I love the way the Message Bible puts things into phrases that most of us have never heard in Scripture. It feels like “street” Scripture to me, that any unchurched person off the streets could understand it. And I love that. As someone who has grown up in the Church, it’s refreshing to hear familiar verses in a new way, and to gain a deeper revelation from that same verse, just because it’s said in a different way.
All that being said, SheReadsTruth is going through Galatians. Here are a few of my favorite verses in the
Message translation.
2:16~ Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed the Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.
2:19-21~ My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me.
3:11-12~ The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him.
Isn’t that great!? I heart the Message
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Belated Funny Friday
Today is Move-Out Day for one sister {and tomorrow is Move-Out Day for another} so here is just a couple quick laughs from this week.
The family went over to our grandparents’ and Grandma gave us all hankies that she used to use. She showed us a very pretty lace one and Grandpa looks at it and then at us with a confused yet witty grin:”Blow your nose with that, and then you have to wash your hand!”
Later at dinner, Grandma is making sure everyone has the drink they want, and Grandpa quips:”Water is good for bathing and for putting out fires, not for drinking.”
This morning before we leave for Move-Out Day, Dad is heading out the door.Nayn: “Dad, where are you going?”
Dad: “I’m going to the store to get you some wipes.”
Nayn: “Why?”
Dad: “Because you’re going to college.”
Alright, I have to go help my sisters move. Peace out!
The family went over to our grandparents’ and Grandma gave us all hankies that she used to use. She showed us a very pretty lace one and Grandpa looks at it and then at us with a confused yet witty grin:”Blow your nose with that, and then you have to wash your hand!”
Later at dinner, Grandma is making sure everyone has the drink they want, and Grandpa quips:”Water is good for bathing and for putting out fires, not for drinking.”
This morning before we leave for Move-Out Day, Dad is heading out the door.Nayn: “Dad, where are you going?”
Dad: “I’m going to the store to get you some wipes.”
Nayn: “Why?”
Dad: “Because you’re going to college.”
Alright, I have to go help my sisters move. Peace out!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Home again, home again
Wow. What a trip. What adventures, what family bonding, what shopping expeditions, what sights, what monuments, what sore feet, what stuffed suitcases, what long plane rides, and what jet lag. All so wonderful.
I don’t remember if I gave y’all the itinerary before, so let me show you some pictures in some semblance of order. I’ll probably have to go into much more detail {with more pictures} in a later post, but for now, we’ll do an overview.
Sister Nayn and I flew to Amsterdam, then to Berlin on Monday-Tuesday. Amsterdam is where I first got out my camera, so ta-da!
Here we are on the plane, about to land in Berlin!
Prepare for landing!
We landed about 10:30am Berlin-time on Tuesday. We. were. wiped. But after only a short nap and a shower, our lovely hostess J was taking us out to see some of Berlin’s sights. We spent the week exploring this lovely, huge city. I’ll do a Berlin post soon!
On Saturday, we flew to Barcelona to meet the family. Unfortunately, my camera battery pooped out on me halfway through the week, and the charger did not fit into the converter J’s family had. So I had to wait until Sunday morning to charge up the battery; hence, the next picture I have is of Sunday’s sunset at sea.
We had a day at sea, during which we slept in {lovely time change-grr!} and relaxed in our swimsuits. The next day we were in Napoli, and my family took a two-hour tour of Pompeii. Behold.
Then we went back to Napoli to a) try an authentic Margarita pizza and b) shop.
Our next stop was Rome. Sadly, there was a problem with our driver {as in, he never showed} and we ended up joining the masses on a bus tour. But we had good attitudes and were glad to be going somehow.
Here we are waiting for our driver.
Almost to Rome!
My favorite part of Rome
The next day we were in Florence, and I confess: I did not bring my camera to Florence because I knew that a sister and I would be shopping for the majority of our visit, and that even when we were in the museum to see David, we couldn't take pictures. But to recompense, I will take pictures of my purchases from Florence :)
After Italy, we went to Cannes, France. My family decided to head a little bit away to Saint Paul de Vence, a medieval village on the top of a cliff. It was a really cute, artsy little town, and we got a lot of shopping done, much to my dad’s chagrin. But he really has no choice, with 5 women in the fam.
Isn’t it quant?
After Saint Paul and Cannes, we went to Marseilles. My sister and I were really hoping to purchase a chess piece. Not a set, but just a piece. From The Count of Monte Cristo. Yeah, we didn't find any chess kings for sale. But my other sister bought a ton of clothes! Didn't take my camera that day either, because who needs a camera to go shopping? Not this chick.
That was our last stop with the cruise; the next day we were back in Barcelona. And then we toured Barcelona! It was really fun; the two main highlights for me was the Church of the Holy Family that has been being built for 140 years! The following pictures just don’t do it justice.
This is one façade of the church.
Coming around to the other side.
The side depicting the Nativity-note the Christmas tree above and the manger scene below.
La Sagrada Familia- the Holy Family
After this extensive tour, we checked into our hotel, took showers, and attempted to get to sleep sharing a bed. As in, the 4 of us “children” were sharing a bed. Yup. Guess how much sleep we all got.
But it didn't matter, because the next day we got on an airplane to Malaga {southern Spain} and we arrived at our condo and got into our swimsuits and relaxed by the pool. All week. Well, we went to Gibraltar one day, but other than that, I took no pictures. We were at the beach, the pool, or inside choosing from the 10 English channels on the t.v. It was delightful, and I am so glad to have ended with the relaxing week.
It was a marvelous vacation, and I’m so, so grateful. My parents and sisters and I worked hard to be able to do this together, and I’m so glad we did. We had our window of opportunity and we took it. Yesterday, the day we woke up in our own beds, one sister started college. This Saturday is the baby sister’s orientation into the Master’s Commission AND the second sister’s move-in day at her new college, two-and-a-half hours north of home. I’m so glad all I have to do is move across the hall. :)
It’s good to be home!
I don’t remember if I gave y’all the itinerary before, so let me show you some pictures in some semblance of order. I’ll probably have to go into much more detail {with more pictures} in a later post, but for now, we’ll do an overview.
Sister Nayn and I flew to Amsterdam, then to Berlin on Monday-Tuesday. Amsterdam is where I first got out my camera, so ta-da!
Here we are on the plane, about to land in Berlin!
Prepare for landing!
We landed about 10:30am Berlin-time on Tuesday. We. were. wiped. But after only a short nap and a shower, our lovely hostess J was taking us out to see some of Berlin’s sights. We spent the week exploring this lovely, huge city. I’ll do a Berlin post soon!
On Saturday, we flew to Barcelona to meet the family. Unfortunately, my camera battery pooped out on me halfway through the week, and the charger did not fit into the converter J’s family had. So I had to wait until Sunday morning to charge up the battery; hence, the next picture I have is of Sunday’s sunset at sea.
We had a day at sea, during which we slept in {lovely time change-grr!} and relaxed in our swimsuits. The next day we were in Napoli, and my family took a two-hour tour of Pompeii. Behold.
Then we went back to Napoli to a) try an authentic Margarita pizza and b) shop.
Our next stop was Rome. Sadly, there was a problem with our driver {as in, he never showed} and we ended up joining the masses on a bus tour. But we had good attitudes and were glad to be going somehow.
Here we are waiting for our driver.
Almost to Rome!
My favorite part of Rome
The next day we were in Florence, and I confess: I did not bring my camera to Florence because I knew that a sister and I would be shopping for the majority of our visit, and that even when we were in the museum to see David, we couldn't take pictures. But to recompense, I will take pictures of my purchases from Florence :)
After Italy, we went to Cannes, France. My family decided to head a little bit away to Saint Paul de Vence, a medieval village on the top of a cliff. It was a really cute, artsy little town, and we got a lot of shopping done, much to my dad’s chagrin. But he really has no choice, with 5 women in the fam.
Isn’t it quant?
After Saint Paul and Cannes, we went to Marseilles. My sister and I were really hoping to purchase a chess piece. Not a set, but just a piece. From The Count of Monte Cristo. Yeah, we didn't find any chess kings for sale. But my other sister bought a ton of clothes! Didn't take my camera that day either, because who needs a camera to go shopping? Not this chick.
That was our last stop with the cruise; the next day we were back in Barcelona. And then we toured Barcelona! It was really fun; the two main highlights for me was the Church of the Holy Family that has been being built for 140 years! The following pictures just don’t do it justice.
This is one façade of the church.
Coming around to the other side.
The side depicting the Nativity-note the Christmas tree above and the manger scene below.
La Sagrada Familia- the Holy Family
After this extensive tour, we checked into our hotel, took showers, and attempted to get to sleep sharing a bed. As in, the 4 of us “children” were sharing a bed. Yup. Guess how much sleep we all got.
But it didn't matter, because the next day we got on an airplane to Malaga {southern Spain} and we arrived at our condo and got into our swimsuits and relaxed by the pool. All week. Well, we went to Gibraltar one day, but other than that, I took no pictures. We were at the beach, the pool, or inside choosing from the 10 English channels on the t.v. It was delightful, and I am so glad to have ended with the relaxing week.
It was a marvelous vacation, and I’m so, so grateful. My parents and sisters and I worked hard to be able to do this together, and I’m so glad we did. We had our window of opportunity and we took it. Yesterday, the day we woke up in our own beds, one sister started college. This Saturday is the baby sister’s orientation into the Master’s Commission AND the second sister’s move-in day at her new college, two-and-a-half hours north of home. I’m so glad all I have to do is move across the hall. :)
It’s good to be home!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Funny Monday
Well, there’s a long explanation but the story is funny, especially if you even remotely know my family.
We’re sitting around the dinner table, all 6 of us, which is rare and awesome. Mom wants to examine the new MC ring of our just-graduated sister. They redesigned the rings this year, and it looks more like a signet than….than what they looked like before. So someone joked “don’t want to meet you in a dark alley with that ring on!” and the youngest sister responds, “you’re supposed to hit people with your knuckles, not with the flat part of your hands, because that doesn’t hurt as much.”
Dad joins in, “actually, you’re not supposed to use your fists to hit someone…”
Mom jumps in “yeah, just use a baseball bat!”
Oh, Mother…. you can always count on her to be both wise and witty in any situation.
Oh yeah, I’m leaving today. AUGHSLDJV;NLSFV;LSADKDJF;AKHJ;ALKFJ;SOADF that was my excitement typing. And on that note, I bid you adieu.
We’re sitting around the dinner table, all 6 of us, which is rare and awesome. Mom wants to examine the new MC ring of our just-graduated sister. They redesigned the rings this year, and it looks more like a signet than….than what they looked like before. So someone joked “don’t want to meet you in a dark alley with that ring on!” and the youngest sister responds, “you’re supposed to hit people with your knuckles, not with the flat part of your hands, because that doesn’t hurt as much.”
Dad joins in, “actually, you’re not supposed to use your fists to hit someone…”
Mom jumps in “yeah, just use a baseball bat!”
Oh, Mother…. you can always count on her to be both wise and witty in any situation.
Oh yeah, I’m leaving today. AUGHSLDJV;NLSFV;LSADKDJF;AKHJ;ALKFJ;SOADF that was my excitement typing. And on that note, I bid you adieu.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
One Week
In one week, my sister and I will be in Berlin, Germany. WHAT!?!!? Crazy, right?? We leave on Monday and arrive on Tuesday- yay, long international flights! But hey, the journey is part of the destination, right? Or something corny like that. Oh, ps, this trip means I probably won’t be able to keep up posting, so please forgive me in advance, and I’ll a) see if I can schedule posts ahead of time, and b) show you lots of pictures afterwards.
Before we leave, our other sister graduates from Master’s Commission. Woot! This weekend is filled with festivities for her class, which means we need to pack beforehand!
After we get back, all 3 of my sisters will be moving! One will be moving up to college; one will be moving back home; and one will be moving somewhere in our church community to start Master’s Commission.
Thank God the only moving I have to do is across the hallway!
So I’ll be getting my own room and it has built-in bookshelves on the top half of one wall…what should I do with them?? I was thinking of painting the vertical part of them, so there’s something fun to look at when I take a book off the shelf… I was also thinking of putting contact paper (am I thinking of the right thing?) down on the horizontal part of the shelf just so there’s something funky there. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.
Also, I told you a while ago that I bought a frame from Goodwill. Well, what should I do with it??? I was thinking of combining a couple craft ideas and putting magazine pieces inside the frame, with or without paint on it, and then using the glass as a note-writing board. Or maybe using chalk paint? Or making a magnetic frame… let me see if I can find pictures to show you…
source
source
The first one is what I’m leaning towards doing, only inside a frame instead of on a canvas, and I’m not sure if I would put the stencil over it or not. Thoughts? Votes?
In closing, I’m going to go to bed and re-read Persuasion. Again. Because I love it. Sigh. Captain Wentworth is my man.
Before we leave, our other sister graduates from Master’s Commission. Woot! This weekend is filled with festivities for her class, which means we need to pack beforehand!
After we get back, all 3 of my sisters will be moving! One will be moving up to college; one will be moving back home; and one will be moving somewhere in our church community to start Master’s Commission.
Thank God the only moving I have to do is across the hallway!
So I’ll be getting my own room and it has built-in bookshelves on the top half of one wall…what should I do with them?? I was thinking of painting the vertical part of them, so there’s something fun to look at when I take a book off the shelf… I was also thinking of putting contact paper (am I thinking of the right thing?) down on the horizontal part of the shelf just so there’s something funky there. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.
Also, I told you a while ago that I bought a frame from Goodwill. Well, what should I do with it??? I was thinking of combining a couple craft ideas and putting magazine pieces inside the frame, with or without paint on it, and then using the glass as a note-writing board. Or maybe using chalk paint? Or making a magnetic frame… let me see if I can find pictures to show you…
source
source
The first one is what I’m leaning towards doing, only inside a frame instead of on a canvas, and I’m not sure if I would put the stencil over it or not. Thoughts? Votes?
In closing, I’m going to go to bed and re-read Persuasion. Again. Because I love it. Sigh. Captain Wentworth is my man.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Restless
Tonight I want to go for a run, and rearrange my room, and paint something, and maybe crochet something, and still finish my book, and practice my piano, and paint my nails, and it’s almost 10pm for the love of Pete!
But I’m restless… do you ever get that way, where you feel like you have to do something in order to not go crazy? Or is that just me?
It might be related to having sugar after dinner-crack popcorn gets me every time. And it might be related to the fact that today was such a beautiful day that I wanted to read in my swimsuit instead of sweat and run around the track. It is probably related to the fact that I’m going to an arbitration on Thursday for the lovely MVA a couple years ago. And it is definitely related to Family Camp starting tomorrow.
I’ll tell you what I am going to do tonight: I am going to listen to this song on repeat and write a cover letter for an internship I’m applying for. Shoot, maybe I will paint my nails. That is multi-tasking, my friends.
Alright. I’m off. Thanks for listening to my restless ramblings.
But I’m restless… do you ever get that way, where you feel like you have to do something in order to not go crazy? Or is that just me?
It might be related to having sugar after dinner-crack popcorn gets me every time. And it might be related to the fact that today was such a beautiful day that I wanted to read in my swimsuit instead of sweat and run around the track. It is probably related to the fact that I’m going to an arbitration on Thursday for the lovely MVA a couple years ago. And it is definitely related to Family Camp starting tomorrow.
I’ll tell you what I am going to do tonight: I am going to listen to this song on repeat and write a cover letter for an internship I’m applying for. Shoot, maybe I will paint my nails. That is multi-tasking, my friends.
Alright. I’m off. Thanks for listening to my restless ramblings.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Draft
Like many Americans, I have a few television shows that I watch regularly. And like most Americans, that means that I make these shows a priority. I wouldn’t call myself an addict or obsessed or anything too extreme, but I make sure that the family is done with dinner and dishes in time for the show.
My family’s top show is The Closer produced by TNT. The show stars Kyra Sedgwick as Chief Brenda Johnson of the LAPD. Like most crime shows, there are dead bodies and bad guys and guns and general excitement, excitement that has made this show a highly-rated one.
While watching, with many other Americans, the highly-anticipated last six episodes of The Closer, I was struck by how fiercely the characters fought for life. These fictitious law enforcers made every effort to not kill bad guys, to make deals with them so that victims could be saved and death row could be avoided. Now, I recognize that these are made-up stories written by people who want their show to succeed, but they also have an agenda; they are promoting their ideals whether we are aware of it or not.
Let me bring in something seemingly unrelated, and I promise to tie them together. I am taking a business course right now from a Christian organization. The book we are reading is explaining the single-generation mindset of our economic system’s founder, John Maynard Keynes. Keynes was a homosexual who had no thought of the next generation; hence, our “have it now, pay for it later” generation and ensuing economic struggles. The author of the book points out the connection between our economic situation and our morals. Abortion is the epitome of single-generation living. Abortion thinks only of the here and now, not of the future. No wonder our economy is so bad and our nation is on its knees.
So let’s go back to The Closer and let’s tie these two concepts together. Ironically, like the ultimate problem is solved, this connection was made most clear to me in the finale of the show and in the premiere of the follow-up show. As Chief Johnson moves positions and Captain Raydar steps up, my conclusion was revealed. Capt. Raydar focuses on getting criminals sentenced, and the first sentencing she does puts a prisoner away for life instead of the death penalty. But one of her subordinates complains that she settled for his conviction instead of his execution because it saved the city money. Let’s think about the parallels in this fictional television show and the very real state of our nation: life and death come down to economics. What saves us money now? Putting criminals in jail instead of executing them. What else saves us money now? Aborting our children instead of raising them. What is more expensive long-term? The caring for of life-long prisoners. What else is more expensive long-term? Depression, breast cancer, difficulty carrying a full-term pregnancy, suicide, and all the other risks increased by abortion; this is not to mention a diminished work force, and let’s not even get into the culture of death pervading this nation.
**EDIT: What really gets to me is the fact that in today's society, life and death are decided by economics. How has it come to this, that we value life based on revenue? In a sad, sardonic way, our society is consistent: we abort our young and euthanize our old because it is more "economically feasible" to have them die. Have morals become so far removed? Or is our deception that complete?**
If you’ve read a few Bound4Life posts, I’m sure you’re familiar with all the ways Planned Parenthood deceives and bullies organizations into continual funding. I am not ignorant of the link between our nation’s moral compass, the nation’s largest abortion provider, and our national economic crisis. I would simply like to point out yet another connection, drawing from our entertainment sector, and I would like to encourage you to pray, even more fervently, for our nation.
Jesus, I plead Your Blood over my sins and the sins of my nation. God, end abortion and send revival to America!
please tell me what you think of this post! Give me everything-grammatical, content, point, details. Was I clear? Do I need more? Less? Please, tell me your thoughts! Thank you!
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