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I miss the blogging of dear Ukrainian friends and husbands (er...husband, singular).

Hunger for Beauty

In my art classes, Cuthill has been emphasizing the "hard-wiring" of the human being for the aesthetic experience; how we long fervantly after that which is beautiful and that these ideals are, in many ways, cross-cultural. This is significant in acknowledging a human "blueprint," if you will. We have for thousands of years placed Creation on an artistic pedestal and made attempts to reproduce, re-express, and even in some cases, worship it for its beauty. It is so critical as Christians, to take moments in which we stop to revel in God's creation and to see Him thus reflected in it. It is in these moments that we can perhaps receive a unique revelation of God's person, His character, and to understand God as an Artist. I wanted to record here some of my recent breath-taking moments with God and pauses I've had no other choice but to take with His creation:

1. The beautiful design of bees and their intricate relationships with one another. I don't particularly like bees, but I find it almost humorous that they dance to notify the others of a pollen source. Also, I just heard through a friend that bees determine the distance from the hive to a pollen source through spatial complexity--they gauge the distance via the complex designs that pass by their eyes. Ok, so if this isn't a fingerprint of God, I don't know what is!

2. Peggy's Cove--There is something most paradoxical about the majestically frightening and inherently soothing power of waves crashing and colliding on jagged rocks. This paradox reminds me of God's character, scripturally speaking. There was actually a sign there (at Peggy's Cove) that said something like "You are short a few screws if you go to close to the edge of the water"--and I really wanted to.

3. My dog, Ceilidh--she cannot contain her joy when I walk through the front door. Sure, she's annoying at times but her faithfulness, willingness to be at my feet at all times, reminds me of the obedience I am called to with the Lord..."even the dog waits patiently at the Master's table for the crumbs that may fall..." (paraphrased).

4. Wine--God is good! He knows our love for the delicate and intricate, even when it comes to satisfying our tastebuds. And He gave us, even through Jesus' first miracle, a fine drink to bring joy and rosyness to our cheeks, the wisdom (hopefully) to use it in a stewardly fashion, and the art of perfecting it.

Oh and the list is eternally long, isn't it?

F.O.S.C.

It is a rare occasion that I have more than one thing to blog about per day. Usually, I have to try to be creative, but today I am overflowing with things I can't wait to blog about! And I figure that I should try to make up some of that lost time where I didn't blog at all. How dull is that?

This entry is about the club/gathering that Jay and I hold at our house (as of right now) called F.O.S.C. which--perhaps sacrilegiously, depending on your denomination--stands for The Fruit of the Spirit Club. We are an amateur wine tasting club. We gather bi-weekly to sample different wines from regions all over the world, to attempt single-phrase descriptions of the wine's particular flavour and qualities, and to compare wines based on various criteria. It is a rather enlightening experience and one that combines both the richness of fellowship and the socially responsible drink. I feel that Jesus would be quite pleased! We would like to incorporate a brief devotional time as well.

So this is a formal invite to those of you who are interested in participating. We would like to keep the group to minimum of 4 and maximum of say 12-15 (which would be rather large!). But, please comment if you would like more information or are curious about our Mission Statement. We don't really have one, but uh...yeah. "We like wine, we love Jesus, and this is fun" would probably sum it up.

Cheers!

This is me and my twin sister with Ben Folds! Ok, that's not true. I don't have a twin. I don't even have a sister. Or a sibling for that matter. And I have never met Ben Folds. But it was fun to pretend for a moment.

But seriously...three words. Songs for Silverman.

Songs for Silverman is Ben Folds new album and it is amazing. You will love every song on the album whether you feel it is moral to do so or not. Yep.

Soupless and Post-Modern

I can't get soup. Without my soup I feel like my place and status within the Redeemer community has shifted greatly. I am no longer viewed as "the girl who could get soup." I am now viewed as "the girl who has an apartment off- campus who probably has her own soup at home." That is a hefty assumption. My student-hood has lost a significant portion of its meaning. Sure, this signifies that Redeemer allows for flexibility in social mobility. But, I want soup.

Philosopher-King=Jesus

I am currently taking (and rather suprisingly enjoying) Political Science 121 with Dr. Koyzis this semester. As I've been reading the first assigned chapter in the text I have come across a description of Plato's Philosopher-King. This man, being the ideal philosophic representative of wisdom and virtue, is considered by Plato to be the greatest politician and and ruler as compared to any other form of government. He would be able to rule by his own personal judgment as opposed to by rule of law or constitution, as his moral strength and wisdom would keep him from being oppressive or self-interested. As the years progressed for Plato, the idea of a Philosopher-King became ever the more distant as there were no qualified men to fulfill the position. As he became accustomed to the idea of the fallibility of the human being, he settled for the second-greatest form of government as rule of law (lawful rulership), whatever form that would be in. However, the text says that this idea of a Philosopher-King has "never ceased to haunt history."

I was struck as I read this quote. I have read (most) of The Republic and wrote a paper on it but this one thing never really stood out to me. But on the bus this morning, as I was reading this text, I thought of how interesting it is that Plato and the Greeks longed for this perfect rulership; this man who, with great virtue and wisdom, could lead a nation in such flawless harmony. That it would be in their greatest interest to have such a man in authority. Without their awareness, the Greeks were calling out for Jesus, for His Kingship and rule in their lives. He is the "Philosopher-King" that history has been haunted by, that societies throughout the world are yearning for.

Oh, hasten the day, Lord Jesus!

One of those days....

Have you ever had one of those days where everything that comes out of your mouth seems to have an attitude all of its own? You wish you could grab those words, stick them back in your mouth, and swallow them? Yeah, ALL day long I have been saying things that sounded really good and intelligent while in my head, and once beyond my lips sound...well....rather moronic. How do you get past a day such as this? Do you decide never to put your hand up in class again? Never to attempt that joke that you always forget the punchline to? Never to say the first thing that enters your mind ever, ever again? I have found today, that one remedy is to eavesdrop upon a conversation where someone is expressly confessing something that they said in class that may have been much worse and more embarrassing then what you had said in your class. That will make you feel better. Guaranteed. But, probably not the most loving response to dealing with the shame.