Day 3

Bob Jones Competition - Day 3

Wow...wow. How can I say this? My day came. My day arrived. It was me. Not all me, but it sure felt like it. Musically, I'm not very talented. I'm good...I'll admit that...because I've been playing for so long and had so many opportunities  But I'm not great. I've been the one in the back...the quiet one...the one who goes unseen and unheard. And I'd kinda struggled with that for quite a bit. I love being a leader and a bright spotlight and a little princess diva...just ask anyone. Who doesn't love being the center of attention and looked up to? I'd never gotten that...there had always been someone a bit more forceful (btw, not a bad thing) and so I hadn't fought it. At my last lesson before I left my teacher reminded me to let the music out...let it flow from my heart. I have a tendency to keep the music in its box...play the right notes on the right pitch with the right articulations. But that's not how music was made...it was made with those guidelines because without them there would be no music...but it's not 100% music without soul...without passion or feeling or emotion. It's not music without living the music within yourself. I dont usually do that at all...opening up like that is opening a part of my soul. It's exposing yourself and letting people in. In the past I have never let any one person 100% inside. Sure, some have come close. But there has never been one person who has ultimately opened me up and seen me for me. I've kept it hidden and out of sight. Opening up in music is defying that. It's opening my soul for the entire world to see. But it needs to be done with music or else you create anti-music. Closed and emotion-less music. So today I did it...I let it out...I felt the music. I played my heart out. I didn't think about who was in the room or what they would think about me or my music or what would happen if I messed up. I didn't worry about that at all. I didn't zero in on the music (which scared me at first)...it was the closest I've ever come to an out-of-body experience. I came out of that room so changed. I was a complete stranger to my old self. I was more me than I'd ever been. In the past, I've come out of performance rooms literally crying because I felt like my whole performance was a flop. It usually turned out alright. Today as I walked out of that room it was with a huge smile on my face. This had never happened before. I can't even fully describe it because it was so different...so breathtakingly beautiful. I felt myself at peace...I didn't care about the results or finals. I played music. Real music. Needless to say, I was so amazed and blessed to hear this evening that I had made it into finals. I perform again tomorrow afternoon with all the string finalists. After that they will choose the top three places and the number one will go on to perform tomorrow evening at the big recital. God is so great. God is SO good!! Blessings heaped on blessings. Just being here and seeing so many people and learning so many things is such a HUGE blessing in ways I'd never thought of. But now? Now I'm blown away by my God. He gives me everything I don't deserve. Still breathless. So anyways, the rest of the day passed rather slowly (but busy!). There were other soloists today: Derek, Ian, Ellen, Ben, Seth (with vocal and violin), and Jon. We all did well and most of us advanced on to the finals. Everyone was SO amazing and I am not envious of the judges at all...I can't imagine how hard it must have been to pick between all these competitors. So the day passed...life rolled. I tried to go to some classes but that didn't work out, sadly. Tomorrow is pretty busy too so I don't know how many classes I'll attend. Tomorrow I'll be able to tell you how our trio did and also who advanced from the finals as the top three. Also, we'll have the recital tomorrow night. The big concert with the top number one of all groups perform. So anyways...the day passed. I was busy...I crashed. Then we had this concert tonight to attend...it was with a returning touring group and that was lovely as well as a little sermon which was captivating and lovely. After that we had our first orchestra rehearsal. It was comprised of the high schoolers there this week who all worked together to form an orchestra. I am so very blessed. I was actually placed first (a first for sure). The music was pretty easy but I did NOT mind. I was so grateful...the whole night my heart was singing praises! God even went to show me His hand in my life as to give me a solo with the concert mistress. Who would have ever guessed that God is incredibly merciful as all of this! Anyways...then we had prayer group in here with a couple other rooms. They were all so sweet and friendly! They wanted to know how our competitions went and they prayed for us and our performances tomorrow. God is GOOD. Ahhhhh! I can't say it enough. I only wish that it wasn't just during these "blessing times" that I see His hand and praise Him for it...I want to get it to the point where I can do it in any situation and circumstance. Anyways...I guess it's a downfall of being human = continually sinning and feeling stupid about it. Lord willing I may grow more in Him and become a mature Christian, not living on milk but on meat. God grant that we all have that desire bloom within us. Goodnight all you lovely readers.

Quote To Ponder

I'm still not sure what I think about this quote. Feel free to post your thoughts (good or bad)!

Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired. 

-Robert Frost

Day 2

Bob Jones University Competition - Day 2
What a day. It's felt like 5 days to be honest. If I don't make this relatively short then I'm going to fall asleep on here for sure. My head is pounding like crazy and my eyes are burning - haha. So the day began with breakfast. I am so grateful that they have a gluten-free section...it's a God-sent for sure. We had breakfast (eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage etc.) and got started. A lot of the morning was devoted to hanging out and not doing much...basically exploring and finding little things to do. We followed David around for a little bit...and Derek and Jon went to play ping-pong whenever they had a free moment. Well at about 11, we had chapel which was really nice. I very much enjoyed it. After that I had a surprise for my mum...her friend from high school who she hadn't seen for years and years lives near here...so I worked it out that she came down today and surprised my mum. It worked out well and they got to go out and catch up for the day. Throughout the day the other highschoolers starting arriving and that vastly changed my feeling of being here. Before that I felt like a college student...like people looked at me and actually believed that I went there...now that all the highschoolers have arrived they look at me like, "Oh...I get it now, you're so young and inexperienced." But whatever. I just feel more out of place now that they came here. The rest of our group (from HSMA) did get here in mid-afternoon. Tori and I got coffee and walked around for a bit. We had lunch and then hung out till David's class which was on Bible Doctrine. It was a really neat class. I knew everything he taught because it was exactly what Pastor has taught us for years and years...but I still really enjoyed the class. After that Tori and I went to another class which I wanted to sit in on: Biblical Family Foundations. It was really good! Again, all repeated material, but very good nonetheless. After that we headed back to the dorms to do little things with music till practice. The trio all got together and practiced and after that we went to dinner. After dinner all the highschooles went to our "orientation" meeting which lasted about a half an hour an was basically just him welcoming us and giving us instruction and information. After that I went to a practice room to warm up a bit with my solos. Nerve wracking. I'm not so much nervous...but anxious. I really want it over right now...and I'm still very focused on what people will think...not about glorifying God or pleasing my audience or making beautiful music. I have a lot to pray about tonight. Anyways....after my solos are done then I'll be much more free feeling and I'll get to enjoy it more here. We get results on the finals tomorrow night so I should be able to tell you how I did tomorrow night. So after everyone got some time in the practice rooms and I got all my music certified and approved then we hung out and talked for a bit before heading back to our dorms and then hanging out. I got a shower and a ton of the girls on this floor around here were pretty hyped up and partying. It was kinda funny to watch, but at the same time you feel so "outside" of it all. You do feel a bit out of place...you feel like you're in the way and always causing a mess and messing up other people's schedules. Tori hasn't been feeling very well all day and to be honest I think I'm coming down with something. I have a bad sore throat and I've had this migraine since dinner. Oh well...most of the stress will be over by tomorrow and then I'll be able to enjoy it. I'll also get to attend more classes tomorrow. During the classes I did take notes which I'll type up and post as all separate posts so they're distinct and clear...but that won't happen tonight. I'm drifting already and I don't want to fall asleep with my computer on and not tucked in to keep warm. Also, the lights are out so I wouldn't be able to see my notes. So this is me saying goodnight, peeps.

Day 1

Bob Jones University Competition - Day 1


Well, it's been a long day. I got to bed pretty late due to last minute packing. It was probably 12:30 or so. Then I woke up at 4 am (not very easily, I'll say) and showered and got the rest of everything packed up. We were supposed to leave at about 5 but since my mum and Jon weren't even awake then...it didn't happen. I had to wake them up and we didn't get on the road till 5:40. We got to Fowlerville and loaded up Mrs. Eilert's, Derek's, and Tori's stuff. Basically we had to bring our luggage and things along with our instruments, music, stands, and random other things. Oh and sleeping bags. So we got on the road. I did a lot of sleeping...just crashed. We had a few stints and by the end of the day it felt like had made a LOT of stops and all we ever did was ride and eat fast food. Yuck. Anyways...we arrived at about 7 or 7:30...so it was a good 13 hour trip. Wow. Let me just say that I know Tori and Derek SO much more than I ever had before. I truly believe that this will bond us all together like nothing at all has ever bonded us together. So we got here and unpacked and then met up with David (who goes here) and then we went out to eat more fast food and just talk for a bit. After that we came back here to the dorms and talked with our roommates a bit more. We got showers and got a bit unpacked. I'm so so exhausted and it's 10:45. I've been awake for about 19 hours. Wow. So I'm waiting for my sleeping bag to be dry and then I'm off to bed. We got some good rain on the way down. I think that it's Sandy beginning to hit. We're supposed to be in the thick of it from what I've heard. Anyways. That's today. I'm going to try not to talk about what will happen tomorrow because I figure I'll just be repeating eventually. I'm looking at a schedule of college classes that I can attend and I'm a little at a loss of everything! It is going to be such a crazy week. I am looking forward to it...but inside I kind of do miss home a bit. The BEST part so far is the whole college experience. Just getting to be here in dorms and hang out and meet people and everyone is so nice and friendly and everything here just shouts life and joy! I have really missed that in life lately...well, I guess for a while now. But just seeing how these people bond and love each other...yes, it gets me very excited for college next year! Anyways...I should go...I'm super tired and I'll be up early for breakfast with David, Derek, Jon, Mrs. Eilert, and Tori. Signing off! Night!

Bob Jones University

So we're headed down to Bob Jones University for their annual music/preaching conference this week. We leave tomorrow at about 5am and won't be back till about Friday at 10pm. By we I mean myself, my mum, my brother, Derek and Mrs. Eilert, Tori Dys, Ian Dufrin, Ben Calhoun, Ellen, Katherine, and Mrs. Miller as well as Mr. Case and Stevie Case. This is my first year going so I'm not exactly sure what to expect. It will take us all of Sunday to drive down there and Monday is our day to rehearse and prepare and relax. We'll be staying in the dorms with the college students so that will be a pretty neat experience. Tuesday will be the day of solos and Wednesday will be the ensembles.

I'm taking two solos and two trio pieces (with Tori and Derek) down there to play. At night we'll be practicing with the big group orchestra. These students are from all over the USA. Along with strings/band there is art, vocal, theatre, organ, and preaching (off the top of my head). While we're down there we can also attend some classes for the actual college students when we're not attending chapel or any other events. We also have a free "game" day and then we head back on Friday.

Because I've never gone and I don't know that much, I suppose I'm a bit apprehensive. But from what I've heard it's all fun though busy. The things that I'm expecting to get out of this? Probably learning to loosen up and enjoy music...music cannot be contained and must be set free like a bird. Also I'm looking forward to a "college experience" and meeting new people with similar interests. Have a super fun week y'all and I will see you next week since I probably won't have wifi there!

You Will Never Know

You will never quite know

How much you impress me

You will never quite know

How much you move me

You'll never understand

Why I'm still in love

You're so cool and confident

Speak false pride and praise 

You act so tough and "manly"

But underneath I see you

You try to run and hide

Don't you know that hurts me?

I want you to come find me

Look for the diamond in me

Don't make me come find you

Please come find me

Look to know me, only truth

Nothing hidden, no lies

I want you to want me

I want you to draw me out

See me for the real new me

Love me for the one I've become

You see me as a child

Young, innocent, and still foolish

What could I possibly do or say

To show you I've changed those ways

I've waited it out for so long

How much longer will it hurt

Rejection is salt in a cut

You know how to pour it on

Do you see me still standing here?

Waiting for you to see me again

When will you appreciate me?

See what I've done for you in past

Never have I spoken ill

Forgiveness has been granted you

See me now and not her

She doesn't deserve the best...you

Can't you see that it's always been me

Always here always near

I'm not shy, I'm not quiet

I just don't want to bug you

You all happy is me forever happy

But the heart can hurt so bad

My heart hides for the fear

The fear of always rejection

You mean so much to me

And yet you'll never see it

You will never quite know

How much you impress me

You will never quite know

How much you move me

You'll never understand

Why I'm still in love

You will never know

Wise Quote

"When a man gets married, he must be just as careful to keep his wife's love as he was to get it. It would be very sad for both of them if he said to himself, 'Now that I have you I need not worry about losing you.' Don't do that, ever!" ~wisdom from George S. Patton Jr.

Stress Happens

Being stressed happens when the normal challenges of life stack up and become too much. Too much gets loaded on the "life plate" and you can't finish the meal. I get stressed all the time, its natural and normal. It's just part of everyday life when we live in a fallen world. But what is the best way to deal with stress? For me there are three approaches I want to share, that have helped me and might help you. 

The first is to get out and exercise, and not just once, but make it most days. Now this can consist of light walking all the way through the more heavy-duty workouts. Whatever works for you, the key is to get out of your usual environment, and get the body working. It has been shown that even 10 minutes of walking and breathing deeply of fresh air can greatly improve a person's health (and lower stress levels!). 

The second technique is to talk about it with someone I trust. It can't just be anyone either. Just anyone cannot help you...it has to be that special person (parent, spouse, sibling, best friend). Someone who knows you well and understands you. Find someone who will listen and not immediately try and 'fix you'. Sometimes the talking is all we need to do, to get it out.

The third technique is so easy. Pray and read the Bible. Prayer is our way of saying God, I need your help right now! And reading the Bible provides assurance, help and inspiration. Every time I need help I open my Bible and somehow all the answers are there...you find new Bible verses each time with new and inspiring content as well as your favorite old helpful Bible verses. It's just that simple.

The thing with stress is that it never lasts, not that sometimes the thing that is stressing you disappears, but our ability to handle the stress changes. And God works with both, He sometimes removes the stressor and other times changes us so we can handle the stress. In either case, He is always growing us up to be more like Him. Every struggle...every challenge...every trial...and every stress is what will determine who we are and who we will become. 

Class Notes - October 24, 2012

Sarah Bacon – October 24, 2012

Remaking the World: Three Great Revolutions

“When we talk about history, we make choices based on our own assumptions. Modernity is the age of smothering, dominating government where all their jurisdictions God has established for society are placed under the authority of the government. This will be the story that we will examine over the course of this year and that will drive us back to our own assumptions and choices over what is good and true and important over and over and over.”

Vocabulary:
tautology – needless repetition of an idea, especially in words other than those of the immediate context, without imparting additional force or clearness
dichotomy – division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or pairs.
compilation – the act of compiling
triune – three in one; constituting a trinity in unity, as the Godhead
paradox – a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth
catalyzation – (Chemistry) to influence (a chemical reaction) by catalysis
cohere – to stick together; be united; hold fast, as parts of the same mass
Jacobin – (in the French Revolution) a member of a radical society or club of revolutionaries that promoted the Reign of Terror and other extreme measures, active chiefly from 1789 to 1794:so called from the Dominican convent in Paris, where they originally met; a extreme radical (especially in politics).
radical – a person who holds or follows strong convictions or extreme principles; extremist
feudalism – the feudal system, or its principles and practices
yellow journalism – the type of journalism that relies on on sensationalism and lucrid exaggeration to attract readers
ideology – the body of doctrine, myth, belief, etc., that guides an individual, social movement, institution, class, or large group; the study of the nature and origin of ideas
demagoguery – the methods or practices of a demagogue
metastasize – to transform, especially into a dangerous form; to spread injuriously

“Three great revolutions in the West transformed both the shape of nations and the shape of their ancient Christian cultures.” ~Christopher Dawson

Many problems of the world are create on purpose by the government so that they could come in and “fix” it to be the hero of the day. They seek to control our thoughts and emotions. They seek also to blur the lines within domestic and international. This is not new…it is a New World Order agenda that is being pushed. Today they won’t be discreet and try to cover their agenda because they have the power and authority to do what they want. When you break down the barrier for countries, you are getting rid of self-identity. You also open the door for many conflicting religions and culture. This gives way for the government to have more control and authority. New World Order seeks to make “unity” which will mean one people and therefore one god. Man. Every man is god but with any religion there must be unity within the godhead. But if man was god, then the godhead would be in chaos due to different views of right and wrong. From this we would get uniformity.

Choosing a Date for Modernity’s Start:
When did it start? It is disagreed upon when exactly Modernity was born. Many like to put the date of the birth with specific events that happened starting with 1618 and ending to 1815.
The English Civil War: 1642-1651
The English Commonwealth: 1649-1659
The Thirty Year War 1618-1648
The Peace of Westphalia: 1648
The Glorious Revolution: 1688
The Second Hundred Years War: 1688-1815
The American War for Independence: 1763-1781
The French Revolution: 1789-1799
The Congress of Vienna – 1815

So where do we draw the line? Where do we trace it back? Where do we find the roots of any real religion or worldview? Can we ever know for sure?

“Ideas have consequences” is more of theological and ideological while “Consequences have ideas” are more sociological. They are both needed and they reflect one another: Ideas have consequences and then in response consequences have more ideas. But if forced to pick the more important and truthful, it would be that ideas have consequences. It’s a timetable. You flip it upside down and it’s still important. Our idea of history will be based off of our worldview. But at the same time our worldview is influenced by history and what we are told about history. When you watch the news it’s not the news you’re really watching…it is the worldview of the person (people) behind it and their agenda and it impacts how you think and live. They tell you what they want to tell you and not something particularly relevant or needed to live. It is a manipulation game.

There is no one cause for Modernity. It started with an idea which spread and grew. There was a redrawing of the map of Europe…driven by new ideas and worldviews. This redrawing happened first by our first revolution.

Revolution #1: Remaking of England and Scotland:

There was a Civil War in 1642 which contained the revolt against Charles I, the Solemn League and Covenant, and also the rise of Oliver Cromwell.
Conflict broke out when Charles I refused to give way to the people and they rose up against him. The Scots and English came together with the Solemn League and Covenant that bound them together to create a new force. Oliver Cromwell came forward because of his great leadership and courage in battle and when the king was taken and killed the Parliament turned to Oliver Cromwell to rule over them and he did this by the changing the way of ruling to more of a protecting type of rule. He was thereby named Lord Protectorate.

There was the Commonwealth which includes the Regicide and Parliamentary Victory, the Protectorate of Cromwell and the Restoration of the Stuarts.

There was also the Legacy of the Stuarts: Charles II and James II, William III, Mary II, Anne, and the House of Hanover and finally the Jacobite Rising.

Revolution #2: Remaking Continental Europe

The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) which included the Hapsburg Hegemony and Reformation, the Dutch and the Moravians, and Sweden, France, and England.
Hegemony meaning a smothering and controlling…it eventually turned to the reform and betterment of Hapsburg. England’s concern was turned inward at itself and to fix all the problems going on there. While all this happened Suleiman the Magnificent marched to London with his Muslim army to conquer it. If it wasn’t for his cannons getting stuck in the mud because of the heavy rains that year, then he would have completely wiped out London and it would be Muslim today. There were little uprising by the Dutch and the Moravians seeking to bring in their religion.

The Peace of Westphalia which included the Dismantling the Holy Roman Empire, National Sovereignty, and Central European Chaos.

The Grand Alliance brought in the Rise of Louis XIV (who sought to bring in a French sovereignty and rule), the Revocation of the Treaty of Nantes, and William III and the Refugees.

Revolution #3: Remaking the Great Rivalry:
This began with the Second Hundred Years War which brought in the Nationalist Alliances, Colonial Conflicts and Hegemony and also Mercantilist Ambitions.

The second thing brought in by all this was the French Turmoil which included the French Revolution (1789), the Reign of Terror, and the Rise of Dictatorship. This was a bloody time of tyranny and all this lead to World War.

This was the final impact of the Great Rivalry…World War. This brought in the Napoleonic Empire, the Specter of Perpetual Warfare, and the Congress of Vienna. This was a time of great war. But with the Congress of Vienna we have a remaking of the map of Europe.

All of these events shaped and laid the formation for the entrance of Modernity. Lots of rulers, dates, wars and other great events that have aided in bringing Modernity about. Modernity is defined most by ideological conflict. Modernity has set the agenda. You have to be able to speak in terms of government if you want to seek to control the chaos of the world. We have to speak in terms of Modernity…even if you are seeking to oppose it. So much of the world revolves around the government…how big is it? What does it control? Does it do its duty of justice? Our government hasn’t been given the authority over Church, home, education, media, guilds, and healthcare. They have stuck their fingers in pies that are not theirs. This has been driven by Modernity. Modernity is the age of smothering, overpowering government.

Thirteen signs of New World Order Progressivism:
1) The Promise of Utopianism – Kingdom of Man
2) Planning – State plans instead of individual
3) Centralization – Power moves to being diffused to being clumped into one
4) Identity/Sameness – All differences are erased
5) Majoritism – Everyone moves as a blob…if you don’t then you are cut off
6) Hostility Against Organized Religion – If you resist their religion then you are held in hate.
7) Hate Free Enterprise – Someone else planning is considered wrong.
8) Anti-family – Family is an organize group and can challenge centralization.
9) Intolerance – Intolerance for intolerance.
10) Statism – Everything moves in the state.
11) Messianism – Every religion must have a savior or messiah.
12) Colonialism – One country moves into a weaker and forms and shapes it with new principles.
13) Interventionism – Sticking our nose into everyone else’s business.

The age of Modernity is the age of the government.

A Host Of Quotes On Modesty

“There is probably no better or more reliable measure of whether a woman has spent time in ugly duckling status at some point or all throughout her life than her inability to digest a sincere compliment. Although it could be a matter of modesty, or could be attributed to shyness- although too many serious wounds are carelessly written off as "nothing but shyness"- more often a compliment is stuttered around about because it sets up an automatic and unpleasant dialogue in the woman's mind.

If you say how lovely she is, or how beautiful her art is, or compliment anything else her soul took part in, inspired, or suffused, something in her mind says she is undeserving and you, the complimentor, are an idiot for thinking such a thing to begin with. Rather than understand that the beauty of her soul shines through when she is being herself, the woman changes the subject and effectively snatches nourishment away from the soul-self, which thrives on being acknowledged.

I must admit, I sometimes find it useful in my practice to delineate the various typologies of personality as cats and hens and ducks and swans and so forth. If warranted, I might ask my client to assume for a moment that she is a swan who does not realzie it. Assume also for a moment that she has been brought up by or is currently surrounded by ducks.

There is nothing wrong with ducks, I assure them, or with swans. But ducks are ducks and swans are swans. Sometimes to make the point I have to move to other animal metaphors. I like to use mice. What if you were raised by the mice people? But what if you're, say, a swan. Swans and mice hate each other's food for the most part. They each think the other smells funny. They are not interested in spending time together, and if they did, one would be constantly harassing the other.

But what if you, being a swan, had to pretend you were a mouse? What if you had to pretend to be gray and furry and tiny? What you had no long snaky tail to carry in the air on tail-carrying day? What if wherever you went you tried to walk like a mouse, but you waddled instead? What if you tried to talk like a mouse, but instead out came a honk every time? Wouldn't you be the most miserable creature in the world?

The answer is an inequivocal yes. So why, if this is all so and too true, do women keep trying to bend and fold themselves into shapes that are not theirs? I must say, from years of clinical observation of this problem, that most of the time it is not because of deep-seated masochism or a malignant dedication to self-destruction or anything of that nature. More often it is because the woman simply doesn't know any better. She is unmothered.” 
― Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

“Modesty is the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it.” 
― Oliver Herford

“One of the first evidences of a real lady, is that she should be modest. By modesty we mean that she shall not say, do, nor wear anything that would cause her to appear gaudy, ill-bred, or unchaste. There should be nothing about her to attract unfavorable attention, nothing in her dress or manner that would give a man an excuse for vulgar comment. When we dress contrary to the rule of modesty we give excuse for unwholesome thoughts in the mind of those who look upon us, and every girl who oversteps these bounds makes herself liable to misunderstanding and insult, though she may be innocent of any such intention.” 
― Margaret Hale

“Modesty is a reflex, arising naturally to help a woman protect her hopes and guide their fulfillment -specifically, this hope for one man. (...) Along with this hope comes a certain vulnerability, because every time a man fails to stick by us, our hopes are, in a sense, dashed. This is where modesty fits in. For modesty armed this special vulnerability -not to oppress women, but with the aim of putting them on an equal footing with men. The delay modesty created not only made it more likely that women could select men who would stick by them, but in turning lust into love, it changed men from uncivilized males who ran after as many sexual partners as they can get to men who really wanted to stick by one woman.” 
― Wendy Shalit, A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue

Quote To Ponder

"Believing, may I love; loving, may I obey." Thomas Chalmers

Lovely Lyrics

I love this song and the great hope and encouragement that it gives me. Isn't it just amazing how God can use simple things like words or music to lift us up to Him?? Oh for the grace to love Him more! 

More

sung by Tyrone Wells

Inspired by our heavenly God and Father

Sometimes I get so tired
I'm just trying to find a place to lay my head 
I look up to the sky
I feel the warmest light comfort me

I've seen the great heights
Reminding me I'm alive 
I don't want to die
I don't want to waste another day or night

I know there's something more
Than what we're living for
I see it in the stars, I feel it on the shore
I know there's something, I know there's something more

I think we're all afraid
That we might be alone, alone down here
We all want to have some faith
At least that's true in my case, to just believe

This world may crumble into the ocean
It could all end tonight
I undermine you then try to find you 
My only source of life
I'm breathing, I am breathing, I am alive

New Blog!

I've got a new blog! I decided to start another one solely for all the pictures that I take. This doesn't mean I won't be writing on here still! I love writing so much but also wanted to add pictures on a specific blog. Here's the address:

http://picturesforhisglory.blogspot.com/

Revolution Within

Wow...so today was a real eye-opener. Okay, so you know when you're just in that stubborn and rebellious mood? Maybe that sounds extreme. Let's try this: You know when you're just tired of God using and teaching you so you kind of refuse to open up or be particularly "good"? Well, this morning I was in that mood. Yes, I went to church and that was wonderful. But afterwards especially...someone had upset me with their words and actions and the lack of virtues displayed. I went home upset. No...upset is mild. I was angry. I was angry with that person and I refused to see any kind of reason. In fact, I wrote up a word document...just ranting on and on about how angry I was and how sinfully wrong this other person was. A bit extreme huh? Yeah...but it gets better...I just refused to be satisfied...I was genuinely upset with this person and how wrong they were with being how they were!

I wrote up this page in my special notebook (full of my list to do, sermon notes, L'Abri notes, quotes,  thoughts etc.) and then went to look up the Bible verse that I thought was pretty applicable. For any of those who were wondering what it was, it was Ephesians 4:22-24 which reads, "For you ought to put off the old man (according to your way of living before) who is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And you should put on the new man, who according to God was created in righteousness and true holiness." 

Now...I thought that's perfect...that's the exact verse I wanted! I kept reading just in case there was more that applied. This is what I found: Be angry, and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the Devil. Let not any filthy word go out of your mouth, but if any is good to building up in respect of need, that it may give grace to the ones hearing.   And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you are sealed until the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and tumult and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you." (verses 26, 27, and 29-32) 

OUCH. What a full-face command. I stopped everything I was doing just to study this closer. Wow...was there any clearer message that God could have sent me to get His message across? 

To be hit head-on with that kind of passage really gets you into a liiiittle bit of humility. How stupid and rebellious and selfish could I be? Well...a lot apparently. God is constantly teaching me that I do not know much at all...that I am a baby Christian still and I have such a long ways to go before I can be considered "grown up". 

So I started to study these verses closer...I have this "app" on my computer called e-Sword...I downloaded it for free and it's completely amazing! It can give you so many different versions of the Bible and so many commentaries and dictionaries and soo much more that I haven't even discovered. Anyways...so I looked at a commentary for these verses I mentioned (this time applying it to myself!). Here's what I found.

Ephesians 4:22 "For you ought to put off the old man (according to your way of living before) who is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,". Commentary: The old man - That is, the whole body of sin. All sinful desires are deceitful; promising the happiness which they cannot give.
Ephesians 4:23 "and be renewed in the spirit of your mind." Commentary: The spirit of your mind - The very ground of your heart.
Ephesians 4:24 "And you should put on the new man, who according to God was created in righteousness and true holiness." Commentary: The new man - Universal holiness. After - In the very image of God.
Ephesians 4:26 "Be angry, and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down upon your wrath," Commentary: Be ye angry, and sin not - That is, if ye are angry, take heed ye sin not. Anger at sin is not evil; but we should feel only pity to the sinner. If we are angry at the person, as well as the fault, we sin. And how hardly do we avoid it. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath - Reprove your brother, and be reconciled immediately. Lose not one day. A clear, express command. Reader, do you keep it?
Ephesians 4:27 "neither give place to the Devil." Commentary: Neither give place to the devil - By any delay.
Ephesians 4:29 "Let not any filthy word go out of your mouth, but if any is good to building up in respect of need, that it may give grace to the ones hearing." Commentary: But that which is good - Profitable to the speaker and hearers. To the use of edifying - To forward them in repentance, faith, or holiness. That it may minister grace - Be a means of conveying more grace into their hearts. Hence we learn, what discourse is corrupt, as it were stinking in the nostrils of God; namely, all that is not profitable, not edifying, not apt to minister grace to the hearers.
Ephesians 4:30 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you are sealed until the day of redemption." Commentary: Grieve not the Holy Spirit - By any disobedience. Particularly by corrupt discourse; or by any of the following sins. Do not force him to withdraw from you, as a friend does whom you grieve by unkind behavior  The day of redemption - That is, the day of judgment, in which our redemption will be completed.
Ephesians 4:31 "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and tumult and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice." Commentary: Let all bitterness - The height of settled anger, opposite to kindness. And wrath - Lasting displeasure toward the ignorant, and them that are out of the way, opposite to tenderheartedness. And anger - The very first risings of disgust at those that injure you, opposite to forgiving one another. And clamour - Or bawling. "I am not angry," says one; "but it is my way to speak so." Then unlearn that way: it is the way to hell. And evil speaking - Be it in ever so mild and soft a tone, or with ever such professions of kindness. Here is a beautiful retrogradation, beginning with the highest, and descending to the lowest, degree of the want of love.
Ephesians 4:32 "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you." Commentary: As God, showing himself kind and tenderhearted in the highest degree, hath forgiven you.

Wow...how amazingly powerful are those words! I mean...if you just stop to read them with an open heart then it means so much. When I read them...my whole attitude changed. It went from stubbornly rebellious and closed up to repentant and whole-heartedly forgiving. The person who says that the Word of God doesn't work miracles is a fool. 

Tomorrow I will try and post another commentary on those passages...I just love reading these great men who analyze and pour over Scripture to find their true meaning in them. It's fascinating and just breath-taking to see how God truly reveals Himself to those who seek Him. My prayers are that you have a lovely rest of the Lord's Day and then a wonderful start to your week!

*commentary from John Wesley's Explanatory Notes

More Leslie Ludy Quotes

I really enjoy reading/listening to Leslie Ludy and here are a couple quotes I found off of Facebook by her! I pray you are blessed by them as I was! ‎ 


"The most beautiful women I've ever observed are those that have exchanged a self-focused life for a Christ-focused one. They are confident, but not in themselves. Instead of self-confidence, they radiate with Christ-confidence."
-Leslie Ludy

 
“Find a woman who cares about nothing but loving, serving, honoring, and glorifying Jesus Christ, and you will see who truly is the ‘fairest of them all.’” 
-Leslie Ludy, Set-Apart Femininity

Just Real Quick

Hey...I know I didn't do my post for today...but I've been CRAZY busy! Today has been entirely full of bridal shower things and work at Whitney's. I'll post pictures of my beautiful boys soon! Anyways, I would super duper love any prayers for the bridal shower to go well tomorrow! I've been planning this for MONTHS and now that it's here it seems a little unrealistic! We have about 42 people attending so I'm just starting to freak a bit ;) Just praying things will go smoothly and without any hitches! That's my little tiny post for the day/night. May God bless you richly!

Couple Quotes

Just some quick quotes that I found all over the net randomly...probably more geared toward the women out there...but who knows...guys could get something out of them...I guess? lol...night y'all.


"Beauty isn't about having a pretty face, it's about having a pretty mind, a pretty heart, and a pretty soul"


“When Christ overtakes a woman’s life and transforms her from the inside out, she becomes truly feminine - a picture of elegance, grace, and loveliness blended with sacrificial selfless devotion to her King.”
-Leslie Ludy, The Lost Art of True Beauty


"Sometimes the best thing to do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess. Just breath and have faith that everything will turn out for the best."


"Women, modest means that you have beauty and power and you use that to teach men how to love you for the right reasons." Jason Evert

"Sleeeeep In Heavenly Peace"

Alright alright! I know you're probably glaring at your computer screen now because you now have Siiiiilent Niiiiight stuck in your head! Oh well. I had this super, great, awesome subject to talk about...that...will probably end up being not much...buttt yeah and then I came up with that title because it fit SO PERFECTLY.

I was watching my boys tonight and Caleb had fallen asleep (finally!). He was in his car seat and was all buckled in and tucked in with this fuzzy blanket around him. I just sat there...and watching him while he slept. What I saw completely quieted me and stopped me in my thoughts and distractions of stress. He looked so calm...so serene...so breathtakingly precious and peaceful. His face was clear of all worry...all true expression or emotion (except calm). There was nothing on his mind...no where to go...no one to see...nothing to think about.

Then I had this other thought creep into my mind (I love it when that happens...shows me God is growing me up and putting educational thoughts in my head!): we should be like that, just exactly like that peaceful child, all day every day...because God has everything in control. We shouldn't ever be plagued by stress or worry...no thoughts or concerns. God is an all-powerful and all-loving God. Why can't we be peaceful and not just when we sleep? I have found it to be true that the prettiest faces are the ones that are wrinkly from smiling...not from worrying.

Anyways...that was my short random thought for the night. More tomorrow hopefully! I'm getting super crazy getting reading for the bridal shower on Saturday. So pumped! So peaceful ;) JK...not so much. That definitely needs some work. I'm going to finish this and then post a couple quotes and then be off to...do school and make lists! :) Have a lovely evening folks.

Inspirational Pictures (1)

So I saw this awesome post on someone else's blog and decided to modify it a little so I could easily do it. I'm going to post 5 pictures of inspiration...but also pictures that just mean something to me. Don't try and draw too much from them. They're just pictures I find and I feel like they mean something to me. I'm going to post 5 now...that way you're not scrolling through several billion cat pictures ;) I'll try this every once in a while (meaning maybe once a week or maybe once a year...whenever I remember!). Hope you enjoy!

October 17, 2012 - Modernity Notes

Today began the first "Wednesday classes" of the school year! So excited! It was fun (what school isn't???) and I got plenty of notes. The class is on Modernity and it's EXTRA exciting because a great deal of what every other class we've taken before through George Grant has been leading up to this class. Sooo excitement all around! Enjoy!


Sarah Bacon - October 17, 2012

Christendom’s Ancien Regime:


“For the Enlightenment revolutionaries, the civilization of Christendom was dismissed as the Ancien Regime. They were determined to pull down its great monuments as a prequel to what they imagined to be a New World Order. And thus was Modernity birthed, or rather, unleashed.” - Christopher Dawson

Vocabulary:
adiaphora - indifferent; indifference.
patristic - of or pertaining to the fathers of the Christian church or their writings.
hegemony - leadership; predominance
Huguenot - a member of the Reformed or Calvinistic communion of France in the 16th and 17th centuries; a French Protestant.
ideology - the body of doctrine, myth, belief, etc., that guides an individual, social movement, institution, class, or large group
regicide - the killing of a king
mercantilist - mercantile  practices or spirit; commercialism


Much of the Ancien Regime grew out of Augustine’s worldview and the manifesto of the book he wrote: The City of God. There were many facts that lead up to, and carried out, the beginning of Modernity from the transition of the Ancien Regime: Christianity. The Enlightenment sought to pull down the glory of God and build up the glory of man. To annihilate the old world order and to then rebuild it into a New World Order.

Images are the language of the laymen. Many people today don’t read...and if they do read then it is trash that they read. Throughout the ages it has been the idea of images and imagery that have driven the people. Images stand in contrast to word. Christians are called to be people of the word and even Christ was called The Word. The media can influence our minds powerfully and manipulate our thoughts.

30: Jesus was crucified
70:Jerusalem was sacked and destroyed...completely torn down
100: The Patristic era began with Clement
280: Antony founded sancus discendi...universities. If there had been no monasticism then there would have been no universities...they were the direct outgrowth of the monks.
315: Athanasius stood  contra mundum...against the world. When it came to Christ and his finished work and outpouring of grace by way of imputation it was the only ground for faithfulness and faith.
325: First Church Council was held at Nicea and they finally supported Athanasius.
395: Theodosius divided the Roman Empire because he believed it had grown too large to be appropriated
428: Augustine’s City of God was published paving the way for hundreds of Christians to be gathered together with a manifesto.
476: Emperor Romulus Augustulus was ousted
503: Ideas of Monasticism made it West and the Benedictine Rule was confirmed.
537: Hagia Sophia (built by Justinian) was dedicated to Constantinople. The sacking of Hagia Sophia spurred the Christians to finally take action.
610: Mohammed had ecstatic visions in his long wanderings around and on Mount Hira which then lead to the struggle with Islam and Christianity (also Judaism).
640: Alexandrian Library was burned to the ground by Muhammad's successor Omar and his hoard.
711: Europe was invaded and occupied by Muslim armies crossing over the straights.
732: Charles Martel who was a sheriff of a sort pushed back the Muslim armies back and prevailed at Tours.
800: Charlemagne, the grandson of Charles Martel, was crowned in the West in what was soon called the Holy Roman Empire..
1054: The Christian East and West divided and sundered so they no longer had communication or connection with each other.
1095: Urban II called for a Holy Crusade.
1099: Crusaders recovered Jerusalem establishing a series of kingdoms which are now Israel and parts of Turkey today as an outpost of Christianity. Within 200 years, each of those kingdoms were swept away and taken over.
1163: Notre Dame was completed in Paris and dedicated.
1167: A collegium was established at Oxford when several monastic tutors took under their care some students who were then taught the great ideals of Christianity and history.
1215: The Magna Carta was sealed by King John which gave the nobles several rights and privileges. But it created a precedent for freedom in the years after.
1250: Thomas Aquinas launched scholasticism which was to bring the wisdom of recent Christian together and give way for logic which he hoped would lead to heaven on earth.
1294: The Babylonian Captivity began in Avignon and dashed that last hope of heaven on earth. Then followed a series of destructive assaults..
1320: The Arbroath Declaration was signed.
1337: The First Hundred Years War began.
1347: The Black Death swept across Europe.
1374: Gerhard Groote founded the Brethren of Common Life Schools which was based off of the Augustinian monastic ideals. A notion of great reading, writing, and logic.
1378: The Great Schism divided the Western Church with multiple popes.
1415: The Council of Constance was held to try and stamp out one of those little Reformed movements. Jan Milic had raised up disciples and established some great works and now they sought to get rid of that. .
1457: The Articles of Prague were published establishing a Protestant reformation..
1510: Erasmus published his Institutes on the failing of the Church in the West and how it needed to be reformed. He left a great legacy behind him.  
1515: Raphael submitted plans for the Vatican that ultimately brought the need to raise funds for this new cathedral.
1517: Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses in Latin on the church doors at Wittenberg in direct opposition to Tetzel's indulgences. He didn’t anticipate that people would translate the Latin into many other languages and print them to send them out. It was viewed more than any other book or pamphlet ever.
1559: Calvin released the final edition of The Institutes of the Christian Religion which was said to be as instrumental in the shaping of people for the next generations as The City of God.
1560: Knox, a follower of Calvin, secured the Scottish Reformatia Ordo: the order of Reformation for Scottish focusing on sound doctrine, worship, and ecclesiology.
1571: The Battle of Lepanto was won by Don John and saved the whole Western world from the Muslims and the Islamic world.
1636: Harvard was founded with nine students.
1643: The Westminster Divines began to meet in the Jerusalem chamber in the Westminster Abbey in London.
1644: Lex Rex was published by Samuel Rutherford which stated that the law came before the king and that the king cannot have absolute total rule over the people which laid place for freedom for the people.
1741: Jonathan Edwards preached his “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” sermon and continued to preach it at least 17 times in different places. It’s considered the best-selling sermon of all time.
1789: The Terror of the French Revolution began and ultimate the ascent of Christendom was interrupted and the beginning of Modernity began.

Christendom’s Presuppositions


Contents:
Creator/Creature Distinctions - we need to understand ourselves in the world in terms of this distinction in both matter and spirit. We’re not made of the same stuff that God is made of nor of a chain of being. He is the one who is ultimately sovereign and was the one at the beginning of time who decreed that the world be made with simply the sound of His voice. God is transcendent. There is a clear line between our sovereign God and everything else.

Imago Dei / Vox Populi - We are made in the image of God. Some would assume that since we are in the image of God that we are able to speak with the voice and power of God. But because of our distinction we know that this cannot be true. Man is fallen.

Ante Bellum / Post Bellum - Man is scarred and marred. There is a huge distinction between when before man fell and after man fell.

Realities:
Independence/Sovereign Providence - Man is not independent. We have a sovereign God who organizes and someday all men will bend their knee and look to God for all things, praising and glorifying Him. We cannot seek to be independent because it will lead to our ruin since we are flawed and sinful.

Autonomy/Covenantalism - We cannot be autonomous with God ruling over us. Our feelings and experiences are tainted by the fall and our great overwhelming sin nature. We are bound to God with checks and balances where we are responsible to and for someone else. This is done by grace of God to us. There is interdependence.

Antithesis/Adiaphora - things can be clearly defined be antithesis...it isn’t some shade of gray. There is a world of black and white...you cannot be in the middle. You are either good or bad. There is no indifference. If God is for something then He is obviously against something else. We must be the same.

Consequences:
Righteousness/Infidelity - We can live in the righteousness of Christ covering us so that we are literally in Christ. Or we can walk out from under that cover where we live apart from Christ and infidelity. If we seek to be on our own we are bound to fall hard, but if we actively seek out Christ and His righteousness then we are bound to succeed. What God works within us, He also works out. He places the desire in our hearts and then applies it to our whole life.

Reformation/Revolutionary Tyranny - We can either conform to God’s holy Word and seek to reform the world for God’s glory or we can force them to be what we want with revolutionary tyranny. We can either joyfully submit to God and His law-word or we can be the immature revolutionary always seeking to deny the existence of an ever-present God.

Metaphysics/Materialistic Centralism - We can follow on God’s ethical standards and His holy providence for us or we can focus on the things around us. There is a harmony of spirituality and materiality. When we fight wars for the continuance of Christianity, we use weapons...those weapons are both spiritual and material. Material so we can literally hold it and spiritual because we have dedicated it to God. There is no break in the harmony of spirituality and materialism until death.