Birthday

[So much to blog about, so little time. I may get around to it before I leave for Zambia, but probably not. Sorry, Future Self! I hope the memories stick around without the aid of this blog.]

So, my birthday was on Saturday. A friend posted 1 Timothy 4:12 on my Facebook wall, and it was really encouraging. Usually around my birthday I meditate on my own frailty, mortality, and fallenness, but this verse made me meditate on how Paul exhorted Timothy to live. "...set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." Why did Paul write those things in that order? Considering that this was Paul, and it's scripture, that order was not haphazard. I'm thinking it reflects a person's character, working from what is immediately noticeable toward one's heart.

Five parts to a young leader's moral foundation...

1. Speech
2. Conduct
3. Love
4. Faith
5. Purity

Number 1 caught my attention. My speech habits have not been exemplary of late. I am not a perfect example in any of these five areas, but I certainly ignore my speech. Not only is it the first item on this list, it's one of the first things people notice about me. So many verses in the Bible convict me of habits that used to prick my conscience but no longer damage my calm. I pray God would give me the grace to be a loudspeaker for him, to produce only the sounds he wills me to speak.

Thanks, David, for the verse!

Story Of My Life

Ironic that a webzine called Boundless would publish an article on humans' limits. Regardless, it was a good article. It outlines one of the biggest aspects of my college education.

I'm A Little In Love With Today's Weather

Deep blue sky, puffs of white
alternate
dark foreboding clouds.

Sunshine chases shadow.

Wind
Trees and grass make music
birds, cicadas all
sounds carry
Hair has life of its own.

Violent energy communicates peace.

Makes me smile.

Suummmmmmmertiiiiiiiiime...And The Posting Is Seldommmmmmm...

Today felt like the first "real" day of Summer. It was hot, humid, and I worked for a total of 12 hours at two jobs. Yes, I am a workaholic, and this is rarely more evident than during Summers.

Quickie update: I spent a week in a three-room apartment in NYC helping a friend reorganize her apartment and eating amazing food. Note: Don't cut through ancient plaster ceilings without knowing what's up there. There could be a live gas pipe :P When I got back, we had the last fencing practice of the year, and of our current head coach's career. Then I had my first week at my new job, which is an incredible blessing (despite appearances--isn't that how God usually works?). Then I spent three days in Akron doing sound tech work for a dance show. The show almost shocked me out of my seat...and definitely distracted me from my job :-P I hope my job didn't distract anyone from the show...

It's been a whirlwind month, and I love life like that. Unfortunately, something major in my life is changing, and I am having a hard time adjusting, and wondering if perhaps I should change in response to these new possible situations. I'm not free to discuss what it is, but I'm losing sleep over it. Encouragement has come from the oddest of places. A friend blogged about remodeling, my iPod (Max) randomly played this song, another song played in the restaurant where I work (the band seems promising). All of this in addition to good conversations with important people. God is showering grace on me constantly, pressed down and shaken together.

Speaking of grace, here's a Zambia update: I'm not 100% positive, but it looks as if (assuming I can get the deadline pushed back a few days) I'll have the Zambia trip completely paid for by next week?! Praise God in unutterable ways!

Sarah Grace Is Home!

I've blogged about this in the past, but finally Sarah-Grace is on her way home! She looks so much older than she did when I first saw her...Maybe I'll get to meet her at the Knight of Betrayal.

Sunlight

This band played at my sister's college recently. Even though I wasn't familiar with their music, I enjoyed it so much. This song, in particular, was so much fun live. I later found out that Noele was a "mentor" to me when I first started to play violin with my church. She sent my father a long e-mail about how a violinist can contribute to the worship experience. I admit...I turned into a fan girl and got everyone to sign a poster advertising the event. Cheesy? Perhaps. But I enjoyed it :-) Hopefully I'll see them play live again!

Zambia & Finances

Update on Zambia: It's expensive!

You're probably laughing at me, and rightly so :-) I am, at times, slightly amused that I accepted such a financial responsibility while being "unemployed." My two current jobs don't count as employment, because I work approximately 40 hours/month. I could at least quadruple that.

Anyway, I'd appreciate it if y'all could pray for me. $1250 is due to the church office by Friday, and I have (maybe) half of that amount. I know that God will provide, because he is the one leading me on this trip and he fulfills all his promises. However, I need faith to believe in his promises and trust that God is not just a thought, but a real, actual being who can sustain me financially. In addition, I have an interview on Thursday with a reputable company near my neighborhood who is hiring. This job is far from my ideal job, but does involve a paycheck and might just be God's provision. I would appreciate prayer for this, as well.

Thank you so much for your support! I'm applying for a visa next weekend, just got shots, and will buy insurance tomorrow. Things are rolling, and I'm excited! Random: I'm taking the typhoid vaccination as a series of pills, because that was cheaper than an injection. So I'm currently wearing an orange rubber bracelet that says "Remember Oral Typhoid Vaccine." The reactions have been rather amusing. Everyone thinks it's some moral cause, when in fact I'm just trying to remember every other day that I can't eat for a period of 3 hours, during which I gotta swallow a plastic pill.

Walking through Ndola

I've been reading the blog of Shawn, who left graduate school at Notre Dame to see what he could do to eradicate poverty. I find his Uncultured Project fascinating, because he's worked incredibly hard to sustain himself and his project. He hopes (and has succeeded) to inspire others to see what they can do to eradicate poverty. He recently blogged about walking through a slum. I was reminded of my trip to Zambia, and wondered how similar my experiences of working with people in Zambia will be.

Ze Bike

Today I fixed up my bike. It was pretty fun. I've never done much to it other than filling the tires and oiling the chain. It did get a tune-up once, about a year after I got it. Today I took a toothbrush to the gears and chain, trying to get rid of the fuzzy look.

This bike (2002 Schwinn Voyageur AL) is so comfortable. I know it's a sissy bike, but considering the kind of biking I've done in the past it's great. I got it (as a graduation gift) right before biking the C & O Canal trail, which is a sissy trail, so I figured a sissy bike would be appropriate :-) My mom even likes to ride this bike because it's comfortable. So, now I'm ready for biking trips! A few of my friends are doing the MS 150 bike race, and have had several training runs already. Maybe next time they go biking I'll be able to come.

Cran-ocolate, I Mean, Choc-anberry...Something...Oatmeal Cookies

Smaku's Super Cookie
Originally uploaded by Smaku.

Tonight, I invented a recipe. Well, not really, but the results were worth sharing. The cranberries add a nice aftertaste, methinks. Sorry if you find my measurements confusing... 0.5 is so much easier to understand than 1/2. Also, for some reason the original recipe said to use 4 tblsp of milk, but 0.25 cup is so much easier to measure. And thanks to these friends for inspiring me to blog recipes.

Mix together in this order:
0.5 cup butter
0.5 cup oil
1.5 cups raw sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp (or more :D) vanilla
0.25 cup milk
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats
1.5 cups chocolate chips
1.5 cups dried cranberries

Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. My cookies didn't look all that dark, but they are supposed to be "light brown" when they get out of the oven.

Zambia Mission

My church recently set up a web page that goes into the Zambia Missions trip in more detail, and has some video footage to boot. Go check it out! Also, I hear my Paypal link isn't working...I'm sorry! It works for me. It should go straight to the log-in page for Paypal, so if you don't have a Paypal account, there are other ways to give. Thanks for your interest in this trip! It is encouraging me to wait and work patiently :-)

Sparrow Alone: Some Days Are Poetry

My friend had a great post today that includes some amazing poetry. I thought y'all may enjoy it...
Sparrow Alone: Some Days Are Poetry

Zambia

I am writing to share some exciting news: I am going to Africa this summer! However, this trip will not be a vacation. My church, Providence Church, is partnering with Covenant Mercies to send a team of individuals to Ndola, Zambia on July 5-17. We will be building a school, distributing clothing, shoes, school supplies, and teaching community outreach classes.

This work is possible because Covenant Mercies has established relationships with a local pastor and his wife. They founded the Lighthouse Christian School, which serves underprivileged children in the area. We will be building a much-needed school building on property which is within walking distance of two large shanty villages where many of their students live. Covenant Mercies currently sponsors 141 children in Ndola. Sponsorship assists these children and their families with school tuition, clothing, food, shelter, and other essentials. The school that we will build is part of a long-term missions care for these children.

Why am I going on this trip? To share the mercy of God in tangible ways to the children and families of Ndola. God commands us to love and care for strangers, widows, and orphans. Though I am not able to extend long-term care for the people of Ndola, I am able to assist those who have been caring for them, and enable them to continue their service. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared already, so we should walk in them. God has been preparing this trip for me, and I am joyfully walking it through to completion so I may glorify him.

Would you pray for this team and me? Also, would you consider supporting me financially as I raise $3,000 for this trip? Any donation would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to make a contribution, you can either contact my church and let them know that you'd like to support me (it's tax-deductible!) or donate using PayPal (see button below).

I would love to keep you updated on the progress of this trip through e-mail, so feel free to contact me with your e-mail address, and I’ll include you in the updates. Thank you for your time and prayers!

Picture source

Silent Arithmetic

Not gonna lie: This was amazing.

MUTEMATH - Spotlight


Favorite moments:
Greg loses a button.
Roy's alligator claps.
Moshing with drums!
Rhodes solo!

These dudes are genii.

Language Is A Slippery Thing

This post is a response to the comment made by Samurai in the post below. It's probably more of an answer than he was asking for, but I didn't have a simple answer to give. Hope it helps, Samurai!

The author of the article I reference below wrote a book about using English called The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. I haven't read it, but based on that article I think it may be worth reading. During my formative years, I read On Writing Well by William Zinsser, which falls into some of the same traps that Strunk & White set. It was an interesting book, but like most sources, should be taken with a grain of salt. Language is constantly changing and shifting into the tool that is most useful. Trying to limit this tool is foolish. Teaching others how to use this tool, however, is necessary.

Frankly, the best sources of information on writing that I've found are my favorite authors. Study their writing, and you'll learn way more than any textbook could tell you. Their writing got your attention, didn't it? It makes sense to learn from them. Granted, having technical knowledge of grammar and literary devices will help you understand their writing. I had issues with articles of speech and syntax until I learned other languages because this technical knowledge was vital to the learning process. But don't let technique kill creativity.

I like to ask questions of authors while reading their literature. What do I like about this book? This sentence? This word picture? How does it work so well? What does the author say in his writing? Not say? Can I use these methods in my writing? What audience does this style of writing reach? Could I adapt it to reach my own audience? I could go ad nauseam, but I'm going to take a page from Zinsser and keep the fluff out :-)

White's Style Was Never Liked By Me, Anyway

This article was found to be refreshing by me. :-) Though there were some extreme statements, I appreciated Geoffrey K. Pullum's bravery in exposing Strunk & White's so-called masterpiece as the foolishness that it is. Now if someone would only expose most of the recent academic opinion that's being published as research as foolishness...

Hope Deferred

Lesson: If you wake up every morning to see what new offerings monster.com has, or eagerly await a phone call indicating someone's interest in your resume, you'll be disappointed. Eventually.

I thank God I was disappointed earlier rather than later. Yet another way in which I find that God is my all in all. Yet another way that I find my identity in the Cross wavering.

Musical Profiling

A friend of a friend recently drew up musical profiles of our mutual friend's blog readers. I was one of them. I find the results to be quite amusing.

My Top Ten Bands (on 28 February 2009...this changes constantly)
Antonio Vivaldi
Georg Friederic Handel
Joshua Bell
Switchfoot
Mute Math
Skillet
Seamus Egan
Michael Buble
Imogen Heap
David Crowder Band

My Profile [my edits are in brackets]
Probably oldest of the 3 [who responded to my friend's post]
Quite [quiet?] Reflective Type
Financially Stable

Amusing, no? He was wrong about being oldest, and I am not quiet (though I am reflective). And I'm financially stable compared to some, so I guess that's accurate, too. How accurate do you think it is?

7 Layer Bean Dip

In a super large platter (make sure it has a lip), layer:

1st Layer - 2 cans bean dip (mild or hot)
2nd Layer - 2 cans guacamole
3rd Layer - 1 c. sour cream mixed with 1 pkg. taco mix
4th Layer - 1 bundle of green onions, chopped
5th Layer - 2 tomatoes, chopped (drained)
6th Layer - 8 oz. pkg. Cheddar cheese
7th Layer - 1 sm. can black olives

This recipe has worked for me twice so far. It's great! My apologies to those who are looking for original content...thoughts on Mako Fujimara are forthcoming :-)

Music

So much good music exists. Allow me to expound.

Animal Collective
I learned about this band because of an acquaintance. She's a sweet photographer! And the band is weird. I love their sound. I hope they play a concert in my city some day soon.

Reilly
This band I saw live at my sister's school. It was the first live music show I'd seen in months...besides Open Mic Night, which isn't really a show. Anyway. It was so worth the hourlong drive. Fantastic people. The lone female in the band was a mentor, of sorts, when I began to play violin with the worship team at church. I bought a CD, which I had no plans of doing. I have plans of not buying anything until I make $3,000 for Zambia, but apparently music is addicting.

Last Wednesday, I met a personal hero. More on that after I sleep a bit.