I've had a very enlightening day. It started this morning when I had "Shiloh" by Neil Diamond in my head all morning following the creation of a new Pandora station based on Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots are Made for Walkin'". So as I was brushing my hair and complained about having it stuck in my head and Jeremy said "Who?"
"Neil Diamond. You know, "Sweet Caroline"?
"How does it go?"
::look of shock::
:hums tune & sings chorus of Sweet Caroline: met with blank stare
"Oh dear."
So then at 9 tonight I get home from my PC meeting and turn on Pandora. After a little bit a song comes on that I happen to know all the words to...Ok, I know the majority of the words to a majority of the songs on this station thanks to my oldies-loving dad. (At this present moment John Lennon (for you young people, he was a Beatle) is singing "Imagine".) Anyway, so I think "hmm, this is a perfect opportunity to impart some knowledge"...As background for non-Lord of the Rings Online gamers, there is a part of the game that Jeremy and Josh like called "PvP" (player vs player) where you can go on and play a "bad guy" like a spider or an orc or a warg. There is one particular character that Josh plays with and Jeremy plays against whose name is Mama Cass.
So I tell Jeremy, "Hey you know in LOTRO in the Moors that one character that Josh plays with? This is the real one."
His looks at me blankly--and before I go on I will say it was his idea I write a blog about this, so I'm not being REALLY mean--and he shakes his head. I sigh and say
"Mama Cass."
His eyebrows SHOOT up and he says "Mama Cass is a REAL PERSON? I thought it was a made up name."
Now its MY turn to be in shock. Oh dear. "No hon, Mama Cass is one of the Mamas and the Papas. You know, California Dreamin?"
"The Mamas and the Papas? Who?"
SIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHHHH
And for some of you who don't think that's a big deal...What about Nat King Cole? Even if you don't like the "harder" stuff, NKC has such a distinct voice!
So I am taking my husband on a crash course of the "classic" singers and groups of the 50s, 60s, and 70s...with a little help on Sunday/Monday from my expert father, so hopefully by Tuesday--or at least the end of summer--He can identify more than just Creedance Clearwater Revival. Any suggestions on music he should know can be left as a comment on as a Facebook message in my inbox. :)
As a final note, he knows the 80s & 90s better than I do, but in my defense, the only music I heard in those 2 decades was Maranatha Worship cassettes and classical radio. And kids worship songs like "Zacheus was a wee little man" and that one about being sons of Abraham. :P
Music. Part of a well-balanced educational diet. Next seminar will be identifying the works of Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart. After I brush up on it. :)
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Writing Assignment 3...A Favorite Childhood Memory
THE COUNTRY STORE
The dusty steps creaked under my tennis shoes as I scampered up to the worn wooden porch. Hands sticky with sweat from gripping the chains on the swings, and the back of my legs the color of a ripe tomato from going down the scorching metal slide, I had one last stop before going home. The screen door slammed, its hinges screeching like an angry cat when her tail is pulled. A breath of cool air brushed my face, welcoming me inside out of the bright sun. A musty smell of cinnamon, dried apples, and wood smoke filled the room.
Straight ahead was a wood stove, cold to the touch in the summer, surrounded by old crates, quilts with colorful shapes and patterns, and heavy iron tools hanging on the wall and scattered on the floor. The ancient checkerboard, with its faded red and black painted squares and round, smooth pieces, lay waiting for a rematch on a barrel in the corner. But the object of my attention was the long glass counter with the old-fashioned black cash register. Behind the glass, rows of small boxes held candy of every shape and color. Gummy worms in neon shades of green, pink, and blue, long strands of cherry red licorice next to tight braids of the black kind, and small squares of thick chocolate fudge: white, brown, and almost black. A rainbow of gummy bears sat next to shiny red disks called “penny candy” and chocolate-covered pretzels. The man behind the counter filled a little brown paper bag with a scoop of the vivid red gummy fish for the two shiny quarters my mom gave to spend on a treat.
The paper bag crackled as I rolled it closed. I followed the plinking sound of ivory keys to the back of the store for a last look at my favorite piece in the store. Standing upright in a corner against the wooden plank walls, the ancient piano played a lively tune for a quarter a song, begging its listeners to skip merrily around the toy displays. I loved to sit on the wobbly stool and pretend to play, placing my fingers on the creamy white keys as they danced up and down with the music, waiting for the part where all ten fingers crashed down at once in a rousing chord. Dum!
With a final brush of the keys with my fingers, I grasped the paper bag tightly in my other hand and scampered out to the porch. Stopping on the steps, I unrolled the bag and dug inside for a piece of candy fish. Popping the treat on my tongue, I savored the sugary sweet flavor before starting to chew. I handed the bag to my mom, grinning up at her with red candy still stuck to my teeth, and skipped down the steps to the dusty road and the car waiting to take us back home.
The dusty steps creaked under my tennis shoes as I scampered up to the worn wooden porch. Hands sticky with sweat from gripping the chains on the swings, and the back of my legs the color of a ripe tomato from going down the scorching metal slide, I had one last stop before going home. The screen door slammed, its hinges screeching like an angry cat when her tail is pulled. A breath of cool air brushed my face, welcoming me inside out of the bright sun. A musty smell of cinnamon, dried apples, and wood smoke filled the room.
Straight ahead was a wood stove, cold to the touch in the summer, surrounded by old crates, quilts with colorful shapes and patterns, and heavy iron tools hanging on the wall and scattered on the floor. The ancient checkerboard, with its faded red and black painted squares and round, smooth pieces, lay waiting for a rematch on a barrel in the corner. But the object of my attention was the long glass counter with the old-fashioned black cash register. Behind the glass, rows of small boxes held candy of every shape and color. Gummy worms in neon shades of green, pink, and blue, long strands of cherry red licorice next to tight braids of the black kind, and small squares of thick chocolate fudge: white, brown, and almost black. A rainbow of gummy bears sat next to shiny red disks called “penny candy” and chocolate-covered pretzels. The man behind the counter filled a little brown paper bag with a scoop of the vivid red gummy fish for the two shiny quarters my mom gave to spend on a treat.
The paper bag crackled as I rolled it closed. I followed the plinking sound of ivory keys to the back of the store for a last look at my favorite piece in the store. Standing upright in a corner against the wooden plank walls, the ancient piano played a lively tune for a quarter a song, begging its listeners to skip merrily around the toy displays. I loved to sit on the wobbly stool and pretend to play, placing my fingers on the creamy white keys as they danced up and down with the music, waiting for the part where all ten fingers crashed down at once in a rousing chord. Dum!
With a final brush of the keys with my fingers, I grasped the paper bag tightly in my other hand and scampered out to the porch. Stopping on the steps, I unrolled the bag and dug inside for a piece of candy fish. Popping the treat on my tongue, I savored the sugary sweet flavor before starting to chew. I handed the bag to my mom, grinning up at her with red candy still stuck to my teeth, and skipped down the steps to the dusty road and the car waiting to take us back home.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Musings
Not sure why I like that word so much. "Musings" just sounds so much more interesting than "thoughts" and far more like what I do. I don't THINK about things so much as I PONDER them...and I believe a "musing" is similar to a "pondering".
Whatever I'm doing, I promised a post weeks ago and let time run away...So while I'm in a musing mood I thought I'd take advantage. So this may be a bit of...what's the term? Stream of consciousness? Something like that. Who knows where I'll end up.
Obviously, the main focus of my musings has been this little munchkin I'm carrying. I'm 17 weeks and 3 days along...which means I have 23 days til my next appointment...Which happens to be my next ultrasound when we get a chance to see this little person again. So much growth happens between 12 and 20 weeks...I'm excited to see how this baby has developed and hopefully catch a few glimpses of personality. :) Though of course, the BIGGEST thing we're hoping to learn is whether this baby is a he or a she. While my changing shape is definitely a daily reminder that this is REAL, being able to say "he" or "she" and talk to the munchkin by name is something I'm definitely looking forward to. It's been most fascinating how my belly has developed a sort of magnet between it and my hands...I find my hand there in unconscious gestures often: cradling, rubbing, patting...It makes me laugh sometimes because I feel like i'm acting like a "very pregnant" mother when I'm barely 4 months along and--to those who don't know--barely look different!
But don't you tell ME I don't look different! By all means make a big deal out of my little baby bump! I've never weighed this much in my LIFE thank you very much, and I haven't gained all that much yet. :P
I'm not going to lie by saying "I can't wait to meet this little person"...I'm definitely not there yet and quite content to wait til September, but I AM looking forward to getting to KNOW this little person. Feeling her(him) move and kick, responding to my voice, watching Jeremy when the baby kicks HIM for the first time. :)
Right now I know just a few things about my baby and they'll never change. Our baby is very much wanted, very much loved, and very very special, whether her initials are MJB or his are ALB.* And that is where I'll call it a night. Mama and baby need some sleep! :)
*Subject to change without notice until Sept. 2010. :P
Whatever I'm doing, I promised a post weeks ago and let time run away...So while I'm in a musing mood I thought I'd take advantage. So this may be a bit of...what's the term? Stream of consciousness? Something like that. Who knows where I'll end up.
Obviously, the main focus of my musings has been this little munchkin I'm carrying. I'm 17 weeks and 3 days along...which means I have 23 days til my next appointment...Which happens to be my next ultrasound when we get a chance to see this little person again. So much growth happens between 12 and 20 weeks...I'm excited to see how this baby has developed and hopefully catch a few glimpses of personality. :) Though of course, the BIGGEST thing we're hoping to learn is whether this baby is a he or a she. While my changing shape is definitely a daily reminder that this is REAL, being able to say "he" or "she" and talk to the munchkin by name is something I'm definitely looking forward to. It's been most fascinating how my belly has developed a sort of magnet between it and my hands...I find my hand there in unconscious gestures often: cradling, rubbing, patting...It makes me laugh sometimes because I feel like i'm acting like a "very pregnant" mother when I'm barely 4 months along and--to those who don't know--barely look different!
But don't you tell ME I don't look different! By all means make a big deal out of my little baby bump! I've never weighed this much in my LIFE thank you very much, and I haven't gained all that much yet. :P
I'm not going to lie by saying "I can't wait to meet this little person"...I'm definitely not there yet and quite content to wait til September, but I AM looking forward to getting to KNOW this little person. Feeling her(him) move and kick, responding to my voice, watching Jeremy when the baby kicks HIM for the first time. :)
Right now I know just a few things about my baby and they'll never change. Our baby is very much wanted, very much loved, and very very special, whether her initials are MJB or his are ALB.* And that is where I'll call it a night. Mama and baby need some sleep! :)
*Subject to change without notice until Sept. 2010. :P
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The Promised--Though Quite Late--Post
Goodness. Quite a lot has happened in the last few weeks! I am SO immensely relieved to have my pregnancy known...Though it ended up being quite fun hiding it, at least in retrospect. I am 13 weeks today--which essentially means that Monday, the 22nd, will be THREE MONTHS and I'll be in my 2nd trimester! I've been asked a lot "You're HOW far? WHY did you not tell?!" Oh it was hard, especially after the 8 week appointment in February, but I have a very wise almost-RN sister and since SOME people knew I was able to let my guard down once in awhile. :)
God has blessed me with a relatively smooth, sick-less pregnancy so far and I haven't had any bizarre cravings...Though in February there was a week or 2 where all I wanted to eat was pizza. The hardest thing has probably been giving up my black teas, but I still enjoy a cup every now and then.
Not many people know this, but this baby is a child of prayer and prophecy, and definitely God's timing, not ours! I am often guilty of planning far in advance things I ultimately have little or no control over, of which having a baby is probably in the Top 3 of those things. :P Since we're both teachers, I thought all of our children should be born between May and July so I wouldn't miss much if any school. I know right? "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans." But with finances the way they always seem to be, it seemed to be What I Want VS. Being Realistic, Round 1,547. I kept on repeating the phrase I'd heard countless times--"If you wait to have a baby until you can afford one you'll never have one." And besides, God had never dropped the ball in providing for us and if He wanted us to have a child then He'd provide for 3 just as well as for 2. So the months went by...No May baby, no June baby, no July baby, no August baby. Hmm.
Did I write a blog about letting go of being in control? Yeah, fun times. Once again, as I had done countless times before in other areas, I lifted up my hands and said "OK, ok, I remember! Your will, not mine. I will wait for your perfect timing".
After Christmas Jeremy and I took our youth to an Encounter Retreat. It was a refreshing time for us and a wonderful time for the youth. Two of the leaders from the other churches asked us if they could pray for us, being a young couple and newly in charge of the youth. I wish I could remember their exact words, but the part that stuck out in my mind was when Pastor Nate prayed (prophesied)that Jeremy and I would be blessed not only with spiritual children (our youth), but also children of our own. Less than a month later, I knew I was pregnant with our September blessing.
I'll try and post again soon. I want to post something about Jeremy's message he gave for our youth rally last Sunday. I also want to share some things we are learning about faith and God's grace. Right now though, I need to go pick up Jeremy from school!
Blessings to you all and enjoy the delicious sunshine!
God has blessed me with a relatively smooth, sick-less pregnancy so far and I haven't had any bizarre cravings...Though in February there was a week or 2 where all I wanted to eat was pizza. The hardest thing has probably been giving up my black teas, but I still enjoy a cup every now and then.
Not many people know this, but this baby is a child of prayer and prophecy, and definitely God's timing, not ours! I am often guilty of planning far in advance things I ultimately have little or no control over, of which having a baby is probably in the Top 3 of those things. :P Since we're both teachers, I thought all of our children should be born between May and July so I wouldn't miss much if any school. I know right? "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans." But with finances the way they always seem to be, it seemed to be What I Want VS. Being Realistic, Round 1,547. I kept on repeating the phrase I'd heard countless times--"If you wait to have a baby until you can afford one you'll never have one." And besides, God had never dropped the ball in providing for us and if He wanted us to have a child then He'd provide for 3 just as well as for 2. So the months went by...No May baby, no June baby, no July baby, no August baby. Hmm.
Did I write a blog about letting go of being in control? Yeah, fun times. Once again, as I had done countless times before in other areas, I lifted up my hands and said "OK, ok, I remember! Your will, not mine. I will wait for your perfect timing".
After Christmas Jeremy and I took our youth to an Encounter Retreat. It was a refreshing time for us and a wonderful time for the youth. Two of the leaders from the other churches asked us if they could pray for us, being a young couple and newly in charge of the youth. I wish I could remember their exact words, but the part that stuck out in my mind was when Pastor Nate prayed (prophesied)that Jeremy and I would be blessed not only with spiritual children (our youth), but also children of our own. Less than a month later, I knew I was pregnant with our September blessing.
I'll try and post again soon. I want to post something about Jeremy's message he gave for our youth rally last Sunday. I also want to share some things we are learning about faith and God's grace. Right now though, I need to go pick up Jeremy from school!
Blessings to you all and enjoy the delicious sunshine!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
I Actually Have No Idea...More Movie Quotes?!
So I was going to write a blog this evening about Anne of Green Gables (again), after talking with Heidi Morgan @ NRG. I was looking at quotes on IMDB for inspiration and was reminded of the insane resemblance some of the quotes have to ones in Little Women. So I decided to share some of those ridiculous similarities, ending with a funny video of perhaps the best and most surprising similarity. :)
On Relationships:
Anne Shirley: Ruby Gillis says when she grows up, she wants to have a line of beaus on a string and make them crazy for her. I'd rather have ONE in his rightful mind.
Amy March: You don't need scores of suitors. You need only one... if he's the right one.
Anne Shirley: Why do people have to grow up and marry, change?
Jo: Why must we marry at all? Why can't things just stay as they are?
On Life:
Anne Shirley: I feel as though someone's handed me the moon... and I don't exactly know what to do with it.
Beth: I'm so full of happiness, that if Father was only here, I couldn't hold one drop more.
Men Telling the Love of their Life how to Write:
Gilbert Blythe: Maybe if you just let your character speak everyday English, instead of all that highfaluting mumbo jumbo. "Wilt thou give up thy garter, oh fairest of the fair"? Anne, nobody speaks that way. And look at that sap Percival who sits around mooning the entire time. He never lets a girl get a word in edgewise. In real life she'd have pitched him.
Friedrich Bhaer: You must write from life, from the depths of your soul!
On Marriage Proposals:
Anne Shirley: You just think that you love me.
Gilbert Blythe: Anne, I've loved you as long as I can remember. I need you.
Laurie: I have loved you since the moment I clapped eyes on you. What could be more reasonable than to marry you?
Jo March: We'd kill each other.
And more on marriage proposals...Also known as Marriage Proposals Gone Wrong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6_KQdBBbKk
Next, my favorite Amy March quotes, because she had some of the best lines in the whole movie, until she grew up and got boring. :)
Amy: He put snow on your ankle? With his own hands?
Marmee: I won't have my girls being silly about boys. To bed! Jo dear.
Amy: Everything lovely happens to Meg.
Amy: We bare our souls and tell the most appalling secrets.
Amy: We'll all grow up one day, Meg. We might as well know what we want.
Amy: I don't wanna die. I've never even been kissed. I've waited my whole to be kissed, and what if I miss it?
Laurie: I tell you what. I promise to kiss you before you die.
Amy March: We've been expectorating you for hours!
Amy March: Well, it's not like being stuck with the dreadful nose you get. One does have a choice to whom one loves.
Amy March: One periwinkle sash...Advertisements. One periwinkle sash belonging to Mr. N. Winkle has been abscondated from the wash line... which gentlemen desires any reports leading to its recovery.
And my favorite...
Amy March: Butter! Oh isn't butter divinity? Oh God thank you for this breakfast.
I'll be taking requests on which March sister or Montgomery heroine to spotlight next. :)
On Relationships:
Anne Shirley: Ruby Gillis says when she grows up, she wants to have a line of beaus on a string and make them crazy for her. I'd rather have ONE in his rightful mind.
Amy March: You don't need scores of suitors. You need only one... if he's the right one.
Anne Shirley: Why do people have to grow up and marry, change?
Jo: Why must we marry at all? Why can't things just stay as they are?
On Life:
Anne Shirley: I feel as though someone's handed me the moon... and I don't exactly know what to do with it.
Beth: I'm so full of happiness, that if Father was only here, I couldn't hold one drop more.
Men Telling the Love of their Life how to Write:
Gilbert Blythe: Maybe if you just let your character speak everyday English, instead of all that highfaluting mumbo jumbo. "Wilt thou give up thy garter, oh fairest of the fair"? Anne, nobody speaks that way. And look at that sap Percival who sits around mooning the entire time. He never lets a girl get a word in edgewise. In real life she'd have pitched him.
Friedrich Bhaer: You must write from life, from the depths of your soul!
On Marriage Proposals:
Anne Shirley: You just think that you love me.
Gilbert Blythe: Anne, I've loved you as long as I can remember. I need you.
Laurie: I have loved you since the moment I clapped eyes on you. What could be more reasonable than to marry you?
Jo March: We'd kill each other.
And more on marriage proposals...Also known as Marriage Proposals Gone Wrong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6_KQdBBbKk
Next, my favorite Amy March quotes, because she had some of the best lines in the whole movie, until she grew up and got boring. :)
Amy: He put snow on your ankle? With his own hands?
Marmee: I won't have my girls being silly about boys. To bed! Jo dear.
Amy: Everything lovely happens to Meg.
Amy: We bare our souls and tell the most appalling secrets.
Amy: We'll all grow up one day, Meg. We might as well know what we want.
Amy: I don't wanna die. I've never even been kissed. I've waited my whole to be kissed, and what if I miss it?
Laurie: I tell you what. I promise to kiss you before you die.
Amy March: We've been expectorating you for hours!
Amy March: Well, it's not like being stuck with the dreadful nose you get. One does have a choice to whom one loves.
Amy March: One periwinkle sash...Advertisements. One periwinkle sash belonging to Mr. N. Winkle has been abscondated from the wash line... which gentlemen desires any reports leading to its recovery.
And my favorite...
Amy March: Butter! Oh isn't butter divinity? Oh God thank you for this breakfast.
I'll be taking requests on which March sister or Montgomery heroine to spotlight next. :)
Monday, January 11, 2010
Through the Attic Window: Intro to Story #2
Mara lived in the attic of an old Victorian on Divinity Road, just west of Oxford. She had three sisters: Elena, Sofia, and Olivia. Since they come into this story a little, I should tell you that Elena, age eleven, had her own room above the kitchen and Sofia and Olivia, who were nine and eight, shared a room next to the steps, and these four girls did everything together. Now when you live in an old house you can never really know all its secrets, and this old house was no exception. No matter how many times Mara and her sisters tried to explore they always seemed to find something new they hadn’t noticed the last time. Mara loved her attic bedroom as long as she didn’t have to look out the window. Now you may wonder why her parents put her there when she wouldn’t look out the window, because when you have three sisters like Mara did it would have been easy to put one of them in the attic room. But you see, Mara never told her parents she didn’t like looking out the window, because she never told her parents she was afraid of heights. So we can forgive them for putting her in the attic room because they honestly didn’t know about her fear and because Mara really wanted to be in the attic, even though it was at the top of the house. One reason was that the attic was bigger than Elena’s room, which had been Mara’s room before, and the other reason was because she didn’t have to share it unless she absolutely wanted to. This was definitely a perk of being almost thirteen, and the oldest, and Mara knew it. So she covered her window with pretty curtains that let the light in and kept the view out and she went about her life.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
My Identity: Righteous, Sanctified, & Redeemed
At the Youth Encounter we had last month, I was reminded/encouraged to get back into reading the Word on a more daily basis. I definitely could relate to some of the "church kids/pastor's kids" who shared that they felt lackadaisical about reading the Bible since they had read through it so many times and I realized I was approaching it with a wrong attitude. I remember being so excited about getting my new Bible after I got married--so it had my RIGHT name on the cover--because it was FRESH and NOT UNDERLINED so I could read it (and re-underline) the verses that touched me NOW and not the ones that touched me in high school. (Not that there's THAT much of a change, but when certain Psalms are underlined in 3 different colors, it can be hard to read it without going "Oh yeah, I love that verse" and move on. Anyone else do that besides me???
So anyway, as I've been hearing ever since the Encounter, the IDENTITY/NEW NAME segment of the week was probably the MOST meaningful for several of our youth, guys and girls, with the possible exception of the Holy Spirit segment. Or I guess I should say the combination of the 2. :) And, especially considering some of what is happening in the youth ministry the last couple of months, I decided to start my revitalized appetite for the Word on a study of Acts and the Epistles, mainly in search for verses and information on the workings and operation of the HOLY SPIRIT.
So Acts was quite good...probably the best part concerning the HOLY SPIRIT was the repeated fact that with the Early Church the Spirit moved among them WHEN THEY WERE IN ONE ACCORD. Unity = POWER. So last night--which is actually the PURPOSE of this blog...Don't ya'll just LOVE my LOOOONG introductions??? :)--Anyway, last night I started reading I Corinthians. I don't remember right now why I skipped Romans, but it must have just been an urging to read Corinthians. :) And I decided to write down the verses that jumped out at me, instead of simply underlining them.
So for the sake of time and to get to the point, I'm going to share some of the verses and what they made me think of--which relates to IDENTITY and the HOLY SPIRIT. :) I'll just be using chapter & verse #s, so its up to you to remember that they are all in 1 Corinthians. :)
1.2 "To the church of God...to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints"...
I used to have an identity issue. I hesitate to say "used to" when I say that, cause I think it is a weak spot in my armour that I have to continue to be vigilant about...but I can say without a doubt that I have experienced victory in this area since high school and college. A huge part of that was in discovering that God sees His Church as SANCTIFIED. We stand before His throne not in tatters, but clothed in WHITE. No longer are we "just sinners saved by grace"...but we are SAINTS. Not slaves, but CHILDREN. Acting as less-than is not humility, instead I think real humility is knowing we are pure princesses and treating others as though they are as well, not as if we are somehow better-than. This is echoed in I Corinthians in a couple places:
1.30-31 "...of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption...He who glories, let him glory in the Lord (Jer. 9:24)".
3.21-23 "Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours...the world or life or death, or things present or things to come--all are yours. And you are Christ's and Christ is God's."
4.7-8 "For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us--and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you!"
6.11 "You were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."
Look back at 4.7-8 for a minute. THAT'S humility. Knowing that GOD is who makes us different. Unique. And GOD has given us ALL that we possess. Our job, our family, our money, our other possessions...ALL is from GOD. NOTHING have we gained through our own power, unless it be our stubbornness to realize it. But I also got something else out of 4.7...It reminded me why princesses rarely seem to have an identity complex. Sure, there are exceptions--I have a Max Lucado book about a princess who can't stay in the castle and has to experience to lows "for herself" until she can appreciate what her Father has given to and for her. Even though I don't have children of my own, I can sympathize with the parent-heart here...The desire that the children accept the blessing and safety of the parents' boundaries and not fight against them in the warped mindset that "I need to experience life for myself and make my own choices and my own mistakes." Honestly, looking back, I'd rather stay in the castle and be obliviously naive, thank you. :)
But going back to the princess-mentality. Knowing who she is. I wrote about this before. What I love about Princess Sara and Princess Irene is that they KNOW WHO THEY ARE BECAUSE OF WHO THEIR FATHER IS. Sara Crewe is not British royalty, but she probably had a clearer identity than most titled princesses. *For the record, I prefer not to use the word "real" or "actual" in reference to princesses-as-recognized-by-the-popular-press. I shall from now on call them "titled princesses". These include, but are not limited to, the modern titled princesses: Diana of Wales, Beatrice of York, Eugenie of York, Alexandra, formerly of Kent, and Anne (the Princess Royal, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II), just to name a few.*
If you prefer a non-book princess who knew who she was, I have a perfect example. Princess Alexandrina Victoria, daughter of Prince Edward of Kent. Yes, Queen Victoria. Poor thing, she only got to be Princess for less than a full 18 years, but she had the transition thing down. She didn't let her mother or her advisor Sir Conroy, to bully her into making her mother regent, but instead ruled in her own right beginning soon after her 18th birthday. Since Victoria never really knew her father, and most accounts don't make him sound all that wonderful, I will instead say that Victoria knew who she was--even after a childhood of alienation from the majority of her family--because of who her father's FAMILY was. She knew she was a royal, she knew she was a princess, and she knew--from age 11 I believe--that she was Heir to the British Throne. So she ACTED like it and she didn't let anyone tell her she was less-than. She had many flaws, some of which were only corrected after her marriage to Prince Albert, but I think the basic example is appropriate.
Now there's some verses in I Corinthians about the Holy Spirit.
Starting in 2.9, a quote from Isaiah, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him". In the same way...
2.11 "...no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God" --BUT vs 12--
"Now we have received...the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God"... (vs 16)..."we have the mind of Christ".
We have the MIND OF CHRIST and we can KNOW the mind of God, because the Spirit that is in HIM is in US! The Spirit of God--the Holy Spirit--is not just a spirit through which we worship God in an amazing way. He is not just a translator between us and God. He knows the very MIND of GOD. He is our HELPER when we are confused. When we feel lost and aren't sure what step to take. The Spirit is there to help us communicate with our Father. Because we have the Spirit in us, and we are sanctified because the blood of Jesus, we can approach the Father's throne, crawl up on our Daddy's lap, and pour out our hearts with no question of whether or not He hears us. He does! We have the same Spirit! Just the thought of this puts my heart in awe. I HAVE THE SAME SPIRIT AS THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE. I CAN APPROACH THE THRONE OF MY ADA*/ABBA/FATHER AND HE HEARS ME! I CAN KNOW THE MIND OF GOD! This does not mean I will always UNDERSTAND it...Nor does it necessarily mean He will always REVEAL more than I can handle, regardless of whether or not I think I can...but think on it. GOD, the CREATOR, the KING OF KINGS, LOVES YOU SO MUCH that He PLACES HIS VERY OWN SPIRIT inside of YOU so that YOU CAN HAVE AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
my heart and my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out Lord, my soul cries out
From the Inside Out: Hillsongs UNITED. c. 2006
So anyway, as I've been hearing ever since the Encounter, the IDENTITY/NEW NAME segment of the week was probably the MOST meaningful for several of our youth, guys and girls, with the possible exception of the Holy Spirit segment. Or I guess I should say the combination of the 2. :) And, especially considering some of what is happening in the youth ministry the last couple of months, I decided to start my revitalized appetite for the Word on a study of Acts and the Epistles, mainly in search for verses and information on the workings and operation of the HOLY SPIRIT.
So Acts was quite good...probably the best part concerning the HOLY SPIRIT was the repeated fact that with the Early Church the Spirit moved among them WHEN THEY WERE IN ONE ACCORD. Unity = POWER. So last night--which is actually the PURPOSE of this blog...Don't ya'll just LOVE my LOOOONG introductions??? :)--Anyway, last night I started reading I Corinthians. I don't remember right now why I skipped Romans, but it must have just been an urging to read Corinthians. :) And I decided to write down the verses that jumped out at me, instead of simply underlining them.
So for the sake of time and to get to the point, I'm going to share some of the verses and what they made me think of--which relates to IDENTITY and the HOLY SPIRIT. :) I'll just be using chapter & verse #s, so its up to you to remember that they are all in 1 Corinthians. :)
1.2 "To the church of God...to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints"...
I used to have an identity issue. I hesitate to say "used to" when I say that, cause I think it is a weak spot in my armour that I have to continue to be vigilant about...but I can say without a doubt that I have experienced victory in this area since high school and college. A huge part of that was in discovering that God sees His Church as SANCTIFIED. We stand before His throne not in tatters, but clothed in WHITE. No longer are we "just sinners saved by grace"...but we are SAINTS. Not slaves, but CHILDREN. Acting as less-than is not humility, instead I think real humility is knowing we are pure princesses and treating others as though they are as well, not as if we are somehow better-than. This is echoed in I Corinthians in a couple places:
1.30-31 "...of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption...He who glories, let him glory in the Lord (Jer. 9:24)".
3.21-23 "Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours...the world or life or death, or things present or things to come--all are yours. And you are Christ's and Christ is God's."
4.7-8 "For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us--and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you!"
6.11 "You were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."
Look back at 4.7-8 for a minute. THAT'S humility. Knowing that GOD is who makes us different. Unique. And GOD has given us ALL that we possess. Our job, our family, our money, our other possessions...ALL is from GOD. NOTHING have we gained through our own power, unless it be our stubbornness to realize it. But I also got something else out of 4.7...It reminded me why princesses rarely seem to have an identity complex. Sure, there are exceptions--I have a Max Lucado book about a princess who can't stay in the castle and has to experience to lows "for herself" until she can appreciate what her Father has given to and for her. Even though I don't have children of my own, I can sympathize with the parent-heart here...The desire that the children accept the blessing and safety of the parents' boundaries and not fight against them in the warped mindset that "I need to experience life for myself and make my own choices and my own mistakes." Honestly, looking back, I'd rather stay in the castle and be obliviously naive, thank you. :)
But going back to the princess-mentality. Knowing who she is. I wrote about this before. What I love about Princess Sara and Princess Irene is that they KNOW WHO THEY ARE BECAUSE OF WHO THEIR FATHER IS. Sara Crewe is not British royalty, but she probably had a clearer identity than most titled princesses. *For the record, I prefer not to use the word "real" or "actual" in reference to princesses-as-recognized-by-the-popular-press. I shall from now on call them "titled princesses". These include, but are not limited to, the modern titled princesses: Diana of Wales, Beatrice of York, Eugenie of York, Alexandra, formerly of Kent, and Anne (the Princess Royal, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II), just to name a few.*
If you prefer a non-book princess who knew who she was, I have a perfect example. Princess Alexandrina Victoria, daughter of Prince Edward of Kent. Yes, Queen Victoria. Poor thing, she only got to be Princess for less than a full 18 years, but she had the transition thing down. She didn't let her mother or her advisor Sir Conroy, to bully her into making her mother regent, but instead ruled in her own right beginning soon after her 18th birthday. Since Victoria never really knew her father, and most accounts don't make him sound all that wonderful, I will instead say that Victoria knew who she was--even after a childhood of alienation from the majority of her family--because of who her father's FAMILY was. She knew she was a royal, she knew she was a princess, and she knew--from age 11 I believe--that she was Heir to the British Throne. So she ACTED like it and she didn't let anyone tell her she was less-than. She had many flaws, some of which were only corrected after her marriage to Prince Albert, but I think the basic example is appropriate.
Now there's some verses in I Corinthians about the Holy Spirit.
Starting in 2.9, a quote from Isaiah, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him". In the same way...
2.11 "...no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God" --BUT vs 12--
"Now we have received...the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God"... (vs 16)..."we have the mind of Christ".
We have the MIND OF CHRIST and we can KNOW the mind of God, because the Spirit that is in HIM is in US! The Spirit of God--the Holy Spirit--is not just a spirit through which we worship God in an amazing way. He is not just a translator between us and God. He knows the very MIND of GOD. He is our HELPER when we are confused. When we feel lost and aren't sure what step to take. The Spirit is there to help us communicate with our Father. Because we have the Spirit in us, and we are sanctified because the blood of Jesus, we can approach the Father's throne, crawl up on our Daddy's lap, and pour out our hearts with no question of whether or not He hears us. He does! We have the same Spirit! Just the thought of this puts my heart in awe. I HAVE THE SAME SPIRIT AS THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE. I CAN APPROACH THE THRONE OF MY ADA*/ABBA/FATHER AND HE HEARS ME! I CAN KNOW THE MIND OF GOD! This does not mean I will always UNDERSTAND it...Nor does it necessarily mean He will always REVEAL more than I can handle, regardless of whether or not I think I can...but think on it. GOD, the CREATOR, the KING OF KINGS, LOVES YOU SO MUCH that He PLACES HIS VERY OWN SPIRIT inside of YOU so that YOU CAN HAVE AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
my heart and my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out Lord, my soul cries out
From the Inside Out: Hillsongs UNITED. c. 2006
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