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4/30/2006 Adjustments,Boggle,CleaningMy mom and dad just got a computer at home. My dad hasn't ever read my blog, save for the occasional entry my mom prints off at work and brings home. He told my mother, in his typical hilarious way, to inform his daughter that yesterday, they drove on the interstate and were traveling at 75 m.p.h. So, I stand corrected. Actually, I should memorialize yesterday's date, because I'm sure it won't happen again any time soon. *grin.*
Today's new entry: I have a dustbuster in my bathroom because the floor is pink and shows everything. I went to use it this afternoon.....there was dust covering the dustbuster. I keep my mildew cleaner in the shower so I can clean it after a shower (saves me having to wash a set of clothes)...and the mildew cleaner has mildew all over the outside of the bottle. Maybe it's time to clean the bathroom.
Today's blessed update: I just got an e-mail from Atari saying they moved their site. Boggle is back!! Hope has been restored for my blessed lunchtime routine. I can remove my sackcloth and ashes and stop wandering around the house aimlessly at lunchtime, dripping peanut butter and jelly as I walk in circles drooling and mumbling about not being able to play boggle.
4/28/2006 Change My dad won't drive on the interstate anymore. He complains about people driving too fast and how dangerous it is. That makes me sort of sad in a way. He's not the conquering, adventerous road warrior anymore that he was when I was a kid. It's hard to see my parents getting older. It's hard to see my daughters getting older, as I see the pressures that are waiting for them. It's hard for me to get older, creakier, more forgetful, and hairier in all the wrong places (what is UP with these wiry neck hairs? yeeeeesh!)
When Bart and I were in pre-marital counseling, our pastor said something that still resonates with me today. He told us that those who seem to get the most out of life are those who deal well with change. Changes in family (his wife had just lost her mom to cancer), financially, cultural and social change, people moving in and out..etc all impact us on many levels. Adjusting to change can be hard. It requires of us to be uncomfortable, unsure, and flexible. Change, when thrust upon us without our "consent," messes with our ideas of how our life should progress. It requires of us as Christians to have faith, and trust God and His sovereignty.
As I age, I hope I can embrace change even better than when I was younger. Left to myself, I know I would become one who would just retreat into wistful remembrances of the past (most of them exaggerated and romanticized) and not deal with the present and future. But, by God's refining hand, may I become one who has an ever deepening faith in His goodness and sovereignty. Change, in light of who He is, would just become the next step in His plan, and the next opportunity to trust Him.
Ok...here's the reason behind me waxing on about God and change, and sovereignty and faith:
All this started because a word game site dropped my favorite game, Boggle. I've played it everyday at lunchtime for the past 2 years, and now it's gone. Poof, disappeared into the cyber void to leave people like me wondering what they will do while eating their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I was up last night til all hours surfing around places to find Boggle. It's interrupting my routine, man. I'm crabbing about it in my mind. All this over a word game. Well, a word game, and my beloved lunch time ritual of getting my kids their lunch, and taking a few minutes to sit in my sunroom and have time to myself playing Boggle. Aren't I pathetic? What if I'm one of those old people who wanders around the nursing home someday asking everyone if they've seen my Boggle game, and asking for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Oh well, I'll probably be too out of it to be embarrassed.
*sigh* God has a lot of refining to do in me yet.
4/26/2006 Best of Times, Worst of TimesLast night, I finished A Tale of Two Cities. The first thing I thought when reading the last sentence was....Yep, this was worth the work. After 3 years of STRUG---GUL----LING with this book, I was finished. Half-way through, the book got easier to understand, and I was drawn into the intrigue and mystery until I couldn't turn back. Half of it was read over 3 years. The other half, I read in 2 weeks.
There were so many characters introduced in the first half of the book, I was having trouble figuring out why each of them belonged in the story. They were interwoven loosely, but as the story progressed, the fabric of the plot tightened and condensed to where they were all intermingling closely with each other. Yet, not always in obvious ways.
Each page had to be read carefully, and repeatedly because of the language. I'm sure I still missed a ton of the meanings. (There were several paragraphs about "flopping" I still don't understand) However, the story was still very moving. This is only the second work of Dicken's I've read, but I've been moved by his view of the human condition apart from Grace. He paints a pretty bleak view of humanity, when left to ourselves, and when feeling the influences of poverty, opression, and hatred. Our selfishness, pride, and corrupt hearts are exposed in those conditions. Those influenced by wealth, power, and success also show their corrupt and utterly self-serving sides in this story. The bleakness and lack of character in the people he writes about only serves to set the stage for the rare occasion that people act in a truly selfless way. Those moments stood out, and at times, moved me to tears, because they were so rare and precious.
As Christians, are we those rare flashes in our society? Are we the drop of water in the desert of hopelessness? Are we the shining rays of grace and mercy in the midst of a torrent of revenge, score-keeping, and twisted ideas of "justice?" Do we demonstrate love that is patient, kind, not jealous, not bragging, humble, dignified, unselfish, steady and unflappable, forgiving, righteous, rejoicing with truth, bearing all things, hoping all things, enduring all things, and unfailing? Or, do we offer the typical substitute for "love" that manipulates, takes and doesn't give back, uses and discards, is riddled with pride, and is conditional?
I'm grateful for the impact A Tale of Two Cities had on me, specifically over the past 2 weeks. It was another opportunity to think about the motives that drive my life. Time spent thinking about those things just makes me all the more grateful for God's grace. So, thanks Mr. Dickens.
4/23/2006 Almost EnglandMy friend and incredibly gifted writer Sue Smith is on her way to England, if she hasn't already arrived. She' s going to visit another great writer, Simon, and his family. If you two read this, I hope you have a smashing time roaming Simon's fair island! Eat some biscuits, drink some tea, and if you see Sir Elton, or Sir Paul, or Chris, Gwyneth and Apple, please tell them hello for me. Will you make it onto the Simiecam, Sue? I'll be watching!
We went on a little trip this weekend as well. We didn't get QUITE as far as England. We made it to Omaha. (30 miles....3,000 miles....just a few zero's difference!) Bart was SO wonderful to make reservations for an overnight stay downtown. We went to our favorite restaurants, talked about whatever, and laughed a lot. Before we left yesterday, the girls had their end of the year dance recital, and the show started off with a class full of young boys doing hip-hop dances. One of the highlights of our weekend together was Bart demonstrating his hip-hop dance moves in the hotel room this morning. I thought I was going to pop a vein I was laughing so hard. He could teach that class of boys. Of course, they'd have to re-name it "Middle Aged Man's Version of ALMOST Hip Hop".
The Old Market district in Omaha is like another city altogether. It's the hip/funky/colorful/strange/artsyfartsy part of Omaha. We sat this morning at a sidewalk cafe, drinking cappucino and reading. (ok...reading AND people watching.) We saw young couples with children, lovely older couples walking hand in hand, old guys with trophy wives, college aged students, you name it, they were walking the sidewalks downtown today. At the table behind us sat two men who were switching languages as they spoke. English, Spanish, French, and a Middle Eastern language I didn't recognize. It was fascinating to hear. I had brought A Tale Of Two Cities (which I've been trying to finish for 3 years) and I think I only managed to read 10-15 pages in an hour's time.
But now, the kids have been picked up from grandma's, leftovers from the weekend away have been consumed for dinner, and life resumes. The colorful people, the exotic food smells, the city energy have been replaced with turtledoves cooing, neighbor kids playing basketball with their dad, and my girls rollerblading on the driveway. It's all good. I actually feel fairly ready for the sounds and smells of Monday. Thanks for the weekend, hon. 4/21/2006 Sacred CowsA friend of mine....we'll call her...."Jean"....shot a sacred cow this week. She's the children's director at her church, and she and her staff decided it was time to put a certain long-running children's program to rest. There were numerous legitimate reasons for doing so, and it was heavily considered and prayed over before the decision was made.
You would have thought she told the church that Jesus was a woman. There's been uproar to upstage the uproar about this program ending. Lot's of "discussing" behind the staff's back, which has made it a difficult week for my friend Jean.
So, here are my points O' the day for all of us who are involved in ministry: Are we holding on too tight to our "ministries?" Has our ministry gotten ahead of our devotion to God? Are we willing to hold even our service to Him with an open hand? Are we willing to let go of our ideas of what ministry is, and accept change and growth? Are we willing to trust our leadership? Do we pray for our leadership?
Trusting the leadership of any organization can be very difficult. (especially for one like me who isn't a very good passenger...I'd rather be driving) But it is so important to remember that these leaders have been put in leadership by God's hand, and we should respect that. That doesn't mean we have to agree with everything they say, but we are to respect them. And, we should be on our knees continually praying for our leadership to be serving God first, and making all of their decisions with humility and reverence for God.
I can't believe the complaints we get at our church. People come in and BLAST our pastors for the MOST RIDICULOUS things. Even if some of their complaints are legitimate, I am appalled at the manner in which so many people speak to our pastors. At the very least, we should be practicing the golden rule. But, I think we should be giving our pastors, elders and staff the treatment of someone who is in authority over us, regardless of their behavior. God will deal with them according to their behavior. It's not my job to put them in their place.
There have been plenty of times I have copped an attitude in my heart about our pastors. There have been too many times I have been displeased with their decisions and have run too quickly to someone besides them to air my grievances. So, this sermon I'm preaching is for myself as well. Jean's situation has just convicted me even more to consider my own behavior with our leadership.
Also, when it comes to vision casting...meaning when the leadership of an organization plans its future, are we willing to get on board with it, even if it means significant change? Again, that doesn't mean we have to agree with everything, and it doesn't mean we stay silent if we don't agree. If leadership is doing their job, they should be in tune with their people, and willing to listen to KIND AND CONSTRUCTIVE comments that may not agree with the vision. Are we, as members willing to hold our tongues and not gossip, and prayerfully consider any interaction we might have directly with our leadership?
I'm seeing more and more that one of my hardest callings in life is to stay in a church and serve, even when it gets tough. I'm not always going to agree with my leadership. Personalities are going to clash, preferences are going to get in the way of right and wrong. But in the midst of all of that, God is calling us to love one another. Church hopping isn't the answer. Withdrawing from ministry isn't the answer. Petty gossip and mind games isn't the answer. Honest communication, a willingness to forgive and die to our pride, and serve the bride of Christ is the answer...and man that is tough stuff.
So, pray for Jean and her situation. Pray for all of us in ministry...from the most unnoticed to those who lead the charge. 4/19/2006 Steadfast AffectionAffection: love, warmth, friendliness, care, liking, fondness—fond or tender feeling toward somebody or something
This weekend was a weekend of witnessing true affection. My daughter Jenna really loves both of her grandpas. We were at my parents' house, and it was fun to see my stoic, shy daughter teasing and kidding around with her grandpa. He had cut the giant ham we were enjoying, and someone mentioned to my mom how good the ham was. Jenna, in her quiet, dry way said...."Yeah, it's tastes fine, but it sure wasn't cut very well." Then she proceeded to shoot a sly smile at my dad who busted up laughing at her. Also, my four month old niece Olivia was there, and the entire house was oozing with affection for her. I got to hold her while she napped, and it's amazing the feelings you feel when you look at a sleeping child you love. I was in the living room and looked out and saw my aunt sitting in one wicker chair, and my daughter Sarah sitting in the other wicker chair out on the front porch. They were just sitting and having a nice conversation. It was so touching to see someone willing to spend time talking and listening to my daughter.
Such warmth shared between family puts a lump in my throat. It's such a wonderful thing. But I was sitting here this afternoon finding it hard to believe that God could feel that way about me. Does He watch me while I sleep and feel overwhelmed with love for me? Does he smile and laugh at the times I attempt to make others smile? (with clean jokes, mind you) Those are things that I find hard to comprehend sometimes.
There are just some days when my shortcomings overwhelm me to the point that my theology starts going sour. God loves me. He feels affection for me, even when I have a hard time believing it. Because He is who He is, that will never change. I will change and doubt and falter, but God won't in his love and affection for me. Pretty amazing. 4/17/2006 Good TiredLast night, after an incredibly long and busy day, I crawled in to bed and thought...this is a good kind of tired. My energy had been expended on God-honoring things, and it was a good feeling. Worshiping God and serving His people is a very satisfying feeling. Plus, spending time with my family laughing and sharing a great meal (thanks mom!) is such a rich, worthwhile time.
After spending the week prior stressing out about details, my own shortcomings musically, and things not going perfectly, I went to the church early Sunday morning and spent some time with God before the Easter services started. It was a time to ask Him for forgiveness for my worrisome and stressed out attitude. I asked Him to help me truly worship Him instead of getting caught up in everything that "needed" to go off without mistakes. In those moments, He helped me to let go of all the details and focus on the reason for the day...His resurrection. Things didn't go perfectly during the service, but in my heart, I felt peace and joy. We got to worship the risen Lord in song (even though there was no tenor line on Christ the Lord is Risen today), through giving, hearing His word, and in communion. What a privilege. It was a privilege to be able to help His people worship as well.
To my faithful 10 readers: next year, when Easter rolls around, if I'm still walking around on this marble, remind me of God's goodness. Remind me of how He is in control and that preparing for an Easter service should be an opportunity to lift a fragrant offering to the Lord, and not a time of stress and self-deprecation. 4/14/2006 Body By HoHo'sClothes aren't a big deal to me, and they really never have been. When I see friends who are really good at putting together great outfits, I have moments where I want to care more, but they never last. I like looking presentable, but no one would ever call me a fashionista. My church wardrobe consists of a long black skirt, a shorter black skirt, a pair of khaki pants, and a few shirts to go with all of that (all solid colors). Once, I bought a red skirt with ladybugs on it just to see what it was like to not be a boring dresser. I've worn it twice in 2 years, and both of those times I felt ridiculous. All the fashionistas at church "swarmed" me with compliments the two times I wore it. I think they were shocked to see me in anything with a pattern, let alone ladybugs. Maybe they thought it might get me off of my black-black-khaki carousel I'd been riding. It didn't work.
Easter stresses me out. (I'm not changing the subject, I'll get back to the point eventually) I wish it didn't. I'm praying that it won't anymore, but it does. For one thing, being involved with the music at our church always means extra work at Easter time. Nobody wants a vanilla ice cream service. They want sprinkles at the very least. Well, even though this year, we're barely doing more than sprinkles, I'm still stressed out about it. Wednesday's practice was one inch from being a train wreck, which doesn't help the anxiety level.
Plus, today it hit me that I have nothing to wear for Easter. Last year, I skated by without buying much of anything. My closet has lots of empty hangers and a few bedraggled looking winter clothes. Bart had the day off and so I thought...sheeeeeeeesh...ok..I'll go buy something to wear.
There's nothing better for your ego than the first spring shopping trip. Pale skin, more pale skin, and more pale skin and lumpiness. Throw in a few hundred teenagers wandering around in gaggles, with their teenage bodies, and tanned-for-prom skin, and it's the ultimate pride pummeling adventure. Plus the flourescent lighting does wonders. I think I'm going to install whatever lighting they have in stores in my house, so I will be more persuaded to go on a diet. Yeah, like anything can persuade me to go on a diet. Ho Ho's could persuade me to go on a diet, but that's like an oxymoron...the hoho diet. If someone could invent that, I'd be ripped in no time.
Anyway..I found an outfit that covered the most amount of pale skin that could still qualify as a spring outfit. (it includes a khaki skirt!!!! haa haa!! Ride on, black and khaki horses!) I can check my clothes off the "What to Worry About on Easter" list. Now, I just need to figure out how many strawberries I need to slice for the strawberry shortcake I'm supposed to bring to the family gathering, and how in the world I'm going to play the trumpet line and sing tenor on Christ The Lord is Risen Today. I think there's a chord change on every note. Have Egg Salad, Will TravelNext time I'm in Nashville, Sue, I'll bring a cooler of egg salad sandwiches. Wouldn't that be quite a writing session....you think your stomach makes noises now...wait until my egg salad hits ya. You might want to stick to the peanut butter crackers, peeps and coffee!!! 4/12/2006 Egg Salad AftermathOk...so eating pretty much nothing but egg salad for two days....my stomach....yeah...well enough said. 4/11/2006 Egg Salad TriumphMy friend Jenice asked my girls and me to come over and dye Easter eggs with them yesterday. She's been making a yearly tradition out of it. My girls love her girls, and so even if they would have asked us to go over and ....say...de-vein shrimp...or...scrub her toilets, they would have been excited to get to be at their friends' house. As it was, however, we were dying Easter eggs.
When I grew up, we dyed boiled eggs. So, Monday morning, I set out to boil 3 dozen eggs. I followed the directions that a few people had given me...start in cold water...bring to a boil...boil for 7-9 minutes....remove from heat and put into ice cold water. The entire round trip process should be 17 minutes. The problem was...out of the 36 eggs, 12 of them cracked while boiling. I was not happy. And, it wasn't about my kids not getting to dye those 12 eggs...it was about me not being able to boil eggs without cracking them. That old familiar stubborn, competitive feeling welled up in me. If I could have articulated the feeling, it would have been the same dialogue that happened the first time I tried gardening and killed everything I planted. It would go something like this:
"They're eggs. They're just eggs. It's not like I was making a flambe or a souffle or something else complicated. They're stupid eggs, and I didn't boil them right. No egg is going to get the best of me."
I'm tellin ya, if I didn't have to be at Jenice's house, I probably would have gone to the store and bought more eggs, just to get it right. I would have been standing there all day boiling eggs until I figured it out. My kids would have been eating boiled eggs until they turned into chickens. I know...I'm 37 and should know this, but cooking is not my forte...and usually I'm ok with that until something like boiling eggs frustrates me, and then I get embarrassed and set a bunch of goals in my head to become a gourmet chef so I won't be "defeated" by such a simple process as boiling eggs. See I can't just learn to boil eggs, I have to learn to be a chef because I'm a perfectionist. And, for a perfectionist, there is no middle ground. (save for the refining changing work of Christ...and that is my only hope!)
Anyway...there I was, standing at the counter, those smug, cocky, cracked eggs glaring triumphantly back at me. And I thought...ok..maybe I can't boil more eggs, but I can learn to make the best egg salad this household has ever tasted. Yeah, that's what I'm going to do.
So, I have like one cookbook and it's still down in the basement packed in a box somewhere, so I decided to google the words "egg salad" and "recipe." I was completely amazed at how many items came up from that search. Google is amazing. It's become my standard answer to my kids. When I used to ask my mom a question, and she didn't know the answer, she'd say.."I don't know, you'll have to ask your dad." My answer to my kids is..."I don't know...we'll have to Google it." Anyway, I digress.
I found an AWESOME egg salad recipe. This morning, I dragged my kids to the store and bought the ingredients to make my egg salad. For lunch, I toasted some whole grain bread and topped it with fresh lettuce and my wonderful egg salad. Down the hatch you measly eggs who crack when I cook you!!! BA HAAAAA HAAA HAAAAA!
I even called my mother at her work to tell her I made awesome egg salad. For a moment, I actually felt very womanly (an odd feeling for me) because I was feeling so proud of food that I had prepared. I think she may be wondering what is wrong with me. Oh, if only she knew!
Now, where's my antacid?
4/10/2006 Hard WorkMy friend Sue C and I have been working on songs for Easter. Her pastor wanted to incorporate his sermon into some original music she and her music director wrote. Isn't that cool? Her pastor is one who values creativity in worship. He's very creative himself. So, when Sue asked me to be a part of it, I was pretty excited.
Here's the thing though....when you get a bunch of creative people together to dream and scheme, sometimes it can get difficult. Sue's pastor gave us some ideas for where he wanted to go with his sermon, so Sue and I got to work. And I mean, we WORKED. We wrote a song from Mary's point of view when she came upon the tomb and found it empty. He was going to do a narrative to fit in with it, and it was all going to be swell. The song is called "Gone," and when Sue and I finished, we knew we had a pretty good song on our hands. Sue played it for her pastor....................AND HE DIDN'T LIKE IT. He didn't like our baby, that we had nurtured and fed and poured our souls into. He didn't like it. Actually, he liked everything but one word....GONE. ha! The entire song hinges on that one word!
We talked and e-mailed and talked on the phone about what to do. Do we alter the song, which would have meant completely gutting the essence of it...or do we start over? Both of us felt that the song was a great song, and needed to be left alone. So, she came over on Friday and we brainstormed for a few hours and came up with a few ideas. She pitched them later that day to Mike and he bit on one of the ideas. We got together yesterday and pounded out another song called "Still Amazed." We'll see what he thinks. I'm pacing around here this morning waiting for the phone call.
Through all of this, I have learned so much. Now I know a little of how it feels to be someone like Sue Smith and the other staff writers I know. It is tough stuff to pour everything you got into a song and have it be met with a lukewarm reaction from your publisher (in my case a pastor). Also, having deadlines and assignments has been a great thing for me, and I think for my friend Sue C. It puts you in a situation to have to dig deep and find the creativity instead of waiting for it to come to you.
Through it all, It's been a great process. I hope to get to be a part of it again. It could be really soon, if Sue's pastor doesn't like the second song we wrote. 4/8/2006 Pinocchio has grandparentsIt was an unbelievable day here in the cornfields. The perfect spring day to get outside. I went to Lincoln to write with Gina, so I got to spend a few hours in the car, enjoying the springtime scenery. The magnolias are blooming, the hyacinths and daffodils are bursting with color, and the grass and trees have put on their new green outfits. People were out walking, jogging, and working in their yards. More than once, I did a double take as I drove by people's houses and this is why:
You know those wooden yard decorations that look like people bending over working in their flower beds? Well, they came to life today. It's like Pinocchio has relatives that are springing to life all over the country. The first time I saw it, I thought...man...that's a really tall and skinny "wooden person bending over in the garden" yard decoration. (We call them "butt people" but I didn't think that would be very tasteful, so I won't say "butt" people, I'll say "wooden person bending over in the garden") And hey...that "wooden person bending over in the garden" has brown overalls on instead of the trademark blue....oh wait...that's a REAL person! After a while, it became great fun to search for the wooden people who had sprung to life...kind of like when my kids search frantically for Voltzwagons so they can punch each other's arms. I didn't have anyone to punch though...or to laugh with about it. So, I just laughed by myself. (that's no different than when I'm with people...I seem to be the only one who thinks I'm funny most of the time--as a matter of fact, my daughter's friend Petra even asked me once why I laugh at myself all the time. I told her it was because somebody has to do it.)
I should have been one of Pinocchio's relatives today. (His early twentyish aunt who is a former Miss Ponderosa Pine, tyvm) There's a lot of raking and yard work to do. But, when the decision is before me to write or rake...well even a wooden person would know what I'm going to choose. 4/6/2006 cookie baking hispanic gourdsI found a cool worship conference on-line. It's in Maryland. Maryland is really far from Nebraska. As I was perusing the schedules and speakers of this conference, I started dreaming about taking all three worship teams to this conference. They would love it. Hey...the fee is only 110 dollars! Oh, but wait...we're talking plane fare, hotel, probably rental cars...wow it adds up.
To take just my team alone would cost us $6,000-7,000. So, add in two more teams worth of people....ka-ching. That's a lot of car washes, bake sales, soup suppers, servant auctions and variety shows. (I've always dreamed of dressing up like Mr. Lundt from Veggie Tales and singing the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything...maybe now's my chance). Maybe we could set up on a corner and open up our guitar and piano cases and sing for change....hmmm....if we made 50 bucks a night...that would only be....120 nights of street performing. Wait...if we had a bake sale and made cookies...and charged 50 cents a cookie...that's only...12,000 cookies we'd have to make. Wait...maybe we could throw in lemonade. We could all set up lemonade stands in our driveways and sit in lawn chairs with our card tables and hand made signs. My kids would be too mad that I was taking over their market, so that wouldn't work.
Or, maybe we could just send one person to go and bring back all the information....who should that be...hmmm.....who would be willing to go to Maryland and spend 3 days with other worship leaders, praising God and digging into His word...hmmm...that would be quite a sacrifice...maybe, with great humility, I should offer to be the one to make the trip. Yes, I believe God is "calling" me to bear the burden of going to this worship conference.
Does anyone need their car washed by a hispanic gourd, while enjoying a delicious chocolate chip cookie? 4/5/2006 Don't mess with a classicThis is my first official movie review. I've been hired by myself to review a little flick called "Pride and Prejudice." For the last several weeks, I've been stopping by Blockbuster to see if they had a copy of the newest version available. They haven't. It's one of my all time favorite books, and I've seen 2 other versions of it. (actually, I've seen three other versions...but I can hardly count the one that was set in the Middle East and it was called Bride and Prejudice...JOKE!!!! COMPLETE JOKE!!!!! My friend Cathy rented it one night when I went over to her house. You should have seen us trying to find SOMETHING positive to say about it. "ummm, well, it's colorful...yes, isn't it? It's very colorful. The costumes are very colorful." Finally we both just turned off the tv and talked) Ok...back to the review...Finally, on Monday, they had a copy available of the latest version starring Kiara Knightly. (not sure on sp. there)
The movie is well acted and I don't think they took too much liberty in the script. It's fairly close to the story. The only problem is, they left out too much, I think. One thing I like about Jane Austin is her character development. This movie just didn't seem to allow enough time to properly understand the characters. For example, the sniveling Mr. Collins is one of my favorite characters, and I just don't think you get enough of just what a spineless shallow brown-noser he is. The case was the same with Mrs. Bennett, the mother. A&E put out a 6 hour version of the movie, and it was INCREDIBLE. To us Americans, the most well known actor in the A&E version was Collin Firth playing Mr. Darcy. I'm sure my one English friend (shout out to Simon!) would recognize more of the characters. Not only was the script DEAD ON with the book, the acting was just as good as this new one with Kiara Knightly, and the costuming and sets were WAY better.
Now, if you're not familiar with the story, rent the A&E 6 hour version. Unless you are a guy who hates period movies and just wants to impress your wife or girlfriend and you don't think you could make it through 6 hours without sticking a fork in your eye. Then you can rent this WAYYYY too condensed 2 1/2 hour version. Or, if you only have 2 1/2 hours, I would suggest renting Austin's Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thomson. It was wonderful..even better than the latest version of P&P.
OH MY GOODNESS.....MY KIDS JUST CAME RUNNING IN TO TELL ME MANDISA GOT KNOCKED OUT TONIGHT....THAT'S A TRAVESTY OF THE GREATEST KIND....(ahem, not that I care or anything...*sniff*) 4/4/2006 RememberThis morning, I was reading in Deuteronomy 8. The chapter is peppered with admonishments to remember God's goodness, to fear Him, and to obey Him. (vs 2, 18) In vs 11 & 14, the message is to not forget God and become proud and disobedient. When we forget, we take credit for our accomplishments, and put our reasoning and "wisdom" ahead of God's...and then we perish.
Joshua was commanded to take 12 stones from the Jordan and make a memorial so that future generations would remember God's incredible faithfulness to deliver His people to the promise land. (Josh 4) Jesus, when breaking bread at the last supper said: "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22)
Our speaker, Jodi Ware, from the retreat last weekend admonished us to preach the gospel to ourselves every day. Not because we need to be re-saved every day, but to remember our position before God. It is only by His gracious and merciful hand that we are not condemned. It is only by His sacrifice and victory that we have peace with Him. A constant attitude of rememberance of God's work on the cross, His faithfulness to His glory, to His word, to His church, and in our own lives is one of the things the Holy Spirit uses to convict, encourage, and help us bear fruit for Him in the future. It helps us to not be proud and self sufficient, but to humbly and gratefully offer ourselves up daily as living sacrifices.
In prosperity, in poverty, in health, in near-suffering, in suffering, in joy, sorrow, in the known and in the unknown, may I remember God. And, as I get older, I hope that in some respects I become more forgetful. I hope I can forget the wrongs committed against me. I hope I can forget about earthly and fleshly desires. Then there will be more room to remember God's goodness. 4/2/2006 has anyone seen my handsI just finished several games of Slapjack and Go Fish with the kids before they went to bed. Sarah had never played Slapjack before, and she was loving every minute of it. I secretly informed Jenna that she was to let Sarah slap a Jack a few times so she wouldn't lose in the first round. It was KILLING her to let her little sister win cards. If only she knew how many times I let her win!
So, it's time to crawl into bed, finish waching Masterpiece Theater and hit the hay. Our women's retreat was this weekend, and then we played this morning for church. I woke up this morning and by 9, I couldn't feel my hands. About 4 1/2 years ago I started going numb in my face, hands and feet when I got overly tired or stressed. So, playing this morning was a bit of an adventure. I think I was playing anyway. There were sounds coming out of the keyboard, but I'm not sure how.
Leading music at the retreat this weekend was a huge blessing to me. It was an opportunity to trust God in a situation that wasn't overly familiar to me. I had been praying for a few years to have an opportunity to serve in this way, and so I feel grateful that God granted me that time.
Listening to women sing praise to God is SO cool. We had almost 80 people at the retreat (not bad for a church of only 250) and our speaker was wonderful. Her name is Jodi Ware and she and her husband are teachers at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Her husband Bruce is an author and speaker as well. The planning team was amazing. They were so organized and yet weren't drawing attention to themselves. They were like the stealth leadership team. I love watching people join together, and in humility using their gifts to honor God and bless His people. I got just as much out of that as I did out of Jodi's awesome teaching.
God is good, and worth all of our time and the best of our efforts. |
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