Have I ever mentioned how much I love the mountains? My Mamma loves the beach, but I’ll take the mountains over the beach ANY day! We had a long drive to TN for the first school, and we drove through the beautiful mountain area of western Virginia. It was gorgeous and I totally loved it.
After visiting the school in TN (which I was able to rule out), we went to Greenville for basically 24 hours. It was an EXTREMELY fast trip, but fun. We took some wacky family pictures while we were there. Here’s some good ones…
On the way back home we stopped in Winston-Salem, NC, to visit the other school. I didn’t take any pictures there, though… I kinda forgot ;).
We got home and it’s been a whirl-wind rush ever since. I’m now working full-time, so that’s another excuse for not posting ;).
I got my ACT scores back, and I’m ONE POINT away from getting an academic scholarship. ONE POINT!!! So I’m retaking it on June 13th (more prayers, please ;).
On the 22nd (of this month) we have some visitors coming for the day. They live in Washington (the state) but used to live here, so they know my mom and dad. I’ve seen the dad of the family several times in the last five or so years, but not the mom or the girls… I don’t even remember the girls at all, lol. They have two daughters; I think the oldest is 13, I’m not sure. :)
I was able to get the new newsboys CD a day or two after it came out. I like it… my favorite songs on it so far are –“Lead Me To The Cross” “In the Hands of God” "The Upside" and “The Way We Roll.” I like several others, though, too. :). Buuuuut… I don’t like it as much as I was hoping/expecting. Definitely not as much as GO or Thrive or even Take Me To Your Leader. But that’s ok... it’s still good :) and sadly, the last one with Peter Furler. I’ll miss his voice.
A few weeks ago we went to Target on our day off and I was able to get some clothes. I don’t normally like anything there, but they had some nice “professionalish” clothes that are good for school; I got a nice dress shirt and two nice pairs of dress pants. Perfect for class. The strange realization hit me – I have to go SCHOOL SHOPPING! Never had to do that before!
A few days ago I got the new Jenny B. Jones book. I read it so fast. I totally LOVE it. It’s awesome. I just keep gushing, lol. But it’s great. It’s actually got a mystery…and I LOVE mysteries! So that with the wit and fun of Jenny Jones’ style makes the perfect Christian Teen novel. I’m going to post my review on my book blog, and hopefully I’ll start keeping up with that blog more now. I’m going to try anyway! So take a peek and let me know what you think… here’s an excerpt of the review:
***
Bella is a bit of a spoiled brat.
She freaks out and is completely miserable because she has to leave her Dad's awesome condo in NYC, all her upper-class friends, and her adoring boyfriend, to move to "hickville" in Oklahoma with her mother, her mother's new husband, and his two sons - one sweet, while the other seems determined to make Bella's life even more miserable. She begs her mother to come to her senses, but her Mom is rock-solid that it's "God's will." How can Bella argue with that?
Ok, I think it’s time for me to wrap it up. It’s about midnight and I have to be at work by 9 tomorrow, which requires getting up at 7:30 and I’m sooooooooo tired that I don’t know if 7.5 hours will hold me ;).
[I’m going out of town tomorrow afternoon (Sunday) on a little “College Road Trip” and will be back at the end of the week.. I promise to return comments then.. please pray for me! I’m a little nervous :) Thanks!]
A few days ago my Grandfather sent me (as well as others in the family) some pictures of the daffodils that were coming up in his yard.
I wrote back telling him how pretty they were, then went on to say that daffodils were kind of special to me. They spark something inside of me; it’s like when I see daffodils coming up, I know spring is here.
We have been at the same church for over 15 years. The church building is surrounded with daffodils, and when I was a little girl I would get so excited to see the pretty yellow and white flowers popping up all over the yard. I always associated them with Easter. When I would see them being coming through the dirt and mess of the yard, it brought forth anticipation in me for the beautiful holiday. Even now, when I see daffodils, I get a tingle of excitement that spring is here; and that Easter is coming. By now, of course, Easter has passed. But I still get a twinge of excitement when I see the daffodils.
My Grandad wrote back last night. I was waiting for my turn to brush my teeth so I could go to bed when I decided to check my email from my phone while I waited. I didn’t expect any new email, as it had only been about twenty minutes since I’d been online. But there was the response. I opened it and began reading it on my tiny screen.
He told me that there was a history to those particular daffodils, and I was inspired to share it with you.
They came to his home from the farm his parents owned in Maine, but before that they came from a farm his parents owned in Massachusetts. His father (My great-grandfather) had bought the farm around 1924, and the people before him were comparatively well to do. One memory he has was that there was a tiny hole in the middle of the dining room floor, under the dining table, where a wire was connected to a bell in the kitchen which could summon the maid by stepping on a button under the table with your foot.
The family who had previously owned (and presumably built) the home had put in a nice, large flower garden in front of the barn between a large cellar door and the front corner of the barn, all enclosed by an attractive, low, stone wall. He guessed it to be at least twenty by twenty-five feet.
Grandad remembered that his Dad and Mom would often work in it in the evenings to keep it looking spiffy. Though he was young, he remembers gorgeous large hollyhocks growing up against the barn, and a number of perennial plans such as bleeding heart, delphinium, lilies, phlox, daffodils, etc. growing. He also remembered how nice the garden smelled when he would play with his toy cards on top of the stone wall. The driveway circled in and out right in front of it, and many folks that stopped by to buy veggies, applies, pears, cherries, berries and currants from their farm stand would admire and remark on the flower show.
They moved from that farm in Massachusetts to one in Maine when my grandfather was seven years old, though a few of his relatives stayed there. At the farm in Maine they did not have many flowers at first; it was more what one might call “survival gardens” to raise food to sell and for the family. But eventually his father developed a large vegetable garden where he put some peonies, lilies, etc, bordering the driveway and its strip of lawn.
My grandfather’s Uncle Lawrence was not the gardener that my great-grandfather was, though he always had a good vegetable garden, and the flower garden in front of the barn got overrun with grass and weeds and never looked the same again. But one thing about daffodils; they don’t run out like tulips, hyacinths and crocus, but tend to multiply if they are not too smothered.
About 1950, he guesses, Uncle Lawrence decided to dig up and thin out the daffodils, bringing up to Maine a whole bucket or two of extra bulbs! Great-grandfather planted them along the front of the garden in a strip about four feet wide by about seventy-five to a hundred feet long, and the multiplied some more.
When my grandfather returned from the Army in Germany in March of 1955 with his new (Zeiss Ikon 35mm) slide camera, what a sight there was to photograph! --looking toward the house from the far side of the garden, with the resh green spring lawn, and then that huge strip of nodding yellow daffodils! Beautiful.
They multiplied even more, so great-grandfather “subdivided” again, and planted a narrow strip on each side of the driveway all the way to the road (it was a long driveway!). After great-grandmother died in 1973, he even planted some in the farm cemetery.
When my grandfather and his brother Lester had to sell the farm, he made sure to dig up a couple peonies and a box of daffodil bulbs, and he planted the bulbs “temporarily” on the side of the vegetable garden at his home in New Hampshire. At some point later on, he inadvertently planted a couple of rhubarb plants on top them! He was sure their tops had died away when he did that, but undaunted, they bloomed away every spring, long before the rhubarb was barely popping the ground.
After removing brush, vines, and all sorts of things from the front corner of the yard, he put down some wood chips and thought it would be a good place to plant some of the daffodils. He also thought another place to plant some would be the adobe-looking birdbath.
But he now faced a problem – how could he find the bulbs? The tops die away early in the summer, and then huge rhubarb leaves hide everything. So when the rhubarb leaves were done after frost, he dug up a large section where the bulbs had multiplied, and got a lot of them – but not all! He tried typing string around the tops when they were green to identify the locations later on, with results less than spectacular. Every year he transplants a few, and every year there are still a few remaining, blossoming even now under the raspberry bushes!
He concluded, saying, “Well, I guess we can say these are definitely interstate bulbs, having traveled, survived and multiplied in three states! And isn't it a wonderful picture of how we as Christian believers, though we die and our bodies rest in the ground, at Christ's command we shall be resurrected and gloriously flower forth in new bodies!!!”
What a beautiful thing to say! I confess, while I see allegories to the Christian life and similarities of Christ’s love and work in many different things in life, I never made the connection to perennials, and more specifically daffodils. I think that’s partly due to the fact that I don’t garden, and I don’t know much of anything about plants. However, I was inspired by the letter my Granddad wrote. How true! He laid out a story and made the plant seem so simple…and then so easily tied it in with our lives in Christ.
Spring is a beautiful time of year, and daffodils always mark its coming for me. But now I have an even greater reason to be excited and feel a twinge when I see the daffodil peeking through the ground… a reminder of the coming day when I, too, shall suddenly come forth out of the ground in a beautiful new temple to be with my Savior – even greater than the promise of Easter is the promise of the ultimate resurrection day.
The End of the Beginning by David Phelps
I was taking a trip on a plane the other day
Just wishin’ that I could get out.
When the man next to me saw the book in my hand
And asked me what it was about.
So I settled back in my seat.
"A best-seller," I said,
"A hist’ry and a myst’ry in one."
Then I opened up the book and began to read
From Matthew, Mark, Luke and John...
"He was born of a virgin one holy night
In the little town of Bethlehem.
Angels gathered ‘round Him
Underneath the star singing praises to the great I AM.
He walked on the water, healed The lame
And made the blind to see again.
And for the first time here on earth
We learned that God could be a friend.
And though He never, ever did a single thing wrong
The angry crowd chose Him.
And then He walked down the road and died on the cross
And that was the end...of the beginning."
"That’s not a new book, that’s a Bible," he said,
"And I’ve heard it all before.
I’ve tried religion, it’s shame and guilt,
and I don’t need it anymore.
"It’s superstition, made-up tales,
just to help the weak to survive."
"Let me read it again," I said,
"But listen closely. This is gonna change your life."
"He was born of a virgin one holy night
In the little town of Bethlehem.
Angels gathered ‘round Him
Underneath the star singing praises to the great I AM.
He walked on the water, healed the lame,
And made the blind to see again.
And for the first time here on earth
We learned that God could be a friend.
And though He never, ever did a single thing wrong,
The angry crowd chose Him.
And then He walked down the road
And died on the cross and that was the end...of the beginning."
"The end of the beginning?" he said with a smile.
"What more could there be? He’s dead.
You said they hung Him, put nails in His hands
And a crown of thorns on His head."
I said, "I’ll read it again, but this time there’s more.
And I believe that this is true:
His death wasn’t the end
but the beginning of life that’s completed in you.
Don’t you see, He did all this for you..."
"He was born of a virgin one holy night
In the little town of Bethlehem.
All the angels singing praises to the great I AM.
He walked on the water, healed the lame,
And made the blind to see.
And for the first time here on earth,
did you know that God could be a friend?
And though He never, ever did a single thing wrong,
He was the one the crowd chose.
And then He walked
and He died,
but three days later,
three days later,
three days later...
He rose! Three days later He rose!
You see, He came, He lived, and He died....
but that was the end of the beginning.
Today was beautiful! It got up in the 70s. I loved it. :)
The service tonight was from Philippians 2:5-11, living as Jesus; the implications of that; and how Jesus humbled himself to be lifted up... so much could be said :) it was really good, though.
Journey to the Cross by Tim Light & Don Chapman
Man of sorrows, how You suffered,
You were broken for me,
Your appearance, so disfigured,
By Your wounds I am healed.
And I could never know
the price You paid,
And I could never understand
Your pain,
As I journey to the cross
I think of all that You have done,
Jesus, You who knew no sin
Came to die for me.
Taking on a sinners death,
Humble King of righteousness,
Jesus, You who knew no sin
Came to die for me,
You came to die for me.
From the cruel cross
You were taken,
In a tomb You were laid,
King of Heaven, now You've risen,
You have conquered the grave.
And I could never know
the price You paid,
And I could never understand
Your pain,
As I journey to the cross
I think of all that You have done,
Jesus, You who knew no sin
Came to die for me.
Taking on a sinners death,
Humble King of righteousness,
Jesus, You who knew no sin
Came to die for me,
You came to die for me.
Hello, friends. I almost forgot to post tonight.. whoops. ;).
Could ya'll please pray for me and my mom and dad? We've all got allergies pretty bad and it's miserable :(. Thanks :)
All this week, for the first time ever, we (our church/VH) are "celebrating" Holy Week, by having a service each night, Monday through Friday. It's just like a church service.. we have music, and then a sermon, and the it's been really awesome. Time has flown by so fast, though... I was originally thinking about posting each night about the sermon, but as you can tell, I haven't been able to do so. Here's a recap ;). I can't believe tomorrow is FRIDAY!!
-Sunday morning the sermon was from John (we’re in a series in John) about the arrest of Jesus.
-Monday night was (still in John) about the rejection of Jesus and the trials he was brought through (going to Annas, Ciaphas, and Pilate).
-Tuesday night was about how Pilate rejected Jesus, and then about his beating. We had a clip from the Passion of Christ, only a short one, which showed some of the beating. It really made it come alive again for me… But I don’t understand how people are able to watch that movie more than once. I saw it in theatres and vowed I’d never see it again. But some people I know watch it once or twice a year; I don’t think I could handle it.
-Tonight’s was about the spiritual part of the pain that Jesus went through during the crucifixion, as he took our sins upon himself and became sin for us. Again… wow. After the sermon we played “Mighty to Save” during the invitation, then sang some more songs, ending with “That’s Why We Praise Him.” It was really cool. And I thought about choosing “Mighty to Save” for today’s song, but this other song has been stuck in my head alllllll day, so I decided to use it, instead. However, I can’t seem to find a recording of the song to post for you. It’s a great song, though. Downhere is a great band. I highly recommend you look them up. :)
Let me know your thoughts! I’ll return comments tomorrow… I need to get to bed!
Live For You ~ Downhere
I'm moved by this grace again and again
Your love so complete how can I explain
I want to live for You
Oh, I want to live for You
With wonder and beauty and mystery and meaning
Filled with your joy, oh, hear me sing
I want to live for You
Oh, I want to live for You
The rhythm of your presence beats steady in my soul
Let this be my prayer as the melody rolls
From my heart into yours
This is all I have to give You back in spirit and truth
I want to live for You
All of my days from here to ever after
From this life to the new
I want to live for You
Every morning your mercy is new
I know as the sun rises into the blue
I want to live for You
Oh, I want to live for You
I know without shadows, I love without fear
You are so faithful, I see it clear
I want to live for You
Oh, I want to live for You
Prepare now the mission
Plant in me a dream
I'll give You back the life You've given me
All You've given me
This is all I have to give You back in spirit and truth
I want to live for You
All of my days from here to ever after
From this life to the new
I want to live for You
This is all I have to give You back in spirit and truth
I want to live for You
All of my days from here to ever after
From this life to the new
I want to live for You
This is all I have to give You back in spirit and truth
I want to live for You
I've decided to post a song a day until Easter. Enjoy :) I will be posting and returning comments soon. :)
Worthy is the Lamb, by Hillsong
Thank you for the cross Lord Thank you for the price You paid Bearing all my sin and shame In love You came And gave amazing grace
Thank you for this love Lord Thank you for the nail pierced hands Washed me in Your cleansing flow Now all I know Your forgiveness and embrace
Worthy is the Lamb Seated on the throne Crown You now with many crown You reign victorious High and lifted up Jesus Son of God The Darling of Heaven crucified Worthy is the Lamb Worthy is the Lamb
