| dead of winter |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|07:11 pm] |
Winter solstice - the shortest day of the year - and all afternoon it has been snowing heavily again here in the Chiltern Hills.
It is the dead of winter.
Outside I see the snow falling in the darkness.
Unless a grain of wheat goes down into the ground, it cannot bear its harvest.
Unless we die, unless we are buried in God, we cannot live in God.
Deep winter night in the Chiltern Hills.
My little church just before dawn
Peace to you all in Jesus Christ |
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| 12/21/09 Homepage Spotlight |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|09:38 am] |
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) i_hope_that
For many of us, the holidays can be kind of rough. If you're searching for a network of understanding friends, this ultra-nurturing community encourages you to express your heartfelt wishes and offer other members encouragement and acceptance. Not for the terminally snarky or emotionally-challenged, this is a good-spirited place to lend comfort and support. |
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| 12/21/09 Homepage Spotlight |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|09:37 am] |
diygifts
Feeling crafty? If you've got a few last folks on your holiday gift list, this is a great place to seed your creativity and generosity. You'll also discover wonderful DIY tips to decorate your home and entertain guests. Offering a no-frills-no-skills attitude that welcomes the cash-challenged and arts-phobic, you're sure to get ideas and make friends in the process. |
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| 12/21/09 Homepage Spotlight |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|09:36 am] |
cooking_club
A fun and friendly community dedicated to those who love to cook, whether you're a meat-and-potatoes type, an aspiring gourmand, and/or a vegan. In search of a brilliant dish to use up those weekly leftovers? Post your ingredients and you'll be whipping up a feast by dinner. You can also share favorite recipes. For Type A chefs, you can spice up your culinary repertoire with exciting cooking challenges. |
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| World’s Largest Christmas Shop |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|02:16 pm] |
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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GoogleSightseeing/~3/toQ9iVhMFSc/ http://googlesightseeing.com/?p=10610 To get us in the holiday spirit, let’s pay a visit to the world’s largest Christmas shop – Bronner’s in Frankenmuth, Michigan. 
Officially named Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland (including the emphasis on “Christ”), the statistics are mind-boggling: - The building is 29,700 square metres
- Parking for over 1,000 cars
- More than 2 million visitors each year1
- Annual sales of 50,000 different products, including more than half a million glass ornaments, 161 km of garlands, and 850 km of lights!2
After opening his first store in downtown Frankenmuth in 1954, Wally Bronner saw business grow to the point where – in the 1970s – he had to hire bouncers to control the crowds. A larger facility was constructed to the south of the city in 1977 and given the address 25 Christmas Lane. Street View shows us that the huge grounds (or at least the parts that aren’t given over to parking) are stuffed full of seasonal decorations.  
While Bing Bird’s Eye View captures Santa Claus red-handed, during one of his many seasonal housebreaking attempts. 
There’s also an elaborate display of angels, who are depicted celebrating the birth of Christ (see closeup on Panoramio). While this may seem a little odd in the midst of such extreme commercialism, it does demonstrate Mr. Bronner’s original intent, which he claimed was to show his faith through the creation of a business dedicated to the celebration of Christmas. 
This religious aspect of the business is also evident in the Silent Night Chapel on the edge of the property, which is a replica of the Silent Night Memorial Chapel in Oberndorf, Austria.  
The Silent Night hymn has been transcribed onto multiple plaques here in over 300 languages, which are displayed on the walkway towards the Chapel, and inside the story of Christ’s birth has been translated into 30 languages. Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland on Wikipedia. Locations: Michigan / Categories: Buildings, Monuments, Street Views, Theme Parks, Weirdness View in Google Earth
You're reading an entry from Google Sightseeing, which is copyright © 2009 Alex Turnbull & James Turnbull and must not be reproduced without permission.
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 20th, 2009|11:22 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  confused | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | My List-The Killers | ] |
Hey all! I have a question to all you history buffs out there.
I was recently watching some tv show about the Knights Templar, and they mentioned something I had never heard of before. Apparently some of the knights stopped worshiping Christ and started to revere John the Baptist, because they thought that Jesus was a disciple of John the Baptist and that he was a false prophet. The historian on the show who said this claimed that the whole, "Jesus was a disciple of John the Baptist," theory was popular and had evidence behind it. Apparently this made the Knights Templar think that Jesus was some renegade false prophet of John the Baptist or something.
I've never heard of this theory before, but even if Jesus was a follower of John the Baptist, how does that in any way make Him a false prophet? I don't get it. John the Baptist himself (according to the Bible) said that Jesus was the Christ. So how does that make Him a false prophet?
Anyone ever hear of this theory before? What are your thoughts?
Thanks in advance, God bless you all in Christ! |
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| A simple Collect prayer to finish off this Advent season.. |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|02:18 am] |
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In church yesterday, we recited the following prayer, and were encouraged to recite it every day until Christmas:
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. |
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| yyys tickets? |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|10:18 pm] |
Has anyone got tickets for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs gig on January 8 they're willing to sell? I'd be very interested in buying them. Since comment notifications don't seem to be working for me, I'd prefer to be contacted via PM instead. Thanks! |
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| LJ Coupons! |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|11:31 am] |
Voting for therealljidol is up! If you liked my post on "Reprobate", please spare me a vote here :)
I have 10 $10 coupons from LiveJournal. If you have a free or a plus account, you can upgrade for $9.95 (instead of $19.95) for one year by enrolling in our automatic payment plan or make a manual payment of $15 (instead of $25). If you'd like a coupon, leave me a comment :)
Only 1.5 days left of work before the Christmas vacation. Then I'm off until January 4th! I can't WAIT :) And for once Lars has a proper Christmas break as well - he's off from the 23rd to the 27th! I'm definitely not complaining :) |
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| Carpet cleaner? |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|04:38 pm] |
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Does anyone know where you can find those DIY carpet cleaners for hire? They used to have them at Woolworths, Coles, etc. but I haven't seen them lately. Anywhere in Sydney is fine, as long as it isn't way out West - but preferably North/CBD/Inner-West/South-West. |
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| Fun! |
[Dec. 20th, 2009|09:00 pm] |
We now have a webcam :D I tested it with ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) tiwonge and all systems are go. Unfortunately, my parents were not quite as technologically adept. So, we'll bring it home for Christmas and try again. But in the meantime- yay! webcam! Carl and I have finally joined 1999 the 21st century ;) |
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| Advent Bell |
[Dec. 21st, 2009|11:51 am] |
I just got this in an email... It's kinda cheesy I guess, but I liked it anyway. I thought some people here might enjoy it.
THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3 :20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph.. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13 )
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
We belong to God!
It's the Gospel!
Keep this bell ringing...pass it on
'The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
The LORD turn His face toward you
And give you peace...
Numbers 6:24-26
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| Room available in sharehouse, $170.00 p/w |
[Dec. 20th, 2009|11:07 pm] |
We have a spare bedroom in our 3 B/R share-house.
Close to UTS/Broadway, Transport, Shopping.
It is a very large room (prefer Singles), partly furnished.
Good for student or creative types.
We have a cat also, who is very friendly and affectionate.
Share cleaning, cooking, responsibilities.
$170.00 p/w includes electricity.
x-posted. |
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| Quoting God |
[Dec. 20th, 2009|02:52 pm] |
{Quote}
. . .
But when we don't have a good excuse, the first thing Jesus asks when we walk into His house of prayer late is: "Why are you late? I was waiting for you at the appointed time."
. . .
{endQuote}
I'm not very good at promptness, I admit, but the above line taken from a church email shocked me into questioning some things. Not about promptness, but about when is it appropriate to put words into Christ's mouth.
1. Is the demand for promptness (arriving on schedule) a Christian ideal?
2. Is putting Christ's name on a quote OK? If He said something similar? |
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| The star of Bethlehem in the Antarctic Ice? |
[Dec. 19th, 2009|10:16 pm] |
People have often speculated about what year Jesus was born. If the star of Bethlehem was - as some have proposed - a supernova, then scientists working in Antarctica may be able to pin the date down.
It turns out that supernova displays leave nitrate traces in the layer of ice for a particular year. See this New Scientist article for details!
The main star of Bethlehem will always be Jesus (not forgetting his mother who bore him). But I wonder if nitrate traces will be found for the year zero? |
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| Non-fiction Meme |
[Dec. 19th, 2009|09:37 pm] |
Taken from book_memes. It was so interesting I wanted to post it here as well to get you guys to take it too! ;) Besides, I'm always looking for new non-fiction recommendations!
1) Are you currently reading any non-fiction? What is it?
Be Angry But Don't Blow It by Lisa Bevere and Do You Think I'm Beautiful? by Angela Thomas. Both Christian non-fiction.
2) List your preferred non-fiction genres, the ones you'll buy more than a couple of books on:
Christian non-fiction, memoirs.
3) Of those, what do you have the most of on your shelves?
I think it's just about 50-50.
4) What non-fiction book have you surprised yourself with by enjoying (i.e. something not in your usual field of interest)?
Kitchen Confidentials by Anthony Bourdain. Unlike any non-fiction I'd ever read before, but I loved it.
5) Do you prefer Biography or Autobiography?
I have problems with both. When reading biographies I keep wondering, "How does the author know that for sure?!" and with autobiographies I keep wondering, "But how do I know the author is being honest here?". At the end of the day I think I prefer autobiographies though.
6) Favourite celebrity/sports (auto)biography? Favourite author (auto)biography?
Celebrity: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
Author: The Selected Journals of Lucy Maud Montgomery
7) Is there an (auto)biography of someone you'd like to read, that hasn't been written yet?
Not that I can think of.
8) Do you read essays? Who are your favourite writers?
Not generally. I've read a couple, but not enough to have any favourite writers.
9) Do you read war memoirs? What about straightforward war history? Any other area of history?
Occasionally. I used to read a LOT of WW2 non-fiction - history and memoirs both - but got over-saturated, so haven't read any for years. I haven't read plain history in years - found it too dry.
10) Cookbooks or gardening books?
DEFINITELY cookbooks! Gardening books bore me.
11) Do you have craft books of any kind?
Several books of embroidery patterns and paper cut-outs/decorations.
12) Do you go in for coffee table books?
I'd never buy a book just because it'd look good on a coffee table, but I have bought books that would fall into that category, simply because I wanted them anyway. Untamed by Steve Bloom would be one example of such a book.
13) What's the most random, bizarre, non-fiction book that you own?
I don't think I have any that'd fall into that category. I have two non-fiction books written by my dad, if that counts? ;-)
14) Do you read true crime? What's the last one you read?
Occasionally. Unfortunately the last one (Deadly Angel by Fred Rosen) was terrible! Horrible writing and just completely uninteresting.
15) Recommend a book on a non-fiction subject that is readable and interesting, even supposing no initial interest in the people you are recommending it to.
In His Sight by Kate Brennan. It's probably the best true crime book I've read. A definite page-turner. |
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| mankind |
[Dec. 19th, 2009|07:29 pm] |
Do you still feel like complete members of mankind as a christian?
I ask because in the past I have found myself in a conflict there. I grew up and spent my youth as a pretty devout humanist ... what for a christian is God, for me was mankind. Later on I got to know about God and had pretty deep personal proofs of His existence to me, but still I struggled with God a lot about things like hell and punishment. I've found it incredibly hard to accept christian doctrine there. And now after becoming a baptized christian, I still struggle with it.
Do you have thoughts or ideas that may help with the thought that not all of humanity will be saved in the end?
Today I kind of gave up. I remembered Jesus' words that He had chosen His disciples out of the world, so that they would belong to Him and to His Father, and not to the world anymore.
I just can't "serve" both God and mankind. It's conflicting too much and distorts my search for truth. |
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| The Living Nativity |
[Dec. 19th, 2009|09:03 am] |
A light-hearted video to lighten the mood :-) Perhaps some of you have seen this, perhaps not...
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| Christmas Devotions |
[Dec. 19th, 2009|07:25 am] |
* * * Holding the newborn baby in his arms, Simeon spoke words from God: Mary's life would be filled with both joy and sorrow. Her baby would be at the center of controversy. Her Son would be the revealer of hearts – even her own. She would have to learn to step back, be silent, and continue to ponder things in her heart. Shepherds could praise Him, Pharisees would curse Him and children would adore Him – but Mary could only quietly pray for Him. He was her son, but he was also her Savior. God's plan would proceed as she stood by and watched. * * * Lord, I know You have a plan for each of our children. Mary had some very human sons and daughters in addition to her perfect Son, Jesus. Would they ever accept Him as Messiah? No doubt, Mary prayed that her other children would accept Him as their personal Savior. It wasn't until after the resurrection that they truly believed – but in God's perfect time – Mary's prayers were answered. * * * And Joseph and His (Jesus’) mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Luke 2:33 NKJV
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| Rough day |
[Dec. 18th, 2009|11:15 pm] |
Work was less than stellar today- made worse by the fact that CJ got up at 3:45, and Carl got paged at 5:45, and I had to get up early to take the 7:20 bus, so... I vote for blah.
This photo made me smile today. It was enough to make me go looking through the photos for Samantha Power, Obama's advisor who I really admire. I only found one photo of her in the stream, but I did find this article that she wrote, about the man who formed International Justice Mission, a Christian organization devoted to offering legal services to the poor in developing countries. It was an excellent read- a tearjerker at times, but it was also very encouraging.
Carl took me to an Italian restaurant tonight with a friend of his. One of the tables near us was a couple of men with their 3 or 4 year old daughters. They came by after they were finished with their meal to coo over CJ- it was very sweet, and Catelyn was all grins. Incidentally, I think it's the first time I've ever knowingly met a gay couple with children. I know a fair number of gay guys (not so many lesbians, though, which seems odd- I knew some in high school, but less out here- and one of the ones from high school has a partner with children now, but I haven't seen her since high school, so...).
Anyway, the girls were really sweet with CJ, though I was a little thrown off when the guys were quizzing the girls- "How does the baby eat?" I thought they were asking me, and I was like "Huh... awkward." Then they asked if she ate with silverware or a bottle, and internally I was like "Oh, thank goodness I don't have to explain breastfeeding to a couple of girls with two dads." (This is all predicated on the fact that a coworker gets noticeably uncomfortable when I mention pumping/nursing, etc., which may just be because he's a dude, you know, but it has morphed my ability to talk about nursing with gay guys...). The oldest one totally wanted to snuggle with CJ, too. I just love how little kids interact with each other- it was soooo sweet :)
Which reminds me that yesterday at Bible Study one of the girls called me the baby wrangler, as I was helping her one-year-old up to the couch while holding CJ. I eventually had to lay CJ down because little Clover wanted some attention... which was super-sweet. Her comment reminded me of how much I enjoyed being around kids when I was working as a camp counselor/sub/nursery volunteer/etc. I've shied away from working with kids out here, mostly because of the infertility situation... but maybe I should look into some sort of volunteer activity again. I'm just bummed that I can't volunteer at a Crisis Nursery-like place. Plus, it'd be hard to do a lot of that stuff with my own kid in tow, too.
Speaking of... I was very impressed to see our Bible Study get to a level of honesty that I haven't seen in many of my other small groups. I wouldn't say we're as emotionally close as some of the previous small groups I've been in (there was one, post-college, that set the bar pretty high), but even in that small group I wouldn't have been comfortable discussing some of the things we discussed last night. Some of that is cultural, too, though- in some cases, Northwesterners are a little more laid-back about certain things than Midwesterners (maybe in a lot of cases). Well, perhaps I should say Northwestern Christians- because some of my non-Christian friends were just as mellow and easy to talk to about some topics. Just not so much with my church people (always exceptions, though- there are a few women from my old church that I could easily have spilled my guts to...).
Last but not least, I'm curious- I'll probably poll Facebook too. For those of you who aren't in the Seattle area, how many of you have heard of BSF? (And I don't mean the railroad!) It came up in conversation and many people out here seem to be very familiar with it (some of my LJ/irl friends have been involved with it)- I'd never heard of it in Illinois. But I'm wondering if that's just because my hometown didn't have an active program or whether it really is as regional as I think it may be. Let me know! |
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