merry Christmas

i didn't make this one...some of the video is kinda cheesy, but it's fun anyway. Merry Christmas.

really really good christmas songs

How Many Kings by Downhere
Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe, after all we’ve projected
A child in a manger?
Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliest hero, wrapped in his mother’s shawl -
Just a child
Is this who we’ve waited for? ’cause…

How many kings step down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
And how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that is torn all apart
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Bringing our gifts for the newborn Savior
All that we have, whether costly or meek
Because we believe
Gold for his honor, and frankincense for his pleasure
And myrrh for the cross he will suffer
Now, do you believe?
Is this who we’ve waited for?

How many kings step down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
And how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that is torn all apart
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Only one did that for me.



Born to Die by Bebo Norman

They never knew a dark night
always had the Son's light
on their face
Perfect in glory
Broken by the story
of untold grace...
come that day

Majesty had come down
Glory had succumed now
to flesh and bone
In the arms of a manger
In the hands of strangers
that could not know
Just who they hold

And the angels filled the sky
All of heaven wondered why
Why their King would choose to be
Be a baby born to die

And all fell silent
For the cry of an infant,
the voice of God
Was dividing history
For those with eyes to see,
the Son would shine
From earth that night

To break the chains
Of guilt and sin
To find us here
To pull us in
So we can join in Heaven's song
And with one voice around the throne

All the Angels filled the sky
And I can't help but wonder why
Why the King would choose to be
Be a baby born for me
Be a baby born to die

my thoughts on contractions

not kind you get during labor (i wouldn't know about those), but the shortening of words. i wanna know who made up all the rules about contractions. i bet you didn't even know there were rules...but there is!! TONS! rules you don't even know exist, but you abide by them. stay with me. examples:

"are you going to the store?" an acceptable response: "yes i'm going to the store" or "yes i am" but why can't you just say "yes i'm"?

"is that yours?" "yeah, it's mine" or "yeah, it is" why not "yeah, it's"

"are you guys going to swim?" "we're going to swim" "we are" but it's apparently against the rules to say simply say "we're."

"that would be fun" "yeah it would" "yeah, it'd be fun"..."yeah, it'd"

i know what you're thinking. well, megan, obviously the rule is that you can't use a contraction to end a sentence. NOT TRUE!

it's perfectly okay to say:

"did you do that?" "no, i didn't"

"would you go there?" "i wouldn't"

so is the rule that you can only end a sentence w/ a negative contraction? i'm not sure what the rule is...but i think it would be fun to not go by it.

(the intent of this blog was not to lower anyone's IQ or cause you to think differently of me.)

for my brother...

this is a video of my brother, Seth, and his unit in Afghanistan. his one-year wedding anniversary was November 25th, but he's only been with his wife for about 2 1/2 months of that time. pray for our troops. pray for physically safety, and emotional and spiritual strength.

"You are all beautiful, My beloved; there is no spot in you." Song of Solomon 4:7

"Ah!" I hear some timid, trembling believer say, "Such a text can have nothing to do with me! I am the very opposite of all that is beautiful and spotless. The eyes of my soul have seen hideous sights within, which I can never forget; and I loathe myself and my sin so much, that though I believe God has forgiven me for Christ's sake, I feel it impossible to take those precious words as addressed to one so sinful and imperfect as me!" Yet, trembling soul, I would bid you take courage, and look up! Christ's love for His people is marvelously set forth in this Song of Songs. The same precious blood was poured out to redeem the least lamb of the flock, as for the choicest sheep! Come, then, timid one, rejoice in the blessed fact that you are indeed precious to the Lord, and He says, "You are all beautiful, My beloved!" Adoringly bow before Him in wonder at the miracle His love has wrought in you. It ill becomes the bride of Christ to ignore His loveliness, which He has put upon her, and go about bemoaning the scars and blemishes which His great love overlooks and forgets. It is quite true that, in themselves, believers are sorrowfully imperfect and sinful; but if the Lord Jesus, in His marvelous mercy, unrobes Himself to cover over their unrighteousness, they may well be content to be thus made "beautiful" in His sight. We cannot comprehend the mystery and sublimity of Divine love; but it is the sole and all-sufficient reason for the dear Lord's estimate of us; and when He uses such endearing language, our hearts melt and are ravished by His wondrous condescension. With reverence we say it, when our dear Master deigns to address us in accents of love and admiration, our souls are thrilled with heavenly bliss, and we are uplifted beyond all the sorrows and vexations of this world, into an atmosphere of unspeakable spiritual joy! You are the fount and source of all love; oh, fill me, overwhelm me, plunge me in this sea of mercy and of grace!

-Susannah Spurgeon

and now for the face's of Elmise

Elmise decided to play a game called "make-a-sad-face-for-the-camera". she's really good at it. she would put on a real convincing sad face, then giggle and get all excited to see the picture. in no time at all, the frown was back on, ready for another picture.







then bethany comes along. at this point, she hasn't been informed of the game. so she gives her radiant smile.



Elmise informs her of the game rules. and hey, if you can't pull off a sad face...covering your eyes or sticking out your tongue is just as good!

when the saints

when i first heard this song, i thought of all the people involved in Three Angels. the ones who sacrifice their time and money. the ones who give all they have for the needs of these children and the people of Haiti. the ones who saw a need and didn't just wait for someone else to worry about it. the ones that have given an orphan a forever family. the ones who hear the call of Christ and simply obey. Thank you.


this video only shows a small portion of the saints involved with Three Angels, but thanks to everyone else that i either didn't have a picture of, ran out of song, or i simply don't even about the ways you serve TA's! and also, thanks to everyone that i stole pictures off your blogs! :)


"When the Saints was inspired by the work of International Justice Mission. Their work made me think about the people I have admired in history and made their kind of action seem more accessible. I have always admired Harriet Tubman, for instance. Her dedication to not just free herself, but to return over and over again to the place of her abuse and captivity to free over 300 others, and her dedication to physically carry her parents to Canada is beyond admirable. I have wondered if the Underground Railroad were around today, what role I would have played in it. Would I have risked friendships, finance, safety? When I learned that slavery is far from over, that there are more slaves today than in 400 years of transatlantic slave trading, that millions of those 27 million slaves are women and children, and that there is a very modern equivalent to the Underground Railroad at work today, I had to get involved. When the Saints is a celebration of people who were placed by God for certain times and events, and a prayer that I will have the strength to show up for my time. " -Sara

a tribute to the Newtons...

John Newton- slave ship captain, writer of the hymn "Amazing Grace", and mentor to William Wilberforce who helped end the slave trade in Great Britian.





and my cat, Newton. named after John of course, not Sir Isaac or fig newtons. he might not be quite as inspiring as john newton, but he's cute.

same song...

"I do not go to the Lord's table to give, but to receive; not to tell Christ how good I am, but to think how good He is. I have a great many sins and wants to tell Him of, more than would take up a lifetime; and when I have told Him all that I know of myself, it is not the half, but a very little of what He knows of me."
Rev. Thomas Adam

"It seems then, that Christians may forget Christ!...It appears almost impossible that those who have been redeemed by the blood of the dying Lamb, and loved with an everlasting love by the eternal Son of God, should forget that gracious Savior; but if startling to the ear, it is all too apparent to the eye to allow us to deny the crime...He whom we should make the abiding tenant of our memories is but a visitor there...Some creature steals away your heart, and you are unmindful of Him upon whom your affection ought to be set. Some earthly business engrosses your attention when you should fix your eye steadily upon the cross. It is the incessant turmoil of the world, the constant attraction of earthly things which takes away the soul from Christ. While memory too well preserves a poisonous weed, it suffers the rose of Sharon to wither." (not quote sure who this is from...one of the Puritans. and there's all the "...." because i left parts out, simply to shorten it)

The same song was sung in scripture....

"Behold, God is great, and we know Him not." Job 36:26

"My people are bent on turning away from Me." Hosea 11:7

and i too have the same song....

i say that i live for the glory of God...but do I?? no. i live for myself. i go to work to make money, to pay bills and so i can buy things that i desire. i don't go to work to glorify God. i don't love God as i ought. He is infinately holy and righteous, and yet I, a mere creation, decide that other things are more worth my time than the One who has created me. i love the illustration of God being the potter, and we the clay. it's easy to lose persective of being a creation. that which is created is NOTHING without it's creator. not only can a creation not exist without a creator, the moment the creator takes his hand away, the creation ceases to exist. my every breath depends on God. i could not draw another breath if God choose to withdraw His hand. my being is because of the grace of God. and yet, i forget Christ. and yet, i am more mindful of other created things than the One who created all. Father, forgive me.

time for some pictures!

with a smile like that, Hermann, you should use it more often! Neko looks a little scared...















Shanley and i having a good ol' time.





















oh, steeve...






















yes, Caleb, you're adorable
















give us bubbles!!



















Reece, you look good on the bike,
you just need to work on riding it

















nice necklace, Noah














Steven was pretending to be WaWa and chasing the other kids around














yeah...love this kid!

prayer

a while back i read a book called "The Necessity of Prayer" by E.M. Bounds. during my time in Haiti, I've been thinking back on this book and have had to ask myself the question, do i desire the things i pray for? when i pray for the kids at Three Angels, when i pray for the staff, do i really pray with desire? sure, i want what i pray for...but here's the difference: "Desire is not merely a simple wish, it is a deep seated craving, an intense ongoing for attainment." (all quotes are from Bounds)

There is no urgency or persistance to my prayers. Most of the time, i simply pray for something and then move on. "The urgency of our desire holds us to the thing we desire with a tenacity that refuses to be lessened or loosened. It stays and pleads and persists, and refuses to let go until the blessing has been granted." "pray with an earnestness that cannot be denied" "[persistant praying] never prepares itself to quit praying, and refuses to rise from its knees until an answer is received"

do i pray with fervency? Do i ache and groan inwardly with longing for my prayers to be granted? or am i simply praying because i told someone i would pray for them? "God stands pledged to give us the desire of our hearts in proportion to the fervency of spirit we exhibit when seeking His face in prayer." "The atmosphere about us is too heavily charged with resisting forces for limp and lazy prayers to make headway."

Persistance. I am not persistent in my prayers. Which goes back to my lack of desire. i want, but i do not desire. i ask, but i am not persistant. "Persistent prayer is a mighty movement of the soul toward God. It is a stirring of the deepest forces of the soul toward the throne of heavenly grace. It is the ability to hold on, press on, and wait. Restless desire, restful patience, and strength to hold on are all contained in it. It is not an incident or a performance, but a passion of soul. It is not a half-needed want, but a sheer necessity." "When the conflict gets stronger, a brave soldier displays a greater courage then in the earlier stages of the battle. So do praying Christians. When delay and denial face them, they increase their earnest asking and do not stop until the answer comes."

there is a fountain

This is one of my favorite hymns!! and i love Selah's version of it. i wanted to put a video w/ it on here...but didn't find one i liked, so i made my own. enjoy!!

random

My cars name is Scottie.

listening to the song "amazing grace" on bag pipes makes me tear up.

i hate the sound of a cat licking themselves. it's not the fact that they are licking themselves...it's just the sound. i can't stand it. it makes me mad.

i can't carry a tune. but i love music.

it's hard to choose- but probably my favorite road trip was w/ some friends from college. we went to New Orleans for a few days (before katrina) and then drove over to Florida and camped on a beach. i miss those people!!

a guy asked me for my phone number tonight at work. why did i give it to him? as soon as he said, "i have a personal question for you" i knew what was coming. i actually responded by saying "uh oh". then comes "are you single?" why can't i lie? why can't i ever just say no, actually i'm married? and then comes "do you want to go on a date sometime?" i've GOT to start saying i'm married...

my sister moved to outside of Atlanta beginning of the year. i haven't visited her yet. i had planned to at one time, but then i went to haiti instead!

i know how to say "you're nothing!" in portuguese.

i'm absolutely terrified of spiders. yes, i realize i'm bigger than them and they can't really hurt me...but they are ugly and scary nonetheless!!

and my cat is licking himself right now....

i don't cook. not that i can't....i just don't.

in high school, i worked at chuck E. cheese's. and i have worn the mouse costume. i caught myself smiling for pictures, then realizing i had a mask on, i didn't have to smile.

i have an alternate personality. her name is Peggy, she is a part of the "clan" from New York. grew up in harlem, moved to brooklyn when she was 12. she doesn't have a mother, she has two fathers, George and Henry....

a crazy guy i used to work with (not at chuck e. cheese) really did think i had an alter-ego. He insisted that my name was Becky and i had an alter-ego named Heather. he referred to me as Becky, he introduced me to ppl as Becky. i tried to tell him my name was megan, but he insisted that it was not...

my younger brother is a military police in the army and currently in afghanistan. he makes me proud!! his wife lives in Savannah, where he was stationed before he left.

christopher walken on snl is the funniest thing ever!!!

my favorite movie is "tears of the sun". go watch it right now.

i wouldn't live if peanut butter didn't exsist. manba a!!

the beauty of adoption

adopt- ORIGIN late 15th cent.: via French from Latin adoptare, from -ad 'to' + optare 'choose'

i'm not adopted. and i've never adopted a child. so i'm really not the most qualified to speak on the matter, but this is my blog, so i'm going to! but feel free to disagree, correct, or add!

i think adoption is a beautiful thing. to take someone else's child and raise him or her up as their own. it's obviously something i can't fully understand...but that's what i think is so amazing about it. when i read on a parents blog the longing and desire they have for their child that they are waiting to bring home, a child that many of them have only physically had contact with a few times, i can only believe the desire to adopt comes from God. where else would it come from?? to meet a child, or maybe having not yet met them, but have such a love that you could say "i want to bring you home as my son". these children all have different stories- some of them are at orphanges because no one loved them, some are there because someone loved them enough to try and do the best thing. but however they got there, they all now have something in common- a need. a need for a family, a need for a home. so for someone to come and say, "my family will be your family, my home will be your home." is a beautiful thing!! and is it not what Christ has done for us??

"God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." Galations 4:4-7. This verse tells us that we are born under the law and as slaves. But Christ has redeemed us so that we can be adopted as sons, no longer under the law, no longer slaves- but sons of God!! under the law we had no hope to be saved. "For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit." Titus 3:3-5. We are sons of the Most High God!! He has take us in as his family, welcomed us into his home, given us his name, and made us heirs to all that He is!! "the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God."...but we have not yet obtained our full redemption..."and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." romans 8:21;23.

Do not grow weary in your waiting!! The adoption will be more than worth it!!

some funnies

(ignore the cow. thats from chik-fil-a)
If you live in evansville and have been to the Vineyard, you might appreciate these more. But all you need to know is that the Vineyard is a christian bookstore in Evansville. just imagine the Family Christian Bookstore or Lifeway, except BETTER. and here are a few funny or just weird moments w/ customers.

a man walks in, walks to customer service and asks, "Do you guys sell shot glasses?" after informing him that we do not, he left, and then we had the idea that we should have shown him to our communion cups....

I answered the phone once like so: "thank you for calling the vineyard, this is megan, how can i help you?" the lady said she wanted to make reservations. i was confused, but i thought maybe she just meant she wanted to put a book on hold or something. so i asked her, "Reservations for what?" "For dinner" she replied. "um...we're a bookstore..."

I was up near the front of the store, when a lady came in. She looked around real quick, then whispered to me, "Is this all religious stuff?" I said yes, so she said "Oh, wrong store." and left.

Customer: Um...How do you spell Vineyard?
Customer's friend: You don't know? It's V-I-N-E-W-A-R-D.


"What, you don't think you have any Billy Graham on CD? Well, I guess we could go with cassettes. But if you're all out of those, records will be just fine."

again, i answer the phone w/ our vineyard greeting, and this time i get, "We're out of food." i hesitate, not knowing how to reply, and she continues, "We haven't had any for a couple of days." i guess i should have refered her to somewhere else, but again, the only response i could come up w/ was "um....we're a bookstore."

believe it or not, we get people all the time that think we are a winery. i guess i can't blame them too much when they call in asking us what kind of wine we have, since they just looked in the phonebook and saw "the vineyard". but when they actually come to our store...the first clue that we aren't a winery would be on the outside of the building where it says "books, music, gifts, cafe". wine is not on the list!! but still, we get it all the time. one specific time, a customer comes up to me in the cafe and says "soooo...you're not a winery?" "no" she starts to walk away, then turns around, "so why are you called the vineyard?"

Customer: "Can I ask you a question?"
Employee: "Uh, yeah."
Customer: "Why are you open on Sundays?"
Employee: Explanation...
*Note: Customer came in on a Sunday.

and last but not least, one of the running jokes at the vineyard. i'm sitting in customer service, minding my own business, doing some work on the computer. a customer is at the serivce desk, chatting with another employee that he knows. he then turns his attention to me. "why do you have your eyebrow pierced? you don't need that, you're too pretty for that" (because apparently, only ugly ppl should pierce their eyebrows) so i kinda answer him, but keep my focus on what i'm doing. (also, sidenote, at the time i had a few more piercings in my ears than i have now.) he then continues his converstion w/ the other employee, not for long though. he turns his attention back to me. (still minding my own business on the computer) "what's your name" he asks me. i tell him. then he says, "megan, what's on your mind?" i answer with the time, because it's almost time for me to get off. "no, besides that," he says, "there's something bothering you." i insist that i'm fine. he insists that i'm not. he's a pastor, so he gives me his card and tells me i can call him any time i need to. and then leaves me with this: "i'll tell you what. i'm going to put you on my prayer list. as a matter of fact, i''m going to bump you to the top."

when i don't have the answers...

i hate when i don't have the answers...when i have nothing to give to someone!! today, a woman came in (i work at a christian bookstore) wanting to find a book for her 11 year old daugther whose father had just died. i search and search, trying to find just the "right" book. as the woman and i are looking through some books, she goes on to tell me that her daughter's dad had killed himself. i mean, what kind of book do you give to an 11 year old girl whose father commited suicide?? what kind of book do you hand to a little girl and say "here, this book will fix everything. this book will heal your wounds and mend your broken heart". there is no book, there is no "magic" words to say. all i could do is unsuccessfully try to find a book for her. it's not the first time. we get it alot, a customer looking for a book for someone who's lost a parent, a child, a spouse. i always look. trying to find the right thing for them. how inadquate is that?? how lacking. but it's all i have to offer to them. a book. i just wish there was something more i could give...

"they have left their God to play the whore"

I love the book of Hosea. i love it because it's a beautiful picture of God's undying, unfailing, unconditional love for his children. before i get into that though, here's a little background info. (If time-lines and history bore you, skip the next paragraph. but since the OT isn't actually in chronological order, i find it helpful and interesting to figure out when things are happening in comparison to other events!!)

Before Israel split into two kingdoms, all the Israelites would travel to Jerusalem to worship. The people up north got tired of this travel, and decided to make their own place of worship. They built an idol in Ephraim (one of the 12 tribes), and decided they would worship their own god, instead of going to Jerusalem to worship. We now have the two kingdoms. Israel, being 10 tribes in the northern part, and Judah, being 2 tribes in the southern. Hosea was a prophet to the northern kingdom during Jeroboam II reign, which was from 793-753BC. The Israelites continued worshipping false gods, and were finally taken captive by the Assyrians in 722-721BC. When you read of Ephraim in Hosea, it is not referring to that one tribe, but all of Israel. (For it was there Israels corruption began.) okay moving on...

Hosea was commanded by God to marry a whore. This was to give Israel a picture of their relationship w/ God. They have left their God to worship objects made by man. This is to give us a picture of our relationship w/ God. We are constantly leaving our God to chase other lovers.

"For she said, 'I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.'...she shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she will say, 'i will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.' And she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, the oil, and who lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal." (hosea 2:5-8)

We have all we need in Christ. And yet, why are we always wanting something more?? We are always looking, trying to find satisfation in something else. "For the spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore." (4:12) i hope that verse grieves you as it does me. the God who gives us life, the God who sustains us, the God who gave the sacrifice of his Son so that we might be saved, that is the God we have looked in the face and said to him "what you've done is great, but i think i'm going to go see what else there is". a quote by Matthew Henry in his commentary on Hosea: "What an odious thing would it be for the prophet, a holy man, to have a whorish wife and children whorish like her! What an exericise would it be of his patience, and, if she persisted in it, what could be expected but that he should give her a bill of divorce! And is it not much more offensive to the holy God to have such a people as this to be called by his name and have a place in his house? How great is his patience with them! And how justly may he cast them off!" and yet, read chapter 11, v 8. "How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can i make you like Admah? How can i treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender." the NKJV says it like this "My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred." how beautiful is that?? the love of our God is so uncomprehendable!

"So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God." (12:6)

some pics of your children!

Evan Almighty & Todd Agnew

I went to see this movie when it first came out, if you haven't seen it yet, i recommend you do. It was a good movie, and it actually gave me a few things to think about. Or if you prefer, you can skip watching it, and just read what i got out of it.

I've grown up hearing the story of Noah. But i think a "modern-day Noah" makes the story more real. Someone building an ark isn't really something you see everyday, even in Noahs day. in fact, at this point in time, it hadn't even ever rained before. and yet, noah is told by God that water is going to fall from the sky and flood the earth. Noah had faith and was obedient. i would have probably deemed noah "the crazy guy" and mocked him. which brings me to Todd Agnew. I hadn't ever really listened to Todd much...but i must say i'm now a huge fan of his new CD "Better Questions". (he's got a really deep voice, it kinda scared me at first, but keep listening you'll get used to it) i love the honesty in his lyrics. check out this song.

If You Wanted Me

I’ll admit I’m glad we’re not disciples
Out on a lake paralyzed with fright
‘Cause I’m afraid I might have laughed at Peter
Until he stepped into that stormy night

If you wanted me to walk on water
Why’d You make the solid ground seem so right?

I’ll admit I’m glad I’m not King David
Ruling over everything I see
‘Cause I think I’ve fallen for more than Bathsheba
Your creation’s a temptation for me

If you wanted me to love you only
Why’d you make the moonlight sparkle in her eyes?

I’ll admit I’m glad I’m not John the Baptist
In a jail cell waiting for my day to die
‘Cause at least down here I know what we’re chasing
And it’s hard to trust Your dreams are so much better than mine

If you wanted me to die to myself
Why’d you make me fall so deeply in love with life?

If You wanted me to surrender
Why’d You make these hands able to hold on so tight?

And if You wanted me to be like You
Why’d You make me like me?


Now for my second "Evan Almighty" point. in the movie, after the ark is complete, Noah shouts a warning to the people. He urges them to come onto the boat to save their lives. He tells them of God's message to him. But the people simply continued to mock and ridacule him. They refused to get on the boat, because they couldn't believe that God had spoke to Noah, they couldn't simply walk by faith and believe something that seemed so unbelievable. the people wouldn't budge, but the animals started walking on. Now unless Noah was an professional animal trainer, or fluent in communication w/ every species, neither of which are mentioned in the bible, i'd say there was something else that caused them to walk on the boat. God commended them to get on the boat, and they did. i realize that animals and people aren't the same, animals don't think the way we do. but in a way, that might be a good thing. i think we think too much. in some ways, our thinking causes our disobedience. a dog will run to you when you call it. he doesn't stand there and think "well, what will you give me if i come? is there something in it for me? would i be better off staying here where i'm at?" let us take a lesson from the rest of God's creation and simply obey Him!! here's another Todd Agnew song for you:

Funny

It’s funny how a big ol’ fish can hear Your voice
Find one man in the whole ocean and swallow him whole
Because You said so
It’s funny how a little plant can hear Your voice
And grow as big as a tent to give that man a home
Because You said so

And You speak to me all the time
And I can’t obey You to save my life

Well, I can but I don’t, and I want to but I won’t
And I don’t do what I want to
I do what I don’t mean to
And I’m confused
It’s funny how a fish can obey You but I can’t

It’s funny how the bright ol’ sun can hear Your voice along its way
Stop in the middle of the sky for an entire day
Because You said so
It’s funny how a donkey can hear Your voice
And talk instead of bray to set Your child on His way
Because You said so

And You speak to me all the time
Lighting my path with Your words of life
But I can’t obey You no matter how hard I try

It’s funny how a fish can obey You
How a plant can obey You
How the sun can obey You
How a donkey can obey You
Seems like everything can obey You, but I can’t

more todd lyrics

court, jury duty, and haiti

the week before haiti was a hectic one! i thought i would be busy enough working almost 50 hours, getting things ready for my absence at work, picking up the last-minute things for my trip and packing. i then find out, after several attempts of trying to pay a speeding ticket online, that i can't simply pay the ticket, i have to go to court monday evening to take care of it. it ended up not being too horrible, though i would still say a complete waste of my time!

the fun is not over yet. i get a dreaded letter in the mail- i'm a prospective for jury duty on Wednesday. as i complain to everyone about jury duty, they all tell me not to worry about it, there's a 9 out of 10 chance there won't even be a trial. so i relax a bit. until tuesday night when i call and find out there is a trial. i call a couple of times, just to make sure. no mistaking it, i have to be at the courthouse the next morning. (yeah, i got really comfortable with the courthouse that week...) so i'm pretty bitter about having jury duty, there's so much i need to get done at work before i leave!! but when i get to the courthouse, and am sitting amoungst the other prosective jurers, i decide that this could turn out to be kinda cool. and hey, who cares what doesn't get done at work?? i should totally embrace the opportunity to miss a few hours of work. i didn't figure i would actually get picked to be on the jury. but guess what?? yes, yes i did. and i loved it!! i loved jury duty! and i got to miss more than a few hours of work, i was at the courthouse for about 8-9 hours wednesday...and the trial continued on to thursday for a good 8 hours! i didn't want jury duty at first because it was new to me, something i'd never done before, and it was disrupting my schedule. but now, i'd make a career out of jury duty if i could.

i thoght about why i liked it, and here's what i came up with: i love to decide for myself what i believe and then try and convince others why they should believe the same. i don't ride the fence or sit in grey. i like to know what i believe is true. it's either black or it's white. it's true or it's not. and once i learn and study and am able to rationally decide what is truth, i'm ready to debate with those who disagree!!

friday, i still have to work, but i get off earlier than usual. so now it's time to get ready for Haiti!!

I had a great time in Haiti, i could have stayed there much longer than a week!! which is why i'm hoping to go back sometime soon. if only money grew on trees... i think i might quit my job and put all my effort into trying to grow a money tree. i think that would be a much better investment of my time. anyway, i don't really know what to say about my trip, except that i had a great time. and i already said that. so here's some pics for you to enjoy. a picture is worth a thousand words!!