I didn’t post anything yesterday because there was too much going on!

Yesterday was our “Concert on the Lawn”, and spent most of the day at the church setting up the sound equipment and helping with various other preparations. It is quite a job to move everything outside and set it up! But we did it…

When it was time for our sound check, I began to feel a little nervous–and not about singing or playing (I hardly ever get nervous, for some reason)…I realized that we had not yet run through the concert, practicing the transitions between performers and various details like that. Things like that always make me nervous, and that probably comes from all my years in drama productions and being a stage manager…we ALWAYS practiced everything countless times…

Our worship team opened up the concert, and it was wonderful…but my first solo song was coming up, and I began to get nervous about it for two reasons: C#m7 and B6 (those are chords, for those non-musicians out there!). Those two chords have been a source of frustration for me because they are difficult to play when your hands are small, like mine. During the sound check I failed to execute them smoothly, which frustrated me…

However, when Chris and I got up to play, it was PERFECT! I got all the chords, my voice sounded clear and resonated nicely throughout the lawn area…and I was SO happy! I got the two chords! That seriously made my evening! My second song was good as well…no problems with that one! (I sang “Shifting Sand” by Caedmon’s Call and “Unashamed Love” by Ten Shekel Shirt, in case you were curious.)

I got to make my debut on mandolin last night, which was exciting. We did a bluegrass medley, and had a banjo as well. It was so awesome! Our worship team has such diversity and I love that! We played gospel songs, rock and roll, bluegrass, etc.

It was so awesome to hear all the musicians from our church play, many of which sang and played their own songs. Such talent! For one of his songs, Chris did “I Am”, which is my FAVORITE song that he wrote (so far).

The evening was wonderful…music was fantastic…weather was unbeatable…

A good time was had by all!

Never mind the tips!! I beat the game! 🙂 I am SOOOO excited!

Yes, it is only a game, but it is a hard one!

Ah, now I must play again to see how fast I can win this time!

145/150 points!

A less serious post than normal…perhaps somewhat random in nature!

For all you Homestar Runner fans out there, this post is for you. 🙂

I love HSR…it is such a stress-reliever for me! I got hooked about 2.5 years ago in Pennsylvania…and I just can’t get enough of Strong Bad and his antics.

So, I decided, upon Duane’s recommendation, to play the new game “Peasant’s Quest”…

…and I am STUCK!

I have 54 out of the 150 points, and I have no idea where to go from here! I’ve got the pills, the sandwich, the baby…I killed the Kerrek…got the riches…got muddy…etc.

I can’t find this pig anywhere, and supposedly that is a part of the whole “quest.” I cannot figure out where to go from here! How discouraging! LOL.

This game is a lot more involved than I had expected, and the commentary throughout the game is HILARIOUS. You can totally hear Strong Bad’s voice in what you are reading.

So, I’d recommend this game to you all! It’s a great time! But, prepare to be frustrated…I know I am!

And if anyone has any tips or suggestions, I would LOVE to have them! 🙂

Well, I gave the Blogger commenting format a chance…but I really don’t like the anonymous comments that turn up because the commenters aren’t members. So I decided to go back to using HaloScan. I apologize for the comments that have now disappeared! I couldn’t figure out how to keep them…so you’ll just have to comment again!

Anyway, I’m back to using HaloScan for good now. Happy commenting!

So, a friend pointed out tonight what I was doing in the picture to make it look like I was flipping off the camera…I didn’t think of this, but I always play with my ring (that is on my left ring finger) with my thumb, which pushes the middle finger out more. That is what I was doing in the picture!

Thanks, friend, for solving this mystery. I could not figure out what on earth I had been doing!!

Just found this quote, and thought it was worth posting…and pondering…

“Let God be as original with others as he was with you.” –Oswald Chambers

Perhaps I’ll write more on this later…

What a great weekend! My parents came down (a semi-business trip for my Dad), and it was great to spend time with them. They took me shopping, too, which was very much appreciated! I have food now! 🙂

My apartment is beginning to look “put together.” I bought some artwork yesterday to create an Italian themed kitchen–very excited about that!

Church today was great…our worship team was right on musically today, which of course helps the congregation to worship… And, once again, the Lord took a very familiar passage of scripture and made it completely new to me. I was amazed, and I want to share with you the “revelation” that was given. If you’d already known this, it’s good review anyway! 🙂

We were reading from Luke 16:19-31, which is the story of the Rich Man and the Beggar (Lazarus). The first thing Pastor Tom pointed out was that Jesus starts this parable differently than His other parables. Instead of saying that “life is like…” or “it’s as if…”, He begins by saying that “There was a rich man…” My pastor suggested that perhaps this was a historical story–about someone that Jesus knew (since He is God and all)…I had NEVER noticed that! It’s an interesting point to ponder!

But that is NOT the revelation I am talking about in this post, so we’ll move on. 🙂

To summarize the story, the rich man had many luxuries, and never shared them with Lazarus, a beggar who sat outside his gate each day. The rich man was selfish, greedy, etc. They both died, and Lazarus was taken to heaven while the rich man went to hell. He looked up and saw Lazarus with Abraham, and he asked Abraham to have Lazarus dip his fingers into water and drip some water onto the rich man’s tongue.

Abraham said that was not possible because of the chasm that exists between the two places, which makes it impossible for people to travel between the two. He also says that Lazarus is now receiving his blessings, and that the rich man received his on earth.

This is where my eyes were opened…

“[The rich man] answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'” (Luke 16:27-31)

This parable was more than likely told a year before Jesus would travel back to Jerusalem for the final time. He was, I’d assume, aware of His destiny by this time…

And before today, I hadn’t really thought much about the deeper meaning of this parable. I can’t honestly tell you what I used to think it meant, because today it was made SO clear!

If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.



“Abraham” in this parable wasn’t just talking about Lazarus rising from the dead! He was talking about JESUS!!

The religious leaders had ALL the evidence in the Torah and in the books of the law…the Prophets had foretold of Jesus’ coming, but they didn’t listen. He fulfilled all the prophecies, but they made excuses…

They saw miracles…they saw blind men see, they saw lepers cured, they saw lame men walk again. They saw 5,000 men (not even including the women and children) fed with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. And they didn’t listen.

And even when Jesus rose from the dead, they didn’t listen.

They were not convinced…and they still aren’t today.

So often we ask for a miracle, we ask for a sign…but, this verse implies that even if we did have signs, we wouldn’t believe. We’d explain the miracle, or we’d come up with excuses…leaving God behind… Unless people realize that the Bible is the Word of God, and they believe in the messages therein, they would never believe just because someone rose from the dead and told them that it was true.

I just wanted to share. It seriously was like this lightbulb appeared above my head today as we were reading this passage. God placed this revelation inside my heart, giving me something new to ponder…I LOVE how He does that!

Off to Ontario to see my dear friend Cara! May your day be blessed!