Monkeys and Chimps

Monkeys and Chimps are my favorite animals to see at the zoo and some of my favorite animals overall. They are entertaining and interesting to watch. And I find them cute. Awesome creatures!

Lindt Lindor Truffles

These are awesome chocolates. That smooth, melty center is incredible. I like the white chocolate ones, the dark chocolate, the peanut butter. Yeah, pretty much I like all the varieties.

Orange Mocha Latte

This has been my favorite drink to get at Starbucks lately. Espresso with chocolate and orange flavors. Chocolate and orange are just so good together. Very delicious!

Scrapbooking

I have always loved to take pictures, and scrapbooking is a really fun way of creating a book of memories. I have done a few scrapbooking type projects for friends, but my biggest project has been scrapbooking the trip to DisneyWorld that my mom and I took in 2006. I took over 500 pictures, and my mom took quite a few pictures too. And with Disney, there are so many special Disney papers, stickers, etc., it is really a lot of fun. I am almost done with my second scrapbook of that trip, and will probably do a couple more scrapbooks of that trip. I do not really consider myself a crafty, artsy person, but scrapbooking is a way I can be creative, and I really enjoy laying everything out and later looking back on completed pages.

Cheese

I love cheese--all kinds including American, Swiss, Cheddar, Muenster, Edam, Blue, Gorgonzola, etc. I like cheese by itself (or with crackers), and also like it on burgers, sandwiches and so on. One of my favorite cheeses now is Gjetost, a Norwegian cheese ("nuts, caramel, and a hint of sweet"). Good stuff. My grandma didn't like cheese, and I never understood that. How can you not like cheese??

Hebrews 13:5

5...be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.

It seems people are always promising something. Politicians make promises to us. Ads make promises to us that if we use this or that product, we will be a better person. We find out pretty quickly that these are often empty promises. We see too how people in our lives promise us things and don't always deliver. And we too promise things to ourselves and others that we don't carry through with. Sometimes it seems like a promise doesn't mean anything. But when it is our Lord who makes the promise, it is different; we know we can trust His promises. He always delivers! In the difficulties of life when we are looking for something to cling to, we only need look in Scripture to see the many promises God has made to us. I find this promise in Hebrews so comforting. God will never forsake His children! Though other people may forsake us or leave us, God never will. We can always hold on to that.

"O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright"

O Morning Star, how fair and bright!
You shine with God's own truth and light,
Aglow with grace and mercy!
Of Jacob's race, King David's son,
Our Lord and master, You have won
Our hearts to serve You only!
Lowly, holy,
Great and glorious, All victorious, Rich in blessing!
Rule and might o'er all possessing!

Come, heav'nly Bridegroom, Light divine,
And deep within our hearts now shine;
There light a flame undying!
In Your one body let us be
As living branches of a tree,
Your life our lives supplying.
Now, though daily
Earth's deep sadness May perplex us and distress us,
Yet with heav'nly joy You bless us.

Lord, when You look on us in love,
At once there falls from God above
A ray of purest pleasure.
Your Word and Spirit, flesh and blood
Refresh our souls with heav'nly food.
You are our dearest treasure!
Let Your mercy
Warm and cheer us! O draw near us! For You teach us
God's own love through You has reached us.

Almighty Father, in Your Son
You loved us when not yet begun
Was this old earth's foundation!
Your Son has ransomed us in love
To live in Him here and above:
This is Your great salvation.
Alleluia!
Christ the living, To us giving Life forever,
Keeps us Yours and fails us never!

O let the harps break forth in sound!
Our joy be all with music crowned,
Our voices gladly blending!
For Christ goes with us all the way--
Today, tomorrow, ev'ry day!
His love is never ending!
Sing out! Ring out!
Jubilation! Exultation! Tell the story!
Great is He, the King of Glory!

What joy to know, when life is past,
The Lord we love is first and last,
The end and the beginning!
He will one day, oh, glorious grace,
Transport us to that happy place
Beyond all tears and sinning!
Amen! Amen!
Come, Lord Jesus! Crown of gladness! We are yearning
For the day of Your returning!

Text and Tune: Philipp Nicolai

This hymn has been a comforting one to me for quite some time. And I was reminded again Sunday when we sang this how much comfort this hymn gives us. Last week I found out a friend and coworker of mine was diagnosed with cervical cancer. I have thought a lot about my friend, and this has weighed heavy on my heart as it has for the rest of the staff, and especially for her and her family. So singing verse 2 about how earth's deep sadness perplexes us and distresses us really hit home. But that verse ends with, "Yet with heav'nly joy You bless us." With Christ there is always hope; with Christ we always have something or I should rather say Someone to cling to in our sadness. Verse 5 has always been my favorite, especially the part that says, "For Christ goes with us all the way--Today, tomorrow, ev'ry day! His love is never ending!" That right there is everything we need. We live in a fallen world and see the effects of sin all over the place. Sometimes those effects really hit us especially hard and we experience much pain and sadness, but Christ is with us--ALL THE WAY, ALWAYS. That brings such joy and peace to my heart. His love is never ending; and we have so much to look forward to when we are transported to heaven, the happy place beyond all tears and sinning. That's what we cling to in this fallen world.

Drakkar

I love it when guys wear Drakkar. It is definitely my favorite cologne for a guy. I remember one time back when I was still going to Columbia and commuted by train, there was some guy on Michigan Ave. wearing this and I walked as close to him as I could without being stalker like so I could smell that awesome cologne. Don't worry, it isn't something I do often (sniff random guys).

Secret Window

This is a great psychological thriller based on a novella by Stephen King. It is very suspenseful leaving you to wonder what is really going on. Johnny Depp does an excellent job portraying the main character, Mort, a writer whose wife cheats on him and then wants to divorce him.

Twizzlers (Strawberry)

I despise black licorice, but absolutely love Twizzlers strawberry licorice. Twizzlers are so tasty and extremely addicting! This is probably my favorite non-chocolate candy.

Wicked

This is an awesome play that tells the story of the early years of the witches of Oz and the events that happened that led to how they ended up the way they did. I thought it was very creative and funny and touching in parts too. It really makes a point about people and things not always being what they seem, and how people can make judgments and jump to wrong conclusions based on only half truths (or in some cases on flat out lies). The music was really good. It makes me want to watch The Wizard of Oz again, and I don't think I'll view that movie in quite the same way. Really glad I got to see this after hearing a bunch of people rave about it!

The Two Natures in Christ "The Human Nature in Christ" (Holy Supper)--Martin Chemnitz

"Moreover, in His Holy Supper He joins Himself to us in that flesh, so that we may be strengthened by this most certain pledge of the salvation and glorification of our nature; for He does not blush to call us brothers. Therefore, because we are such, He also joins Himself to us in that flesh and blood (Heb. 2:14). Flesh brought death into this world and, again the flesh of the Son of Man was given for the life of the world in order that he who eats the flesh of Christ may have eternal life (John 6:54)."

Betty (1/2/08)

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

I think I'd say this is my favorite of the National Lampoon Vacation movies, and this is definitely one of my favorite Christmas movies. Once again Chevy Chase's character, Clark Griswald, is well meaning, but goes overboard as he hosts a fun old-fashioned family Christmas. From all the lights on the house that cause the electric meter to spin around rapidly, to uncouth Cousin Eddie and his family unexpectedly showing up, to the squirrel who gets in the house and freaks everyone out, to Cousin Eddie kidnapping Clark's boss and delivering him to Clark with a big bow, this movie has so many funny moments. I laugh every time I see it!

The Two Natures in Christ "The Human Nature in Christ"--Martin Chemnitz

"And it is the sweetest comfort that sin, which made its habitation in human flesh, was condemned in the same human flesh, in the person of Christ. Our body is the body of death, but in that same body of ours which the Son of God assumed from us, death was again destroyed. Although our sins have separated us very far from God (Is. 59:2), so that we have been alienated from the grace, righteousness, and life of God (Eph. 2:12), yet the Son of God has brought very close to us those heavenly blessings which had been removed far from us (Eph. 2:13-19), laying them before us through His incarnation in the flesh which is of the same substance with out own, so that of His fullness we have received grace for grace (John 1:16). This is the most comforting and salutary exchange, that the Son of God has received from us a human nature and sanctified and blessed and exalted and glorified it in his own person."