Sing me to Heaven

Do you dream of escape?

Last week I was very alive.

You just read that short sentence and raised your eyebrows at me, because you're thinking, 'Grace, you are pretty much always alive. I hope.' Well, I hope so too. ;-) But I believe that you will understand what I mean when I draw your attention to some of those times of your life when you felt so bursting with happiness that you were... more alive than ever. If you can't recall any, I pity you. Because life is made up of times like that. Moments. Days. Most recently for me, it was last week. I was tremendously blessed to be able to attend a Communicators For Christ (CFC) conference in Corpus Christi. The motto for the organization is; ‘shaping culture through authentic communication'. Generally, people equate public speaking with communicating. But although public speaking is an important part of communicating for Christ, the biggest part is simply how you interact with the people around you. And even those of you who aren’t big about the whole ‘command the platform’ can't tell me that you don't interact with people. Not even homeschoolers are that unsocialized. =D So read on a little further, as I try to relate a little of what I've learned this week.

I competed in the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association (NCFCA) last year. And I had gone to a CFC conference before. And I was never a shy person. It's actually pretty funny to listen to all the accounts my friends give of how their mom made them go to the conference, or whatever. Because my parents didn't tell me I had to go. I told my parents they had to send me. =D Anyway, nothing I learned at this conference was new to me. Anyone could have asked me about it, and I would have agreed. But not until last week were these truths really cemented in my heart. The theme for this year's tour conference is 'Lead the Escape'. It’s not talking about escaping from your problems or from the world- on the contrary. This is an escape from artificial to authentic communication. And an escape from Self. The goal is to throw aside everything that would hinder you from sharing the Truth of the gospel, and equip yourself to go into the world in order to change it. And isn't that all our lives are about?

I'd like to briefly share four things with you that specifically stuck out to me while I was at the conference. I've put them into a handy little bullet list for you. (I love those things!)

• Not only is it totally awesome to know how to talk to people and communicate your beliefs, it's necessary. We do not have a choice. Let me repeat that, because the truth of it still hits me like a bomb: we do not have a choice. Either you will be able to converse with people and share Life with them, or you will be showing them through your insecurity that you don't know the answers. Everyone communicates. Through your glances, through your body language, through your words or lack of them. You will either communicate your beliefs, or you will communicate your unbelief. It's that simple.

• Value the relationship above the argument. Those of us who don't have problems with shyness often struggle with forcing our beliefs on others. We've got to remember that only God can change the human heart, and we are only his instruments through which He channels the Truth. Once we plant the seeds, our job is now to tend the ground gently and pray for the rain. And after all, if you are willing to lay the argument aside in order to keep your friendship with someone, you will have another chance. Once you sever ties with a person, you can never go back. There's a quote I heard this week by Phillip Yancey. It says, 'No one ever became a Christian because they lost the argument.'

• Being a competent cultural communicator means being willing to risk yourself. That scares me, so I know it probably scares you too. But life is so not about us. If we are willing to risk looking 'weird' or being in awkward situations sometimes, or simply willing to give other people the time of day when we're busy, we will be able to reach farther into people's lives. We've got to be engaging and real and joyful and trustworthy. Then people will connect with us, and we can touch their lives through Christ. We can't wait on the sidelines for the world to come to us. We must go to them.

• For those of you who compete in speech and debate, let's remember that competition is only a way to hone our skills. Our goal is never to win rounds, but to win people. How many people do you think you're going to win by speaking to a bunch of homeschool parents? Sure, there may be a few 'community judges', but most likely they are Christians as well. Unless we're taking the skills we learn out into the community, all our moving rhetoric is for nothing. I know we've heard this before, but NCFCA is a game. A means, and not an end. Let's actually use what we've learned by impacting people who need us.

In final (I promise, this is the final) conclusion, I wrote a poem:

Dream of an Escape

If this was all a dream,
Spun from silver moon reflections on the water,
And fanned by firefly wings.
Or tossed from wave to wave, in tempests worthy...

Then when I wake up, I will laugh with the sky,
And everything will be more real, and more right.
I'll grasp for the pillow and sing for pure joy,
Because this dream has changed my life.

Sometimes our dreams are more real than our lives,
When we are not willing to live them for Christ.
And sometimes our dreams are our way of escape
When we are too frightened to risk for His sake.

But sometimes life seems like a dream
And everything exudes a golden gleam.
And I know that it's real, more real than I am.
Though it's bound to my heart with a velvet band.

And I realize that, escaping this way,
I'm delving in, not fleeing away.
The care isn't that I should save myself,
But help to lead the escape from Self.

For Christians may all sit and babble away,
And be very smart and have things to say,
But what have we done for the kingdom of Christ
Unless we go into the world and speak Life?

There is no higher calling, and no greater care
Than to reach out to others and simply be there.
If we can love in a world full of hate,
We are called to Lead the Escape.

{For more information about the Communicators for Christ nation-wide tour, visit http://www.instituteforculturalcommunicators.org. or http://www.theiccblog.com/ }

Chivalry Today- A Lost Art?

Happy New Year!

Copyright © 2008 by GraceElizabeth

Anxiety

The election is happening as I type. All over the country, the mind of Americans is directed in one direction: "Who will lead us as the next president of the United States?"

?????

Are we frightened? Should we be?

Psalm 2:

Why are the nations in an uproar, And the peoples devising a vain thing?
The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed:
"Let us tear their fetters apart, And cast away their cords from us!"

He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.
Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury:
"But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."

"I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee.
'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Thy possession.
'Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware.'"

Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; take warning, O judges of the earth.
Worship the LORD with reverence, And rejoice with trembling.
Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

~~~~~

I will not be afraid. I will rejoice with trembling gladness over the omnipotence of our God!

Copyright 2008 by GraceElizabeth

"You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember..."

Twice, in fact, hence the two banners. So now you get to hear me talk about it!

I know this is terribly late. All the rest of you over-achievers are over and done with PC. But I've had a couple requests for my review on the movie, so for anyone who wishes to read my opinion... have at it.

Before listing the pros and cons, my overall opinion of the movie is very positive. I think they did a good job capturing the tension of the story, the personality of many characters, (some more than others), and the beauty of Narnia. I am a total purist when it comes to this series, and it took me FOREVER to get used to the idea that they were going to stray from the storyline and not quote the lines exactly!!! *gasp* However, over time I became resigned to the bitter facts. And I have to say that when we went to see the movie, I was relieved by what I saw. I was able to look at it more as a stand-alone movie, than as another adaptation of the book. And I actually liked some of the changes that were made! But I'd still recommend that everyone read the books first, because they are amazing.

Now for the dreaded part of the review that calls for analyzing the movie and peeling it apart piece by piece. Seven pros and seven cons, like the books! See, it's... oh... never mind.

Selected Pros: (these are not in any particular order, because I couldn't decide on how to class them)

(1.) I really liked Queen Prunaprismia. She was quite different from her role in the book, but she charmed me. She was harsh enough to be a Telmarine queen, yet likable. I loved her hairdress when she and Miraz come out on the balcony after he was coronated. It was sparkly!

(2.) The castle raid scene was very well done, and was excellent for pulling you into the emotion of the story. It was just so tense and exciting, with the griffins soaring in, and the mice pattering through the castle, and the flashlight signaling, and everything. But it was SO sad when so many Narnians were trapped inside the courtyard at the end. Peter's reaction was nothing less than satisfying.

(3.) The baby centaur. Enough said.

(4.) The battle at the end, when the Narnians collapsed the ground under the Telmarine cavalry! *cheers* I wonder whose idea it was..?

(5.) Reepicheep was awesome! He was quite perfect, though the voice left something to be desired. I loved all his lines, and his fancy swordplay. Definitely an improvement on the BBC!

(6.) Edmund and Lucy's characters were very well developed, and both actor and actress did a fantastic job. Edmund was charmingly brief, all his lines were great! And Lucy kept her innocent nature, always looking for Aslan. Something the movie directors should have taken into account and played up more.

(7.) Aslan. Whenever they did put him in, he was wonderful. His eyes were so velvety... The story should have focused more on his power, but that goes in the cons.

Selected Cons:

(1.) So yes. Aslan was played down so much that I cannot pass it by. In the movie(s), he seems to be regarded as 'that one good guy', rather than the highest of all high kings. He has one line in PC, when Lucy asks him about what would have happened: "We can never know what would have happened." Which, in the context of the books, is not true. Aslan knew. He just didn't tell others when they had no business asking. "Stay in your own story," he commands. But in the movies, he seems to be just another game piece in the hand of fate. This is the most blatant flaw in the movies, and I lament the loss of the Aslan I know. Everything you know has certainly changed....

(2.) Susan and Caspian. Ick, bleh, disgusting. Why can't people realize that back then, girls and guys didn't think like they do now in our culture?? Nick's point was very valid: C.S.Lewis didn't describe the characters with enough detail for Walden Media, so they interpreted them themselves. And they supposed they would be attracted to one another. Well, maybe they would have been, but they wouldn't have shown it so obviously... Ugh.

(3.) Susan's not my favorite character in these movies as it is, but it was made worse by her fighting in the main conflict. She's Susan the Gentle in print, but a warrior princess on screen... rather inconsistent. I wish they had followed Lewis' description of her, instead of turning her into a totally different person. I like her just fine when she's with the archers, but it's a bit much when she's down there among all the men, flinging arrows into Telmarines, and dodging their swords.

(4.) I didn't like the drawings on the walls of Aslan's How. They were too primative, and I think Old Narnians would have been able to draw better than that. Sorry, that was rather random.

(5.) Miraz's castle looked too fake. Inside, it was fine. But from a distance, it sort of resembled cardboard!

(6.) Was anyone else bothered by the contemporary song that started playing as they were all saying goodbye? The song is OK by itself; it actually goes pretty well with the movie, but the contemp beat should be saved for the credits, in my opinion.

(7.) One last thing: I could not for the life of me figure out who that one older guy was who came forward at the end with his arm around Queen Prunaprismia. Does anyone know? That was just bothering me.

So overall, it's a movie worth watching. I just wonder what C.S.Lewis would have thought...

Further up and further in!

~Grace

All graphics from SpareOom.net

Copyright © 2008 by GraceElizabeth

In watching the storm

   ~Journal entry from April 25, 2008~

 I stayed up and watched a storm roll in this evening. When I stepped outside, I immediately was caught up in the expectant thrill that trembled in the sweltering air. Lightning lit up the sky to the North, illuminating the night with its flash.  Thunder rumbled in the distance; far away it seemed, yet every moment it grew nearer. Like a symphony, the thunderstorm was gathering power, approaching the climax.  Wind whipped through the trees, tangling their branches and wrenching them apart once more. The first few drops of rain were hurled upon the earth at the mercy of the ruthless wind. Soon they grew in size and number, and the lightning flashed forebodingly nearer, while the thunder was increased to a drumroll. Loath to go inside, I stayed until the wind threatened to pound the rain mercilessly into my face, though I stood under the eaves. Indoors, the volume was less, but still exciting. As the storm broke in its full force, releasing the storehouses of the clouds and filling the sky with brightness, I thought of the word 'awesome'. Awesome surely best describes this wonder of God's nature, yet how we abuse this word in our culture!  Watching this storm gave me a sense of the true meaning, and I was filled with awe at the omnipotence of its Creator.
    Turning back to the storm, I fixed my eyes on the heavens and anticipated the delightful shiver brought by each lightning flash. It illuminated a blue, mystical world, hazy and shadowed, with the rain falling in sheets and obscuring familiar landmarks. Hail was mingled with the rain, and added further to the magnificent volume. The thunder continued to rumble, seldom releasing its full potential, but threatening all the same. When it did crack, everything else, wind, rain, and hail, seemed to hush for a moment, intimidated, and then resume louder than before.
    Now there is a quiet lull, yet it is just as beautiful. It is as if it was a movement in a symphony, written for effect. Don't we wish our human composers could dream up something even close to being as wonderful! But nothing can equal God as a Master Musician, God as an artist, God as an author. We try and we fail. But, ever gracious, He is always there, revealing His glorious works of art just when we need to see them. And in seeing them, we see Him. For He is ever present in creation, in history, in our lives.

This made me think of some amazing verses from Job. I love that book, it is so encouraging and it makes me feel very small and insignificant. (Which I need sometimes!)

~~~~~~~~

"Have you entered  the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?
What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?"

"Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunder bolt, to bring rain on the land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man, to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground sprout with grass?"

"Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven?
The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen."

"Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood may cover you?
 Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go, and say to you, 'Here we are'?                  

Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind?
 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens, when the dust runs into a mass and the clods stick together?"

"Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it."

Excerpts from Job 38.

Amazing, isn't it? That the God who is the Lord of the storm, of the heavens, of the earth, of all creation, all that is seen and all that is invisible; that He should stoop to raise me up with His right hand! That He should consent, should invite me to serve Him, to be His forever! I will never understand. It is altogether beyond my power to comprehend. I can only worship Him with my whole heart, and offer up to Him the only thing which I have to give: myself.

My dad has a really exceptional post on his website that relates to this in a way. I encourage you to go read it!

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 A note... I have not abandoned the story, just so you know. Look for more in my next post!

 So long, farewell,

~Grace

Copyright 2008 by GraceElizabeth