'Learn to live in your will, not in your feelings.'" A. Carmichael

thought one:
"Mrs. Edith St. Petersburg brought a recent news story about the Ten Commandments to school last week. She wondered about the ongoing controversy, and what children astute enough to understand must think.

Then she asked, "I wonder how many adults these days could recite the Ten Commandments?"

That brought a response from Mrs. Judy Clonmacnoise, who asked, "And how many adults could make the Ten Commandments seem like a good thing to a child?"'

thought two: courtesy Dr. Jim Watson, Introducing the masses to Fine Arts

[somebody lay a rhythm down... yeah... dig it...]

I'm Baroque/
Don't have no Monet/
To make my Van Gogh

[yeah.]

thought three:

Quote of the Day:

"You look like you from China... You from China?" ~Andrew Jones, age 8

kids... their GREAT for the soul!

reason 936 why i love going to letourneau:

today, our western civ prof (not dr. k, who is out of the country for the semester, and is sorely missed, not to get off on a rabbit trail or anything) was absent and had another adjunct professor fill in for him.

the substitute was going to say a few words on Lenin, show a video, make some closing remarks and then dismiss us. the sub and his -ski last name lived in the USSR until he was 19, so it was all rather fortuitous.

UNfortunately, the class has more than a few members who are... shall we say... not at LeTU for the academics? these individuals were rather anxious to attend to whatever business might be more important than the history of western civilization (what on earth that might be, i have no idea.)

So, the video doesn't work, and he just segues into a bit of his story on growing up Soviet. He speaks maybe 10 minutes, not overly confident of himself, and then asks for questions. Two students ask questions, he looks a little on the relieved side and gives pretty interesting answers. He asks, "Any more questions?" to which one of the afore-mentioned miscreants loudly replies, "NO!" and another remarks, "No, we're good... I think my brain's on overload."

LeTourneau's honor was upheld by a retort from the back, "With what?!" prompting the class en masse to turn and laugh. It was not a particularly redeemed moment, but I was just so happy, I couldn't help it: hallelujah! I'm not in high-school anymore!!!!

Someone quite smugly asked another question, and we listened in satisfaction until the bell rang a few minutes later. Justice had been served.

i'm getting into this gender issues stuff... blinkin' riveting

thought one:

when a woman serves, one is inclined toward gratitude. "Oh, thank goodness... that so needed to be done, and she's just doing a wonderful job at it."

when a man serves, one is prone toward humility. "Oh, wow... That brother is a man. That's incredible... I hope the boys are watching."

thought two: "Frederica" just SOUNDS like a good name for a saint, no?

"3 women's rights of worth:

1) the right to be at home in our bodies
...
2) the right to be different from men
...
3) the right to go to hell
..."

"Women are just as much in need of salvation as men are. ...We aren’t used to imagining John the Baptist leveling his "brood of vipers" speech at a group of women, or of visualizing female adherents of the Pharisee party condemned by Jesus as "whitewashed sepulchers...."

thought three: more of the same

"Do not spend large amounts of money fighting wrinkles, or large amounts of time fighting your hair. Even if you just kept your hair clean and brushed and otherwise let it do what it wants, you will still be allowed to vote and own property. Wrinkles tell the story of your life. Don’t try to falsify the story; instead, write the story you would want others to see.

If there is a big difference between how you look before and after you put on makeup, you’re wearing too much makeup. Your goal is to like your face just as it is right out of the shower. A smile is your best ornament, with more impact than anything you could spend on jewelry, makeup, hairstyle, or clothing. The best way to make your eyes more beautiful is to spend more time in prayer."

and this self-image section is the tame stuff... http://www.frederica.com

thought one:
if, by some weird twist of universes, i were a black individual invited to speak in a LeTU chapel on a black-awareness month topic, here would be my gist:

blacks have been liberated socially, thanks to the efforts of MLK, etc. the "oppression" today is from one far more serious enemy than racism: sin. thus, i do not come to you seeking the help of the dominant race in society. i come to you to ask the help of my brothers and sisters in Christ... would you go live the gospel among us? whatever your race, our younger generation needs people to love them and demonstrate for them what it means to be redeemed from the power of sin and death. you don't have to live in the ghetto, but you do have to unlock your car doors, get out from behind your privacy fences, and get to know these people RIGHT HERE who need the grace of God.

of course, if i were black, i'd have mad hot oratory skills and could just take off from there.

thought two:
on the role of women...
thesis: a woman's task is to promote the happiness, health, and comfort of those around her.

thought three: from frederica: (the title was just irresistible)
"But God hates sin like the parent of a leukemia victim hates cancer."

thought four: if i look at enough good art, will it improve my soul?

"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothren to dwell together in unity"

thought one:
Something very sweet, very different transpires in the space when a group of people are finishing praying but omit the decisive, linearly-discontinuing "amen." It is not for the self-conscious, so one must rebuke all instincts to break the silence, or to pretend that one has something terribly important to rush off to, or to try to appear busy and unawkward... How hard to sit! But how beautiful, too.

thought two:
multiple ways to spell interesting:
~fascinating (can't be said with a straight face)
~thrilling (sounds sarcastic)
~riveting (almost always used to describe a novel, no?)
~gripping (..."account"..."story")
~fine (more credible when one knows how to pronounce "the louvre")
~beautiful
~captivating
~compelling
~delightful (sounds kitschy)
~lovely (oh, i forgot about that word!)
~enchanting
~engrossing
~stimulating
~striking
~gratifying
~priceless (wont to be overused)
~droll (i like it... but it's application is limited)
~groovy (hmmmm...)
~impressive
~aesthetically pleasing (but not all interesting things are...)
~salubrious
~profound
~rich
~tasty
~delicious
~savory
~appetizing
~ready for dinner... oh, wait; that's me!

thought three:

"Commandancy of the Alamo, Bexar, February 24, 1836. To the People of Texas and all the Americans in the World;

"Fellow Citizens and Compatriots: I am besieged by a thousand or more Mexicans under Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours, and I have not yet lost a man. The enemy has demanded the surrender; at discretion, otherwise the garrison is to be put to the sword if the fort is taken. I have answered the summons with cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the wail. I shall never surrender or retreat. Then I call upon you in the name of liberty, patriotism and everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid with dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily and will doubtless, in a few days, increase to three or four thousand men. Though this call may be neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible, and die like a soldier who never forfeits what is due to his own honor and that of his country. Victory or death!

(Signed) "W. BARRETT TRAVIS, Lieut-Col. Commanding." [with a south carolinian accent, of course]

my but weren't those men back in the day sincere! and all that effort for texas, too! .... and, as a side note, the men didn't know that texas' independence had been declared; they were fighting FOR mexico, against the vile horrid unsavory dictatorial antics of antonio lopez de santa ana... which is just fun to say...

"If you can fill the unforgiving minute/ With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run"... then get from me afore something gets thrown your way

thought one:

In a recent devo, one of my professors commented that all the fuss about predestination fails to consider that the concept is always used in relation to a group of people (believers), NOT an individual. Thus, to extend the idea to single individuals is inaccurate interpretation.

interesting.

thought two:

According to another prof, in a typical school setting, boys are much more likely to both raise their hand and be called upon by the teacher than girls. He said because teachers are usually female, the boys volunteer for attention while girls are more likely to hesitate.

However, with male teachers, the opposite appears to be true, with girls asking questions and being called upon more often while the boys hesitate.

blinkin' fascinating.

thought three:

i like moot points... those little kicks-in-the-pants during the dance of life...

thought four:

happy freedom-awareness day!

ah, yes. an excuse to ramble on about love...

did i ever soliloquize about the three types of love? remind me to do that sometime...

okay. but seriously. i would like to quote a quote from my brother, which (roughly) is as follows:

"any healthy human being can fall in love with [pretty much] any other healthy human being of the opposite sex." ( i think he added something like, "with a couple of things in common... ESPECIALLY if they're both Christian")

nevermind the nit-picking; the point is this: love, per the common definition, is not some heavenly, miraculous thing.

really though.

romantic love, according to one survey i read on Schopenhauer, is nothing more than the instinctive desire of the species to propagate itself, hopefully for the better. thus, according to this thought, one is attracted to the person one believes "evens out" one's personal shortcomings for the hope of healthy offspring. (so, contrary to popular opinion, "it's the evolution, Cupid.")

not saying i subcribe to all that, but my goodness, it sure does plant one's feet firmly on the ground, does it not?

be careful of:
~eye contact
~your humor
~your best stories
~respect
~anticipation of presence

... as they have been known to lead to abuses of holiness (once defined as "to will one thing," namely God's presence in your life). more than all that, cuidate of that desperately wicked thing living inside you, commonly known as the heart- fermenting ground for those pesky little almost-but-not-quite-uncontrollable thoughts.

not that romance is all evil. being in love (according to all reports i've heard) can be nice... make the sun shine brighter, your wit wittier, your day more exciting, so on and so forth. but i'm not sure it's worth the lost concentration, wasted thoughts, and utterly useless expenditure of time it is known to accompany. (not to mention sin against our brothers/sisters who need more than anything to be single-mindedly zealous for the God of our salvation. love their health over your own titillated emotions and unruly hormones.)

so. above all things, love God truly. love Him not lightly, but with all the attention, concentration and kindness of which you are capable. let Him be your delight. trust Him to teach you to love (per HIS definition) the person HE choses in the time HE choses. crushes will not prepare you for service in the kingdom. loving the Redeemer will.

:::
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me...
:::

any words of wisdom/ advice from veterans would be greatly welcomed.

to all my batos vagos out there... somewhere...sigh.

thought one:
i am living in the first generation in modern history NOT expected to outlive their parents.

thought two:
"Each day, about 74 people receive an organ transplant. However, 18 people die each day waiting for transplants that can’t take place because of the shortage of donated organs. "
http://www.organdonor.gov/

thought three:

"[A study on contemporary Chicano gangs notes] the lack of real role models for Chicano youth and how the figure of the pachuco fills the gap by offering a role model and a sense of rebellion against society, an opportunity to gain respect even if negative." -from Pachucos and the Taxicab Brigade essay by Burciaga

thought four: continuing the theme...
"Cholos are cultural descendants of the pachucos. A cholo is defined as a mestizo of Indian and European blood, in most Spanish dictionaries. A secondary definition is tinged with old world bigotry as it defines a cholo as a "civilized Indian." The term came to this country through the many Peruvians who arrived here during the California Gold Rush. It was used to describe Indians living along the Peruvian Coast. In California the Peruvians called poor mestizos cholos.

Closely related to teh word cholo is the term bato [also spelled vato]. Pancho Villa's revolutionary army was made of batos vagos, vagrant friends. Batos vagos has further evolved into the calo slang as batos locos, crazy dudes. The slang, called calo but better known as Spanglish or Mex-Tex, has been utilized by the pachuco and the cholo both. Calo was originally zincalo the idiom of Spanish gypsies."

Can you believe there is actually people who are "pachucologists"? wouldn't that look great beside my name on a business card...

"What is kali-ful about this?!" one might ask. well, nothing, though the norman rockwell one is dreadfully tongue-in-cheek. but look, they are attempts to romanticize, to "beautify" an ugly, ugly world. it's sad, it's not beautiful... it's just horrible.

"encomienda a Jehova tu camino, y confia en El; y El hara." period.

ay de nosotros, hugo's at it again!

thought one:

"O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
An’ foolish notion:
What airs in dress an’ gait wad lea’e us,
An’ ev’n devotion!"

what i would give for
just an hour or so with
Lucy's borrowed book.

thought two:
from chapel this a.m:

You want to know how to tell the difference between us Asians? It's like this...
If you see a man who looks successful and rich, he's probably Chinese.
If you see a man who looks intelligent and studious, he's probably Japanese.
And you see a man and think, "Wow, he sure is handsome and generally good-looking," he must be Korean.

thought three:
i may be off on this, but there is no justification for the American Revolution in Scripture.

as one Dutch prof said, "What's the big deal? You people didn't have it so bad. Kings are cool... I have a queen; she's great!"

"how beastly the bourgeois is, especially the male of the species"

thought one: from an itinerant preacher-man or some sage pastor-brother:

"salvation is the chance to participate in genuine humanity."

thought two: from my introduction to fine arts (HUMA1153):

"This is your brain on contemporary Christian music."

thought three:

yes, i admit it's pathetic to quote a quote from another blog, but nonetheless:

“Political correctness places our young Muslims in the hands of radical imams. These young Muslims are not used to a sharp debate and, consequently, don’t have the ability to critically reflect on themselves." (from the best history prof in... well... history)