Genesis 3:15

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

I love this verse because here, all the way back in Genesis, we have the promise of a Savior. The devil would tempt Jesus and mess with him, and Jesus would suffer, but Jesus would be victorious over Satan, crushing His head. Christ lived a perfect life and did not give in to temptation. Through Christ's death on the cross, He conquered the devil and the power of sin and death. And we know through faith in Christ, we too are victorious!

"Waiting on the World to Change" John Mayer

Waiting On The World To ...
By John Mayer
Best Video Codes

I wasn't originally that impressed with this song. I don't think I ever disliked it, but it was just okay to me. But in the last couple months I heard it in different places again, and I guess it really grew on me, because I just love it now. I think musically it's a lot of fun. And it has an interesting message--discontent with the way things are in the world with a little bit of hope for the future. I think it captures where a lot of people of this generation are at as they look at the world and all the stuff going on.

Mayer won the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for this song at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.

To hear the version on his album Continuum go here.
For the acoustic version on The Village Sessions which is very cool and features Ben Harper, go here.

The Art Institute of Chicago--Chicago, Illinois

I have been to several art museums in different cities, but the Art Institute of Chicago is my favorite. I love that there are so many paintings of Christ and paintings with Christian themes. My favorite is The Crucifixion by Francisco de Zurbaran (there is a post about this in my Art posts).

There are paintings by Monet, Manet, and Picasso. And there are other well known paintings like Georges Seurat's A Sunday on la Grande Jatte or Gustave Caillebotte's Paris Street; Rainy Day. I also really enjoy the Thorne Miniature Rooms. These 68 rooms give glimpses of European interiors from the 13th century to the 1930s and American furnishings from the 17th century to the 1930s. It's very cool.

There is so much to see at the Art Institute; one can easily spend a lot of time there looking at all the magnificent artwork. Visit the website of the Art Institute here to see some of the art.

"By Kindly Powers Surrounded" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

1. By kindly powers surrounded, peaceful and true,

wonderfully protected with consolation dear,

safely, I dwell with you this whole day through,

and surely into another year.

2. Though from the old our hearts are still in pain,

while evil days oppress with burdens still,

Lord, give to our frightened souls again,

salvation and thy promises fulfill.

3. And shouldst thou offer us the bitter cup, resembling

sorrow, filled to the brim and overflowing,

we will receive it thankfully, without trembling,

from thy hand, so good and ever-loving.

4. But if it be thy will again to give

joy of this world and bright sunshine,

then in our minds we will past times relive

and all our days be wholly thine.

5. Let candles burn, both warm and bright,

which to our darkness thou has brought,

and, if that can be, bring us together in the light,

thy light shines in the night unsought.

6. When we are wrapped in silence most profound,

may we hear that song most fully raised

from all the unseen world that lies around

and thou art by all thy children praised.

7. By kindly powers protected wonderfully,

confident, we wait for come what may.

Night and morning, God is by us, faithfully

and surely at each new born day.

Bonhoeffer wrote this poem while he was in prison. I love how he is able to speak of God being good and ever-loving as he endured harsh conditions and didn't know what was going to happen to him. God gave him faith that endured through a lot of difficult times. The "cup" brings to mind Jesus' Gethsemane prayer. And Bonhoeffer expresses thanksgiving for the "kindly powers" that have surrounded him in his life--family, friends, colleagues, the woman he loved, etc.

The Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Articles VII and VIII The Church (paragraph 9)--Philip Melanchthon

"We see the infinite dangers that threaten the destruction of the Church. In the Church itself, the number of the wicked who oppress it is too high to count. Therefore, this article in the Creed shows us these consolations in order that we may not despair, but may know that the Church will remain (until the end of the world). No matter how great the multitude of the wicked is, we may know that the Church still exists and Christ provides those gifts He has promised to the Church--to forgive sins, to hear prayer, to give the Holy Spirit."

Lasagna

Lasagna is my favorite pasta dish. And the cheesier, the better! I will often order this when I'm at an Italian restaurant, but I have a really good recipe for it that my mom and I make that is my fav.

Navy Pier--Chicago, Illinois

This is a 3300 foot pier on the Chicago shoreline of Lake Michigan. I always enjoy going there, as the atmosphere is very festive. There are various restaurants and unique shops. There are attractions like the Ferris Wheel (with a great view) and the Carousel. There's the Museum of Stained Glass Windows and the Children's Museum. And there are various musical and theatrical performances held there. Of course there are boat rides available too. There is plenty to do and it is fun to just walk around at Navy Pier.
http://www.navypier.com/home.html

"Have a Little Faith in Me" John Hiatt

When the road gets dark
And you can no longer see
Just let my love throw a spark
And have a little faith in me
And when the tears you cry
Are all you can believe
Just give these loving arms a try, baby
And have a little faith in me

Chorus: Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me

When your secret heart
Cannot speak so easily
Come here darlin'
From a whisper start
To have a little faith in me
And when your back's against the wall
Just turn around and you will see
I'll be there, I'll be there to catch your fall,
So have a little faith in me

Chorus

Cause I've been loving you for such a long time, baby
Expecting nothing in return
Just for you to have a little faith in me
You see time, time is our friend
Cause for us there is no end
All you gotta do is have a little faith in me
I will hold you up, I'm gonna hold you up
Because your love gives me strength enough
So have a little faith in me

This is a great "there for you" song. I love the words and music (the piano is great). John Hiatt is awesome. Others have covered this song, but I like Hiatt singing it the best. I consider this a great "theme song" for the novel I'm writing.

Listen and download here

The Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article V Love and Fulfilling the Law (paragraphs 209-210)--Philip Melanchthon

"...all confidence is empty, except confidence in mercy. Mercy delivers us; our own merits, our own efforts, do not. So Daniel also prays:

For we do not present our pleas before You because of our righteousness, but because of Your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for Your own sake, O my God, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name. (Daniel 9:18-19).

So Daniel teaches us in praying to seize mercy, that is, to trust in God's mercy and not to trust in our own merits before God."

Walking

Walking is one of my favorite forms of exercise. It's nice to walk with someone else, but I really enjoy walking alone too. I love listening to music (on my iPod) as I walk. And as I walk I think about stuff. Lots of times I play out scenes for something I'm writing. Or since I analyze myself, others, and various situations to death, walking time provides ample opportunity for this. Another great thing to do while walking is pray.

Matthew 6:25-34

Do Not Worry
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

It's our human nature to worry. And when we're worrying, it's pretty much about something out of our control. Jesus reminds us in this passage that if God cares for the birds and lilies the way He does, He will certainly take care of us, His dear children. We are valuable to Him, and He is always watching over us; He knows exactly what we need and does what's best for us. V. 34 gives us good words to live by!

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

I finally got to read this book that I had seen in so many stores up in Chicago and had heard so much about. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. The book tells the story of the World's Columbian Exposition (World's Fair) held in Chicago in 1893. It interweaves the stories of two men--Daniel Burnham, the chief architect of the fair, and H. H. Holmes a serial killer who had a hotel near the fair where he committed many of his murders.

Since I am from the Chicago area, I really loved this book because it gave some history of Chicago, and showed how the city was really proving something to the world by pulling off having this elaborate World's Fair. It was fascinating to read about how the men worked to design the various buildings and plan the fair. And it was interesting (yet disturbing) to read about Holmes and all the people he killed. I liked reading about how the detective retraced Holmes' steps and traveled to all different cities to figure out some of his crimes. There obviously weren't all the means of investigating crimes that there are today, so you can really appreciate how hard this detective worked to find out the truth.

This book was such an easy read. Though it is non fiction, it really almost reads like a novel.

Hostess Mints

I am selective in the mints I like, but Hostess Mints are awesome. I like these because the chocolate is so good, and the mint isn't too overpowering. I love getting a box of these at Fannie May.

Things We Lost in the Fire

This 2007 drama starts Halle Berry as Audrey, a woman who is devastated when her husband is killed while trying to help a woman in danger. When he was alive, her husband had continually tried to help Jerry (played by Benicio del Toro), his friend from childhood who is a heroin addict. Audrey seemed to think this was a lost cause, yet after her husband dies, she then tries to help Jerry and even has him live in a room adjacent to their garage. Jerry bonds with Audrey and Brian's children, a 10 year old girl and a 6 year old boy, and they quickly see him a father figure. Audrey and Jerry's bond is fragile and complex. She takes her anger out on him, yet at the same time seeks him out for comfort and wants to help him since this was something so important to her husband.

I think Berry and del Toro are outstanding in this. I like how this movie captures the raw emotions they struggle with. Berry really shows what grief can look like, and del Toro shows what's it's like to battle addiction.

One thing that was really powerful to me was del Toro in the film saying at the end, "One day at a time. One day at a time. One day at a time." Addicts need to constantly remember this. People grieving too need to remember this. And we all do I think--it's easy to get so caught up in the future and wondering what we're going to do or worrying about something. But that can be so overwhelming and cause us even more grief and stress. Jesus says in Matthew 6:34, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." One day at a time.

Chicago, Illinois

I grew up in a south suburb of Chicago, so I consider the Chicago area "my homeland," and it is a very special place to me. When I was growing up, I didn't really get into the city much. But when I went to Columbia College back in my film school days, I took the train downtown every day during the week. I remember walking around the city back then, exploring it, and that feeling of excitement I had being in the city and knowing there was always something to do and something going on--it was really cool. I still have that feeling of excitement when I go into the city. There is so much to see and do in Chicago, and there are so many different kinds of people in the city. It's a fascinating place.

There are many great museums in Chicago like the Art Institute and the Museum of Science and Industry. There is great shopping, especially on Michigan Avenue. Great food too--any kind you can imagine including Chicago specialties like deep dish pizza and hot dogs. There are fun attractions like Navy Pier, Millennium Park, and the Sears Tower, and there are festivals like the Taste of Chicago or various music or film festivals. And of course sports--Bulls, Bears, Blackhawks, and my favorite the Cubs who I will be loyal to no matter where I am. There is another baseball team there too, but I don't care too much about them! All that is only a fraction of what Chicago is about. It is such a fun place, and I love it when I'm up north and have the opportunity to go into the city. Just walking around and taking it all in is fun.