Waltzing

I haven't been able to get this song out of my head since Friday, December 3, when I heard it while at a swing dance. It is a waltz, and I've never actually waltzed to it with a guy, but I have waltzed to it, alone, around my house. I also think I waltzed to it with my dear friend Erica H. at the Christmas Dance, but I can't remember whether that was this song or a different one. Regardless, the song has been waltzing around my head, off-and-on, for the past month and 3 weeks, and in order for you to understand why I'm letting it stay there, you need to hear the song. (P.S. I did already know and even love the song, but I somehow have become significantly more attached to it since the third of December. I think that is a combination of a love of both dancing and recognizing beloved songs in a setting where I usually don't know the songs or have only heard them there.)
:)

"How Many Kings" by Downhere

Sung Neng Yee/Nora Sung

I just finished the book China Cry, the story of a little Chinese girl named Sung Neng Yee born in pre-Communist China. She grew up to be called Nora (Lam) Sung in the the United States. From her birth in Peking (Beijing) to a mother who could not keep her to her loving and wealthy adoptive parents; to being forced to flee from the invading Japanese; to being given hope and relief when the Japanese were defeated; to a devotee of Communism, thinking it a great new order; to re-seeking God, whom she knew as a child, as a result of Communism's suspicious persecution. Then, through many, many hardships and faith-building steps and leaps, from China to Hong Kong to the U.S. and then back to Hong Kong and, at last, China. The story is incredible, and I HIGHLY SUGGEST you read it for yourself. I was SO encouraged by all the amazing miracles God did. There were so many times Neng Yee protested or questioned God because she couldn't see the big picture, but then she many, MANY times found out later how huge an impact these difficult events and her obedience had had on bringing others to Christ. What an indescribably AWESOME God we serve! I wish that Neng Yee were still alive (she died in 2004) so that I could personally write and tell her how powerfully I have identified with her. Through her story, I have seen confirmation of the importance, beauty, and worthwhileness of submitting oneself to God and boldly believing that He will cause everything to fall into place as a result. Maybe not in the ways my little mind forsees as "best," for how often my plans and expectations of what is "good" or "best" are wrong, but only seen as such in hindsight! But He will cause them to fall where they truly will be "best," for He is omniscient AND has my best interests at heart. How awesome! And He has chosen to use ME and YOU in that process of implementing his good and perfect will!!! Can I get a "Hallelujah!" from anyone out there?

Thank you, God, for your indescribable goodness, faithfulness, love, and majesty! As it says in Ephesians 2:10, "For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do," and in Isaiah 64:6, "...all our righteous acts are like filthy rags..." You are the Potter; we are the Clay. Mold us, please, into beautiful things, and help us yield to your will, and help us to humbly realize that it is by Your power alone, and in no way our own that great things are done. Soli Deo gloria.

I love writing for a prompt. Why? Well, I love writing, but I don't always have a clear idea what I want to write. For example, today I was rather bored as I was subbing. Staring at students for hours on end is not extremely intellectually stimulating. So what materials did I have? Paper. With paper, I tried to write, but it turned out to be a very dull account of what I was doing. Enter, my saviour: the prompt!

I write well when I write for a purpose. When I encountered the following prompt, I was excited, because it made me think about The Chronicles of Narnia, something in which I already am have a profound interest. I didn't win anything, but I thought my purposeful writing worth sharing. Maybe it will stimulate your heart and mind, as well. :)

In 200 words or less, tell us your favorite character from The Chronicles of Narnia series and share why you would like to attend the London premiere of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

I had never taken time to consciously consider a favorite character from the Narnia series. C.S. Lewis filled the series with a plethora of fantastic characters; each has a depth of its own, as well as different struggles and triumphs. I have identified with different characters at different times, yet I can easily say that my favorite is Shasta from The Horse and His Boy. It is his story to which I return the most, drawn by the wonder of a child both physically and spiritually lost and then so miraculously found by a Loving Father. Neither the themes of redemption and love nor the thrill of suspense and victory in this tale have ever disappointed me. They provide not simply a story but also a glimpse of my Heavenly Father. That is why I would be delighted to travel to London for the premiere of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Lewis’ Narnia has always helped me relate to the Triune God by painting glorious pictures of how even young children could know Him personally. I would be interested in seeing how those involved in the making of the Narnia films view the indisputably spiritual work of C.S. Lewis.

Postscript: Note that I used exactly 200 words. Being me, I started with more and whittled it down. Lol,:D.

No-shave November

I recently heard on the radio that a guy could almost certainly point to a couple of girls he went to college with as the original instigators of No-shave November. At least he said he'd never been able to find anyone who could trace the annual event further back than these two girls in Texas. Apparently, in a season of singleness, they'd decided not to shave their legs for a month. I think the idea was that no one would know the difference--but word got out, and a holiday-month was born.

Well, that is my introduction--an anecdote of interest relative to this month. However, it is merely the reason I began thinking about this blog topic, not the focus of it. You see, I am here to tell you why I believe in a No-shave Life. I'm not being funny, silly, or sarcastic--I'm being serious. So if you don't ind, lend your eyes, your brain, and your heart for just a few moments.

I began not-shaving a couple of years ago. I've always been a fan of not-shaving during the winter. I mean, who really wants extra-cold legs when nobody will see them anyway? But in 2008, my nonconformity grew gradually bolder. You see, I had a dear friend and housemate who had never shaved her legs in her life, and she inspired me to do away with the senseless, uncomfortable, time-consuming practice.

My mother and younger sister were not fans, to say the least*, but their insistence for conformity strengthened my feelings of rebellion on the subject. Their attitudes and the prejudicial ones I encountered--or sometimes, perhaps, merely imagined--forced me to think:
~Why am I doing this?
~Why do I care?
~Why does the urging of the crowd--family, friends, random
acquaintances--make my generally docile self feel ready to boil
over?


~TBC~


*My father and older sister did not care, and my brother applauded my action--or rather, inaction.

October

Saturday, October 16, 2010
11:39 PM

Sticky notes turn up in the oddest of places. This week I found three.

1) In the front cover of my Bible.
2) Under the white flip-flops that used to be Megan's.
3) Under the rug.

I learned some very interesting things through these sticky notes, such as,

1) Evil Sticky-noters have very good imaginations for where to place things,
2) Jennifer Jaff turned into a giraffe,
and 3) Jennifer Mutton turned into a button.

Had the urge to sticky-note someone's room, workplace, or car lately? You probably should. Someone will learn important things as a result.

An Inadvertent Win:

I posted the following for Inklings Bookshop's Poetry Day contest on Thursday. I merely wanted to be involved in the discussion, because it was about children's poetry, and if there are two genres of literature that are my favorite, they are children's lit and poetry. If you put the two together, fireworks explode in my heart, and I can't help but grin. Why, just today a fourth grade girl came up to me and showed me Sharon Creech's Love That Dog and Hate That Cat, and I could hardly contain myself in a professional manner as I tried to communicate to her my enthusiasm for poetry and Sharon Creech. So here's my little snippet--I hope it gets you reading children's poetry! :D

"One of my favorite childhood poems is'Disobedience' by A.A. Milne, which is about how a 3 year old takes such good care of his mother, but unfortunately she disobeys him and ends up lost. Despite King George's offer of "forty shillings reward," James James Morrison Morrison Weatherby George Dupree's mother is never found again. Alas! But it's hilarious..."

P.S. I was just perusing the blogs in my little subscription inbox (RSS feed? I don't know what it's called, for sure). In doing so, I have realized that I am ONE MONTH behind in my reading! How did this happen? I'm sorry, dear ones--I will begin catching up on your lives ASAP. (Which probably means after I get back from California on the 12th of October:(...) I'm sorry! Will catch up; cross my heart and kiss my elbow. Hasta luego.

Borrowing From an Email, While I've Got it So Concisely Written:

Here are three little internet videos that I have found helpful to both my mind and the way are relate to God and his world; maybe you've even heard of or seen them. All three videos touch on thoughts about consumerism.

"The Story of Stuff" was a video Nathaniel had me watch a couple years ago, and it gives legitimate concerns about our consumer society and why it isn't as great as a lot of Americans--Christians included--seem to think.

One of the Advent Conspiracy videos was shared with me by Brian a few months before Nate shared "The Story of Stuff" with me. (And I think I shared that one with Brian.) These videos are a specifically Christian and Christmas-oriented look at things--"stuff." I would say they're applicable to all of life, though, not only Christmas. I advise first watching "Enter the Story" then the "[AC] Promo 2009" videos, which are respectively the 5th and 4th videos down on this page. Or even better, watch "[AC] 2009 Promo" here so that you can make it full-screen and actually read the tiny print:). The other videos are probably great, too, but those are the only two I have watched, and I think it's good to watch them both, with "Enter the Story" coming first.