HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

ok. so, i thought i should say something brilliant about the new year coming and how twenty ten was a good year and maybe tell you all my new year's resolutions.
the only problem is i have nothing brilliant to say and i have no new year's resolutions.
how 'bout that for exciting.
well, actually i could make up some things to say. would you like that? you'd like that very much? i thought so. (hahah! classic cleache' (that's supposed to say cliche only i spelled it wrong-please bare [or is it bear?] with me...i don't have much training in spelling French) ok, here goes nothin':

new year's resolution #1-spend more time with family and friends
new year's resolution #2-get fit
new year's resolution #3-"tame the bulge"
new year's resolution #4-quit smoking
new year's resolution #5-enjoy life more
new year's resolution #6-world peace
new year's resolution #7-get out of debt!
new year's resolution #8-learn something new
new year's resolution #9-help others
new year's resolution #10-get oranized

those aren't actually my new year's resolutions (although some of them aren't bad)...i just looked up "most common new year's resolutions" and that's what came up...except #6, that's my own creation.

and that's my brilliant post! have a good new year's eve, new year's day, new year and life!!

this is SJ-signing out!

clementine seeds

I think the clementine people enjoy tricking us, their loyal, unsuspecting customers. They look all innocent, packaging their bright orange spheres of delicious juicyness in little wood boxes with mesh tops or little holey bags, but no, they are out to get us! By labeling their fruits as "seedless" they are simply trying to brainwash us all into the belief that their clementines are without the nasty, crunchy seeds that are bound to ruin a perfectly scrumptious snack. They are not seedless! How can they, after all, be sure that their clementines are with out seeds?! There is no x-ray machine that they process their clementines through to make sure that they are perfectly with out seeds. There is no way of pinching or feeling them to make sure that there are no seeds contaminating the juicey goodness. There is NO way of knowing whether or not the clementines are in fact SEEDLESS!!!! How could they label their clementines "seedless" if they are not positive?! And yet, how could we, the loyal consumers of such refreshing fruit, be so naive to believe that the clementines are perfect and with out seed. How could we, the eaters of the scrumptious snack, the tasters of the orange spheres, the slurpers of such refreshing juice that so tastefully squirts from the orange wedges of splendor, how could we be so gullible, so ignorant to believe such claims?! The next time you excitedly reach for a clementine do not be surprised if, as you enjoy the savory flavor of a juicy wedge, you crunch on a nasty, seed. Together, we can ruin the clementine producers fun by expecting the inevitable and not believing their "seedless" claim.




(disclaimer: I don't actually know if anyone markets their clementines as seedless...it just sounded good...but I have fallen victim to the disappointment of biting into a clementine and finding it infested with a big ugly seed....)

SNOW!!

 here are some pictures i took of the snow....and my sister. :)

my sister in the snow

i was going to add a caption to this one, but i thought it was pretty self-explanatory.

my sister taking pictures in the snow...yes, i took a picture of her taking a picture.

it really wasn't this dark out...i just took a picture with the flash and this is how it turned out. :)

you are beautiful.

random

i just thought i should post.

here are some random facts about today

~It snowed-like, really snowed-for the first time this year
~I just sent 23 emails to myself
~According to dictionary.com the word of the day today is caliginous and is an adjective meaning "Misty; dim; dark."
~CHRISTMAS IS SATURDAY!!! 
~that's all i can think of...now i need to go take a science test...blech

lama (i meant to write "lame" [because that's what i thought this post would be] except I wrote "lama" which is actually "llama" spelled wrong. And then I decided to make this whole post the title because that will be less lame than I had orginally thought. so here is my post, because i had nothing better to write. and here my post (which is really just a title) shall end.

O Holy Night

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

 

Fall on your knees! O hear the angels' voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

 

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here come the wise men from Orient land.

The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials born to be our friend.

 

He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!

 

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy name.

 

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

 
(I read these lyrics recently and realized that I really liked them. It's so easy to just sing the words of familiar songs without thinking about them and noticing how masterfully they are put together. Don't miss the beautiful poetry of this song.)

beat of life

 the dribble is my

heartbeat

the bounce pass

and it skips a thump

the swish is my

bloodflow

the rebound

and it rushes

the layup is my

breathintake

the leap

and I hold my exhale.

Heartbeat. Bloodflow. Breath. Life.

for the love of the game.

the pain in my

heart

is from

suicides-

I hate suicides.

the jelly in my

legs

is from

suicides-

I hate suicides.

the pounding in my

ears

is from 
suicides-

I hate suicides.

but I'll do them anyway.

hey ya'll

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! 

enjoy your food!

and he delights in me

I am just a falling flower, 

like grass that withers, 

a wave tossed upon the sea or 

a breath upon the wind.

and yet

“I am burning with jealousy for her”

he wants me.

“I am very jealous for her”

he wants me.

“I will be faithful and righteous to her as her God”

he wants me.

“I will bring her back”

he wants me.

“So I will save you”

he wants me.

he is with me.

(quotations from Zechariah 4)

Zechariah 9:9-17

⁹ Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
   Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
   righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
   on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
¹⁰ I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
   and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
   and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
   His rule will extend from sea to sea
   and from the River to the ends of the earth.
¹¹ As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
   I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.
¹² Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
   even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.
¹³ I will bend Judah as I bend my bow
   and fill it with Ephraim.
I will rouse your sons, Zion,
   against your sons, Greece,
   and make you like a warrior’s sword.
 ¹⁴ Then the LORD will appear over them;
   his arrow will flash like lightning.
The Sovereign LORD will sound the trumpet;
   he will march in the storms of the south,
 ¹⁵ and the LORD Almighty will shield them.
They will destroy
   and overcome with slingstones.
They will drink and roar as with wine;
   they will be full like a bowl
   used for sprinkling the corners of the altar.
¹⁶ The LORD their God will save his people on that day
   as a shepherd saves his flock.
They will sparkle in his land
   like jewels in a crown.
¹⁷ How attractive and beautiful they will be!
   Grain will make the young men thrive,
   and new wine the young women. 


*italics added.

Psalms 23

Oh, my gosh-so cute!

it's not even thanksgiving!

it snowed this morning.

basketball

my daddy said that if i practiced enough 

i'd be able to tell as soon as it left my finger tips

if it would hit or miss, left or right.

i tried it today

and it seems as if the time it

takes after it leaves my

finger tips

is too short

to tell whether it will

hit or miss,

left or right.

but maybe someday it won't be.

i love fall

with the cool crisp air
the brilliant leaves
the bright blue sky
the warm sun
the round orange pumpkins
the smokey smell in the air
the long pants and
the long sleeves
the grass that has stopped growing...
i love everything except
the approaching winter....

true story

I hit a snake on the road the other day 
it was lying there coiled up in the shade

(stupid serpent-snakes like the sun)

I didn't do it on purpose-I didn't know what it was

until my mom screamed, then I knew my faux pas

(alas, my first roadkill)

I have to admit I wasn't sorry at all

I did not cry or sob or bawl,

(actually I laughed)

I know that you animal lovers will hate me

buy what can I say? It was a sight to see.

(I hate snakes.)

Dedicated to my mom who was in the passenger seat and who hates snakes more than I do.  We had a good laugh.

fantasy

(this is a first draft of something I wrote this morning...what do you guys thing?)

There is a land where rakes are “hitters”

bouncy balls are reusable bombs

sticks are machine guns

umbrellas are shields

and

swords are made of plastic

where death is only 10 seconds long

and then you come back to life,

where you tell your enemies when a

surprise attack is coming,

where a play house and a

shed makes a fortress

where an army is made of one,

and

sound effects are made on

the spot.

But

eventually they'll forget

that rakes were once deadly

and bouncy balls could kill

that sticks could shoot bullets

and umbrellas once saved

them from harm

and plastic could make a

sword.

Because death is for

eternity

a told on surprise attack would fail

a play house and a shed do not a

fortress make

and an army of one wouldn't last

very long

because the sounds are louder

than they can imagine.

Because real life isn't a fantasy.

Here are some pictures that I took on our recent trip to Florida. Enjoy!

more

Love is such an insufficient word 

compared to the affection God has for 

you.

hot

I wrote this on one of those super hot April days we had this spring (it looks a lot longer double spaced....:).

It’s  hot

90^o hot

My arms stick to the desk

My legs stick to the chair

It’s hot

90^o hot

My hands sweat just holding the ball

I shoot it any way-

Miss

It’s hot

90^o hot

The wind blows, no relief

The sun beats, no relief

It’s hot

90^o hot

It’s April.

9 reasons why phone books are dangerous:

9 reasons why phone books are dangerous:

1.  They are big

2.  They can be used as a weapon

3.  It’s too easy to find peoples’ phone numbers (someone could call and say something mean)

4.  They have so much ink it is bound to be poisonous

5.  One of the ads on “super pages” says, “we know where 30 million people go every month to find what they’re looking for around here.”  That’s scary

6.  Another ad says, “I found it in The Yellow Pages” and you never know what “it” is-it could be dangerous

7.  There are pictures of giant bugs that might jump off the page and attack me

8.  There is a picture of a little girl driving a BMW-ahh!

9.  They are confusing and if you used it wrong you might call someone you don’t know

 

I like this too

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
-- Marianne Williamson

red-handled snips

my hands are not as big and strong as yours
i can't use those red-handled snipps as fast as you
it's hard to cut metal studs with red-handled snips
when your hands aren't very strong.

work day at the church

my favorite part
is when
the saw touches the metal
and
sparks fly-
an indoor display
of
pyrotechnics.

my favorite part
is when
the last shovel full of
dirt
is dumped
into the trash can
and
you can see the floor
again.

my favorite part
is
climbing up the
trash trailer
and dumping
the full bucket
in.

my favorite part
is when
it's all done
and
you can sit down
and
see the work
finished.

I like

The other day Nicole read me sonnet 116 by Shakespeare and I really really liked it, so I thought I'd share it with ya'll.

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds
admit impediments. Love is not love
which alters when it alteration finds,
or bends with the remover to remove.
O no, it is an ever-fixed mark
that looks on tempests and is never shaken;
it is the star to every wand'ring bark,
whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Times fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
but bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved."

Amen!

Let me not forget to tremble

Today I was reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan during my devotions, and one of the things he said stuck out to me. "..many facets of God expand beyond our comprehension. He cannot be contained in this world, explained by our vocabulary, or grasped by our understanding." And it struck me that I often think of God as my Father and friend and forget that he is the king, the one who is beyond words, who is not contained by my understanding, who has no beginning, is here now, and will never end, who is holy-set apart, holy-perfect and blameless, and holy-hating sin; and yet all these things make it all the more amazing that he knows the hairs on my head, that he chose to die for me, that he wants a relationship with me, that he loves me.

1 Peter 1:3-6 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shileded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials..."

this thought of a Holy God reminded me of the song by Nichole Nordeman "Tremble"...I like this song a lot. here's a link to listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt-MRp1Q3BI

you are what you eat...

are you ingesting God's word, or something else?
What are you eating?

Isaiah 65:17-25

"'Behold, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.
I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in y people;
the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.
Never again will there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days;
or an old man who does not live out his years;
he who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere youth;
he who fails to reach a hundred
will be considered accursed.
They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat
their fruit.
No longer will they build houses and
others live in them,
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
the works of their hands.
They will not toil in vain
or bear children doomed to
misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by
the LORD,
they and their descendants with them.
Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the
ox,
but dust will be the serpent's food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,'
says the LORD."

And how much more can we be assured of this coming to place, because of the promises fulfilled in Christ.
Come Lord Jesus, come.

Be doers of the word and not hearers only

Colossians 3:17 and 23
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through him. ...Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

Luke 10:27 "He answered, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind', and, 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Can everything I do, think and say be said in the name of the Lord Jesus?
Do I do everything as if unto the Lord?
Do I really love the Lord my God with all my heart and soul and strength and mind?

My honest answer is, no. I am a sinner and therefore everything I do and say are not pleasing to God.
But...
Even though I am a dirty sinner He still loves me and He still accepts me because and only because of what Christ has done. He sought me, he found me, and I am his. In my weakness he is strong! Praise his Holy Name!

Laugh

For there's music in your eyes

musings

We went to see Alistair Begg preach tonight and it was amazing. It is amazing how easy it is to loose sight of Jesus. Just two days of school and I was already so overwhelmed with thoughts of school and work and deadlines that I forgotten the reason I'm alive. Recently I have been struggling with the question "why" Why do we strive for perfection and to "grow in Christ" if we're never going to be perfect (until Heaven) anyway? And (incredibly) one of the things Alistair said tonight was that I am chosen by God and that it is because he chose me that I live for him. He pointed out that in Colossians 3 the indicatives follow the imperatives, for example: vs 6 says "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God." So, because I have been raised with Christ (indicative)I am to set my heart on things above (imperative). But it's not like what I do will effect my standing with God-because of Christ it will never change, but I obey him and strive for him because I love him and want to please him. Mr. Begg also stated that religion says-I obey therefore I am accepted; but Christianity says- I am accepted, therefore I obey. It is nothing I do or have done or will ever do that makes me better but it is what Christ did on the cross for me -his death and resurrection that gave me life is the reason I strive to be more like him. (I was contemplating not even going tonight because of everything I haven't finished-I guess God had other plans. Thank goodness! :))

maybe instead of posting stuff i write for a little while, i'll post some scripture. i think with the school year starting up again i won't have as much time to write...but Jesus have plenty of stuff written down and i don't think he'd mind if i used it. :)

the sound man and me

Excuse me? But can I see those sounds?

no, no, not after they've been said. I want to know what they look like before they're all out there in the open.

Of course I won't tell anyone.

Yes. I'm sure, I was just so curious I decided to come and see you.

How did I know where you were? Well, it's kind of a long story, but basically I just listened really hard.

Well, I'm glad I could ease your loneliness, although I can't stay very long. Will you please show me the sounds now?

Woa! They're so small...I never imagined them being so little!

Oh, so when people think them they get a little bigger until they are ready to burst out?


But what about the ones people decide not to say? What happens to those?

Oh, that makes sense...they just fade away...

I like that one!

I like the harmony ones too, they remind me of a puzzle. But ooo, that one over there is so ugly! What sound is that one?

Oh, I see, well, I guess you'll know soon enough...OH! That's awful! It was a car crash.... But that one is beautiful what is it?

It's a baby's first breath! How lovely. Don't you just love watching the sounds develop? I could watch them for hours!

Well, I need to go now. Thank you for the wonderful time!!

I can't decide if I should post.

I am because He is.

Gen. 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

I sing because He sings
I create because He creates
I love because He loves
I imagine because He imagines
I speak because He speaks
I prophecy because He prophecies
I have joy because He was joy
I dance because He dances
I lead because He leads
I help because He helps
I care because He cares
I see because He sees
I live because He lives

In him I have life-
Psalm 139:14 "I praise you because I am
fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well."

Isaiah 53

Please take the time to read this-it may just be the most beautiful words you will ever read.

Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the
LORD been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
he had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we
should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar
with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their
faces
he was despised, and we
esteemed him not.
Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by
God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our
transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us
peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are
healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone
astray,
each of us has turned to his own
way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and
afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers
is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he
was taken away.
And who can speak of his
descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of
the living;
for the transgression of my people
he was stricken.
He was assigned a grave with the
wicked,
and with the rich in his death
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the LORD's will to crush
him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life
a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong
his days,
and the will of the LORD will
prosper in his hand.
After the suffering of his soul,
we will see the light of life and
be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous
servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore i will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with
the strong,
because he poured out his life unto
death,
and was numbered with the
transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the
transgressors."


If ever I had reason to sing, this is it.
This is the gospel. This is love. This is beauty.

rain

There is something
very poetic
about
raindrops
sprinkling into a
puddle-
the way the ripples
are just sort of there
and the
drops
are suddenly gone
and then
the ripples
disappear-
it reminds me of poetry.

pics

Hi guys,
I like to take pictures, specifically of up close things. So, I've decided to share some of my pictures with you today.
woot.

the day after

it's 1:20 and i still haven't showered
i got more sleep last night than the past three nights combined
i watched tv for the first time in four days
i am touching an electronic device for the first time in four days
i didn't have anyone to talk to until 2:30 last night
i didn't belt out worship songs as loud as i could last night
there was no team discussion this morning
there are no point updates today
there are no games and already prepared food
there are no new friends whom i've never met, but feel as if i've known forever
there are just memories
it's over
the shortest 4 days of my life
but it doesn't have to end- i still have Jesus
and he will never forsake me
i still have the work he's done
and i still have the memories of the week
and no one can take this away

once in a forever

hello everybody,
i just thought i would bring it to your attention that today is
8-9-10
and that this is the only time from now until forever that this will ever be the date. so enjoy the coolness of the date and the hotness of the weather.

camp fires

There is something
very poetic
about
a glowing fire
crackling in the evening
shadows-
the way its warmth
lights up the night
and the
chill
is pushed back
and I feel all
warm and
snuggly
inside-
it reminds me of poetry.

a silly poem

I was determined to write a silly poem, because I never had, so, here are the results:

Ice

There are purple pens and daisy dots and little maple sugars
that are reminding me of cauliflower and crusty little boogers
it's reminding me of peachy pickles and over-ripe tomatoes
and then i think of pickled ham and creamy mashed potatoes
which then reminds me that i have a cobbler in the oven
and then i think of shoe makers and little elfin women
and then I think of Lord of the Rings and that girl he wants to marry
that's reminding me of a dream i had with a ring that i did carry
don't wonder why my mind does wander so far away from home
which reminds me of a girl named Dorothy and a dog she called her own
And although my starting place seemed odd, the end seems even odder
and so i think that i will stop before it's odder than solid water-
ice

reborn (rebecca st. james)

"If you see a change in me don't wonder
There's someone in my life, a peace I can't describe
For I've been reborn
IF you see a change in me don't wonder
I found a whole new life
A hope that I can't hide
For I've been reborn."

In the long shadow of the cross I kneel.
So strange to the world it's salvation to me.

my attempt at a drabble of 100 words

The Gardener

Reaching down and standing the watering can upright, she adjusts the hose and turns the little knob.
Lefty, loosey-righty, tighty.
After a few seconds the can is full.
She walks across the yard carrying the heavy burden of a very full watering can. Pausing over a wilting flower, she bends down slightly, puts her hand on her back, tips the watering can and proceeds in not only lightening her load, but also in quenching the thirst of the flower. Now carrying a lighter burden and leaving a satisfied flower behind her, she turns and walks back across the yard.

little blips of thought

A mother's song-
a lullaby
a softly sighing butterfly
that steels away a baby's cry.
---

Zinging quietly past the zinnias
the humming bird speeds on
like lightning or the blink of an eye
it hurries to drink the nectar of
its chosen flower.
---

oh. it is raining.

what i am wondering is

if it is going to rain.
it rather looks like it.

So Much

So much depends
upon

a little
pen

lying on my
desk

waiting for
words.

(inspired by William Carlos Williams)

He will

He will take away my punishment.
He will take away my fear.
He will never leave me.
He will take great delight in me.
He will quiet me with his love.
He will rejoice over me with singing.
He will remove my sorrows.
He will take away my oppressors.
He will give me honor and praise.
He will bring me home.
Therefore,
I will be glad and rejoice with all my heart!

(based on Zpeh. 3:14-20)