Beautiful

...and they will call him Immanuel - which means "God with us"...

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death

a light has dawned........

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called 

Wonderful Counselor

Mighty God

Everlasting Father

The Prince of Peace

The hope of the nations

He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David,

as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophet from of old,

that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us

That we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,

might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days

Praise God

(Isaiah~Matthew~Luke)

Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve

Snow is falling

"...thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow." ~psalm 51

Christmas Break - oh, the glory

*Shannon and I decided to make an expedition to Fred Meyer last night. We marveled at the abundance of socks, lack of yarn, and the aura of the overstuffed singing penguins.

*It's amazing to see such alteration in the landscape each time I look out the window. I love snow.

*Current favorite texture: the amazingly soft brown yarn that is becoming a new scarf.

*Current favorite sound: my mom and sister conversing over the puzzle table.

*Current favorite color: red...like the toasty blanket I'm snuggled in.

*Current favorite pictures from the past two days:

      

                         Taken in my back yard

      
      Shannon and  I - we should do infomercials 

Woohoo for laughable pictures

                      Vancouver has some awesome signage

 I had to document the first time I'd ever seen a canadian goose... 

                                          IN CANADA

                                 This too is awesome signage

                            Where do you get those actually?

Impressive...

*Hannah and Janna's Hershey Hug stuffing battle. Hannah 21 - Janna 23. Ladies and gentlemen, the facial distortion was a site to behold....In case you needed more convincing of just how sophisticated we all are :) 

*My Grandfather's uncanny ability to send me reading materials that are simultaneously useful and ridiculous.

*My roommates ability to get to the heart of an issue - love that girl.

*Alana's chicken soup 

That is all...for now.

Oh, wait, Em just walked by and her shirt is definitely impressive.

1 Peter 1:17-21

Since you call on a father who judges each man's work impartially, live you lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 

Every time I ignore what I know to be right and good and true to pursue my own pleasure or gain...I am in essence pouring out the cup of Christ's sacrificial blood on the ground and stomping through it. How sick. How wretched. How astounding that He would continue to pursue me. Praise God for His unfailing love!

Break it up

*First of all, apparently Shakespeare invented the word "bump".  As if he wasn't already on my top ten list...

*The snow on the pass was lovely - to the point that limited visibility was okay with me.

*It's always a bit surreal to be home. I don't quite seem to fit here anymore -  and that's okay. Just...odd. 

*Catching up with Sarah was fantastic - I never realized how many problems could be solved over a bowl of hot queso.

*Mom introduced me to "The Miracle Maker"  - the life of Christ in...claymation? The skepticism was practically oozing out my pores. I had no desire to see it (probably because the last claymation  I saw was a scarring version of Runaway Ralph) ,but...it was beautiful. I'll even go so far as to recommend it. Oh, and when you watch it, pay attention to the music.

* "Unless you humble yourself like a small child..." Why is clinging to God such a blow to one's pride? Oh, the humanity.

* Getting mauled by my high schoolers = major highlight of the day

*I will never be a suave person. I've known this for a while now, but the plate of spaghetti just sort of drove it home for me...

*The body of Christ never fails to blow me away. Praise God.

Phos Hilaron

Hail, gladdening Light, of His pure glory poured

Who is th'immortal Father, heavenly, blest,

Holiest of Holies--Jesus Christ our Lord!

Now we are come to the sun's hour of rest;

The lights of evening round us shine;

We hymn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit divine.

Worthiest art thou at all times to be sung 

With undefiled tongue,

Son of our God, giver of life, alone:

Therefore in all the world thy glories, Lord, thy own. Amen

8:00 am  

Today was about...

hating my alarm for going off when it was supposed to. talking with the Lord. getting excited about the rain. arriving early to all appointments. planning the future - how audacious of me. enjoying my housemates. opening the door to the flower man. a chat with a far off and dearly missed friend and a spot of tea with another. walking through puddles in my tevas. pursuing contentment. not paying attention to lecture. rehearsing Brahms - "hey slackers, jump on the crescendo train!". schedule issues - still unresolved. a message from my sister. a good cry. praising God. clean laundry - lots of it. friends in the house. being in friends houses. laughter. hugs. 

2:00 am

Today is about...

coming home again to more friends. more crying. more laughter. more edifying conversation with housemates. praying together. encouraging and being encouraged. enjoying the quiet of the house. being unable to sleep. needing help - being weak. Emmanuel.

Dear window,

thanks for letting the light in. 

Luke 11:34-36

Here it is. The first post. Emily says I really ought to post "something". And by "something" I know she really means "something clever". The trouble is that it's nearly 1 in the am and I haven't got anything to say - least of all something clever. So here I sit. Uncleverly dawdling away  on a broken down couch. I hope you're satisfied Em. Pardon me now as I toddle off to bed...