At one point, I was debating going, because I wasn't sure I wanted to go by myself (which I usually love doing). But I am so very, very glad I went.
There's music, and talent, skill, enjoyment of listening... But then, there's also the Divine who comes and kisses us through a melody, a word, silence. I pity those who only experience the first without knowing the ecstasy of the second.
Tonight Tom told lots of stories; I love hearing his stories. He started the evening talking about his new album, Gravity Shoes. He spoke about Peter, who had the unbelivable experience of walking on the water - for a moment. Every minute of his life after that he had to reconcile that experience with reality - everytime he went swimming, or swallowed his drink down the wrong way. We, as believers, have two realities pulling us in opposite directions; the reality of the physical world that we experience every day, and the reality of an eternal that we can only glimpse but know deep inside that we were created for and is somehow more real than what we see.
From there Tom launched into Little World, any oldie, but one of my favorites.
It was a great evening, I loved all the new songs he played as well as the older ones. I so appreciate his style and skill (he re-tuned his guitar to different notes without a tuner and while he was talking) and his heart for the Lord.
The second to last song, he unplugged his guitar after the verse, stepped away from the mic and walked in the aisle as we all sang "Now I know the secret of sacred things. I am the one You love, this body Your castle, my King. You do not reside in a church. We are Your temple on earth."
Then he sang "Draw me nearer blessed Lord, to the cross where Thou hast died..." You could sense the presence of the Lord, there was such a sweetness in the room and a resting in His love. When he finished the song, the room was completely silent.
31.3.07
30.3.07
The most boring thing ever
A friend of mine decided to try out a tanning bed. So she has 5 visits, and she says she'll probably go five times for 8 minutes, but it's so boring!
29.3.07
...but this I am denied...
Disappointments, no matter how expected, are no fun to deal with. If everything went the way we planned it, we could happily be little selfish creatures who never had a thing that didn't go our way. So, as far as character building goes, it's great. Other than that - disappointment stinks!
28.3.07
Now I know what I'm doing this weekend!
I was checking my old e-mail address, and I had an e-mail from Tom Conlon (not a personal e-mail, I'm on some sort of mailing list). The important information is: DCF, Saturday @ 8:00pm!
(Anneke, before you get too bummed, he'll be in Colorado Springs April 27&28!)
27.3.07
A bit of a quiz
I've been too busy to post the past few days...not that you've noticed.
We are getting ready for our spring show - exhibition - at the gym, and I have been working on picking music and choreographing routines. I am very happy with my 3, especially the Hampster Dance Song (watch below).
When you listen to it, you might recognize the melody from a classic animated Disney movie. :) I'll give you a hi five if you tell me which one!
We are getting ready for our spring show - exhibition - at the gym, and I have been working on picking music and choreographing routines. I am very happy with my 3, especially the Hampster Dance Song (watch below).
When you listen to it, you might recognize the melody from a classic animated Disney movie. :) I'll give you a hi five if you tell me which one!
24.3.07
Death toll in ammunition depot blast rises to 96
23.3.07
22.3.07
Whoa
After sleeping too little last night and waking up in a fog, I wondered if I was going to be in a bad mood all day or if I'd get over it. The good side of this was, that I could go to bed early tonight and try to get on a better sleeping schedule (the thought did cross my mind that if I had kids they would certainly force me to some kind of a schedule!). But, oh darn, I have 2 meetings to attend after work tonight. So much for getting to bed early.
I managed to go and play with show stuff for a bit, and I felt better after that. Then I went with a friend to get her truck's oil changed, it was her first time and she doesn't like mechanic shops.
Then I went home and wanted to take a nap. No time!!! It was time for drastic measures; if I wanted to make it through 3 1/2 hours of coaching and both of my meetings, I was going to need some help. So I made a pit stop and gulped down a Dr. Pepper before getting to work. Then I had another one before my first meeting. Then I had another one at my second meeting. I made it through all of the meetings just fine...except at 10:30 I noticed I was getting figidity and then I started bursting uncontrolably into random snippets of songs, and when I got in my car I started singing "You Can't Stop the Beat" really loudly, and I don't even really know the words.
3 Dr Peppers in 8 hours: it got me through my day, and I'm glad for that, but will I sleep tonight?
I managed to go and play with show stuff for a bit, and I felt better after that. Then I went with a friend to get her truck's oil changed, it was her first time and she doesn't like mechanic shops.
Then I went home and wanted to take a nap. No time!!! It was time for drastic measures; if I wanted to make it through 3 1/2 hours of coaching and both of my meetings, I was going to need some help. So I made a pit stop and gulped down a Dr. Pepper before getting to work. Then I had another one before my first meeting. Then I had another one at my second meeting. I made it through all of the meetings just fine...except at 10:30 I noticed I was getting figidity and then I started bursting uncontrolably into random snippets of songs, and when I got in my car I started singing "You Can't Stop the Beat" really loudly, and I don't even really know the words.
3 Dr Peppers in 8 hours: it got me through my day, and I'm glad for that, but will I sleep tonight?
21.3.07
Cleaning Day!
April and I have been at it all day, scrubbing, wiping, and washing everything in sight. It's been great fun, and our windows look so nice!
19.3.07
Tomorrow
If there isn't a post on therehearsalchronicles by tomorrow (Tuesday), then we all have to leave a comment on his blog saying how frustrating it is that some people never update their blog! [Even if you don't know Scotty, please join in on the fun!]
Craziness!
When April went to bed at 11:30, and Camila at 12:00, I wasn't the slightest bit tired, being busy as I was posting pictures from yesterday's birthday party. At 1:30, April got up again and we talked for an hour. I half expected Camila to get up and say "WHAT are you doing up right now, and what are we talking about?" but she didn't. It was 3:30 before I finally went to bed, but I wasn't at all sleepy before that. (It's nice not having anything specific to do in the morning so that I can stay up til 3:30 if I want to. Not that I'm going to make it a habit. )
This morning I remembered that I had a Mr. Pibb (I wish it was a Dr. Pepper) with dinner. Ahhhh....no wonder I was awake so late!
This morning I remembered that I had a Mr. Pibb (I wish it was a Dr. Pepper) with dinner. Ahhhh....no wonder I was awake so late!
18.3.07
Behind bars
"I didn't do it!"
"Yes I did! I stole my daddy's heart!"
"And the heart of everyone who has seen me. What can I say, I was born with it...after all, have you SEEN my parents???" ;)
17.3.07
March 17th, 2007
" Some 1,500 years ago a teenage boy from what is now Great Britain was kidnapped and enslaved by marauders from a neighboring country. Not since Paris absconded with Helen of Troy has a kidnapping so changed the course of history.
The invading marauders came from fifth-century Ireland. The teenager they captured eventually escaped, but returned voluntarily some years later. In the meantime, he had become convinced that he was handpicked by God to convert the entire country to Christianity.
Apparently, he was right.
In the process of converting the primitive people of Ireland, however, the former slave experienced a conversion, too. In the years that followed, he not only shared God with the people of Ireland, but also grew in his understanding of God through them.
And so it was that a young Briton named Patricius died an Irishman named Patrick. And neither Ireland nor Christianity was ever quite the same.
It was Patrick's conversion of Ireland that made possible the preservation of Western thought through the early Dark Ages by the Irish monasteries founded by Patrick's successors. When the lights went out all over Europe, a candle still burned in Ireland. That candle was lit by Patrick." (Excerpts from "The Saint Patrick You Never Knew" by Anita McSorley)
The invading marauders came from fifth-century Ireland. The teenager they captured eventually escaped, but returned voluntarily some years later. In the meantime, he had become convinced that he was handpicked by God to convert the entire country to Christianity.
Apparently, he was right.
In the process of converting the primitive people of Ireland, however, the former slave experienced a conversion, too. In the years that followed, he not only shared God with the people of Ireland, but also grew in his understanding of God through them.
And so it was that a young Briton named Patricius died an Irishman named Patrick. And neither Ireland nor Christianity was ever quite the same.
It was Patrick's conversion of Ireland that made possible the preservation of Western thought through the early Dark Ages by the Irish monasteries founded by Patrick's successors. When the lights went out all over Europe, a candle still burned in Ireland. That candle was lit by Patrick." (Excerpts from "The Saint Patrick You Never Knew" by Anita McSorley)
Thank You, God, for people like Patrick who joyfully lay down their lives to follow You wherever You lead.
16.3.07
He's a boy
Marcail's getting a baby brother, Donovan Nelson Makinson.
When asked for a comment, Ms. Makinson stated that she thought having a little brother would be nice, and she would share her toys with him as long as he didn't pull her hair.
When asked for a comment, Ms. Makinson stated that she thought having a little brother would be nice, and she would share her toys with him as long as he didn't pull her hair.
15.3.07
Rain
"For after all the best thing one can do when it is raining, is let it rain." ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I love falling asleep listening to the rain.
"Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet." ~ Roger Miller
I love falling asleep listening to the rain."Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet." ~ Roger Miller
Isn't it strange?
I have often marveled recently that I have spent more time in high school since graduating than I ever did during grades 9-12. Of course, that's because I was homeschooled and now one of my favorite hobbies is working on shows, which happens to be at the high school.
On that note, yesterday a girl was complaining about her class and told me to never take it. She then asked my what grade I was in. I was highly amused.
On that note, yesterday a girl was complaining about her class and told me to never take it. She then asked my what grade I was in. I was highly amused.
14.3.07
Did you know?
Did you know, that as soon as this Friday, we could know if Marcail is getting a baby brother or a baby sister?
Sushi*
I went with Camila and April tonight to Clayton for Sushi. They go quite often, and I sometimes join them. The last several times I've been hesitant to go...for several reasons...but tonight was great.
My first exposure to sushi was with my Japanese friends in Mozambique. I don't know about you, but something about eating raw fish in a third-world African country where health standards were questionable and a good hospital hard to find made me want to stay away from food poisoning and stick to 'safe' sushi. i.e. only vegetables.
When I went for the first time to Clayton, I still didn't eat any with salmon or other raw fish on top...or maybe I did, but only after staring at it for an extended period of time.
Tonight I didn't think twice before stuffing a salmon topped sushi roll into my mouth. All of the different kinds were quite delicious. I only paused once before putting one with salmon roe on top into my mouth (I thought it was caviar at first, but Camila corrected me). That's more like my personality, enjoying food from other countries and not being picky. I must have been in a strange mood the first time in Clayton. Imagine that!
P.S. I love chopsticks! Please, can we eat with them every day?
*Disclaimer: I realize I am using the term 'sushi' freely and probably incorrectly.
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10.3.07
9.3.07
You can't stop the beat
Tonight I rented the '80's movie, Hairspray (which was later made into a Broadway musical). The movie was a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to seeing the musical in Knoxville next month. But, the reason for this post, is that New Line is remaking the movie, this time based on the musical which means more singing and dancing. It is supposed to come out July 20th. That's a movie-based on a musical-based on a movie. You still can't stop the beat!
See the sea creatures
Tomorrow I am going to Gatlinburg to the aquarium with my family, including Ben and Keri. I haven't been to an aquarium in several years. (I have wanted to go to Seaworld for a long time, and this place has a underwater tunnel.) Last night, I was looking at pictures on their web site, and under "events," there are wedding pictures! What a good idea! Except I wouldn't want to compete with the fish and sharks during the ceremony, but having just a reception there would still be great fun!
5.3.07
Look who's eating real food! (almost)
No, not Andrew. H's been eating real food for a while now.
It's Marcail!!!!
Oh yeah. We're getting ready for the real stuff. Can she say, "Ice cream" yet?4.3.07
30 Hour Famine
It's been a week since the 30 Hour Famine. I think I'm ready to think about it again.
It went really well, with a few exceptions. I normally don't have this problem when fasting, but Friday night my brain totally checked out. I had great difficulty making decisions and was rather emotional (not that most people could tell). About 10pm I ran into brick wall after brick wall. Some of the kids were being difficult and spoiling things for the other teens, and I couldn't get the main dvd player to work or the one in the little classroom. I was ready to cry, scream, or just go home. Finally we got the main one to work. The kids watched a video about what's going on in Uganda with the LRA using children for soldiers. We had spent the earlier part of the evening learning about this through different games and activities, but when the teens actually got to see real children whose lives had been forever changed by being forced to kill or be killed, it really opened their eyes to what is a horrible reality for thousands of children.
We transitioned immediately into a time of silence in a dark room that was lit with 300 tea light candles. Every few seconds on of the leaders would extinguish a flame, representing the fact that every 3 seconds a child dies from hunger and other related diseases. In 15 minutes, the room was dark. All through this the teens were completely silent.
I then talked about how Jesus calls us the light of the world, and how it is our responsibility as His children to help those around us in any way we can - through the giving of our time, money and lives, and by praying for them. We then each took a candle, I lit mine and said a prayer, then passed the flame onto the next person to pray. Each one said a prayer, some in their hearts and others aloud. The prayers ranged from, "God, forgive me for my selfishness," to, "wrap each child in Your arms and let them know Your love," to, "help us to remember what we've learned and to make a difference."
The miracle, is that from the moment the video started until the last person had prayed was way over an hour. And throughout that the kids were so focused, so quiet and respectful. To me, it was definitely the most impactful part of the weekend. And when I looked back on it, of course the hour before that was so terrible! How many times does the devil try to rob us of what God has planned by trying to get us in a bad mood or to give up? But God is greater, and when we walk in faith, trusting Him and submitting ourselves to Him, we invite Him to do something big in our lives. Even when we don't feel like it and the heavens seem brass, He opens the skies and showers down His favor. He is always good.
The next day was a lot of fun. We got the church all cleaned and got ready for Youth Sunday the next day. We completely revamped the bulletin and it was hysterical! I wish you could have seen it - not a bit of dry, boring information to be found! Every word was delightfully humorous! The chairs we rearranged in a wave - there wasn't a bad seat in the house!
We were suppose to serve dinner to the homeless the last 2 hours of our fast, but half way to Asheville we figured out that the people in charge had us down for the wrong day - it was very frustrating because we had gone through great lengths to get this particular day. But oh well. We'll make it over there some other time soon!
Once we broke the fast (yea pizza!) I was so hyper and giddy. It's strange to get such a high from simply eating, but it did make me think how when you don't get food regularly, your morale is affected as well as your physical body. Anyway, I stayed up till midnight doing something - I don't remember. But I did sleep in the next day, and take a 3 hour nap, and go to bed early. A few days later I was recovered...and now I'm about ready to think about it again and figure out what I am going to do with all the left-over stuff that's sitting in my room.
As a side note, the teens raised over $2,000 that will go to World Vision to feed starving children. Actually, so far they have raised enough to feed 6 kids for an entire year. Good job, guys!!! (That's one thing I really like about the 30 Hour Famine - it educates the teens on global issues and gives them something specific to do about it; It also challenges them to look around them in their own backyard and make a difference at home too.)
It went really well, with a few exceptions. I normally don't have this problem when fasting, but Friday night my brain totally checked out. I had great difficulty making decisions and was rather emotional (not that most people could tell). About 10pm I ran into brick wall after brick wall. Some of the kids were being difficult and spoiling things for the other teens, and I couldn't get the main dvd player to work or the one in the little classroom. I was ready to cry, scream, or just go home. Finally we got the main one to work. The kids watched a video about what's going on in Uganda with the LRA using children for soldiers. We had spent the earlier part of the evening learning about this through different games and activities, but when the teens actually got to see real children whose lives had been forever changed by being forced to kill or be killed, it really opened their eyes to what is a horrible reality for thousands of children.
We transitioned immediately into a time of silence in a dark room that was lit with 300 tea light candles. Every few seconds on of the leaders would extinguish a flame, representing the fact that every 3 seconds a child dies from hunger and other related diseases. In 15 minutes, the room was dark. All through this the teens were completely silent.
I then talked about how Jesus calls us the light of the world, and how it is our responsibility as His children to help those around us in any way we can - through the giving of our time, money and lives, and by praying for them. We then each took a candle, I lit mine and said a prayer, then passed the flame onto the next person to pray. Each one said a prayer, some in their hearts and others aloud. The prayers ranged from, "God, forgive me for my selfishness," to, "wrap each child in Your arms and let them know Your love," to, "help us to remember what we've learned and to make a difference."
The miracle, is that from the moment the video started until the last person had prayed was way over an hour. And throughout that the kids were so focused, so quiet and respectful. To me, it was definitely the most impactful part of the weekend. And when I looked back on it, of course the hour before that was so terrible! How many times does the devil try to rob us of what God has planned by trying to get us in a bad mood or to give up? But God is greater, and when we walk in faith, trusting Him and submitting ourselves to Him, we invite Him to do something big in our lives. Even when we don't feel like it and the heavens seem brass, He opens the skies and showers down His favor. He is always good.
The next day was a lot of fun. We got the church all cleaned and got ready for Youth Sunday the next day. We completely revamped the bulletin and it was hysterical! I wish you could have seen it - not a bit of dry, boring information to be found! Every word was delightfully humorous! The chairs we rearranged in a wave - there wasn't a bad seat in the house!
We were suppose to serve dinner to the homeless the last 2 hours of our fast, but half way to Asheville we figured out that the people in charge had us down for the wrong day - it was very frustrating because we had gone through great lengths to get this particular day. But oh well. We'll make it over there some other time soon!
Once we broke the fast (yea pizza!) I was so hyper and giddy. It's strange to get such a high from simply eating, but it did make me think how when you don't get food regularly, your morale is affected as well as your physical body. Anyway, I stayed up till midnight doing something - I don't remember. But I did sleep in the next day, and take a 3 hour nap, and go to bed early. A few days later I was recovered...and now I'm about ready to think about it again and figure out what I am going to do with all the left-over stuff that's sitting in my room.
As a side note, the teens raised over $2,000 that will go to World Vision to feed starving children. Actually, so far they have raised enough to feed 6 kids for an entire year. Good job, guys!!! (That's one thing I really like about the 30 Hour Famine - it educates the teens on global issues and gives them something specific to do about it; It also challenges them to look around them in their own backyard and make a difference at home too.)
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