Chronicles of Natalie

Christmas Meditations: Rose Imagery

2009-12-27T01:02:00.001+10:00

Two Christmas songs, one old ("Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming") and one new ("Rose of Bethlehem") use imagery of Christ as a rose. When I was in college, I sang Joseph Martin's Christmas cantata The White Rose with my church choir, and the narration and songs explore this imagery beautifully. (There are four videos that show another church's production of the cantata; as you can guess, if you know anything about my church, we did not have ballerinas perform in our church! If I remember correctly, the narration was changed to make the Christmas story and gospel more clear.)

Anyway, I was wondering if Christ is referred to as a rose in Scripture and/or where this rose imagery came from. I'm making the connections here because I haven't found any research linking these, but this is what I've learned. I've organized the ideas in chronological order.

1) Song of Solomon 2:1 (960-931 B.C.) - "I am a rose of Sharon, and a lily of the valleys" (ESV). Some have interpreted this verse to refer to Christ--possibly influenced by songs discussed later--but that is an error. The speaker of this verse is the Shulammite woman and you'd have to go through some pretty fancy hermeneutical footwork to make this verse apply to Christ. There are no verses that call Jesus the "Rose of Sharon." (Rabbit trail: The song "Lily of the Valley" [Charles W. Fry, 1881] also incorrectly connects this verse to Christ.)

2) "The Legend of the Rose" (unknown date [post-Christ's birth, pre-16th century]) is a story about a shepherdess who had no gift to bring to the Christ Child. An angel turned her tears into a white rose that she gave to Christ.

3) "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"
This German carol ("Es ist ein Ros ent sprungen") was a work in progress over several hundred years and may have been inspired by "The Legend of the Rose." The first two stanzas were written in German in the late 16th century. They were translated into English by Theodore Baker in 1894. Friedrich Layritz wrote verses 3-4 and they were translated by Harriet Reynolds Krauth in 1875. Verse 5 was translated or written by John C. Mattes in 1914 (cyberhymnal).

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!

Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.

It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,

When half spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;

With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.

To show God’s love aright, she bore to men a Savior,

When half spent was the night.

The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright,

How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night.

To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger found Him,

As angel heralds said.

This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,

Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;

True Man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,

And lightens every load.

O Savior, Child of Mary, who felt our human woe,

O Savior, King of glory, who dost our weakness know;

Bring us at length we pray, to the bright courts of Heaven,

And to the endless day!

4) "Gesu Bambino" was written by Pietro Alessandro Yon in 1917. I've always loved this song; I especially like the "ah's" and the quotation from "O Come, All Ye Faithful."

When blossoms flowered 'mid

The snows upon a winter night

Was born the Child the Christmas Rose,

The King of Love and Light

The angels sang, the shepherds sang,

The grateful earth rejoiced

And at His blessed birth the stars

Their exultation voiced.

O come let us adore Him,

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

Again the heart with rapture glows

To greet the holy night

That gave the world it's Christmas Rose,

It's king of Love and Light

Let ev'ry voice acclaim His name,

The grateful chorus swell

From paradise to earth He came

That we with Him might dwell

O come let us adore him,

O come let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

Ah! O come let us adore Him

Ah! Adore Him, Christ, the Lord.

5) "Jesus, Rose of Sharon" was written in 1922 by Ida Guirey.

Jesus, Rose of Sharon, bloom within my heart;

Beauties of Thy truth and holiness impart,

That where’er I go my life may shed abroad

Fragrance of the knowledge of the love of God.

(Refrain)

Jesus, blessed Jesus, Rose of Sharon,

Bloom in radiance

And in love within my heart.

Jesus, Rose of Sharon, sweeter far to see

Than the fairest flow’rs of earth could ever be,

Fill my life completely, adding more each day

Of Thy grace divine and purity, I pray.

Jesus, Rose of Sharon, balm for ev’ry ill,

May Thy tender mercy’s healing power distil

For afflicted souls of weary burdened men,

Giving needy mortals health and hope again.

Jesus, Rose of Sharon, bloom forevermore;

Be Thy glory seen on earth from shore to shore,

Till the nations own Thy sov’reignty complete,

Lay their honors down and worship at Thy feet.

6) Joseph Martin's The Winter Rose (2000). The video can be seen here. The following are the lyrics for the title song.

In the silence of the winter,

While stars shown high above,

God sent from heaven's garden,

A rose to show His love.

It opened in the dark of night,

While the world was fast asleep.

So perfect was its beauty,

It made the heavens weep.

The angels paused to wonder,

Upon that winsome sight.

And kings and shepherds gathered

To worship in its light.

They all breathed in its beauty,

A precious sweet perfume.

And in the bleak midwinter

The Rose began to bloom.

O let us now remember

When God put on the thorn.

And Love restored the garden

And the Winter Rose was born.

Oh, Love restored the garden

And the Winter Rose was born.

7) Selah's "Rose of Bethlehem" was released on October 29, 2002. It was written by Lowell Alexander in 1992.

There's a Rose in Bethlehem

With a beauty quite divine

Perfect in this world of sin

On this silent holy night

There's a fragrance much like hope

That it sends upon the wind

Reaching out to every soul

From a lowly manger's crib

Oh, Rose of Bethlehem

How lovely, pure, and sweet

Born to glorify the Father

Born to wear the thorns for me

There's a Rose in Bethlehem

Colored red like mercy's blood

Tis the flower of our faith

Tis the blossom of God's love

Though its bloom is fresh with youth

Surely what will be He knows

For a tear of morning dew

Is rolling down the Rose

Conclusion: While the imagery is appropriate and can be used beautifully to communicate truths about Christ, the image of Christ as a rose is not rooted in Scripture (pun intended). I have no objections to these poems/songs, but the imagery seems to be based either on a misinterpretation of Scripture or an early legend.

Christmas Meditations: Carols

2009-12-26T22:42:00.000+10:00

As I've been thinking about Advent, I've also been thinking about Christmas songs with deeper meaning than those describing the circumstances of Christ's birth--though the story certainly is important and many of those songs are beautiful--or the secular Christmas songs which are fun but completely miss the true meaning of Christmas. I know there are modern Christmas songs which have deep theological meaning and which explore the themes of Christ's incarnation, death, resurrection, and second coming, but I want to just look at some of the traditional Christmas carols.

First, four complete Christmas carols in which the gospel is especially clear.

My favorite Christmas carol, "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus":

Come thou long-expected Jesus,

Born to set Thy people free;

From our fears and sins release us,

Let us find our rest in Thee.

Israel's strength and consolation,

Hope of all the earth Thou art;

Dear Desire of every nation,

Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,

Born a Child and yet a King.

Born to reign in us for ever,

Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.

By Thine own eternal Spirit

Rule in all our hearts alone;

By Thine all-sufficient merit

Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

I love all of the names for Christ and the allusions to Scripture in "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel":
O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of Might,

Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,

In ancient times didst give the law,

In cloud, and majesty, and awe.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;

From depths of hell Thy people save

And give them victory o’er the grave.

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,

And order all things, far and nigh;

To us the path of knowledge show,

And cause us in her ways to go.

O come, Desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,

And be Thyself our King of peace.

This Christmas carol advent shows all of the Scripture references alluded to in "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing":

Hark the herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled"

Joyful, all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With the angelic host proclaim:

"Christ is born in Bethlehem"

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored

Christ the everlasting Lord!

Late in time behold Him come

Offspring of a Virgin's womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with man to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings

Ris'n with healing in His wings

Mild He lays His glory by

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

"Angels from the Realms of Glory":

Angels from the realms of glory

Wing your flight o’er the earth.

Ye who sang creations story

Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.

Come and worship, come and worship, come and worship,

Worship Christ the newborn King.

Shepherds in the fields abiding

Watching o’er your flocks by night.

God with man is now residing

Yonder shines the infant light

Saints before the altar bending,

Watching long in hope and fear.

Suddenly the Lord descending

in His temple shall appear.

Below are selections from some Christmas carols that emphasize the gospel and Christ's return. I've included just the pertinent parts of the carols here and I've provided links to the complete lyrics.

From "O, Little Town of Bethlehem":

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven.

No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.

From "O Holy Night":

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining.

It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,

In all our trials born to be our Friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger.

Behold your King, before Him lowly bend.

From "Joy to the World":
Joy to the world! The Lord is come.

Let earth receive her King.

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And heaven and nature sing.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessing flow

far as the curse is found.

From "Silent Night":
Christ the Savior, is born!

Christ the Savior, is born!

Son of God, love’s pure light

Radiant beams from thy holy face,

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

From "Go, Tell It on the Mountain":
Down in a lowly manger

Our humble Christ was born

And God sent us salvation,

That blessed Christmas morn:

Go, Tell It On The Mountain,

Over the hills and everywhere;

Go, Tell It On The Mountain

That Jesus Christ is born.

From "What Child is this?":
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,

The cross be borne for me, for you.

The King of kings, salvation brings,

Let loving hearts enthrone Him.

From "We Three Kings":

Myrrh is mine: Its bitter perfume

Breaths a life of gathering gloom.

Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding dying,

Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.

Glorious now behold Him arise,

King and God and Sacrifice.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Sounds through the earth and skies.

Christmas Meditations: The Twelve Days of Christmas

2009-12-26T13:32:00.000+10:00

Recently, I heard that the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" contains Christian symbolism and was used to teach children certain facts about the Bible. However, according to Snopes.com, this is not true. You can read the article here.

Christmas Meditations: Prophecies of Christ's birth

2009-12-26T13:07:00.000+10:00

On Monday, I read several chapters from Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears's book Vintage Jesus. (By the way, I'll give a review of this book when I finish it. I have a few things to say about it . . . ) These chapters focused on the Messianic prophecies and the virgin birth and were especially appropriate for reading this week. I like the detail and organization of chapter three, "How did people know Jesus was coming?" They give the date of the prophecy and a short summary, the promise, and then the fulfillment. Here are a few passages that relate to Christ's birth:

1) 4000 B.C.: Adam and Eve receive the prophecy that the prophecy that the Messiah (Jesus) would be born of a woman.

PROMISE: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15).

FULFILLMENT: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law" (Gal. 4:4).

2) 2000 B.C.: Abraham receives teh promise that the Messiah (Jesus) would descend from Abraham, through his son Isaac (not Ishmael), Isaac's son Jacob (not Esau), and Jacob's son Judah (not any of the other eleven brothers).

PROMISE: "In you [Abraham] all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:3); "God said, 'No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him'" (Gen. 17:19); " see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel (Num. 24:17); "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples" (Gen. 49:10).

FULFILLMENT: "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and the father of Judah and his brothers (Matt. 1:1-2)

3) 700 B.C.: Isaiah prophesies that Jesus' mother would be a virgin who conceived by a miracle and that Jesus would be God who became a man.

PROMISE: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isa. 7:14).

FULFILLMENT: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel' (which means, God with us)" (Matt. 1:18-19).

4) 700 B.C.: Micah prophesies that Jesus would be born in the town of Bethlehem.

PROMISE: "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days" (Mic. 5:2).

FULFILLMENT: "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn" (Luke 2:1-7).

5) 700 B.C.: Isaiah prophesies that Jesus would live his life without committing any sins.

PROMISE: "And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth" (Isa. 53:9).

FULFILLMENT: "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth" (I Pet. 2:21-22).

6) 700 B.C.: Hosea prophesies that Jesus' family would flee as refugees to Egypt to save his young life.

PROMISE: "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son" (Hos. 11:1).

FULFILLMENT: "Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son'" (Matt. 2:13-15).

7) 400 B.C.: Malachi prophesies that Jesus would enter the temple. This is important because the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 and no longer exists; subsequently, the prophecy could not have been fulfilled anytime after A.D. 70.

PROMISE: "'Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts" (Mal. 3:1).

FULFILLMENT: "Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law" (Luke 2:25-27).

The rest of the Messianic prophecies discussed in this chapter relate to Christ's life, death, and resurrection, so I'll maybe mention those later.

As I was researching the Messianic prophecies, I found this website with a chart giving the prophecy, Old Testament scripture, and the New Testament fulfillment. He also gives a list of the 300 Messianic prophecies.

I've also heard before the odds that one person could fulfill all of the prophecies of Christ's birth and found the statistics here.

1.	Jesus would be a descendant of David.	10⁴ (1 in 10,000)
2.	Jesus would be born in Bethlehem.	10⁵ (1 in 100,000)
3.	Jesus would be a miracle worker.	10⁵ (1 in 100,000)
4.	Jesus would present Himself as King riding on a donkey.	10⁶ (1 in 1,000,000)
5.	Jesus would be betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver.	10⁶ (1 in 1,000,000)
6.	Jesus would be crucified.	10⁶ (1 in 1,000,000)
7.	Jesus would first present Himself as King 173,880 days from the decree of Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem.	10⁶ (1 in 1,000,000)
	Total Probability (without God)	10³⁸(1 in a 100 billion, billion, billion, billion)

Christmas Meditations: Advent

2009-12-23T00:50:00.003+10:00

I originally intended to post something about Christmas everyday this week, but then the week took off and I didn't start composing until today. I have several topics in mind, so we'll see what I get to.

This month I have been reading Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas, which is a collection of readings for Advent edited by Nancy Guthrie. While I realize the liturgical readings are from the Bible, I’ve never read any Advent readings before and have been wondering why Baptists don’t follow the Advent services and readings. I guess it’s because we don’t follow the liturgical calendar (except for a strange one which I don’t really want to vent about now) or don’t want to identify with anything remotely Catholic.

I’ve only just begun researching this, so does anyone have any ideas?

I, for one, have been blessed to read this book and meditate a little on Christ’s incarnation, death, and second coming. I wish I had found the recommended Scripture readings earlier in the season, but I’m going to follow the readings until Christmas (hopefully, I’ll have time to do a little back-tracking to catch up!). In a year that is so busy and focused on activities, I’m thankful for this book and these passages which focus my heart, mind, and attention on what is truly important.

Books I read in September and October 2009

2009-11-21T21:33:00.003+10:00

Since school started, I haven't been able to read as much as I would like.

I've been reading from several Christian Living books, but haven't finished any of them yet. :-(

Christian Living books I've been reading:

Winning the Inner War by Irwin Lutzer

We're reading this book for the HBBC class I'm auditing. It's a great book. Hopefully, I'll be done reading it by the end of the semester. . . I haven't been doing a such a great job at keeping up with homework assignments!

Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears
I've only read a few chapters of this book, but so far it has been a great book. I wasn't prepared for this to be a book of solid doctrine (I really didn't know much about Driscoll before starting this, but I expected something along the lines of The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey. I was pleasantly surprised. I'll write more when I finish it.

Culture Shift by Al Mohler

Again, I haven't finished this, but so far, I've really enjoyed this book and have learned a lot.

Toward Jerusalem by Amy Carmichael
This collection of Christian poetry by missionary Amy Carmichael expresses the timeless truths of God's Word and life lessons in beautiful poetry.

Listed below are some novels I've read:

At Home in Holly Springs: A Father Tim Novel by Jan Karon
I love the Mitford series and this first book of the new series about Father Tim's childhood and young adult years was no disappointment. I enjoyed this book as much as the others, if not more, because she gives the back story to events merely alluded to in the Mitford series.

Saint by Ted Dekker
This is an awesome book! I loved it! I watched The Bourne Ultimatum the same day I read this book and there were some interesting similarities--it was a good pairing of book and movie.

Showdown by Ted Dekker
This book was a bit gruesome in places, but has an incredible redemption story. It fills in important details of the Circle Trilogy. I wouldn't have understood Green if I hadn't read this book first.

Plague Maker by Tim Downs
Tim Downs just keeps getting better and better! I love this book. The plot moves quickly and the story line is intriguing. I was glad the Nick Polchack made an appearance in this book, but I liked the new character, Nathan Donovan, he introduced.

Non-fiction:

A Leap of Faith by Queen Noor
I'd been wanting to read this for a long time and I'm so glad I finally did. I learned so much about the Middle East conflicts. It was helpful to read about the wars and conflicts from a Muslim perspective, since I grew up always hearing the Judeo-Christian perspective. This is a well-written, engaging memoir by the American-born queen of Jordan.

Free audiobook: Desiring God

2009-11-11T16:39:00.000+10:00

Every month, Christian Audio offers a free book. This month you can download John Piper's Desiring God for free and his other books are available at greatly discounted prices. I have enjoyed listening to audiobooks while washing dishes, cleaning, or grading papers and I hope you enjoy it too.

Orphans

2009-11-11T15:14:00.005+10:00

November 8th was deemed Orphan Sunday by the Christian Alliance for Orphans and the Cry of the Orphan partners, and during the morning service we watched this video. After posting this, I realized that our AV team played different music than what's on the video--just in case you were wondering!

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction" (James 1:27).

Orphan Sunday from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

Whispers of His Power: Work and Practicing God's Presence

2009-09-07T17:53:00.001+10:00

From the entry for July 28 in Amy Carmichael's devotional, Whispers of His Power.

Ps. 16:11—“In Thy presence is fullness of joy.”

“By the practice of the Presence of God, by steadfast gaze on Him, the soul comes to the knowledge of God, full and deep, to an Unclouded Vision: all its life is spent in unceasing acts of love and worship or contrition, and of simple trust, of praise and prayer and service; at times indeed life seems to be but one long unbroken practice of His Divine Presence.”

If this had been written by someone who had nothing to do but preach and pray, I should not find so much in it as I do when I remember that it was said by a cook, who had to give his mind to do what the foolish world calls common work.

The Lord of Brother Lawrence, who is our dear Lord too, help us to grow more and more into this life which is one unbroken practice of His blessed Presence.

Beautiful Sunsets on Guam

2009-09-05T21:55:00.005+10:00

Even though rainy season can be depressing because it's usually cloudy and rainy, we get some of the best sunsets during these few months (when the sun is actually visible through the clouds!)

Books I read in August 2009

2009-09-05T21:14:00.007+10:00

We started in-service on August 3rd and school on August 17th, so I didn't get to read much during August. This very short list of two children's books looks terrible next to what I read this summer! Oh, well. I've already been able to read more now that we've hit September and I'm starting to get into the school routine.

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

It has been so long since I first read this book (over 15 years, at least!) that I forgot a lot of the story line. I loved reading this delightful story of the

creation of Narnia with it's beautiful allegory of the Creation of the world. C.S. Lewis is simply wonderful. I went on a big Lewis kick when I was in college and read most of his non-fiction works, but I also really enjoy

reading his fiction works and sense another Lewis phase coming on! I bought a cheap, horribly beat up copy of the complete works in one book for $2 this summer, but I'd really like a nice set of The Chronicles of Narnia, if anyone is wondering what to get me for Christmas. :-)

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

This book was as wonderful as I remembered it. I can't believe it took me so long to read it again; I'm planning on reading the entire Narnia series in the next couple of months. So many quotable lines and such a special telling of the Redemption story. I actually cried when Aslan died--but even more wonderful is his coming to life again!

Books I read in July 2009

2009-08-19T21:48:00.035+10:00

Christian Living:

Essential Virtues by Jim Berg This book is about II Peter 1:5-9. It was required reading for Harvest staff this summer because our theme this year is "Making a Difference: To make a difference, you've got to be different."

It's hard for me to express my thoughts about this book. There were things that I appreciated about it and I did learn a lot; however, I also have some reservations about some of the things Dr. Berg emphasized. I was a little disappointed because I was looking forward to reading this book, since II Peter 1 is one of my favorite passages of the Bible.

It seems that men really like this book; Pastor and other males that have talked about it say positive things about it. However, women generally don't seem to really like it. Maybe it's the writing style? or the message appeals more to men?

If anyone actually reads this post and wants to discuss the book more, please email or message me.

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan I was greatly challenged by this book. I highly recommend it! The first chapters speak of God's character and love for us and remind us of the brevity of life. The last few chapters talk about our love for God and how we can practically demonstrate love to God and others. Chapter 4, "Profile of the Lukewarm Christian," and Chapter 5, "Serving Leftovers to a Holy God," were especially convicting. The book is worth buying just for those chapters. I actually got this book on christianaudio.com when it was the free book of the month. It's not free anymore, but it's only $5.49. Right now the book is $8.49 at CBD. I bought a paper copy too, because I want to be able to loan the book out. I've already reread sections of it.

Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman by Beth Moore I really enjoyed delving into the book of Esther. Beth Moore always presents good historical info and helps you imagine life in the king's court. I especially benefited from the extended look at Haman's character. I have much more in common with him than I'd like to admit. Generally, I focus on Queen Esther when I read this book (as I'm sure most do!), but I realized how much I seek attention and praise like Haman did. It was also neat to see how God's promises to preserve His people were worked out in the end of the book.

For Professional Development:

Curriculum Development: A Guide to Practice by Jon Wiles I read this book for the Curriculum Development class I took this summer. Not exactly a thrilling read.

Fun: King of Torts by John Grisham For the flight back to Guam, I packed some pretty serious books--Essential Virtues and Curriculum Development--so when my flight was delayed in Hawaii, I bought two John Grisham novels and finished this one before I got to Guam. Both of these books are pretty typical Grisham fare but both of them ended badly. I was rather disappointed in the endings, actually, because I still believe good should triumph over evil in literature. Even if good doesn't always triumph over evil on earth, one day the Righteous Judge will make all things right.

The Appeal by John Grisham

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer Well, I finally finished the Twilight series. While the last book was better than the others, I have the same reservations about the series that I have expressed already. Actually, while I telling the story line to my roommate, I thought--and kept saying to her--"This is so bizarre. I can't believe I read this whole series." The story seems somewhat believable as you're reading it, but completely pointless when you're explaining it to someone else.

I read the series because many of my students have read it and asked me about it. However, I wouldn't recommend that you spend your time on this series.

Whispers of His Power: God's Strength

2009-07-17T09:32:00.002+10:00

Amy Carmichael's love for the Lord and whole-hearted service are an inspiration to me. I've been reading Whispers of His Power, a daily devotional book, and these two devotionals were a help to me recently.

July 7

Psalm 39:13 - O spare me, that I may recover strength (Kay): That I may smile again.

Amos 8:8-9 - The Lord . . . that strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.

According to Young, the Hebrew word balag used in these two verses means "to brighten up, encourage, comfort." It is a lovely prayer to use when we feel weary and dull. "Lord, brighten me up; encourage me."

All of us who are fighting the Lord's battles know only too well what it is to appear as the spoiled before the strong. Here is His promise for us then. The Lord will strengthen us so that the fortress will be taken and the Lord Himself will triumph. What more could we want?

July 15

Proverbs 8:14 - Counsel is Mine and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.

Job 28:23 - God understandeth the way thereof and He knoweth the place thereof.

God understands. There are no ways and no places that He does not understand.

Have you ever thought what a tremendous difference it would make to our lives if this were not true? Imagine the feelings of a soldier if he had good reason to doubt that his commanding officer understood the situation. We are soldiers. Our Commander understands. His understanding is infinite (Ps. 147:5). Though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident (Ps. 27:3).

Because of His infinite understanding, God knows that we want to be sure that the One who says He understands has been through the mill Himself. And so we have this wonderful touch of His special understanding in Proverbs 8, where it is clear that the speaker is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. I am Understanding. I, the Man of Sorrows acquainted with grief, I who was tempted in all points just as you are, I am Understanding.

It is restful to be understood, to be with one who never misjudges. Let us rest in His presence today.

Books I read in June 2009

2009-07-16T10:10:00.015+10:00

Well, now that we're half way through August, I figured I'd better at least briefly mention the books I read in June and July. I was on vacation during those months, so I was able to read significantly more than normal. I haven't read nearly as much since starting in-service at the beginning of August. Christian Living: Safely Home by Randy Alcorn This is a novel, but I put it under Christian Living because it definitely wasn't "fun" to read. I profited greatly from reading this fictionalized account of the underground church in China. I highly recommend this book! Let Me be a Woman by Elizabeth Elliot Written as letters or essays to her daughter during her engagement to Walter, this book had an intimate feel to it. I'll probably reread this book someday if I ever get married because a lot of the book applies to married women. There were a couple of gems of chapters for single women. A Chance to Die by Elizabeth Elliot Incredible book! When my roommate finishes reading it, I'm going to read it again. This book has provided much food for thought over the last few weeks and spurred me on to read as much by and about Amy Carmichael as possible. I've mentioned before that I read her collection of devotional thoughts, Whispers of His Power, every morning and this week Pastor gave me a collection of her poems, Toward Jerusalem, to read.

Professional Development Grammar Girl by Mignon Fogarty

This book provides quick answers to some of the most common and most difficult grammar questions you'll face. Mignon Fogarty writes with a light-hearted style that is fun and easy to understand and remember. I also read the Grammar Girl's newsletter and listen to her podcast.

Fun: My Life and Hard Times by James Thurber Short, funny book. These chapters could be easily cut for humorous interp speeches. I love the story "The Night the Bed Fell" and "The Day the Dam Broke." Thurber is such a great author. Redwall by Brian Jacques I wish I had read this book about 15 years ago; I think I would have read the whole series! I probably won't now, but I really enjoyed this book. The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman I cannot recommend this book. At first, I thought, "Why was there so much controversy about this series?" And then I got within a few pages of the end and was greatly dismayed by the blasphemy!

I'd write more, but I really want to get this posted. There is no way in the world I'd ever give this book to a child to read. Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card I really enjoyed this book. So far, I've liked everything I've read in the Ender series.

I reread: A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23

Fiesta Food for Zeke's Graduation Party

2009-06-06T04:27:00.041+10:00

In the style of King Arthur Flour's website, I'm going to post more pictures and notes of the food I made than you probably care to read. I had never cooked for so many people before, so it was quite an ordeal! We were expecting over 100! Now, I was not solely responsible for the food; the other families provided hot dogs and hamburgers, vegetable trays, coleslaw, and cake and ice cream, too. But I was solely responsible for all of the Chamorro fiesta food. I practiced making the chicken, red rice and pancit before leaving Guam. Earlier this week I created a huge shopping list, comparing all the recipes and double checking to make sure I had everything. Mom did all of the shopping and even enlisted the help of a couple of Asian ladies to find the canton noodles I needed. The pile of groceries on our counter was quite amazing.

All the soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil. Our kitchen has never seen so much soy sauce!

On Thursday, I spent over 4 hours chopping vegetables and slicing the meat. My wrist got so tired, I had to finish the meat on Friday. I cut 8 1/2 pounds of beef into 1/8 inch strips (or close to 1/8 inch strips--I did not measure!). This is the cooler full of vegetables. I cut them to specification, split the vegetables for each recipe into bags and labeled them, so I wouldn't get confused on Friday. This system worked pretty well. On Friday, I cooked all of the rice, bagogi, and pancit. The links lead to the recipes I used. I also added notes about my variations. The fried rice turned out great! I had never made it before, but it was really easy and had a nice flavor.

Nate helped me by slicing the chicken and making the marinade for the chicken. (My wrist was still really tired and he was being a gentleman.)

Here's all of the meat marinating in the refrigerator. For those who cook for a lot of people all the time, it probably doesn't look like much, but for me, it was pretty impressive. Look at all those onions! Both marinades call for tons of onion. You can use this marinade for any type of meat, but chicken is probably the most common. You can grill the meat or broil it, as I did, because there wasn't enough grill space. The red rice also turned out well. Yum! Note: red rice tastes much better if you cook it on the day you're going to serve it, instead of cooking it the day before and warming it up; however, the flavor is still pretty bland. I was really excited about the bagogi--also spelled bulgogi or bulgoki. The flavor is excellent! I especially love the sesame flavoring and the meat is tender. The picture does not do the food justice; bagogi tastes much better than it looks. The pancit was a little more tricky this time than when I made it the first time. I realized later that we had dried canton noodles made of wheat flour. On Guam, I cooked with fresh egg noodles, which cooked much faster than the dried noodles. If you make the pancit with dried noodles, cook the noodles first before adding them to the vegetables. Speaking of vegetables, I put in quite a bit more than the Guamanian recipes I found. I love the bright colors and felt like part of this meal needed to have some vegetables other than onion in it.

Prize-Winning Peppermint Chocolate Cake

2009-06-01T12:22:00.011+10:00

Since posting pictures on facebook of the cake I made for my brother's birthday, I have received several requests for the recipe (in just one evening!). So, I decided to post the recipe and some instructions on decorating it. I really did win a prize for this cake (although the winning cake was a slightly different version than what is pictured below). I won 3rd place in the baking contest for the Mother Daughter Extravaganza at Harvest Baptist Church on Mother's Day weekend. I wonder how the cake would have fared in the current dark chocolate version? The simple version: Buy a chocolate cake mix and chocolate frosting (I recommend Betty Crocker). Bake the cake. Mix in about 1/2 to 1 tsp of mint extract into the frosting (could be chocolate or vanilla). Frost the cake. I swirl the frosting rather than try to get clean, flat planes (swirled frosting hides a multitude of errors). Decorate the cake with white chocolate curls and chopped up Andes Mints. The harder version: Bake a chocolate cake from scratch and make frosting from scratch. Then frost and decorate as described above. For Zeke's cake, I followed the recipe on the back of the Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa container. Hershey's "Especially Dark" Chocolate Cake 2 c. sugar 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour 3/4 c. Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 2 eggs 1 c. milk 1/2 c. vegetable oil 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 c. boiling water Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Poor batter into prepared pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. 10-12 servings. Especially Dark Chocolate Frosting 1/2 c. butter or margarine 2/3 c. Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa 3 c. powdered sugar 1/3 c. milk 1 tsp. vanilla extract Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount of additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting. For mint flavoring, add about 1/2-1 tsp. mint extract (basically, until the frosting tastes minty enough to you). Tastes great with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Summer Reading

2009-05-28T11:20:00.028+10:00

I always come up with a huge list of books to read, but then I go to the library and just pick up whatever looks good. Here's what I'm planning on reading in the next few weeks. For the flight, I'm packing: 1. The MacArthur Study Bible and a notebook 2. Essential Virtues by Jim Berg 3. Let Me Be a Woman by Elizabeth Elliot 4. A novel, to be chosen randomly from my bookshelf before I walk out the door. I'm open to suggestions. For Bible study, edification, or professional development: 1. The God of Comfort by Hannah Whitehall Smith 2. Mountain Breezes by Amy Carmichael 3. A Chance to Die by Elizabeth Elliot 4. Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman by Beth Moore 5. Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty 6. The Ode Less Traveled by Stephen Fry 7. Glencoe Literature: British Literature For fun: 1. Plague Maker by Tim Downs 2. Redwall by Brian Jacques 3. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer 4. Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan 5. Reread The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis So what are you reading this summer? Any recommendations?

Books I Read in May 2009

2009-05-06T06:45:00.023+10:00

May isn't quite over yet, so I might be able to read more before the end of the month; I'm going to be flying to Vermont tomorrow, so I wouldn't be surprised if I can read a book or two during the 22 hours of flights and 7 hours of layovers. Oddly enough, I'll do all of that reading in one day. I leave Guam on Friday morning, fly to Thursday night in Honolulu, fly all night and Friday morning to Newark and then arrive in VT around 6pm on Friday. This extra long day makes up for the one I'll lose on the return flight to Guam. Christian Living: Whispers of His Power by Amy Carmichael I won a gift certificate for a free book (for my Peppermint Chocolate Cake in the baking contest for the Mother/Daughter fellowship) and Mrs. Herron recommended this daily devotional by Amy Carmichael. As Mrs. Herron said, this book is "food for the soul." I've only read a few entries so far, but the Scriptures and illustrations and explanations are excellent. I'm looking forward to learning and growing more this year as I read from this book every morning. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller On Sunday morning, Pastor preached an excellent sermon on Psalm 23 and referenced this book a couple of times. (The sermon should be available here in a few days.) After the service I immediately went to the bookstore and bought a copy. Keller was a scientist, a shepherd, and later a pastor. His insights into the nature of sheep and the character of God are extraordinary. I was reminded of the diligent care of the Good Shepherd. God is such a wise, caring, and tender Provider. If by Amy Carmichael I read this little book a couple of weeks ago. How convicting! The phrase "I know nothing of Calvary love" has been echoing in my mind, especially when I find myself doing something unloving. I plan to reread this book soon and spend some more time meditating on the truths of the poem and the short essays in the 3rd section. I would be doing that now, but I gave away my copy and the bookstore is out! Believing God by Beth Moore I finished this study this week. Later, I'll write more about what I learned. I & II Peter Bible Study by John MacArthur My Sunday school class has been studying I&II Peter this semester, and I just finished this book. I also plan on writing more about this study later. Fiction: Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer This is the third book in the Twilight series. Parts of the story were interesting, but like I've written before, there are some long, slow sections. I kind of lost interest in the series. I read this book at the beginning of May and haven't bothered to get the fourth one yet. I'm sure I'll read Breaking Dawn this summer and then I'll summarize my opinions of the series. This post was designed to make you come back later and read more. :-) I didn't do this on purpose, but I have things to say about several of these books that would work better in separate posts. From the ridiculous to the sublime . . . The Circle Trilogy (Black, Red, White) by Ted Dekker WOW! An incredible series! What a beautiful allegory of redemption. I couldn't possibly summarize the plot and do these books justice, but you need to read these books. All three books are sold in one copy, which is a good thing because the books don't really end; you have to read all three together. I read all three books in about a week and a half--and during the last week of school, nonetheless! You won't be able to put these books down.

Books I Read in April 2009

2009-05-06T06:43:00.031+10:00

You may notice that I read only one "Christian Living" book in April. That's due to a variety of reasons: 1. I took a long time to read Living the Cross Centered Life; 2. I worked more on my Bible studies rather than read other books; and the worst reason, 3. I had a harder time getting up as early in the morning, since we're approaching the end of the semester. Living the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing by CJ Mahaney This is another book that I will probably reread every year--and I'm really not big on rereading books when there are so many new ones available. These books by CJ Mahaney are short enough to reread every year, and they're so helpful and so packed with Scripture and Biblical principles that I don't mind, and actually invite, the repetition. Mahaney quotes many hymns and other authors who have written about the cross, and includes many recommendations for books about the cross, which I plan to buy and read. I started reading this book the week before Easter and found the chapters describing Christ's death on the cross powerful, sobering, humbling, and awe-inspiring. I was overwhelmed with God's love and grace and mercy. I also benefited greatly from the chapters "Breaking the Rule of Legalism: How the Cross Rescues You from the Performance Trap" and "Unloading Condemnation." I discovered a couple of new authors/series this month. I really enjoy Tim Downs's Bug Man Series about forensic entomologist Dr. Nick Polchak. I found this series completely randomly because the library was out of Ted Dekker novels (which Mr. Bob and others had been encouraging me to read) and these books were directly below where Dekker's should have been. The first book I read was out of order because I didn't realize I was choosing from a series, but I started reading them in order. You don't really need to read the books in order, but some things about Nick's character are more understandable if you see how he develops. The books are amazingly clean (refreshing for a modern novel!) but if you're squeamish about descriptions of bugs and/or dead bodies, don't read these books because those form the whole premise of the novels. First the Dead by Tim Downs This is the third novel in the Bug Man series and is set in New Orleans before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. I learned a lot about the events as well as a lot about forensic entomology. Tightly written. Fast-moving. Fascinating plot. Historically accurate. Shoo Fly Pie by Tim Downs This is the first novel Downs wrote and the first in the Bug Man series. I enjoyed this interview with Tim Downs about writing his novels. Chop Shop by Tim Downs This is the second novel in the series. Nick appears in a cameo role in Plague Maker, the next Downs book on my list to read. I'm looking forward to more novels by Tim Downs. And this month, I finally started the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. So many of my students have read the books and talk about them all the time, that I thought I should read them. I'll comment on the series more when I'm done with it, but the books aren't as bad as I thought they'd be from some of the reviews I'd read and comments I'd heard. But they also aren't as good as my students and many reviews made them sound. The quality of writing isn't that great; I am heartily sick of phrases like "his stone cold lips" and "his velvet voice" (what does that mean?). Bella is a boring character. And while I can read the books quickly (Twilight took me about 4 hours on a Saturday morning) and I was intrigued by some parts of the general plot (I'd never read any books with vampires and werewolves), some parts dragged and about half of each book could have been cut and I'd have been happier with the editing (who wants to read about each day of high school?). I'm certainly not completely taken with the books, and much to my students' dismay, I will not allow them for book reports. Much better fantasy literature is available. C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia, J.R.R. Tolkein's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, Orson Scott Card's Ender Wiggin series, and Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series . . . to name a few.

Books I Read in March 2009

2009-05-06T06:41:00.021+10:00

Humility: True Greatness by CJ Mahaney I learned so much from this book and I am continuing to apply the truths I learned. This is the kind of book you should read every year or so because no matter how much you weaken pride and cultivate humility, you'll still find pride in your heart: "The real issue here is not if pride exists in your heart; it's where pride exists and how pride is being expressed in your life" (29). Mahaney directs our attention to Christ, who is the example of true greatness and true humility and then suggests many practical ways we can practice humility every day (and even while we sleep!). Here's his list of suggestions, which are developed in the chapters of the book:

Always: 1. Reflect on the wonder of the cross of Christ. As each day begins: 2. Begin your day by acknowledging your dependence upon God and your need for God. 3. Begin your day expressing gratefulness to God. 4. Practice the spiritual disciplines--prayer, study of God's Word, worship. Do this consistently each day and at the day's outset, if possible. 5. Seize your commute time to memorize and meditate on Scripture. 6. Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. As each day ends: 7. At the end of the day, transfer the glory to God. 8. Before going to sleep, receive this gift of sleep from God and acknowledge His purpose for sleep. For special focus: 9. Study the attributes of God. 10. Study the doctrines of grace. 11. Study the doctrine of sin. 12. Play golf as much as possible. 13. Laugh often, and laugh often at yourself. Throughout your days and weeks: 14. Identify evidences of grace in others. 15. Encourage and serve others each and every day. 16. Invite and pursue correction. 17. Respond humbly to trials.

Stop Dating the Church: Fall in Love with the Family of God by Joshua Harris Now, I'm not struggling with church attendance or commitment to the local church (I love my church!), but the title of this book has intrigued me for several years. I finally bought it during the fabulous February sale at Sovereign Grace (hence the greater number of Sovereign Grace books you'll see on my reading list in the next few months. Mark your calendars and order from them next February!). This book helped me understand Christ's love for the local church and how important the church is. I especially like the chapter "Rescuing Sunday." Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan I've been reading through this new series as each book comes out. The fifth, and final, book has been published and as soon as it comes out in paperback, I'll read it and put it on my classroom shelf. I like how these books teach mythology in an interesting, adventure-filled story. My students love this series! I learn a lot too! For example, I didn't realize before that Daedalus built the Labyrinth (I'm sorry Dr. Silvester; that story slipped by me in Classical and Medieval Literature. Truth be told, a lot of things slipped by me in that class. It was my worst grade in my major classes . . . I teach mythology in my senior World Literature class now, because I don't want my students to be as lost and overwhelmed as I was when I heard all the stories for the first time.) I read a couple more books from The Mitford Series by Jan Karon during spring break:

Books I read in February 2009

2009-05-05T22:43:00.042+10:00

Worldliness ed. by CJ Mahaney Don't read this book if you don't want to change. I thought I was doing all right and that my standards were pretty good . . . until I read this book. I especially appreciated all of the questions that address the heart. I'm so glad I read this book, even if it did mean giving up some things I used to watch, read, etc. I'm reading this book to my homeroom and I'm praying that it will help them think through their choices about media, music, materialism, and modesty. Choosing Forgiveness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss This is a great book. I think the name of the book is pretty self-explanatory. I especially liked the chapters dispelling the ideas we have to forgive God and forgive ourselves. It always rubbed me the wrong way when people said they "forgave God" for something He did to them or that they "couldn't forgive themselves." Excellent Biblical counsel and a clean style. I highly recommend this book. No. 1 Ladies Detective Series by Alexander McCall Smith Last year, I read a couple of books from the beginning of this series and picked up a few more from my favorite library this month. The series follows the adventures of Mma Precious Ramotswe, a detective in Botswana. The stories are charming and amusing. I haven't been able to read the series in order, but the books are written in such a way that you can jump from one to another; there's a loose story line linking the books, but for the most part, the novels are episodic. I'm still working through the series, so I look forward to reading more. Here's a list of the complete series:

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (1998) Tears Of The Giraffe (2000) Morality for Beautiful Girls (2001) The Kalahari Typing School for Men (2002) The Full Cupboard of Life (2004) In The Company of Cheerful Ladies (2004) Blue Shoes and Happiness (2006) The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (2007) The Miracle at Speedy Motors (2008) Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (2009)

These are the ones I read this month.

Books I Read in January 2009

2009-05-05T17:32:00.029+10:00

I've listed the books I read in January by Christian living, fiction, and Bible studies. Within each category, the books are listed in roughly the same order I read them (for lack of a better organizational system), although that organization is complicated by the fact that I sometimes read more than one book at a time. Christian Living:

Radical Womanhood by Carolyn McCulley

Carolyn pairs a history of feminism with a Biblical philosophy of womanhood and testimonies that contrast with the elements of feminism discussed in each chapter. I had never really studied feminism, so I found the history helpful. The testimonies were encouraging that God can change lives and help women live counter-culturally to our society. An informative, interesting and challenging book.

Calvary Road byRoy Hession

A small book that packs a powerful message. I spent several weeks going through this book slowly and meditating on the truths taught. I'm sure I'll reread this book.

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris

Well, the title clearly states the message of this book. Written in an engaging manner, the Harris twins challenge teens to rise up against the low expectations set by our society. I found this book helpful (you can see that I still struggle with procrastination, as I'm writing a post about January's books in May . . .) and I've loaned the book to some of my teens. I sometimes have to remind myself that I can expect my students to do hard things and I keep my expectations high because I know they can rise to them.

Alone with God by Jason Janz

Although I don't follow the exact plan that Jason outlines, I like the basic principle that our devotional life should be about developing a relationship with God. I find that the plan Jason presents is too fractured with only a couple of minutes spent on each part of the devotional time, but again, I do like the general emphasis. I've also loaned this book out to a couple of teens and they've found the book helpful in organizing their devotions.

Mood Tides by Dr. Ronald Horton

Dr. Horton presents a defense of the emotions as God-given and natural. Just because a person is sad doesn't automatically mean that person is sinning. I believe that depression can be a result of sin, but Dr. Horton reminded me of many Bible heroes who experienced depression for natural, human reasons. He supports his points with Scripture, literary, and philosophical examples. You may also find this review helpful.

Fiction:

Shepherds Abiding, Out to Canaan, Light from Heaven by Jan Karon

I love Jan Karon's books. They're so wholesome and winsome. They're uplifting and charming without making me sick with sentimentality. And they're filled with Scripture. What a nice contrast to the pessimism of modern literature. I've read the books completely out of order based on what was available at the library.

Bible Studies:

Believing God by Beth Moore

This study on faith has been challenging and helpful. Although I sometimes get annoyed with the gushy-ness of Beth's writing style (I'm not really big on a person I've never met and who has no idea who I am telling me that she loves me and is praying for me), I've still found the study profitable. I & II Peter Study Book by John MacArthur We're doing this study in Sunday school and I've been enjoying it and learning a lot. I memorized I and II Peter for Bible quiz when I was in high school, so I've been familiar with this book for a long time, but I've definitely profited from studying this book in-depth. I like the format of the studies and the emphasis on digging into God's Word. The study questions have been thought provoking and many questions list cross references on the same topic that aren't expounded in the text.

That's My King!

2009-05-04T12:02:00.006+10:00

I showed this video today to introduce James Weldon Johnson's poem "Creation." I love being able to share the gospel so openly in my classes and that I can tie in the gospel with the literature I teach. My kids love this sermon and got caught up in the emotion, shouting "Amen!" and clapping along with the congregation. The powerful truths of this sermon are so encouraging and uplifting. Every time I watch this video, I cry; I really needed the reminder of Who I serve.

Best books I read in 2008

2009-05-03T14:44:00.037+10:00

I know this post is really late in coming, but I figured "better late than never." And I read some good books in 2008 that I wanted to recommend to you. I'll write more about the books later, as I have time . 1. KJV/ERV Parallel Bible I read the entire Bible last summer. It was a great way to refresh my memory about some stories and to get an overview of the Bible. I picked up on some themes I had never noticed before and loved tracing the work of God through Old Testament and seeing how His plan was completed in the New Testament and how He continues to work today. I chose the Easy-to-Read version because . . . it's easy to read. Harvest Ministries published this parallel study Bible with the KJV in one column and the Easy-to-Read next to it. You can follow a plan, such as the plan which a Bible class at Harvest used, or this one, or you can simply divide the number of pages in your Bible by 90 (like I did). 2. The Path of Loneliness by Elizabeth Elliot Elizabeth Elliot clearly knows and loves her God and she inspired me to passionately pursue Him too. Although I shied away from reading this book because I thought it was just about singleness, I am glad I read it, because it addresses every Christian's need to find satisfaction in Christ. Next to the Bible, this was the best book I read all year and is probably one of the best books I've ever read. 3. Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye?: Trusting God with a Hope Deferred by Carolyn McCulley And this is the best book on singleness I've ever read. I was hesitant to read this book, too, because I hate books about singleness. However, Carolyn McCulley doesn't talk down to singles (she's single too) or make empty promises (if you just do x, you'll get married) or imply that the reason I'm still single is because I'm not content (a "more spiritual" way of saying "if you just do x, you'll get married" or "if you work a little harder, God will answer your prayers"). I learned how singles can use their gifts in the church to spread the gospel and minister to the saints. Because of a challenge in this book, I've been purposefully developing my homemaking skills, so I can entertain guests and bless others in that way (if you're one of my friends, you know I still have a long way to go). I regularly read Carolyn's blog Radical Womanhood and recommend that you make a trip over there. 4. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card I'm not much of a sci-fi fan--actually, I hadn't read any sci-fi since I went through a Jules Verne phase in high school--so I was a little nervous to read Ender's Game. I was afraid I wouldn't like it and offend the friend who recommended it to me. However, I really enjoyed the book and highly recommend it. I won't try to summarize the plot, because I'm really bad at doing that (just ask Johnny Wiglesworth--I almost ruined the book for him because I did such a horrendous job at pitching it!). I also read Ender's Shadow but it wasn't quite as interesting to me as Ender's Game. 5. Flyboys by James Bradley I wrote about this book in February. Excellent book! By the way, this book is nothing like the movie--different war, different theater. 6. Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell A powerful story of Luttrell's survival after his entire team of Seals was killed in a fight in Afghanistan. I'm thankful for the men and women who serve our country in the military (including my brother!). POE: Strong language, but I thought the story was worth reading. 7. Tools for Teaching by Fred Jones This book was a lifesaver. I already had procedures in place, but Jones helped me see that I often nagged my students. I also learned much from the chapter on developing a presence in the classroom (my roommates laughed as they watched me perfect the "royal turn" but that and a look that means business have come in handy this year!).

The Bread of Life

2009-04-28T20:29:00.007+10:00

On Sunday after the morning service, I wrote a poem based on Pastor's sermon from John 6:35: "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." I was honored that he read it during the evening service to transition from his sermon on covenants to the Lord's Supper. Decadent Desserts or Heart-Healthy Bread? By Natalie Cary Are you hungry? Soul famished? Longing for Something more? This world offers Dunkin Donuts— Tasty treats of power and pleasure, Pastries of pleasing platitudes, Sugary sweet philosophies— Hedonistically masking the hurt, Spartanly reveling in the pain. Some churches promote sugar substitutes— Slick sermons, emotional songs, plastic smiles. Are you hungry? Soul famished? Longing for Something more? Jesus Christ offers wholesome bread— Heavenly Manna that saves and satisfies, Supply of sustaining grace, Exquisite, eternal Word— Freely forgiving the sin, Lovingly restoring the soul. The Bread of Life nourishes the heart— Supernatural sustenance, timeless Truth, daily delight. Are you hungry? Soul famished? Longing for Something more? “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.” “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you.”

New Poem

2008-08-29T12:41:00.007+10:00

This poem has been brewing in my head for a long time and I finally wrote it down last night. I hope it is an encouragement to you. At the least, I spent a profitable 3 hours or so pondering the nature of God. My poetic inspiration came from the Old English techniques of kenning (metaphoric compounds) and alliteration (rather than rhyme and meter) and Gerard Manley Hopkins' beautifully compact poems expressing deep truths about God. I wanted the poem to be tightly constructed and for the pace to be slow, because it's intended to make the reader stop and think about the character of the Trinity. Since God has so many astounding characteristics, I didn't want to repeat any words, which made process a little more difficult, but more rewarding. The scriptural inspiration is obvious, but I specifically drew on sermons Pastor Herron has preached in the last two years and on concepts about God that I've been thinking and reading about. I'm a little bit nervous about exposing my poor poem to the world, because I don't do this very often, but I hope it is a help to you. Almighty Maker, Holy Creator Creative Designer, Universe Shaper Galaxy Spreader, Star Hanger Planet Placer, Earth Former Atom Holder, Soul Sustainer Sovereign Lord rules over all. Merciful Savior, Grace Giver Law Completer, Prophecy Fulfiller Cross Bearer, Sin Taker Satan Defeater, Death Destroyer God Reconciler, Heavenly Mediator Incarnate Jesus sent for men. Life Instiller, Gift Bestower Guilt Deliverer, Sorrow Comforter Peace Bringer, Joy Supplier Heart Healer, Hope Provider Patient Teacher, Word Illuminator Blessed Spirit, live in me.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

2008-08-08T20:54:00.003+10:00

One of my favorite Russian authors, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, passed away on August 4, 2008. I was first introduced to his short stories in Modern Literature, and the simple, beautiful story with haunting images sent me on a hunt for his novels. I was not disappointed. Cancer Ward and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch left a profound impression on me and encouraged me to read other Russian authors. I currently have several other novels by Solzhenitsyn on my bookshelf that I look forward to reading: August 1914, The First Circle, and The Gulag Archipelago. To read a nice tribute and biography of Solzhenitsyn, click here.

Paradox

2008-03-03T23:46:00.006+10:00

This morning, while enjoying the beautiful scenery described below, I meditated on the seeming contradictions of God's nature. Our God is indescribable, but here's a feeble attempt.

He is powerful, but gentle.
He is a warrior, but kind.
He is jealous, but loving.
He is just, but merciful.
He is all wise, but communicates to the simple.
He is always at work, but brings peace.
He is strong, but cares for the weak.
He is deep, but knowable.
He is invisible, but I see Him everyday day.

He has no flaws, but understands my weaknesses.
He is a solid rock, but knows my insecurities.
He is a strong tower, but understands my fears.
He is perfect, but he dwells in corrupt temples.
He lives in heaven, but lives in me.

He rules over all, but is personal and intimate.
He commands nations, but welcomes His own.
He directs thousands of angels, but answers my prayers.
He is all-knowing, but wants me to pray to Him.
He is sovereign, but lets us choose.
He will destroy, but He creates new life every day.
He exposes the wicked, but shelters the helpless.
He breaks down the high places, but builds up His church.
He casts down the proud, but lifts up the humble.
He chips at the hard heart, but molds the soft.
He allows pain, but heals.
He convicts, but comforts.
He pours out His wrath on the heathen, but pours out His grace on His children.

He is God, but became man.
He is eternal, but created and lived in the temporal.
He was a carpenter, but is now King.
He was homeless, but now builds a home in heaven for me.
He made me, but redeemed me.
He is without sin, but took on the sins of the whole world.
He hates sin, but loves me.
He died, but lives.

Impressions of the beach

2008-03-03T23:19:00.011+10:00

I'm no poet, but someday, I'd like to write about the beautiful morning I spent at the beach. A couple of friends and I ran for a while and then found a favorite spot on the beach to read our Bibles and spend time with the Lord. What a refreshing way to spend the morning! When I came home, my soul was still and I didn't want that special time with God to stop, so I read my Bible for another hour. The papers could wait!

Leaning against a smooth, hard palm tree in the shade of another
Constantly adjusting my position for the coral rocks and ants
Bothersome flies
Palm trees as far as the eye can see on either side of me
The sun filtering through the brittle brown leaves and the wind rippling through the husky, stiff fronds
Dry wind whips sand into my eyes
Patches of rocks and rough sand
Wild, green growth forging its way to the sea
Aqua-green splashes on the shore
Rust-brown coral barrier
Peaceful lagoon
Waves crashing on the reef
Deep blue stretching out to the horizon, where it meets the pale blue sky with pinky-purple tones
Purple-grey clouds etched with dark blue-grey
Wispy white clouds casting faint shadows on the sea
Distant land in dusky grey hidden by splashes of salt sea mist
Far off city feels like another world
High-rise hotels and gourmet restaurants don't belong here
Just me, my God, a Bible and pen, and a tree to lean on
All is peace and rest, quiet in my soul
The gentle lulling roar of the ocean, the soft breeze, filtered sunlight, and lazy clouds--all remind me God loves me.
He is here.

February Book Review

2008-02-25T14:06:00.014+10:00

Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
Clear, concise, hope-infused. Ramsey's 7-step plan is simple to understand, difficult to follow (not because of an error on his part, but because of my own sin nature), but brings great results. Even as I tackle step two (get out debt), I have been encouraged to see God provide and help me save money for future expenses (like the $1300 plane ticket I just purchased) rather than spend each pay check as it comes in. I'm already reaping the benefits of budgeting and saving. I'm sure I'll refer to this book many times over the next few years as I read the testimonies of God's provision in other people's lives and as I progress through the steps. I highly recommend this book.
Grade: A+

Culture Warrior by Bill O'Reilly
Very interesting read. I learned a lot about the key members and philosophies of the secular-progressive movement. If you want to be more well-informed about the liberal leanings of society, or want to better understand O'Reilly's show (he refers to ideas in this book all the time), read this book.
Grade: A

Wobegon Boy by Garrison Keillor
A huge disappointment. I grew up listening to Keillor's radio broadcast A Prairie Home Companion, so I expected I would enjoy this book. However, the plot meanders to nowhere in particular and even though that's typical of "Stories from Lake Wobegon," this one wasn't even interesting. Perhaps, Keillor should stick to the short story genre. In addition, Keillor's cynical descriptions of Dark Lutherans and the loose lifestyle of his central character got annoying. I almost stopped reading several times, but kept hoping it would get better, which it did not. I wish I hadn't wasted my one fiction book for the month on this one. Can I express my disappointment in any more ways?
Grade: C-/D+

Flyboysby James Bradley Powerful and moving. I cried several times while reading this book and even while just thinking about the Flyboys. Bradley gives a brief explanation of Japanese history and describes the Japanese warrior's mindset before and during the war. He explains the American justification for the atomic bomb and napalm bombings; however, he does not excuse American war atrocities during the expansion west, in the Philippines, and during the war. (And I agree. The US military did some pretty horrible things to the American Indians and other nations we were trying to establish colonies in.) He recounts the true, heroic stories of American pilots, including former president George W. Bush, during the Pacific theater in World War II. He focuses on telling the recently de-classified stories of the torture, execution, and mutilation of US pilots on Chichi Jima. The pilots' families were never told the details of their sons' horrific deaths, and some parents died without ever knowing what happened. This book is well-researched and powerfully written. I think every American should read this book. I have a much deeper appreciation for the veterans of World War II and the difficult decisions our government and military leaders had to make. I also better understand the Japanese history and worldview that led to such a grusome war. This is one of those books that will haunt your memory and affect your thinking for a long time.
Grade: A+

Obama and Plagiarism

2008-02-20T16:25:00.007+10:00

Because I'm in the middle of teaching the research paper to 30 juniors--and because I'm interested in politics, I was intrigued by the latest uproar over Obama's allegedly lifting phrases from other candidates without attributing the statements to the original speaker. My initial reaction was that it's okay, but I decided to do a little research on the matter, before making up my mind. After searching all over the web and reading numerous articles and watching several videos, I came back to where I first heard about the issue--Bill O'Reilly. He sums up the issue nicely in his "Talking Points" memo from February 19. Video. Transcript. Basically, O'Reilly compares Deval's speech (though his video is different from ones I found on YouTube) to Obama's. And he concludes that "people often borrow thoughts when speaking. It happens all the time. If Barack Obama had written an article and not credited Governor Patrick, that would have been plagiarism. Just talking off the cuff like that, I think you've got to cut him some slack." Here are some more articles and videos I found on the matter, if you're interested. Clinton aide accuses Obama of plagiarism This article includes links to video of Deval's speech and then Obama's speech as well as several retalitory examples of Clinton plagiarizing. Here is a longer video of Obama's speech "Don't Tell Me Words Don't Matter" Obama by the Numbers: Twice-Told Tales, and Nine in a Row After doing some research, I still think it was not wrong for Obama to use some of the same quotes and phraseology as Deval Patrick. No one was upset that Obama quoted Martin Luther King, Jr. or President Kennedy or the Declaration of Independence without attributing the statements to them, but it was a problem (to some) that he quoted Patrick's quotation of those statements without recognizing the original speaker. Furthermore, Patrick is an Obama supporter and friend and apparently they have spoken several times about this matter (see the Politico article above). In addition, Barack Obama, John Edwards, and Deval Patrick have all had David Axelrod as a campaign adviser, which may explain similarities in their rhetoric.

100 Books You Should Read (to call yourself human)

2008-02-13T10:47:00.005+10:00

One of my friends (Alison Gray) started this list several months ago and has been slowly adding to it. (I'm happy to say, I contributed to the list. :-) Any suggestions for no. 100? I've highlighted in bold the books I've read and I italicized the ones actually on the bookshelf by my bed waiting to be read. I hope this inspires you to read some classics and "modern classics." You'll be a better person for it. 1. War and Peace - Tolstoy 2. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte 3. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley 4. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Marquez 5. Pride and Prejudice - Austen 6. Remains of the Day - Ishiguro 7. The Lord of the Rings - Tolkein 8. Frost in May - White 9. The English Patient - Ondaatje 10. The Great Gatsby - Fitzgerald 11. Great Expectations - Dickens 12. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Safran-Foer 13. Lanark - Gray 14. My Antonia - Cather 15. Peace Like A River - Enger 16. Kidnapped - Stevenson 17. Middlemarch - Eliot 18. Their Eyes Were Watching God - Hurston 19. The Heart of Darkness - Conrad 20. Crime and Punishment - Dostoevsky 21. Howard’s End - Forster 22. To the Lighthouse - Woolf 23. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte 24. A Fine Balance - Mistry 25. Midnight’s Children - Rushdie 26. Pale Fire – Nabokov 27. Blindness - Saramago 28. Saturday - McEwan 29. Lord of the Flies – Golding 30. In Cold Blood – Capote 31. To Kill a Mockingbird - Lee 32. The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky 33. Housekeeping - Marilyn Robinson 34. Ulysses - Joyce 35. Anna Karenina - Tolstoy 36. Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck 37. Catcher in the Rye - Salinger 38. American Psycho - Ellis 39. Jude the Obscure - Hardy 40. Trainspotting - Welsh 41. The Adventures of Augie Marsh - Bellow 42. The Outsider - Camus 43. The Unbearable Likeness of Being - Kundera 44. The House of the Spirits - Allende 45. 1984 - Orwell 46. Animal Farm - Orwell 47. For Whom the Bell Tolls - Hemingway 48. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - McCullers 49. The Sea, The Sea – Murdoch 50. The Red and the Black - Stendhal 51. Disgrace - Coetzee 52. The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay – Chabon 53. A Room with a View - Forster 54. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich - Solzhenitsyn 55. White Noise - Dellilo 54. Cry, the Beloved Country - Paton 55. Things Fall Apart – Achebe 56. The God of Small Things – Roy 57. Soul Mountain – Xingjiang 58. On the Road – Kerouac 59. The Golden Notebook – Lessing 60. Dubliners – Joyce (I've read some of this collection) 61. Les Miserables – Hugo 62. Slaughterhouse Five – Vonnegut 63. Waiting for the Barbarians - Coetzee 64. A Christmas Carol – Dickens 65. The Scarlet Letter – Hawthorne 66. The White Guard – Bulgakov 67. Love in the time of Cholera – Marquez 68. The End of the Affair – Greene 69. A Passage to India – Forster 70. Madame Bovary – Flaubert 71. The Giver – Lowry 72. The Portrait of a Lady – James 73. Charlotte’s Web – White 74. Oscar and Lucinda – Carey 75. The Woman in White – Collins 76. Dracula - Stoker 77. Waverly – Scott 78. Treasure Island – Stephenson 79. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Stephenson 80. The Sopranos – Warner 81. Decline and Fall – Waugh 82. Jungle Book – Kipling 83. Middlesex – Eugenides 84. Fahrenheit 451 – Bradbury 85. Wild Swans – Jung Chang 86. Wide Sargasso Sea – Rhys 87. The Bell Jar – Plath (I read a large portion of this one day at Barnes and Noble) 88. Wise Blood – O’Connor 89. Out of Africa – Denisen 90. Ethan Frome – Wharton 91. Robinson Crusoe – Defoe 92. The Secret Agent – Conrad 93. Anil’s Ghost – Ondaatje (I have a student named Anil; I should read this in his honor.) 94. The Secret History – Tartt 95. Dr. Zhivago – Pasternak 96. Black Swan Green – Mitchell 97. Cancer Ward – Solzhenitzen 98. History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters - Barnes 99. Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami 100.

January Book Review

2008-02-04T19:06:00.000+10:00

One of my New Year's resolutions is to read a book a week. I did well the first two weeks of January, but then got a little off-track later in the month. (More on that later.)

Grendel by John Gardner
I love Beowulf, so I was excited to read this retelling from Grendel's point of view. Gardner captures the sense of the Old English language (which I love), but he also uses the postmodern techniques of stream of consciousness and multi-genre writing to good effect. At times, the language and story are revoltingly jarring and Grendel exemplifies anti-Christian, existential philosophy. Grendel spends much of the book raging against God and against the society that has rejected him.
Grade: C

Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? Trusting God with a Hope Deferred by Carolyn McCulley
Excellent book. A well-written, encouraging book for Christian single women. I especially appreciated her discussions of the Proverbs 31 woman and the single woman's role in the church.
Grade: A

I almost never read more than one book at a time because I get distracted when I do that, but for some reason I started three books at once at the end of January. Therefore, I still haven't finished any of them. (I'm pretty close with a couple, though.) I'll review the books in my "February Book Review" when I finish them.

Books I started reading in January:
Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
Because this book came highly recommended by my brother who recently followed Ramsey's advice and got out of debt exceedingly quickly, I bumped this book up on my reading list and tackled his "baby steps" plan immediately.

Culture Warrior by Bill O'Reilly
Very interesting read, but sometimes O'Reilly rants self-righteously and defensively and excessively.

The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within by Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry is an excellent non-fiction, fiction, and poetry writer. Just the foreword and "How to Read this Book" sections had me in stitches and pleased me with the pleasant phrasing.

New Year's Eve Party

2008-02-04T18:01:00.000+10:00

The Filipiaks invited me over to their house on New Year's Eve to enjoy their end-of-the-year celebration. The Baldwins, Babins, and several singles were there and we ate delicious fiesta food, played games, and prayed in the New Year. For more pictures, click here.

Gab Gab beach

2008-02-04T16:43:00.000+10:00

On December 29, 2007 the Singles class went to Gab Gab for a fabulous afternoon of snorkeling, picnicking, jet skiiing, and fellowshipping. Gab Gab is a beautiful beach on the main Navy base, "Big Navy." We had to sign up a month in advance and show ID to get on. I'm glad we have several members with base access, so it was possible for us to get on and enjoy a relaxing afternoon. I've been on Guam for 2 1/2 years now, and until this week, I had never been on a military base. However, during the last two weeks of December, I went on base 6 times! For more pictures, click here.

Here's to the Heroes

2008-02-04T13:35:00.000+10:00

On February 1, I performed the song "Here's to the Heroes" for the Harvest Christian Academy Faculty Recital. I chose this song because my brother is in the Marine Corps, so I've been feeling especially patriotic these last two years. In addition, several men from my church have been deployed/are currently deployed to the Horn of Africa. I wanted to honor those who are serving in our armed forces and pay special tribute to the soldiers from Guam who died for our country.

Here's to the heroes
Those few who dare
Heading for glory
Living a prayer

Here's to the heroes
Who change our lives
Thanks to the heroes
Freedom survives

Here's to the heroes
Who never rest
They are the chosen
We are the blessed

Here's to the heroes
Who aim so high
Here's to the heroes
Who do or die

Mia monacha prosefchi (A single prayer)
Pera os pera alithini (Truthful throughout)
Gia panta mesa stin kardia mou (Forever in my heart)

Here's to the heroes
Who aim so high
Here's to the heroes
Who do or die

As I sang, a PowerPoint presentation played in the background. I collected pictures of Ryan, the son-in-law of one of the faculty ladies, my brother, and several members of HBC who are/were deployed to Africa. The last few pictures are of Guam's fallen soldiers since the beginning of the war on terrorism.

Brevity

2007-11-01T16:16:00.000+10:00

This phrase originated with Shakespeare in Hamlet:
LORD POLONIUS
"This business is well ended.
My liege, and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief: your noble son is mad:
Mad call I it; for, to define true madness,
What is't but to be nothing else but mad?
But let that go."

Here are some favorite comics from "Brevity." You can access more by clicking here.

Things to do when you can't fall asleep

2007-10-27T01:02:00.000+10:00

This would be me tonight . . . 1. Watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the bazillionth time. I love this movie! 2. Add quotes from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Facebook and blog. 3. Lurk around on Facebook. 4. Play Scrabble with people who are awake in the States. 5. Perfect googlepages technique and create several new links to my blog. 6. Type sermon outlines and reflect on what God taught me last week. 7. Pray for friends who are just starting to face their day in the States. 8. Read my Bible. 9. Start rearranging my bedroom. I want to create a "reading nook" and move my bookcase closer to where I read my Bible, so I don't have a pile of books on the floor by the window and have to go across the room to get desired books (Not that it's that far to the other side of the room, but when you have a Bible and notebook on your lap and another Bible study book propped up beside you and a cup of coffee in your hand, you don't want to displace everything to get the commentary or concordance that's on the other side of the room.) 10. Read a book (tonight's selection is The Alchemist) and hopefully fall asleep.

Youlean's Birthday Sleepover

2007-10-26T23:52:00.000+10:00

Tonight my campus daughters (Youlean and Selwe) and a couple of their friends came over to celebrate Youlean's birthday, which is tomorrow. We swam in the pool, ate cake and ice cream, and watched a couple of movies (Nanny McPhee and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.) Despite the sugar high from the cake, ice cream, Pepsi, and fire Cheetoes, they're passed out on the couch . . . or on their way to being asleep soon. For more pictures, click here.

Summit Meetings

2007-10-15T22:54:00.000+10:00

Dr. Ollila preached for the revival meetings that were held at Harvest the week of Sunday, October 14, 2007. He opened the first service with this challenge: "I will be honest about my condition and obedient when God speaks."

Sunday a.m.: "Elements of Revival"

Sunday p.m.: "Anger"

Monday p.m.: "Laboring to be Accepted"

Tuesday p.m.: "Business Lessons from an Unjust Servant"

Wednesday a.m. HCA chapel: "Lessons from a Caveman"

Wednesday p.m.: "How Dreams Become Reality"

Thursday p.m.: "The Spirit-filled Family"

A Few Favorite Songs

2007-10-15T22:33:00.000+10:00

Either the congregation or ensembles sang the following songs on Sunday. Each was a blessing to my soul and I've been pondering the words since. "Knowing You, Jesus by Graham Kendrick" I Will Glory in My Redeemer by Steve and Vikki Cook I am going to sing this song, "In the Valley," on Sunday evening. I've been singing this song a lot lately and it's really ministered to me because I identify with the words and the Lord's been teaching me about serving Him in the difficult times.

Nikko Hotel--A Relaxing Evening

2007-10-15T21:38:00.000+10:00

After a hectic week, ending with a day that felt like a week in and of itself, my friend Jenni and I headed for the pool for a much needed break. I read a little, watched the sunset, took a million pictures of the sunset, swam and floated in the pool a bit, and talked with Jenni a bunch. It was a relaxing, refreshing evening.

Man in sarong (why?) blowing a horn that sounded like what I always imagined a shofar to sound like. Except it wasn't a call to worship or sound of victory; it was to draw the tourists in to the night show, which fortunately, we could not see from where we were.

Man who ran around the pool lighting the tiki torches

Fabulous sunset!

Me during the sunset

Changes coming!

2007-09-27T16:54:00.000+10:00

Stay tuned for changes to my blog's layout and design. Special thanks to Chad Filipiak for teaching me how to update my layout and utilize new features which should make my blog easier (for you, but harder for me) to view and enjoy. My blog's layout will be more like his. I'm excited about learning a more sophisticated way of putting my blog together.

Christian Female/Male Ratio

2007-09-20T17:33:00.000+10:00

I have often wondered if there really were more Christian single women than Christian single men, or if it was just my imagination. According to the Wall Street Journal, there's a 60/40 split of Evangelical Christian women to men. Where have all the Christian young men gone? Suzanne Hadley explores this topic further in "Why Dating Outside the Faith is Illogical" and cautions against dating non-Christians because there are fewer Christian men than women.

F-B-I! Gonna have a good time! Hey, hey, hey!

2007-09-07T16:02:00.000+10:00

Spirit Week is a week filled with special services, team challenges, games, and skits. Each year God uses this week to help us reach our students and share the gospel with many who have never heard it before.

The team competition this year was between the FBI and CIA. I was on the FBI . . . and we won! (Not because I was on the team, though. :-)

Twin brothers Mike and Mark Herbster preached in the chapels and split sessions during the week. I appreciated their ministry and it was great to hear testimonies from my students about how God worked in their lives during the week.

The Herbsters also played the trumpet and sang before each service.

Mike joined the FBI team.

Mark joined the CIA.

A highlight of the special music was when some of the administrators, teachers, and students joined the Herbsters for a trumpet special. It was especially fun to see Pastor Herron, Pastor Henson, and Dr. Watson ministering in song. We don't get to see that very often!

The FBI guys were a little frightening as they performed an intense New Zealand chant, complete with native grunting and gestures.

During the teacher round of one game, the FBI had to try to pick up the CIA members. I fought my attackers so much, it took 4 of them to finally get me off the ground. Several of us ended up with bruises! Jessica and April, I'm (sort of) sorry I kicked you, but I would have preferred to have gotten away!

Doug Abels wrote a 5 scene play called "Spark of Love," which was performed on Friday afternoon. If you're looking for a humorous skit to use for your camp or retreat, I highly recommend this one. From left to right we have wanna-be superheroes Inspector Trinket (John Collier), Safety Man (Andrew Potter), Twitty Nerd Boy (Jeff Borchardt), and Gravity Man (Doug Abels).

G.O.O.F.B.A.H. (Guardians of the Order of the Fraternal Brotherhood of Heroes)

I was just an "extra" in the fight scene in Cafe Franswa, but we had great costumes and enjoyed our role thoroughly. And how often do you get to beat up your principal?

Church at the Beach

2007-09-07T15:54:00.000+10:00

On Labor Day weekend, Harvest holds the Sunday evening service at the USO Beach. We had a fiesta dinner, great singing with the guitar and ukelele choir, and preaching from one of the special speakers for Spirit Week, Mark Herbster, whose twin brother, Mike, was also here for the week.

I cannot claim credit for any of these pictures. My roommate Elizabeth had the camera for the evening. She's becoming quite a photographer!

Two of this year's new teachers, Josie and Dayna

Brenna is stylin'

Two of my friends, Jenni and Julie

This is a great picture! Isn't Caitlyn adorable? (No, she's not Kevin's baby. :-) She's the daughter of Warren and Janet Han.)

Caitlyn gets passed around quite a bit. Here she is with Jodi.

I love this woman, Helen Middlebrook. She's always an encouragement and inspiration to me!

We enjoyed a breathtakingly beautiful sunset while Mark Herbster preached. I love the sunsets on Guam! God is such an awesome Creator!

Even the Piti power plant looked stunning in the sunset. Elizabeth did a nice job with the framing of this picture.

Labor Day Hike to Tarzan Falls

2007-09-05T15:34:00.000+10:00

On Labor Day, a group of us hiked to Tarzan Falls down in southern Guam. We had a blast even though it was hot and muddy. I had been to Tarzan Falls twice during dry season and the hike wasn't nearly as slippery as it was on Monday. Even though the trail was messy, the rains made for a spectacular, gushing waterfall, when all I'd seen before was a trickle.

My friends, Elizabeth and Jodi, before we started the hike.

The first of many mud holes, which we encountered right at the beginning of the hike.

The view from the top of the falls

From above the falls

Jodi and me; I was getting up the courage to go under the falls

Elizabeth and me under the falls. I could barely keep my eyes open, the water pounded so hard!

Jodi and Jo under the falls

Playing in the water

Andrew climbing the falls; I tried this once and chickened out about halfway up, then it was worse trying to get back down!

A group of us after the hike; we're just a little bit muddier and wetter than we were when we started!

Serious Humor

2007-08-31T16:59:00.000+10:00

"Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious."--Peter Ustinov It struck me as ironic that this quote should show up on my "Quote of the Day" because I had been thinking about this idea since doing some reading on Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry yesterday. Both Laurie and Fry are clever, witty, very funny actors, yet they both have struggled with serious mental illnesses. Laurie has been treated for clinical depression; Stephen Fry, for bipolar disorder. Incidentally, both men sought treatment within a couple of years of each other, and all the while they continued to perform in TV shows and movies which cast them as comic characters. I've always heard that some people develop a fine sense of humor to mask hurt and discouragment. That seems to be true with these men. I wonder if Hugh Laurie's current role as House allows him to explore the darker side of depression that he didn't express, at least on screen, during the mid-90's.

Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins

2007-08-30T23:54:00.000+10:00

This was my "Poem of the Week" for the first week of school. I thought I would share it with ya'll as well. "I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide or press an ear against its hive. I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out, or walk inside the poem's room and feel the walls for a light switch. I want them to waterski across the surface of a poem waving at the author's name on the shore. But all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means."

Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry

2007-08-30T17:09:00.000+10:00

I am an avid fan of Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry's fantastic series Jeeves and Wooster. If you haven't watched it yet, head to your local library and borrow a season or two today! My dad, youngest brother Zeke, and I watched almost the entire series this summer, laughing uproariously at Wooster's bizarre antics and rewatching some episodes several times. I plan on showing episodes to my senior English classes when we start discussing modern literature or when we study films derived from literature. (I think I have read all of the Jeeves and Wooster short stories [and many of his other stories] by P.G. Wodehouse and think them hilarious and well worth your reading.) Anyway, today while reading my new favorite blog, I learned that both Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie have written novels! I can't wait to read them! Hugh Laurie's first novel, Gun Seller, was published in 1997, and his second novel, The Paper Soldier , is due out in September 2007. Stephen Fry has written several books, many of which appeal to me: The Liar (1992), The Hippopotamus (1994), Moab is My Washpot (autobiography, 1997), Revenge: A Novel (rewrite of Count of Monte Cristo, 2000), and Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within (2007) So, if you want to buy me a Christmas present . . . just don't get Gun Seller, which I ordered today!

Magnetic poetry

2007-08-28T17:56:00.000+10:00

I love magnetic poetry. I have a couple sets up in my classroom and I love to see my students turn around and add a few words to the poems they've been working on (even if they are supposed to be paying attention to the lecture or activity). Here are a couple poems I wrote.

This poem makes me sound like I was depressed, but I was just being dramatic.

I have started the South Beach diet since writing this poem. I do miss chocolate! But I didn't want it to be the death of me.

The start of a new school year

2007-08-28T17:16:00.000+10:00

We're into the third week of school already! I can hardly believe that summer is over and we're now into the routine of classes, prep work, very little sleep, and too short weekends. But all complaining aside, I love teaching and I did get a little bored this summer without a good routine. (Now I feel almost "routined" to death--Wait! I'm not supposed to be complaining.) Here are some pictures of my classroom the night of Parent Orientation. I'm very happy with the way things turned out. . . If only I could keep my room this clean all the time!

My fabulous bulletin board:

A couple of views of my classroom:

All the books I handed out the first couple of days of school. Looks intimidating, huh? I felt nervous just looking at all the books I have to teach in the next few months, and I'm sure my students felt a little daunted by the task as well. I can still remember the look of amazement--and slight panic--one of my seniors, who is also in my literature elective, gave me when I handed him the stack of books for literature after giving him a sizable stack for Senior English a few hours earlier.

The faculty and staff of Harvest Ministries:

My summer

2007-07-30T11:33:00.000+10:00

I had a wonderful summer in the States. I flew home on May 24th, just in time to get ready for my brother's wedding on the 26th. I was forced to stay awake and got over jet lag fairly quickly because we were so busy those first few days I was home. Ben and Becca's wedding was beautiful!

Just a few weeks after Ben and Becca's wedding, we traveled down to South Carolina for Nate and Jessica's wedding on June 23rd. It was also a very special wedding!

For much of the summer I was at home reading for fun and in preparation for school, taking walks/runs through the hills of VT, and spending time with family and friends. At the beginning of the summer, I went to a choral festival with my friends Natasha and Dawn. Here are a few pictures from the Trapp Family Lodge where the festival was held.

I also taught the preschool class during Neighborhood Bible Time.

And here are a couple of pictures of the view from Trinity.
I live near the base of Camel's Hump:

Mount Mansfield:

Then, at the beginning of July, I went back down to Greenville to visit my friends Dave and Desiree Talbert, who were home from China, and to see my brother Nate and my new sister-in-law Jessica.

We got these amazingly huge ice cream cones from Bruster's. It was raining, so we got a free scoop, and Nate had buy one get one free coupons, and he paid with a gift certificate! A great deal for some great ice cream.

While I was visiting down south, I had the great pleasure of attending Medieval Times in Georgia. It was a thrilling experience. We all had a great time cheering on the Red Knight!

Harvest Baptist Bible Institute Graduation 2007

2007-05-30T03:06:00.000+10:00

During the Sunday evening service on May 19th, Harvest held the HBBI graduation. This year my campus "daughter" Sinser graduated. I'm going to miss her!

Me and Sinser

Our campus family included Sinser, Youleen (not pictured), the Borchardts (Jessica, Jeff, and Jeffrey III), and me.

Another HBBI friend of mine is leaving this year, too. Betty Obed was an HBBI GA last year and she is going to be heading to International Baptist College in the fall. She is such a sweet, godly young lady. I'm going to miss chatting with her in the cafeteria when I go get water during my prep hour and seeing her at church and around campus.

HCA Graduation 2007

2007-05-22T14:12:00.000+10:00

School is finally done! I can hardly believe that I am finished my second year of teaching!

After turning in my last grades on Wednesday morning, I spent Thursday and Friday helping with graduation prep (checking grades, folding programs, etc.)and trying to start neatening up my classroom. HCA graduation was Friday night (pictures posted below) and HBBI graduation was on Sunday (see next post--whenever I get to it!). On Monday and Tuesday we had projects to do around campus and we were able to finish getting our classrooms ready for the summer and next school year. I rearranged my classroom so my desk is in a better spot and I have started to organize my files. On Wednesday we had our final staff meeting (I was given the "Kangaroo Award" for always bounding forward for success--especially with the yearbook staff) and then we were dismissed for the year! Anyway, you probably don't care about the minutiae of my life, so I'll just go ahead and post some pictures of graduation.

Senior group picture before heading up the stairs to the auditorium.

Some of the excited graduates before the ceremony started.

Johnny getting laden down with leis from his friends and family. After the graduates receive their diplomas, they go down to give their mom a rose and then their family and friends put flower, candy, and even money leis around their necks. Some of the students even carry balloons and bouquets of flowers back to the stage. After the students exit the building, they're given more leis and gifts during the picture taking time.

Erik displaying his diploma before going back on stage to move his tassel and officially graduate.

Gizela Ho after receiving her diploma and greeting her family.

Brothers Keith and Sean Yanase graduated together this year. I was privileged to have them as students for both their junior and senior years.

After graduation I took pictures with several of my students and of faculty and friends with the graduates. (I was actually one of the official photographers for the night, which is how I got pictures of my students during the ceremony. Otherwise, I would have been up in the choir loft watching the procedings.)
Charles Wan and me

Chong Fang and Mr. Jared Skeens

High school principal Mr. Doug Abels, his wife Karen Abels, and Alexis Gonzales (one of my honors English students and the best copy editor a yearbook adviser could ask for)

Edward Kim and me

Janet Lee and me

Lead principal Mr. John McGrew with Quilla Espinoza

Yearbook editor Joanna Lanuza with Kallen Perez, the People section editor. I am proud of both of them for their hard work and dedication to the project. They did an excellent job and far exceeded my expectations!

Kai Ying Zhang, me, and Angel Li (unfortunately a branch got in the way and I haven't had time to photoshop it out)

Me with Leif Andres and Tae Hwa Lee. Both of these guys were on yearbook staff for two years. I'll miss having them in class and on staff next year!

Me and Victoria Paulino (Sadly, Victoria moved to Arizona shortly after graduation.)

Linda Wu, Regina Fong, Beili Li, and Edward Kim

Some of the senior guys tackle each other in a group hug celebrating the end of their high school careers.

Angela Lim and Jenifer Song

Jodi Harrison and I coordinated, so we had to get a picture. This was the second time that we ended up wearing these matching outfits!

A relaxing Saturday after a hectic week

2007-02-05T21:43:00.000+10:00

Several friends and I spent a very relaxing day together on Saturday. First, we spent several hours up at Ritidian Beach, one of the most beautiful places on Guam. Upon our return to Guahan we showered and reconvened for supper and movies. We watched last week's American Idol auditions, The Illusionist, and Facing the Giants. I know! That's a lot of movies! But after a yearbook deadline, recital practice, progress report grades, and the recital, we were all beat, so we enjoyed the chance to relax and recover a bit from the week.

Here is a picture of Kelly and Karli right before we hit the beach:

The beach:

My charming friend Jodi enjoying the sun (He, he, he! I couldn't resist posting this picture). Jodi was starting to get sunburned--a condition most of the group is suffering from right now--so she tried to cover up.

My beautiful roommate and friend, Kelly:

Me on the beach:

Elizabeth tackling me--of course, I screamed! She's been doing this to me a lot lately . . .

Faculty Recital

2007-02-05T20:39:00.000+10:00

On Friday February 2, Harvest hosted the 8th annual Faculty Recital. Faculty and staff members worked for several weeks (or longer) to prepare piano solos, piano duets, vocal solos and duets, and instrumental numbers. There was great variety in the styles of pieces performed and a nice blend of everything from serious classical music (I sang "Mon couer s'ouvre a ta voix" from Samson et Dalila) to fiddling (Kelly played the "Orange Blossom Special") to a funny rendition of "I Need a Man" (to the tune of "Part of Your World") to the theme from the Pink Panther as performed by the music faculty on percussion instruments.

On Monday of last week I started to get a sore throat and by Wednesday, I had a full-blown cold. On Thursday during my last couple of classes I started to lose my voice and my voice only got worse on Friday. I drank several cups of tea and swallowed spoonfuls of honey and prayed! When I got up to sing I had no idea what would come out. God was so gracious! I was able to sing! I made it through my song, and although it wasn't as strong or expressive as I would have liked, my voice didn't crack and I was able to sustain the long and high notes. Many people commented that they had no idea that I had a cold. After I was done singing, my voice was pretty much shot for the evening and didn't really start to get better until today. I am so thankful to be a testimony of how God's strength and power works through us when we are weak. There was no way I could have sung that song the way I did without the grace of God.

My wonderful accompanist, Lisa Flower, and me after the recital. The piano part was very challenging, but she did a beautiful job and even covered for my mistakes!

My roommate, Kelly Schlarb, and me. Kelly dressed in-character to add to the mood of the piece. Everyone loved it and she even played it again for the encore.

The music faculty:

Yap, Part IV--Christmas Day

2007-02-05T17:49:00.000+10:00

I am way behind on posting about my trip to Yap. After this post about Christmas morning, I still have a bunch of pictures from the days after Christmas, but I'll have to wait for another time to post those.

If you've been checking my blog waiting for me to update it, I'm very sorry. (If no one reads this and no one knows that it's been months since I posted, that's okay with me, too.) I haven't had much time for pleasures like posting to my blog. I've been trying to survive the end of the year madness at HCA and HBC.

On Christmas morning, Bob and Polly took us on a tour of the island.

This is an iguana we saw on the side of the road. It reminded April of her iguana, Monty, who has since died. :-(

I love taking pictures of palm trees. I take them from every angle and with every setting, and at every time of day. I am still trying to get the perfect shot of the shadow of a palm tree. (The hardest part is not getting your shadow in the picture!)This one came out pretty well, but I would have prefered that the shadow be over the water. Alas, the water was too far away and it was the wrong time of day.

Here's a view of the Yap airport from the top of a hill. I thought the structure of the airport was unique with its echo of traditional housing. This airport is almost as bad as one I was at in the Philippines. The one there was basically a tin box with wooden benches and no aircon (of course). We walked through a wooden gate, threw our luggage on a cart, and then got on the plane. The Yap airport is also not airconditioned (no surprise there--and by the way, I'm not complaining, I'm just trying to describe it so you have a mental picture of what Yap is like), definitely under construction (you might be able to see the scaffolding that's around the building), and we had fun watching the men carry our luggage from the back of a pickup truck to the table where we claimed it.

A road less traveled by.

A little market in the village of Kodai, where Bob and Polly used to live.

Walking down the stone path to the men's house. Polly demonstrates how big the plant leaves are. As we walked, we carried a piece of greenery as a signal that we came in peace.

April and me sitting in the chief's seat.

Polly and April

The men's house in Kodai

Scenery

To get pictures of this view, we climbed to the top of a little knoll. Climbing up wasn't too bad, but coming down was a challenge. There was a lot of swordgrass and prickerburrs, so we couldn't use our hands, so we slid down the dry loose dirt like snowboarders.

We tried to get a picture of a white egret like this for days. The little buggers kept flying off before we could get the camera out. This time we were waiting and finally got a good picture!

I loved the sign posts in Yap. So picturesque!

Bob Whitmore at Pacific Rim Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Yap, Part III (Christmas Eve)

2007-02-05T11:01:00.000+10:00

On Sunday morning, Christmas Eve, we attended the Christmas program at Yap Baptist Church. As soon as the service was over we went to Faith Baptist Church for their Christmas program. After the feast there (where I had taro for the first time), we returned to Mark and Diane's for Christmas caroling and food and games at their house.

The Christmas program at Yap Baptist Church began with the little ones singing "10 Little Angels" led by HBBI graduate, Clara Yirimyad.

Several of the teens put together a play called "A Gift for Mother" in which the mother pawns her pearl necklace in order to buy Christmas presents for her children. But the children work at the pawn shop after school to buy the pearl necklace back for her. It was a nice little play and the kids did a good job with it. I know Diane put in a lot of time directing it as well.

Johnny, Caleb, Mark and Diane Zimmer enjoy the play.

Some more teens and young adults presented a story about a young shepherd who visited Christ in Bethlehem and another lazy shepherd who fell asleep and missed his opportunity to go with the other shepherds to see Christ.

Some views of the inside of Yap Baptist Church:

The Zimmer's house from the back door of the church:

Roland and Sensarina's house (HBBI grads who help Mark with various things at church) and the workshop:

Paul and Sherry Zimmer loaned us one of their vans so we could drive to and from Mark and Diane's more easily. Even though the Yapese drive on the right hand side of the road, many of the cars are Japanese models, so the steering wheel is on the right as well. It was an unusual experience, but I loved it! Here's a picture of me driving up to Paul and Sherry's church, Faith Baptist, for the afternoon Christmas program.

Sherry Zimmer narrated the Christmas program which was about the lost sheep. The children were the shepherds, villagers, and sheep. I had fun helping Sherry get all of the kids into costume!

Pastor Paul giving the challenge:

Christmas Eve is also Paul's birthday, so Polly surprised him with a cake. He's pictured here with Sarah and Paulie.

Erika, one of the ladies in the church, made flower wreaths for us (I don't remember the Yapese word for them, but I'll check my notes for it).

Polly handed out gifts to all the adults, which we had wrapped on Friday while the ladies were decorating.

The children enjoyed opening their Christmas presents.

Me and April with an outer islander dressed in traditional clothing called a thu.

After the Christmas program and feast, the Whitmores, and April and I returned to Mark and Diane Zimmer's for Christmas caroling and a Christmas party. We caroled to some church memebers, unsaved Chinese storeowners, and some of the American Peace Corps. We ran into a little trouble with the police--they were definitely keeping an eye on us--because they didn't understand the American custom of Christmas caroling. Someone had been sitting up on the side of the truck because it was so crowded, but we got away with only a warning.

The following pictures are from our game of Mafia, which Mark narrated. Some of us met rather unusual ends--April was beaten with a flute, I was attacked by boonie dogs, and Mark was cursed by a voodoo doctor!

Bob tries to deflect accusations of being one of the Mafia.

Polly protests being killed in the first round, especially since she was the doctor and not one of the Mafia!

Sensarina's laugh kept giving away that she was the Mafia.

Yap--Part II (The Mark Zimmer family)

2007-02-03T21:08:00.000+10:00

On Saturday we went out in Mark's boat to go swimming and snorkling.

Me and April on the boat.

Diane Zimmer on the boat.

A view of Yap from the boat--it was raining on island, but it was cool to see the island from that perspective.

A view of the ocean from the boat.

On Saturday afternoon, April and I got to see some of the island from the back of Mark's truck. First we went to pick up Clara, and then we went to a stone money bank in Rull.

Here's the view of a beautiful lagoon we drove around numerous times a day.

April and me in the back of Mark's truck after we got back from our sightseeing trip.

Yap Baptist Church

Playing with the Zimmer kids and their puppies:

On Saturday night, Mark and Diane took April and me to a little restaurant, which was built like a traditional thatched roof hut, in Maap (pronounced "Mop"). We enjoyed a wonderful fish dinner. When we finished eating we went down to the beach; the night sky opened up before us like all the diamonds of Tiffany's thrown across black velvet. It was one of the most amazing displays of stars I have ever seen. We reverently sang "Silent Night" before returning home.
Cherith Zimmer on the steps to the restarurant. I took this picture to demonstrate the island custom of taking off your zories before entering a house. In Yap we also did this before going into restaurants, stores, and churches.

Me and April outside the restaurant:

Later that night a friend of the Zimmer's brought over some fish that he had caught that day. I got to watch Mark skin and fillet the fish. It was pretty cool.

Yap, Part I (The Paul Zimmer family)

2007-01-19T10:58:00.000+10:00

Since I have so many picture from our trip to Yap, I decided to break up my posts based on the family we were staying with. A fellow teacher, April Briggs, and I spent from Dec. 20 to 28 with three missionary families in Yap, Micronesia. We had a fabulous time hanging out with the families (they were on vacation, too), helping out in the church services, and celebrating Christmas.

We spent the first two nights with the Paul Zimmer family. They made us feel right at home. I loved being able to talk with Sherry; she taught us much about the customs on Yap. Her testimony of trusting in God through all of the situations God has brought them through was an encouragement and help to me. I also enjoyed hanging out with the kids. Paulie and Angelina taught me some chords on the uke and by the end of the week, I could sightread songs. (I need to get a uke so I don't forget everything I learned!) I showed Angelina a little bit about playing the flute and helped Hannah sew lace to a dress she was giving her sister for Christmas. The kids were a lot of fun!

Clara at the picnic and swimming spot we went to on the first day.

Sarah at the picnic/swimming spot.

Jacob and Hannah took us for a walk down Pineapple Alley to get to the swimming spot and then showed us foxholes from the Japanese Occupation on the way back home.

Our first day in Yap was a Wednesday, so we went to Faith Baptist Church for the evening service. Paul is the pastor of the church and it is also the ministry that the Whitmores are a part of. This first picture is an "ordinary" picture of the church building. The second is a "cool" shot taken during sunset right before church started.

The ladies Bible study was held at the Whitmore's house, just up the hill from the church. April and I shared our testimonies and what God has been teaching us about prayer and faith. Then Polly taught from Cynthia Heald's book Becoming a Woman of Faith.

On Thursday, we went to a spot with awesome snorkeling. This is where I decided I really like snorkeling. The places I'd been in Guam were nothing like this! We saw blue starfish, purple-ish branch coral, and hundreds of fish. I wish I knew more about fish, so I could describe them better, but at this place, I really liked the tiny, irridescent, blue-green fish.
This is Paul Zimmer with a coconut he just cut open with his machete.

Some views of the beach.

On Thursday evening, the Zimmers and Whitmores took us out for a nice fish dinner at a restaurant on a boat. Here's a picture of me with Bob and Polly Whitmore in front of some stone money that was on the boat.

This is a picture of April and me with the Zimmer kids in front of an unusual Christmas tree in the lobby of the Manta Ray Hotel, which is where the boat was docked.

On Friday morning, we helped decorate the church for Christmas. One of the ladies showed me how to weave the leaves which were eventually used for the manger scene. I also learned how to make stars from coconut fronds. (Maybe the HBBI students will let me help decorate for banquets now . . . probably not! :-)

I have a few more pictures I'd like to add to this post, but I'll edit it later when I get the pictures from April. Hope you enjoy hearing about the first part of my trip.

Blogger Unblocked

2007-01-19T10:55:00.000+10:00

My apologies to anyone who has checked my blog recently and noticed that I still haven't put up pictures of my trip to Yap. For a while, Blogger was blocked by the Harvest filter (I'm not sure why), but I was finally able to get back on this morning. Pictures will be forthcoming. We are getting internet at home soon, so I'll be able to post more frequently and without random blocking of legitimate sites.

Let the partying begin!

2006-12-13T13:07:00.000+10:00

On December 2, 2006 the staff of Harvest Ministries gathered at the beautiful Westin hotel for our annual Christmas party. We had a nice buffet dinner and an enjoyable skit and caroling time followed by a short challenge from Pastor Herron. Below are some pictures of my friends and me from that night.

My roommates, Kelly and Elizabeth, and me.

My friends, Julie and Lisa.

Doug, Karen, and Jake Abels.

Me and April.

Pastor and Mrs. Herron.

Seaside Concert at the Hilton

2006-12-12T21:46:00.000+10:00

This year I got to participate in the Guam Symphony and Chorale concert at the Hilton Resort. It was a really cool opportunity to sing under the tent in front of Tumon Bay and Two Lover's Point at sunset. The "Chorale"--only 4 sopranos, 4 altos, and 1 tenor this year--sang a medley of Christmas carols with the orchestra providing accompaniment.

One of the highlights of the concert is the appearance of Santa Clause riding a caribou. Children thronged around him as he rode around the circumference of the crowd. I followed him the entire distance around trying to get a good shot and finally got this one back near my original seat!

After the concert and as we were running to the car because we were late for church, I snapped this picture of Tumon Bay in the moonlight. Guam is so beautiful! "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." Psalm 19:1

Thanksgiving

2006-12-12T19:14:00.000+10:00

I had a very relaxing Thanksgiving. The break started when we got out of school early on Wednesday. We had a special dress up day and fundraiser for the senior trip called Pilgrim and Indian Day. Many students wore costumes and the teachers got a free lunch if we wore an outfit too. It's a lot of fun. Some of the teachers go all out with their creative get-up.

On Thanksgiving Day, I got up relatively early (especially since both my roommates were still asleep--that usually doesn't happen!) and made sweet potato casserole. Last year I learned to put a pan underneath the sweet potatoes so they don't explode and ooze all over the stove, and this year I learned to put tin foil over the pan so my roommate doesn't have to spend all night scrubbing the pan (sorry, Kelly!). I also learned to buy sweet potatoes early so I don't have to use 20 minuscule ones instead of 6 big ones. The casserole turned out really well, though, and everybody loved it.

Dinner at Doug and Karen Abel's house was special as usual. Karen does a fantastic job of organizing the food and displaying it in a pleasing way. After dinner Doug led in a testimony and song time. There were several HBBI students at the dinner and they love to sing! It is always a lot of fun to sing with them. This is a picture of my two HBBI "daughters," Youlean and Sincer.

Later that afternoon my roommates and I headed down to Agat where we were going to stay overnight with the Webbers, a couple from Harvest that was housesitting at a beautiful home by the ocean. We were hoping to see a beautiful sunset, but unfortunately, it was raining out at sea and the sky was cloudy and gray. Just being by the ocean was relaxing, though, and we enjoyed talking with the Webbers and another family that was visiting for the day.

We stayed in the guest house, which had two bedrooms, a bathroom (which had a serene face painted on one entire wall!), a living room and a kitchen. We slept in, read our Bibles, and then watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Mrs. Webber spoiled by bringing us coffee and breakfast. After a leisurely breakfast, we went kayaking out on the ocean and looked at the coral through the clear canoe Elizabeth and Kelly used. I loved trying to catch the waves as we rode back in. We stayed at the Webber's until late afternoon. By the time we got back to Agana, we could tell there was going to be a beautiful sunset that night! Oh, well. We had a great time on the beautiful, clear day-after-Thanksgiving.

Mid-December Madness

2006-12-12T18:53:00.000+10:00

It's been so long since I've blogged, I hope I can remember how to do it.

I've been teaching Twelfth Night recently, hence the allusion to Shakespeare in the title of my post. I do love Shakespeare; I wish I could teach more of him, but alas, the semester is ending soon and with it our exploration of a couple of his great plays. My seniors are in for a doosy of a semester exam. If any of them are reading this, I hope they take the warning and study. (In class I've been encouraging them to study, so don't be worried that I haven't told them.)

In between writing recommendation letters for several seniors tonight, I'm going to try to post some recent pictures of things I've done lately. I've had a busy month and a half since I last wrote, so I need to get some pictures up before I head off for Christmas break, which will mean more pictures!

Linda, Kallen, and Grace read the parts of the Weird Sisters in Macbeth Act I. The witches are described as having beards, so the girls came up with a creative solution. We were able to go to the auditorium for class one day to act out scenes from the play--one of my favorite activities of the year. The students always have a great time, too.

Botched Joke--Whatever!

2006-11-03T08:32:00.000+10:00

John Kerry has a history of not saying what he means to say or of denying that what he said is really what he said. Instead of simply apologizing for his inappropriate statement, Kerry is now trying to blame the media for "misinterpreting" his comment. If you're interested, you can read James Taranto's commentary and research here. And why is it okay for Kerry to make jokes about the president, but not about the military? Since Bush is the Commander-in-Chief of America's armed forces, Kerry's comments about Bush's leadership in the war are against the military. I would not want someone so unsupportive of my sacrificial work to be my Commander-in-Chief. Furthermore, slandering the president not only harms the military but it also hurts the entire United States.

The sunshine is back, too!

2006-11-02T19:47:00.000+10:00

This morning we had no school, and this afternoon and evening were parent-teacher conferences. My roommate and I celebrated our few hours of freedom from the classroom by going to the beach. Have I mentioned recently that I love living on a tropical island?

I'm back

2006-11-01T13:17:00.000+10:00

I was out of school for over a week; first, I was sick with the flu and then laryngitis and a sinus infection. Since I don't have internet at home, I have not been able to blog. I seriously doubt I would have done any writing anyway, since there were times I could barely hold my head up. But I'm back in school now, and although I still don't feel completely better, I am much better than I was last week at this time. While I was out, I did quite a bit of reading. I greatly enjoyed G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who was Thursday. If I tried to explain the plot, it would thoroughly confuse you, so I won't try. But the book is well worth the read. I read an annotated version by Ignatius Press which has a very helpful introduction. I love Chesterton's style--he uses a lot of alliteration, even in prose. I also read Condi: The Condoleeza Rice Story. I was already interested in her because of what I had seen of her on TV, and I came away with an even stronger admiration for her. She is a fascinating lady. Before deciding to study Russian history and language, she was a Piano Performance major and had considered a career as a concert pianist. When she was my age, she was finishing up her doctorate in International Studies at the University of Denver and then started teaching at Stanford. She served on the National Security Council during the George H. Bush administration and then returned to Stanford to become the provost. Now she is the National Security Adviser. The White House has a concise bio of Dr. Rice, but I encourage you to read the book for a more complete picture of this talented lady. I took a break from the more serious reading to read the second and third books in the Mitford Series: A Light in the Window and These High, Green Hills. I actually read both books in one day--almost 800 pages! The books are from the perspective of an Episcopal priest, Father Tim, in the small village of Mitford, North Carolina. I love the characters in these light, easy-to-read novels. I appreciate Father Tim's realistic, often humorous, responses to the situations and people he meets. I'm going to check books four and five out of the library to read this weekend. I just finished Theodore Dreiser's Jennie Gerhardt this morning. I do not recommend this book unless you want to be seriously depressed. Dreiser's deterministic pessimism is overbearing and leads to a very unsatisfactory conclusion. This is the sort of book I'd like to write a paper about because of the nature imagery and philosophy, but I don't know if I could stand re-reading it so closely. I read Dreiser's Sister Carrie in grad school and rather liked it (in a weird academic way); I don't remember the philosophy as being so in-your-face pessimistic. My roommate asked me why I read books like Jennie Gerhardt. I am trying to expand the breadth of novels I read to include more of the classics but also lesser known works by important authors. I didn't want to end my study of serious literature with my graduation from graduate school. In fact, I think I have an even greater desire to read more now that I teach literature. Sometimes I am familiar with only one work by an author which I studied in high school or college (sometimes even twice in college), but I have read little else by the major authors. I am trying to read more by the authors I teach so I can have a greater understanding of and appreciation for the works that I teach. For example, I teach "The White Heron" by Sarah Orne Jewett, but that is the only story I have ever read by her. The next book on my reading list is Jewett's The Country of the Pointed Firs.

Political Candidates Visit HCA

2006-10-18T17:11:00.000+10:00

In the past two weeks, we have had the privilege of hearing four candidates for office speak in special assemblies at Harvest Christian Academy. This has been a valuable educational experience for the students. Each of the candidates had an opportunity to speak about his platform, but they also answered questions prepared by the senior Government class. On October 3, 2006, Governor Felix Camacho was our first visitor. He described his role as governor and explained how his position and decisions affect each citizen of Guam. Camacho spoke with conviction and clarity about the issues that need to be improved on the island. Because all of the candidates emphasize education, Governor Camacho chose to make the issue of clean and available water and water treatment to all citizens the distinguishing feature of his platform. Camacho believes the military's increase in soldiers on Guam will have a positive impact on Guam as it will encourage job growth and improve the island's infrastructure. For more information and pictures of the Governor's visit please click here. Former Congressman Robert Underwood spoke to the high school students on October 13, 2006. He told entertaining stories of his early political involvement and his time in Washington, DC, as Guam's representative to Congress. Underwood encouraged the students to pursue their dreams and, if so inclined, become involved in the political process. For more information and pictures of Robert Underwood's visit click here. On October 24, candidates for Attorney General, Alicia Limtiaco and Vern Perez, spoke to the student body about the role the AG plays in government. The Attorney General is part of the executive branch and works with all branches of government to give legal advice and to approve initiatives. Both candidates want to increase convictions and improve the staffing of the AG's office (apparently the former AG was really difficult to work with so there was a high turnover rate). In addition, Perez emphasized that the AG needs to work with the governor on issues that will benefit the island instead of constantly hindering the process. For more information about the candidates visit, you can click here. Some additional pictures: The governor accepts an HCA hat as a token of appreciation for his visit. Robert Underwood signing autographs for students.

"War Thoughts at Home"

2006-10-12T16:11:00.000+10:00

I recently mentioned a new Robert Frost poem that was discovered by Robert Stilling. Unfortunately for me, since I am not a subscriber to VQR, I can't read the newly published poem. But you can read Stilling's paper here.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2006-10-02T11:04:00.001+10:00

Sometimes it seems like it rains all the time. In fact, on Guam at this time of year it usually is raining. Usually the weather map looks like this: But lately the weather has looked like this: And here is an interesting picture of Guam right now: After a while, I find all of this rainy weather depressing. This rainy Monday morning as I was up at "o'dark thirty" (as one of my college friends used to say) walking around the pool (Don't be too impressed--it's the first time all semester I've gotten up to walk. Hopefully it will become a habit, though.) I started complaining about the fact that it was raining and Monday and still dark out. God started bringing some verses to mind that really helped my outlook on life: "Thy mercies are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness," "My strength is made perfect in weakness," "My grace is sufficient for thee," and "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." In an effort to renew my mind, I decided to do what one of my friends did last Monday and make a list of things I am thankful for: 1. I am thankful for God. He is my Strength, my Fortress, my Strong Tower, my Savior, my Deliverer, my Shepherd, my Father, my Sustainer, and my Life. The list could go on, but these are a few characteristics of God that I thought of this morning. Yesterday I sang "God's Power Within Us" as a special in the evening service. I needed to be reminded of those words today: "God's power is within us, now we can move our mountains. God's strength within us can calm the raging sea. And by God's Spirit we can overcome our sin. And by God's grace we'll run the race until it's won. Our God is worthy of honor, the power and the glory. Our God is worthy of all praise. Sing alleluia, alleluia. Give praise unto the Lord." 2. I am thankful that I teach at Harvest Christian Academy in Guam. This is an awesome ministry and I am privileged to be a part of it. God is at work here! I am thankful for the godly leadership of the pastoral staff and the school administration. I am thankful for the wonderful staff members who encourage me to trust God and not to lose focus as I seek to serve Him here. I am thankful for my students who bring joy and who, even on the worse days, are exceptional students. I am often amazed at the quality of their work. I love teaching here! 3. I am thankful for my roommates, Elizabeth and Kelly. We have a great time together whether we're hanging pictures in our apartment, watching a football game (Notre Dame--see the post below) or movie, or cooking supper together. I also love that fact that we often sit around and talk about what we are learning about in our devotions or about how God is working in our lives. My roommates are a great help and encouragement to me! 4. I am thankful that I am single. This may seem like a funny thing to be thankful for, but I am. (Sometimes I do have to remind myself to be thankful for this.) Odds are that I wouldn't have come to Guam or have had many of the opportunities I have had if I were married. I am glad for this time to serve the Lord here and in this capacity. The Lord is using this time in my life to teach me many valuable lessons and I am thankful for the oppportunity to rely on His strength and grace in this way. One of the things the Lord taught me during Spirit Week this year is that I often use other things (reading, watching movies, hanging out with friends) to ease the loneliness that I feel instead of turning to God. I committed to God that week that I didn't want to escape the process but instead allow God to use it to draw me closer to Him. I'm still learning how that works out in practical living, but I am realizing more and more how much I need God and how He can help me every day. 5. I am thankful for my family. The other evening my roommates and I were talking about family picture memories (we're going to hang pictures of our family in our living room) and I was overwhelmed with good, funny memories of my family. I love them and I miss them! My mom, dad, and youngest brother Zeke live in Vermont. Nate is a reporter in South Carolina and is planning on getting married next summer. Right now Ben is at Marine boot camp in Paris Island, SC. Ben is engaged to be married next summer to Rebecca. 6. I am thankful for my friends. Last week I heard from several friends who I hadn't heard from in a long time, and it really did my heart good to reestablish contact with them. I'm also thankful for email since I am so far away; email is really the best way for me to stay in touch with my friends on the mainland.

Go, Irish!

2006-10-02T10:02:00.000+10:00

Bet you didn't know I was a Notre Dame fan! Well, I've only recently become one. My roommate Kelly is from South Bend, Indiana, so she is a die-hard fan. I watched some of the games with her last year but have really gotten into them this year. I've really surprised myself at how much I enjoy the games and at how much I've learned about football this year. I think I yelled as loud--and possibly more--than she did last week when ND squeaked in a win against Michigan State. It was fun to see them have a solid win this week after so many tense games this season. I guess practicing first and second downs in practice last week really helped. I have always found sports commentators amusing and interesting. They always tell you the most random information in between plays. For instance, yesterday I learned that Ryan Harris has an Introduction to Jazz class on Friday afternoons. Thank you for telling me that. My life is now complete.

Bulletin board project

2006-09-30T18:56:00.000+10:00

Wow, I spent almost the entire evening putting my bulletin boards together! If I had known how long it would take, I probably would have done something easier. The first picture is of my Beowulf bulletin board. I actually put this one together last weekend before I started teaching the poem. In the center is a section of Beowulf in Old English. My students thought it was cool that I could read the OE (thank you, Dr. Martin!). The modern English translation is to the left. My students are working on their final projects for the poem--dramas based on the poem or a newspaper front page based on the work. I'm looking forward to seeing the final projects next week. The "Poetic Gems" board features poems the seniors turned in on Thursday. I am very impressed with their work. The last bulletin board displays some of the best essays from my Research and Writing class with my comments in the thought bubbles. I'm hoping that seeing some examples of good thesis statements and paragraphs filled with support for the topic sentences will inspire the other students to do the same in their papers. My room looks a lot more cheerful now with the blank spaces filled in with colorful displays of my students's work.

Hurrah for Graduate Students!

2006-09-30T18:50:00.000+10:00

A new Robert Frost poem was found by a graduate student, Robert Stilling, at University of Virginia. It sounds like his job cataloguing books and manuscripts is rather boring, but it had a big payoff in this case. I'm excited to read the poem when it is published next week.

Ah, the joys of being a second year teacher!

2006-09-30T15:20:00.000+10:00

Today I laminated bulletin board borders and letters--something I only dreamed of doing last year. I am so glad to be able to put forward a little more of a professional look. Last year I mostly put up student work on my bulletin boards, but this year I have been able to be a little more creative. Pictures of my most recent bulletin boards will be forthcoming.

Students on Center Stage

2006-09-21T11:01:00.000+10:00

During a recent "Professional Development Emphasis" teachers meeting, we discussed an article by Max Fischer titled "Learning to Cope With Larger Classes." Fischer encourages teachers not to resort to only lecturing when the class size is large but to modify group or whole class activities to accommodate the larger classes. The key to effective group activities is the teacher's preparation and instructions. The teacher needs to break down each part of the activity and clearly explain each step of the process (it will feel like over-simplification but the students need the structure). When the students understand what is expected of them, the results will amaze you. Last year my junior class had about 17-19 students (the enrollment changed several times during the year) and I felt very comfortable incorporating both large or small group activities. This year's class size is 25 in Research and Writing and 30 in junior English. I have shied away from some interactive activities because it was difficult to organize and manage that many students. Today, however, I had a successful group activity in my Research class. I am extremely pleased with the focus of the students and the learning that took place today. On Tuesday I asked each student to bring in two letters to the editor published in either a magazine or newspaper and three articles they were interested in responding to in their own letter to the editor. I split the class into groups pairing strong students with weak or ESL students. I gave the entire class instructions and then talked with the group leaders about how to help the ESL students in their groups. I was really proud of the leadership some of my students took. I observed them analyzing the articles, underlining topic sentences, explaining the definitions of terms, and summarizing the articles. At the end of the letter/article analysis, a spokesman summarized the organization and good/bad points of the article. One group leader had each person (including the brand-new ESL student) in her group explain one part of the evaluation. Another spokesman presented an articulate critique and summary. My faith in group work has been restored. With proper planning and guidance, the experience of working with classmates toward a clear objective is profitable and valuable.

Anonymous

2006-09-21T10:56:00.000+10:00

One of my students confessed today that she used to think "Anonymous" was a person's name. What is the difference between "Anonymous" and "Unknown"? I tried to explain to my senior British literature class that the author of Beowulf is unknown because we just don't know who wrote the poem but not anonymous because he wasn't trying to keep his identity hidden. Was I right? I was probably splitting hairs about the definition like I usually do.

ESL moment

2006-09-20T21:50:00.000+10:00

One of my ESL students left this charming comment on my chalkboard before I had a chance to write the day's writing prompt: "No school today . . . Go sleepy!" I still chuckle every time I think of it.

Icarus

2006-09-18T19:58:00.000+10:00

I decided to test my literary wings on my own blog. I just hope my wings don't melt and I plunge into the ocean, which really isn't too far from where I live. I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while, especially since I moved to the other side of the world. I hope this will help me stay connected with my friends Stateside and give me a place to share what I am learning here in Guam. My best friend wants to hear more about my experiences teaching in Guam, so I hope to accomodate her on this blog. I'm sure you caught the obvious allusion in my blog title and description--most of my friends should have no difficulty with that one--but I'd like to elaborate a little on the description. I am a teacher; I teach 11th and 12th grade English and Yearbook at Harvest Christian Academy in Barrigada, Guam. I would like to share with you some of the stories, experiences, and lessons I learn while teaching at this wonderful school. I love to teach, but I also love to learn. I frequently think about what correspondence course or degree I could work on next (my mom is probably cringing right now because she knows my track record with correspondence courses). I love to read! I always have a book on my nightstand and lately I've been staying up late to finish the good books I've found (Black Hawk Down, Papa's Wife, and My Antonia are the most recent to spend a few days on the nightstand). I am also attempting to be a student of God's Word. I'd like to use this space to share some of the lessons God is teaching me. And I am an "islander." I moved to Guam 14 months ago and I love it here! I enjoy the relaxed way of life (though life is NOT slow at Harvest) and the fantastic scenery. The island people are wonderful and I am learning more about the culture every week. I'll probably share with you some of the oddities and neat things about living in a melting pot of cultures like I do. There is no place like Guam; I say that with fondness--but with a touch of frustration at times! Well, I've got to get back to being a teacher and finish grading a stack of papers!