(S)nooooo(w)!

Yesterday morning I had to scrape an inch of snow off my car before I could go to work.

(The preceding sentence should be understood to be hyperbole. The snow was neither an inch thick, nor did I actually have to scrape--a gentle brushing did the job. However, the hyperbolic references should be taken as indicative of my attitude towards the snow!)

In my opinion it is much too early for snow. Actually, I've a better idea: since fall is apparently now over, let's just skip this whole winter thing and head straight to spring! Any takers? Please, God, let this be my last winter in Cleveland!

Surrender & Sacrifice

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship" (Romans 12:1). I've been studying through Romans recently and I just came to chapter 12. It was tempting to breeze past the first two verses because I've known them for so long. However, when I started to study them, the Holy Spirit showed me some things that made me see the verses in a whole new light. (Funny how that happens!)

Here's what I learned: the mercies of God in context with chapter 11 have to do with Salvation. Our response to the fact that God has saved us should be worship. This worship should express itself in sacrifice. When Paul talked about sacrifice, he was conjuring up the picture of an animal sacrifice. The Jews of old offered burnt offerings and sacrifices not just for sin and atonement, but to show their gratitude to God. (Our sacrifice cannot be for atonement because Christ has done that once for all; therefore, it must be a sacrifice of worship.) Our sacrifice is a living one--our bodies. So, the offering up of one's body to God should not be an act of duty, but a "service of worship" in light of God's vast mercy.

The Play's the Thing

Yesterday, I accompanied Rachel B. to see Love's Labour's Lost at Playhouse Square. She had to see it for a class she's taking in college and she couldn't get anyone else to go with her to see Shakespeare. I, however, love Shakespeare. It amazes me that something written so many hundreds of years ago can still be so totally hilarious! (Of course, you do have to work to understand what they're saying, but if the acting is well done, you can infer a lot of meaning from their vocal expression and body language.) I still have yet to see a Shakespearian drama set in Shakespearian times. This one was set in the 1920's. And anyone that thinks our time period is the only one to produce bawdy comedies rife with innuendo hasn't seen anything by Shakespeare! I assume actors and directors in our time capitalize more on those elements than did directors and actors in say, Victorian times! But, it's all really there in the original. All in all though, it was fun. I do love a good play.

Speaking of which, Kerith and I (and anyone else we can get to go) are going to see Les Mis on Broadway in February!! We are so excited. We always told each other that if it ever came back to Broadway, we were going. We assumed, of course that it would come back in 20 or so years, when we'd both be old and gray! But, here it is, and we're really going! Yes!

California Dreamin'

On Monday, I finally bit the bullet and called Biola university. Some of you have no idea what I'm talking about, so let me digress. If you'll refer back to my post from July 26, you'll see that I was unable to get into the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics (GIAL) because Northland Baptist Bible College, where I did my undergrad, is not regionally accredited, but is accredited through the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS), a private group. So, the Lord closed that door. However, soon after I found out about that problem, I received in the mail an advertisement for Biola University in Los Angeles, CA. The more I read about their program, the more interested I became. But, I was a little worried by my experience with GIAL. So I emailed Biola to ask if they recognized TRACS accreditation. That was several weeks ago, and I had yet to hear back. I really hate calling people I don't know on the phone. I will do everything I can to avoid it. That's one reason I love the internet! But, I finally called on Monday. I had to leave a voicemail, but I heard back last night. They do accept TRACS. So, I'm ready to send in my application. This is very exciting because it finally feels like my life is coming out of "pause" and starting to move again!

Perhaps at this time next year I could be in California! (Yes! No more snow!) We'll see how the Lord leads. I would appreciate your prayers as I move forward in this next step in my life.

Frustration

I'm in the process of looking for a new (to me) car. I'm not picky, I just want the newest car with the lowest mileage in my price range (which isn't a huge amount, but is respectable). I don't want a car payment.

As is my habit when making a big purchase, I ask advice from a lot of people. What's frustrating is all the contradicting advice I'm getting--not just from salesmen (I'd expect that.), but from everyone. "Don't buy a foreign car." "Toyotas and Nissans are great cars." "The Neon has a great customer satisfaction rating." "The Neon falls apart at 70,000 miles." "You want a V6." "A four cylinder is more practical." "A dealership will be able to get you a better deal." "Private sellers can offer a lower price." "Dealership X is trustworthy." "Dealership X's salesmen are a bunch of lying cheats."

Do you sense my frustration? And no, I'm not asking you all to leave me more advice. I'm just venting. Actually, I'm just praying that the Lord will make it clear to me which car to get. I really need His direction.

If you recognize in this rant advice you've personally given me, please don't take offense. I really do appreciate the input (I probably even solicited it!), I'm just confused by all the contradictions!!

Query

How do you witness to someone that grew up in a "Christian" home and went to a "Christian" high school that focused only on externals? This girl's only memories of that school are that they made her family get rid of their TV and that she got in trouble for talking about wanting to wear pants when she grew up. She married a Catholic guy right after high school and likes to point out that her friends that married "good Christian guys" are all divorced now and she's still married. What do you say to her? Any suggestions?