Memphis Show

The smoke permeates
the static-filled air
as the constant beat
of the drums
echoes the rhythms
of the hearts turned
toward the stage.
Loud laughter
from the back of the
dark room
causes heads to jerk
and eyes to peer
into the blackness behind
before his voice
captures their attention.
To them he sings
his thoughts, his words-
his vulnerability-
and the audience
remains entranced
as they bend their lonely
heads to light
one more cigarette.

Hilarity Ensues

I try not to watch a lot of TV (and I'm fairly successful in than endeavor), but these commercials seriously crack me up.  Please know I am not advocating the consumption of alcohol because 1) that would be against the covenant of SBTS and 2) if I am going to advocate a particular brand of beer, you better believe that I am going to tell you to drink Heineken and support my family (although I'm not receiving any royalties from Heineken yet...we're still crossing our fingers for that miracle).

Still, I can't help but laugh when I see the Dos Equis commercials:







My favorites?  'He lives vicariously...through himself' and 'He can speak French...in Russian'.  He's kind of like the Chuck Norris of beer or something...

The Hound of the Baskervilles

What a delightful little read!  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous adventure of the one and only Sherlock Holmes is probably one of the shortest novels of the list of 100, but it was rather fun to read.  To be honest, I have not read any other Holmes adventures, but I did take a class about Sherlock Holmes in middle school.  Here's the scoop: when we moved to Florida, I was placed in a gifted program called PATS (Program for Academically Talented Students), which sadly now no longer exists.  Now, this particular program was different than other gifted/enrichment programs in which I had been enrolled because the classes weren't before or after school or even on Saturdays...no, you took a day off from school and went to this entire other building with an entire other staff.  It was cool because you got to meet students from other schools, and you got to take some interesting classes.  The only negative was making up the work you missed during the regular school day, but for the most part, that wasn't a big deal.

PATS offered some great classes that were designed to help the students expand their horizons, learn new skills, and develop productive hobbies.  Some of the subjects included drama, creative writing, physics, music, law and one in which we formed our own town by role playing.  I owned the construction company, and I made boo-coos of money (fake money, that is) off of my classmates, by the way.  In one drama class, we wrote our own script and then cast our classmates in our plays and presented them to the rest of the PATS students.  Our play was called 'Hypnotic State' and was stinkin' hilarious.  Oh yes, imagine a big black basketball player wearing a tutu and dancing around on stage...because that is what Willy did.  Funniest thing I have ever seen.  In another class, we learned more about the law and famous cases.  This class is where Laina and I learned more about the role Jell-O played in the Lindbergh kidnapping.  To this day, we believe the flavor was lemon-lime...

I relate all of these memories to you because 1) it's simply fun to take trips down memory lane and 2) one of the most memorable classes I took at PATS was Mrs. Kerr's Sherlock Holmes class.  One of my dearest friends Laina and I took this class together and had a ridiculously good time throughout the course.  Mrs. Kerr had these set of Sherlock Holmes mystery cards; you read the scenario and tried to solve the case somehow.  I can't remember how it all worked because Laina and I spent the vast majority of the class under one of the tables reading magazines, listening to music, and eating contraband food.  We solved the bare minimum of cases to pass the class and then pretty much took the rest of the class off.  And we also witnessed one of the funniest moments in PATS history; our classmate Marshawn absolutely freaking out because he couldn't solve the very last case.  During his entire tirade, Mrs. Kerr simply sat and listened to Marshawn complain about the unfairness of it all while Laina and I remained under the table, wondering how in the heck he got to the last case to begin with (note: Marshawn never joined us under the table; perhaps that is the reason for his success).

Sherlock Holmes is forever linked in my brain to Laina, Mrs. Kerr, and Marshawn.  Be that what it may, perhaps I did an injustice to Doyle and his characters by not reading any of the mysteries until now.  I must say, the experience was quite enjoyable.  Doyle does an excellent job of producing a sensational mystery that does not have to rely on blood, guts, and gore or even the supernatural.  That's talent, my friends.  The atmosphere of mystery and suspense was only heightened by the fact that I read the book at night...alone...while it was raining.  I was almost as scared as when I read Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher in high school...at night...alone...while it was storming.  *Shudder*

Regardless, I highly recommend The Hound of the Baskervilles by Doyle.  It is rather short, so you can finish it pretty quickly and then move on to enjoy other wonderful Holmes mysteries.  I fully intend to do the same.      

Practicing Hospitality

You might have noticed this book was sitting atop my 'Currently Reading' list for some time; Isaac and I were attempting to go through this book together, but now my beloved husband is reading approximately 23.7 books and 17.6 articles for his classes at SBTS.  He has been diligent about discussing chapters together, but we decided it would be okay from me to go ahead and finish the book now while he works on his seminary reading (Let me insert here how incredibly proud I am of my hubby; he is doing such a great job of reading and studying consistently every day, and he is working hard to balance school, work, church, family, and other activities.  He is also blogging through his Biblical Counseling class on our friend's Barry's site; check it out and leave him comments telling him how awesome he is).

Several months ago, I completed and wrote a review of Open Heart, Open Home, which was one of the original books published on the topic of biblical hospitality.  After our trip to the Middle East opened my eyes to practicing hospitality (not merely entertaining) on a regular basis, I decided to find a few books on the matter.  Practicing Hospitality was written by Drs. Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock, both professors at The Master's College in southern California.  The book contains only eight chapters, but those eight chapters are jammed packed with historical information, Scripture, and practical advice (including some yummy recipes).  One of the most helpful things included in the book is suggestions and ideas gleaned from an extensive survey Ennis and Tatlock sent out to their former students from The Master's College.  What wonderful ideas those women had for incorporating hospitality into their daily lives and family traditions!

In each chapter, Ennis and Tatlock provide biblical evidence and reasoning for a particular aspect of hospitality.  Probably my three favorite chapters were the ones concerning management, family, and culture.  Though the management wasn't the one that I was most excited about reading, it provided me with some much-needed conviction about managing my home in such a way that it can not only bless my family, but others- including friends and strangers- as well.  Learning to share with others in both our bounty and need is definitely a lesson which I am learning right now.  It was easy to share and give to others when our family had two full-time incomes, but now that isn't the case, and I'm fighting the attitude of hoarding everything we can get to keep for ourselves.  This book speaks to this issue within the Church; looking back, it was great preparation for this season in our lives. 

The other two chapters which I thoroughly enjoyed were the ones which focused on family and culture.  I obviously enjoyed the culture chapter because I love learning about and experiencing other cultures; I believe that our cultures reflect the Lord in many different ways, and I am fascinated by how much we can learn from people who are so different than us.  This chapter discussed how we can appropriately relate to people from other cultures.  By simply taking the time to learn a little about their way of life, we can more fully enjoy their friendship as we mutually learn from one another.  This chapter also contains some of my favorite recipes in the entire book, so the book is worth reading just for those few pages!  The other chapter I really enjoyed focus on hospitality and family.  Obviously, we don't have children yet, but that doesn't mean that we can't begin to prepare for them by determining some family values and traditions (such as our Focus of the Month).  We want our children to be gracious and giving individuals, and planning a hospitable family atmosphere where the focus is on serving others is one method we plan to employ in our parenting.  This chapter also contained some of the best suggestions by the authors' students; in fact, we are already implementing some of them in our household.

Overall, this book was a great read; I recommend it to anyone and every one, but I would especially encourage young families and even people who are getting married in the near future to read this book and begin to consider how you will show hospitality in your family and home.  A fair warning if you're getting married and I'm attending your wedding: your present just might be this book and Noel Piper's Treasuring God in Our Traditions- two of the best books for newlyweds in my opinion!

On a Day Like Today...

It's a dreary day here in Kentuckiana; the rain has been drizzling since before dawn, and on a day-specifically a Sunday- like today, there's not much else that should be done except read some Harry Potter, enjoy some warm cocoa, and watch this:

Uglies, Pretties, Specials

Yay for more young adult literature! I've been focusing on my list of 100 (reviews of Brideshead Rivisited and The Sound and the Fury coming soon), that a much needed young adult lit break was in order.  I not only honestly enjoy reading many books delegated to the "YA" section of the library, but I can whip through them pretty fast- it feels good to accomplish something with finality!

I picked up the first book in the Uglies trilogy when I was visiting with my cousin Beth while I was in Jackson for India's wedding.  Beth's roommate had the books, so I just started reading Uglies one night.  It's a futuristic novel, sort of a 1984 or Brave New World for younger crowds.  I'm not normally a fan of science fiction/fantasy/futuristic 'warnings', but I thought the concepts presented in the story were quite interesting.

The series takes place approximately three hundred years in the future, after the demise of present-day civilization.  The people living in this new civilization refer to the 20th and 21st as the 'Rusty era', a time which was characterized by violence and war, people plagued with diseases and sicknesses, obsession of power and money, and hatred toward anything different than oneself.  Eventually, the Rusty civilization destroyed itself (through biological warfare) and a new civilization emerged.

This new civilization creates a new method of classifying and separating people into specific groups.  Children reside with their parents in Crumblyville until a certain age and are then sent to live in Uglyville, which is essentially a form of boarding school.  Once a child turns sixteen years old, he or she has an operation which makes them physically beautiful (flawless skin, large eyes, perfect symmetry, etc).  These 'new pretties' then move to the New Pretty Town, just across the river from Uglyville.  The theory is that the operation is the great equalizer; not everyone is made to be identical, but they are made to the same standard.  Therefore, new pretties would have no reason to be jealous of one another, no reason to need to try to make a difference in the world.  They just be.  And they get to lead a fun-filled life- parties, pleasure, and absolutely no responsbility.  They don't have a care in the world.

But despite appearances, there are those who don't want to be made pretty; rumors abound about a group of people living in the wild, avoiding the authorities of both Uglyville and New Pretty Town, and living on their own- without the operation and without all of the technology.  The trilogy follows Tally Youngblood as she yearns for her sixteenth birthday; she wants to join her best friend in New Pretty Town, and she is counting down the days to her operation.  But a few days before she is to be made pretty, she meets a new friend who changes everything.  It's an story full of adventure, betrayal, forgiveness, and ultimately, a coming-of-age tale for the world.  If you think about the series, the author worked some pretty deep and important themes into the books; through the characters, he is able to offer a brutally honest assessment of our society, our values, and our direction. I enjoyed the series; it takes a while to grow accustomed to the writing style, but I'm just chalking that up to the fact that I'm not a teenage anymore.  

Bonus: Isaac thinks the covers of the books are hilarious.  While I was finishing up Uglies, he decided to play photographer and stage a photo of me reading.  See his work below:

Great Expectations

Great Expectations= my new favorite Dickens book.  Why was this masterpiece not on my reading list for my AP English classes in high school?  Come to think of it, I don't think we read any Dickens in either of those classes...how is this accomplished?  I am seriously debating on sending an email to both Mrs. Massicotte and Mr. Bishop to discuss the matter. 

Dickens, you are my hero for writing this book.  I love when authors are able to so beautifully develop characters and so intricate a plot.  Great Expectations reads like a mystery- not one of those annoying modern and often crappy mysteries, filled with blood and gore and guts, mind you- but one in which the reader believes so certainly they have it all figured out...and then they turn the page, their eyes get wide, and the murmur, "Oh no!  Not him!  What will Pip do?"  Throughout the novel, you notice a good portion of the characters connect to one another through certain relationships, but by the end of the story, you've come to understand their real connections.  It really is quite genius how well Dickens tied every character, every scene, every bit of information to the final pages; the development of the story was so well thought out- it truly is amazing. 

This novel, of course, is on the list of 100, and such is the reason why I checked it out from the library in the first place.  But this is a book I would not hesitate in purchasing; I most definitely would enjoy reading about Pip's transformation from a poor village boy into a tried and true gentleman after a wealthy and anonymous benefactor provides for his education and finances.  Pip learns valuable lessons during his transformation, not only about the proper attire and attitude of a gentleman, but about himself, his past, and even his future.  Dickens does an excellent job of demonstrating how great changes in our life circumstances can so clearly reveal our personal nature and true self.

And since I am not doing this beautiful novel justice with this brief and un-exemplary review, I beg you to go here and read a review which was first published in September 1861, written shortly after the book form of Great Expectations was published.

The Colors of Autumn

When my family moved from the beautiful mountainous terrain of Colorado to the flat warmth of Florida, I think the thing I missed the most was the changing of the leaves. So when I left the white sandy beaches of my hometown to attend college in Tennessee and then grad school in Missouri, I was most excited about the possibility of actual seasons, instead of just varying degrees of warmth and heat. Okay, I exaggerate. I'm from north Florida, and believe it or not, it can get a little nippy there. I even owned sweaters, I swear! Regardless, I was most excited about the season of Autumn because even though north Florida is more seasonal than the rest of the state, we still only have basically one tree.

The pine tree (note bene: Not the pine tree that produces pretty pine cones. Oh no, we're talking about the one who produces an overabundance of pine needles).

Oh, how I loathe thee, pine tree! Your needles are the bane of my existence. How many hours was I forced to rake up the needles which you so carelessly dropped into our yard? Your sap attacks my defenseless car, allowing even more bugs to meld themselves into the paint; your ruthless goo sticks to the prongs of the rake, making yard work a wretched punishment. You don't allow children the joy of crunching your freshly-fallen leaves or jumping into piles of of leaves. You are not even creative; you do nothing to change your colors. Green and brown, that's all you will ever be!

So maybe I'm being a bit dramatic (I am not a fan of the pine tree, as you can tell). But seriously, if you ask anyone to list their favorite things about autumn, the changing color of the leaves is usually near the top of the list. Our leaves don't change color in Florida. We have pine trees, palm trees, and evergreens. Now, I love Florida and my hometown dearly. I am quite attached to it, and if you were to ask, I would vehemently proclaim that we have the whitest sand of any beach, the spray-painted bridge is a magnificent work of art, and that Pensacola was, in all actuality, the first city in our nation (St. Augustine doesn't have anything on us). However, there is one thing we lack- autumn colors.

I took these pictures last fall in Columbia. My dearest friend Jen requested shots of the autumn colors- something about being in the dry, desert heat of the Middle East made her crave the rich vibrant colors of fall...so, here you go Jen. Only a year late. Maybe I can get some shots of Louisville for you soon. Here's to hoping Louisville is as lovely in the fall as Columbia is.

Time for a Good Round of Laughter

One of my first good friends from college is the pastor of a church in the Nashville area; he has a blog that generally focuses on church updates and theological issues, but he'll occasionally throw in some randomness.  A few weeks ago he posted his all-time favorite viral videos, and I laughed my head off watching the clips (even though I'd already seen most of them before).  I thought since I enjoyed the experience so much, I would give my readers the same opportunity to pause and enjoy a good bout of laughter.  So here are some of my very favorite web videos (all found on YouTube) for your enjoyment.  What are your favorite viral videos?

Chick Falls Down Hole
     Really, I am slightly ashamed to admit I think this is terribly funny.  The type of laughter that comes spurting out of me when I watch Home Alone is the same as the laughter that erupts when I watch this clip.  Truly, though, I hope the woman wasn't hurt.



Boom Goes the Dynamite
     Awkward, awkward, awkward!  We've all been in that situation where we've said something that made us look like royal idiots...but not all of us were on television when it happened.



Injured Bad
     This insurance commercial features quite possibly the cutest little black child of all time.  Seriously, I want to take him home with me.



The Youth Pastor Screw-up
     This is a lesser known video on YouTube, but I cannot help but keep watching it!  His face at the 0:11 mark is priceless, so pay attention.  After that, feel free to laugh continuously through the entire clip!



Lost Luggage
     I know I just posted this video not too long ago, but it is my all-time favorite video clip on YouTube and never fails to make me laugh.  Honestly, I think of all the times it's been watched on YouTube, I've contributed a least a third of the views...

Madame Bovary

I admit it. I didn't want to read this book; I had started it years and years ago and for some reason never got through the first few chapters. But since the computer system at the Louisville library wasn't working indefinitely due to the monsoon (read: massive flood at the main library) that graced the city a few weeks ago, obtaining a library card wasn't an option until just recently. So, I had to scour through the books we owned in search of something new to read. And then I saw it. Madame Bovary. 'No,' I thought, shrinking back in horror. 'I'll never make it through that book. I already tried.' But then I remembered it was on my list of 100, and I cringed. Sooner or later, I was going to have to make it through Flaubert's oft-controversial masterpiece. I tried to avoid it for a few days, but I finally realized that if I didn't buck up and read it now, I wouldn't have a fair shot at completing the list of 100. And friends, not completing that list is simply not an option. So I settled down one afternoon and began reading.

I don't know why I had such a difficult time making it through the first few chapters during previous attempts at completing this novel because this time, the pages seemed to fly by. Oh yes, there were moments when I thought (or even mentioned out-loud), 'Dang it, Flaubert, I don't speak French! For Pete’s sake, would you please translate what the heck you just wrote there? Just what do you think you're doing- trying to be like Charlotte Bronte in writing Jane Eyre but keeping half of the direct quotations in French? I think not!" Okay, I realize that the whole some-phrases-left-untranslated is not from a direct command given by the author, but rather rests in the hands of the translators and editors... but it still irks me somewhat. I can handle a word or two or even a well-known phrase, but the languages I speak don't exactly help me so much with the 19th century French dialect.  Just throwing that out there.

Regardless, this novel was well worth reading. I found myself thanking good 'ole Gustave for creating such realistic characters for his work. Because neither a dramatic heroine nor a dashing hero makes an appearance in this story, some readers may feel slightly...deprived. But I loved this approach and design because it best aligns with real life. Sure, we all may think we're some sought-after beauty who is going to overcome disaster or some swashbuckling debonair who will rescue the damsel in distress and save the world, but quite honestly, it's just not true. We're flawed, annoying little jerks who sometimes exhibit endearing moments of tenderness...and sometimes treat others with contempt, no matter what the circumstances.

It's similar to the understanding of the typical chick flick as 'girl porn'. Sounds harsh, I know. But if you think about it, women (and let's face it- men as well) begin watching these chick flicks from a young age and continue to watch them throughout their lifetime. And what happens in virtually every romantic comedy? The nice guy gets the girl, the girl gets her Prince Charming, and all is right with the world. But any woman who has experienced life with our Y-chromosomed buddies knows that this isn't always the case. Nice guys don't always finish first, and girls aren't guaranteed a Prince Charming (or any man for that matter). Films such as these give us false hope and misguided expectations by poisoning our minds with the belief that everything works out exactly according to our desires (as in you catching that dream boat or sweeping the lovely lady off her feet), seducing us into believing that life is all about living out the romantic comedy. And when we finally discover that we're not the lead character in that romantic comedy, we are bitterly disappointed with our life.

So it is with Emma, one of the main characters in the novel. Of course she never watched a chick flick, owing to the lack of television in her era, but she read books- books that spoke of love so perfect and true, books that describe love as passionate and breathtaking...and also point out the simplicity of normality. After Emma's marriage, she yearns to feel the passionate and earth-shattering love about which she so often read and anticipated in her own life. And when she experienced the 'chick flick' letdown (that is, that real life is not like the movies/stories and is actually rather hard at times), her life spirals out of control, affecting not only herself but her family, friends, and even her entire town. Friends, our lives are so much bigger than just ourselves! It may not be what we anticipated or what we were told to expect; we can't compare our lives to others (yes, even to Sandra Bullock's character in her latest romantic comedy); we're bound to be disappointed (because we can't live up to that fairy tale notion), and perhaps we might just feel a little cheated in life (because we didn't get the prince, after all).  This is exactly what happened to Madame Bovary.  She felt cheated in life because she didn't get what the storybooks said.  How many young girls alreay feel cheated because they're not dating the Taylor Lautner of their school?  How many young boys feel shamed because they can't come up with the witty responses and gestures Zac Efron always seems to have ready?  How many grown women and men are distressed because their relationships aren't playing out like the ones on the big screen?  Far too many, my friends.  Far too many.  

Flaubert was well ahead of his time when he penned Madame Bovary.  The book received much criticism from his contemporaries (mainly due to moral objections, but I assure you there is no questionable content within the pages), but his work has stood the test of time, offering a deeper insight into human nature, relationships, and desire than one might expect. I agree wholeheartedly with its place among the top ten novels on the list.

Side note: please don't take offense to my appraisal of chick flicks. Typically, I don't watch a lot of chick flicks, but I have watched my fair share. I believe this lends credence to my assessment because I have experienced the 'oh-my-life-is-not-like-the-movies' letdown. True, there are many typical romantic comedies/romantic dramas (aka chick flicks) that I've enjoyed and continue to enjoy, but I try to limit my chick flick (among other specific genres of film, television, and literature) intake simply because of how this medium can affect me mentally, spiritually, and even physically. I hope you will also be aware of how the media (yes, even including classic literature) can affect you.

September's Focus: Three Angels Children's Relief

This month, we've chosen to support an organization dedicated to serving the children of Haiti.  Megan, the sister (who has an awesome blog about her experiences) of one of my best friends from college, works with Three Angels Children's Relief.  Their website has lots of information about their programs, as well as the challenges the agency faces.  Here is some of the most troubling and startling information I gleaned from their site:

As many of you know, Haiti is one of the poorest nations in the world-actually the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere- and the average Haitian lives on less than one dollar a day.  More than half of the population lacks access to clean water or sanitation.  Fifty percent of Haitians are undernourished; twelve percent of children die before their first birthday and a full third of all children do not make it to their fifth birthday. Only one in every ten thousand Haitians has access to a physician, and one report even determined Haiti as the worst place in the entire world to live.

It is the lives of Haiti's most impoverished children that Three Angels Children's Relief strives to impact.  Currently, they have three distinct programs: the Angel House Orphanage, the Three Angels Christian Academy, and Halos Medical Mission.  Obviously, there is great need for all of these programs.  The agency does allow teams from the States (and presumably other countries) to help through short-term mission trips; you can donate monetarily or in-kind items.  Their website has a list of their current needs for each of the three programs.

Even though the people of Haiti struggle with poverty and sickness, they are still a beautiful people, loved by our God who is so full of grace.  The Lord still has a mighty plan for these precious souls; we cannot write them off as 'just another poor country' or 'just another orphanage'. No, these children are His beloved.  Please pray for this program, for the volunteers and staff involved, for the children participating in the programs, and for the nation of Haiti.  I am reminded of a verse from a popular worship song:

"Distant shores and the islands will see Your light as it rises on us..."

Here is a video from their website.  Let these beautiful faces touch your heart: