tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16299424106327514742024-03-13T03:07:28.064-04:00Bigmouth Strikes AgainMom. Wife. Designer. Friend. Christian. Freak.julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.comBlogger281125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-45201066586317891712023-04-26T13:56:00.001-04:002023-04-26T14:04:25.010-04:00In which I ponder what it means to be free... and cuss more than Nadia Bolz-Weber<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">The Gospel of John ends with this disclaimer: </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><i>Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.</i></span></span></p></blockquote>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">That is, “Here’s a bunch of stuff Jesus did, but it’s just a drop in a ginormous ocean.” </span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br />Likewise, if someone were to write down all the things I don’t understand the world couldn’t hold those books either. And lately, without much understanding, I’ve been pondering the way the Bible correlates laws and obedience with freedom. What’s that about? How are we both supposed to follow rules AND be free?</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">For instance, I’ve been reading Psalm 119—a super long one all about how the writer loves God’s laws—and I stumbled across this tidbit: </span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">I run in the path of your commandments,</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">for you have set my heart free.</span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> (Ps 119:32)</span></i></span></p></blockquote>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">And there’s also this later on:</span></p>
<blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: helvetica; font-kerning: none;">I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. (<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: none; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">Psalm 119:45</span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: none; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">)</span></span></p></blockquote>
<blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><br /></blockquote></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p></blockquote><p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the first one, maybe “I’m free, therefore I obey,” while in the second one, “I’m following the law, therefore, I’m free.” </span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Which one is it? Or are they simultaneous rather than cause and effect?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">Whatever the order, personal experience tells me that the law doesn’t FEEL all that free! As a happily married sixty-year-old, I’m not exactly a partier… I’m not likely to kill anyone, or steal anything… but that doesn’t mean I’m walking around sinless! It’s just less…. obvious.</span></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"> </span></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">In 2 Timothy, Paul reels off a list of shitty things people do, but instead of having the biggies like killing, adultery, etc., it lists less gaudy sins: </span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: none; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">being </span></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: none; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><br /></span></span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: none; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.</i></span></span></p></blockquote>
<p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">It sounds awful, and the letter says that this is how people will act when the world’s about to end… and that we should avoid these folks. But… I’m not altogether sure it doesn’t describe me! Surely, what we call in Christianese “our Christian walk” should be a move away from these descriptors. But it doesn’t feel like a walk. It’s spring in North Carolina, which means earlier in the week it was 70 degrees and pleasantly balmy, and a walk felt like I was standing still… and the next day it was 40 degrees with a frigid wind cutting right through my coat and my walk was an arctic slog. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">That’s why it’s so confusing—because being all those terrible things our bro Paul lists in 2 Timothy feels kinda natural like a warm-day walk, if I’m honest, and moving away from them would involve a hell of a lot of intention and effort… and require bulky outerwear and snowshoes. And that doesn’t feel very free AT ALL!</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Maybe the more you walk in it the freer you feel? Again, not my experience. So if you think I’m going to resolve this conflict in this blog post, you’re going to be disappointed…! The only thing I can think of is that … maybe freedom in the Kingdom of God is, like a lot of things, counterintuitive. Like how Jesus says in Matthew 20 - </span></span> </span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: none; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">So the last will be first, and the first will be last.</span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-kerning: none;">” And also </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: none; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.</span></i></span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: none; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHG-uBduPkF7w8UUjkIDtH4bWoOYzHhTdduKonA3RxRKCi77JBbiX7vG6Czx_IA28CeLowp8vL3M94Co4x00OPVyT1rCBrkrqXCqjMW4fGAJA72KI6IsCpZ2wCK9WaoDsMnU0SOGYgYgS-7VKQaMPTtp0E3wObAmxsUaJCkOjWggb0oirAfo0f8cw6/s478/hqdefault.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="478" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHG-uBduPkF7w8UUjkIDtH4bWoOYzHhTdduKonA3RxRKCi77JBbiX7vG6Czx_IA28CeLowp8vL3M94Co4x00OPVyT1rCBrkrqXCqjMW4fGAJA72KI6IsCpZ2wCK9WaoDsMnU0SOGYgYgS-7VKQaMPTtp0E3wObAmxsUaJCkOjWggb0oirAfo0f8cw6/s320/hqdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Could it be that what feels like freedom <br />is actually a trap?</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Like the bigger picture of Christ—how the people thought the Messiah would be a king like David and vanquish the Romans, but instead, he was a mellow, lowly dude that let himself get killed. And the church itself—it started with a bunch of nobodies with no power. That’s why when I see a church or leader with a lot of power, it’s a little disturbing. I mean, Jesus did say that the gates of hell wouldn’t prevail against the church, but I don’t think that meant because the church would be a frightening behemoth (Matthew 16:18). I think the Kingdom of God is more … like… subterfuge.</span></span><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: none; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">So maybe the freedom advertised in the Bible is an upside-down version. I think our biggest clue is here in John 8 where Jesus says:</span></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: none; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.</span></span> </i></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p></blockquote><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Okay, so I’m not great at interpreting the Bible but it seems like it’s saying that freedom isn’t doing whatever you want, because doing whatever you want is a trap. Like I find it so hard to NOT be the things Paul listed in Timothy because I'm TRAPPED in them. Instead, I should be buddying up to Jesus to learn what He’s about… which is this: </span></span></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;">“</span><span style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: none; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)</span></i></span></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: none; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><br /></span></i></span></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: none; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">I think maybe that’s the perfect picture of the upside-down world that He introduced. So maybe </span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">THAT’s what it looks like to be free.</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZ6DO2lRlKOCWefHlqLGnivjmg6WRjgI4Nnwsh7L3r4WUV5MbhaeJwWUDm1wEwrQw5d6kXneweJhy0wfiQGGiCNidpWN2dg-vTc5L5nmdZ29jvLQ5rL5HumwfVQiDr0_4QDHU2VP-NF-pnxk7mtHolLgp7LIsHp7p4cJC0EJ64-Z-mKMVLrN726hD/s1280/the-chosen.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZ6DO2lRlKOCWefHlqLGnivjmg6WRjgI4Nnwsh7L3r4WUV5MbhaeJwWUDm1wEwrQw5d6kXneweJhy0wfiQGGiCNidpWN2dg-vTc5L5nmdZ29jvLQ5rL5HumwfVQiDr0_4QDHU2VP-NF-pnxk7mtHolLgp7LIsHp7p4cJC0EJ64-Z-mKMVLrN726hD/w640-h360/the-chosen.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Dang, y'all - this show "The Chosen" is so good. It portrays the Jesus as a down-to-earth Dude and the disciples as a bunch of regular guys just trying to get to know Him.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Thinking all about this sort of recalls to my mind all the crazy shit about masking during the pandemic. Some people—some of them Christians, oddly—were like, “I need to be free and not wear a mask”… but is that really freedom? Maybe they’re trapped by their desire to do whatever they want? Can’t you also be free to DECIDE to wear one? Not out of fear, but because it’s just common sense and shows consideration for your fellow man?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I didn’t really understand why it was Christians who were so nutty about this. If there’s a way to love people, just do it. If there’s a way to be an asshole, just DON’T do it. Of course, that is all probably a bit too simplistic (not to mention judgmental), and I already revealed above that simply not being an asshole is not that easy… and I’m really not sure what that has to do with freedom, except I think that the overarching theme of being a Christian is love. And freedom is about choosing to do it. Choosing love over power. Like Jesus did.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><br /></p>julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-37463975369558153302023-02-11T16:34:00.003-05:002023-02-11T16:34:49.420-05:00Some stuff I maybe should have just googled?<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7r4PZXYdnl_zGsF45sS-ZGRTYDkRcXtP4B2066fQ4C3eHQKuUiT2z5aGbJJBTDfMJZS8Lv7836aDtzIfXhFFjf8g9tLApsuAIUy9n7iRwNVKjWqTRTr9ilJeQpTII28x4eiRk8LS57jYwBxOpkodkBIG0eb6RI1ZytVJXr1GYkGmxGISO0-4JOaZS/s683/iStock-132039506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="683" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7r4PZXYdnl_zGsF45sS-ZGRTYDkRcXtP4B2066fQ4C3eHQKuUiT2z5aGbJJBTDfMJZS8Lv7836aDtzIfXhFFjf8g9tLApsuAIUy9n7iRwNVKjWqTRTr9ilJeQpTII28x4eiRk8LS57jYwBxOpkodkBIG0eb6RI1ZytVJXr1GYkGmxGISO0-4JOaZS/s320/iStock-132039506.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">After having been at an Evangelical church for 35 years, it’s quite the novelty to be in a mainstream denomination again. I was raised Methodist, but for some reason, it all seems new and makes me ponder things in a different way… </span><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">At this new church, the service is very, um, structured. Like it’s the exact same things in the exact same order every single week. Of course the songs are different, and the (20-minute!!!) sermon is different, but other than that, it goes the same every time. Maybe that’s why it’s called the “order” of worship? I’m guessing this is why I can feel the timelessness of the Christian faith while I’m at this church… completing the same rituals, over and over… </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Anyway, one of the things that’s ALWAYS a part of the agenda—and the thing that has me thinking right now—is the Lord’s Prayer. You know: </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">Our Father, who art in heaven,</span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;">hallowed be thy name;</div><div style="text-align: center;">thy kingdom come;</div><div style="text-align: center;">thy will be done;</div><div style="text-align: center;">on earth as it is in heaven.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Give us this day our daily bread.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And forgive us our trespasses,</div><div style="text-align: center;">as we forgive those who trespass against us.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And lead us not into temptation;</div><div style="text-align: center;">but deliver us from evil.</div><div style="text-align: center;">For thine is the kingdom,</div><div style="text-align: center;">the power and the glory,</div><div style="text-align: center;">for ever and ever.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Amen.</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">It’s how Jesus recommended we talk to God. Simply—hitting all the basics—praising God, praying for the world, asking for food, forgiveness and to be spared from sin and evil… </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">It’s in the Bible twice, and if you read it in context, you get two different angles. In the Luke 11 version, the disciples ask Him to teach them to pray, and He gives them an outline of WHAT to pray for. Then he sort of says that God is waiting around to hear and answer prayer. He says, </span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">“</span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">” (Luke 11:13 GNT)</span></span></p></blockquote><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrem3SG_rPXieqhhmYdbUJGViZ-LTfESWz5WWwWVdBysMcXAZuADMUtft6RgPS_zPW9rTNnjyz33vCIcWgrGV4NeYHzwcQrezYCOTn96Sc3Gok4Vi_HM0zyLOMryVcW55dzV5DUGOsaigIvrXbHFcNcWoHT8fUWUJL4cZOP4uslLOcJAEoJDgdGLV/s4032/IMG_4143.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrem3SG_rPXieqhhmYdbUJGViZ-LTfESWz5WWwWVdBysMcXAZuADMUtft6RgPS_zPW9rTNnjyz33vCIcWgrGV4NeYHzwcQrezYCOTn96Sc3Gok4Vi_HM0zyLOMryVcW55dzV5DUGOsaigIvrXbHFcNcWoHT8fUWUJL4cZOP4uslLOcJAEoJDgdGLV/s320/IMG_4143.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ask for bread—get CAKE!</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br />Which is interesting… because the prayer He taught them didn’t say, “Give us the Holy Spirit”… did it? Maybe… if He gives us the Holy Spirit, we can live out the world described in the Lord’s Prayer? And voila! Prayer answered!</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Or maybe… food and such are things it doesn’t hurt to ask for, but the Holy Spirit is what we NEED, and it’s an even better answer!! Like we’re asking for bread, but He knows we need—and gives us—CAKE! </span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-kerning: none;">In Matthew, He says, </span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-kerning: none;">“...b</span><span class="text Matt-6-33" id="en-GNT-26362" style="font-family: helvetica;">e concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.” </span></span></p></blockquote><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="text Matt-6-33" style="font-family: helvetica;">I notice that asking for bread is just one line in the prayer and the rest is spiritual stuff, so maybe He's trying to give us perspective. Sure, ask for bread, but don't forget what's REALLY at stake here.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">
</span><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">And in Matthew’s version of the prayer, it’s in the context of teaching HOW to pray—attitude-wise. Like, don’t be a show-off, don’t spew out tons of words… Be private, be short and sweet: </span></span></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">“When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do, who think that their gods will hear them because their prayers are long. Do not be like them. Your Father already knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:5-9)</span></span></p></blockquote>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">It’s funny that here Jesus says God already knows what we want… but in Luke, He says, ask away! Maybe He just wants to chat? To hang out with us? Maybe when we pray we acknowledge where all the things come from?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Another thing I notice here is that He tells us it’s a private matter, but the prayer itself is PLURAL! OUR Father, give US, forgive US, lead US not… So we’re supposed to pray for everyone, but … by ourselves?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I wonder why somewhere in church history someone decided that we should all say it together? Maybe it’s just a bigger version of the disciples sitting around praying together back at the beginning of the church? </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Maybe it isn’t at all like “praying loudly on the street corners” for all to see… When we do it at our church, everybody’s just being kind of humble and looking down and mumbling it. Not in a reluctant “I don’t care” way—but in a more reflective, thinking about it way. No one’s acting all hammy to call attention to themselves.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Again, I have no idea what any of this is all about or if I’ve said anything new or true. Just kicking some stuff around in my noggin. I supposed I could have googled it before I put it out there, but where’s the fun in that?</span></span></p><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-23561569896993827592023-02-05T14:23:00.003-05:002023-02-06T10:33:26.927-05:00Myself in a Nutshell<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sneDGwOCDUsZHPgeM-DNolZ4sXWx4si5VjlLq505QWrWfwjXaH6JUtKBn-fpFqher9UhC7BUOYdRPkNrTChsoIcoJDdZIGCiEjdR0JQBL8g8ONg0fF5AjYzUPdfe01aSWoZsOjFmcR_gLKC4qGW_5-efSMDkkMOfmt1RYeyjbHOPXHFWjraMbnxO/s370/Everything_Everywhere_All_at_Once.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sneDGwOCDUsZHPgeM-DNolZ4sXWx4si5VjlLq505QWrWfwjXaH6JUtKBn-fpFqher9UhC7BUOYdRPkNrTChsoIcoJDdZIGCiEjdR0JQBL8g8ONg0fF5AjYzUPdfe01aSWoZsOjFmcR_gLKC4qGW_5-efSMDkkMOfmt1RYeyjbHOPXHFWjraMbnxO/s320/Everything_Everywhere_All_at_Once.jpg" width="216" /></span></a><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">I’m baaaaack!! Believe it or not, I’m here once again to disgorge the stuff that’s cluttering my head for your reading pleasure!</span></div><p></p></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Sooo… earlier in the year, my husband went to the movies without me! Not unusual, as sometimes there’s stuff only one of us will like. In this case, though, he went to see<i> Everything, Everywhere, All at Once </i>(hereafter referred to as <i>EEAAO</i>)… which I also wanted to see! Not that I’m mad or anything!! It actually kind of helped me out since I was a little bit in the doghouse since I had watched some stuff on Netflix that he wanted to watch together.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">All that is to say, I finally got to see <i>EEAAO</i> last night. I know I could have gone at any time, but Tom’s review had been a resounding, “Meh.” So even though I know our opinions can differ greatly, and he hardly likes anything, I wasn’t in a hurry, and what with one thing and another… I just never got around to it!</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBku3UVRWPN6h8LKrkCoypn_pTuoBYT_RNRiRrGw8JXtp9qS-ZpQ37efIwS91E-avg09egzmDb3dI9zspa1jIginQRbmsN0BeMSl1r9eofH2Z9s8n5L68INvznueqrL3QUtw9pHAdhI2-j03dPdC9BMHSd1PTYtQJ_y879oMaKUpdRQm51JBaeVrq/s946/iStock-1432895863.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="352" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBku3UVRWPN6h8LKrkCoypn_pTuoBYT_RNRiRrGw8JXtp9qS-ZpQ37efIwS91E-avg09egzmDb3dI9zspa1jIginQRbmsN0BeMSl1r9eofH2Z9s8n5L68INvznueqrL3QUtw9pHAdhI2-j03dPdC9BMHSd1PTYtQJ_y879oMaKUpdRQm51JBaeVrq/s320/iStock-1432895863.jpg" width="119" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">If you haven’t gotten around to seeing it either, here’s a brief synopsis: Evelyn, a Chinese-American immigrant is having no end of problems—she’s being audited, her husband keeps trying to give her divorce papers, her daughter is trying to leave the nest, her dad is an a**hole… you get the picture. And then a version of her husband from an alternate universe shows up and tells her how to access the abilities (kung fu, knife skills, sign-spinning) of versions of HERself from alternate universes—and she’s got to do it to save the entire multiverse.</span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br />Crazy, right? Late in the movie, I figured out that it might be more about her relationship with her daughter, but what I mostly saw was … myself! And maybe all women? We’ve got so much going on that we need to do and care about and juggle... or hold down? Work and the home and relationships and interests and spiritual life and physical health… </span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Our pastor told a story this morning about a time when his family was planning a celebration and his wife took care of everything but asked him to pick up the cake. And he did pick up the cake… but he forgot to bring it to the party! He called it a classic example of the “You had one job!” trope. What I thought while he was telling this was, “it’s never the woman who ‘had one job!’ ”</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Early on in <i>EEAAO</i>—maybe the opening scene?—Evelyn is sitting in her super cluttered apartment with all her receipts and papers she’s gathered for the IRS audit in front of her… frustrated and overwhelmed… and it’s just… like… a visual representation for what my life feels like sometimes.</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwrbda57FPXeNVLhVcab9PRG26Ck4gfTs2mUPzvsSYy6s6Cz-WdfMM9seNI8n5Ogq_WqjhGcgGVZINYwITAZbV3kyM2WfzVFC0Hfal5XmrJ7lLNEPJRe3-ceJLLF6D2gF3Jcu_XeGiCFoqMCcPAvJ3fAdufK7uFcQVKlxouEtvC0ylmHr9mvIvLYB/s4032/IMG_4118.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwrbda57FPXeNVLhVcab9PRG26Ck4gfTs2mUPzvsSYy6s6Cz-WdfMM9seNI8n5Ogq_WqjhGcgGVZINYwITAZbV3kyM2WfzVFC0Hfal5XmrJ7lLNEPJRe3-ceJLLF6D2gF3Jcu_XeGiCFoqMCcPAvJ3fAdufK7uFcQVKlxouEtvC0ylmHr9mvIvLYB/w200-h150/IMG_4118.jpeg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><i>Hold that sucker down!</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I remember hearing a story about a little boy who was autistic and went into a room with a carpet that had a big loud pattern on it. It was just too much for him to take in so he flattened himself out face down on the floor and fanned out his arms and legs and tried to hold that busy sucker down! Another good picture of what my life feels like!</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Maybe others feel more together and capable than I do, but I often have to summon abilities and perspectives, and power from someplace outside myself. And while I do ask for and receive help from the people around me, the resources of this dimension are not enough to cover all the stuff that (I think) needs to happen. Sometimes I just gotta call on God!</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br />I have no idea if He will help when I ask for the stuff that overwhelms me—like, “Please help me organize this closet.” Or “Please help me meet this work deadline.” But… I ask, because like Paschal and his wager*—I’d rather ask and not be helped than not ask and not get the help that might be available! And maybe asking is just makes me feel better... like that old hymn says: </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "segoe ui", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "apple color emoji", "segoe ui emoji", "segoe ui symbol"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "segoe ui", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "apple color emoji", "segoe ui emoji", "segoe ui symbol"; font-size: 18px;">Oh, what peace we often forfeit,</span></p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "segoe ui", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "apple color emoji", "segoe ui emoji", "segoe ui symbol"; font-size: 18px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Oh, what needless pain we bear,</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "segoe ui", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "apple color emoji", "segoe ui emoji", "segoe ui symbol"; font-size: 18px;"><div style="text-align: center;">All because we do not carry</div></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "segoe ui", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "apple color emoji", "segoe ui emoji", "segoe ui symbol"; font-size: 18px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Everything to God in prayer!**</div></span><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQIU7PtrPM-_vvv0fuyW7oasBzqpTz-p3xNv5XsWl4qbtXQm8kmevewD3l5oqicHf9WA0HybLn95iCKE8cHVkH8hwErw7odvgSUlZD6zYJ_wib1r6aVwxy-SeeVvLzdVDUXkyRcIhxKXbPC07PGQNE6b2Ooy_yp_6Jcaq76Aw0KmF4F0Qd_WuPpmT/s800/800wm.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQIU7PtrPM-_vvv0fuyW7oasBzqpTz-p3xNv5XsWl4qbtXQm8kmevewD3l5oqicHf9WA0HybLn95iCKE8cHVkH8hwErw7odvgSUlZD6zYJ_wib1r6aVwxy-SeeVvLzdVDUXkyRcIhxKXbPC07PGQNE6b2Ooy_yp_6Jcaq76Aw0KmF4F0Qd_WuPpmT/s320/800wm.jpeg" width="216" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>French philosopher Blaise Pascal <br />suggested we all bet on God.<br /> He also had nice hair!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">And maybe God’ll answer, or… maybe He’s more concerned with my soul than my garbage closet or my work deadlines. Maybe being messy or late is what keeps me from getting a big head! Because, in the economy of God, it may actually be that the more inadequate I know myself to be, the more room there is for His help. In Evelyn’s case, she’s told that SHE specifically was chosen to save the multiverse because of her ginormous amount of unfulfilled potential. Her tendency to start projects and never finish them… to never be quite good enough at anything. If I’m going to put myself in a nutshell, that would be the one!</span><p></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Our bro Paul was talking about this when he said “My [God’s] grace is sufficient for you, for My [God’s] power is perfected in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.” (2 Cor. 12:9)</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">So when I’m trying to hold everything down and painfully aware of my inadequacy, it’s helpful to think about all that power… to enjoy the notion that the phrase “everything, everywhere, all at once” can also be used to describe God!</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">*According to Wikipedia: Pascal argues that a rational person should live as though God exists and seek to believe in God. If God does not exist, such a person will have only a finite loss (some pleasures, luxury, etc.), whereas if God does exist, he stands to receive infinite gains (as represented by eternity in Heaven) and avoid infinite losses (an eternity in Hell).</span></p><div><br /></div></div></div><div>**<span style="caret-color: rgb(10, 63, 100); font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><a href="https://hymnary.org/text/what_a_friend_we_have_in_jesus_all_our_s">What a friend we have in Jesus</a> / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Author: Joseph Medlicott Scriven (1855) / Tune: CONVERSE</span></div>julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-43628324935266386612023-01-28T17:18:00.005-05:002023-10-23T14:07:33.389-04:00Squint your eyes just right and hold your head just so<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLF_ZqpHI4ekk2zz1mla8V4AQksmm8BB5ENPtt9dgMnSt9ricaKiAAS71pyPLMUtccJhPhmtr3frxpuHYmJrdLy2mMYR3olIWjt_Ate8Dvh50YR1KrdB4JWI93ryWmaq7U8M_W0lErwuNmVbtHt7qguvJ1Mq2PDpd-S5800Y6XYfc9V5o5xfoSkyoh/s1360/71Ar6xlBs2L.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="850" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLF_ZqpHI4ekk2zz1mla8V4AQksmm8BB5ENPtt9dgMnSt9ricaKiAAS71pyPLMUtccJhPhmtr3frxpuHYmJrdLy2mMYR3olIWjt_Ate8Dvh50YR1KrdB4JWI93ryWmaq7U8M_W0lErwuNmVbtHt7qguvJ1Mq2PDpd-S5800Y6XYfc9V5o5xfoSkyoh/s320/71Ar6xlBs2L.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>The book in question</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">Back in the day I wrote a ton of blog posts… if you keep scrolling down and go to “older posts,” you’ll learn more than you ever wanted to know about my quirky view of God and life and art. And I’d like to jump back into that… reflecting and opining and just generally sharing my low-key life with you. I have stuff to say… is it worth your time? Only you know that, my friend. </span></span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Anyway, I’m kicking this clambake off with a quasi book review. “Quasi” because it’s not so much a review as—“I’ll talk about the book a bit then chew on some other stuff that it stirs up in my crazy brain.” The book in question is<i> All in a Garden Green</i>, by Paul J. Willis. It falls smack dab in the middle of the Young Adult (YA) genre—and although I can’t really guess exactly what age reader it targets, I, an adult, was there for it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>All in a Garden Green</i> focuses on a young girl called Erica who goes with her family to stay in a manor house in England for a summer and finds herself slipping in and out between her time and 1578. A number of coincidences occur (weirdly, </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">she just happens to be the spitting image of the girl who lives in the house in the past)</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">, music is played on a virginal, and things get a little dicey because she doesn't really know how to act.</span></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWVLvT85IoCDvzZjTN0SnQeamyQyOK9wjwMXCYq1l_6RB132N9ofkluWSUEZFKThL8-_OBOQF1GTiyTi5PlS16kI8fdaokO1I5zkyNMI8wLCOTLbLQrJJXD5gUDa5k-oK4YrtYOuqorfl7WSsgOxGEWi4c8huPXUCyfb-Yi_X_cE91f5Qb9vFKvjr/s600/woman-playing-the-virginal.jpg!Large.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="478" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWVLvT85IoCDvzZjTN0SnQeamyQyOK9wjwMXCYq1l_6RB132N9ofkluWSUEZFKThL8-_OBOQF1GTiyTi5PlS16kI8fdaokO1I5zkyNMI8wLCOTLbLQrJJXD5gUDa5k-oK4YrtYOuqorfl7WSsgOxGEWi4c8huPXUCyfb-Yi_X_cE91f5Qb9vFKvjr/w159-h200/woman-playing-the-virginal.jpg!Large.jpg" width="159" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">If you're wondering what a <br />virginal is—it's a forerunner <br />of the piano.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">It’s far-fetched, but a fun, well-written story with a lot of things I’m a sucker for… </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">YA lit - I’m a proud binger of YA stuff like the <i>Twilight</i> and <i>The Hunger Games</i> series… Call it a guilty pleasure, call me immature… Maybe my inner teenager demands an easy, engrossing read every now and then. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cameos - I love a famous person dropping in! Like in <i>Doctor Who</i> when they meet Shakespeare or Nikola Tesla? A cool story about a time traveling teenager trying not to be discovered out of time is doubly awesome with Good Queen Bess stopping by. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">England. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Time Travel - and this is where I’m going to veer off down my own garden path… </span></span></li></ol></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKhXZ-2FhfnpJkisDuqfN90-JW3XYe_BvakM3lu4sAarjzlAK2c84bd4BPGnUfdfIFZ5pCYd6nhlHgn11riXWGP_NPBTrz-7eEOajactt-zAgxlnNYnx7nLLDLwASZGm6ZrKMN29b5jFoUtxczE_5iwRuygmzyuvfhXvBgMBh_oDLy4kMya15z9AgZ/s2448/IMG_0361.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKhXZ-2FhfnpJkisDuqfN90-JW3XYe_BvakM3lu4sAarjzlAK2c84bd4BPGnUfdfIFZ5pCYd6nhlHgn11riXWGP_NPBTrz-7eEOajactt-zAgxlnNYnx7nLLDLwASZGm6ZrKMN29b5jFoUtxczE_5iwRuygmzyuvfhXvBgMBh_oDLy4kMya15z9AgZ/w200-h200/IMG_0361.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Yeah, I love me some </i>Outlander</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">There’s a whole slew of fiction that spins yarns about time travel, and I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve had periods of obsession with Diana Gabaldon’s <i>Outlander</i> series. The “science” that it offers is that there are particular places—in this case, a stone circle—where the veil between time periods is thin, and people can go back and forth into different times. In this case, a lady from the 1940s stumbles into it and ends up in Scotland in 1745. All sorts of adventures ensue, including lots of love and sex and war and treachery and so forth. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GCACDa1xnGn0YBWIHDfn7jF2uz9pL8-wwDjpya9z9W0JhTcqJULwMVVtawkNA2Bjtf3vtqAao0jzU1bc9tn2okpTAcAufAeR0Q6qbwqGF_HLuc8bCmnlVU1YHy6R_CErPNiVEAVo2gYzzbEu6H0jXxNgBL08dIpye2eKv1bQULEtEbxL9X1kATh1/s3264/IMG_0477.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GCACDa1xnGn0YBWIHDfn7jF2uz9pL8-wwDjpya9z9W0JhTcqJULwMVVtawkNA2Bjtf3vtqAao0jzU1bc9tn2okpTAcAufAeR0Q6qbwqGF_HLuc8bCmnlVU1YHy6R_CErPNiVEAVo2gYzzbEu6H0jXxNgBL08dIpye2eKv1bQULEtEbxL9X1kATh1/w150-h200/IMG_0477.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>All hallows eve... <br />a time for haints?</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Because I’m slightly obsessed with what it was actually like the past, the idea that there would be places where the veil between time periods is thin fascinates me. Obviously this manor house that Erica summers at in <i>All in a Garden Green</i> is just such a place. She’s loitering in the hall in the present day, then turns a door knob and *<i>poof</i>*—she's in the 16th century, where she struggles to avoid being outed as a time traveler. It's like the premise of the British show <i>Torchwood</i> where there’s a “rift” in time and space at a particular place in Wales where creatures and objects from other times and worlds would come through and the protagonists have to deal with it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGP_tXbYkZnft4Kk75UlVm3knHPJRItzwdlYy4h7uvt81-H4gKqQS4pHQLkIIwMVgsfMkEgd0MUobFtWspqno-i870OqSnsR3lMU0gP_bpU-xdd8l4VbrB6mSBEzGfSj6d2Bl5Y4I_98wN4KI4rdeHJgEKWXh5vUgd1A28WZhffSDpayA5lTroqs8q/s594/filters-quality(70).jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="396" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGP_tXbYkZnft4Kk75UlVm3knHPJRItzwdlYy4h7uvt81-H4gKqQS4pHQLkIIwMVgsfMkEgd0MUobFtWspqno-i870OqSnsR3lMU0gP_bpU-xdd8l4VbrB6mSBEzGfSj6d2Bl5Y4I_98wN4KI4rdeHJgEKWXh5vUgd1A28WZhffSDpayA5lTroqs8q/w133-h200/filters-quality(70).jpeg" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pure T creepy!</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s also a bit like the spooky idea that Halloween is a time when the veil between the spirit world and the physical world is thin and that’s why there might be ghosts about. For ancient Scandinavians, winter solstice was another time with a skimpy veil… and that's why the Brits tell ghost stories at Christmas. Charles Dickens really played it up, and now it’s a tradition that lives on over the pond. He did so much for the season, our Charles. Tom and I spent some time this year watching a series called <i>A Ghost Story for Christmas</i> on BritboxTV. Some of these creepy little vignettes will make the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up! Like the one about the man whose wife is in a dementia ward but also haunting him at a lonely seaside hotel. PURE T creepy!! </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1Yx-5p9MoExqhAu_5mMZe7u01rHfHg_xbZTrMlf44wuchIFXqfxtJFfn4kTg-xdtXz27KWa0CsCcZorX6IAVK48p_YK_GsUtwI73vLgaBUFQw4NoN_mTVqFpbtc-wcfwqTuGseyTy8gNrzYQUfFtjjsOcSglcmXzaBAP4mR-Iq3DfB_zep5GKkKQ/s1440/322188366_5768717146540519_9078649785469885414_n.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1Yx-5p9MoExqhAu_5mMZe7u01rHfHg_xbZTrMlf44wuchIFXqfxtJFfn4kTg-xdtXz27KWa0CsCcZorX6IAVK48p_YK_GsUtwI73vLgaBUFQw4NoN_mTVqFpbtc-wcfwqTuGseyTy8gNrzYQUfFtjjsOcSglcmXzaBAP4mR-Iq3DfB_zep5GKkKQ/w320-h240/322188366_5768717146540519_9078649785469885414_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Where time and space bleed together</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">“Thin” places and seasons where other worlds and times bleed through are, of course, firmly in the realm of fantasy and superstition. I know that. But… then again... isn’t church ACTUALLY just such a place? A scene where both time and the spiritual world bleed through? Hear me out: the Sacraments—like Baptism and Holy Communion—are meant to “impart divine grace.” So… they’re conduits of the spiritual world into the physical. And the old songs we sing... and the ancient God we worship... People have being doing these things since church was a thing. Occasionally, when I’m in church… if I squint my eyes just right and hold my head just so, I can almost see backward and forward through time, as Christians of all the ages that ever were and ever will be invite God into their midst by performing the rites and liturgy of the ancient church. It’s a beautiful thing, and I’m 100% there for it… this meeting of worlds and times… this place of magic and coincidence. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Anyhoo… now we get to the part of the blog where I have a hard time wrapping it up… If you’re new here, you might be thinking, “Wow, she needs an editor!” Or “She didn’t end anywhere near where she started!” And you’d be right! I mean, what happened to Erica in the garden green? Did she get away with it? Did Queen Elizabeth I call her on her bullsh*t? As we used to say in our 4th grade oral book reports: “Read the book to find out!”</span></div>julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-54091392791221571402022-11-25T18:04:00.013-05:002022-11-28T13:45:21.818-05:00Momentous, Scary, and a Relief All at the Same Time (with copious exclamation points!!!)<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hey, y’all!</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It’s been a while, right? Things have certainly moved right along since last I wrote. It’s been MORE THAN A YEAR! Four (or is it five?) vaccines later, and we’re back to semi-normal. I mean, I still wear a mask sometimes… sometimes not. There’s not really any rhyme or reason to it. Weirdly, everyone in my immediate family—and most of my extended family—has remained COVID free. Not sure why or how, but I’ll take it!</span></span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2SQpAKyx_MgIX5ghBQe9e4qhu91LhN26G5OZDW7LEtKQxOfm3xPvmdr7sC8cUMrXL3zrMo6IwRxy_UFLwjj7xes3dZ5CcNG9vPt54sBaenSJWqqrSYl_8JzK_2X88T9mjodYJH3lCL3ADdoaneGDRkv1AN9DXkm-QIwK_I9T75WXVZdeUb7hiH16/s4032/IMG_2608.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2SQpAKyx_MgIX5ghBQe9e4qhu91LhN26G5OZDW7LEtKQxOfm3xPvmdr7sC8cUMrXL3zrMo6IwRxy_UFLwjj7xes3dZ5CcNG9vPt54sBaenSJWqqrSYl_8JzK_2X88T9mjodYJH3lCL3ADdoaneGDRkv1AN9DXkm-QIwK_I9T75WXVZdeUb7hiH16/s320/IMG_2608.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Bill's in COLLEGE, y'all...!!!!!</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In other news, Bill’s been in college! His first choice was Tom’s and my alma mater (the mother of our souls?) UNC-Chapel Hill… since it has his fields of study (folklore and music.) It’s worked out GREAT for us! We get to see him all the time, but he’s also been learning some independence skills. He’s rooming with his BFF from first grade, Henry, and having a pretty successful first year—despite subsisting on a diet of pasta and desserts.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Meanwhile Tom and I are getting used to our empty nest… We’ve established some new routines —Tuesdays at the movies, Saturdays at the Farmer’s Market, shows at the Cradle whenever we feel like it... It sort of feels like we’re on a perpetual date! Not bad for a couple of old folks, I’d say! (Look how many exclamation points I'm using!!!)</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our other big thing is that we’re attending a new church now, after many, many years of being at our old church (35 for me, 20 for Tom). I used to unreservedly recommend our old church quite often—both in this blog and when I wrote a column for the now defunct Chapel Hill News. We had great music, the leaders and the people were sweet, and it was full of love and grace. They really saved my life at a time when it seriously could have gone either way. They were really like a family to me.</span></span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJJ51eX8lvBmy2yTG6Ev72ufvFApAmW0fVTOveN8774s7bo6dc0O_fXepRrjlJl2HB6gg5G6MCSUMd8d92KxJC8mQwM69QqUS4IrNBHYhivAa9NPd-K8H2zhGyJGW1Tm15JZxbBRLR27O3e3BrW90paK_HeOW9xuL6jF2CLnQo4UR6aLOq7yTZ6ek/s1102/2CBC08F6-66FE-4450-8388-8288F96ADEB0_1_105_c.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1102" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJJ51eX8lvBmy2yTG6Ev72ufvFApAmW0fVTOveN8774s7bo6dc0O_fXepRrjlJl2HB6gg5G6MCSUMd8d92KxJC8mQwM69QqUS4IrNBHYhivAa9NPd-K8H2zhGyJGW1Tm15JZxbBRLR27O3e3BrW90paK_HeOW9xuL6jF2CLnQo4UR6aLOq7yTZ6ek/s320/2CBC08F6-66FE-4450-8388-8288F96ADEB0_1_105_c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Just a coupla empty-nesters<br />out on the town!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But now… it’s been so heartbreaking for me, but I really can’t recommend it any more. It still has good music, and has many of the same sweet people in attendance... but the current leadership seems </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">more interested in numbers, money, and self-protection than in</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> actual love and grace. I have been giving them the benefit of the doubt for quite some time—but so many people have been hurt by their actions. A group of us have been trying to advocate for change and healing, but it’s becoming evident that we’re getting nowhere. And while I would still love to see change and healing, I’m going to have to work for it from afar.* </span></span><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Anyway, this new place we’re going is a mellow, sweet, neighborhood Methodist church. It's a bit heavier on liturgy than sermon, which is fine—I mean, I've probably got enough sermon minutes stored up to last me a while... The people are warm and friendly, and having grown up Methodist, it’s all very familiar and comfortable to me. Added bonus: no one is yelling at us, talking down to us, being bitingly sarcastic, or passing their own narrow view as Gospel truth. </span></span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And I know that no church is perfect. Of course every church has problems! But I just couldn’t keep affirming </span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">with my presence and offerings </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">a place where people were being hurt. And this new place may have its own troubles, but for now I’m going to show up, sing the hymns, and rest in it.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And that’s our news. If you’re not into church, it might not seem like a huge deal, but to me, it’s momentous and scary and a relief all at the same time. So… if you’re reading this hold me up in your prayers… as well as our previous church. I know I’m not giving specifics, but He'll know who you’re talking about!</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">*I say this all with complete acknowledgment that I myself am a lousy, hypocritical mess... and I could be totally wrong.</span></p></div>julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-83288215035933150242021-05-10T17:46:00.004-04:002021-05-11T17:41:17.753-04:00Greetings from my lockdown house!<div class="separator"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaTeYRkAIoz_9ImixaHWEls4jneYEBf3Ys_uK0BMi-vKcKEeOpOENaMeAi3Gr46G_f5oWkYsZ54bQRSmMfKfPgtLoKpo5BKWH2VunJVdCegDYYjIrMedK0VdZuUjUc6qcKDHYuXH2NA4/s5320/Untitled-2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5320" data-original-width="591" height="1476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaTeYRkAIoz_9ImixaHWEls4jneYEBf3Ys_uK0BMi-vKcKEeOpOENaMeAi3Gr46G_f5oWkYsZ54bQRSmMfKfPgtLoKpo5BKWH2VunJVdCegDYYjIrMedK0VdZuUjUc6qcKDHYuXH2NA4/w166-h1476/Untitled-2.jpg" width="166" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Top to bottom: sourdough<br />bread made by my own two<br />hands... puzzle in progress...<br />Advent calendar for an added <br />dimension to our Christmas <br />celebration... cake made from<br />matzoh bread for Passover... <br />socially distanced July 4th<br />mmm... charcuterie from <br />Fearrington... homemade <br />candy... fab new shoes...<br />and Y'ALL I CAN DO <br />A CROW POSE! </span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>So, just for kicks, I was scrolling through my blog - or I guess I should say, my OLD blog since I haven’t posted anything since JULY 26, 2019!!! What’s that about? Especially since I’ve had a buttload of time during the pandemic to write. </span></div><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But did I use the gift of time to share my faith and other musings in written form? No. You know how I spent the days that stretched out before me this past year? Well, I pursued a number of useful and useless endeavors:</span></p>
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Like everyone else, I tried baking bread… I started and nurtured a sourdough starter, baked a couple of tasty loaves, but then… I lost interest, and my starter took on the appearance of a science project. (Fun fact: One of my ancestors was instrumental in developing a more efficient strain of penicillin – so that enough vaccine could be produced and made available to the Allied troops in time for the D-Day landings!)</span></li></ol>
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I did jigsaw puzzles – including some that were massively complicated!</span></li></ol>
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I participated in Zoom meetings and live-streamed church services, concerts, author readings, lectures, fundraising events… If it could be streamed, I logged on. In a way it was easier, right? No need to make the huge commitment of getting dressed, getting in your car… Honestly, I’m really spoiled now. Although I miss live music, it might be hard for me in the future to take those extra steps to be present at events! And I’m an extrovert!! I can’t imagine how introverts must feel!</span></li></ol>
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I watched re-runs of the <i>Great British Baking Show</i>, and tons of cooking videos on Facebook… Why is it so soothing to watch someone frosting a cake on a rotating plate? With plenty of time to cook, I tried to replicate some of the things I saw, but nothing ever looked like stuff in the videos! </span></li></ol>
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I endeavored to turn every holiday up to eleven within the confines of our home. In a normal year we are holiday people –any occasion to eat seasonal candy, decorate the house, give presents… but, as I said, I tried to amp the special days up any way I could... mostly with special takeout meals – preferably from Fearrington, Angus Barn or Crook’s Corner — but also some other flourishes! Like, for Christmas, which at our house is usually already at 11, we went just that much further and lit an Advent wreath and did a little scripture reading every Sunday. And, for Valentine’s Day I MADE candy. Specifically, Golden Oreo truffles and chocolate pizza… Both of which were decadent enough to make your teeth hurt, but oh-so-good. We celebrated the election like we were Joe Biden himself! We even gave a nod to some holidays that are outside of our purview!</span></li></ol>
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We made our own holidays! Even our Saturdays have become de facto holidays. Tom has been the program director and chief engineer of our weekly movie nights, which begin with an early dinner, followed by a wacky Three Stooges short, a cartoon (Looney Tunes or Disney), a serial (Gene Autry anyone?) and then the night’s feature. The features vary widely and are tailored toward Bill… from 70s fare (<i>The In-Laws, The Taking of Pelham 123, Jaws</i>) to classics (<i>Sunset Boulevard, Treasure of Sierra Madre, The Searchers</i>) to easy fun stuff (<i>Raising Arizona, True Stories</i>.) After that, we might or might not watch Svengoolie’s offering on Me.TV. This is the point when I usually fall asleep… if I haven’t already! In nice weather, Tom set up a screen outside and we invited our friend Grace over and had a little socially distanced BYO party out there! </span></li></ol>
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I went shopping. I couldn't go to stores, but I also couldn't ignore the store that was just looking me in the face every time I sat down to work! And weirdly, I bought shoes. Not sure why, since I mostly wore the same three pairs of shoes all year! UGG boots indoors, checkerboard vans for rare forays into the outside world, and running shoes for working out. Because that’s something else I spent an inordinate amount of time doing. </span></li></ol>
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<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I love working out, but in normal times, I tend to do the minimum amount of exercise to achieve a moderate amount of fitness. I'm a big fan of <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/12/12/676149542/this-22-minute-workout-has-everything-you-need">this 22-minute workout</a> advocated by NPR. But now, suddenly, with nothing but time on my hands... well... I did yoga, pilates, step aerobics, HIIT workouts, weightlifting, core work, stretchy band exercises, countless pushups… you name it. I started out revisiting old videos like <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1kp9fbBoqA&t=3235s">Cher Fitness: A New Attitude</a></i>, and graduated to the intricate steps and tough strength routines of <a href="https://cathe.com">Cathe Friedrich</a> and the vigorous downward dogging and yoga flowing to the pumpin' playlists at <a href="https://bulldogonline.com">Bulldog Yoga</a>. Y’all I can do the crow pose! And side crow! Heck, I’m probably fitter now at nearly 59 than I’ve been in a LONG time!</span></li></ol>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">BUT… why, oh why, didn’t I write? Wasn’t there stuff to say? You bet there was! What with the awful pandemic, forced self-isolation, an election fraught with controversy, increasing racial tensions, a crazy insurrection… Did I have an opinion on any of this? You bet I did! Why didn’t I write about it?</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I guess I was… well… I think the term is “listless”… </span></p>
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</div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">list·less</span></p></div><div class="separator"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">/ˈlis(t)ləs/</span></p></div><div class="separator"><p style="color: #dca10d; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="separator"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">adjective</span></i></p></div><div class="separator"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">adjective: <b>listless</b></span></p></div><div class="separator"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">(of a person or their manner) lacking energy or enthusiasm.</span></p></div></blockquote><div class="separator">
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yes, I think that’s the word. Although I do have plenty of lists believe you me! To-do lists, to-cook lists, to-clean lists, to-read lists, grocery lists, shopping lists, Christmas lists, top-ten lists… You name it, I have a list. What I didn’t have was energy or enthusiasm, as specified in the definition above. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But I was thinking about writing. Non-stop. And what I mostly wanted to tell y'all... is how even when we feel like things are falling apart around us, God is still the King of the Universe who will, in time, make everything all right. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And I know that’s easy for me to say… all things considered I’ve had a pretty easy time of it. My sister posted one of those memes about "which lockdown house would you choose?" and after considering my options, I had to admit that my house was just as good as most of those. I mean, sure we don’t have a private beach or a hot tub, but our backyard is pretty spacious, and we do have plenty of pizza and beer and snacks and chocolate and coffee and books and Netflix and what have you… </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: helvetica; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="836" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zuWk3XCTXh-CEHbNCAGuYJlMiwEaOw7kc_RsZuG21i0N3CS6Lh1r2361OhniLoUyw6jIcFbCrzc-a-v6wRUFIq8Kc9QuWkR1RTY7qP4RkpkRv022Kf_LsBeklQ1c9ljwl5n1yWcrBUs/w174-h200/173135941_3801690983250078_3492988755010963847_n.jpg" width="174" /></span>Anyhoo, what I mean to say is that I guess it’s easy for me to make the assertion that everything’s gonna be all right… But it’s really there in the Bible. And it doesn’t refer to just steady employment, no more COVID or a president we can get on board with. Because these things… and the things in your lockdown house - the pizza and beer and such… they're not going to get very far in filling that God-shaped hole in your soul that Blaise Pascal talked about so eloquently? But that’s what the Bible’s is all about… Filling that gaping hole. Dig these words from Revelation 21:</span></p><p></p>
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</div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”</i></b></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i> </i></span></b></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”</span></i></span></b></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/149npivRF64G-9odaou-bwk6i6RG25Xzm/view?usp=sharing" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1631" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitE63keVeSSsazuMEItpI9EaI5_QumeL3col8UMazM6fPJm6KT0rQyA3KrQnP5hCqLHVAbwnGZIOlYzgGIKXFOhF04YKOMhfVv_R3mcXB-Bxwau-nn5OEPP43h84C4I5xt2LBLB2bcznI/s320/Revelation%252BColoring%252BPage.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Click to download this sweet coloring page!</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i> </i></span></b></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: helvetica;"><b><i>He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.</i></b></span></p></div></blockquote><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Thing is, y’all, I believe that this refers to real, physical events that are actually going to occur. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">AND ALSO this real, happening thing will ACTUALLY fill the gaping hole! </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I don’t know the particulars beyond what's written above*, but I do believe it’s a real thing that’s 100% going to happen!** </span></div><div class="separator"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And not that I hate life or anything… in fact my life is pretty sweet… I live in an awesome lock-down house! That said, regarding<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY" target="_blank"> the end of the world as we know it</a>, Lenny Bruce is not afraid, and neither am I! </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>*Jesus said: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32)</i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>**I guess that might sound like a crazy assertion, but when you're one of those crazy Christians, it comes with the territory!</i></span></p></div>julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-73560122959181211572019-07-26T07:53:00.002-04:002019-07-27T15:47:23.675-04:00Listen, y'all...<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhTH27SJKfD5WMco_aNCEDiC-gmkCTbe9n7edDdovfBDZfZDxeri9OVD7l4Q_nTI3dYQdr7FCtWdg9qQ7f5HH8zor8CojuNSJFRNDHImK1TmukVPcMDF6h-J141QZoQU_KdvHRY5dSY0/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="1270" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhTH27SJKfD5WMco_aNCEDiC-gmkCTbe9n7edDdovfBDZfZDxeri9OVD7l4Q_nTI3dYQdr7FCtWdg9qQ7f5HH8zor8CojuNSJFRNDHImK1TmukVPcMDF6h-J141QZoQU_KdvHRY5dSY0/s320/image.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay, so I’m sitting here watching the Mueller testimony and it’s just making me kind of mad… I mean, I’m already mad, as stated previously, but now I’m mad at more people! I guess I should have said I am LISTENING to it, rather than watching it, as I have the screen minimized, so the thing about that is, I can’t see what party each questioner belongs to… until they start talking...!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because you can tell from what they ask and how they ask it. That is to say, the Democrats read the guy’s report as an indictment of the president, and the Republicans read it as an exoneration… and each examiner has been questioning accordingly, seeking to pull out of Mueller validation of their own stance. One guy even kind of yelled at him for “perpetuating injustice.” These folks are supposed to be QUESTIONING Robert Mueller, but I don’t see any evidence that any of them care about the answers. No one is listening, are they?</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Jim Lauderdale wants us all to listen...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I see a huge amount of the same kind of thing on social media… We post snarky status updates, share articles and pointed memes… But you know what we don’t do? Listen. Of course I can’t see what everyone’s doing when they see a political post… are they reading it and pausing to absorb it, researching the claims, validating the source, comparing it with things that they know to be true? Somehow I doubt it. I know I’m not. Not very often anyway.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKZyCooJRg_bxpu3P-_4EbujpaS1YFcDip3NjXAPC2xGk_mrIUAMhvO0UGMnnaO9-QXSAuZDA2no6FsOUWcdRG7xqecJco4BKb5UiPrfIYvK0ozijrFowThT5E9IEYFG5PrNFmqVHQCw/s1600/jimlauderdaletaichi-1024x683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKZyCooJRg_bxpu3P-_4EbujpaS1YFcDip3NjXAPC2xGk_mrIUAMhvO0UGMnnaO9-QXSAuZDA2no6FsOUWcdRG7xqecJco4BKb5UiPrfIYvK0ozijrFowThT5E9IEYFG5PrNFmqVHQCw/s320/jimlauderdaletaichi-1024x683.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>He does Tai Chi in the video!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, I don’t post or comment much about politics, but I read some of the posts. And rather than pausing to consider each assertion, I’m more apt to blindly click “like” when a post confirms my prejudices or mutter “kook” when it doesn’t… That’s why, when I heard the song, <i>Listen</i> by Jim Lauderdale, I was cut to the bone. Click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csSqgqzv1Zw" target="_blank">here</a> to watch the video – check out his Tai Chi movies!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“You don’t know everything,” he tells me… “You don’t know lots of things.” Well, you may beg to differ, but I don’t really consider myself a pompous windbag. Nonetheless, I need to take in the basic ideas that Jim is putting out there:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">If you believe you're always right / </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You’re wrong, and that's an oversight / </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nobody's right that much of the time / </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you've got all the answers, who's asking all the questions? / </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No one can get a word in edgewise</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wonder who Jim was thinking about when he wrote this? Maybe he was watching a congressional hearing… or maybe he was on Facebook! He might have even been in church! In many venues, I see a serious lack of humility—on both sides. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Listen, listen, listen / </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Try not to talk for a while / </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Listen, listen, listen / </span></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even though that's really not your style…</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maybe the humble folks just aren’t speaking up…? I guess this post isn’t for them… The hilarious thing is that when I first heard the song, I thought, “So-and-so really needs to hear this.” Haha! Physician heal thyself!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, I just wanted to put this song out in the blogosphere because it makes a fair point for our times… LISTEN, y’all.</span></div>
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-74131615468321837152019-07-22T17:00:00.001-04:002019-07-22T17:03:59.053-04:00Scrambled Eggs with a Massive Side of Spoilers!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHE6KBmHLf7Wla8S9ycuzXD0A3odmzHbuUJWIwLDs3OLMNxFcjr4s4Y0Iz6mgzKwthvpCBV93F7n8dTLh27fXo4rylgmaL6Ae2VNJ80wHx290uFFSSqlIPLhqVxEykKXcUzj4uAeFank8/s1600/57475.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1080" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHE6KBmHLf7Wla8S9ycuzXD0A3odmzHbuUJWIwLDs3OLMNxFcjr4s4Y0Iz6mgzKwthvpCBV93F7n8dTLh27fXo4rylgmaL6Ae2VNJ80wHx290uFFSSqlIPLhqVxEykKXcUzj4uAeFank8/s640/57475.jpeg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Remember that episode of <i>Seinfeld</i> where Kramer would have a sort of weird physical reaction and fall down whenever he heard Mary Hart’s voice? I have a similar (though I don’t actually fall down) reaction to a person often heard on TV these days – I’m not going to say who, but it rhymes with Bonald Bump… But that’s not what this is about… </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">See, a friend of mine had that same kind of “this is killing me” reaction when he heard about the movie <i>Yesterday</i>. Surely you know the premise of the movie – I’ve procrastinated in writing about this so long that you’ve probably already seen it… or at least the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0irKUtaCaU" target="_blank">trailer</a>? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just in case you haven’t seen it, stop reading RIGHT NOW, go see the movie and come back… because there will be <b>MASSIVE SPOILERS</b>, my friend… So, if you’re thinking, “I haven’t seen the movie and I’m not going to,” here’s your synopsis: A massive supernatural blackout occurs and when the world comes to, the Beatles never existed. And THAT’S what causes such a visceral reaction in my friend—he doesn’t want to even think about a world, even a fictional one, where that particular configuration of musicians making that particular brew of music never existed.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LZYVzkdm4P7_kD0XBFiRauUtSzO3RdYlind8kd-vJagoSnkQbu-CdDcYd580Qq-7MnNMEdd2GKuQxBI-Ir3kLHuq-I8vIzhJp7lPF9njE8xpfpESl0Nayjgs2u_WOZhyphenhyphenb5R1L8-qlqE/s1600/2013-Porsche-911-GT3-R-huge-spoiler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LZYVzkdm4P7_kD0XBFiRauUtSzO3RdYlind8kd-vJagoSnkQbu-CdDcYd580Qq-7MnNMEdd2GKuQxBI-Ir3kLHuq-I8vIzhJp7lPF9njE8xpfpESl0Nayjgs2u_WOZhyphenhyphenb5R1L8-qlqE/s320/2013-Porsche-911-GT3-R-huge-spoiler.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>How's this for a massive spoiler?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It IS a disturbing thought, but I went to see it anyway. I love the Beatles, I’m always thinking about “what ifs,” and then there’s the star of the movie: Himesh Patel, the guy who used play the haplessly nervous market inspector, Tamwar Masood, on <i>Eastenders</i>! And I’m obsessed with that show!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, in <i>Yesterday</i>, Patel plays Jack, a discouraged, failing musician who miraculously retains his memory of the Beatle’s music despite the blackout… When he realizes that no one in the world has heard of the Beatles (only of beetles) or their songs, he begins performing them, passing them off as his own, and becomes 1. friends with Ed Sheeran, and 2. crazy famous.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So that’s the set-up. I don’t know if I can weave my reflections into a well-ordered essay, so I’m just going to say a couple of things I’ve been thinking… </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. In the beginning of the film, we see Jack struggling to become a successful musician. He nearly quits, saying that he might as well go back to teaching. There’s also a romantic component with his manager, who is played by Rose from <i>Downton Abbey</i>… She loves him, but he’s put her in the friend zone. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Himesh Patel as Tamwar Masood on Eastenders</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then this miracle happens and WHAM! Jack’s got everything he ever wanted! A successful music career! Famous friends! Worldwide adulation! It’s probably a cliché, but I’ll say it anyway: so often, when we want something so bad, and finally get it …. it’s just not that great. And we find out that what we already had was pretty darn amazing. When I was young, all I ever wanted was to be thin. Then I finally got it, and … well, it actually was kind of great … but it also almost killed me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That said, sometimes we need to get what we want to find out what we need… which might be something that we already have, or we might realize that there is something we should otherwise be pursuing. In my case, I thought I had to be thin to be loved, but I learned through all my troubles that I already HAD love! From my family, my friends, but most of all from GOD HIMSELF. Now He's a worthy life pursuit!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In Jack’s case, he already had 1. Rose from <i>Downton Abbey</i>, 2. great friends, 3. a close family, 4. fun making music. He had also already had a meaningful career. Don’t get me wrong I KNOW how hard teaching is… I’ve seen the toll it takes on people. But it can also be very helpful and worthwhile… sharing yourself with kids, coming alongside them in their formative years. But of course, our society would have us believe that unless you are a rock star, a millionaire, an incredible athlete, or a CEO or something… you’re not a success. In <i>Yesterday</i>, Jack gives in to this falsehood... for a while.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Make no mistake – I LOVE the Beatles. I will never grow tired of listening to their songs–except maybe <i>Across the Universe</i> or <i>The Long and Winding Road</i>—but this film operates under the assumption that the songs themselves are the totality of what made the Beatles a phenomenon. YES, the songs are just… so good… but it was more than that! It was that four good-looking boys with great chops, amazing stage presence and saucy personalities showed up right when we needed them! It was those dapper suits and charming mop-tops! It was having George Martin to help them put their ideas on record... It was all things converging to create a great sonic boom in our culture. So… if a regular joe just came in and sang the songs…? Would it be the same? I don’t know. That’s what I’m asking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. In his journey, Jack manages to meet an actual Beatle… and since I warned you about the spoilers, I can tell you that it is John… who is, without the burden of having been a Beatle, just a guy… An artist. A hermit. ALIVE. Bill and I discussed why they decided to portray John… Personally, I think they chose John because he’s the one we most want to see! His life was beautiful and painful, his death was tragic… and even if this alternate world lacks certain key elements – ie. a huge catalog of fantastic songs – it has John Lennon in it… living a life that’s subtle and peaceful. Isn’t that what John wanted? Peace?</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>A world without the Beatles? No thanks.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. Since we’re spoiling things, I’ll tell you that Jack eventually decides not to profit from the songs that everyone is digging… and thinks he wrote… because… well, because John told him he knew he would do the right thing. And because Jack knew that the songs didn’t belong to him. Of course they didn’t belong to John, Paul, George and Ringo either in that reality, but a world without them was unthinkable… so I guess they kind of belonged to the world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In our reality, I'm not actually sure who they belong to, but… no matter who holds the piece of paper, they kind of also belong to our world. They’re part of our LORE… They are in us and all around us all the time. I guess that’s why my friend doesn’t want to think about a world without them. It would be like losing a part of himself.</span></div>
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(<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">"Scrambled eggs, oh, my baby, how I love your legs…" were the original place-holding lyrics for </span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><i>Yesterday</i>.)</span></span></div>
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-59002494814489090582019-07-09T16:21:00.001-04:002019-07-13T15:59:56.584-04:00Is it too late to write about Pulp Fiction, y'all?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OyixK2EhAQZCjs1m6fw5YPzrp4pOGXq-zD0yrYmwOQ6feAbAk-RDzP5a9Gu9DNvlC89cfKOaFCJVuuUp5MUjRBTGfgFHbMG0Qe7tuSQDEQCzR_f4ef5H2ikMCO-W9JPHYeXsC2IM_1U/s1600/carolina_1940s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OyixK2EhAQZCjs1m6fw5YPzrp4pOGXq-zD0yrYmwOQ6feAbAk-RDzP5a9Gu9DNvlC89cfKOaFCJVuuUp5MUjRBTGfgFHbMG0Qe7tuSQDEQCzR_f4ef5H2ikMCO-W9JPHYeXsC2IM_1U/s1600/carolina_1940s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="503" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OyixK2EhAQZCjs1m6fw5YPzrp4pOGXq-zD0yrYmwOQ6feAbAk-RDzP5a9Gu9DNvlC89cfKOaFCJVuuUp5MUjRBTGfgFHbMG0Qe7tuSQDEQCzR_f4ef5H2ikMCO-W9JPHYeXsC2IM_1U/s320/carolina_1940s.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">So… summer, movies… The sweaty gloopiness of your typical North Carolina in summertime is easily defeated by a two-hour refrigeration period in the chilly darkness of a movie theater… Especially when it's a gorgeous historic venue like downtown Durham's Carolina Theater</span><span style="background-color: white;">. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4GxxKkpWwcFW0AoYIFP6Tjj9RVbO5Po0QWbRvueYeFl7rxVebwj5-iwPzPM52_x9QB9mf45b7-BbfmRLzdxlB7GaPv4Hv_DJHjNf44Rf_VnZmF5JuVg4_wvrWhEFFm4wWP7PsJrnB8E/s1600/Carolina_Theatre_%2528Durham_Auditorium_1924%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4GxxKkpWwcFW0AoYIFP6Tjj9RVbO5Po0QWbRvueYeFl7rxVebwj5-iwPzPM52_x9QB9mf45b7-BbfmRLzdxlB7GaPv4Hv_DJHjNf44Rf_VnZmF5JuVg4_wvrWhEFFm4wWP7PsJrnB8E/s320/Carolina_Theatre_%2528Durham_Auditorium_1924%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Built in 1926, it's been beautifully renovated, but retains the grandeur of … you know… a movie palace from another time! They show current films—leaning more toward foreign and artsy films—but we come for the special stuff... older films, campy films, action films, horror, noir… My friend Todd is also there sometimes, so that’s a nice bonus… And it’s fun to introduce our budding filmmaker Bill, to learn about the classic genres. Most recently we took in the super-hip, insanely funny, 1994 crime movie <i>Pulp Fiction</i>.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is this movie appropriate for a 15-year-old? Probably not. And I do feel guilty about taking mine… on the other hand, amidst all the drug use, violence, and foul language… well, it really is a morality tale, isn’t it? Maybe all this stuff has been said before regarding this crazy masterpiece, but I’m going to give you my thoughts anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If, after all these years, you haven’t seen it, well... I’m actually not able to give you a plot synopsis. Sorry. It boasts a fractured timeline, and I really don’t think I could give it justice. It’s about two well-dressed criminals just doing their day-to-day crime stuff, and also about a boxer who is supposed to take a fall, but doesn’t, and also about the criminals’ boss. And the bosses’ wife. And the boxer’s wife… and a dealer and his wife… And these two other criminals. See? It’s just too complicated! I can’t do it!!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1TTnF6eSSAMqekePvmpxfuOH59ppaOwKyrJpJe12gG_RkzryP-JNquIKs4WC2prfEOpBaOat9c07n46d2q7po1EsYuI9YJqtyW-j62s3XHsaJZqCpVe3khbTl5_KJaq7TtAAzLYo7vE/s1600/MV5BNGNhMDIzZTUtNTBlZi00MTRlLWFjM2ItYzViMjE3YzI5MjljXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzkwMjQ5NzM%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1055" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1TTnF6eSSAMqekePvmpxfuOH59ppaOwKyrJpJe12gG_RkzryP-JNquIKs4WC2prfEOpBaOat9c07n46d2q7po1EsYuI9YJqtyW-j62s3XHsaJZqCpVe3khbTl5_KJaq7TtAAzLYo7vE/s320/MV5BNGNhMDIzZTUtNTBlZi00MTRlLWFjM2ItYzViMjE3YzI5MjljXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzkwMjQ5NzM%2540._V1_.jpg" width="219" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, throughout the film, the characters are confronted with choices… one man must decide to behave honorably toward his boss’s wife. Another man makes a choice to rescue a man who has been trying to kill him… a choice that works out for him, but, honestly, could have gone either way… I guess it is the nature of morality tales to highlight good and evil, which as humans we must choose between every day–just in smaller, less gory ways.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1TTnF6eSSAMqekePvmpxfuOH59ppaOwKyrJpJe12gG_RkzryP-JNquIKs4WC2prfEOpBaOat9c07n46d2q7po1EsYuI9YJqtyW-j62s3XHsaJZqCpVe3khbTl5_KJaq7TtAAzLYo7vE/s1600/MV5BNGNhMDIzZTUtNTBlZi00MTRlLWFjM2ItYzViMjE3YzI5MjljXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzkwMjQ5NzM%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">At the center of the film are two criminals—Jules and Vincent—and their choices. Both have chosen the criminal lifestyle, and carry out their daily duties as a matter of course. But one day something happens—a guy </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">empties a large pistol point blank at them, but misses them entirely. “</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">God came down from heaven, and stopped these ************ bullets,” Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) says. </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Vincent (John Travolta) considers it a fluke, and goes about his business, but to Jules, it’s a turning point. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><b>Jules: </b></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">We should be f***in' dead, my friend! What happened here was a miracle, and I want you to f***ing acknowledge it!</span></span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Vincent Vega:</b> All right, it was a miracle. Can we go now?</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Yeah, Vincent doesn’t care… the moment of divine intervention rolls right by him. That night, when he chooses NOT to act inappropriately with the boss’s wife, it is not out of respect for the divine. It is merely self preservation—</span><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">as we know, from an earlier discussion of a rumor that the boss had thrown a man out of a window for messing with his wife.* </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">On the other hand, Jules considers their near miss an act of God—proof that God is paying attention and cares about his choices…? Jules takes it as a sign that he should change his course. Maybe Jules was set up for this… Maybe a guy who likes to quote </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Ezekiel 25:17**</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"> before “popping a cap” in someone’s ass is already thinking about God. Here’s a pretty hefty quote from Jules that explains the whole thing: </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you." </span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I been sayin' that sh*t for years. And if you ever heard it, it meant your ass. I never really questioned what it meant. I thought it was just a cold-blooded thing to say to a mother****er before you popped a cap in his ass. But I saw some sh*t this mornin' made me think twice. Now I'm thinkin': it could mean you're the evil man. And I'm the righteous man. And Mr. .45 here, he's the shepherd protecting my righteous ass in the valley of darkness. Or it could be you're the righteous man and I'm the shepherd and it's the world that's evil and selfish. I'd like that. But that sh*t ain't the truth. The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin, Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd.”</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">See, Jules is aware of God, has His word in His head, so … when he experiences what he perceives to be a miracle, he knows exactly where to look… and suddenly the sheer … relevance of God’s words causes him to consider what they mean for HIM personally - where HE fits in God’s design. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Until now, he has taken on the role of God as the dispenser of justice, but now, he’s not too sure…</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">So that later, when a couple of petty thieves try to rob him, he comes out with this:</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> “</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Normally, both your asses would be dead as f***ing fried chicken, but you happen to pull this sh*t while I'm in a transitional period so I don't wanna kill you, I wanna help you.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In a morality tale, there is normally a clear demarcation of good and bad—although it’s a little skewed here. Jules and Vincent’s behavior is violent and capricious, and their conversation is vulgar, but they are goofy, and they say hilarious things and they are so handsome in their suits... so we somehow feel sympathy for them. It’s a good reminder that good and evil are not always so easily recognized.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3Y0igZZc8C6DosD87_8V4JyYDbTyoARIBVG9hr3RJiPmDqWL7Y8k8OIhW8OmNF2BBIn7YKY2GsCAiXJ8YYzQzCF9o9g4ZTwtXMMvemJU1mSKPjcG7kVM6byoSpc6BnCCXnWV5pIDJ74/s1600/pulpfic_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="1280" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3Y0igZZc8C6DosD87_8V4JyYDbTyoARIBVG9hr3RJiPmDqWL7Y8k8OIhW8OmNF2BBIn7YKY2GsCAiXJ8YYzQzCF9o9g4ZTwtXMMvemJU1mSKPjcG7kVM6byoSpc6BnCCXnWV5pIDJ74/s320/pulpfic_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">In this story, both men are </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">criminals</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">, but good and evil are defined by the choice each man makes when he confronted with the Divine. And, like in wisdom literature, where the good are rewarded and the bad are punished, each man receives his due. Well, we don’t really know what happened to Jules in the end, but we do get to see Vincent gunned down in spectacular fashion… and Jules isn’t with him.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">It all reminds me of the story of two thieves on the crosses beside Jesus:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us." </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He replied to him, "Amen I say to you today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:39-43)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I may not be a thief, and I may not have ever shot a guy just for looking at me wrong... but I have done plenty of crappy things... so this is a great message for me. It</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">’s really good to know that, God wants us to be with Him in paradise… and has made a way for us to get there!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">*There is a point in the film, where, after Vincent does something particularly careless and vile, he says: "</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "source sans pro" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Jules, did you ever hear the philosophy that once a man admits that he's wrong that he is immediately forgiven for all wrongdoings? Have you ever heard that?" So, he can't acknowledge God... but wants to be forgiven? I guess that's normal... we want grace, but we don't want God to be in our business too much...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "source sans pro" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">**The verse he quotes isn't actually Ezekiel 25:17... it's more of a mishmash of a couple of verses in the Bible... just FYI...</span><br />
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-19785303792564104272019-07-02T12:21:00.001-04:002019-07-03T08:00:57.763-04:00Knock-knock-knockin'...<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
HEY!! WHAT’S HAPPENING, BLOGOSPHERE?!!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">I’m still here, y’all… I know you thought I’d forsaken you, if you thought of me at all… but of course I haven’t! Although my posts are so far apart nowadays that each one has to sort give you an update on what’s going on with us, right? Well, not much is going on right now - it’s summer, and we live in North Carolina, so we’re hot. (Gee, I’m not sure—is the globe getting warmer? OF COURSE IT IS!! DUH!! Not to get political or anything…)</span><br />
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Anyway, we’ve been seeing a lot of movies, which is one of my favorite things to do. I love the new-fangled theaters with recliners and real food and craft beers, but I also still love a crappy old theatre with no crazy perks, just musty seats and stale popcorn smell… because really, the movie’s the thing!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkVe0YLxAGj743Y6eiTeIoJb2-r-mJgYXbrlPBuc1gyQg-ALvEOtQYdgRgSmHyqACgFij8Go41i_6lIwPPdLvn2ryUU22RtvvxWQG-LyJoIfuYXELccPGunpzVJSIspE2GrdqjhyIVog/s1600/IMG_2095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkVe0YLxAGj743Y6eiTeIoJb2-r-mJgYXbrlPBuc1gyQg-ALvEOtQYdgRgSmHyqACgFij8Go41i_6lIwPPdLvn2ryUU22RtvvxWQG-LyJoIfuYXELccPGunpzVJSIspE2GrdqjhyIVog/s320/IMG_2095.jpg" width="240" /></a>I love sitting in the cool darkness watching a story unfold. I love watching the pretty people on screen, their acting prowess, or lack thereof… I love sizing up the costumes… (Bill says when we watch a bad movie, my comment is always, “I liked the costumes.”) And most of all, I love when something in the film reminds me of God. That’s really what makes a movie a work of art for me. </div>
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My theory of art involves the expression of self, but also the conveyance of truth, beauty and … otherness? And Who is more true and beautiful and other than God Himself? And when we create, we do so in imitation of our Creator… God made us in His image, so His creative impulses are in us as well.</div>
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Okay, moving right along… In June we saw <i><a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80221016" target="_blank">Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story</a></i> by Martin Scorsese. You can easily watch it yourself—it’s on Netflix, but Tom, Bill and I were fortunate to see it in on a big screen at the Rialto in Raleigh. It’s an amazing film… part concert/backstage footage, part “documentary.” That’s in quotes because if you look up the word “liar” in the dictionary, you’d probably see a picture of Bob Dylan! Although… I would say that he’s more of a storyteller than a liar… He’s building a world for us and we’re into it – “Hey Mister Tamborine Man, play a song for me…” </div>
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Watching the film, if viewers are not completely hoodwinked, they are left trying to separate the wheat from the chaff—that is, to figure out what they can believe. The filmakers interview (among others) a cinematographer, a congressman, a concert promoter – all of whom are actors telling stories. Heck, one of these folks is an ACTUAL actor – Sharon Stone. They interview Dylan himself, who says enigmatic things like “One thing I can tell you about Ramblin’ Jack: he’s a a better sailor than a singer—he can tie a bowline, a clove hitch, he could tie a rolling hitch—all blindfolded. If you’re ever on a boat or a sailing ship, you would rather have Ramblin’ Jack there as a sailor than a singer.”</div>
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That said, another quote directly from Dylan pretty much gives it away: <span style="font-kerning: none;">When asked why they wore masks and white-face on the tour, he said, “When somebody’s wearing a mask, uh, he’s gonna tell you the truth. Uh, when he’s not wearing a mask, it’s highly unlikely.” So… the music is what’s true. And… it really is. Watching those stunning performances by incredibly talented musicians dressed in boho 70s duds and masks and whiteface, all I could think was, “Bob Dylan is a BAD ASS!!” It’s filmed pretty close up, and his performance is ferocious… and, to use a quote from one of his own songs, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwSZvHqf9qM" target="_blank">Every one of them words rang true and glowed like burnin’ coals...</a>” It was all just so gorgeous… I couldn’t look away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I think that one reason he undertook the carnivalesque tour—playing small venues with a bunch of other people—in an attempt to step away from his massive celebrity… to be "one of the band." Even so, the film shows how other people treat him like a king… like a god. Dylan is not a god, and he knows it! Nevertheless, early on, underlings are told to refrain from constantly asking him what he wants or if he’s okay. “He’s a big man, he knows what he wants.” And later, Joan Baez, tells how she approached craft services dressed as Dylan and experiences the sort of fawning and worship reserved for the man himself. (Of course this may or may not have been a true account!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Toward the end of the movie, they tell the story of the Ruben Hurricane Carter, the subject of Bob’s song “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm6xCwNKtnQ" target="_blank">Hurricane</a>.” Carter was a black boxer wrongly jailed for killing three people. Bob’s song eventually helped to free him, and the two became friends. Bob says that when Hurricane would ask him what he was searching for, he’d say, “Well, Hurricane, I’m searching for the Holy Grail… I’m gonna search until I find it, like Sir Galahad.” And while he was surely like a knight in shining armor to the man who was freed from prison, Bob knows that there is something much bigger to find.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Soon after, the movie draws to a close with Bob and Roger McGuinn put their heads together to sing “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCV84dTevX0" target="_blank">Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door</a>” together. It’s… blisteringly intense… they look at each other in a wide-eyed, forceful way that makes you wonder if 1. they’re on drugs or, 2. they're daring each other to knock first… I can’t really say if they’re on drugs… but… I do know that somewhere down the road, each man found Christ… And that’s both truth and beauty to me. </span></div>
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-26698095175746743742018-11-03T17:20:00.005-04:002018-11-08T16:55:38.530-05:00A Number of Things<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>This post is named after this 1980s <br />Chapel Hill hardcore band, even though <br />it has nothing to do with them. I always <br />loved this album cover though!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you are reading this, I thank you… from the bottom of my crusty old heart. It’s been really hard lately to put thoughts into words and words onto a page, for many reasons. I keep thinking the blackout is over—I write a blog post, but then I just snap right back to where I was… busy, blank-minded and bummed out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Actually, bummed out isn’t all that accurate… I mean, I AM bummed out about SOME things, but not most things. In general, I’d say I’m pretty content. And blank-minded? My mind isn’t so much blank as… muddled. I have a LOT of things going on in there, but they can’t be nailed down into cohesive thoughts. I thought maybe the best way to proceed is to just tell you what’s happening and some of the things I have on my mind… If you’ve read any of my past posts, these refrains will sound familiar, but it’s where I’m at.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Remember all those times you wished I would stop bringing up the menopause that loomed large on my horizon? Well, this is the last time, ‘cos that ship has sailed. You don’t have to hear about it ever again, and I can no longer blame my many failings on it. As menopauses go, mine was fairly mild, for which I am thankful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Fall. Pumpkin Spice. Boots. Jackets. Jackets that I leave everywhere I go – because here in the south you never know if you’re going to need one or not. What’s the temperature now? Will the A/C be on? Will it be cold when I get out? Crap.... where the %@$!*! did I leave my jacket? (Okay, so maybe that part of menopause where you can’t remember stuff is still with me... or maybe that's just an excuse!) Anyway, despite the trail of jackets I leave behind me, ain’t fall grand? Especially after the greasy hotness of a southern summer?</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Bill's new school! We love it!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Bill’s new school—Durham School of the Arts. We couldn’t be more pleased. He’s been working hard and he hasn’t complained once… Dare I say… he LIKES it? Let me tell you, my friend, if a 14-year-old boy likes something… well, THAT is something approaching a miracle! Along with all the standard stuff like math and history and all, he’s playing guitar every single day and learning digital design… What’s more he KNOWS how good he’s got it. I’m so thankful, y’all… What a blessing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. Those are some of the good things… but lest you start to think my life is unrelentingly awesome, here are some things I am struggling with: meal planning / cooking, making / keeping our house looking presentable, having a lower salary than last year, trying to find a new client, figuring out what to get Tom for Christmas, how best to participate in taking care of my elderly mother…</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEildKyygT3K9kr9ziBTAc5i1zriyY_w91rakybkIjdwsf02OJBjcsXsSxU-kmV46mDVWXD5KwKzQlh6IeCt38_h6nakhWYFLJjeTBKBvALE8pBhmbmn8ZvYHrAZ3RDTYFneV19wT0X9Log/s320/Love_%2526_Mercy_%2528poster%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="214" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>For sure the Christian life <br />should be chock full of love <br />and mercy. Also, this is a good <br />movie if you haven't seen it yet.</i></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEildKyygT3K9kr9ziBTAc5i1zriyY_w91rakybkIjdwsf02OJBjcsXsSxU-kmV46mDVWXD5KwKzQlh6IeCt38_h6nakhWYFLJjeTBKBvALE8pBhmbmn8ZvYHrAZ3RDTYFneV19wT0X9Log/s1600/Love_%2526_Mercy_%2528poster%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. And yes, I’m still struggling with current politics and the church. A couple of the leaders at our church are more conservative than I am, and It’s been hard to hear when these views pop up occasionally. It’s really made me feel detached from the church I’ve belonged to since the late eighties... I don’t go around spouting off about it, but listening to others has let me know that I’m not alone… and that helps. I’ve flirted with the idea of finding a place to worship Jesus that is more in line with my political views, but in the end I decided to remain in this imperfect community. Aren’t they all imperfect after all? And even though our conservative uncle has the mike right now, our church is and has always been made up of folks of all kinds, united by their love of Jesus. They have always been kind and loving and have done a lot to minister to me, to each other and to the world around them. They are, for better or for worse, my family. No, of course I’m not married to them, but dissolving our union would be more heartbreaking than simply just “going to another church.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6. This discordance I’m experiencing has been hard, but it’s also kept me from becoming complacent and … sure of my “rightness.” Again, it would be tempting to switch to a church that always tells me what I am already thinking, wouldn’t it? Instead I listen to my conservative uncle and ponder what he says. I dissect the conclusions he’s drawn from the Bible, then read the Bible myself—and maybe some other reputable commentaries—and draw my own prayed-over conclusions, which may or may not be the same as his. Because of this push and pull in my brain, I’ve been given the occasion to really think about sin and redemption, love and social justice and what the Christian life should look like. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Soul Asylum, y'all.</i></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_llec38N0QnGe3eIWnvEPSRUXOuP26DSIH_hbKsI5pb1ceNL6YpWCY7v_8ddkDxUJI6NDoUTt7QYUrsjUHaD0sWSQeWMVANUY0NQJMzVLEtaLiA_YJcU8FWZIPiaOV70kbeDCSqQKBL8/s1600/81YzQALgo9L._SL1000_.png.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">7. If you’re waiting for me to tell you what the Christian life should look like, well, you can keep on waiting. If you want to have coffee or a beer and talk about it, I’m available, but the only thing I know for sure, is that there’s a lot of love and mercy in it. I mean, there has to be… if you’re going to put up with me. If I’m going to put up with you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">8. The song that goes with this post is Soul Asylum's<i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKhHQHVktcE" target="_blank">New York Blackout</a></i>. I don't know what THEY meant by it, but I always think about St. John of the Cross's "dark night of the soul" ... where you just feel blinded and shut out from God but you just keep looking for God... because just because the lights are out doesn't mean He's not there. "<span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">In a New York blackout, it's so hard to see / </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">All the angels that are looking after me.... </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">And I may never escape this darkened city / </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">Still I'm trying to find you in this blackout." </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">9. I honestly don’t know why I felt the need to put this in list format… it doesn’t really work, but maybe I’m just trying to look organized when I clearly am not! Also, with a list you can just end the tirade with the last item and not have a summation or anything. </span></div>
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-46447981668629648212018-07-20T16:37:00.001-04:002018-07-30T11:03:20.989-04:00She said the answer was...<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite my disgruntled-ness (see <a href="http://www.bigmouthagain.com/2018/07/wine-in-plastic-cups.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>), I am striving to maintain my habit of communing with God of a morning, via prayer and a little Bible reading (I'm disgruntled with some of God's people, not God Himself, right)? And lucky me, I’m in the middle of the book of Romans, which… well, it’s a beautiful book – in fact, people say it goes a long way toward explaining what Jesus’s life and crucifixion meant for us… IF you can parse it out, that is… I’ve been reading it for, like, 30 years and I still have so, so many questions… Anyway, here’s what I read the other day:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white;">So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.</b></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I took a sip of coffee. And another sip of coffee. And I thought, “Huh?” I mean, it’s lovely and all, but what does it mean? Any attempt I make to paraphrase it line-for-line is just a mess… Which is a shame, because I feel like understanding it is the key to something I’ve been wrestling with for a while. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And that is… How are we saved? By our faith? By our works? or both? I mean, of COURSE faith, not works… that’s what they teach you in Protestant churches… but if the church people believe this, then why is there so much emphasis in church on our (and everyone else's) activities?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I mean, like it says in the passage above, because of Jesus’s death, we are FREE from the law. But then it also says we should be free from SIN as well? Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely not sinless. I guess that’s why I struggle with this – because if salvation has anything to do with how I ACT, then I’m doomed… </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then there’s that part about being “released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code?” What IS this “new way of the Spirit?” HOW CAN I GET IT?!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, that day, as I was pondering this between coffee sips... the answer came to me like a message from God… through a song by the Velvet Underground. Seriously. </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The specific bit that kept invading my head space was this line from their raucous tune </span><i style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Head Held High</i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">“</span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">…the answer was to become a dancer</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> / </span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">Hold your head up high”</span></b></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">I’m not really sure I can explain why this is the answer to the confusion aroused by my reading of Romans 7. It just IS, and joyfully, hilariously so… That is... don’t sit around mulling over your sins—</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">you’re free! So ACT free!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Be yourself! </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Be a Christian!</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Be a lover of people! Be a healer of the world! Be a pray-er! </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Be like David, who celebrated the return of the ark to Jerusalem by a public dancing display that was so vigorous that his wife was embarrassed! Be like Jesus who ate and drank with tax collectors and prostitutes so that they would know God loved them! Be like Paul who wasn’t ashamed of the gospel or afraid of public opinion or death or snakes… Be like Sophie**, a beautiful young cancer patient who wrote a poem that says this:</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">Be loud</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">And move with grace</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">Explode with light</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Have no fear…</span></b></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>In other words: You don't have to live like a refugee!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I guess the best practical analogy I've ever heard is this: Imagine that the Christian life is like being married to your soul mate. After the ceremony, would you just go back to your old single-life apartment, keep eating Lean Cuisines, dating, and doing whatever you wanted to? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course not! You'd start acting married! You'd move in together, eat together, merge finances, do life together! It might be hard to get used to at first, but over the years, you'd get the hang of it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I'm not talking about one of those creepy abusive marriages where one spouse is abusive and the other one is always walking on eggshells—afraid of what's going to set the jerk off... No siree, this marriage... – well, it's to a Person who is ALWAYS faithful, will ALWAYS love you, and will NEVER leave you—no matter what! Heck, He's bought you with His own blood! </span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">He thinks you're the </span>bee's<span style="color: #222222;"> knees, the cat's meow, the cream in His coffee, the bubbles in His champagne. He doesn't want you to be creeping around worrying about the rules... He wants to take you </span><b><span style="color: purple;">dancing</span></b><span style="color: #222222;">! Dare I say it? With your </span><span style="color: purple;"><b>head up high</b></span><span style="color: #222222;">!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">*I can't make you, but I strongly urge you to listen to the whole song (</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjWlA4bEQ7A" target="_blank">here</a><span style="background-color: white;">) — it’s awesome. It’s so wild and forceful… Just HAPPY! And FREE! You'll be dancing before you know it!</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">**I’ll tell you more about Sophie later because it’s a story worth telling. You can read the whole poem <a href="http://raindropscamerasanddanceshoes.blogspot.com/2012/09/poem.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></div>
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-89189460277503976302018-07-09T11:59:00.001-04:002018-07-11T20:11:15.334-04:00Wine in Plastic Cups<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyfLReWwRUovPhcv9BLhPLv-Y16BuEjBs2Nk3uc9xBeh26lGuYwFSfC0Wi-xun4jAJgQZAOdGl4ayDNHz-fUZfaeE-6v6IU9FI4Inkv-Ce_ns5-6ldOwqlDfe3RlQbVCGn-C4OanTLjM/s1600/51nyejGmmuL.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyfLReWwRUovPhcv9BLhPLv-Y16BuEjBs2Nk3uc9xBeh26lGuYwFSfC0Wi-xun4jAJgQZAOdGl4ayDNHz-fUZfaeE-6v6IU9FI4Inkv-Ce_ns5-6ldOwqlDfe3RlQbVCGn-C4OanTLjM/s320/51nyejGmmuL.jpg" width="207" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In June, or maybe earlier, magazines and newspapers always publish an article pushing books for “summer reading.” As if I might have more time in summer to read than other times... I guess the book recommendations are for beach trips and maybe plane or car rides…? Whatever the case, I can’t say I have substantially more time to read… sadly...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nonetheless, I did manage to eye-gobble a fascinating read in June:<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Spy-House-Loud-Songs-Stories/dp/1477316221/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1531074934&sr=8-1" target="_blank"> <i>A Spy in the House of Loud: New York Songs and Stories </i>by Chris Stamey</a>. Chris Stamey is this cool guy who lives here in Chapel Hill, but has been all over the world performing and recording music. He first came to my attention in the 80s when he was in a group called the dB’s. (Alexa calls them “the deci-bell-ess” before launching into one of their gorgeous, shimmery power-pop numbers like <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfpli2VQtZU" target="_blank">Neverland</a></i> or <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cupc9EtlRGo" target="_blank">Ask for Jill</a>. </i>It's in your best interest to click on these links, y'all.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I was a young gal trying to be cool in NC I heard tell of the famous boys from Winston-Salem, Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, Will Rigby and Gene Holder. I had no idea they were actually living in New York at the time… Every time i drove through Winston-Salem, I would get goose-bumps thinking, “This is where it all happens!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So this book that I read is by one of the members of the dB’s — but that’s not all he’s done! He stayed in the group for a couple of years before he set out on his own as a solo artist and music producer. The book chronicles all this, while giving fascinating detail about the structure of the songs and the technical aspects of recording. I have to admit that these parts went mostly over my head, but I still reveled in having a peek inside the music that I loved when I was young. Heck, I still love it—that’s why I know what Alexa will say when you ask her to “Play music by the dB’s”!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I would also like to say that Chris (I feel like I can call him Chris because of the length of our “acquaintance”) is the man behind one of my favorite Christmas albums, Christmas Time. He’s really the man behind of a LOT of records: check out this <a href="http://www.chrisstamey.com/discog.html" target="_blank">partial list</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway... in one part of <i>A Spy in the House of Loud</i>, Chris begins a chapter thus:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How does one write a song? I remember <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWvsJL9TD_s" target="_blank">seventies ads for Prell shampoo</a> that showed a pearl floating through the amorphous goop. And I used to think songwriting was like that: You had to have something loose inside you, something rattling around, and you shook it up and then followed it around and took dictation.<sup>1</sup></span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SG3LloCpd-rvSzBiZEiWPUoRqsRtlvf2sgX3WEW9WEQLwHScu_9mSQS7dHb_I6WW3WAToEKbTWI3sJp8QjoyXdu9Zc2uV49H3dQyr4LVfHOHlGMXCMkt1cm5jD9jXkJgscsUbnev9Es/s1600/Treasure_and_Pearl.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="195" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SG3LloCpd-rvSzBiZEiWPUoRqsRtlvf2sgX3WEW9WEQLwHScu_9mSQS7dHb_I6WW3WAToEKbTWI3sJp8QjoyXdu9Zc2uV49H3dQyr4LVfHOHlGMXCMkt1cm5jD9jXkJgscsUbnev9Es/s400/Treasure_and_Pearl.jpg" width="196" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I was thinking, maybe writing blog posts is similar? And in case you haven’t noticed, the pearls in my amorphous goop haven’t exactly been rattling around… or maybe I’ve failed to shake them up… or follow them around… or take dictation… or all of the above!! In my case, it’s more like… what once might have been a pearl rattling around in there has festered, becoming something gross… like… a rotten egg… or a piece of actual crap… And when I try to take dictation from it, well… crap begets crap.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My salvation (literally) is that I also have an actual pearl in my amorphous goop… And it’s the Gospel—ie., "the pearl of great price":</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.<sup>2</sup></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s in there, and It’s always worth the effort it takes to shake, follow and dictate from… It seems harder now—for a people-pleaser like myself, anyway—to present the gospel these days, what with the weird Christian support for you-know-who.* But if I believe the gospel is true, that it actually saves people, and that it is worth selling everything I own for... which I do, then don’t I kinda have to share it? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">So here I am, holding the gospel out for you to consider, as taken from the classic verse in John’s gospel: “</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have alluded to this verse a buncha times, but always after I’ve given some intro—a song, an anecdote, a movie reference… I tell the basic story (or ponder aspects of it)—that Jesus loves you and died for you, but I put a spin on it to try to express it in a more relatable way.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That is, I do the job of a “producer.” Like Chris Stamey, who takes a song and helps the artist determine how it should sound. In Chris’s book, there are many passages about producing songs like this:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had some ideas first, specifically for the machiney groove, the “96 Tears” tap-tap-tap of the Ace Tone, the verse’s chords, and a few key lyrics. Peter and I quickly fleshed out thee ideas right before the two of us demoed it… In addition to helping with several of the lyrics, he was the one, I think, who came up with the three-bar organ hook, with a high G drone that rubs first against an F-sharp and then against the F-natural. The sound wasn’t complete without running the organ through an Orange Squeezer compressor, an obscure, dinky, lo-fi metal cube – heard previously on the guitars of both “Reeling in the Years” by Steely Dan, and “Sultans of Swing,” by Dire Straits—which exaggerated the natural “vacuum cleaner” wheezing tones of the organ.<sup>1</sup></span></span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGgJ7FaOj-taM8FUofmGODffrO0_fNv7REE5nf1TJKCarBZmpFhXDyYg336FPVbVut7KAja6sx_sNY3gqUvPY6natIZUunrimxv3uk_yt7IwksO_G4FLdjwlJmDtC2Dp7W69EVKsb4L8/s1600/osold.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="233" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGgJ7FaOj-taM8FUofmGODffrO0_fNv7REE5nf1TJKCarBZmpFhXDyYg336FPVbVut7KAja6sx_sNY3gqUvPY6natIZUunrimxv3uk_yt7IwksO_G4FLdjwlJmDtC2Dp7W69EVKsb4L8/s200/osold.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I’m taking the gospel and without altering it's basic information, giving it some shimmer and running through an Orange Squeezer so that it maybe sounds good to you—or at least less stodgy… Especially these days when you might not be in the mood to trust Christians. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chris has another place where he says that, at least at one time, he thought about records as aural cinema, and said he considered a song a script for making a record… that is, only <i>part</i> of the equation… “You might even argue,” he says, “that the new aural moviemaking worked best if the song itself had come out of the oven only half-baked, if it left a lot of room for production.”<sup>1</sup></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBo58GsgmszrZ-V04G7C3mCr_A5wXvgWwfMfvema2vFNBVg7rvy9PTKC6lnv84SBsRouyQueoI1jO5yry-gXIvh4VHlXS5lVStBlFS1ncoOtXHYVRsXZgKhcq9gJTo8tzaAx0vT1GjBM/s1600/29545.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="297" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBo58GsgmszrZ-V04G7C3mCr_A5wXvgWwfMfvema2vFNBVg7rvy9PTKC6lnv84SBsRouyQueoI1jO5yry-gXIvh4VHlXS5lVStBlFS1ncoOtXHYVRsXZgKhcq9gJTo8tzaAx0vT1GjBM/s200/29545.jpg" width="148" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, my friends, the gospel of God is anything BUT half-baked! It’s the beginning and the end of love and truth and glory... It seriously doesn't need me to add anything to it! But I think that’s part of the beauty of this thing He’s set up… He could just show Himself to everyone, but instead, He wants people to see His love and choose Him. And He lets silly people like me share His gospel... put our spin on it and spread it around… It’s like the line from the dB’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY5Zsk39xiY" target="_blank">song</a> “wine in plastic cups” … Yeah, I may be a cheap plastic cup... but, my friends, it’s WINE I'm serving!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*Okay so that's what the rotten egg/piece of crap is... I already hashed it out in some posts already: <a href="http://www.bigmouthagain.com/2017/07/and-they-told-two-friends.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.bigmouthagain.com/2016/12/he-hadnt-stopped-christmas-from-coming.html" target="_blank">here</a> and also tried to make sense of it <a href="http://www.bigmouthagain.com/2016/06/yeah-i-went-there.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I'm still working through it, but… the more it rattles around in there, the more bitter I get about it, and it sorta gums up the works... like in that episode of <i>Broad City</i> where Illana is unable to have a satisfactory sexual experience because she's so upset about, again, "you-know-who." But I refuse to let him have that much power—that he would stand in the way of the gospel? I think not!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><sup>1</sup><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -22px;">Stamey, Chris. </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -22px;">A Spy in the House of Loud: New York Songs and Stories</i><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -22px;">. University of Texas Press, 2018.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -22px;"><sup>2</sup></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Matthew 13:45-46</span></span></div>
julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-7298369226316309962017-08-04T10:09:00.004-04:002017-09-29T17:33:39.738-04:00My First (and Probably Only) Fashion Blog: The Pros and Cons of Stitch Fix<div style="line-height: normal;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The boxes are cute!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let’s talk about Stitch Fix. Yeah, I signed up for it. You probably know what it is, but if you don’t, it’s a service where you receive a regular shipment of five clothing items that have been especially selected for you… after you have told them your measurements and sizes and likes and dislikes and such. If you like the clothes, you buy them; if you don’t, you send them back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lots of people do it – a woman I work with LOVES it, and she always looks great! My friend <a href="http://www.stillbeingmolly.com/2017/08/01/stitch-fix-review-45/">Molly</a>, who’s a fashion blogger, reviews all her shipments piece by piece. She generally has a good experience. But you know what? I don’t think it’s for me.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I swear those black jeans<br />made my thighs look<br />like giant hams!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To be honest, I’ve only received two shipments, so maybe I’m not being fair to “the Fix”… The first shipment was a total bust… Here’s my review (and since it was in March, I can't photograph myself trying each piece on as other reviewers do – or even give you specific brand names!):</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. A pair of skinny black jeans full of spandex—Okay, I have huge thighs, and this made them look like ginormous hams. Seriously, I looked like female Porky Pig! No thanks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. A dark color-block sleeveless dress—It was a really thick jersey, so I’m guessing it was for winter? But why sleeveless for winter? It was too fitted to be a jumper, so guess I was supposed to constantly wear a jacket with it? Also, since it was so fitted, it served to draw a big arrow to each of my prominent saddlebags (outer thigh fat). Again, no.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I kept this top, but $38?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. A dark, plaid straight skirt—it was dark tan and black, a very small check, made sort of like a jean skirt. I actually liked it, but the straight skirt… did I mention I have enormous saddlebags? Those babies poked right outa that thing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. A black and white 3/4 sleeve striped t-shirt with peach trim at the neck and sleeves—Although I like a 3/4 sleeve and a black and white stripe, I just didn’t like this top. Maybe it was the peach trim? It just looked kinda nerdy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. A short sleeved top that’s grey jersey in the front and a crepe-y black material with tiny white flowers on a back that was slightly longer than the front. This was actually a cute top, and the only piece I kept. I might not have, though, if I hadn’t already paid 20 bucks for the shipment. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">See that’s how it works is, each shipment is $20, but if you buy something, they take that $20 out of it. Which brings me to the first reason that SF is not for me—the cost. The $20 is not bad, but the price of each item of clothing, while not so expensive in the grand scheme of things, is more than I would normally pay*.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because I do love clothes, but I just don’t have that much to spend on them. I wish I could remember how much each of these pieces cost but I just don’t—I do remember that the top I bought was $38. For a t-shirt.I know that, in general, you get what you pay for quality-wise, but for me to pay the prices of their clothes, I want something I absolutely LOVE.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I LOVED these jeans, <br />but they don't look like <br />this on ME!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, I sent most of the shipment back. I told my “stylist” why I didn’t like the items—not to be a bitch, but because I think it’s helpful to them so that the next shipment will be better…? And it did help! The second shipment was pretty good!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. A pair of faded, torn boyfriend jeans—loved them. Needed jeans. They’re a little big, but I like a loose jean. I can always wear a belt!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. A black and white patterned long-sleeved t-shirt dress. Although I had some questions (Why send a long sleeved dress in summer? Don't they know I live in the south?), I loved it. It fit great. AND it was as comfortable as pajamas!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. A pair of sweet low-top red sneakers. Super cute.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. A black 3/4 sleeve jersey top with shoulder cut-outs. It was really cute, had nice pleats in the front but I just am NOT into the shoulder cut-out fad. It needs to run its course, seriously.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. A halter style top that looked gray, but was a very tiny black and white stripe. The cord around the neck was braided fabric. Loved it! Unfortunately, a 55-year-old woman who is a 32DDD doesn’t need to be NOT wearing a bra. And I’ve never met a strapless bra that could keep the girls up comfortably.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I kept this knit dress because <br />when I HAVE to go to the<br />office, I like to be comfy.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So out of this box (and they do come in a cute little box), I kept the jeans and the dress—together they were about $150.00. And I would have bought them if I had seen them in a store and had the patience to try them on… In that way, it was actually a huge help! Because of my crazy shape, I absolutely LOATHE trying on jeans (seriously it makes me cry!), so having a great pair sent right to my mailbox was totally worth it. The shoes were super cute, but $65? Plus I have a bunch of pairs of similarly-styled sneakers already… just couldn’t justify it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay, so I just contradicted myself by saying that it as worth it to have a pair of perfect jeans sent directly to me. But here's the second and more important thing… Stitch Fix has this Facebook game where they show you a bunch of photos of items and you give them thumbs up or thumbs down, and I realized today that I gave a thumbs down to 9 out of 10 of their items… Because their stuff is modern and trendy, and not what my style is… which is just too hard to nail down. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don’t want skinny pants (or ANY pants now that I have my great pair of jeans) or anything strapless or with spaghetti straps or cut-out shoulders… or roll-tab sleeves, blazers or cardigans or cowl necks or scarves – please, please no scarves! I don’t like bubble-gummy colors or pastels—too nerdy (unless the shape is kinda retro); I don’t like wedge or clunky heels...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Things I like:<br />Black coat with faux fur <br />and ribbon trim (H&M $50)<br />and Catskill Mountain<br />moccasins boots</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What DO I like? I like cute retro dresses with empire waists, or of the “fit and flare” variety, stuff that isn’t too tight, long shirts/short dresses I can wear with black leggings… I like classic colors like black, white, gray, red, hot pink, khaki and more black… classic materials like blue and black denim, seersucker, madras, white eyelet, gingham, tweed and tartan plaids … classic pieces like pea coats, denim jackets, fisherman sweaters, black turtlenecks, white eyelet tops, oversized men’s rugby shirts, striped French sailor tops, kilts, Doc Martens, checkerboard Vans, black or white high-top Chuck </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Taylors</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">,</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> gladiator sandals, cowboy boots, Geiger boiled wool jackets… </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also love funky pieces like my handmade boots from <a href="http://www.catskill-moc.com/">Catskill Mountain Moccasins</a> and my "<a href="http://www.hottopic.com/product/disney-alice-through-the-looking-glass-red-queen-battle-coat/10542501.html">Red Queen Battle Coat</a>"with striped lining. I like well-placed details like ribbons, ankle straps and kitten heels, lace, pleats, lacings, pretty buttons, contrasting trim, and nautical or military styling… </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I will wear almost anything if it's black, and to keep things interesting, I like to mix classic pieces with edgy finds. I wear cute dresses with Chuck Taylors, skirts with band T-shirts and I don't mind admitting that I buy clothes from (among other places) Target, Hot Topic, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Brooks Brothers</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and... my husband's closet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m a Mod, a rocker, a punk, a New Romantic, a steampunk – slightly retro, slightly gothic, very slightly preppy... and a curvy, weird, mutton-dressed-as-lamb, 55-year-old mom who works in an office three days a week. And I know all that stuff together is the opposite of something that is likely to come in a box—no matter how cute—from someone I’ve never met!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>*It says on the SF web site that the average price for their pieces is $55.</i></span></div>
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-40716536988832912422017-08-03T13:49:00.000-04:002017-08-04T12:41:43.659-04:00Some Odd, End-of-Summer Ponderings about Art and Heaven<div style="line-height: normal;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>It's been a good summer!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Okay, y’all, I’m starting to get bummed… the summer is slipping away so fast and fall will be bearing down on us before we know it. So, like, it’s this week, then next week we’re on vacation, and then … SCHOOL!! I mean, what the heck?! I realize that it’s a luxury that I have summers “off” – that is, I don’t have to go to my office at the <i>Duke Chronicle</i>, but… why does this delicious break have to go by so fast? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Okay, now I’ve got that off my newly-lifted chest (bras on sale at Nordstrom – through Sunday, August 6!)… We’ve had a pretty good summer… Bill’s been to some great camps, one of which was Chapel Hill’s Movie Makers camp. At this camp, the kids in each group confer on a plot, act in and film a movie, which the staff edits. The movies are then shown at the historic Varsity Theatre downtown. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Our Bill at his premiere</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Bill’s group concocted an action/adventure opus featuring a government plot to turn high school kids into super warriors. Since his group was older kids, it was well done—for a film that went from concept to completion in a week. It had a decent plot and some pretty good fight scenes. We were so proud of him and my heart leaped every time he appeared on the screen!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">But this isn’t about that … see, the camp also had a younger group of kids making an action/adventure film. And their movie… well, it was… what you might expect from a bunch of kids ages 6-10! Their plot had something to do with a gang of black-clad villains who poison a town’s coffee supply and a gang of meddling kids who suss out the plot… Did I mention that each gang included one or two kids in a dog or cat costume with lines like “meow” or “grrrr”...?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">It was a hilariously fun, cute little mess! And I know the parents LOVED seeing their kids in their celluloid creation, cos that’s how parents are! I should know! Anyway, I’m not sure why, but seeing this little cinematic treat caused me to ponder some weird questions… </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“WHAAAAAAT?????!!!!”</span></i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">1. <span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>DOES GOD THINK OUR ART IS “CUTE”</b></span>? Some of the art that humans create is so beautiful and subtle it makes, as the Rolling Stones say, “a grown man cry.” Just last night we were at a show of the Punch Brothers… all of whom are fantastic, innovative musicians… And Chris Thile, their mandolin player, is in a class all by himself. I’ve written about him and his genius <a href="http://www.bigmouthagain.com/2013/04/feeling-gods-pleasure.html">here</a>, and if you want to watch him go to town on his mini-axe, click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88q9syere0Q">here</a>. Anyway, after a particularly complex bit of noodling at the show last night a man yelled out “WHAAAAAAT?????!!!!” – complete with deeply incredulous upswing at the end of the word. Bill and I thought that was particularly hilarious… although we kinda knew what the shouter meant! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: normal;">Because human beings are capable of producing some stunning works of creativity, meaning and emotion… but you know how God is so completely above us all? For instance, in Isaiah 55 it says: “</span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">For my thoughts are not your thoughts,</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">neither are your ways my ways,”</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">declares the Lord.</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">“As the heavens are higher than the earth,</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">so are my ways higher than your ways</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">and my thoughts than your thoughts.” And in one of his letters to the Corinthians, Paul says, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So if I take these statements to be true, does that mean that even our most perfect and fulfilling pieces of art look like a child’s doodle to Him? Does </span><i style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Citizen Kane </i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">look like a caper movie with kids in animal costumes? Do Chris Thile’s mandolin solos sound like a preschooler plinking</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> on a toy ukulele to Him? Does</span><i style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> The Starry Night </i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">look like scribbles to our Father? Does the most subtle and insightful stand-up </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">comedy act seem like clumsy clownishness?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I know this is a weird question and I honestly don’t know the answer… But I do know that God loves His children like crazy… So it follows, then, that He loves our art—dotes on our attempts to create things that have meaning and beauty and speak of our hearts’ yearning for Him. As the First and Best Creator, He is our Role Model in the Sky when it comes to making stuff, and I think He loves it when we follow His lead.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">2. <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>IS THERE ART IN HEAVEN? </b></span>And if there is… how GREAT is it going to be when we see it, hear the songs, etc.? Will we even be able to contain ourselves laughing at the jokes? Will we say, “WHAAAAAAT???!!!” Or will we stand in awe, saying as Job did when confronted with God’s grandeur: “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?</span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">I put my hand over my mouth.” </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A pretty piece of God's art <br />that I posted this spring.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Or … is EARTH AND ALL CREATION God’s art? The music of the spheres, the fruited plains and the purple mountains majesty, etc…? I mean there’s a reason that the best pics on social media are nature pics. You should see <a href="http://www.darkroomprint.com/recent.html">the ones</a> my friend Holden posts from his walks in the woods. Talk about ART! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Or maybe HEAVEN ITSELF is God’s finest work of art, and art is our attempt to bring some of it down here? I mean, even dark art that speaks of the human condition offers a contrast to a way that things should be?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Well, the Revelation of St. John says there’s singing in heaven, so maybe the first thing is true. Or maybe it’s all true—ie. 1. there’s art in heaven, 2. earth and all creation are heaven’s art, and 3. heaven is God's ultimate work of art. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Stoner-philosopher Doug Forcett</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I guess I won’t know the answer to these odd questions until I am there… which kind of reminds me of an incident on that show <i>The Good Place</i> in which Ted Danson tells a new arrival to “the good place” that each of the world religions got the reality of the afterlife about 5% right… and that the only person who came close was a stoner named Doug Forcett, who, while high on mushrooms, guessed it about 92% correct. (Haha - I’ll have what HE’S having!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Of course, as a Christian, I believe that the Bible is the best information we have on the afterlife and heaven and what have you… but that doesn’t mean we really know what’s in store for us! And I like to think whatever right ideas we may have are about 5% of how great it’s going to be!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-32418002383852925272017-07-03T12:46:00.003-04:002017-07-03T20:10:58.115-04:00And they told two friends...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Bill and I spent a week of mornings herding cats at <br />our church's Vacation Bible School.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I promised myself – and the wide world of Facebook – that once summer came, I would write some blog posts… because I have been seriously lame in that department. Who am I trying to kid with all these reposts, right? And promising myself is one thing – the only person who cares if I break that promise is me! But the Facebook people? I really feel like I need to do right by them! I mean, they provide me with so much joy and entertainment! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Foremost in my mind, these days… and probably in a lot of people’s minds… is that it seems like there’s a terror attack or shooting nearly every day now – somewhere in the world! It’s awful, isn’t it? I guess I don’t need to really say that, though. Who would think otherwise?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Children at a concert… goofy middle-aged dudes playing baseball… people just hanging around London Bridge… They’re all just minding their own business and some crazy-ass person shows up and goes to town with a gun or a van or a bomb or something. Seriously, what is WRONG with people? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I guess this is where I share the gospel and you (may or may not) think to yourself, “Christians think they’ve cornered the market on truth”… and I do believe that Jesus was and still is the living embodiment of TRUTH… but if I have this knowledge, it’s through no goodness or smartness of my own. It was given to me and I didn’t reject it… because at that time in my life, I was nearly dead and needed a remedy… I was DESPERATE.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And that’s what I am seeing and feeling right now … a lot of DESPERATION!! So shouldn't I share with people what helped me?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That said, it’s a tricky time. Christians are on a lot of people’s sh*t list… I don’t think we’re being persecuted or anything – that’s silly… I’m just saying a lot of people are wary of us or mad at us… because… you know… of the whole voting into office a guy who is corrupt, ill-equipped, not very smart… and is just really mean!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I know that we ALL didn’t vote him into office – I didn’t, for one… But he sure did have a lot of prominent Christian leaders’ votes – for a guy who brags about just grabbing women willy nilly… Did those guys even CARE how every single woman in their respective flocks might feel about that? I guess not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyhoo, I feel sorta helpless in the face of all this, but God is still good and Jesus still saves. So how do I communicate this to the world?</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Bill makes himself a human <br />barrier to keep two of our kittens<br />from escaping.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This brings to mind something that happened while I was helping with Vacation Bible School at church. Bill and I worked in a class of three-year-olds, and I gotta say… it was a challenge! These kids were so cute and mostly sweet, but it was, as they say, like herding cats. They all wanted to just go and do whatever they wanted to do… if we were supposed to be coloring something, some kids dutifully scribbled away, but some wandered off to check out the toys or disappear into the little playhouse… if we were on the playground, one or two would always try to get back in the classroom… occasionally a frustrated kid might hit or shove another kid… Of course I’ve had a toddler, so I know the drill, but we had 13 of them! It was completely fun, but also completely exhausting! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One morning later in the week, I found myself praying that the kids would be good and follow the rules… but then I literally sat up in bed and thought, “No! That’s not right!” I realized that I should pray instead that the children would learn that I love them and that God loves them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I think that’s the whole problem! We Christians tend to place more emphasis on molding people into following God’s rules, when our primary concern should be to communicate the actual gospel to them – you know, the love and grace of God. The John 3:16* of it all. Yes, we stand up for what we believe in, but do we believe in keeping transgender people out of the "wrong" bathrooms**? Or do we believe in Jesus as the way, the truth and the life? Does <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XhUsJD0w1M">the song</a> say “They’ll know we are Christians by our LOVE?” or does it say “They’ll know we are Christians because of our moral outrage?” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don’t think it’s my job to shape the morals of people who don’t even know Jesus, outside of what’s legal, anyway. At VBS, we had rules – 2 to be exact: “Be quiet when the teacher is talking,” and “Keep your hands and feet to yourself.” And these rules were not do or die — they were just helpful to keep things on track, more or less. You know, kind of how laws keep us from killing each other. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m not saying that God doesn’t have do’s and don’ts… or that they’re not important… I’m just saying that in this rough and hurting and desperate world, sharing His love should be our main objective. If the hearers develop a relationship with Him, they can work out the moral stuff between them. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>And so on, and so on...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And honestly, I have no idea how to communicate God’s love and my love to the hurting people of the world… I guess using words is a good place to start – words of the love and grace of God… And I really don’t know how my words can solve the problems of the world (see above)… I guess maybe each new person who trusts in God is one less person who feels desperate enough to perform a desperate act? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I mean, the church started with just 12 ornery guys… telling people about Jesus and loving and serving each other… So maybe it still works that way? I imagine it like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKUZx1Nk4yY">that old Faberge shampoo commercial</a>… I told two friends about Faberge Shampoo and they told two friends and they told two friends… and so on and so on… </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*</span><span style="background-color: white;">For God so loved</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26137A" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26137A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"> the world that he gave</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26137B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26137B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"> his one and only Son,</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26137C" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26137C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"> that whoever believes</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26137D" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26137D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"> in him shall not perish but have eternal life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">**um... no</span></div>
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-43312240295413165102017-02-11T12:44:00.003-05:002017-02-11T12:54:55.688-05:00Ripping Yarns – repost<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Because I'm excited about the T2: Trainspotting film coming out... a repost!:</i> </span></span><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwM9rsyA6FTsiPz_FLUp_e66nCV47FZrFNF4eWPBMxPtbfTbqf6u12Z_TkQRueZufH-0y8Jo5Kvxj9UKSBVDumd7TssOiwkFTHxnHp2GOSZ-J9qVJf6bRMwpvuwL71ETEsbnTff2dZ7SV/s1600/5011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwM9rsyA6FTsiPz_FLUp_e66nCV47FZrFNF4eWPBMxPtbfTbqf6u12Z_TkQRueZufH-0y8Jo5Kvxj9UKSBVDumd7TssOiwkFTHxnHp2GOSZ-J9qVJf6bRMwpvuwL71ETEsbnTff2dZ7SV/s200/5011.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our church always has a lot of groovy things going on, and one of them right now is having the people read the same book at the same time. I mean, at any given time, I’m going to guess that many of us are reading the same book at the same time – the Bible... but that’s not what i’m talking about. We’ve all been encouraged to read a book called </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Story, NIV: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>I've heard it called the<br />Greatest Story Ever Told.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The title pretty much says it all: it’s sort of like the Bible, but just edited so that it reads as a narrative... you know, plot, characters, etc... Now, it did pop into my mind to wonder: Is it just a marketing/money-making ploy? A way to sell more Bibles to people who already own them? In our house, I’m guessing we might have around 10 different Bibles in various forms and translations... especially if you count the ones that are written as stories for children... Which, honestly, is what <i>The Story</i> reminds me of. But, even though we have all these Bibles... I bought <i>The Story</i>. Not because I needed yet another, but because I thought it would be sweet to be involved with other members of the church in this endeavor. I’m not really a fitter-in, but I can do this. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I’m trying not to think about the publishers as cheesy money-grubbing marketing guys, but as guys (or gals) who thought it might be easier for some people to read the Word of God if it were kind of like a novel... and that, for people who have read it plenty, it might lend a fresh perspective... </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">But even if you don’t read it all in a row like this, the Bible is what you might call a ripping yarn... a wild story – especially the Old Testament. It’s got a woman pounding a tent peg into a dude’s head, a king getting stabbed while he’s on the crapper, a talking donkey, and a whole army being routed by one guy with the jawbone of an ASS (teehee)... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yes, all this stuff is in there. But mostly, it’s the story of an infinite God and the people He loves. It’s a romance, for sure... but also a thriller, a mystery, a classic, a memoir, a biography... It’s got history, poetry, self-help, humor... </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">And even the crazy parts are full of truth.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">For some reason, my son asked me the other day if every story had a moral. I told him that some stories were just for entertainment, but sometimes even those could teach you something if you really thought about it. It’s the best way to make things NOT a waste of time in my opinion. I mean, if I’m watching a brainless comedy, sometimes I turn it over in my head for a while and may (or may not) glean a kernel of useful information from it.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Only watch this </i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>cast-iron stomach.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I realized I could do this</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">when I went to see the movie <i>Trainspotting</i>, which, being a stomach-churningly grim tale about Scottish heroin addicts, is FAR from a brainless comedy. In fact, it has a LOT to say, but it would have been easy for me to shut down, and see it as merely an over-nasty diatribe about the dangers of drug abuse. And as the characters struggled with that most heinous of addictions and the lifestyle that usually accompanies it – depicted in the most disgusting way, I might add – it was easy to think that if they could just get the monkey off their back, everything would be cool... but there’s this really great scene where they leave the squalor of the city for a train ride into the curvaceous green countryside that comprises much of Scotland... “Doesn’t it make you proud to be Scottish?” one of the guys asks in wonder... </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The answer? Well, I could give you the exact quote, and while you know I’m not stickler for proper language, I think it’a a bit much for a blog that says “Christian” at the top. Basically he says that being Scottish is terrible – colonized by the English, a bunch of effete jerks... the lowest of the low, and all the fresh air in the world wouldn’t make any difference. So they recognize that the problem is bigger than just their personal addictions. It might be something that is inherently wrong with their country. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmo2cL6UKn5kaFirMgUWCMhyphenhyphenL9Zgmn38ALxyBa13axc9z-EL8PEcNZlYDczKJ-LzFl4aPQ2sMm6Erk_qDll_GNgl-DplsTGBRZqDrz1nj6iI2nN_hF_fpZf_JkRa-lSDIjZYzvRceN2nm/s1600/trainspotting2-512x399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmo2cL6UKn5kaFirMgUWCMhyphenhyphenL9Zgmn38ALxyBa13axc9z-EL8PEcNZlYDczKJ-LzFl4aPQ2sMm6Erk_qDll_GNgl-DplsTGBRZqDrz1nj6iI2nN_hF_fpZf_JkRa-lSDIjZYzvRceN2nm/s320/trainspotting2-512x399.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Ewan McGregor in </i>Trainspotting</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">And in the end, they find that it’s not just their country, although it’s a convenient scapegoat for their problems... They may leave behind their addictions, with its pain and graphic hallucinations, and they may leave their country... for anonymity and not-so-grimy living in London... but they can’t leave themselves and their own soul-sickness. Because they have made heroin their god and England their anti-Christ, but failed to come to terms with their own sin. Even in the end, the main character, played by Ewan McGregor – if you can buy clean cut Ewan as a junkie – comes out and says, “I’m a bad person”... He vows to change, but he clearly knows that just being clean and adopting a middle-class lifestyle is not going to fill the gaping hole in his soul. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">And again, I could have gotten bogged down in the endless scenes involving bodily fluids, domestic squalor, even the horrendously tragic death of an innocent child, but I allowed myself to stand back and let the real meaning seep in: If I allow something to be god in my life, unless it’s actually God, it won’t serve me well. If it’s heroin, it might even kill me. However, just getting rid of my false god isn’t enough. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzPVbyPX6Q3yYTcRwiUlfukPN17FaICcXb-CWtH_UTSORnBMr95aaeoJuC4CkpZYLGbJQ5vK4O2XrKYYjWgk-ghPTBQu4xXxt6NQsz7wEcTOxyTk2bzpGQ0H-8SsxgKgagE6BDxQVprZq/s1600/EwanMcGregorFormalHairstyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzPVbyPX6Q3yYTcRwiUlfukPN17FaICcXb-CWtH_UTSORnBMr95aaeoJuC4CkpZYLGbJQ5vK4O2XrKYYjWgk-ghPTBQu4xXxt6NQsz7wEcTOxyTk2bzpGQ0H-8SsxgKgagE6BDxQVprZq/s200/EwanMcGregorFormalHairstyle.jpg" width="171" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>What Ewan McGregor<br />usually looks like...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A couple of real smart guys have something to say about this: Augustine of Hippo said this (addressing God): “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are rest-less till they find their rest in you.” And Blaise Paschal said this: “What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.”</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">And that’s what I saw when I saw <i>Trainspotting</i>... A gaping hole that needed to be filled with the God of the universe. The world is full of stories that can teach us truths, and this movie is one of them. HOWEVER, if you want to go straight to the source, the Bible is full of stories, full of truth. And even the crazy ones can give you a picture of who God is. Our pastor gave a full-length sermon about the woman killing the guy with a tent peg, and another one about the king who got stabbed on the crapper. Because this book, even at its most outrageous, doesn’t just point to the gaping hole, but gives you the information you need to fill it.</span><br />
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-66939786358988717992016-12-22T13:38:00.002-05:002016-12-22T13:39:26.447-05:00Christmas (Stop and Smell the Baby Head!)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAI7SBx0q9OBwbj_kWJ4FnJU041PawhN4P6yrW3clqV47gki9B9hcnHJUTbxWZ2UQ7D0Z8katKUkLdx0B8v9oDqZYstXynTjlhFiwBkrpOGZmbpYoa8PRLPKEqbsBB4FQxUYVPMoGtZgM/s1600/darlene-love-performs-christmas-baby-please-come-home-for-the-last-time-on-late-show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAI7SBx0q9OBwbj_kWJ4FnJU041PawhN4P6yrW3clqV47gki9B9hcnHJUTbxWZ2UQ7D0Z8katKUkLdx0B8v9oDqZYstXynTjlhFiwBkrpOGZmbpYoa8PRLPKEqbsBB4FQxUYVPMoGtZgM/s320/darlene-love-performs-christmas-baby-please-come-home-for-the-last-time-on-late-show.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Darlene Love performing </i>Christmas <br />(Baby Please Come Home)<i> one final time on </i><br />The Late Show with David Letterman<i>.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You know what I miss? Darlene Love singing </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) </i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">every year on <i>The Late Show with David Letterman</i>. In its absence, I’ve been watching </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsU08y9peZg" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">this video</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> of the last time she did it. It’s so perfect… her voice, the wall of sound, the set, her dress and hair… and when it starts to snow, I start to cry! Every time!! It’s just about the coolest, Christmas-y thing!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And lest you protest that Christmas is NOT about snow and pop songs and glamorous ladies in gorgeous red gowns, consider casting this tune as a gospel song. See, Darlene Love loves her some Jesus. Her father was a minister, so of course she grew up singing gospel music. If you watch <a href="http://www1.cbn.com/content/darlene-love-doo-wop-girl-finds-her-song">this video</a>, you can see that she is completely on board with our Lord and Savior! I love the part where she says the Holy Spirit spoke to her through this song that we’re talking about right now!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And while<i> Christmas Baby Please Come Home </i>will never speak to me as pointedly and directly as it did Ms. Love, I hear it as an invitation from God to mankind—among the hustle and bustle of the season—to connect with Him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you’re a Christian... forget all the </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">cooking and shopping and wrapping and all that stuff that MUST get done before the 25th... </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and snuggle up to Jesus personally. Lean in and get a good whiff of His immense love and grace.* Be the Mary in the Mary v. Martha story! You know that story in Luke: </span></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”</span></span></i> </blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Mmm... baby head... go on, take a whiff!!</i></span></td></tr>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”</span></span></i> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And if you’re not a Christian, then... <i><b>Baby, Please Come Home</b></i>! Nothing would please Him more!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>*Since the Christmas story is about Jesus as a baby, I just thought about how whenever I hold my friends Jim and Lisa's baby Charlie (pictured, right), I take a huge whiff of baby head! Who can resist?!!!</i></span></div>
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-36048284448207024712016-12-04T11:09:00.002-05:002016-12-04T12:23:29.435-05:00He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming – it came!<div style="line-height: normal;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So.... this might be the sourest Christmas thing you'll read all year, but don't worry – it ends well!! Here goes...</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m not proud of it, but I’ve been kind of obsessed with what Donald Trump is doing. What oddly inappropriate person is he appointing? What childish thing is he tweeting? What incredibly unpresidential thing is he doing? What colossal lie is he telling? But this is not how I want to live my life, and the other day I realized that if I allow this to continue, it’s going to flat out RUIN my Christmas!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I thought, “Someone ought to make a meme of Donald Trump as the Grinch and call it ‘the Donald who stole Christmas.’ ” And I’m a graphic artist – I could do it… One year our family Christmas card featured BILL as the Grinch! I’ve done all kinds of photoshop magic for our cards… but I’m not going to do the Donald as the Grinch….</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because, as the Whos down in Who-ville discovered, no matter what the big, grinchy orange guy does, Christmas is UNSTEALABLE!!! Right? He can be the biggest jerk in the world as he is wont to do, but… the no room in the inn, the baby in the manger, the star of Bethlehem, the shepherds and the wisemen… it all still happened!! And it's so much more than that story. It's the story that saves the world, man. Saves – present tense. It's saving it even as we speak!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The day after the election – I was just plum shattered. I know the results were good news for some people, but I was scared that a guy who just doesn’t seem very smart would have his finger on the red button. I was hurt for all the people that felt marginalized by the election results. And I was disappointed in Christian leaders who supported such a hater for president.* </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, that Wednesday, the only thing that consoled me was reminding myself over and over… that God is with us. He’s with us. He’s here. He’s real, and He’s with us. That’s what Emmanuel means, by the way – God with us. And that’s Christmas… and no one can steal it because it’s magnificent. It’s for every race, political party and gender... it's </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">physical and also spiritual, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and it’s now and also eternal. In the lovely words of the prophet Isaiah:</span></div>
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<i style="color: #001320; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For to us a child is born, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to us a son is given, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and the government will be on his shoulders. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And he will be called </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of the greatness of his government and peace </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">there will be no end.</span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Can I get an AMEN everybody? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>*I realize too, that some Christians may be disappointed in ME… that my vote didn’t consider the rights of unborn children above all things… and I get that… I just feel like the other option is pro-life in other ways.</i></span></div>
julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-12239061234848074222016-11-24T07:43:00.001-05:002016-11-24T07:46:33.229-05:00Thank you, thank you very much... (repost... sorry!)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihS8oDi-6xnerKvoC4Ntrg0xVNl2eW8dJuETMj6sdyloVV5-GcQkKaZ9KVvZpyFt5kvoR16xucR7Wg9xm3yE-HV18U_MWkpVYqeSA_LHpUAwZxvSvCvoiEvwV4wMnIP8XD4vz5Q3vb6H6H/s1600/AAAADIkLGLkAAAAAATe96g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihS8oDi-6xnerKvoC4Ntrg0xVNl2eW8dJuETMj6sdyloVV5-GcQkKaZ9KVvZpyFt5kvoR16xucR7Wg9xm3yE-HV18U_MWkpVYqeSA_LHpUAwZxvSvCvoiEvwV4wMnIP8XD4vz5Q3vb6H6H/s1600/AAAADIkLGLkAAAAAATe96g.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The place mats that made Bill glad</span></i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Because I'm apparently incapable of coming up with something new, here's a Thanksgiving-y repost from days of yore - 2012 to be exact! Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stores like Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma are fun to browse in, but at our income level, browsing is mostly what’s going on in there for us. Sometimes, though, they put stuff on sale, and we can’t resist. Like last winter when Williams-Sonoma put a Cuisinart ice cream maker with two freezer bowls on sale for $50... And sometimes they put the seasonal stuff on deep discount, and that’s always fun, 'cos our house is all about holidays. We love’em, I tell ya.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So the other day, when we saw these Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit laminated cork-backed place mats on sale for $5 each, they pretty much jumped into my hands. So we brought them home and replaced, yes, the Christmas mats that were still somehow gracing our table. (Bill’s mat was so sticky and gross no matter how many times I cleaned it that I had to throw it away!) And that night when Bill was setting the table, he spotted them – brilliant, observant child that he is. He let out a little gasp, and ran up and hugged me, saying over and over: “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Of course my heart melted... Other times, when he’s having a great time – like last night when we let him stay up late to watch a movie with Rowan Atkinson who is famous for playing Mr. Bean – he’ll exclaim, “I love you, Mom!” (or “I love you, Dad!” – depending on who he’s with.) I have to say I’m glad when he does stuff like this because it shows that he’s not rocking that “sense of entitlement” I’ve heard about. No thanks to us, I might add – as parents go, we’re terribly indulgent. But I find it hard to not shower him with ... everything! Although I like to make sure he gets more affection and hugs than STUFF...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqgsafm12E-aaOFXZUwcyM2_Zlq2lHmGjtFLhKWsMXYDAFM3NJbSZKNkQJnnl92KoYAWZwVpkIN2x4-uw7j7KvashsfT2tlOi97rzpPVxyDuL22BowoNqW8taFtQrRtvOgvbR7U_KL2IO/s1600/johnny-english-reborn05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqgsafm12E-aaOFXZUwcyM2_Zlq2lHmGjtFLhKWsMXYDAFM3NJbSZKNkQJnnl92KoYAWZwVpkIN2x4-uw7j7KvashsfT2tlOi97rzpPVxyDuL22BowoNqW8taFtQrRtvOgvbR7U_KL2IO/s320/johnny-english-reborn05.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The movie that made Bill glad</span></i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So the other night, I woke up around 4:30 a.m... Grace tells me that this is normal as we get older. Nice. So after I had peed, I’m lying in bed and I suddenly felt huuuugely convicted: The way Bill acted when he saw those mats, the way he yells out, “I love you!” at random happy times... that’s how I should be behaving all the time with God. And, really, I hardly ever just thank God for things. Ooooppsss... Now, fortunately I have an oh-so-soft, but decidedly firm cushion of grace around me... but if God gets even a drop of the warm fuzzies I feel when Bill says thanks, then I should be doing it much more often. Every night, though my cooking is marginal at best, Tom says thank you after our dinner... whether I’ve made something from scratch or just thrown a couple of hotdogs on the George Foreman... And it’s always so nice to those two little words, “Thank you!”</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So, I was lying in bed there feeling totally bummed at my failure to give them to God, the One who really, really warrants it. Even on a day like Thanksgiving, which is, of course, designed specifically for this purpose, I’m often more concerned with other things like watching the parade, fixing the meal, dealing with relatives... And at church, while we’re supposed to be singing and praising God, I’m thinking about the excellent arrangements, the harmonies I’m trying out, whether I’m embarrassing my husband by dancing a little jig, or what I’m doing the rest of the day...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I’ve been reading this crazy book by Neal Stephenson called <i>Anathem</i>, in which the intellectuals are cloistered like monks. They focus on intellectual concerns only, without considering questions of theology. When events cause the main character to leave the cloister and he meets an outside person who believes in God, he has the following thoughts: </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOumiiC4BgSFdRizNHGBoI_daaKc5aMGWvihV86rwJmlKOklJSnZolr3p1LWEfMRmimrZuXv4R8VxxoFGE-LjuitJ3EFe2hfOkjJLed85y04WR4LIQ4myHBI1KZbmqcArYrPWNDXf3-7cq/s1600/IMG_4958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOumiiC4BgSFdRizNHGBoI_daaKc5aMGWvihV86rwJmlKOklJSnZolr3p1LWEfMRmimrZuXv4R8VxxoFGE-LjuitJ3EFe2hfOkjJLed85y04WR4LIQ4myHBI1KZbmqcArYrPWNDXf3-7cq/s320/IMG_4958.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Every day should be for<br />giving thanks!</span></i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">“If you sincerely believed in God, how could you form one thought, speak one sentence, without mentioning Him? Instead of which [religious people] would go on for hours without bringing God into the the conversation at all. Maybe his God was remote from our doings. Or – more likely – maybe the presence of God was so obvious to him that he felt no more need to speak of it than I did to point out, all the time, that I was breathing air.”</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">It would be great to think that that’s how it is with me – that I’m so into God, and so grateful, that I’m breathing it – but truthfully, I’m just distracted most of the time. And, most likely, ungrateful and feeling entitled. It’s not pretty, but... that’s what I’m working with here. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maybe the Bible urges us so often to be thankful because the writers know we have to be told – it doesn't come naturally to us.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So what did I do when I realized this wretched thought? Well, the only thing I COULD do at the moment... I lay there praying, “I’m sorry! Thank you!” over and over. Just like Paul says in Romans: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” God Himself is the answer to our wretched ungratefulness! Mostly I think that ANY time my thoughts are drawn to God, it must be a gift from God Himself. So... I’m grateful that He pushed into my possibly peri-menopausal nocturnal musings and made me thankful, however brief that shot of light was. How to make it last? I don’t know... make a habit of counting my blessings? I guess that’s a good place to start... </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">In the meantime, after you listen to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xW7FmHyff8">this song by Sam and Dave</a>, I’m going to guess that you’ll be feeling at least a little bit grateful.</span></div>
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-77511884753305876602016-07-23T16:53:00.001-04:002016-07-24T08:45:59.236-04:00My Special Huggy Bear Recipe<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXXC6zTNrirgLXx3rInD0bgKppFY97tBf6VfRRvVEixOPc8fno0cwi1BIBEhpq5hM4rEJQ12b9r6E2tU6mTybADk82bCrklxPWSJdjZx4FR9OWiFBD1cZammwe2aR3R5R3RBFnplMknA/s1600/DSCN3178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXXC6zTNrirgLXx3rInD0bgKppFY97tBf6VfRRvVEixOPc8fno0cwi1BIBEhpq5hM4rEJQ12b9r6E2tU6mTybADk82bCrklxPWSJdjZx4FR9OWiFBD1cZammwe2aR3R5R3RBFnplMknA/s320/DSCN3178.jpg" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Special huggy bear chef</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When Bill was little, he would get out plastic bowls and spoons and concoct mixtures of odd things like water, gummy bears, food coloring, Cheez-its, milk, etc… whatever I would let him have. It always looked disgusting and I always only pretended to eat it… and he always called it his “Special Huggy Bear Recipe.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now that he’s 12, his “Special Huggy Bear Recipe” consists of a Klondike bar on a plate with caramel syrup and a spritz of whipped cream… A tad more sophisticated, and something I would definitely eat. I guess I’ve made it sound like he’s always in the kitchen mixing it up, but really he’s not. His usual method for acquiring victuals is lying around and saying, “Mom can you make me some…” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And he actually likes my cooking – which is weird. I mean, if you’ve been reading my stuff long, you will have deduced that I am not a great cook. What with my previous food issues, my lack of time, the picky eaters who live in my house, and my unflagging apathy, … it’s just not in me to be a daring or precise cook. I mean, when it comes down to it, I’d much rather be watching a movie or reading a book. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Thank you, God, for avocados.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That said, I am an adequate cook that sometimes follows recipes, sometimes improvises, sometimes just makes sh*t up. And since I’ve been home all summer on account of my academic job, I’ve been able to take a little time with my lunch, which I have gotten down to an science. And even though I am the LAST person who should be giving out self-devised recipes, and even though you probably don't need ME to tell you how to make this, I’m going to do it anyway because this is the best thing I’ve put in my mouth in a while — honestly the ingredients make it pretty fool proof. God sure did a good job with avocados, didn’t He? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>AVOCADO <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRlcpKu9aqI">TOAST</a></b></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 tsp. butter </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />1/2 ripe avocado <br />1 boiled egg, sliced <br />salt <br />lemon juice </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br /><i>You can substitute the boiled egg with two poached eggs – one egg on each slice. You will not be hungry until dinner if you eat it this way. You could also use olive oil instead of butter if you wanted to, but butter is just so … buttery, am I right?</i></span></div>
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-59423178923044792052016-07-20T19:53:00.001-04:002016-07-20T19:53:17.306-04:00And Now, for Some Blatant Advertising (repost)<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I'm reposting this because... well, you can probably figure out why...! :-P</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This isn’t going to be one of those spiritual, thought-provoking posts that (in my mind) some of the others are... No, this is just a bit of housekeeping... revising an earlier misspeak, along with a bit of blatant advertising... </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Because of Nina – we're on, as the</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Fleshtones say, "the right side </span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A month or so ago I wrote about our little episode with head lice... and, like so many things, I may have spoken a bit too soon. Yep, I thought we were in the clear, but.... noooooooo....! I kept feeling the itchies, despite repeated treatment and extensive nitpicking sessions. And no, it wasn’t, as I first suspected, “all in my head.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And as with many problems we begin with trying to solve them ourselves only to find that we must in the end hire a professional. A season of melancholy turns to full blown depression and we stew in it – sometimes confiding in a friend, and finally we may seek professional help. Got poison ivy? Reach for the calamine lotion (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sktG9fmMUq4">rhymes with...</a>), discuss home remedies with the <a href="http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/">Graedons</a>... until you can’t stand it anymore and find yourself at your family doctor begging for a prescription unguent. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And this is how we found ourselves after more than a month of homeopathic, over the counter and prescription lice solutions, calling a lice eradication service. Until this summer, I had no clue such a thing even existed! And then, I thought, “It’s probably reeeally expensive... just for rich people... people who have money to burn and are too lazy to do it themselves...” But now I know, this service is also the refuge of the desperate. I mean, I absolutely DON’T have any flammable money, and I had expended a LOT of effort trying to do it myself... I just didn’t have the psychic energy or training to solve the problem myself. Even with the help of my great friend Grace, it just proved too much... and I don't think I'm out of line when I say that Grace had reached the end of her rope as well!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I swear they aren’t paying me a cent to plug them... but I am totally going to do it. It's called <a href="http://www.licehappens.com/lice-removal-raleigh-durham-chapel-hill-north-carolina">Lice Happens</a> and here’s how it works: You call and someone answers. You don’t have to leave a message or go through a bunch of “for English press 1” stuff... You set up an appointment – usually pretty soon after the call, and the “lice lady” shows up at your door with all the equipment needed to render you and yours LICE FREE. I am not kidding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The “lice lady” who services this area is named Nina and she is super cool. Not only does she get the job done, but she has great taste in music and art and all. You see, you end up chewing the fat a bit while she does her thing, so I was able to size her up, both professionally and as a fellow human being.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, she checks the entire family... then all she does is wet your hair and spray some foamy stuff on it – which, she told us, is completely natural and non-toxic. It loosens up the lice and egs and then she has this amazing comb that is like.... velcro... or sandpaper... or something. Whatever it’s like, it really scrapes the pestilence out of your hair. Anyway, with this super lice-catcher comb, she combs your hair over and over and over and over until no lice at any stage of development come out on that super-sticky comb. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For kids, she’s got a little DVD player so they can watch a movie while she works... because it can be a tedious process. But absolutely NOT as tedious as sitting there while your clueless mom tries to pick each individual nit out of your hair. And when she’s done, she gives you instructions to carry on with the treatment for the next couple of weeks. And again, the stuff you have to do is NOT like picking over an entire head of hair every day. It’s more of a quick comb-through while you’re washing your hair.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And yes, it DOES cost a bit. But you know what? I had already spent a ton of money on special combs, over-the-counter remedies, prescription remedies, doctor visits... I am now wishing I had just called Nina to begin with! Because, as I stated before, sometimes you just have to eat your pride and call in a professional. Not only do I feel UN-lousy for the first time in a long time, but I made a very cool friend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, just for Nina, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rICNaMNNLrc&feature=related">here's</a> a song by the Fleshtones that I think she'd like.</span></div>
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-73042575837804860982016-07-08T17:14:00.003-04:002016-09-24T10:43:25.186-04:00I'm planning to be here.<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because one of my main clients is a university, I am having the novel experience of working at half mast this summer. As the summer approached, I began to develop ambitious plans of what I would accomplish with my impending free time, most of which involved cleaning and organizing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And what is it that James says about the arrogance of making plans?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. (James 4)</i></span></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">James warns us about the <br />perils of making plans.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(I’ve always thought that last line seems sort of out of place, and now I’m wondering if it actually means something like: "What if you make a plan to do something good – but don’t follow through? That’s going to mess with your conscience!" Doesn't that make more sense?)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, despite my elaborate (and apparently sinful) planning, I’ve pretty much accomplished very little… besides just relaxing and hanging out with my awesome son Bill.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Besides my resolve to clean and organize, I really wanted to write some good, meaty blog posts but… so far, I’ve managed a grand total of ONE. Why is it that when I’m busy as crap, I get blog-worthy thoughts just piling up in my stressed out brain but have no time to make them readable for you? Conversely, I’m sitting here with time on my hands but absolutely no deep thoughts whatsoever. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Could it be the five twelve-year-old boys chattering away in the background? Could it be that empty life = empty mind? Or that with all this fun I’m having, I’m not thinking about God? (Which brings to mind what kindergarten Bill said before he got out of the car for his first Field Day: “Mommy, I’m worried that I will be having so much fun at field day that I’ll forget to think about you.” It’s a real danger, isn’t it?!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay, let’s go back to the five 12-year-old boys that are sitting in my living room playing Minecraft and just talking talking talking… “Iron golems don’t give out roses out for no reason” and “I think we should each have vaults of our private stuff” and “Who has black dye? black wool? an ink sack? anybody?” And this is all very well and good because they’re still behaving in a fairly innocuous un-post-puberty way… because, and here’s my point… I’M NOT READY TO HAVE A TEENAGE BOY.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I'm here for you, Bill!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In some ways we’re already there… the gallons of milk that I’m constantly buying, the size 10 shoes that I’m always tripping over in the hall, the middle school dances I chaperoned, the way he occasionally washes his own sheets… But in other ways, he’s still just a kid. I mean, he’s playing Minecraft, dang it! He’s obsessed with Batman, he covers his eyes when people kiss on TV, and his fascination with LEGOs is far from over. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m trying to keep an open mind about this… I mean, I’m sure teenage boys have their good points… right? They sleep late so they’re lower maintenance... and already I’m making use of Bill’s increased height to reach things on high shelves! But again, I’m NOT ready for this. How will I handle it? I have no tools in my skill bag to handle what’s coming. Dating, driving,</span><span style="font-family: '"helvetica neue"', '"arial"', '"helvetica"', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: '"helvetica neue"', '"arial"', '"helvetica"', sans-serif;">identity crises, </span><span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">bad hair days… and all the sheer adolescent angst that accompanies this alarming phase.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I recently had the pleasure of holding a friend’s 4-week-old baby and it was so wonderful… that sweetie went right to sleep. His mom said, “He just likes to be up next to a warm body.” And seriously, that’s what I’m good at. Being the nice soft warm body that lulls the child to sleep. I wonder how I can translate it into being a good mom to a teenager? Hopefully just being present counts for something… because sometimes that’s the best I can do… and this summer, I AM present!</span></div>
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-31861568946517351822016-06-18T15:59:00.002-04:002016-06-22T15:28:34.332-04:00Yeah, I Went There...<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In my childhood, my family regularly attended a Methodist Church, where as a teen I also participated enthusiastically in the youth group and sang in the choir. College, however, took me on a detour through some quite … interesting … phases… Until in my mid-twenties, when I jack-knifed back into a full-on obsession with Christianity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you need a “birthday” or “born again day” I would consider this to be it, rather than the mild interest of my youth... although I'm not altogether sure how that works. So we’re talking the eighties… When it all got political… you know, the Moral Majority and all that stuff. I attended a church that was long on love, loose in style, but pretty tightly orthodox, theology-wise. People took the Bible literally, studied it fiercely, nodded their heads to James Dobson, and worried about the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There was very little grey area, so the how-tos of Christianity were pretty easy to follow… including the fact that we were all Republicans. And yes, by we, I mean me too. I hung out with a bunch of people who believed in trickle-down economics… that healthy sex happens between two heterosexual married people… that babies should be carried to term under nearly every circumstance… one of these people was actually one of those scary avid proponents of 2nd Amendment rights.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These days it’s easy to look at Christians and see only the kind of rabid conservative, hateful, person who is freaked out by the possibility of running into a transgender person in the bathroom. So it may be difficult to believe these friends of mine in the 80s/90s also believed in helping the poor and needy… in a very in-the-trenches way. They volunteered at homeless shelters, built homes for Habitat for Humanity, fed and cared for AIDS patients… and took care of each other tirelessly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While the Republicans one hears about on the news seem to hate everyone, these people were some of the most selfless people I’ve ever met. They believed that God loves every single person in the world and wants to save them. They just thought that trickle-down economics would provide jobs for the poor… and that the ultimate way to love people is to bring them to the One who loves them the most and the only One who can save them – that is, God… And part of coming to God involves repentance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Honestly, I still have friends like this. At Christmas time, when the field of candidates was much larger, I was at a dinner and one woman piped up, “Who are y’all going to vote for?” The group then went on to discuss the Republican candidates as if they were the only ones on the table. And, coward that I am, I just clammed up. My friend Grace said later, “I wanted to say so bad, ‘Julie likes Bernie Sanders!’ ” Because I really do, y’all. I love how he cares for the poor and wants to change things. I’m not sure he’s the practical answer, but I do like him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I also love my friends and know where they’re coming from. I think for many the primary issue is abortion. I remember having a discussion with a guy and saying to him, “You act like abortion is the only issue.” And he said, “It is.” And, truthfully I love babies so dang much it is like a knife to my own heart to think of someone killing them, even if they do look like a blob of cells at the time. But there are other aspects to this debate. I am pretty conflicted about it, myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mostly, though, my political feelings have jack-knifed since my early days as a Christian, although my theology has not. I still believe in the statements of the Apostles' creed, and the sweet simplicity of John 3:16… It’s how these beliefs relate to who I’m going to support in any given election that has shifted. Although I don’t believe that any political party embodies the Christian faith and its moral ideals. And no politician or party can save anyone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you’ve read my stuff before, you won’t be surprised to learn that this is all just a really long meandering introduction to something else that I wanted to say… And that is, I was at church on Sunday, and I found myself almost a little bit dreading what conservative thing might be said from the pulpit. I usually dread it for my husband’s sake, who is really liberal, but on this day, HE WASN’T EVEN THERE!!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I realized what was happening in my head, I felt REALLY convicted about how cynical I’ve become… about my own people. And I had to repent. I had to try to let go of the anger and suspicion that I had built up in my heart. It would be impossible for a whole church full of people to agree on every single issue, but we DO agree on the love of God and people's need to know about it. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Prince, y'all!</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Attribution: <span class="licensetpl_attr"><a class="extiw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Micahmedia" style="background-image: none; color: #663366; text-decoration: none;" title="en:User:Micahmedia">Micahmedia</a> at <a class="external text" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/" style="background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%20standalone%3D%22no%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2212%22%20height%3D%2212%22%3E%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%20d%3D%22M1.5%204.518h5.982V10.5H1.5z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M5.765%201H11v5.39L9.427%207.937l-1.31-1.31L5.393%209.35l-2.69-2.688%202.81-2.808L4.2%202.544z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M9.995%202.004l.022%204.885L8.2%205.07%205.32%207.95%204.09%206.723l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E); background-position: 100% 50%, 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #663366; padding-right: 13px; text-decoration: none;">en.wikipedia</a></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And the truth is I have NEVER seen or heard anyone in my church say or do anything hateful, and I HAVE seen them do all kinds of loving and helpful things. You should see how they rally ‘round when somebody is suffering. When I was nearly killing myself with anorexia back in the day, they didn’t see a selfish, skeletal, drug-taking, promiscuous goth chick. They saw someone who needed God’s love. And their love. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, I’m not saying every single Christian is made of only love, (<i>*cough* Westboro Baptist Church</i>) or negating any pain anyone may have felt from clumsy Christians... but I am saying… well… I know even the mildest of us look kinda judgey with our insistence on Jesus, but… it’s just 'cos we love you. So don’t judge us too harshly… </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most of us are just trying to figure out what's right and how to do it. I mean, even Prince believed in the </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/joeljmiller/2013/07/prince-talks-religion-says-were-not-one-big-happy-family/">exclusive claims of Jesus</a>, right? </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course when</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> you’re Prince, well... you're PRINCE! And we can’t all be Prince, now can we? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We CAN dig </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGT0ON9DmtM" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">this rockin' song</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> by him, though!</span></div>
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629942410632751474.post-4393822463117392962016-05-22T17:48:00.002-04:002016-05-29T16:19:41.956-04:0012 Tips for New College Grads :-P<div style="line-height: normal;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>My awesome niece Gabriel</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Four falls ago, I wrote a column for the Chapel Hill News in which I gave advice to incoming college freshmen. In it I advised young folks to keep up with their class reading and follow their syllabus… and date musicians and NOT date musicians. It was mainly written for my cool niece Gabriel who was entering Duke. And now, after a successful college career she’s graduated, and I thought…exactly what advice do I have for a new college graduate? Not that Gabriel needs my advice – she's brilliant! ...But what would I tell my younger self?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First of all, my younger self was an idiot and could have used some good advice. Secondly, my younger self was an idiot and wouldn’t have taken any advice! Thirdly, it all worked out anyway, so I’ve got that going for me… which is nice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, if you are super ambitious and business/career-minded, I’m afraid I can’t advise you. That was never my thing. However, if your goal, as mine was, is to stay afloat and have fun, I have some great tips for you – some are tongue-in-cheek tidbits based on my actual life, while some are pieces of actual advice that might really be helpful. It's up to you to figure out which is which!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Live where you want to live… where your friends are and where the stuff you like to do is. The job can come second. If you can find a job in your field, AWESOME – if not, get one vaguely related… or even do retail or food service – whatever will keep you afloat. And whatever it is, just grab hold of it and work hard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Find a cheap living situation – the more roommates the better! If you are having fun, you won’t care that you’re sharing a bedroom with three other people and a house with a bunch more. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvd8EiJNNT-ln-bZSiC6hWc7mlP1-JeCrSQDkz43C4m7Pr6gXCY4FuY6ZrfGwvEgKsSJRJUbjyn3tjWobT4lUNH38X0_RyYO7CROAhcsBNNgxYYBpu1lCePUFi-bD2F2iqKohyphenhyphenOfSjPCo/s1600/050_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Fill up on beans, rice, popcorn, ramen noodles and bread. Find out where the good, cheap all-you-can-eateries are, and occasionally go there and eat all you can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. Eat one meal a day. While this practice may steer you towards an eating disorder, as it did me, it will save you a boat load of lunch money and calories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. Shop at thrift shops. Buy a lot of black items so that everything matches. Turn these clothes and those you already have into cool outfits by adding concha belts and/ or vintage items from your grandma’s closet, and pairing with Doc Martens, cowboy or granny boots, or Chuck Taylors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6. Never spend money on drugs. If someone offers to share, though… um. Don’t take them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">7. Take the money you’ve saved from eating crap, sharing a house with 10 people, shopping at thrift shops, and not buying drugs, and spend it on live music shows. See and be seen. Dance. Meet the shaggy-haired, pencil-thin, heart-breaking musician boyfriend of your dreams. Maybe not Mr. Right, but Mr. Right Now…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">8. Read a lot of books. Later, when you have a partner and/or kids, you won’t have near enough time to read, and the world is full of words arranged just so into books that want to melt into your heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">9. Take a lot of walks. Being outside will clear your head... Plus, your body is young and resilient – it is easier now for you to be in shape than it ever will be again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">10. Go to Europe… or wherever you want to… while you’re still young enough to stay at hostels. I actually didn’t do this, but wish I had.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">11. Go to church. I didn’t do this either, but wish I had. Regular attendance at an event where people are looking at the Almighty will keep you grounded. Even if you don’t understand or agree with everything… it will take you outside yourself for just an hour. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">12. Another thing I rarely did: enjoy some silence. Turn off everything for a little while every day. Hear yourself think. If so led, talk to your Maker. Listen for the answers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay, I’m pretty sure that even if you are an idiot like I was, you can tell where the list takes a turn from idiotic things I did to advice that might actually help you… And yes – “idiotic” is the word that comes to mind. Along with “immature” and “sinner, poor and needy.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although I hope you're smarter than me... I honestly don’t think I would trade my misspent youth for a well-spent youth… not that I am advising you to mis-spend your youth. Please don’t… I’m actually not really sure what I’m saying… Just… LIVE! Be young for a while… just don't </span><span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">wait too long to come around to numbers 11 and 12… because that’s where real life is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>PHOTO CREDIT: My friend Alecia, with whom I lived during much of that magic time!</i></span></span></div>
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julie moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096470678041545505noreply@blogger.com1