Wow.

 

Nice House

If my dream home could be translated from my brain to something visual, this would be pretty close.

Chapter 6, Pages 78 & 79

"Every day I put faith on the line. I have never seen God. In a world where nearly everything can be weighed, explained, quantified, subjected to psychological analysis and scientific control, I persist in making the center of my life a God whom no eye hath seen, nor ear heard, whose will no one can probe. That's a risk.

Every day I put hope on the line. I don't know one thing about the future. I don't know what the next hour will hold. There may be sickness, accident, personal or world catastrophe. Before this day is over I may have to deal with death, pain, loss, rejection. I don't know what the future holds for me, for those I love, for my nation, for this world, Still, despite my ignorance and surrounded by tinny optimists and cowardly pessimists, I say that God will accomplish his will, and I cheerfully persist in living in the hope that nothing will separate me from Christ's love.

Every day I put love on the line. There is nothing I am less good at than love. I am far better in competition than in love. I am far better at responding to my instincts and ambitions to get ahead and make my mark than I am at figuring out how to love another. I am schooled and trained in acquisitive skills, in getting my own way. And yet I decide, every day, to set aside what I can do best and attempt what I do very clumsily - open myself to the frustrations and failures of loving, daring to believe that failing in love is better than succeeding in pride."

- Eugene Peterson
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

Cool Link

Check it out. My eyes got all watery watching this. (nearly a cry!)
http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=828b376f-8793-4f84-b5d6-b55cb0de36b5&f=copy

Toby Mac

Toby Mac, and the mack is back no slack, on the dc track, is jacked, beyond comprehension, i believe that I failed to mention that, there's a lack of recognition, when it comes to his position...

(Okay... so I have it memorized! Imagine being 13 in 1993. You would have it memorized too!)

For those of you who grew up in Chistian culture, you know who Toby Mac is. And don't ask me how I know this, but TOBY MAC IS 41 YEARS OLD. That seems so wrong to me!!!

zzzz

I know that I'm super tired when every once in awhile I get this bolt of electric tiredness zap through my body. It's really weird. Has anyone every experienced that? Or, when I run over like 3 curbs on my way to work.

I always wondered...

According to my good friend, Gurudeva Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, Hindu women wear the dot on the forehead for these three reasons:

Answer #1: The dot in the middle of the forehead of the Hindu woman is a beauty mark not unlike the beauty marks European and early American women used to wear on the cheek.

Answer #2: In the old days, Hindu men and women wore these marks, and they both also wore earrings. The dot has a mystical meaning, for it represents the Third Eye or spiritual sight which Hindus seek to awaken through yoga. Today, only the most traditional men observe this, but women continue to follow these traditions.

Answer #3: There are many marks other than the dot that we Hindus use. Each mark represents a different sect or denomination of our vast religion. We have four major sects, Saivism, Vaishnavism, Saktism and Smartaism. By these marks we know what a person believes, and therefore know how to begin conversations.

(information provided by Christy Lawsonarubskinskuvacnylocke)

Klingon Bible

I learned today that the Bible has been translated into Klingon. (Isn't that the language of Worf in Star Trek?) I can't even imagine....

Daughters

Wow. Something I've wanted all my life has in a split second changed. I believe it's God who is changing my heart; which gives it validity, and not just some random mood change of my own, which I'm prone to. My whole life I've been excited about being a mother, specifically a mother of 5 boys. Something about brown haired, brown eyed, snuggly, squeaky voiced, but tough, dirty knee'd, tumbling, wondering, non-over-emotional [is that a word?] little boys is just the best. And 5 of them. 5 is just a good, rounded number. Sometimes I would say I want maybe 1 girl, but no more. And not because I really wanted one, but just because I didn't want to set my self up for dissapointment if I did find out I was having a girl someday.

But this morning I was reading this book called Captivating, by John & Staci Eldridge... and they were telling a story about a little girls 6th birthday. She woke up on her special day to singing and candles and love for her everywhere. She was loved by her mother and father, so special to them. The way they described it wasn't eloquently worded, but just a simple story... one I would normally pass over. But reading that put a fire in my heart... I want daughters... sensitive, creative, vocal, laughing, brown eyed, suprising, lovely daughters. And my husband and I will love them fiercely, and they will know who they are.

More thoughts to come...

Jen, working her wonders.

Elma, WA

Heather and I like to make friends with random hillbillies. His name is Skip. Ever seen the movie "Deliverance"??

Dancing machine

My sister and I like to boogy.

Notice my clenched jaw

I'm learning how to post pictures on my blog, so be patient with me as I go buck wild...

I found a bunch of pictures from my friend Shannon's wedding in July. This picture here are the bridesmaids in a shoulder shaking, jaw clenching, snorting, dont-make-eye-contact-with-the-bride laughing fit. It felt like the whole world stopped when the guy singing the 70's song ended, and got only a short 2 clap applause. We fully lost it.

In Celebration of Jami Cooper!!!

November is a great month. This month I'd like to hail Jami Lynn Rose Cooper for being such a fantastic lady. She is quite unique, very adventurous, stunning to the eyes, and comforting to the soul. So if you know Jami, let's all tell her how much we appreciate her life. (photo compliments of the lovely Jen Staab)

FIRST POST EVER

A few weeks ago, Jill and I went to Roche Harbor and enjoyed doing nothing. We stopped by an old chapel that was a few hundred years old. We lit a prayer candle and sang some old hymns. This place has great acoustics.

I guess you could say I've been shopping around for a blog home. I started with MSN Spaces - too much, it made me feel messy - then I tried myspace.com - too many ads, and scandalous too. So here I am, pretty happy with the non-messy-adlessness of the whole thing. It's kind of exciting, actually. I get that same feeling like when I buy a new pad of paper and a new soft lead pencil. And at that, I welcome myself to the new world of blogspot.