A Reader's Simple Thoughts

Tornado Sirens and Storm Preparedness

2011-03-31T11:35:00.000-07:00

Last week East Tennessee had a series of very strong storms move through in the late evening. It was an East Tennessee Storm Chaser's dream, but proved devastating for several families as many homes and businesses were destroyed. In Greenback, TN an EF-3 tornado touched down and did irreplaceable damage. Despite all the damage, it could have been worse. It is no secret that the community was spared many lives lost because of working tornado sirens.

In light of this event I asked my friends on Facebook their opinion of tornado sirens and how Knoxville is notified of weather alerts. Currently, Knoxville does not have a working tornado siren system. As you may know, Knoxville sits in a valley, but has its fair share of rolling hilltops. These hilltops make the effectiveness of tornado sirens obsolete unless they are placed between 3 and 5 miles apart. Even at this distance they still may not be heard. Because of this, it has been decided that it is not time or cost effective to install sirens in Knoxville. Ideally it would be nice if, despite the cost, Knoxville could have tornado sirens, at least inside the city, or possibly in each school.

So, how is Knoxville notified of tornadoes? Through television broadcast and radio. It is essential that everyone in Knoxville have access to battery operated emergency radios. This is the only way they you are sure to get the alert when it sounds. When these storms hit it is never known if the power will be out. Having a battery operated radio and extra batteries can save your life and those around you.

Several news sites have "Emergency Lists." Take advantage of these lists and keep a storm pack in a safe area in your home. Practice with your children on were to go if the sirens go off. Have a plan. Storm season has only just begun and it has already proved to be a busy one.

Rags to Riches

2011-02-27T19:08:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I attended a womens conference with some awesome women of God.

The ministry was called Rags to Riches. God did a transformation in my life and delivered me from a lot of pain that I was carrying. I wrote the following poem this morning during that last class. This is not from me. It was a message I received from God.

Rags to Riches

Fear, shame, guilt and condemnation

Knock at the door.

She hides under the bed crouched against the

Cold bare floor.

Scared, shaking, and nervous she fights

For something new.

Sitting quietly she stares at Heaven and cries

“Lord, tell me what to do.”

Drop your chains and throw down what

You have known.

Walk with me and none of those lie

You will own.

Stand up, stand up I say!

Crawl out of the ditches.

Take off the old and transform from

Rags to Riches.

By: Atlee McSpadden

Rags to Riches Conference 2011

2011-01-29T20:30:00.001-08:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6

Bearing Burdens

2011-01-24T19:01:00.000-08:00

Galatians 6:1-10 talks about two different types of "one another" relations. By this, I mean it talks about carrying one another's burdens and having fellowship with one another.

In Bible study tonight we were not able to reach the second part, therefore I will save that for another post (coming next Monday). We talked a lot about how each of us deals with bearing each other's burdens and how we are called as Christians to handle such situations.

I want to think that I handle those tough situations well, but I know in reality I handle them very poorly and do not reflect Christ.

First we talked about the difference in a legalist and a freed man taking on the burden of another. The legalist will be self centered, prideful, and full of condemnation. The freed man will be Christ centered, meek, and humble. The legalist will add to the burden, where the freed man will demand more of himself to make the burden lighter. Reconciliation to the freed man will be seen as winning a soul, where as from a legalist it will be seen as winning an argument.

A realization that we came to is that it is Biblical to call fellow Christians out but it is also hard, painful, and takes time. A great analogy was it is like getting a broken bone. A bone must be set back in place and this is very painful, but once it is set it can begin to heal and function according to its purpose. A Christian in the wrong must be called out in a Biblical way. This may be painful, but once "reset" they can begin to heal and function in the way Christ intended.

The purpose of calling out is not to point out who is wrong and who is right; it is to journey together and bear each other's burdens. We are called to share in each others burdens in "one anotherness."

In the verses we read, there are two very different uses for the word "burden." This can be seen by differing translations, or the original context of the word. In verse 2, "burden" is defined as "a heavy burden," contrasting to verse 5 where "burden" is defined as "a soldier's load." With these two different meanings we see that there are some things that we cannot carry for each other, much like a soldier must carry his own pack, but we are called to be there for them on the journey, every step of the way, sharing the burdens of life.

How do you carry the burdens of others? Do you take them to the Lord, or take them upon yourself? To be honest, I sometimes, rather, often times, revert to trying to carry the load myself. I tend to ignore taking the burden to God and try to carry it myself. I try and carry my own burdens (because they shouldn't be anyone else's problem) and the burdens of others. in doing this I am sinning in two significant ways. I am not sharing my burdens, nor am I bearing the burden of others through Christ. It is at these times when I want to run away from all the burdens and hide. I see my self doing this by withdrawing from friends who are having a hard time that I cannot fix, or just trying to ignore problems that are screaming out at me from every angle. I think about it this way and want to cry out to God in repentance that I have turned from Him. I should never try to carry my own burdens without Christ, nor anyone else's. It is so shameful for me to turn from my friends when they are seeking someone to help them with their burden because I am too selfish to take their burden to God. What kind of a friend is that? I must daily remind myself that we must do nothing out of pride or contempt.

Seeing such truths are hard, but without seeing them life is even harder. I am forever grateful that God loves me despite me. I get in His way so much. I am so thankful for Christ, His love, His mercy, and His grace.

Self Governed, Others Centered, Christ Dependent

2011-01-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

Over the last three weeks at church Kevin Huggins has been speaking on what is casually known as the "Quarter Life Crisis." This is a term becoming more and more popular, resulting in more and more researching being done on what the actual "Quarter Life Crisis" is. I was very interested in everything Kevin had to stay and couldn't write down words fast enough. I wanted to use this entry to talk through some of the great things said.

Wisdom from above is different from wisdom gained by earthly means. Grade school, college, and even graduate school can be wonderful means of gaining earthly wisdom, but bring you no close to the wisdom that God wants to instill in us by seeking after Him and studying His word. Be a wisdom hunter.

A huge characteristic of being in your 20's is discovering newly found freedoms. You have to choose whether or not you are going to stay free, or back pedal and become world dependent. Why is it so hard for us young adults to hang on to our freedom. Are we scared, or is it harder to hang on to than we initially think? The world is organized to keep us from being self governed and free, but this is why Christ died.

Christ wants self governing people to serve Him. If you are self governing then you are not serving him for any other purpose than to glorify Him. The more self governed you are, the more you stick out and it alienates you from others. Being more self governed doesn't mean less pain and hurt. It could mean exactly the opposite.

How will I use my freedom? Galatians 5:13 tells us that we are created to be free and not to use our freedom to indulge in sinful nature. Don't be consumed by each other.

God calls us to be self governed but others centered. When you are others centered it may increase your pain more than being self centered. When you are others centered your own needs sometimes do not get met but you have to trust God to meet those needs. Can you ever be others centered to a fault?

Where will you find the strength to stay free? Freedom does not mean independent, it means we choose who or what we are dependent on. We need to be dependent on Christ. The world was not designed to give us life, we were designed to pour life from Christ into the world.

What does Christ dependent look like? Seek first the kingdom of God and all else will be added to you. Do we really trust this? It is counter cultural to live with the mentality that Christ will provide. Despite this, we must always be seeking to have the biggest kingdom impact in whatever we do.

Rainy Fall Days

2010-10-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

Well, today is just as the title says, a rainy fall day. I love days like today. It is only too bad that I have a full tiem job. If I did not I would be sitting on my couch with the door open listening to the leaves bustle and fall from trees all while reading a great novel. I know, a dream, right? Instead, today I am strugglign to keep a smiling face at work with the two year olds.
Don't get me wrong, they are adorable. But, they could have picked a better day to not do anything Leah and I have to say.
This morning we did the cutest craft. Being October and almost halloween, we are learning about funny fall creatures. Today the creature is a crow. So, we made crow wings with our hands and the body with our feet and black paint. Put a little orange beak on it and there you have, a crow that you can put in their portfolio. I will add pictures later so you see exactly what I am talking about.
Well, lunch break is over. Hopefully I will post more later. Off to change the fish bowl and drive back to work for a few more hours. Crossroad is happening tonight if anyone wants to come.

Terrible at this

2010-10-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is not news to any of you faithful readers (though no one subscribes!) I am a terrible blogger. I tend to get wrapped up in the daily life of everything and forget to write it all down.

My mind moves a million miles a minute always.

I am going to take a break from updating on my reading for a minute and just share some life.

After 3 short but great months at my last job I decided it was time to move on to another school. The change was much hard than I thought, but God is so faithful and has blessed me beyond measure at the new place. I am not at Westlake WEE. I have a wonderful co-teacher who is young and newly married to a great man of God.

God is getting ready to lead me on another adventure. In December I will be moving from the place I have called home for the last 3 years. I am heartbroken, but feel very silly being attached to an apartment complex. If you ever get a chance, please check out Greenbrier Ridge. It is a wonderful community. I will dearly miss everyone there. I will be moving in the Boyds. Mary Beth and Travis have opened their home and hearts to serving me for a few months while I save on some rent and figure things out. I am at a weird stage in life where I am not ready to buy a home, but needing/ wanting out of communal living. They are a blessing in my life and I am sure living with them will mean lots of funny blogs to come.

I am babysitting and the movie is over. We are going outside to play golf before dinner! More to come.

Delay

2010-07-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

In the last month and a half that I have not posted I have been reading through the Harry Potter series as you all know. My last blog stated that the Harry Potter books were not living up to my expectations. Let me correct this...

Harry Potter has changed my life.

I am not pushing through the books are quickly as I had hoped, but I am on the 6th one now. The fifth one, which I thought was amazing, just took me a bit longer to get through. There is so much information jammed into the books that I am reading slower to make usre I don't miss anything.

Since my last post I started a full time job. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am working an 8:30-5:30 job, Monday through Friday. I am teaching 2 year olds. Most night when I get home I am too tired to do much of anything other than lay in bed listening to the radio. However, my weekends are filled with lots of reading.

I know when I started this series I talked about how I was going to compare it to something significant. Well it has taken me 6 books to figure it out, but I am going to do the unthinkable for many Christians and state my reasons why I think Harry Potter is a modern biblical world view. This will make some of you angry, some of you very happy, and still others of you very confused. Confusion is not my intention, but I do wish to evoke some emotion. I am not saying I believe that Harry Potter shows strictly Christian values at all, I am simply making an argument that J.K. Rowling could have written the series with a connection to Biblical truth.

I think Harry Potter has a strong message about good and evil and I can think of no better analogy that one with Christ. However, I will state and stand firm in the belief that what Christ did but significantly great than that of Harry Potter. Harry Potter is a work of fiction which Christ is not.

Give me some time to finish the books and I will begin the research of the possible allegory. I am excited to see where this takes me and I hope you will embark on this journey with me. It may be a long one.

Ace

Missing

2010-06-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers!

Sorry I have been missing for the last week or so. I read the first two Harry Potter books while I was at my mom's in Fairhope, Al. It was a great vacation!

Ok....so Harry Potter isn't doing it for me so far... here is the reason:

The first book= amazing

The second book= borderline terrible.

However, I am not losing hope and I will press on! I am told (by Sarah) that they get better again. I know I would have really enjoyed them while I was in middle school and high school.

I am still struggling what to base my blogs on for the series, but I have a feeling as long as I keep writing something will come up.

I haven't discovered which character I like the most yet, but I have high hopes for Hermione being the one for now. But who knows... she probably gets killed of in the next book (if you know, please don't spoil it for me!).

I did not have the third book while I was at my mom's so instead I read "The Redemption of Sarah Cain." I would recommend this book to anyone! It was amazing. It kept me reading page after page fighting to stay awake for the end. This is highly unusual for a Christian fiction book I have found. As soon as I finish the Harry Potter Series, I think I am going to start a series by the author of "The Redemption of Sarah Cain."

The way the author incorporated modern Christianity with Amish tradition was great! To hear how the New Order Amish live a simplified life was really interesting. They still use electricity, indoor plumbing, and refrigeration. They simplify by getting rid of all things unnecessary. If you don't have anything, then you never have to worry about picking up!

Well, I will write more later, I jsut had a few things to get out!

Happy reading!

A Book I Said I Would Never Read

2010-05-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, I said I would never read the Harry Potter series and now I am. Once again, I have learned the lesson "never say never." I started and finished the first book in the last 24 hours and very much enjoyed it. I certainly understand why people who read the Harry Potter series are, for the most part, now enjoying the "Twilight Saga" (which I have read).

My goal for this book series regarding my blog is to research Harry Potter and make a series of short essays comparing the books to a single topic, such as segregation or something of the like. Good vs. Evil seems all to easy to explore.

There are no guarantees that I will read all of the books right together, but I will do my best to stay focused. I tend to get subject bored and bounce a little before finishing a series. This is the precise reason why I love that series don't initially come out all at once. Otherwise I would never finish more than two books.

Get ready readers... the research and brainstorming starts tonight. Feel free to FB me any questions, challenges etc.

Ace

"Beauty For Ashes" by Dorothy Clark

2010-05-26T16:46:00.001-07:00

Hello Readers!

I am sitting in my living room enjoying the beautiful sound of the light rain falling outside my door. There is a rainbow to the south and the sun setting in the west. Such bliss.

As you may have guessed... this post means I have finished yet another book. I believe "Beauty for Ashes" makes around book number 37 for the year.

As I was reading I kept thinking about what I would post on this book. I still have not settled completely on what I will write but here it goes...

The book falls into the Inspirational Romance category. It is set in the late 1800s between Philadelphia and New York in a time of great industrial advances. Both families that are present in this book are from wealthy backgrounds.

Elizabeth, the lead female, is young and looking for an escape from a life and possible marriage of abuse. She meets Justin, a recently widowed father of two looking for nothing more than a marriage of convenience.

In many ways this book really hit me. Mostly because of a conversation I had on Monday with my friend and sister in Christ, Courtney. Courtney and I were discussing the ups and downs of life and relationships. She spoke about how often girls are just looking for a man to rescue them from the point of life they are in. This could be from any situation, but just a feeling that the life with the man in question looks better than what you can see in front of you. A marriage of convenience. I feel many girls struggle with this at some point in their lives, whether it is at 15 when getting pregnant seems like a great way to keep that cheating boyfriend around, at 22 when you are finished with college but not dating anyone, or at 27 when society starts to have their doubts about your relationship status. At any point, a marriage or relationship of convenience is not what God has planned.

BUT, the great news is, as the book is titled, God can make beauty from ashes. No matter the situation, if you give God control, he can remove the fear, doubt, and worry from you and turn things into a beautiful story that not even you could imagine.

"Beauty for Ashes" had a great story line for young ladies. One that teaches hope and redemption through Christ alone. I did however have a few complaints about it. While the story at the end was incredibly enticing to keep reading and turn the page, the overall description of the scenery was missing. It was really hard to get a good picture of what the country looked like where this was taking place. As a reading junkie, this is important to me. It is hard to get completely enthralled in a character or story line when you can't picture where and when it is taking place.

Overall, this book was good. I really liked the message that it gives about giving all of your circumstances to God and he will set before you a path you could never imagine for yourself. It is worth reading if you like inspirational romance, but don't think you are going to get a good look into history.

About Nancy Pickard

2010-05-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

Nancy Pickard is the Author of "The Scent of Rain and Lightening" along with countless other crime novels, short stories, and essays. She has won multiple awards for her writing including the Agatha Award and the Reader's Choice. She is a brilliant and fluid writer. I am quickly growing to love her ability, even before reading her other books.

I got all of the information from her official website http://www.nancypickard.com/

She has a posted e-mail on her site if anyone is interested.

"The Scent of Rain and Lightening" part 2

2010-05-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, here it goes...

READ THIS BOOK!!!

I know, I know, I will probably write that a lot. But, this book really is worth reading. Fair warning though, it is pg-13 content, so don't say I didn't warn you.

The end of the book was ten times better than the beginning. After the last blog post I couldn't put the book down. Twists and turns I never saw happening. Because I love murder mystery writings I usually will pick up on the typical twist at least to some degree. While reading it I got this anxiousness about what was going to happen next. I wanted to flip the page ahead to read, but knew I couldn't miss any details so I read faster.

"The Scent of Rain and Lightening" brought fiction to life in a way that many book cannot.

It is my understanding that the author, Nancy Pickard, is a renown mystery author. I am now on a search to read more of her books.

Like I said, read this book if you are in to the light thrill. It isn't bloody gory, jump out at you. It is written beautifully so that the read can picture everything as if watching as a fly on the wall.

Have no fear, I am 50 pages into my next book. It is a totally different genre. This one is more on the side of historical romance. So, get ready.

Ace

P.S. I read this book from my Sony Reader but it can be found at most stores I think!

"The Scent of Rain and Lightening" part 1

2010-05-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow readers!

First, thanks for stopping by. Especially thanks to those of you who have told me you stopped by!

I began "The Scent of Rain and Lightening" by Nancy Pickard the day before yesterday. I currently have 50 pages left. Remember, these are my opinions only. You are entitled to your own and I would love to hear them. Don't take my word for these books, read them yourself! I will try my best not to spoil everything!

Summary:

Jody Linder is a small town girl raise by her grandparents after her father was tragically murdered and her mother mysteriously disappeared. After the accused killer spent 23 years in jail, he is now back in town. Jody is on a quest to discover everything she can about both her mother and her father. Twist and Turns kept me from wanting to put the book down.

Thoughts So Far:

Ms. Pickard is an amazingly fluid writer. The book itself in written in a way that makes you feel you are wrapped up in a cozy blanket sitting next to Jody on the couch with anticipation while she tells you the tail of her life. While there are a few PG-13 and possibly R rated scenes, who's life doesn't have those. Ms. Pickard wrote to makes sure that the reader felt involved. To me, this is one of the most important aspects to a good book. I have to feel connected to the characters in a way that keeps me interested, even through the less entertaining parts of the book.

Once I finish the book I will post again with more detailed thoughts and overall reaction to the entire book.

Ace

Book Review

2010-05-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

Ok bloggers, here it is. I am changing the overall format of my blog site. In the last few year I have decided I like to read. I am going begin blogging about the books I read. I may go back and reflect on books past, but will write about each new book I read. I try to be reading at least one book that is on the best seller list as well as many, many others. I read a variety of books from murder mysteries to love stories to non-fiction and religion. If you have a book you would like me to read please let me know! I take any suggestions! You can contact me on here or on facebook.

Happy Reading!

P.S. The first book I will blog on is "The Scent of Rain and Lightening" by Nancy Pickard

2009-02-14T20:53:00.000-08:00

I know, it's been a long time.
But have no fear, today is Valentines day.... which means I am sure ot have time on my hands!

Quick update: I spent a semester at UT and was peacefully lead back to Liberty Online. So, I get to do my school in my pj's everyday (I wish). It is actually a lot like homeschooling for college. It has been great. God has really used my available time to mold me and shape me and lead me on a new life journey. I am substitute teaching right now and loving it.

Growing up I always talked about wanting to teach but was told to pick a different carrier by my grandmother "because the kids were so different and hard these days." Well, I have come full circle, I think. I am not going to school as an education major, but when I graduate I will apply to teach while taking the necessary classes to get the certification.

Man, God is awesome. I have started meeting back up with my mentor and that has been so encouraging. Beth Moore is our leading lady author for the study we are doing. She just hits it with you straight. A lot like Greg Pinkner for all you out there who know who he is.

I write this blog as a means to get random thoughts out of my head. A lot of time there is no point in them and I know people could care less about what is going on. But, somehow, just the reflection on what has been going on in my life is a stress relief and a way to relax.

One day I will get a topic worth elaborating on... maybe even start a book. I get so many ideas for topics I could write about, but when I sit down to write them I forget. When I was younger I like to read those cheesy books that were made to look like a girls journal. I wrote several of those..... Make believing I had this drama, gossip filled life, thinking that was so cool. When in reality I was too shy to talk to anyone. I even hating reading and only read those because they got me the points i needed for AR. Have you ever written a book? If you could write a book, what would it be about?

Here is a tid bit of information I learned the other day at a training session that really shocked me. Kids in Florida have figure out how to get high on their own urine.... ewww. Why would you even want to do that? I also learned lots about the number of time kids in this county have been caught having inappropriate relations with other students at school. Really??? why at school???? The problem is that none of this stuff is new. It has been happening for years and years, but no one seems to know how to fix it. It would be a disservice to everyone to split guys and girls up in school because that is not how realy life is. Oh goodness. Sorry about that soap box.

Well I need to get off here. If you are still reading this, remind me to give you a hug next time I see you.

p.s. my dad gave me the best valentines card ever.

2008-07-10T06:51:00.000-07:00

Hey there!

I just went for my morning run a little bit ago and spent some time praying for the costa rica team and when I got back I read Amy's blog and it was so encouraging! It sounds to me like things are going great down there. The mayor of the town is a Christian, which is way cool. They have had an excellent turn out each night. I loved to hear about the dancing and worshiping our father in the different languages. Just think how cool it would be to be God and understand EVERY language ever spoken. AWESOME!

Today I ask that you all pray for Amy, her mom, and the other women speaking in the woman's conference today. Pray that God speak through them with his words and not their own. Pray for courage to speak and know that God is just using them as his tool to these desperate women.

On another note, Bo! its so good to hear from you and know you are alive! You are awesome my friend and I hope that you are still enjoying the trail. Prayers are being prayed for you and your friends daily. I cannot wait to hear even more stories when you get back. I cannot remember if I said this already, but i heard you were moving to Greenbriar Ridge and if that is true, then we will be neighbors, well, in the same complex.

OK I have a request, those of you who read this and have a prayer life.... In 2 weeks I will be going as a counselor on a beach trip with the youth. This will be my first chance to really get close to some of the girls. I am so excited about this, but need prayer that God would fill me with encouragement and the strength to be there for these girls.

You guys are great and I know some of you hate that I am posting on here and not facebook or myspace, but sorry. Thanks for taking the time to read this!

next step

2008-07-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

Well, new news first....

I am going to be attending UT in the fall for sure (today). I haven't signed up for classes yet and don't get to until August 18th, but hey God's in control right!?

I am still working on moving into a new apartment and God is blessing me with my new roommate as well as great christian friends to walk with me on my journey.

I am not going to say much right now but jsut thought I would update about school.

Please be in prayer for the team from my church in Costa Rica right now. God is moving in mighty ways down there!

Also, several others are out of the country right now, or spread across the country doing missions. Pray diligently the God will continue to move through them and bring more people into his kingdom!

2008-06-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

Why is it so hard to let go and trust that God has a greater plan for our lives?

goodness, this question has had me pondering for days. I know I have a selfish, and sinful nature, but I want to give it all over so badly, yet I constantly hang on to something.

Tonight I let go of another thing, my leadership position at Fellowship. this was so hard! I cried writing the e-mail. I read through it a million times trying to contemplate whether or not I really wanted to send it. Did I really want to shut the door to the church I had known for 5 years? I know I have found a great Church where God has called me for the time. I am not sure it is a place I will be for a long time, but i am there for now.

My heart is yearning for so many things right now. I am so lost as to what is coming next in my life. I am scared. I don't know where I'll be for school next year, and I don't know what is going on with my family. I am slowing losing control, but I know its part of Gods plan. I have ot completely lose everything in order for his work to shine through. I must died to myself so that I might truly live through him.

I am ready for the new chapter. I am and reading endlessly through the open book. right now the pages are blank, just waiting to be written with Gods plan and will for my life.

For now, I wait, I wait for him. I wait for his glory to be revealed. I wait for his splendor to shine like the stars. He is my God, and there is no one like him.

A Season Coming to It's End

2008-05-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

Every great season in our lives comes to an end at some point in time. Well, May 15, 2008 is the end to one of the most important seasons of my life. After two years at Maryville College, I am leaving to attend to attend the University of TN.

This is a weird move for me. I was fully expecting to move to Lynchburg, Virginia, but instead have chosen to stay in town and go to UT. I never thought I would be a Volunteer, but its going to happen this coming fall.

Don't get me wrong, Maryville is a great school. They have so much to offer and I would recomend that anyone looking for a small liberal arts school at least go on a tour (I worked in admissions and the tour guides are great!).

I am still not sure what this change means for my life exactly. I'm not even sure how its going to play out. But, I know its a good move. It isn't the only change I have made recently so it is sort of in a long line of new things. I can't wait to be able to write abou all the changes taking place and be able to articulate what God is doing, but that is not for now.

Leaving Maryville is not a sad goodbye because I will still see most all my friends, but it will be weird not going there. I have begun to enjoy that 22 minute drive every morning.

a city full of romance?

2008-03-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Checking in here from Charleston, SC. I am here with Anna on spring break. It has been a lot of fun!

We have shopped downtown, been to the beach, got to nice restaurants, meet fun people, and just been girls. Its great. But I am a little comfused on one thing. Charleston is supposed to a romantic city, at least that is what everyone says, but I just don't see it. Maybe I need to be here with someone special to make it feel more romantic, but seems like you could make anywhere romantic with the right person. Who knows :-)!

So far, other than the cool houses, I has been no different to me then New Orleans. I did really like New Orleans though. Walking through downtown I really felt like I was back on my J-term trip to the French Quarter. Downtown Charleston looks a lot like the french quarter, only it does not smell as bad. Even the market resembles the old slave trade market in NO. I guess considering the history of both cities, it is to be expected that they are similar, but I guess I was thinking it was going to be different. Who knows, it could even just be my mood.

I love houses, so walking along the battery was a lot of fun. The Battery is about one block long and is just a platformed sidewalk that goes along the bay. All the old pre-war houses are long, narrow, colorful houses that almost seem to hug each other they are built so close together. Each one has been remodeled numerous times, changing from wood to brick to stucco. One interesting thing about them was the steel beams that went all the way through the house acting as support to the ever changing weather and shifting of the earth. Rainbow Row is right off the battery, but Anna isn't fascinated by it like I am so it got bypassed. Hopefully I can drive down there tomorrow.

I have really enjoyed all the people here. There are some pretty awesome dialects of english that occur here. From the "southern belle" to the harsh northern accent. This is definitely a different kind of place from Knoxville. I am not sure I could ever live here. It still seems quite segrigated and stiff for this day and time.

I have driven over the new cooley bridge several times, which is a really nice new bridge, but it still doesn't change the fact that I absolutely hate bridges! Still, its nice and I hear it is a ton better then the last one.

We spent a few hours on the beach today, which was nice, but I'm a Gulf girl. You just can't beat white sand and crystal blue water. Maybe this place is an acquired liking, but I don't know how anyone could like this better then the gulf...

Well, I am going to sign off for now. I actually just ogt on to read how Bo and his friends where doing on the AT since the weather has been crazy.

Peace out

p.s. let me know if you know why Charleston is supposed to be romantic if you know!

"An Essay on Man"

2008-02-06T12:43:00.000-08:00

A required reading for my Modern Western Literature Traditions class was reading "An Essay in Man" written by Alexander Pope. The essay is completely about the sovereignty and will of God. For a breif background before I start throwing quotes from the poem out, I'll let you know a little bit about Alexander Pope.
Alexander Pope lived from 1688-1744, but was stricken as a child with TB and therefor spent most of his life couped up at home where he was educated by his parents. He did not have the same social status as everyone else due to his frequent illnesses. This time period was at the high point in the Enlightenment. Pope set out to prove the oder of the universe, establish a place for humans within that order, establish the role of reason, and encourage the thought of hope. Much of Pope's writing is filled with wonderful imagery, vast emotion, and deep passion.
The intro Pope talks about how humans think that we live in a paradise that is here at our own dispossal, but one with a plan. "A mighty maze! but not without a plan" He also lays out exactly what he is going to talk about. He wants to justify and prove the ways of God. He uses brilliantly animated words in order to do this by saying, "Laugh where we must, be candid where we can; but vindicate the ways of God to man."
In the first verse he explains that he knows and understands that we have question about why we are made the way we are, and that we don't see ourselves as perfect. He says, "Its the great chain, that draws all to the, and drawn supports, upheld by God, or thee?" This is basically asking us if we are trying to take control or letting God. This is especially important to Christians today. Often a struggle we have is leaving things to God and letting him have complete control over our lives.
The second verse breify goes on to say who are we to question God. And if we choose to question God, why are we not questioningthe reason for Him making us even less, such as below the animals. He also goes on to say that we are only a part of the whole piece, so our vision is screwed of what the whole chain looks like. Because our view is scewed, and we are only a part, we have no right to question God for His placement of us in society. The last part of this verse is my favorite part of this section. It tells us to stop questioning and except where we are, and if you are destined to be perfect someday why worry about it now? This is really deep. It is really good to hear, especially if you struggle with realizing that we will never be perfect until God makes us that way in his kingdom.
Be glad that you are not aware of the future; this is the message of the third verse. "Oh blindness to the future! kindly given, That each may fill the circle marked by Heaven." This is a very important part. We have to trust that God is in control of the future, all things great and small. Pope goes on to say in the verse, "Hope springs up eternal in the human breast Man never Is, but always to be blest." This basically says that we don't know his plan but we are to have HOPE because the human soul is not supposed to stay here forever. There is a new earth to come, but we must be contint with not knowing when it will be!
The fourth verse talks very planly about all the greatest faults of mankind. It also makesth e point that often, when we are unhappy about the way things are going we blame it on God, but when things are going well, it is due to our own ablilities. This verse takes on an ironic personality when Pope basically that he dares us to try and play God and jsut see what happens. He finishes the verse up with reflection on the fallen angel.
In the fifth verse Pope explains that it is our pride that gets in the way and makes us want to judge God. We let pride get in to the way, way too often. He also talks about how we have a hard time seeing that God's plan is for the overall good, so we give Him glory for the good, but question him about the bad. A big point in this verse is saying that the best way to reason with this is to submit to God's ways. It closes with " The general ORDER, since the whole began, Is kept in Nature, and is kept in Man,"
Verse Six goes on to explain what fits where on the chain of life and command. It also explains that as humans we always want more. We are natural drawn to progress and change. But, even though we are constantly progressing, we cannot know everything to a finite level, and we never will. It talks more about being satisfied with what God has given us because we don't deserve any of it.
Verses Seven and Eight go to explain more about the chain of command and why we are where we are. It also says that everything is interconnected and works together. At the end of verse eight is says that we should just give up on wanting to know everything and be content iwth what we do know. It is madness for us to try and break the chain and know everything.
Verse Nine say that God's plan is much better than we could ever imagine and much better than we could do ourselves. Pope also make a point to say that we are great the way we are no matter what anyone else says.
The final verse is beautifuly written and says that we need to know our place and submit! And, that everything in this world and life has a purpose and plan that we could never comprehend. "All nature is Art, unknown to thee; All Chance, Direction, which thou canst not see; All discord, Harmony not understood; All partial Evil, universal Good: And, spite of Pride, in erring Reason's spite, ONE TRUTH IS CLEAR, WHATEVER IS, IS RIGHT."

I know this is long, but I hope that since you ahve read this now, and you have a small understanding of the basic words of Pope, you will go and read and reread this poem. Alexander Pope is an incredible poet and he has many more works! If you do read this blog, or the poem, let me know what you think!

Thats all for now :-)

Atlee

A much needed trip to devestation

2008-02-05T17:19:00.001-08:00

here it is.. MISSISSIPPI
Ok friends, here it is. My Mississippi blog. Also, brought to you in a different location... on blogspot. Yep I gave in and got one. Many of my blogs from now on will most likely be on here since it is a little better way to make sure everyone can see it.

I am going to: Tell you our purpose for going down, tell you about my new cultural experiences, tell you what God spoke to me while down there, and whatever else comes to mind.
So first things first: My class, non profit management, went down to the gulf coast to rebuild a house destroyed by fire, owned my a master cabinet maker who spends lots of time repairing Katrina destroyed houses. Mr. and Mrs. Williams were the owners of the house. Mr. Williams we later found out was really Rev. Williams which was really cool. He made all the furniture in his church sanctuary. My class basically rebuild a house in three days. It was quite possibly the hardest, yet most rewarding work I have ever been a part of in my life. Had it been a normal situation, I would have been exhausted waking up at 6am and doing construction until 6pm then not going to bed until 12am, but God used my time awake as an incredible tool, and he refreshed me daily. Each morning I woke up at 6am to have my quiet time before everyone else got up. It was amazing how many times the scripture would corrilate iwth an event that took place that day. After that we headed to the work site. We stayed there and worked then came back and had dinner. When most people went ot bed though, my, bobby, rachael, and matt stayed up and had some of the most incredible, but very challenging conversations ever. One of hte conversations was about what girls are really looking for in guys and when we say we want a leader what that really means. After answering, we were challenged with another question being "Do you not think that giving that much control to the man is asking for wife abuse?" Which from a Christian perspective was hard to answer because there are many men out there who do take advantage of their wives and it is bad. Another conversation we had was more on scripture nad what exactly we believe. the coolest part ever was that the conversation never once became too personal, ugly, or offensive. It was a great time for my faith to be challenged and for me to stand up for what I believe. It made me appriciate my time in the word because I could tell I was learning things, and understanding them enough to explain myself with scripture. I felt like I was really understanding what it meant to grow away from being tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14) Awesome! One subject that was often discussed was how to act toward non christians when trying to explain our faith. A few people chose to yell, get heated, not quite angry, or just try to prove the other person wrong. A scripture i read this very morning talked about being imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1-21).While down in Mississippi, I had the great privilage to visit to african american southern gospel baptist churches. This was a very new experience for me, and I can now say that the movies do a great job imitating them! It was so awesome to just see their love and truely see people on fire for Christ. They were all so incredibly loving, generous, and accepting. They had great food too! Their biggest way to saying thank you was providing meals and boy did we eat wonderfully!!!Another favorite part of the trip was New Orleans. My heart was broken when I saw all the devistation still in the city, but I have never experience a city that was so alive with music, action, fun, and food. It broke me to think about all the sin in the city, but to go there and see how important the city is to its people was great. We saw awesome break dancers, ate amazing gumbo, drank tasty coffee, saw beautiful catherdrals, and really got to experience a new life. While I was down there, God just spoke to me more and more about where i need to work on in my life and what he has planned for me. My love for serving others grew even deeper, and i can't wait to explore what God has for me there as well. God taught me a lot about how i cannot love everyone but through me he can love anyone. My prayer this week has been that I would be filled with the spirit and that Christs love would shine thorugh me. Well I know this is insainly long, which is why i am going to end it now. I hope you aren't too bored, but some of you have been begging for this blog. I'm sure Ill think of more stories and will post them as i do!I would love you know what God is doing in your life right now to so call me and we will get coffee or just message me and let me know!

With all Christ's love,
Atlee