today. for no reason. i decided i would get on Facebook and watch 3 of my friends' wedding slideshows.
these 3 women are 3 of the most beautiful women everrrrr. and they're all in the same family. not even kidding. (i'm like, Lord, share the wealth, please!) and their bridesmaids are beautiful. and their families are beautiful. even their grooms are beautiful...handsome?
everything. beautiful.
i rejoice in beauty (even when I'm obviously just a teensy weensy bit jealous/apprehensive about them and where i one day will fall on this 3fold scale of wedding wonderful.) there's some kind of glow that people who are completely and hopelessly in love have. the flowers, the cake, the dresses, everything pales in comparison to that.
this probably wasn't the best idea. i have a crazy long short story to finish. with 2 pages to type up about just 1 paragraph in that story. and a list of other boring humdrum things. plus they say...by they i mean wise women in my life...that a girl shouldn't let her daydreams of nuptial bliss get ahead of her reality.
my reality is...well...finishing college. strengthening friendships. anticipating student teaching. growing in my relationship with God. growing in and enjoying my relationship with J.
so i admit, i'm off-task. but dropping off into the la-la-land of love and marriage is way too fun. i so look forward to that day, whenever it comes. until then - it's good to share the joy of friends who are planning right now for that day, as well as the joy of being with people who, like me, aren't there yet.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
a new dawn and a new day.
like so many others, i witnessed history today - on tv. i sat on the couch downstairs with around 7 or 8 of my sorority sisters, folding my clean laundry and watching the 44th president take office this morning. it was remarkable - to say the least. however, it wasn't until this afternoon that i realized how deep the emotional impact of Obama's inauguration is felt by people in minority groups in this country.
my first and only Tuesday class, Teaching in a Multicultural Society, met at a reception for the 2009 Commerce Bank President’s Commission on Multicultural Affairs Reception. a student and a professor were being honored for their achievements in education and support for minority students. i heard several speakers at the reception who reflected on the significance of today's events, tying in the awards with the inauguration of America's first black president and Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. the vocal group United Black Voices sang two gospel hymns; the first repeated a chorus over and over again - "Lord, i know i'm saved" - and the second was "amazing grace."
guess who teared up when that song was sung.
when the last speaker closed the reception - she's a professor in the dept. of continuing education, i think - and i watched as she got a little choked up when speaking about Obama - i realized how freely i had heard these people speak about God and Jesus and use other terms to designate a spiritual significance during the reception. these elements of the speeches and remarks were relatively vague, but there was definitely an indivisible connection between an acknowledgement of God and the celebration of minority accomplishments.
i find this incredibly interesting.
we are taught some in school about the plight of slaves in America prior to the Civil War. we learn about the secret songs featuring Biblical characters and places, sung by weary workers in the fields desperate to light a flame of hope within their burdened hearts. we learn about a woman who led hundreds of slaves to freedom in the North, whose nickname was Moses, and another woman who spoke up boldly for slaves and women, who called herself Sojourner Truth. from then to now, there has been a clear connection drawn by blacks between the unforgettable story of Exodus and the story written in American history concerning years of suffering, a great war, an emancipation, and a widespread call to civil disobedience. throughout this story, we see several professed Christians take the stand and invoke God and Christians boldly to reevaluate their values and ways of living as they affect others.
essentially, today i have been thinking about how tightly Christian spirituality is woven into the expectations and emotions of many minorities as they applaud our new president. i am wondering, not necessarily about the merit of this spirituality, but about its place within Christianity as a potential sort of sub-set faith.
the question left for me is: how much does God really champion the advancements of people groups?
when i look at biblegateway.com through their online version of Nave's Topical Bible, using the term "election," this is what comes up concerning the nation of Israel, which we all know as a pivotal character(s) in the OT:
"for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. the LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession." deut. 7:6
"for the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, i summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge Me." is. 45:4
so obviously, God had to choose a people group to specifically reveal Himself through. but why Israel? did something make them stand out more to God than the others? the second verse seems to nullify that argument - Israel was definitely not holier than the other peoples. Isaiah goes on to speak the LORD's words in 49:6...
"he says, ' it is not enough for you to be My servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. i will also make you a light for the nations, to be My salvation to the ends of the earth."
i guess you could also use the entire book of Joshua, and events concerning foreign nations through the Chronicles and Kings, to point out how God led Israel to victory over the nations that did not call him God. so he definitely was fully behind their advancement, quite literally in many cases. and we know that He is still behind them today - even those who still wait in vain for the Messiah that came among them 2,000+ years ago.
but what about other peoples besides Israel?
what does God think on a day like today, when a member of an oppressed and often underprivileged people group rises to a position of power over a mixed multitude? how much does God advance the particular needs and wishes of people groups - aside from basic human survival and belonging needs? is it right to invoke Him in all situations relating to human agendas?
our God is a lover of people, and one who desires for them to love Him back. when that happens - when people love God first and most - that love pours down from heaven and washes in a horizontal direction over others. as Christians, we are called to be Christ - and to be Christ means to come alongside those who are suffering, who are losing their grip, who feel weak and helpless. To be Christ often means turning to social justice issues. To be Christ often means asking Him to be behind all that we do.
after today, though, i'm thinking about what it means to truly seek God's will concerning equality among human beings, and what it means to assume He is behind my - or any - particular people groups' advancement. today was an incredible day for black Americans - for minority Americans - for all Americans in general, whether they admit it or not. while God has ordained this day, this presidential term, having worked it out long ago, i don't know how comfortable i feel with this deep intertwining of a Christian spirituality and racial advancement.
my first and only Tuesday class, Teaching in a Multicultural Society, met at a reception for the 2009 Commerce Bank President’s Commission on Multicultural Affairs Reception. a student and a professor were being honored for their achievements in education and support for minority students. i heard several speakers at the reception who reflected on the significance of today's events, tying in the awards with the inauguration of America's first black president and Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. the vocal group United Black Voices sang two gospel hymns; the first repeated a chorus over and over again - "Lord, i know i'm saved" - and the second was "amazing grace."
guess who teared up when that song was sung.
when the last speaker closed the reception - she's a professor in the dept. of continuing education, i think - and i watched as she got a little choked up when speaking about Obama - i realized how freely i had heard these people speak about God and Jesus and use other terms to designate a spiritual significance during the reception. these elements of the speeches and remarks were relatively vague, but there was definitely an indivisible connection between an acknowledgement of God and the celebration of minority accomplishments.
i find this incredibly interesting.
we are taught some in school about the plight of slaves in America prior to the Civil War. we learn about the secret songs featuring Biblical characters and places, sung by weary workers in the fields desperate to light a flame of hope within their burdened hearts. we learn about a woman who led hundreds of slaves to freedom in the North, whose nickname was Moses, and another woman who spoke up boldly for slaves and women, who called herself Sojourner Truth. from then to now, there has been a clear connection drawn by blacks between the unforgettable story of Exodus and the story written in American history concerning years of suffering, a great war, an emancipation, and a widespread call to civil disobedience. throughout this story, we see several professed Christians take the stand and invoke God and Christians boldly to reevaluate their values and ways of living as they affect others.
essentially, today i have been thinking about how tightly Christian spirituality is woven into the expectations and emotions of many minorities as they applaud our new president. i am wondering, not necessarily about the merit of this spirituality, but about its place within Christianity as a potential sort of sub-set faith.
the question left for me is: how much does God really champion the advancements of people groups?
when i look at biblegateway.com through their online version of Nave's Topical Bible, using the term "election," this is what comes up concerning the nation of Israel, which we all know as a pivotal character(s) in the OT:
"for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. the LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession." deut. 7:6
"for the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, i summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge Me." is. 45:4
so obviously, God had to choose a people group to specifically reveal Himself through. but why Israel? did something make them stand out more to God than the others? the second verse seems to nullify that argument - Israel was definitely not holier than the other peoples. Isaiah goes on to speak the LORD's words in 49:6...
"he says, ' it is not enough for you to be My servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. i will also make you a light for the nations, to be My salvation to the ends of the earth."
i guess you could also use the entire book of Joshua, and events concerning foreign nations through the Chronicles and Kings, to point out how God led Israel to victory over the nations that did not call him God. so he definitely was fully behind their advancement, quite literally in many cases. and we know that He is still behind them today - even those who still wait in vain for the Messiah that came among them 2,000+ years ago.
but what about other peoples besides Israel?
what does God think on a day like today, when a member of an oppressed and often underprivileged people group rises to a position of power over a mixed multitude? how much does God advance the particular needs and wishes of people groups - aside from basic human survival and belonging needs? is it right to invoke Him in all situations relating to human agendas?
our God is a lover of people, and one who desires for them to love Him back. when that happens - when people love God first and most - that love pours down from heaven and washes in a horizontal direction over others. as Christians, we are called to be Christ - and to be Christ means to come alongside those who are suffering, who are losing their grip, who feel weak and helpless. To be Christ often means turning to social justice issues. To be Christ often means asking Him to be behind all that we do.
after today, though, i'm thinking about what it means to truly seek God's will concerning equality among human beings, and what it means to assume He is behind my - or any - particular people groups' advancement. today was an incredible day for black Americans - for minority Americans - for all Americans in general, whether they admit it or not. while God has ordained this day, this presidential term, having worked it out long ago, i don't know how comfortable i feel with this deep intertwining of a Christian spirituality and racial advancement.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
write what you know.
how do you become a successful blogger?
here are my guesses:
1. be hilarious and witty about interesting things.
2. write, write, write. (this i've heard since grade school, but still i have trouble with it.)
3. have a really sweet layout and tricked-out design.
4. become a big deal.
more later on which of these are actually achievable.
anyway, you always hear people say that the best writing comes from writing about things that you know about and are meaningful to you. this means i'll be writing on this blog about books...college...teaching English at the middle/high school level...Christianity and faith-related issues...thought-provoking articles, and maybe even reflections on pop culture and current events.
for example, a little pop culture - last night, j and i went to see "slumdog millionaire." ohhhhhhh my gosh. this movie, hands down, is one of the best movies i've seen. a beautiful story that, as far as i can tell, shouldn't have been able to work for all the cliche rags-to-riches elements and the unlikely love story intertwined throughout. and yet it does work. it works because we love a story that follows an unlikely hero - one who should have died or been broken by the harsh experiences life dealt him - who manages to live and even become a winner (of 10,000,000 rupees, no less) rather than a loser. we love to see such a hero, who has carried a torch for a girl he hasn't seen for years, be with her at last, despite the vile attempts of evil men to keep them apart.
are these cliches? yeah, maybe. but they're good cliches. whether we want to admit it or not, this is the kind of story that people have always enjoyed. this story can make your heart sing as you watch it. it reminds us that evil doesn't have the final say for a person determined to overcome. it champions the possibility of achieving something wonderful when you have been considered worthless and good-for-nothing. i see so many good elements exhibited by the characters in this film - determination, sacrifice, endurance, justice, faithfulness, and love (of course), just to name a few.
and according to the golden globes, i'm not the only one who sees these things: http://tiny.cc/sjFkS
so go see it, and when you do, be sure to tell me what you think!
here are my guesses:
1. be hilarious and witty about interesting things.
2. write, write, write. (this i've heard since grade school, but still i have trouble with it.)
3. have a really sweet layout and tricked-out design.
4. become a big deal.
more later on which of these are actually achievable.
anyway, you always hear people say that the best writing comes from writing about things that you know about and are meaningful to you. this means i'll be writing on this blog about books...college...teaching English at the middle/high school level...Christianity and faith-related issues...thought-provoking articles, and maybe even reflections on pop culture and current events.
for example, a little pop culture - last night, j and i went to see "slumdog millionaire." ohhhhhhh my gosh. this movie, hands down, is one of the best movies i've seen. a beautiful story that, as far as i can tell, shouldn't have been able to work for all the cliche rags-to-riches elements and the unlikely love story intertwined throughout. and yet it does work. it works because we love a story that follows an unlikely hero - one who should have died or been broken by the harsh experiences life dealt him - who manages to live and even become a winner (of 10,000,000 rupees, no less) rather than a loser. we love to see such a hero, who has carried a torch for a girl he hasn't seen for years, be with her at last, despite the vile attempts of evil men to keep them apart.
are these cliches? yeah, maybe. but they're good cliches. whether we want to admit it or not, this is the kind of story that people have always enjoyed. this story can make your heart sing as you watch it. it reminds us that evil doesn't have the final say for a person determined to overcome. it champions the possibility of achieving something wonderful when you have been considered worthless and good-for-nothing. i see so many good elements exhibited by the characters in this film - determination, sacrifice, endurance, justice, faithfulness, and love (of course), just to name a few.
and according to the golden globes, i'm not the only one who sees these things: http://tiny.cc/sjFkS
so go see it, and when you do, be sure to tell me what you think!
Monday, January 12, 2009
back to school, back to school
in 3 days, my last official semester in manhattan begins.
it will be a lot of lasts, i think.
last semester living in the kappa house...
last semester having frequent just-down-the-street access to 2 of the best coffee shops i've ever studied and hung out in...
last semester to take undergraduate classes, to walk around campus, and to spend time with the wonderful array of people i've known for 4, 3, 2 years or less.
i should be feeling sad and sentimental. but i'm not just now.
it's not that manhattan has been bad.
lots of good has come about from my time at k-state.
it's just that manhattan doesn't hold my heart.
a friend wrote a song with this line: "just take me home to kansas city, love."
that's what i'm feeling, for now, and for as long as i can see. (which, let's be honest, is only a few years or so.)
soon i'll get offline and start packing up my stuff for the drive to manhattan.
tomorrow i'll move into my new room at the house and spend time with people while i can.
and it will be great. really.
only one semester left? bring it on.
it will be a lot of lasts, i think.
last semester living in the kappa house...
last semester having frequent just-down-the-street access to 2 of the best coffee shops i've ever studied and hung out in...
last semester to take undergraduate classes, to walk around campus, and to spend time with the wonderful array of people i've known for 4, 3, 2 years or less.
i should be feeling sad and sentimental. but i'm not just now.
it's not that manhattan has been bad.
lots of good has come about from my time at k-state.
it's just that manhattan doesn't hold my heart.
a friend wrote a song with this line: "just take me home to kansas city, love."
that's what i'm feeling, for now, and for as long as i can see. (which, let's be honest, is only a few years or so.)
soon i'll get offline and start packing up my stuff for the drive to manhattan.
tomorrow i'll move into my new room at the house and spend time with people while i can.
and it will be great. really.
only one semester left? bring it on.
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