All the things I know right now, if I only knew back then

This is David Guetta -- he's kinda a DJ, I guess -- features Fergie. The guy soloist is Chris Willis, who I googled and learned that he's a gospel singer (YEA) and the fun guys are LMFAO.

New Ideas

Three new ideas picked up during Creation week:

1. You are more than the choices that you make.

This is a song by the band Tenth Avenue North, and it's the opposite of what I've always heard -- even in Christian circles...You always hear that you *are* the choices you make.
The song is about redemption, and being remade...I still can hear all the teaching I've heard about natural consequences in my head, but at least this idea is in the mix now.

2. It's not the amount of faith you have, it's who your faith is in.

This is the opposite of things I've heard, and even things that I heard in this same week. There are other ideas that seem to say that our faith powers God's actions:
For the person who is struggling, this is especially disheartening, because at your very weakest (your faith is probably waning b/c of hard things in your life) and when you need God's intervention the most, your very struggle limits the help you'll get.

So this idea gave me a little heart.

3. Women determine the quality of men -- society-wide- by who they have sex with.

This was in a book that one of the guys at camp was reading...Catherine started reading it, and read that part aloud to us.
I have to say that this is brilliant. If I could write an open letter to all females --most epecially the younger females -- imploring them to embrace this concept, I'd do it.
Everything would change.

Women wouldn't have to pretend/force themselves to accept that fidelity is optional. They wouldn't have to pretend that it's OK how we've all lowered the bar on men's integrity to the point where they just kinda step over it.

And the truth is -- this would benefit the men, too. No one values things won easily. Men probably get sick of their own weakened characters, too.
Everyone would win.

redemption, a little bit at a time

These walls are funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That's institutionalized.

-Red in Shawshank Redemption

More on this later.

wishlist for summer 2010

1. creation! camping, speed scrabble, david crowder, teamwork, hikes, section J!!, free hug shirts, TOTT day, nighttime fires, midnight showers, shuttle buses, newsboys, and a bunch of sitting around and talking time. (this is actually planned!)

2. summer jobs for one or more of my kids. wouldn't it be nice?

3. licenses for one or more of my kids.

4. a college visit or two with Catherine

5. complete a 5k with my ALG girls

6. reconnect with some people: heinemans (pictures! this is actually planned!), canners, CFC kids

7. read, and read, and read

8. second vacation to the beach (this is pretty unlikely, but it's a *wish*list. my sister is going at the end of july. i want to tag along.)

9. lucas blazing through a few TTU courses

10. be intentional about preparing l and c for their senior year in the very best way possible.

i also look forward to staying up half the night with friends, i want to get pedicures, and get some melanoma-free color from the sun....but i limited my list to 10.

Doug

The latin phrase 'multum in parvo' (much in little) is often used to describe pugs, and it's perfect for Doug.

Find him on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Doug-the-Pug/119251894584?v=info

(1843 fans and counting!!)

Top Ten Movies at the Moment

10. Braveheart
9. Remember the Titans
8. Raising Arizona
7. The Sound of Music
6. LOTR Two Towers
5. Terminator 2
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. Knight's Tale
2. Matrix
1. Shawshank Redemption

If I Had to List my Ten Favorite Songs Right Now

10. Alive and Kicking...Simple Minds..."You lift me up like the sweetest cup I'll share with you"
9. Murder of One...Counting Crows..."Blue morning, blue morning, full of strands of fist and bone"
8. Southern Cross...Crosby Still Nash and Young
7. Uninvited...Alanis Morisette
6. I just want something I can never have....NIN...."You make this all go away...I'm down to just one thing and I'm starting to scare myself"
5. Song to the Siren...This Mortal Coil..."
4. Ocean Size...Jane's Addiction..."I was born with a heart of stone, to be broken with one hard blow"
3. She Sells Sanctuary....the Cult... "The world drags me down..I'm sure in her you'll find sanctuary"
2. How Soon Is Now....the Smiths..."how can you say I go about this the wrong way? I am human and i need to be loved; just like everyone else does."
1. Revelation Song...Kari Jobe...."Jesus, Your Name is power, breath and living water"

Disillusionment

There really aren't over 100 words for "snow" in the Inuit language. According to this, there's at most 24, and that's stretching the definition of 'word'.

And the Great Wall of China isn't visible from space. At least not according to NASA.


I love a good, cool bit of trivia, and I tend to hear it and assimilate it straight away, just assuming it's true, trusting liberally. I think I learned the Great Wall of China thing from the movie "The Truman Show", for example.

So yeah, it's disappointing, especially coming from NASA. The snow-word guy even kinda rubs it in our faces by finding 40 English words for different types of snow. Kinda mean.

There's another similar kind of thing that upsets me, too --
For instance, there's this funny dead bunny story I heard this popular teacher tell, claiming it happened to her.... Well, this site says it's an Urban myth, originating in 1989, retold by many since then, each presenting themselves as the dog owner. Is it a weird form of plagiarism -- co-opting someone else's story or joke, presenting it as your own even though it'd be just as funny to just tell properly credited? ?
Or maybe this bizarre sequence of events really did happen to all these people? It's a big world, after all...But then how does it only seem to happen to famous people? And one of the people that told the story after 1989 -- Michael Landon!!! He was Pa!!!! Like I said....disillusionment.

Impressed

I am so thankful that I was allowed to go to a conference the last two days with my church, Lifepoint.
Amazing speakers, powerful ideas, and inspiring stories.

Here's one:
A young women who co-founded Kiva, an organization that 'connects people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty'.
Kiva allows people with at least $25 and an internet connection to become lenders -- they can lend money to entrepreneurs to start their businesses.
They're called 'microloans' -- these entrepreneurs can't access regular banks because of their financial situations.
The average size of the loan is less than $1000, and the loan default rate is less than 2%. (98% of loans are paid back.)

For a small taste, watch this:





She reminded me of a young woman at work whose calling is to help oppressed women (she just doesn't know the details yet).

They are representative of the best parts of this Millennial generation: their idealism, their optimism. It's informed idealism/optimism, too -- it's not like they don't see what's wrong. They just actually believe it's possible to right it.

JoyList!

1. Creation 2009! I'm really looking forward to this!! I've been learning so much in the preparing....it's going to be so much fun...the group we're going with is fantastic.





2. Artomatic 2009! I am really looking forward to this! A co-worker told me about it...I think I can make it on the LAST DAY. I want to buy a print of this: (part of the Eye Project. This one is called 'Laurel'. Artist Mark Shumaker)











3. Lucas!! He's doing really well at TTU! Makes me feel proud of him.

4. I GOT MY LIBRARY CARD!!! Oh, how I love a library. It feels like a sanctuary to me. All the colors of the spines of the books.....programs advertised on bulletin boards....all that possibility just surrounding you.

5. A Wife for Doug...Possibly. SHould we do it? Get a little girl pug puppy, let her grow up and make cute little pug puppies with Doug? I'm considering it....