Cultivate Beauty.

I want to encourage you to turn off your TV. I really want to encourage you to cancel your cable and throw your TV away. Although there are a few people who can watch TV in moderation and not be tempted to sin, I believe that the rest of us need to stop watching television and cultivate beauty.

Do I sound too extreme? I am a member at Sojourn. There comes a time every year that Sojourn encourages her members to turn off their televisions and cultivate beauty. I want to encourage the same, only as a lifestyle. This isn't the time of year that Sojourn does her "Cultivate Beauty" month, but for some reason, my anti-TV passion is aroused.

I rarely watch television, but when I do see a show or a commercial, the theme is quite consistent. Sex. Immodest women flood television shows. Commercials meant to arouse sexual feelings in the viewer soak each commercial break. A friend of mine tells of television's involvement with his divorce. His wife was (is) a TV addict. They would come home from work and sit in front of the TV until it was time for bed. They even ate dinner in front of the television. Such a mainstream box in this couple's living room stole hours and hours from their relationship. The wife was unwilling to give up the TV and felt it was better to give up her husband. His attempts to cuddle with her during her "show" were annoying anyway. In fact, 40% of Americans watch television while they eat dinner.

"American children and adolescents spend 22 to 28 hours per week viewing television, more than any other activity except sleeping. By the age of 70 they will have spent 7 to 10 years of their lives watching TV."-- The Kaiser Family Foundation

What about kids? More than half of 4-6 year olds would rather watch television than spend time with their fathers.

In many families the television seems to substitute, rather than facilitate
dialogue among people. A type of 'fast' in this area could also be healthy.
-Pope John Paul II during a speech calling for a 40-day TV-Turnoff

Instead of watching hours of TV, read a book. Paint a picture. Learn to sew. Pray. Take someone out for coffee. Learn to play an instrument. Go for a walk. Learn a new sport. Make out with your spouse. Do something that cultivates beauty!

Is everyone "T.O. ed" yet? I know that there are good channels out there. The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, FOX News, ESPN...I know. In fact, one of my favorite things to do with my fiance is watch Georgia Tech football games on television. However, the majority of television is trash. If you can own a TV with cable and only watch God-honoring shows, then by all means, keep your television! If not, consider getting rid of cable. If that is too extreme, limit your watching time. Do something else. Cultivate beauty.

Calling All Smart People!

I've been sick for the last two days. I'm talking SICK. I went to a doctor who immediately said that I have a sinus infection. I came home and looked at the symptoms of a sinus infection and I have MORE symptoms than just those listed.

Here are my symptoms:
Sore Throat
Running Nose
Sneezing
Body Aches-back, arms, legs
Sore jaws and teeth
Inside of Ears Hurt
Mild Nausea
Loss of Appetite

And here is the kicker...NO FEVER!! So, I don't think it's a cold or the flu. What is wrong with me? Anyone ever had these symptoms at the same time? Calling all smart people! Please tell me what is wrong with me! I'm miserable!

Little Hyper Puppy

Sometimes I feel like a little (hyper) puppy running around the big dogs. No, I'm being serious. My roommates are both about 5'10. My new friend Christine is 6'2. I will be the shortest person in my wedding (besides the flower girls and ring bearer). Every last one of my bridesmaids is taller than me. My maid-of-honor, Kristin, is 5'10. She will be standing on one side of me while my 6'0 fiance stands on the other side of me. All 5'0 of me will be invisible! I was recently told that the proper way to line your bridesmaids and groomsmen is tallest to shortest. I think I'll probably look like a midget at my wedding...or maybe like a little puppy among the big dogs.

Blog Tag

It's time for exciting game of...BLOG TAG!!!
(See? Buzz tagged the bulldog...on my blog...)

I'm kind-of excited right now. I just went blog-surfing and saw that Cheryl tagged me! (And oh man, if you go to her blog, you HAVE to read her post about bananas. I actually feel bad for laughing at her story, but it's funny!!). I don't think she did it right, though. I mean, I've never actually played Blog Tag, but she tagged me on her turf. Doesn't she have to come over to my blog and tag me? I don't know. But either way, I'm glad that I was invited to play this mad game of tag. Usually I'm the last kid picked, but this time, I think I was more like...second to last picked.

5 Things I Miss About My Childhood

1. I desperately miss playing "Pick-Up Sticks."

2. I miss playing outside in the rain at night and actually enjoying stepping on worms (I'm terrified of them now).

3. I miss having two brothers around all the time. I would try to be as cool as my big brother and my little brother was one of my best friends (although I would NEVER tell him that).

4. I miss playing these Spanish typing games that my dad bought for me.

5. I miss the excitement of seeing my puppy (Saki-a Great Pyranese) for the first time.

Dang! Now I'm getting all sappy. Thanks a lot, Cheryl! You know what else I miss? This is so weird, but I think about this sometimes. I miss having Doritos and Coca-Cola for after-school snacks. I saw my mom have that for a snack one time and then I started having that for a snack ALL the time.

Also, my little brother and I used to put pillows all over the floor (of the entire house) and play "lava." You had to run around the house, but you could only step on the pillows or furniture. If you stepped onto the carpet, you were killed by the (dun, dun, duuuuuuunnn!) LAAVVVAA MONSTEEERR!

Oh, the good old days! Okay, that was 7 things. Oops.

Now, I don't know how this Blog Tag works, really, so I'm going to follow Cheryl's lead and tag some people on my turf. So...TAG!! YOU'RE IT!
1. Alex Forrest
2. The Duck and the Goose
3. Leslie Follmar
4. Dr. Russell Moore (Come on, Dr. Moore! Humor us! SBTS wants to hear 5 things that you miss from your childhood!)

On Being a Good Wife...

As you all know, I am about to be a wife. I am REALLY excited about it too! My fiance is amazing...I want to be a good wife for him. An article was e-mailed to me on being a good wife. Check out this article from Good Housekeeping, May 13, 1955. (I added the numbers and italics). My favorites are numbers 10, 11, 14, 17, and 18. Oh, how the times have changed...

1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

3. Be gay and interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

4. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

5. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc. and then run a dust cloth over the tables.

6. Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

7. Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small). Comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

8. Be happy to see him.

9. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

10. Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first -- remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

11. Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

12. Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

13. Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

14. Don't complain if he's late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

15. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

16. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

17. Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

18. A good wife always knows her place.

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Here's the deal. I don't completely disagree with this article. I agree with a lot of it. However, there are some obviously sexist (and non-Biblical) points. For example, #14: Don't complain if he...stays out all night. Um, excuse me?! If my either myself or my husband stays out all night (without prior explanation), I would hope that either party would have some questions and maybe a few complaints.

I will be a full-time grad. student, working part-time, and doing music part-time. So, I'll be gone just as long (or longer?) than my husband every single day. I might not be home when he gets home. We may order pizza quite a bit. Although this article really has some great points, I would have to be done with school and not working in order to reach these expectations. What is to be expected of a wife/mother who is working, going to school, and busier than her husband?

Don't get me wrong. I believe that biblical submission is necessary (and a joy) in any marriage. But if I have to greet my husband with a low and pleasant voice every day when my eyes will hardly stay open, I will probably not be a good wife.

Some will find this list completely oppressive and offensive. I find some points offensive. I find some points helpful. There are some points that make sense if the husband is doing the same thing. For example: #10: his topics of conversation are more important than yours. If both the husband and the wife feel that the other has more important things to say, it will be a beautiful marriage. If the wife can't say anything, though, because only her husband's thoughts matter, it's a different deal. On the flipside, if the husband can't express his thoughts because the wife feels that only her ideas matter, it's a bad thing.

For the women in my position (school, work, music, etc), I feel that there are other ways in which we can serve and submit to our husbands. I want to submit. I want to serve. But if JD expects me to follow this list 5x a week, I'm in trouble. Does submission mean that if JD gets home two hours earlier than me, he should sit on the couch and watch TV every day until I drag in with books piled in my arms so that I can cook for him? I don't know that submission means that after a 12-hour day I have to tell JD to go to watch "the game" at a bar until I get home so that I can have a meal prepared for him when he walks in.

I know this is getting long, so I'll try to "nutshell" the rest. I will be blessed to cook for my husband every night. I will joyfully have the house cleaned for him and have myself looking the best I can daily. However, with my responsibilities, our lack of income, and my desire to finish school, our lives will not look like the typical 50's household.

All of this is to express my desire to be a good wife and my fear that I won't meet the expectations for my calling.

What Was That Again?

1. "Got Bobby love, everybody tells me so. Got Bobby loooovee, no, no, no, nooo!"
(Can't buy me love, everybody tells me so. Can't buy me loooovee, no, no, no, nooo!")
The Beatles

2. "I was born to lie."
("I was born to love.")
Over the Rhine

3. "I can call you Eddie, and Eddie when you call me you can call me Al."
("I can call you Betty, and Betty when you call me you can call me Al.")
Paul Simon

4. "Eddie get your house key. So Eddie get your house key. Get your house key, Eddie."
("Annie are you okay? So Annie are you okay? Are you okay, Annie?")
Micheal Jackson

5. "We got the Flintstone microwave ovens."
("We've got to install microwave ovens.")
Dire Straits

What are some lyrics that you sang loud and proud only to find out that they were wrong?

I'm a Believer

The Apocrypha is one of the most debated set of books in Christian history. Many people argue that these books are non-canonical, but are still useful for the Christian life. In a recent lecture, Dr. Plummer pointed out that the hymn penned by Martin Rinkart "Now Thank We All Our God" was based on Martin Luther's translation of Sirach 50:22-24.

Now thank we all our God
With heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom His world rejoices;
Who, from our mother's arms,
Hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love,
And still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God
Through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts
And blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace,
And guide us when perplexed,
And free us from all ills
In this world and the next.

Also, the famous Christmas song "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" is based out of a passage in The Wisdom of Solomon:

"For while gentle silence enveloped all things, and night in its swift course was now half gone, your all-powerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne." (Wisdom 18:14-15).

I've been thinking about this for a few days now. Is it honoring to the Lord to sing songs to Him based on books from the Apocrypha? This leads to me ask if it is honoring to the Lord to sing songs to him based on "Let the Nations be Glad" or "Mere Christianity." In the beginning, I was surprised and a bit standoffish to find out that I had been singing songs based on apocryphal writings. After much thought, though, I now believe that we can honor the Lord by worshiping Him with songs based on books outside of the Canon. I've written songs of worship from points in sermons or books that are not word-for-word Scripture.

However, if these sermons and books are not taken from the truths of the Bible, then they are in vain. If, for example, we were to stand a sing a song about Paul and Thecla’s love for each other, that would not honor the Lord. If I were to sing a song based on Ashley Simpson's latest "hit," that would probably not honor the Lord.

To my embarrassment, I will confess that I have, indeed, worshipped God to a song by The Monkee's entitled "Now I'm a Believer." It's a bit embarrassing, but I even played it on the guitar and sang out "Then I saw His face! Now I'm a believer. Without a trace of doubt in my mind. I'm in love...oooooohhhhhhh...I'm a believer, I couldn't leave Him if I tried!" No, seriously. I actually did that. But I was worshipping. And I think those words are Biblical.

Anyway-I am becoming more aware of the songs that I am singing. Are these words actual truths from Scripture or are they merely man's words that happen to rhyme and sound good together? The big debate today concerning music in the church is tradition versus contemporary. The debate should be Biblical truth versus shallow rhymes. And if you want to worship by singing “I’m a Believer” by the Monkee’s, please do so in the privacy of your own home.