Why mind the fashion?

Ah! I found a wing-ding of a quote!

"Why mind the fashion? Wear a big hat and be comfortable!"

~Louisa May Alcott

No, this isn't me in the picture, but I did buy this hat ~ Ah! how I love big hats!

:D

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that’s best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o’er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express,

How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent!

by Lord Byron

A Program of Excellance

Remember applying for University? Each univserity stressed the credentials of their establishment and the excellence of their program. The pamphlets contained advertisements like the following: "A Institution of Higher Achievement", "Among the Top 10 in the Country", "In the top 200 of the 8,800 universities of the World", "Exceptance of the best."
If your experience was anything like mine, your heart beat excellerated and doubt clouded your mind. Would they accept me? Did I rate? Was I "good enough"? Doubts pervaded, then determination conquered. I will be accepted.

Truthfully, with an application under review, determination meant nothing, and so with baited breath your opened the letter: Accepted.

Acceptance. How we crave acceptance! We want to be accepted by people: Our co-workers, our peers, our family - and even by ourself. (Yes, we crave self acceptance, ridiculous as that sounds, why else do we tell ourselves how much better we are than others? Because we want the mirror to accept us? No, we want to feel good about ourselves.) We want to be accepted by establishments. Often we even want to be accepted by animals. Our desire to be accepted permients our lives. We do whatever it takes to be accepted.

However, acceptance is only the beginning, once accepted? Why, we want to excell! Oh, yes, to be better than everyone else. To be the best. Sadly, we choose whatever means necessary to become what we interpret to be the "Best". Whether we push and shove our way to the top, tell ourselves falicies of how our patheticnss is higher virtue, or tare others down.

(At this moment, I feel like borrowing the classic manner of addressing my audience, even though it hardly applys, being as I am female and am probably writing to female audience. Nevertheless, effect it is.)

"Gentlemen, we are pathetic."

Yes, indeed we are. Because we are not the best? Because we care to much?
No. Because we will stoop to the pits to achieve our verison of acceptance and excellence.

(Now, I see that the apostles version of addressing the audience is much, much more effective.)

Brethren,

Ah, how We are missing the mark.

Bulldozing our way to the top is wrong, it is contrary to the fruit of the Spirit: longsuffering, gentleness, meekness..

Self-deception is equally as wrong, this too is contrary to the fruit of the Spirit: joy, goodness, temperance (aka self-control)...

Taring each other apart, dragging others down to lift your self up, is contrary to the fruit of the Spirit: love, faith, peace...

We are comissioned to "walk in the Spirit" to be "lead of the Spirit" (Galations 5).
And, we are told the fruit that will be display when this is true, is the fruit of the Spirit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Against such no law can stand. No political law. No social law.

Contrary to "normal" fruit, the more you excersise the actions as are the fruit of the Spirit, the more you fruit you will have. (Eating more apples does not produce fruit.)

Acceptance? In God's eyes we are accepted. There is nothing we must or can do to be accepted. We are accepted - on the merit of His Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Excellence? The Program of Excellence in God's eyes is

"love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

How do you deal with Disappointment?

One Voice

I randomly found this article from Maclean's Magazine, thought it rather interesting. Here is just an excerpt. If you don't know who Mike Tompkins is, look him up on YouTube. It's amazing what the human vocal chords are capable of - a whole orchestra with just one person.

{In a World Wide Web full of bizarre celebrities, from the histrionic Chris “Leave Britney alone!” Crocker to the glassy-eyed Tay “Chocolate Rain” Zonday, one YouTube sensation stands out. His name is Mike Tompkins, and he’s… rather normal.

The London, Ont., vocalist and producer garners millions of hits for videos in which he cheerily recreates the multi-layered sounds of contemporary pop songs—using only his voice and mouth, and occasionally, a tambourine. In October, über-producer Timbaland (Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake) invited him to Miami, saying, “You’re doing something normal, but in a really cool way.”

Tompkins, 23, is clean-cut and well-mannered—over lunch at Duggan’s Brewery in Toronto, he even says grace before tucking into his burger. He’s the kind of guy his many teen-girl fans would like to take home to their parents, if he weren’t already married.

He and wife Kayla have been together since an onstage kiss in high school drama class. Now she’s his manager, publicist and stylist, rooting for superstardom despite the fact that his fans “don’t want to know I exist,” she says. “You want Mike to be that girl’s fantasy—but at the same time, I do exist."......

And while the artists’ original videos tend to be raunchy—Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream is one long heavy-petting session—Tompkins provides a G-rated alternative. Using split screens and special effects, he shows multiple versions of himself imitating everything from basses to synthesizers. Occasionally, he alters lyrics: in Perry’s song, for instance, “Let’s go all the way tonight” becomes “Let’s fall into each other’s arms.”

When he and Kayla have children one day, he doesn’t want them to hear their father singing about “hooking up with random girls. I’m trying to be different in a way that’s not manipulating the minds of our youth.”.......}

If you want to read the entire article, here is the link.

http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/12/06/he-sings-all-the-parts/#more-162272

Haven of Rest Quartet

I believe I am partial to the "oldies" and I love acapella.

I know I haven't been "posting" legitimate posts lately, but time is the key.

I really need to know how to pack more things into my time.

Anyways, enjoy.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus.

I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus,
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true.
I would tell you how He changed my life completely.
He did something no other friend could do.

Chorus:
No one ever cared for me like Jesus.
There's no other friend so kind as He.
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me.
O how much He cares for me.

All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me.
All my heart was full of misery and woe.
Jesus placed His strong and loving arms around me;
And He led me in the way I ought to go.

Chorus:
No one ever cared for me like Jesus.
There's no other friend so kind as He.
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me.
O how much He cares for me.

Ev'ry day He comes to me with new assurance.
More and more I understand His words of love.
But I'll never know just why He came to love me,
Till someday I see His blessed face above.

Chorus:
No one ever cared for me like Jesus.
There's no other friend so kind as He.
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me.
O how much He cares for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0iF-H5qVkU

Oh, where would we be without our Saviour!