The Bible on My List

I have to confess: I have been experiencing Bible envy for well over a year now. My dear friend and roommate Sarah, who reads the New American Standard version, has a beautiful compact black leather Bible. I would give you the link, but I can’t find it right now. It’s a little larger than most compacts, and thicker, with extremely readable type. It’s such a convenient size, and so easy to read, that I have been wanting one just like it in my favorite English Standard Version for some time now. But alas, I have searched to no avail. I have the thinline, the reference, and the compact, but no personal size.

But finally, my search has come to an end! A couple of weeks ago, I was meandering through Crossway’s site (they publish the ESV), and I stumbled upon the Personal Size Reference Bible (I want it in a different color than that link, though). It’s about 5 by 7 inches, which is perfect, and it has more readable type than a compact, but is smaller than a thinline. Sadly, its release date has been delayed until February 29, but I am waiting excitedly for that day!

12 TV Characters I Love

Yes, you read that right. I’m actually posting about television. This is definitely a first. But it’s Christmas break, and I have been recovering from surgery for the past few days, so I’ve had a little extra time on my hands. And now it’s after midnight and I’m bored, and I keep sleeping in so I’m not really tired, so here is a completely useless, very monochromatic (so to speak), but perhaps interesting list for you… in no particular order:

Disclaimer: I’m not endorsing any of these shows, nor am I endorsing any characters or actors or their morality or life choices.

12. Alexis Bledel as Rory Gilmore

I especially love Rory in the first season of Gilmore Girls, when she’s awkward around boys and takes a book everywhere, just in case she gets bored. I can relate to her a lot then! I love how she talks really quickly when she’s nervous, and she gets herself into embarrassing situations often, but she’s persistent and moves on and has a great sense of humor about things.

11. Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore

My favorite thing about the character Lorelai is her quick wit and sharp vocabulary. I also like how she has the ability to make a lighthearted moment out of almost anything. She’s just so funny, but she also has a great depth about her. My sister Kayla and I often compare our personalities to Lorelai and Rory, respectively. (She’s like Lorelai and I’m like Rory, in case the “respectively” didn’t make that clear. )

10. Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer

24 is probably one of the most serious/suspense-driven shows I’ve ever watched, and it can get very violent at times. I haven’t watched it in awhile. But I do love the intensity of the Jack Bauer character, and how he’s so committed to his job. I love how the actor communicates the character.

9. Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo

Really now, who doesn’t love Lucy? One of the zaniest and most lovable television characters ever created, Lucy never fails to elicit laughter. She was the one who first got me hooked on old television shows.

8. Don Knotts as Barney Fife

I wonder if the word highstrung was coined to describe Barney Fife. The way his eyes bugged out of his head when he was worked up about something – which was pretty much always – was completely classic. Knotts just had a way of being so into the part that you couldn’t separate the character from the actor. Amazingly funny.

7. Rachael Ray as herself

30 Minute Meals is just about the only cooking show I like to watch. Rachael is creative, hands-on, and practical. She’s also personable and funny, and she explains things well. All perfect qualities for the host of a cooking show!

6. & 5. Dylan and Cole Sprouse as Zack and Cody Martin

These twin stars of Disney’s The Suite Life of Zack and Cody are just incredibly funny, and fun to watch. They interact really humorously and play up their very different characters very convincingly.

 4. Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana/Miley Stewart

This young superstar’s comedic ability is flawless… in other words, she, too, is just really funny. She has an inherent confidence and sparkle onscreen, as well as a strong singing voice. She steals the stage… or the screen… whenever she crosses either. And her comparably wholesome image is refreshing.

3. & 2. Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore as Rob and Laura Petrie

I just love The Dick Van Dyke Show, and most of that is due to the hilarious acting, chemistry, and humor of these two actors. They have to be my favorite onscreen couple ever.

1. Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable

Really, who’s funnier than Bill Cosby? I love The Cosby Show, and I really believe he made it what it was. My family and I never sit down to watch an episode without laughing hysterically.

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As you can see, I really like classic TV, Gilmore Girls, and the Disney Channel. What can I say?

The Evil Eye Baby

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP81tSlEdeM]

This video was posted at Ragamuffin Soul today. It is soooo funny.

Confession #93

This may sound strange. But hear me out. I know being single at Christmas can be kind of a bummer. With all the nostalgia and sparkle in the air, it just seems like it would be so nice to have that special someone to share it with, doesn’t it? Plus, each time another Christmas rolls around and I come home from college, I know people are wondering if I’ve found myself a significant other yet. But…

At Christmas, I am also really thankful that I’m single! Because then I can relax. While I will absolutely love bringing a guy home to meet my family someday, there’s going to be a fair amount of stress involved with that. I’ll have to try extra hard to just be myself. And I’ll be trying not to worry about the impressions everyone is making on each other. And I’ll have to deal with the strangeness of it all!

Right now, being single, I can just relax, not worry about having a guest over, watch movies to my heart’s content, dance through the house doing whatever I want to do, make my own Christmas plans, and just enjoy a truly stress-free break. It’s not so bad, is it?

upheld.

I’m doing well. Thank you for the comments, stories, and prayers! Yesterday was kind of a hard day. The medicine I was taking was really hard on my stomach, especially since I hadn’t eaten anything forever (per the doctor’s orders, and it wasn’t really forever). Anyway… I’m feeling a lot better today, and my purpose for writing is to share my Daily Light for today. It is so good, as usual.

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Light dawns in the darkness for the upright.

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.—Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.—For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light.

Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication.

Ps. 112:4; Isa. 50:10; Ps. 37:24; Prov. 6:23; Mic. 7:8, 9

My First Surgery

I am getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow morning, and I am not excited about it. I always get strangely nervous about these sorts of things. But I’m sure it will be fine; they’re not impacted or anything. And I’ll be glad to have it over with!

If you have any wisdom teeth stories you’d like to share, feel free. I’d enjoy it.

God Is Not Dead

“I don’t really want an answer; I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So goodnight, dear void.”

If you think about it, that quote from the movie You’ve Got Mail says a lot about the age we live in. One of the most noticeable characteristics of postmodernity is the relinquishment of a need for answers; the comfort with living in questions. That can be a good thing, but not if we’re willing to forsake truth. And the latter half of the statement is poignant, too – “I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So goodnight, dear void.” How sad that we’ve moved from, “Good night, dear Father,” to, “Good night, dear void.” It makes me think of Nietzche in the 1800s, and his proclamation that “God is dead.” How despairing and depressing, but I feel like this age almost reflects a belief in that.

That’s why one of my favorite Christmas carols is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” It was written by Henry W. Longfellow during the Civil War, around the same time Nietzche lived. There’s a verse in that song that goes:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Almost every time I hear that, I think about the statement “God is dead” and the chain of events that have followed, from world wars to cultural breakdowns to ever-deepening corruption, and I think, And yet, He still is not dead, and they have not succeeded in killing Him. And they never will.

Young Women to Watch: Taylor Moore

Taylor Moore is seventeen years old. I first encountered her in Girls Gone Mild, and since then have found a whole section of blog entries written by her on Modestly Yours. She has been raised in a single-parent home on the south side of Chicago, attended public schools, and has been a speaker on non-violence and abstinence since she was thirteen. She played for the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic and has started her own jazz band. She is confident and obviously precocious, and it has been said that she could be the President of the United States one day. I wouldn’t argue!

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In a blog entry on Modestly Yours, Taylor writes:

“Oh, it hasn’t been easy. Teens want to fit in. We want to have friends. We want people to like us. But what price are we willing to pay?  I had to pay. I wasn’t part of the ‘in’ crowd during the past four years. I could count the number of close friends on one hand and still have five fingers left over. Classmates may not have liked me–but they respected me.

“My senior year was a wonderful year, despite the toll that comes with standing on what I believe. In September, I spent a week in Washington, DC speaking to high school and junior high students about abstinence. I continued speaking engagemnts across the Chicagoland area. The Chicago Jazz Philharmonic selected me to be part of their 2007 All-Star Student Jazz Combo and the group opened for jazz vocalist Kurt Elling at the Auditorium Theatre. I formed my own jazz ensemble, Just Friends, and we have been getting gigs at different events. In the fall, I am going to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on a full-tuition scholarship.”

 Another quote, from last year (words edited for search engines):

“The main thing that’s been on my mind lately–outside of school stuff–is teen abstinence. I’ve spoken at several back-to-school rallies and I remind the girls not to worry about being s*xy; focus on being smart. I tell the guys don’t try to be hard and all thugged-out; focus on being intelligent and respectful. What do those things have to do with abstinence? Well, when young girls get caught up in the ‘Beyonce’ look and guys want to be ‘gangstas,’ this just sets the stage for making other poor decisions, like drinking, doing drugs, cutting classes, neglecting school and engaging in premarital s*x.

“The Bible tells us that our bodies are temples of God and we should consider that in all we do. What are you doing to your temple or with your temple to give Him Glory?”

I think her words speak for themselves! It’s so encouraging to see a seventeen-year-old embrace godly principles and be able to relate so well to her peers nationwide, and also to maintain a stellar performance academically. This is the kind of young woman other young girls should be looking up to!

In My Dark Your Lights Go On

So I almost made it… but I have two days to go, and plenty of time to get everything done, so I am returning a bit early. I really and truly missed writing during the break, but I also found that I was less addicted to it than I would have thought, which is a good thing.

I have a “Young Woman to Watch” in the works, and a few other posts on the waiting list as well. Hopefully I’ll be working on those soon. I’m going to be so busy! My friend/roommate Sarah is coming down to Ohio with me on Thursday to spend a few days, and then next Tuesday (a week from tomorrow) I get my wisdom teeth out – fun fun! Then I have two more weeks at home, and then it’s back to school for me. I’m taking J-term this year for the first time.

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Today, I just wanted to share a little something that I experienced this afternoon. I was driving to babysitting, my first final complete, and I was feeling pretty good. I was listening to a song by Michelle Tumes called “Fair Weather.” It’s about how the Lord is faithful in good times and bad: “You won’t wane in winter’s cold / And in my dark Your lights go on / I feel my heart held to Your tether / Feast or famine of my soul / I know You will remain / The least of me You love the most / When all have gone away / In the silence when the fear calls / The tears pour and You carry me home / You’re the windfall in the rainstorm / Stay with me, with me.”

Earlier this semester, I was going through some depression, as I have during other times in my life, and that song was a real encouragement to me. As I was listening to it today, I realized that it’s been probably a month and a half since I’ve been depressed. That was such a joyful and thankful realization. But as the afternoon went on, some of those feelings began to return in the strangest way, and I thought, I should have known. I tried to persevere, and I did remain happy for the little ones I was watching.

On the way home, I had to stop and pick up a gift card and a thank-you card for someone, and as I finished doing that, this sensation of happiness swept over me as I thought of giving it to the person. And I realized how fulfilling it truly is to do things for someone else. That sounds cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason. One reason I love Christmas is because you get to give.

I know it’s bad to be ruled by feelings, and yet they are so powerful, and it’s such a gift when they are positive. Even though it meant that I had some sad moments beforehand, I was thankful for that little light-bulb moment today.

Colorado Shootings

I’m interrupting my blogging break to urge you to pray for those affected by the Colorado shootings, both of which have taken place earlier today. The first was in Arvada, Colorado, at the Youth with a Mission headquarters. My best friend and roommate Cheyenne used to live in Arvada, and I know a few people who have been involved with YWAM. Two people were killed this morning by a gunman who has yet to be caught.

The second was at New Life Church, which my aunt and uncle attend (famous for being the church Ted Haggard used to pastor). Four people were shot but not killed (no one they know). This gunman has not been caught either.

Please pray for those affected. Pray that the shooters will be caught. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray that they will show forgiveness and grace, and that they will be comforted.

(news link here)

This is scary because it hits close to home, doesn’t it? Good thing we don’t have to be afraid.