Librarian in Disguise

Merry Christmas!

Dinner is almost ready so this will have to be quick. Just wanted to wish all you folks in Blogland a Merry Christmas. We will have our special dinner today because Daddy has to preach 2 sermons at the base tomorrow and Mom is playing the piano in Columbus at my church. So things will be a little busy tomorrow. Supposedly we will try and unwrap gifts tonight after the 10 pm service...but I'm not sure that will happen. I'll keep you posted1

OSU v. LSU

Just got back from the OSU/LSU women's basketball matchup. The game was disappointing to say the least. OSU lost 48-64. Oh well. It was still a fun outting. A woman from my small group has season tickets and invited me along. So for a free night out I have to say I still enjoyed myself.

My next free event...a Steven Curtis Chapman concert. Details to come. ;)

storing photos...any suggestions

So I'm torn. I'm not sure how I should store my photographs anymore. I've recently acquired this flickr account, which is good for on line storage and to share my photos. And well up until a few weeks ago I stored all my photos in Picasa, which I loved. Then I started using i-photo. And well with Picasa I could do neat things like create collages instantly. And here's the thing I'm not that computer savy. Although I should be. Anyhow, I love these little collages, I think they are fun and i-photo doesn't do nifty little things like this. So if you have an opinion on such a thing please speak up.



p.s. this collage is a mixture of photos from the last 3 semesters at the school where I serve.

Merry Christmas!

So here is yet another photo of my Christmas Tree in my little Residence Hall apartment. I usually have it on a little table, but I decided for the photo it looked better on the floor. It has been up in my apartment for over a month now. I must confess I put it up on November 18th. But I'm not really in my apartment after this week. So I felt justified having it up almost 6 weeks before Christmas. Although I don't really suppose I have to justify when I put my tree up. Oh well. Enjoy!

Lo, How a Rose e'er Blooming

Last night at Church my mom did the offertory music along with a little Carol History. It was very nice. Then she taught it to us. Then at the end of the service when we had a 2nd offering for some mom's in our community we sung all 4 english verses. It was quite lovely! I like it when my mom plays the piano at church. p.s. this song was originally written in German.

1. Lo, how a rose e'er blooming,
From tender stem hath sprung!
From 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

2. 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 us a Savior
When half spent was the night

3. 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 they found him,
As angels heralds said.

4. 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.

and the very long original German Version

1. Es ist ein Ros entsprungen,
Aus einer Wurzel zart,
Wie uns die Alten sungen,
Von Jesse kam die Art,

Und hat ein Blümlein bracht
Mitten im kalten Winter
Wohl zu der halben Nacht.

2. Das Reislein, das ich meine,
So uns das Blumlein bringt,
Maria ists, die Reine,
Von der Jesaias singt;

Nach Gottes ewgem Rath
Hat sie ein Kind geboren
Und bleibt doch reine Magd.

3. Das schreib uns ohne Mangel
Lucas mit truer Hand,
Wie Gabriel der Engel
Vom Himmel ward gesandt

Zu einer Jungfrau rein,
Die Gott sich auserwahlte,
Sie sollt ihm Mutter sein.

4. Der Engel unverdrossen
Fuhr in der Juden Land
Gen Nazareth; verschlossen
Marien er da fand

In inrem Kammerlein.
Er sprach sie an so freundlich:
'Gegrusst sei, Jungfrau rein,

5. 'Du bist vol aller Gnaden,
der Herr will mit dir sein,
Hoch uber aller Frauen
Will er dich benedein.'

Die edle Jungfrau zart,
Von dieses Engels Grussen
Wie sie erschrocken ward!

6. 'Du sollst dich nicht entsetzen,'
Sprach er, 'o Jungfrau schon!
Mein Wort lass dich ergetzen,
Ich komm aus Himmels Thron,

Bring frohe Botschaft dir.
Due hast bei Gott Genade
Gefunden, glaube mir.'

7. 'Ein Kindlein wirst du tragen
In deinem keuschen Leib,
Davon die Schriften sagen,
Du uberselig Weib!

Sein Nam ist Jesus Christ:
Der Herr will ihm verleihen
Seinnes Vaters David Sitz.'

8. Da sprach die Jungfrau reine
Gar zuchtig mit Verstand:
'Wie soll mir das geschehen,
Die keinen Mann erkannt?'

Der Engel sprach zu ihr:
'Diess Wunder wird verschaffen
Der heilge Geist an dir.

9. 'Es wird dich uberschatten
Des Allerhochsten Kraft
Und unverletzt bewahren
Deine reine Jungfrauschaft,

Denn dieses Kindlein schon,
Das von dir wird geboren,
Ist Gottes ewger Sohn.'

10. Da sprach mit Freud und Wonne
Die edle Jungfrau rein,m
Als sie vernahm, sie solle
Des Herren Mutter sein,

Gar willig, unverzagt:
'Ich bin des Herren Dienerin,
Mir gescheh wie du gesagt.'

11. Aus heilgen Geistes Kraften
Maria bald empfieng
Den ewgen Himmelsfursten:
Schau an das Wunderding!

Neun Mond er bei ihr war;
Sie wurde Gottes Mutter,
Blieb Jungfrau immerdar.

12. Wohn zu denselben Zeiten
Der starke Furst und Held
Augustus, Romscher Kaiser,
Beschrieb die ganze Welt,

Den Zins von Allem nahm,
Da Joseph mit Maria
Auch hin gen Bethlem kam.

13. Herbergen waren theuer,
Sich fand kein Aufenhalt
Als eine alte Scheuer;
Da war die Luft gar Kalt.

Wohl in derselben Nacht
Marie gebar den Fursten,
Der Frieden hat gebracht.

14. Lob, Ehr sei Gott dem Vater,
Dem Sohn und heilgen Geist;
Maria, Gottes Mutter,
Auch deine Hulfe leist

Under bitt dein Kindelein,
Das Gott durch seine Gute
Und gnadig will verzeihn.

15. Wir bitten dich von Herzen,
Du edle Konigin,
Bei deines Sohnes Schmerzen,
Wenn wir einst fahren hin

Aus diesem Jammerthal;
Du wollest uns geleiten
bis in der Engel Saal.

16. So singen wir all' 'Amen!'
Das heisst: 'Nun werd' es wahr,
Dass wir begehrn allsammen:'
O Jesu, hilf uns dar

In deines Vaters Reich!
Darin wolln wir dich loben:
O Gott, uns das vewrleih!

far away

This little guy melts my heart. I love being his aunt. It's days like today when I wish he didn't live 500 miles away. Maybe someday I'll be able to live near by. I'll just have to wait and see. For now the daily fuller fix will have to do.

I just finished making a Fuller mobile. My sister gave the mobile to me for my birthday in June. I finally have gotten around to printing out fun and cute pictures of my nephew. Now I just have to figure out where to hang it. I think it might go in my apartment "office space."

A Good Time

Apples to apples is a fantastic game. if you have any gamers in your life and they don't have this. you've found your Christmas gift.

come ye disconsolate

So I just posted the words to a Hymn that is on the new Indelible Grace CD. I wanted to also comment that my favorite line in the Hymn is, "Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal."

What an incredible truth to be reminded of. It is so easy to forget that, especially when life is hard and pain is present. I am thankful to know that we can wait in hopeful expectation for a restored creation!

Beams of Heaven

The following hymn is from the new Indelible Grace IV album Beams of Heaven. It is a tasty treat.

"Come Ye Disconsolate"

Come, ye disconsolate, where;er ye languish
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish
Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal

Joy of the desolate, light of the straying
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying
"Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot cure"

Here see the bread of life, see waters flowing
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above
Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing
Earth has no sorrow but heaven can remove

written Thomas More

awake

it's 12:55am and I am still awake. I hate it when I can't sleep. I always feel like there is some sort of reason I can't sleep. Even when I know it's probably because I took a nap too late in the day and I had coffee with my dinner. So here I sit in my little Residence Hall Apartment in Columbus and sit awake. I tried reading a book, some times that makes me sleepy. I even laid in bed for close to 45 minutes. What's a girl to do when all she wants to do is sleep? Thankfully tomorrow is a late start day for me, regardless I'd rather be sleeping.

i read on someone's blog today that they were going to write a book about being single. I found this to rather ironic because I had the same thoughts yesterday afternoon. I decided while walking around the Northmarket Christmas fair that I was going to write a book about how the church can love & serve the single folk in their congregations. In reality I thought it would be a good two part book. First it would be about the topic mentioned and then secondly it would be about how the single person can love & serve their community. It's often pretty easy for me to have a pity party about my singleness, when it reality I ought to mindful that my singleness is a calling and a gift. It affords me unique opportunities to serve the Church. I haven't actually thought much about what would be contained in the pages of such a book. Who knows if such a book will ever be written by me, there probably is already a book about the very topic. But I've been thinking a lot about writing and what it would like to be a writer. Not just a blogger, but a person who writes things that end up with book deals.

I wonder what it felt like when Donald Miller, author of the newly famed book, Blue Like Jazz, got his first book deal. I recently read in another of his books that his first book sold very few copies and eventually went out of print. However when he 2nd book became a best seller he republished his 1st book after revising and renaming and sees to be selling okay. I just finished the 1st book...Painted Deserts and was captivated by it. I actually felt saddness when the book was finished. I wanted his stories to continue. Now I'm onto book #3 and so far I'm having a hard time getting into it. Perhaps my expectations are too high and I need to just let it be what it is. We shall see.

I'll let you know when I finish. Maybe I'll write a mini review when the times comes.

in a boat

Here I am the day after Thanksgiving. No Christmas shopping for me. This was a fantastic alternative!

Notice the j on my shirt. that's the offical jubilee tee-shirt for the CCOs annual Jubilee conference. You can check it out at www.j2006.com.

Tomorrow begins the last week of classes here at ODU. Then finals week and then the long awaited Christmas Break. I am eager for a change of pace. I'll spend the week before Christmas here in Columbus and with my folks in Dayton. The day after Christmas I'll head to Biloxi, MS for 8 days to do some Hurricane relief with the PCA/MNA relief project. I am really looking forward to the work. Every since tragedy struck down in the Gulf, I have had a very strong desire to go and do something. I am thankful that I am at a place in my life where I am able to do that. I really have no idea what I'll be doing but I am hopeful that it will be a good experience.

Scurvy Friends

Friends don't let friends get scurvy.

Check out this clever website.
www.mrpickles.com

I met the creator of this site at an arts fair today.

Enjoy.

fun in flordia

time sure does fly. it's hard to believe that this time last week i was cruising down a florida river in a row boat and basking in the warm fall sun, reading a book and enjoying a long weekend. now i'm back in columbus and it's cold. oh well, at least i live in a state with seasons.

it was fun to be with the family and make some fun memories. it was even more fun to play with fuller. he's such a cool kid. i can't imagine how cool he'll be when he's older. i can't wait!