Contained within these pages are various and most likely random thoughts or ideas that may prove to amuse. I like to laugh at myself, and I hope you do too. However, I also hope that you are encouraged to think hard and think well (thank you, WorldView Academy!) May my life's purpose extend to this blog...I want to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
Long story + no time = very short post. These pictures are for Breka, my dear old Evil Editor, who has hacked her way through the Anti-Entering Authority to reach me.
Of course, anyone is welcome to enjoy them...
My amazing closet outfitted all three of us girls (and I was wondering what I had for a RenFest!), except for the brown velvet shirt. Fuzzy, if you wanna tell the story about those pants...go right ahead. You don't still have them, do you? :-P
Here I am, in greater detail (though I really should crop this picture). I loved this costume...it felt so comfortable and not too hot and (I thought) it looked fabulous. (Ignore the weird look on my face or the buttons that would never have adorned a lady from the Renaissance. Please?) It consisted of a humongous black skirt (from the thrift store--it was handmade, and I think it must have been for a theater production. The waist is high and small, and it's really long--even for me), a blue dress (which I made in high school), a black velvet vest (I called it a bodice...my Mom wore it in college), and black leather boots from my grandmother.
Ha! I'm sitting in the computer lab at school, waiting for inspiration to finish my paper. But I thought I'd be the "first" to blog about YC07, since that was probably the biggest event this summer. [Edit: This post actually took me 6 weeks to write.]
This year was the best year ever.
I was a team leader again this summer. This year was my 10th year at camp, and my 3rd as a team leader. I was also the oldest team leader, which was weird. This amazing guy was my co-team leader. Our team was called (oh-so-appropriately) "Spaced Out," and included this Camper Of The Year. I've got a ton of pictures on my computer, so I'm going to invent a term and "photo-blog" my way through camp. My apologies to those whose photos I used, but haven't credited. I'm sorry! (Jason, I do not have a team picture. I have hundreds of YC07 pics on my hard drive, and none of them are of the team!)
I love camp! (my bro Matt)
Jason was an amazing guy (did I say that already?) to co-lead with. Thanks, Jason!
This is the best picture of YC07, or of Monster Volleyball--EVER. Kudos to Mike for taking it.
Monster Volleyball.
Increasing the contrast made the net look so cool!
Um, girls...Are you aware of your surroundings? Yeah, there's a camera and all...but watch out!
The strategy game was called "YC Amoeba," and involved running while holding hands with those in your group (the number of people grew at every station). This was near the end, and right before the hardest station--the picnic table carry.
This guy's job was to yell in our faces until we laughed or 30 seconds elapsed.
It was hard!
One of the stations was to run through a gauntlet of noodles swung by the players of Noodle Sockey. It was the best station...to swing noodles in :-P
Games were amazing. Our team did very well in most of them, and I enjoyed them heartily.
Dan, being awesome. I did this, too, and right after shaking the water out of my hair, Mr. Tumino approached me and said, "you know, Shannon, only a guy would do that." I was appalled. Lane immediately started to tease me about it, and the phrase "only a boy would do that" became a regular part of my interaction with her. (Thankfully, she retired it recently :-P)
Mike H. served as the "Water Nazi" by forcing people to drink and spraying them with water.
This kid is dear to my heart, and an incredible blessing to many.
(this is me feeing important, whereas the picture itself has very little importance here)
The skits were amazing. Ours was good (in everyone's opinions but the judges), though it cost us first place overall at camp. We were in first until skits were scored, and our skit came in last. So we got second place overall. Downer. But good for the pride :-P
Steve shaved his head for our skit and played the role of Old John
Mr. Pierson counsels a young Johnny B (er, Nick)
Here's a video of one of the best skits:
I love the focus that YC has on the parent<-->teen interaction. It's so, so, so important, and it doesn't get emphasized or encouraged enough. Many parents participate by being referees (like Mr. C here) and get the chance to influence their children and others'.
This is a girl who was on my team with her father and brother (yes, I remember her name, silly, but I don't know if she'd want me to publish it).
The reason why camp was so good this year was simply because God was there. During one evening, Jess M and I were sitting at the front of the meeting hall, hugging and laughing and sniffing away tears of joy. "God, thank you that you are so present! Thank you that our pastors don't know what to do next because you have completely taken over this meeting!" Several people got saved, relationships were mended, and a general sense of impending joy proliferated.
There was one point where Dave T had finished praying for a friend and was walking around looking as if his face would burst with joy. I asked, "Good time of prayer?" and he laughed--a belly laugh. He never answered with words, it was just a laugh! And yet, I knew exactly what he meant. He left the building because he couldn't stop laughing and didn't want to disturb everyone else.
Oh, man. It was amazing. I get goosebumps still, just thinking about it.
Lane, thanks for letting me share your time with God on the second night. I hope you benefitted by it, because it was a defining moment for me.
Ahhh, so delicious.
How was camp possible? Theseguys! And Katie C. And so many more people. But John spearheaded the whole thing, and for that I am grateful.
Poor Vincent. Except for the mental illness (I haven't been diagnosed with anything...yet :-P) I identify with van Gogh quite a bit. His early thoughts on art and its relationship to God resonate with me, though later in life he rejected Christianity. In my studies, I found a cool quote I wanted to remember. I don't necessarily agree with it, but it makes one think...
Many people think that they will become good just by doing no harm--but that's a lie...that way lies stagnation, mediocrity.
Just slap anything on when you see a blank canvas staring at you like some imbecile. You don't know how paralyzing that is, that stare of a blank canvas, which says to the painter: you can't do a thing. The canvas has an idiotic stare and mesmerizes some painters so much that they turn into idiots themselves. Many painters are afraid in front of the blank canvas, but the blank canvas is afraid of the real, passionate painter who dares and who has broken the spell of "you can't" once and for all. ~Vincent van Gogh, in a letter to his brother "Theo" in October 1884
After reading that, and looking at van Gogh's work...doesn't it make sense that he was a great artist? So much passion and opinion! And yet, it makes sense that he was crazy...too much passion and opinion!
And yet, he has a good point. This is an excellent metaphor for life...don't just sit there and be afraid of time and the future! It's scary when one is making huge decisions about life. But don't just sit there and do nothing...take risks! Don't let fear keep you from not doing. Don't define yourself by what you don't do or can't do. With God, all things are possible!
Wow. I've been kicking around the idea of selling art online, but didn't know where. So I've also been kicking around the idea of starting an online business. Since then I've learned a lot about online businesses, but I don't know if my idea will work all that well...because I found my idea. It's called Etsy.com, and I love it. I may be putting my own stuff up there, but I found a cool bowl, the London skyline, an abstract painting, a sweet ring, ooh, and here's another, a leather journal, and--OH! Check out the sweet design on this search page! Cool place to get ideas and spend dough :-P I think I may try to get Laedelas' name there...
In other news, I just saw a sweet design for a dress. It was a satin...wrap, almost, with a tulle skirt underneath. The satin was a closely tailored, asymmetrical tunic, and the tulle was full and had sparkly stuff embroidered in it. Sweet!
I said this today to one of my fencers as we compared "idiot" and "crazy." What we think is normal cannot actually exist-it's just a statistical number, as the other Coach (Chris) pointed out. Hm.
Boundless had something to say on this, too. It's a long article, but please go read it. There are quite a few gems in it. It made me wonder about Britney Spears' situation. I know, I know...her sad story is old news, is told too often, you're sick of seeing, reading, and hearing about her...but her situation has been bothering me. She was the idol of so many young girls just a few years ago! I know this all too well--I babysat one such girl. And Britney has become the scapegoat of those who share her thirst for a perfect image. Because she couldn't keep up the act, her act has changed to mocking herself (or so it would seem).
[Disclaimer: I do not approve of Britney Spears' works. I have heard her music, but not willfully. It's "good" music, but the lyrics are corrupted. Please do not go listen to her music or watch her videos because of this.]
How could society let this happen? Not that Britney's massive fan base had a responsibility to ensure her well-being, but why have we become so obsessive over pretensions? It's shocking to realize that our culture would pressure someone so much. Sure, she was a sinful being before achieving fame, but she couldn't keep the perfect image "together," and lost a lot because of it.
A lot of people are disgusted by her fall. I am saddened. She was a smart young woman who knew what she wanted and how to get it. She is an example of what could happen to someone who achieves her ultimate goal.
What are the ultimate goals of people around me? How can I persuade them of the futility of any goal but that which glorifies God?
This is my (re)new(ed) slogan. I think it's an old cheer, or something.
Heh, Mr. Pierson was just talking about our church's mission statement staying a mission statement, and not just becoming a slogan.
Oh well, I have a slogan. I've never had an "official" slogan before, but I loved this phrase years ago. Apparently, I lost my ability to stay focused some time near when I forgot the slogan. Ergo, it is renewed.
So, tonight Josh Harris taught me a bit about biblical masculinity & femininity, which is unfortunately a favorite sore spot of mine. Guys have to work at being biblically masculine! For years I've been resisting the traditional view of women, because it is supressive and certainly not complementarian (to clarify--personal views may not reflect this, but historically women have been denied many opportunities for growth and been put down by the men who claim to love them best). However, there are men out there who are also fighting this traditional view, even at the cost of their own comfort and status. I don't know why I didn't realize this before. No, actually--I do know. I was too proud of my "victim" status, of having to resist guys' attempts to control me and how I express my femininity. Viewing myself as a student, not a victim, would seem to encourage learning and friendship more, rather than getting upset when people try to change my mind and press me into a traditional female mold.
Thank you, Lord, for your grace in this area! I've been praying for relief, and though you are graciously allowing me to work through things logically, you also sustain me under temptation.
My apologies to you poor souls who continue to visit my blog, though I haven't done anything with it in a while. BUT, I plan to, and as proof, here is my recently-added post about New York City. If you read the whole thing, I'm sorry, but I do hope you read the last few paragraphs!
Love labor, plans, and suffers to share eternity with unbelievers
Divine love is selfish and demanding! If God were not honest about how glorious he was, he would be hateful. Deceitfulness is not a part of God's character
We are supposed to be God-centered--how foolish if God were not also God-centered!
Left to ourselves, we cannot discern the idols of the heart. We need the Holy Spirit to illuminate our hearts and scripture to inform us of the truth
To identify idols, we need:
Scripture
Holy Spirit
The Church
Though I may see sin in others, I can’t always see the sin in myself
I may be oblivious, but to others it may seem obvious
Pray that others would bring my idolatry to my attention and that I would be gracious about it (Why aren’t they doing that now? Am I preventing it somehow?)
Circumstances
Adversity reveals the desires of my heart
When I don’t get what I want, how do I react?
If what I have is taken away, how do I react?
When adversity happens, God is testing my heart
This test is often kicked to another level when meeting someone being tested in the same area, but by prosperity
We often pit one aspect of God against another, such as holiness vs. love (if God can’t stand sin, how can he love us?)
What are some common fights Christians have?
There are a lot!
Why are we together?
The level of our agreement that we need for a good relationship depends on the type of agreement we have (we need to agree more with a future spouse than a member of a Bible study)
What must we agree upon?
This question does not mean “How much can we get away with?”
Not all of my doctrines are true! I may be misinterpreting the Bible
Ways to know what we need to agree on:
Bible
Church--our spiritual family
Conscience--not always accurate because of sin, but a God-given way to recognize good and evil.
Conscience must be trained
Testing a doctrine to measure its importance:
How clear is it in Scripture?
How clear do others think it is?
How close is it or its implications to the Gospel?
What would the effects be if disagreement would be allowed in this area?
To be saved, we must believe in:
God--self existent, omnipresent, omniopotent, Creator, outside time
God is over all, and I cannot please him on my own. If I choose not to please him, everything will work against me because I’m not glorifying God (v. 10, 19)
...tell me to do/not do?
I NEED TO FEAR GOD! (v. 11, 13, 17) I do this by keeping his commandments and his covenant
Discernment helps us renew the truth, which is a constant necessity
“The Main Thing is to keep The Main Thing The Main Thing”
Discernment requires action
When I refuse to act on what God has shown me, discernment is lost and I am spiritually blind
Discerment requires the Gospel
Knowing God’s word allows me to discern his will
When God convicts me of ignoring him and his word, and I refuse to act on that, I CAN’T SEE! I am spiritually blind--not discerning (i.e. stupid), rebelling, and rejecting the gifts God has given me.
OW
BUT remember God’s mercy! (vs 1--of what, I don’t know, I’ll find out when the messages are online)
This year’s Na was interesting. So interesting in so many ways. I think John Piper just burns energy from the Holy Spirit now...he is still human, but so very...very...empty of self and full of God. Yes, I realize he still sins. But he’s proof that humans can get SO shockingly close to God and so alarmingly empty of self. AH! (Speaking of which...)
Anyway.
Josh Harris promised that all of the messages would be free as mp3's on newattitude.org. I'm planning on linking to the individual messages as I can, and I hope to be editing the sermon notes I post here as I listen repeatedly to these messages. I'm also posting the messages in chronological order, and during the day/time they were written. Enjoy...
I am restless, and am ignoring the packing that needs to be done. There's a lot I haven't said on this blog lately, though there's a huge draft waiting to be posted. Ahh. Writing, how I miss thee. Here are sundry things I'd like to mention before I head off to a huge conference.
One of my jobs (caretaking) has become a blessing. Through it, I've learned of my own incredible selfishness and how easy it is to get my blood boiling. Great! New ways to see God's work in my life! The job has gone from painful to refreshing. Thanks, God.
I quit the sub shop. For multiple reasons. I think I could be classified as a workaholic...
Rte. 19 was repaved recently, or at least the part between the malls was. I was the first to drive on the new concrete. It was like driving on silk. So cool, yet so expensive...
Apparently, folks, elves can and will become emo. This weekend has been a defined trough in my emotional state. Despite many things. I have the suspicion this is because of vitamin deficiency, but we'll find out. Regardless, it doesn't justify the angry behavior I've had for a few days. Tonight, after finishing my taxes (ironically), I began to think about the spiritual aspect of being depressed. I've started to realize I get depressed when I'm very inactive (like what happened in January of this year), which is usually the result of sickness or injury. But I think I've also been depressed because I have devoted 0% of my time to God.
Duh, Laedelas. "Cut" by Plumb started to play on iTunes tonight, and I was astonished. First of all, because I didn't know this song was on my playlist. Second, because (except for the physical violence) the song described a lot of my emotions. The second verse "hit the spot," so to speak. I began to think about the implications of my depression, because I was relishing it. The phrase "crippled anger" humbled me. I am God's, am I not? Why should I be drowning myself in my sin?
Then I got emo. Because of the pirate party (post is upcoming), I had bought two pencils of black eyeliner at the $1 store. I hadn't used it at the party, but it came in handy tonight. I used them on paper, though, not skin. I hashed through my emotions in art, which I haven't done in a long time. The creative forces hammered at my mind in ways they haven't for years. I ended up with 6 pictures, and I cheated 'cos I used a stick of bright red pastel.
I must say, eyeliner pencils are great for drawing, they just need to be sharpened constantly. I went through one and a half pencils. Maybe some day I'll scan the pictures and describe their meaning.
#1: Condemnation This describes how I feel when I'm depressed. There's a bottomless pit of black, heavy air, and I'm chained to prevent resistance. The descent is painful and inevitable. Thus the wild black scribblings. If this picture had an accompanying music clip, it would be screaming.
#2: Resignation. I drew this, describing how I wallowed in my depression and gave myself to my sin. After I finished, I realized what I was doing, and drew a thick line through it with the word "no!" at the end of the line. I didn't want to rest here in any sense.
#3: Redemption. This one shows a red hand, reaching toward my hands, and the chains pulling apart. The shading didn't exactly turn out, but it looks explosive. That's the point.
#4: Redemption part I: The title should have been "Justification," but I think I was so happy about the redemptive picture that I forgot. The girl is dressed in white, with arms stretched out, twirling in the black air. Her heart is red, showing vivacity. This picture shows two ideas: Freedom and life.
#5: Redemption part II: A white hand holds the broken chains and is surrounded by a haze of red. The red haze and the blurriness of "Redemption" is meant to show pain. This hand, the hand of God, took my chains and owned them. This is why it's justification...I am now free, dressed in white, with a new life, and God has paid for the change with his own life and comfort. His pain is my gain.
#6: Sanctification. The girl, dressed in white, still has a red heart. She is still standing in the black air, but sees a solid, real way out of it. This is represented by the straight line. It's hazy on one side, still, because the way is narrow, like the edge of a knife. She must walk this line, which Christ laid down, to become more like him and lose the darkness.
I am a wood elf. My name is Laedelas Cuindlir Greenleaf, and I hail from a place in Middle Earth called Mirkwood. You may know a bit about my family. My father is King Thranduil of Mirkwood, and he had a few encounters with one Bilbo Baggins when Bilbo slayed Smaug the Dragon. My twin brother, Legolas, later had many adventures with Bilbo's nephew and heir, Frodo Baggins. My brother was part of the Fellowship of the Ring, and his elven knowledge and skill contributed much to the group. I myself am kept busy by clearing our great forest of those nasty large spiders that live in the trees. I also enjoy a good rousing swordfight now and then, and will occasionally train with weapons other than the bow.
