the dashboard repeatedly...then again by the third or fourth time I realized I was already defeated and quickly made my way to Chevron. When I got there I tried to use my gift card but couldn't understand how to work the machine...causing quite the display of my Oregon nature...marking me one of the worst fuel pumpers ever.

Then, I was headed to work when I realized I needed cardboard boxes for the art activity we were going to do so I pulled into the nearest Stater Bros and rushed in only to find myself face to face with one of the youngest looking store bag boys I've ever seen. He was sweet and tried to help but sadly I ended up leaving with only paper bags to use instead....the clock read 8:45.

Just then, I got back in my car, ran over to the church to miss the morning welcome time but still catch the group prayer and get settled down before church began. You know, when you have to sacrifice Starbucks to be on time...things get a little bit more interesting (due to the lack of alertness).

Church ended around 12:30, but the youth leaders loved the art project so much that we continued making our own t-shirts (the art project had to do with spray painting our leadership meetings' name on them). We didn't end until about 2:30 when I was then asked to go to Disneyland...which I would usually have loved to have gone but my pass has been expired for about a year.

I decided to buy a new one on the whim (which by the way doesn't mean I have the budget to do so, equaling the next two weeks of my meals consisting of top ramen and tuna) and we headed out. I also had chosen to wear flip flops which at Disneyland (slick pavement) and in the rain (even worse slick pavement) made me walk as though I had just pooped my pants the majority of the time, clenching on to my friend each step of the way. When we returned at 9:00 pm (which our ETD at Disneyland was supposed to be 7:45) we found our cars locked away in the horrible security bars of yorba linda friends. Therefore, my friend and I had to track across the campus in the pouring rain, wearing nothing but a tank top (that was my own fault...I'm just dumb) and hike up the hill to our car.

Once getting in our car we realized we'd have to off road to get out of the church parking lot (which wasn't that bad but idk what else to call it) and out onto the road where I made my way home.

Now at this time I had already planned on having sushi for dinner so I reached Albertson's at about 9:45, got to campus with the materials at 10:00 pm and thanks to Annie something or other, had the easiest time rolling my own sushi rolls from a helper pack created for girls like me who sometimes need that bit of help on days like today :) So I finished my first take in some form or another and I am pleased to tell you my stomach is satisfied, my car is luckily back at school, and last but not least I've enjoyed the day with my friends thoroughly! Catch you on the next "dare". Keep your posts coming!

Remember:

1.Think of a dare
2. Post the dare on my facebook as a comment
3. Wait and read my status updates to see what I'm doing next
4. Support by getting the word out :)

Thanks guys!

Goodnight and Goodmorning!

So, when I turn 20 years old on February 7, 2010, I will be celebrating my birth into this world. I have my parents to thank for that one of course. The thing is that life has become somewhat normal for me here at Biola University. I am a Sophomore/Junior single girl with two part time jobs, 18 credits, and just made the official Ring by Spring sign up list for spring of '12 (when I graduate). To those of you living outside of the Biola bubble, or outside of any private small university, this concept may be relatively new, but for me it is just a perk of going to the "Bridal Institute of Los Angeles".

Now don't get me wrong, a school full of men thriving and growing in their relationships with the Lord is appealing to any girl in my major, that of Christian ministry. But sadly so, I got the shaft on picking hearts apparently because mine seems to be full of contentment when it comes to dating at this time. Due to this rare occasion (which if you know me at all you know doesn't come too often), I've decided to live my life with the Lord in a new way.

For those of you who go to my school, you may know that I have been debating returning next fall. We will get to that decision later, leaving you in suspense is one of the only ways of keeping you reading of course :) But on the other hand, let me encourage you that this blog may not be one you are used to. The entries will be short (seeing as how we are college students and have no time to read such meaningless things....yet somehow we have enough time to plant and reap crops from a virtual farm land) and my writing straight to the point.

Two weeks ago when I was home I created a list of things I'd like to do in the next year of my life. I'd like to call it a bucket list, but fortunately for me I've decided to live in denial that my life could end any day and use the term "Wish List" instead. The truth? Coming to grips with the fact that my life could end any day and I haven't even done half of those things is far more depressing than assuming I still have time on this earth to figure the rest of my wishes out.

Each day my facebook status will read a challenge, or "Dare" if you will. This dares are not simply things on my wish list, while I'd like to fulfill several of them while doing this challenge, I also would like to extend the invitation to you for taking part on my journey.

That's right, you will get to be apart of this journey in a very unique way.

I am asking that you dare me to do whatever you'd like to see in this next semester here at BIOLA. Seeing as how it may or may not be my last, I'd still like to live it out in a way that gives me passion to wake up in the morning (aside form my relationship with the Lord!). So, do you dare me to move?

If so, post your dares on my facebook wall. Let me know what you'd like to see in these next 5 months. I will be blogging each night to tell you about the dare I achieved during the day, along with posting pictures and such.

Here are the ground rules: Nothing "too" illegal. (For instance, it can't involve things that are going to send me to jail but feel free to post suggestions and I'll work with them) Nothing sexual, inappropriate, or downright fowl. These dares aren't of the negative sense, like when you are in high school and want to see who can get naked or makeout the quickest. These are live challenges/dares that perhaps you yourself have always wanted to do, but haven't been able to.

I'm also asking for much support in this. I don't want to get ahead of myself too quickly, but if you'd like to see me fulfill your dare and know that it is somewhat ridiculous, let me know anyway and we can work through it! Alright....now it is up to you. Here are the steps.

1. Think of a dare you'd like to see me perform.

2. Write your dare on my Facebook wall as a comment. (Be patient, I'm also receiving dares by mail/e-mail so you may not see yours fulfilled right away)

3. Wait and watch my status updates each day to see what dare I'm fulfilling next.

4. Read my blog to hear about the experience.

5. Support me by getting the word out and having others dare me as well!

That's it! Get to daring :) and have fun!