Bernard Pivot Blogfest Questionnaire

Thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog! Thanks. Today I'm participating in the the Bernard Pivot Blogfest, kindly hosted by Nicole Ducleroir of One Significant Moment at a Time. Its not too late to join in!



1. What is your favorite word?

Upon reflection, I like multisyllabic words which begin with “E.” Eloquent. Eccentric. Expedient. Effervescent. Elocution. Elementary. Ecstatic. And so on.

2. What is your least favorite word? Almost all words that end with “ump- bump, clump, hump, slump, dump, grump, etc.” They sound dirty, crude, messy, or just plain tired and lazy. The only exception to my feelings about this set of words is “jump”. Somehow the J transforms it into something palatable.

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

1. Reading the Bible, and reading inspirational works of others like Charles Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis, J.L. Packer, etc.

2. Also, travelling and learning about different cultures, people, and places. I love learning about out of the way places in desolate landscapes that I never knew existed, and planning trips around the world to places no one else goes.

3. Taking new classes, learning new hobbies, and trying new foods.

4. What turns you off?

Feeling trapped by circumstances. I dislike having to stay put and be responsible to plan for the future, when I want to travel the world and be free.

5. What is your favorite curse word?

Hum…probably “crap.” I don’t cuss, so this is one I can get away with when I am really mad and won’t get in trouble for using.

6. What sound or noise do you love?

Deep, low voices. There are some people I try to carry on conversations with because I like to hear their tone and cadence. It’s like listening to the rumbling of a rushing river.

7. What sound or noise do you hate?

Poor, lazy voice quality- when people slur and mumble as though they are drunk, especially on my answering machine. If people are going to speak, they should put some effort into forming their words- if they won’t put in the effort to speak clearly, I don’t want to put in the effort to listen.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

I would like to be a singer, an author, an artist- anything creative or productive that I could get paid for.

9. What profession would you not like to do?

Anything which requires a lot of technical skill with high stakes, like being a neurosurgeon. Trust me, you do not want me to be your neurosurgeon. My current job allows me a margin of error I am comfortable with; if I mess up, no one dies.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

“Well done, my Good and Faithful Servant.”

Thanks for reading!

Creators- A Commentary on Message and Medium

For some of us, from the time we are born there is an innate need for output, output, output. Perhaps we are more self-centered, or simply more frenetic, but eventually everything comes down to a need to create. Drawing, writing, singing, creating stained glass, speaking, creating seminars,  all for other people to experience, and sometimes to lend clarity to self and no one else. Is this a universal human trait, or simply one kind of personality, of the artist, the philosopher, the speaker, the performer. Are there people in the world who do not feel the need to make, make, and make? Thing is, we don’t hear from them because they don’t say much!!! Even our studies on extroversion and introversion are skewed by the fact that some folks are much more likely to show up for a university study than others! Perhaps there is a whole world of people out there designed for receiving input, consuming, without the need to take information and materials and spit them back out into an original design for the world to see. Our media and our culture favor the out-putters because they are the ones who designed the mediums!


I don’t know. All I know is that in the meantime, I will write my blog, write my poetry, post on my social networking site, and work toward public speaking, hone my stained glass craft, and sing whenever I’m allowed. Because that is the sort of person I have always been, and want to always be.

Lotus Seeds and The Gospel

"He who has ears, let him hear."

Have you ever heard about sacred lotus seeds? The ancestor of the modern lotus, these seeds are one of the oldest viable seeds in the world, meaning that some which were recovered in a dry river bed in China in the 20th century were judged to be 1200 years old, and they still got them to sprout!

What the lotus does to survive, is first to prolifically sprout seeds willy nilly. Then, nothing happens. For years, maybe hundreds of years. The seeds wait, possibly so they will survive getting eaten right away by greedy herbivores. In order for the lotus seed to sprout, its hard, shiny outer coat must be scraped off. Modern botanists and gardeners achieve this a variety of ways, but the cheap method involves sandpaper and lots of scraping time. Scrape too little, and nothing happens, but scrape too hard and you risk killing the seed. If all goes according to plan, the seed is immersed in water, (the lotus is a water plant )and within days a shiny sprout comes forth.

I thought about the lotus this morning in church, and how the gospel lies dormant in some hearts for years before it can be germinated. And in order for it to be germinated, it may take some scraping and hurting on the outer shells of the heart in order for people to respond.

This is relevant for Christians, too, whose hearts are hard. Sometimes it takes the diligent scraping away of our outer shells in order for us to grow. We may ask, "Why am I getting roughed up so much?" when the answer is that our master cultivator knows that we cannot grow without getting scraped up a little along the way. Take heart that He knows exactly how much hardship we need, and will not destroy us, merely prepare us to hear Him.

What about you? Have you been hardening your heart against Him? This will only cause you more pain, because Your Lord loves you too much to let you stay as you are! Eventually, even for the lotus, if a seed is not germinated, it will die. Growth is your only option in order to live.

"He who has ears, let Him hear."

In a normal person the mind...Margaret Bancroft | Dictionary.com

Excellent conceptualization of how the altered mind works- or doesn't work. This lady was ahead of her time.


In a normal person the mo, Margaret Bancroft Dictionary.com

Daffodil Shoots and Hope

Saturday, my husband uncovered a large bag of daffodil bulbs which we had dug out of the yard last fall when we suspected one of our puppies was eating them. The bulbs had been growing shoots despite the lack of soil, water, and only fleeting glimpses of sunlight. The bulbs at the top of the bag who had gotten some sunlight were green, but the ones at the bottom were sallow yellow and spindly because they had not received any sun at all (this reaction is called etiolation by botanists). They had grown in all sorts of crazy directions to try and get to the life-giving sun, and the bulbs themselves were shriveled and weak, showing that they had been using up all their reserves to try and survive.

So, I separated them and potted as many as I had soil and pots for, and watered them and placed them on the front porch. My husband came across a colony of worms in the muck he was cleaning out of the gutter which we placed in their pots, along with a layer of decaying leaves and compost. Then, having done everything I knew to do for them, I left them alone.

Sunday, they looked much the same, limp and yellow, and I wondered if they would even flower this year or whether there had been too much darkness and not enough nurturing for them to survive.

But Monday, a miracle began to happen. I came home on my lunch break, and noticed that all of the shoots were now green, or at least green-tinged. They were standing straighter and moving toward the direction of the sun in a heartened display of phototropism.

By this morning, all of the shoots were almost completely green, and quite purposeful in their angle toward the sunlight. I thought back to their long sojourn in the darkness, putting all their energy and resources toward the day when the light of the sun would once again give them nourishment. Bulbs are built to hope, because they themselves rarely see the sun, but they send up their shoots to find it. They used all their resources and all their strength to find the sun so they could be renewed and reinvigorated, and continue on.

What an awesome analogy for hope, that in our darkest hour, we look for the SON and plan expectantly for His presence, using the resources He has given us to withstand in the darkness. As long as we live on this spinning globe, we will never be fully immersed in his light, but when we see Him face to face in His Kingdom, all the pain we endured will melt away and we will be healed by his presence, finally able to completely fulfill our purpose, and completely live, moving toward the source of our life, His light.

Y replacing I

Yf only we could replace all our I's wyth Y's- yt would look so quaynt and old-tymey. Plus Y can't thynk of many sytuatyons where gettyng ryd of I would make that much of a dyfference yn understandyng. Lets do away wyth unneccessary vowels.

Blessings

                  Sometimes answers from God take time, and sometimes they are immediate. It has been amazing to experience Him showing me kindness over the last few days through the people in my life. First, before I heard about the change at work, I went to a wonderful lunch on Saturday with my mom and my sister and got to unload some of the worries I have been carrying around. Then, we had a success with the youth on Sunday night which was a morale boost. After I found out on Monday, my close friend who knew exactly how I felt comforted me and helped me feel better. That night, my husband came home with flowers, chocolate, and dinner, and let me take a nice relaxing bath. Then yesterday I met with my supervisor who talked me through it, my dad and my brother took me out to lunch and the ladies at my Bible Study (who did not know about the change) gave me a present and  a lovely card just for spending time with them (something which is not a sacrifice at all!). All of these were reminders of God's support in my life and that He will never leave or forsake me, even when work is scary. I prayed He would help me stand up under the pressure and He immediately reminded me of all the people He placed in my life to help me along the way.

So thank you, Lord:). I am reminded that no matter which valley I am walking through, You are there with me.

Psalm 23



1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.


2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.


3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness


For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,


I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;


You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.


6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.