Entries from August 1, 2008 - September 1, 2008
Aging with Grace: When Faith Becomes Sight
Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 08:06PM Our friend who was very sick died. This is the lyrics to one of the songs he chose for his memorial service:
I can only imagine what it will be like, when I walk by Your side...
I can only imagine, what my eyes will see, when Your Face is before me!
I can only imagine. I can only imagine.
Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine! I can only imagine!
I can only imagine, when that day comes, when I find myself standing in the Son!
I can only imagine, when all I will do, is forever, forever worship You!
I can only imagine! I can only imagine!
Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine! Yeah! I can only imagine!
Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine! Yeah! I can only imagine!
I can only imagine! Yeah! I can only imagine!! Only imagine!!!
I can only imagine.
I can only imagine, when all I do is forever, forever worship You!
I can only imagine."
I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me
For the present we see things as if in a mirror, and are puzzled; but then we shall see Him face to face. For the present the knowledge I gain is imperfect; but then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Cor 13:12
Vinnie, Bye for now. See you later.
We will all die……do you know (not imagine, think, opine or are deluded) that after you die there will be Sonrise?
Blogs Worth a Click: Things 'Im Grateful For
Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 10:24PM There are all kinds of contests on the internet. Usually you have to sign up for the blog’s RSS feed, write about the contest on your blog and give up your first born to earn entries. In return, you might win a gift card, a book or some e-credits. Too much commitment for me. I like my first-born and I don’t know how the RSS feed works on my blog to begin with. (Please sign up anyway. My ignorance shouldn’t affect you enjoying A Second Cup. Prompt is on the bottom of the left column)
Last July, I was making my e-card rounds I came across a contest on a blog called Things I’m Grateful For. All I had to do to receive an entry in the contest was stop in and leave a comment about something I am grateful for. Things I’m Grateful For has Comment Luv so I would receive an automatic backlink to A Second Cup. A win/win for me.
While I didn’t win anything for the contest (what is up with that Solomon?), I have received so much more. I stop in daily on Solomon’s blog even when I am flying though blogging and e-carding because it gives me a chance to pause and think of what I am blessed with for that day. What caught my eye is the things Solomon was grateful for, a hot shower, coffee, work, a good nights rest.
It is had a good spiritual discipline for me to stop most days and think of something God has blessed me with, something I have taken for granted: plumbing that is working, coffee, that my daughter can complain about school starting, not all young girls get to take the opportunity for education for granted. Slowing down enough in my busy day, not just to think about what God has gifted me with, but to take the time to put that though into words and from words to a prayer of thanks to the One who deserves it.
Every generous act of giving and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father who made the heavenly lights, in whom there is no inconsistency or shifting shadow. James 1:17
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Eph 5:20
Solomon always responds to comments left on his blog. Another discipline I will have to learn.
Take a minute in your busy day to rest, reflect and record at Things I’m Grateful For .
Parenting Teens: The Dark Knight
Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 08:10AM Not being an early adapter I finally got around to seeing The Dark Knight. I have to say this is an excellent movie both as entertainment and as something to ponder over later.
As a parent with teens, it also is a movie to think about. My 13 year old will not be seeing this movie. Not for the usual reasons. There are no bad words that I recall (although sometimes I just don’t hear them. I told a friend that Thirteen Days was verbally clean and after seeing it with her child, she assured me it was not clean at all.) There are no sex scenes, which is nice because if there were I would not have seen it period. It is violent in the Hitchcockian sense, scary and implied. No blood and lots of buildings get blown to bits. I enjoy seeing buildings blow up. Bad thing happen to a lot of people but there are no body parts flying around.
My 13 year old will not be seeing it because it really is very dark. I don’t think she has the life experiences to process this movie as anything but entertainment. I don’t want her to be exposed to this type evil and see it as just entertaining.
For the older teens, I think this is a great discussion movie. For parent in general and Christian parents in particular, if your kid is going/has gone to see this movie, don’t waste the opportunity to talk to them about it. This movie is one of those rare cultural events that offer parents of older teens a chance to discuss worldview without the kids realizing what you are up to . Do not kid yourself as a parent, your child will act on that is in his heart in a time of crisis.A couple of years age, a teen in my community, driving drunk flipped his car. The car landed on one of the passengers. The boy was still alive but the kids in the car abandoned him to return to the party house and clean it before the police arrived. No one called 911. They left that child to die alone. A passerby in another car call. You can make excuses for what those kids chose to do and why. Excuses will not mitigate against the evil of their choice. Crisis often revels that is in a heart. The Dark Knight offers parents a chance to see what is in their child's heart.
What choice would you make if you were on the boat? Why? Is the Joker evil or just crazy? How does bitterness shape one of the main characters response to another’s evil or craziness? If not bitterness in the face of evil, then what?
For Christian parents: How does knowing that God is Sovereign affect how you think about the choices the character’s make in the movie? Does good have to pretend to be evil in order to be effective?
Of course, if you are going to discuss you have to be willing to listen and try not to correct right away if you don’t like what you hear. Always hard for me.
My Haiku is a Finalist: Please Vote for Me!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 08:16AM To my shock, surprise and wonder, my haiku is a finalist at Rocks in My Dryer!!
Tall as an adult
A little boy yesterday
He walks to high school
In a shameless piece of personal promotion, I am asking you to click to Rocks in My Dryer and vote for ME!! Voting ends Wednesday night so go, vote for ME!!
You don't have to sign up, enroll or join anything to vote. Just click, (read if you want , it is an excellent blog), vote and go on with your day....
I thank you for your vote.
Parenting Teenagers: Will Wonders Never Cease
Monday, August 25, 2008 at 09:36AM Yesterday was the first day of school for my 17 year old. He asked for a ride his first day because he didn't want to be hot and sweaty after the grueling 10 minute walk to school. I was not impresses. Than he played the responsibility card. The other reasons he wanted to arrive early was he wanted to talk with the bus driver about catching the bus in the morning. He also wanted to stop by student services to find out how to get his off campus pass. Theses are things he could have easily taken care of over the summer break but he wasn’t demanding I take care of them for him so I was impressed.
Okay I’ll drive but I was not about to be caught in first day traffic. It is the type of traffic (I speak from experience) that turns a 4 minute round trip into a nerve racking, jaw tightening 30 minute trek through anxious freshman parents and semi newly licensed juniors all fighting for the few parking spaces not assign to the privileged seniors and well deserved by the faculty. I proposed a leave time a good 45 minutes before school started. He agreed. No surprise, at that point he would have agreed to just about anything to get a ride.
The surprised came in the morning. And a delightful one it was! He was up dressed, feed and ready to go. He informed me in addition to getting his summer AP work finished, he had completed the extra assignments. He stayed up to 3 am to do them. One of those parenting conundrums: Do you praise the effort or point out he had all summer to do the extra work with out sacrificing his sleep? (I did both.)
It was the first day of school and I doubt (Oh I of little faith) the whole year will go as well as today. But it was the perfect first day of school!
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