Why I never liked English Class

There is a point to this post, that has to do with its title, but I'm afraid I won't reach that point until the very end. I'm sorry, happy reading!

To begin, if you have read The Da Vinci Code book...the movie will be a little disappointing.

Well, as you can see, I have been reading The Da Vinci Code because of all the controversy surrounding it so that I could come to my own conclusions. I don't think Christians should be afraid of it, but willing to defend the real Truth that it challenges. First off, I would like everyone to know, that at it's core, the story line of The Da Vinci Code contradicts itself. It claims that Mary Magdalene is the 'divine feminine' meaning that she, rather than Jesus, is worthy of being worshiped. Why? Because they said that Jesus wanted Mary Magdalene, rather than Peter, to be the one to lead His church after his death. This, also based on the fact that Jesus was supposedly just a prophet (= A person gifted with profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression). Therefore, not God, not divine, and thus dead today rather than alive (which he is by the way...alive). But Mary Magdalene's divinity is based on the fact that Jesus gave her that great responsibility. BUT, if he was just a prophet/man, then Jesus himself...or God... was not divine and therefore cannot "bless" Mary Magdalene with carrying on any kind of divinity at all.

Next...

Another reason why the book, and the story it tells can be seen in no way as truth, is because the majority of the "messages" that carry the "truth" are interpreted from art. And for anyone who has ever been in a Mrs. Boyd or Mr. Smith English class, and are required to interpret author's meaning in a story or the allusions it contains, you'll know that there are MANY ways to interpret someone else's work...especially when they aren't alive to explain it to you. Who is to say one interpretation is the correct one? It is wrong to say "This is what Da Vinci was really trying to tell us in his painting" if he is not there to confirm or reject the analysis.

...so, this is the reason why I never liked English class. Because if you interpreted one thing one way, and it didn't align with what the teacher had come up with, then your interpretation was wrong. I guess that leaves my overall point to be: can't we just look at art work and admire the talent of the artist without putting our own meanings into it? If there was something they wanted to say, they would have just written it down!

Meet Duncan

Hi Everybody! This is Duncan. He is my new Dog! Check out his cuteness.
Below are some picture of him from the first day we got him, up until now. Some of the pictures may have gotten messed up in the "collaging" process (ie the one of Duncan with King Kong), but you can still see how cute he is.

Duncan is somewhere around 5 - 6 years old. He weighs 26 pounds (so far). He has brown eyes, and white fur at the bottom of each paw. He is a mix of terriers, and has wirey hair. And, of course, he likes to go on long walks. hehehe. (but he really does!) He was a stray when we found him, and was covered in ticks, but after a little doctoring up, he doesn't smell bad and is tick-free!
He LOVES to be around people, and doesn't like to be left alone :o( He follows me around like I'm his mother duck. He is currently recovering from a heart worm treatment, which means he isn't supposed to get a lot of exersize for a while. So I'm trying to keep him calm, but it is difficult.
My mom calls him her Granddog. :o)

Come and meet him some time!

 

Eligible Bachelors

Lady's and Gentlemen...

I would like to introduce to you, Alex and Scott.

Ok...that's all I wanted to say :o/

Amen.

A thousand times I've failed, still your mercy remains,
Should I stumble again, til I'm caught in your grace?
Everlasting. Your light will shine when all else fades.
Neverending. You glory goes beyond all fame.

Your will above all else, my purpose remains,
The art of losing myself, in bringing you praise.
Everlasting. Your light will shine when all else fades.
Neverending. Your glory goes beyond all fame.

In my heart and my soul, I give you control.
Consume me from the indside out.
Let justice and praise,
Become my embrace,
Consume me from the inside out!

Your will above all else, my purpose remains,
The art of losing myself, in bringing you praise.
Everlasting. Your light will shine when all else fades.
Neverending. Your glory goes beyond all fame.

In my heart and my soul, I give you control.
Consume me from the indside out, Lord.
Let justice and praise,
Become my embrace,
To love you from the inside out!

Everlasting! Your light will shine when all else fades!
Neverending! Your glory goes beyond all fame!
And the cry of my heart is to bring you praise!
From the inside out, oh my soul cries out - LORD!

In my heart and my soul, I give you control.
Consume me from the inside out, Lord.
Let justice and praise, become my embrace,
To love you from the inside out.

Everlasting! Your light will shine when all else fades!
Neverending! Your glory goes beyond all fame!
And the cry of my heart is to bring you praise!
From the inside out, oh my soul cries out -
Everlasting! Your light will shine when all else fades!
Neverending! Your glory goes beyond all fame!
And the cry of my heart is to bring you praise!
From the inside out, oh my soul cries out, from the inside out, oh my soul cried out - LORD!

~Hillsong United~

From the Inside Out

Hear it! Live it! Love it!

Disciple Now 2006

This weekend we had Disciple Now.
~ The Challenge of Choices ~

It was a great weekend full of laughter, learning, and growth for all involved. Below is a picture of my group.

Leaders: Julie Swafford and Myself

10th grade girls: Caitlyn, Hayley, Katie, Jessi, Amanda, Rachel, Breanna, and Morgen.

We had a great time! And Algernon and Steve Fee helped us end the weekend fired up and motivated.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Colossians 3:2

DISCLAIMER

This is a disclaimer on behalf of Alex concerning the previous post:

Alex does know how to change a tire.
Alex made a decision based on the surrounding conditions, in regards to safety, not to change the tire.
Alex wants everyone to know that Luke says "It's OK!"

For further questions on any of the points addressed above, please contact Alex Campbell.

:o)

Tuesday Nights Are Always Exciting!

Whether it be because of a last minute trip, a planned outing, or just because something entirely random happens, Tuesday nights are ALWAYS exciting. This Tuesday Night was no exception. At 722, Hillsong United (Australian Worship Band) came for a concert (see picture)
So we enjoyed worshipping with them until 10:30(!!!) It was GRRREAT ...although an hour later than we usually are there until...but that's ok, because they are from Australia.

Following all the fun, Alex and I get into the car and drive to the gas station, because I need gas real bad. So we get gas..I learn that they still let you pump gas even when they are closed, if you pay by credit card ( I never knew that!)... We get back into the car and head for the on-ramp to 400. So we are driving down the on-ramp and all of a sudden we heard this funny "scratchy" noise from underneath my car. Then Alex chimes in with "I think it's a flat." ...how much fun could that be!? So we pull over, get out and look, and sure enough...I have a flat tire. :o/ Not cool. Need a visual?

GOOD TIRE


BAD TIRE

So then the real adventure began ... waiting. For some reason Alex and I always spend a long time in cars together. It's quite fun. But anyway. After the tow truck driver getting the wrong directions, and turning around to come get us, we finally made it off of the side of the road and home. It was 1:30AM. ...and I still had a paper to finish and a presentation to prepare for for the next day (today). So I went to bed at 3:30AM. I'm tired.

One more thing...I tried to put the spare/donut tire on the car this afternoon, and everything was going fine, until I got to the lug nuts. They are SO tight! I was standing on the lug nut wrench and it still didn't budge. Here is the proof of my efforts...

...and I had already washed my hands once...

Well, that's all for today!

What do you run for?

Running is probably the most eventful part of my "daily" routine.

When I run, I usually run up to the Zoo, to run around Grant Park. Along the way I run by people - some that say hi some that don't, some that tell me "keep on goin' you can make it," or "hey, you want a ride?" (while riding by on his skate board...??). Occasionally, when running through the Zoo parking lot, I'll catch people that are making out in their cars. Remember, I said eventful. I run by animals, that I always want to pet! ...but that would slow me down, so I resist. I run by construction, new houses, old houses, big trucks, lots of machinery...pretty much everything besides air planes and aliens.

In addition to all that, when I run I think a lot. That is eventful all in itself :o) Whether I am listening to some podcast that challenges my beliefs or brings up new issues that I've never thought about, or just thinking about my life while listening to music...my mind ends up running along with my legs.

But most of all, running gives me a chance to talk to God about my day. Despite all the distractions it's very effective. It helps me clear my mind and begin to think straight about anything that I've let my emotions skew out of proportion. It's a way to get away from reality and focus on what really matters, and I need that far to often.

This is time to give you all the praise that you deserve.

Oh Lord you mercy turns us into grateful people.

We can't seem to find the words.

Take our lives, that they might be enough, to tell you how grateful...

...Lord we are grateful.

~Watermark~

Spring Break Was...

My official Spring Break, is now over. What did I do? I went skiing!!! With Matthew.



Check out that lovely view. That is from almost the top of Sugar Mountain in NC. The slopes at this place were great! ...lots of them ...they were very long ...they had lots of snow (and a lot of it was real!) ...and it was March, so it wasn't that crowded.

So our plan was to document the entire trip this time. Like take pictures as we leave, and where we eat, and of us skiing, and leaving and everything.

Well, we ended up not doing all of that. So here some of the pictures we DO have.




The slope that Matthew is at the bottom of, is a double black diamond. It looks much steeper in person. People were coming down it so cauciously...it was scary!

I also made a video while skiing, but the camera was angled toward the sky instead of the slope...so i didn't turn out like I wanted, and I didn't want to rick breaking the camera anymore.

But regardless of our lack of documenting...it was lots of, much needed, fun.

Truth

From Ravi Zacharias International Ministries

03/3/06
The Side of Truth
Jill Carattini

It was for me a dawning thought packed within the confines of a recurring chorus. "And the truth's not contingent on me." I still remember the notion catching my attention and then hanging there in my mind like a portrait I was having a hard time getting my eyes around. At the time, it was an utterly startling and freeing image; namely, God did not need me to uphold the pillars and pieces of Christianity to make it a true and valid thing to believe in. It is an incredibly simple lesson with which to be struck, perhaps exposing a self-centered worldview as much as my misunderstanding of the old, old story. And yet, it was an awakening not only to the Christian story as I discovered that day, but also to the very nature of truth itself. Truth is truth whether we choose to stand beside it or not.

Perhaps as a reaction to the intense rationalism of the modern era, postmodern thought tends to emphasize the idea that all is not as it might seem. But the preference is now anti-rationalism or anti-realism. We want to create our own reality, a mosaic of truths that will suit our own needs. Intrinsic to this approach is the concept of practicality. If it is in anyway useful to our lives then it is viewed as a "valid" truth. I once heard someone note this in a statement she went as far as to call her life's motto. She said, "If you can't use what you know to be true then it isn't worth knowing." Such is the current mood; one where truth itself can be deemed unworthy of knowing. Writes C.S. Lewis, "Man is becoming as narrowly 'practical' as the irrational animals."

Yet the posture of preference and practicality, though widely present among us, is hardly a new approach to the quest for truth. As Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate he told him, "I came into this world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me" (John 18:37-38). Before Pilate had even uttered his sardonic reply"What is truth?"Jesus's words in that profoundly charged conversation cut to the crumbling foundation on which men have stood from antiquity to postmodernism: the search for truth is all too often not about truth at all.

As an acquaintance one time commented, "I refuse to let anyone tell me what my truth is." But does such a statement even make sense? Truth corresponds to reality, not preference or opinion. If the quest for truth is about personal appetite, contingent only on the individual holding the belief, anything and everything could be deemed true. Such an approach taken in realms of science or history would be thoroughly mocked in its ridiculousness. We know better than this.

The same Gospel that relays the conversation of Jesus and Pilate on the subject of truth begins with the powerful thought of God at the beginning of all things. Whatever truth is it is something far beyond me, corresponding with reality, coherently giving shape to my life. In the Christian story, there is a beginning, a middle, and an end, none of which is contingent on us. Christ has come to testify to this reality and lead us to truth itself. He is Lord whether we choose to stand beside him or not.

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Best Diet Plan Ever!

Ok, so I've figured it out. The secret that all women have been waiting for... A diet that works. Here's the plan, in 4 easy steps:

#1 - buy or receive as a gift, an iPod (any size and memory capacity will work)

#2 - actually use it to keep you occupied while running, or walking.

#3 - obtain allergies to all things capable of blooming, thus losing sense of smell (by-way-of runny and clogged nasal passages) and therefore ability to taste.

#4 - Eat most healthy, and probably most disgusting, food you can find. Why? Because you can't taste anything! Your desire to eat - while remaining - will become less essential and more mundane.

So there it is... Work out more, eat less and if not less, much healthier, you'll never know the difference. (if you see results checks can be made to "Susan Kommeth")

No seriously, Spring is my least favorite season. It always has been...and for one reason. Pollen. Of all kinds... I don't discriminate. It's all equal.
I mean, look at the stuff. It just looks evil. I bet it had no friends in school.

For the last week I have not been able to smell or taste anything. It's been terrible!
And the eating gross healthy food because you can't taste it part (the 4th step of my diet plan), is SO true. My parents have been eating all this weird food cause my mom is on this crazy diet (she should try mine!) and I had some this weekend. But yah know...I can't tell you it was bad...and I can't tell you it was good either...cause I couldn't taste it. Not a bit. (the one time I was thankful I couldn't taste!)

So...tonight, after running (step #2) with my iPod, I came in and tried to think of what to have for dinner. It was pointless. I didn't want to eat anything, because that would be so wasteful since I can't actually taste it... So I ended up eating tortilla chips (since they only have salt on them) and drinking a Cherry Coke (because they are filling) ... even though it about killed me to drink a Cherry Coke and not taste it...but that was the only carbonated drink we had. I probably should have just made some rice instead. But it's all about the same anyway.

But don't worry. Pollen won't get the best of me. Oh no! I have weapons to fight back...Alavert, Nyquil... Hopefully summer will hurry up and get here... That will be fun. I should have a anti UV-ray entry by then.

"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." Genesis 8:22
...I think that includes pollen...

Honest Abe

Why can't our country remain focused on it's original foundational principles? Lincoln even saw it slipping...

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which has preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended power, to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness." [March 30, 1863]

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Hebrews 12:14

LOST

Last night there was a new episode of LOST. So Maria, Rocky, and I decided to make a LOST-inspired meal

This is our Exotic Spinach and Wild Berry Salad.

It was yummy!

This is our Island Style Jerked Boar Meat!
Even yummier!

Here are the Other's Asparagus.

Delicious!

Our dessert was Wild Banana Pudding. But I forgot to take a picture of it! Sorry!

...awaiting the next episode of LOST...

Replacing Xanga

So... I'm going to start using this instead of Xanga.

Why you ask?

Because everyone else uses it... it's easier to post pictures... and David got one... so now I can comment on his :o)

See Ya Around!