A Playlist for Finals
Our Finest Hour -Philmore
Stand -Rascal Flatts
Bad Day -Daniel Powter
The Good Fight -Dashboard Confessional
Home -Michael Bublé
For the Moments I Feel Faint - Relient K
Who Cares About Tomorrow? -Philmore
Over My Head (Cable Car) - The Fray
These Are the Things We Go Through -Hawk Nelson
You Are Loved (Don't Give Up) -Josh Groban
You Know Where To Find Me - Matthew West
My Help (Cometh From the Lord) - Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
The Valley Song (Sing of Your Mercy) - Jars Of Clay
Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul
I heard this song in Sunday School a couple days ago. I'd never heard it before, and I wasn't even at my regular church, but it was a blessing to me, so I thought I'd share it. I guess it's a modern update to an old hymn, with new music written within the past ten years or so, and I really like it. The words were written in the eighteenth century. If you search it out, I'm sure you could hear a version of it sung to get an idea of the melody. God bless!
Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul
1. Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On Thee, when sorrows rise
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies
To Thee I tell each rising grief,
For Thou alone canst heal
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief,
For every pain I feel
2. But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,
I fear to call Thee mine
The springs of comfort seem to fail,
And all my hopes decline
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?
Thou art my only trust
And still my soul would cleave to Thee
Though prostrate in the dust
3. Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,
And shall I seek in vain?
And can the ear of sovereign grace,
Be deaf when I complain?
No still the ear of sovereign grace,
Attends the mourner's prayer
Oh may I ever find access,
To breathe my sorrows there
4. Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet,
Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet
©1998, Kevin Twit Music.
Searching for Motivation...
Because I have no idea where I left it...maybe it's back at the house still on spring break.
It's been a long week of rehearsals (I now know why there's a prefix on that word). We are all improving in different spots, and it is coming together, but it's easy to get tired of it. However, the BIG PROJECT that I was assigned for Advanced Grammar is due Monday. Yes, I knew about it all semester, but now that it's coming down to it, well, it's a BIG time consumer(when I have tons of time - perfect! Because I'm not in practice for several hours a day...). Yes, I should have started much earlier, when I had time...sometime back in January and February...maybe, I'm not sure if I had time then or not. I have most of my sources, now I just have to read/scan through and give their use/benefit to the reader. It's dull work, it's hard to see the benefit - with history papers, at least I've learned more about an event/period/person/etc.
Perhaps I should remember 'whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.' There's some motivation right there. Well, thanks for reading/listening.
Lessons from History
Over the past couple class periods for Asian-American History (history of US - Asia foreign relations...not that of Asian-Americans), I watched a video on the war crimes of WWII. I have seen similar videos in the past on the Holocaust and such, but this video was different. It had lots of actual footage instead of a few still photographs. Videos of thousands being buried, shots of starving children in the Warsaw ghetto, the diary of a Japanese soldier who raped women in Nanjing, and the film went on. My hair was literally standing on end. I felt numb from this continuous stream of man's worst deeds. It was enough almost to make me sick. It took a good hour to recover and process what I had seen, then an additional half an hour of talking to Dad about it that night.
The most valuable thing I learned was not just facts about what atrocity one side did to another 65 years ago. No, I saw stark evidence of man's depravity. This is why man needs a Savior. I know Jesus died for every sin, but He died not just for the white lie I told or the evil thoughts I have, but He died for the sins of these men too. He died for the rapist, the murderer, the victim, the Nazi. Every sin. That's just incomprehensible. No wonder the Father looked away. The greater the wonder that He did it for us at all.
Now then, after watching that, some might say, there is no God. A good God would never allow that to happen. But, haven't we done it to ourselves? If God intervened every time a man tried to hurt another, there would be no free will to believe. The same allowance that God exercises is what makes love possible, that makes forgiveness a reality. Who am I to question the sovereignty of God? He knows far better than I. As it says in Daniel - none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou?
Finally, the actual history lesson. General Sherman said,"War is hell." Yes, it is destructive, gruesome, and awful in many ways. However, war is necessary. There are just causes worth fighting for. Pacificism will not end war (a very good read on this is C.S. Lewis' speech, "Why I am Not a Pacifist" found in the book, The Weight of Glory). War often provides incredible oppurtunity for heroism, mercy, and good deeds. War forces men to realize that they are not immortal. The death percentage for mankind is 100% and can go no higher. War makes us remember death (Lewis' thought). I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I do believe war is necessary, although war in itself is not good. War is a means to a just end (hopefully), but it is not an end in itself. I have chosen to study history, and I've faced some of the worst of it this week. This study is necessary as well. Learn the mistakes of the past, and hope to make wiser choices in the present.
Quotes from the First Week at School
Let me tell you about a few preliminary things, before we get to the fun stuff. At CCC we have a vice president of Student Affairs - Dr.Hodges. Over the break he grew a goatee. Some guys were talking about it and said he bears an uncanny resemblance to Count Duku (for the non-Star Wars fan, he's the villain in Episode II). So when he got up to speak in chapel on Tuesday, a guy told me he thought to himself: "Someone get that man a cape!" I wasn't sure how to react...I thought it was really funny, but then in a way, I was ashamed that I got the joke! Oh, well. I'm a nerd, it's official.
Now, the following section will be a lengthy set of quotes (or something close to that) from my history professor, Dr.Wiggins. This is not meant to be disrespectful, but he does say these things, and he is hilarious. He's brilliant, and just a really sweet gentleman. He took his hat off when he was talking to me this morning, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I love his classes. Ok, so without further ado, quotes from Dr.Wiggins:
"I'm starting a new religion. 2nd day adventists so we can have Mondays off. You always need an edge when you're starting a new religion."
"My style of teaching...if you want to call it that..."
"I get marked down for being sarcastic."
"...wad up a piece of paper and throw it at me."
"What do Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter have in common? They're both Southern Baptists."
"What do Jimmy Carter and Stalin have in common? They're both born in Georgia."
"...these are the things you learn in state schools when you go to class and are sober."
" 'plutoed' - diminished in importance"
Labels: School
There and Back Again
Hello All,
Sorry I haven't been on here for...the entire month of December. I've been home and in contact with some of you, so I didn't see it as continually necessary. I am back, though, and will probably post a couple times a month from now til at least April or May. It's been a nice break, but it's time to return to school down in the sunnier/more humid part of our Sunshine State. Clear H2O...I've been there, and back again, and I'm going there once more...somewhat of a vicious cycle. Pray for me (and my attitude) as I leave the comforts of home and go back to limited privacy, sleep deprivation, and SYSCO food.
Jen
A Bow in the Cloud or More than a Silver Lining
I'm back at CCC, which is good because now that I'm here, it means the semester will soon be over and I can relax over Christmas break! However, with the usual leaving home rush, I forgot a couple things, got back to school, and missed home. It's getting easier every time I leave, but I still miss just being around my family (and friends from TBC who will leave before I get home...might not see them for a couple months).
Anyway, I was exiting Cathcart (Dining Commons) after dinner and felt a few flecks of rain. Immediate thought was "Oh, great, I've got to go to the cafe, get a scantron before class, get back to my room, study, go to my class, and take a big test...and it's starting to rain!!" Well, that all flashed across my mind in a matter of seconds, but as soon as I turned right and saw the sky, there to the south was a
rainbow. It was an amazing wide half circle, probably one of the biggest I'd ever seen. I saw it clearly against a background of grey clouds. I could see all the colors. It was beautiful, and it reminded me of God's promise (Genesis 9:13-17). It was as if God said to my heart right then, "I'm still here with you. I haven't forsaken you, you are not alone. Wait and trust in me. I love you, and I'm glad you like it."
So, my personal little thundercloud disappeared when I saw the bow within the cloud. Better than a silver lining, it was a full array of gemstone colors. God revealed Himself to me once again, and He was glorified in it.
Later, I remembered that I will only see the full circle of a rainbow around God's throne (Revelation 4:3), "but until then, my heart will go on singing."
"I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9: 13
