Saturday, April 18, 2009

Photo Shoot

Monday (the 13th) was my younger brother's Volleyball tournament. I took my camera and persuaded a dear soul to sit for a photo shoot.
I must say we had great fun, and I definitely want to do this more. Besides, the better I get the more I can charge (which right now is nothing).

First, we sat around flowers, and I told her to smile or pose. She didn't trust me very much, and was unsure of exactly how all this would look/turn out, etc.
Then.....a wonderful thing began to happen as she got comfortable with me and the camera. She got ideas (and all photographers should listen to ideas) and began playing around.Playing around = having fun

Having fun = real smile
Real smile = AMAZING picturesAmazing pictures = "win!" (as she would say <3)

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Better than Life

Better than Life

In a dry and weary land where is no water
My soul is thirsting for you
I have seen you in the sanctuary
Beheld your power and glory
My lips will glorify you
I will praise you as long as I live
In your name I will lift up my hands


Your love is better than life
Your love is better than life
Earnestly I seek you
My soul is thirsting for you
Cause your love is better than life


Because you are my help
I will be singing
In the shadow of your wing
I'm staying close beside you
Your right hand upholds me
I think of you through the night
With singing lips I will praise
And my soul will be satisfied


Your love is better than life
Your love is better than life
Earnestly I seek you
My soul is thirsting for you
Cause your love is better than life



Oh, God, you are my God
Earnestly I seek you
I'm longing for you
Oh, God, you are my God
Earnestly I seek you
I'm longing for you

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Trust - a poem

Trust is a hard thing.

Trust is allowing someone else to do and be for you. Trust is giving away power and telling secrets and sharing things that you would never want anyone else to know.
Trust is using faith. Faith in another person's decisions, and choices, and knowledge.
Trust is when you know that the other person would do everything in their power for you if you needed them.
Trust is knowing that they will never let you down if they can help it.
Trust is not needing to speak, because the one you can rely on is there.

Trust is hard.

Trust requires being vulnerable.
Trust needs to be returned.
Trust cannot be fleeting.
Trust requires more than a passing glance.

Trust is hard.

Trust leans
Trust waits
Trust hopes

Trust is hard.

Trust is giving a piece of yourself to another knowing it will be safe
Trust is giving a piece of yourself to another not knowing if things will change

Trust is hard.

Sometimes, trusting means you will be disappointed and let down.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Notes from Astronomy

I know that me presenting such anti-religious and heretical thoughts on such a (traditionally) holy day must seem worthy of a burning, but for me to be on the computer on this day, and so unrepentant overall must surely be worse. So, for those squeamish ones, Please close your eyes, breath deeply and focus. (lol, that is what they tell you in Imax movie)

So, for all of you who follow days and signs and such, I have some thoughts from astronomy to present:

A "day" in the 24-hour-calendar-sense (at least according to the Jewish system) is sunset to sunset. If Jesus was dead 3 days (and the day-age theory does not work here!) he could not have been crucified on Friday. Friday sunset (ie. Saturday beginning) to Sunday (please forgive the Romanization... I would use "first day" and "6th day", but I find myself in a rut) sunrise is NOT 3 days. In fact Sunday sunrise is absolutely nothing.

Whom did the Angel roll the stone away for?

Jesus did not arise at sunrise. The rolling-away-of-stone was for the women! Jesus (especially if He had just risen from the dead) surely did not need an angel to help him with the tomb cover. In fact, why would he need to roll the stone away to get out in the first place? (Answer: He wouldn't)

The "first day" (Mark 16:9) began at sunset on the last day of the week (in Romanization: Saturday sunset) and "early" does not mean early morning (Greek/Romans again, with their midnight being the beginning of the day). Remember, Jewish days begin and end with sunset.

So, this begs the question, when WAS Jesus actually crucified? Well, mathematically speaking, three sunset-sunset periods (days in the 24 hour sense) would require that the crucifixion happened on Wednesday, the fourth day of the week. (Interestingly, there is not reference in the NT for the fourth day. Poor Wednesday. No one bothered to mention all the things that must have happened on Wednesdays)

Also: Some people say that Friday afternoon, all day saturday, and night and morning on Sunday make three "days" (or more truthfully: portions of days). However, they have a problem in that Jesus compared himself with Jonah and said specifically "three days AND three nights" (Mat. 12:40). In "day" Jesus must have meant "three light periods of time" and "night" must have meant "three dark periods of time". Therefore, the Friday afternoon to Sunday morning model is fallacious.



The next question is: Why does all this matter? Why am I arguing with "established" (read: Roman Catholic syncretized) tradition? Why, if I have problems with it, don't I just ignore it?
Because, first of all, it is fallacious, and way to many people accept it without knowing.
Second: Because I hope to enlighten some people and help them understand the significance of using the Bible to destroy man's false traditions.
Third: Because I find that in celebrating extra-biblically, we run into so many problems that we should stick with how the Bible tells us to celebrate/remember great events.

Oh? How SHOULD we celebrate then?

I Corinthians 11:

23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

That is the Biblical celebration/remembrance of the crucifixion, death, resurrection, and second coming of Christ.


As for "easter" and "sunrise services" (shouldn't they be "sunset services"?) and bunnies that lay colored eggs.... I would not spend your hard-earned money, and if you want chocolate, wait a week... it will all go on sale! (oh, and all the flowers will as well)

Monday, April 06, 2009

Update on the knee

So, people have been praying, and time has passed, and I have worked on exercising it...however, at this date I have still NOT had x-rays or had any sort of diagnosis.

I wanted to see exactly HOW much it had gotten better with my own methods, so I went Square Dancing on Thursday and waited for it to ache. Being that (as usual) there were more boys than girls, and I have the ability (although not at a very high level of expertise) to dance in the boy's part, I danced boy all night. Men's position don't move very much. There is some turning, some backwards-and-forwards, mostly arm work.
Surprisingly, my leg didn't bother me until the last dance, although it let me know it was worked a bit too hard that night and the next day. I was pleased that it had improved that much, and I definitely plan on seeing what it can handle in the future.


Still have trouble:
Kneeling, etc, getting up from the floor
Bending sometimes hurts, not as much, I can handle most smaller angles.
Twisting leg from the knee/pivoting
Kicking yourself in the back (yes, I tired it...BAD idea)
Running (when I'm not on medication. Older sis medicated me one day, and I didn't realize until later why I felt so wonderful, and why I was able to do so much...I was bouncing, running...it was NOT as nice living for two days after, though!)
Getting up and down from chairs....I have hurt myself badly twice now...

Walking isn't strenuous, and I have overcome my fear of steps, and I am feeling more confident about being healed much sooner than the 13 year estimate I first found.
Although, I believe that whatever my injury was, it could not have been a complete ACL tear or strain, because I was never incapacitated or in such serious straits as the people I read online.

However, watching movies intimidates me. Almost every move the people onscreen make I can see them falling over as their ACL pops or see them collapse in the middle of running after bad guys because they pivoted the wrong way. It is a very interesting ailment, and it also has the negative effect of giving me a very good excuse not to exercise. No fast walking, no running, NO jogging....nothing that I need to use my left knee for.....
Not as good, eh?