The Bare (Bear) Necessities

Dearest you,

I made lunch with Blake a couple days ago. We had an apple fight, but not to worry,no one was bruised. Tonight I tried to throw popcorn for him to catch and, let's just say, my throwing skills could use a little improvement.
Yesterday, while waiting at our music school, I called Evan his spelling words...IN A BRITISH ACCENT. On the way home, my brothers were bragging about how much chest hair they have. I'd say neither has any to speak of.
And then at dinner they were teasing each other mercilessly and one said "Stop causing havoc!" while the other exclaimed, "What? I don't even know what that means!" During the meal I was giving them a lecture about digging yourself into a hole (which I almost spelled whole:), and I--mistakingly--mentioned some dragon flying around. Suddenly Evan was asking "Can I be a ninja?" And Blake said, "Yeah, but the dragon's fire burns your numchucks."
Yesterday morning I did an updo for work. Did I mention it was at 5:30 in the morning? Yeaaaahhh, I used like fifty gagillion bobby pins. My friend and I wore matching dresses too-- Yes, we're probably too old for that, and yes, it was still fun :D
Last night I juggled on the wii. And snow skiied. And hula hooped. And walked on a tight rope. And beat everyone in kung fu rhythm.
Oh, and I had a dream about pirate ships, dragons, and a very cute young captain. :P

My dad's out of town for the next week. I'm really going to miss our awesome talks, and joking around, and helping him with projects :)

I talked to my dad via skype. I laughed, watching him converse with his Chinese translator, Zeke. He was asking him how to say certain words in Chinese. He made a deal with me that he would learn three new words while he's half a world away :)
Now I'm watching The Jungle Book with my three little siblings, who are starting to get too old and intelligent to be amused by old school Disney movies. I've observed that the alpha male wolf has a British accent and the snake sounds drunk, though he shares his voice with the ever-loved Pooh Bear. And the head elephant mumbles about war medals. And his baby elephant son is Southern.And the vultures with the emo haircuts are European (Scottish, maybe?). I always wondered why the little indian girl at the end had a woman's voice when she was like six.
And my little sister, seated beside me, just pulled out a tooth. I remember those days... :)

Praise God for animated humor :D
Con amore,
Sophie

Stranded in Kroger/ "Friendly" Family Competitions

Dearest you,

Friday I went horseback riding with a really great friend. Afterwards we chatted about life. I guess you don't really call it chatting when it's pretty deep...
I work up yesterday to my little brother who's not so little considerately whispering, "Sophie, do you want breakfast in bed?" He had made chocolate chip pancakes :)

Gen and I got stranded in Kroger for half an hour when we went to return a movie at Redbox last night. It was just drizzling as we pulled out of the drive, but by the time we got to the store (just down the street) it was raining cats and dogs. We ran out of the car and into Kroger, but in those few yards, we got soaked. And grocery stores are liberally air conditioned. :P So we walked around Kroger, shivering, as the employees and other customers wondered at our rather bedraggled appearances. Like they didn't know it was pouring outside...

After dinner last evening our dining room hosted a competition, including multiplication/division drills, and a state's capital quiz, all in remembrance of my father's 5th grade elementary school days. Our family possesses lots of competitive genes. Even my mother was not shy challenging my nine-year-old sister :D

We visited a church this morning with some friends. I promptly fell asleep when we returned home. I think I dozed for a couple hours. Allergies really drain one's energy supply :) While napping, I dreamed about...well, about a lot of things. Including being stopped on a trail (during a family walk) by some creepers. It'll suffice to say I was glad to awake :)

Praise God for the rain!
Con amore,
Sophie

Earth Day

Dearest you,
Our family is short on computers at the moment, so confiscating one for purposes not related to school/work is difficult and requires lots of skill... and possibly daring nerve. Thus my excuse for not blogging as often or as long. :P Research papers have been flying out of our ears this week. Which reminds me, I had best start mine...
Google says 'tis Earth Day today, so I guess it is?
Yesterday I worked, as mentioned in a previous post, and shared thoughts with a best friend as we filed papers. Fun times :D Then I fiddled around (haha, get it? :P) on my violin at our music school, afterwards trying NOT to be distracted by my papa at the dinner table. The six females in our family unanimously decided that all boys--no matter there age--are class clowns, at the very least on occasion.
I went to sleep last night with a please-don't-let-that-spider-I-found-on-my-bed-and-murdered-have-any-revengeful-friends-or-relatives prayer as I listened to Josh Groban sing enchanting lyrics in Italian.
I woke myself up this morning sneezing. Thank you, allergies. Love you too.
Tonight I'll fall asleep thinking, "Would you like extra cheese sauce or jalapenos with your nachos?" If you haven't already guessed, I worked concessions this evening. From 5:30 to 10. My older sister and I volunteered to help my dad and my little brother fulfill their obligation to my brother's baseball team by working the concessions stand. I ran a cash register (yes, I'm very responsible :P) while my comrades-in-concessions filled the orders I belted out. More fun times. Now I have memories of my papa wearing thin, plastic gloves that give you clammy hands while stuffing hamburgers. Never would a thunk it.


"Let not your heart walk away from you, lest your mind and legs follow."-Spongebob quote of the day. Hmmm..maybe there's actually some wisdom in that? =D


Praise the Lord for the earth! Without it, where would we be? :P
Con amore,
Sophie

Been sketchin'...and contemplatin'

Dearest you,

Today I've been sketching, as stated above. Mostly drawings related to my stories, which one of these days I plan on adding here, chapter by chapter. I appreciate your patience :)
I watched my little bro's baseball game and cheered from the bleachers.
This day was...well, it was. In the famous line of Scarlette O'Hara, "Tomorrow is another day." :D
Aren't you thankful God's mercies are new every morning? Tomorrow doesn't have to be like today! :D

I get to work with one of my best friends tomorrow. She's such a dear. It's worth it to leave the house at 6:30 am :P I'm not a morning person. I'd MUCH rather stay up really late. But as rising early is supposed to make me "healthy, wealthy, and wise", and I'm lacking in all three areas, I probably should get in the habit of getting up before noon :)
I've been contemplating life and issues therein. Like what it means to be a true Christian. And what honest kindness is and should be. And how we should treat those we don't agree with, those we think are choosing wrong paths. How to replace anger with love, and trust God when the people you trusted changed and you don't even know them anymore.
Praise God for His listening ears! :)

Con amore,
Sophie
P.S. I WILL be catching up on "The Purpose Driven Life" soon :P

Day the fifteenth--the seventeenth

Dearest you,

So I haven't written in a few days. Sorry to any avid readers :P
Consequently, I've got a bit of catching up of "The Purpose Driven Life".
Day fifteen: Formed for God's Family"
"God is the One who made all things and all things are for his glory. He wanted to have many children share his glory." -Hebrews 2:1
"See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are." -1 John 3:1
*We were formed for God's family.
*Our spiritual families are even more important than our physical families because they will last forever.
*Being included in God's family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever receive.
"His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ." -Ephesians 1:5

Day sixteen:What Matters Most
"No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love." -1 Corinthians 13:3
"Love means living the way God commanded us to live. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is this: Live a life of love." -2 John 1:6
*Life is all about love.
*Life without love is really worthless.
*Love will last forever.
*Relationships are what life is all about.
*We will be evaluated on our love.
*The greatest girt you can give someone is your time.
"The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" -Galatians 5:14

Day seventeen: A Place to Belong
"You are members of God's very own family, citizens of God's country, and you belong in God's household with every other Christian." -Ephesians 2:19
"God's family is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth." -1 Timothy 3:15
*We are called to belong, not just believe.
*We discover our role in life through our relationships with others.
*The church will outlive this universe, and so will your role in it.
*A church family identifies you as a genuine believer.
*A church family moves you out of self-centered isolation.
*A church family helps you develop spiritual muscle.
*The Body of Christ needs you.
*You will share in Christ's mission in the world.
*A church family will help keep you from backsliding.
*Jesus has not promised to build your ministry; he has promised to build his church.
"In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." -Romans 12:5


This looks like a pretty cool church...no idea where it is...
I'll catch up the rest tomorrow :)
Since I last blogged, I've written, gone to prom, hung with friends, read, worked on school, babysat, and many other little things not worth mentioning :P
Praise the Lord for everyday! :D

Con amore,
Sophie

A very short story/ Day the Fourteenth

Dearest you,

"The Purpose Driven Life" day fourteen: When God Seems Distant
"The Lord has hidden himself from his people, but I trust him and place my hope in him."- Isaiah 8:17
*God is real, no matter how we feel.
*The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting him when tempted, surrendering while suffering, and loving him when he seems distant.
*God promises never to leave us or forsake us, but he doesn't promise that we will always feel his presence.
*Feelings of abandonment or estrangement from God often have nothing to do with our sin--they are a test of faith.
*Christians today generally seek an experience in worship, rather than seek God.
*God often removes our feelings so we won't depend on them.
*The situations that will stretch our faith the most will be those times when life falls apart and God seems nowhere to be found.
*Tell God exactly how you feel.
*Focus on who God is--his unchanging nature.
*Trust God to keep his promises.
*Remember what God has already done for you.
*When we feel abandoned by God yet continue to trust him, we worship him in the deepest way.
*"For God has said, 'I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.'" -Hebrews 13:5




So...funny story. Once upon a time, a girl and her dad were taking an early night stroll down their street. As they were causally treading through a rather dark stretch of pavement, shrouded by trees and shadows, an eerie, cool wind swept past them.
"Do you know what that is?" the father asked, somewhat suspiciously.
The girl hesitated. "Um, no?" she replied.
"It's La Sueve," he stated in a heavy, fake accent, quite confident in his answer.
"La what?" The girl was now thoroughly confused.
"La Sueve," explained the father indulgently. "The female devil winds."
Laughter proceeded.
"Seriously?" the girl queried. "You made up a Spanish word for a random blast of cool air?"
The father grinned. "Are you going to blog about this?"
The end.
True story.
I hope you enjoyed that. If you didn't, it's probably because it doesn't make much sense unless you were there :D
Praise the Lord for humorous fathers! =)

Con amore,
Sophie

Sister date/ Day the Thirteenth

Dearest you,

"The Purpose Driven Life" day thirteen: Worship That Pleases God
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." -Mark 12:30
*God wants ALL of us, as in ALL of every individual.
*God is pleased when our worship is:
accurate (worship God as he is truly revealed in the Bible)
authentic(no pretense or showmanship. Worship with genuine emotion and honest love)
thoughtful (worship with an engaged mind. Be specific.)
practical (passive worship is an oxymoron. Worship with effort and energy, accepting that worship is often a sheer act of will--a willing sacrifice.)
*God-pleasing worship is deeply emotional and deeply doctrinal. We use both our hearts and our heads.
*The best style of worship is the one that most authentically represents our personal love for God.
*Real worship is rooted in the Bible.
*The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.


Today was big sister day! I went on a date with my older sisters--out to lunch and shopping, what could be better? :D
We laughed 'til our sides ached and our milkshake-filled stomaches didn't feel so swell :P We danced in the car amidst many stares and sang as loud as we possibly could with the windows rolled down. Least to say, our outing was the most fun I've had in a while.
Praise the Lord for big sisters!








Con amore,
Sophie

Cast all your cares.../Day the twelth

Dearest you,

"The Purpose Driven Life" day twelve: Developing Your Friendship with God
"He offers his friendship to the godly." -Proverbs 3:32
"Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you." -James 4:8
*We are as close to God as we choose to be.
*We must choose to be honest with God.
*God doesn't expect us to be perfect, but he does insist on complete honesty.
*Bitterness is the greatest barrier to friendship with God.
*We must choose to obey God in faith.
*We must choose to value what God values.
*The more we become God's friends, the more we will care about the things He cares about.
*We must desire friendship with God more than anything else.
*There is NOTHING--absolutely NOTHING--more important than developing a friendship with God.


This week I'm pet-sitting eight horses (of various sizes and temperaments), four cats (who are scared of me and don't come near), and one dog (a very adorable collie). I called the horses' names at the top of my lungs while they slowly meandered their way towards the barn. They weren't in hurry.
I studied Ronald Reagan's presidency. I read The Nashville Retrospect (stories and news from the city's past). I laughed at my brothers' witty comments and comebacks. I complemented my little sisters' new haircuts. I scratched my eyes until they were red (thank you, pollen). I read. I wrote. And I finished this rather dull account :D

I'm still have many more questions and frustrations, but they'll wait for another day. My God is the supreme Savior, and I don't have to worry :D
Praise God for taking our worries away!
Con amore,
Sophie


P.S. In case you were curious, dictionary.com's word of the day is neologism. In case you were confused, it means "a new word or expression." In case you were suspecting, I am not a nerd. =P

Trust, Hypocrisy, and Assumptions/Day the eleventh

Dearest you,

"The Purpose Driven Life" day eleven: Becoming Best Friends with God
"Since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life." -Romans 5:10
*God wants to be our best friend (in addition to our Creator, Maker, Lord, Master, Judge, Redeemer, Father, Savior, et cetera... :).
*We were made to live in God's continual presence.
*Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege, and being known and loved is God's greatest pleasure.
*We can become a best friend of God:
through constant conversation
through continual meditation
*"Pray without ceasing" -1 Thessalonians 5:17
*Everything we do can be "spending time with God" if he is invited to be a part of it and we stay aware of his presence.
*Meditation is simply focused thinking.
"Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him." -Psalm 25:14

CAUTION: If you'd prefer not to hear some ranting, stop reading now. Just thought I'd warn ya :)

First topic: Trust.
Dictionary.com defines it as: (1) reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence. (2) confident expectation of something; hope.

It can be a vocalized pinky-swear or an unspoken promise. The latter is just understood, generally between really close friends or siblings, et cetera.
I've never really thought about trust being hope. I guess if that's true, trusting is a little easier.
Best friends forever?...

Second topic: Hypocrisy.
Again, dictionary.com: (1) a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess. (2) a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.

Now we all know hypocrites. I've been one on too many occasions to count. But that doesn't mean it doesn't bother me. People pretending to be something they're not. Trying to impress you, or deceive you. Yet deep down, you both know it's a pathetic attempt. No one is fooling anyone.

Third (and final) topic: Assumtions.
I think this is pretty self-definable.
It seriously ticks me off when people assume you're doing fine just because you have a smile pasted on your face. You know, "Hey how are you?" "Fine." "Awesome! Me too! It's good to see you! Bye!" A little extreme, but not waaaay off course. They ask but don't really hear your answer. Or don't really care. Although that's usually just with acquaintances, not true friends.
Again, I'm guilty of this too. And again, it still hurts when someone assumes something about you. What's worse is when they don't even ask. It hurts even more when it's someone you love desperately and have known for...well, forever.



There. That wasn't so bad now, was it? :D Not too long, but not to worry, they'll be more ranting soon :D
Praise God for honesty!

Con amore,
Sophie

Good ideas gone bad/Day the ninth--the tenth

Dearest you,
My first good idea gone bad of the day was going outside in the beautiful weather and sitting in the grass amidst the bugs--and POLLEN-- to write. I pressed my luck apparently. Let's just say I lasted about ten minutes...tops. As I result, I've jump-started an annoying case of allergies. Now I can't even sit by an open window.
But anyways, last night I helped wave signs for a campaign and serve at a banquet. I wore a white shirt and served lasagna, with RED sauce. Let your imagination finish the picture. Ok, it wasn't quite THAT bad.
Then I slept over with a friend, which is why I missed blogging last night. But I did catch up on some much-needed conversations with my friend :D





"The Purpose Driven Life" day nine: What Makes God Smile?
"May the Lord smile on you..."-Numbers 6:25
"Smile on me, your servant; teach me the right way to live."- Psalm 119:135
*The smile of God is the goal of our lives.
*God smiles when we love him supremely.
*God smiles when we trust him completely.
*God smiles when we obey him wholeheartedly.
*God smiles when we praise and thank him continually.
*God smiles when we use our abilities.
*What God wants most from us is a relationship.
*Trusting God completely means having faith that he knows what is best for our lives.
* God enjoys watching every detail of our lives.
Point to ponder: God smiles when we trust him.
"The Lord is pleased with those who worship him and trust his love."-Psalm 147:11

Day ten: The Heart of Worship
"Give yourselves to God...Surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes." -Romans 6:13
*The heart of worship is surrender.
*Fear keeps us from surrendering, but loves casts out all fear.
*We have to admit our limitations.
*Surrendering often means sacrificing our lives or suffering in order to change what needs to be changed.
*Surrendering is best demonstrated in obedience.
*Trust is a huge aspect of a fully surrendered life.
*The blessing of surrendering include peace, freedom, and experiencing God's power in our lives.
*Everybody surrenders to SOMEthing.
*If you don't surrender to God, you surrender to chaos. -E. Stanley Jones.
*Surrender is not the BEST way to live; it is the ONLY way to live. Nothing else works.
*WARNING: when we decide to live a totally surrendered life, that decision will be tested. It is often inconvenient, unpopular, costly, or seemingly impossible. It may mean doing the exact opposite of what we feel like doing. Commit at your own risk, yet know that the benefits are incomparable :D


My big sister came back home after spending a week enjoying the sand and the sea of Florida. I missed her :)
My second good idea of the day gone bad was trying to make an Alfredo sauce for the first time. It turned out like a thick paste--just shy of being a gloppy dough :\ Annnnnnd, it smelled weird. So my little sister and I (who were the only ones home) vetoed it, and we were more than content with plain pasta. :)

Praise the Lord for tissues...and my best friend, Ben Adryl!!!! :D


Con amore,
Sophie

Tired/ Day the eighth

Dearest you,
I'm weary tonight, so this is going to be even shorter than it has been.

"The Purpose Driven Life" day eight:Planned for God's pleasure
"You created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created." -Revelation 4:11
"The Lord takes pleasure in his people." -Psalm 149:4
*When we fully understand that we are created for God's pleasure, we will never again have a problem with feelings insignificant.
*Worship is far more than music.
*Anything we do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship.
*Worship is not for our benefit, but for God's.
*Worship is not a PART of our lives, it IS our lives.
"For God has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory." -Isaiah 61:3

My eyes are drooping, but it's still an hour before I generally go to sleep. Oh well, I'll just break the status quo for tonight :)


Cheerio!
Con amore,
Sophie

One Week/Day the seventh

Dearest you,
It's been a week since I started this devotional!
And so without further ado,
"The Purpose Driven Life" day seven: The reason for everything.
"Everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory." -Romans 11:36
"The Lord has made everything for his ow purposes." -Proverbs 16:4
* It's all for Him.
*The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the glory of God.
*EVERYTHING created by God reflects his glory in some way.
*Living for God's glory is the greatest achievement we can accomplish with our lives.
*God's glory is best seen in Jesus Christ.
*When anything in creation fulfills its purpose, it brings glory to God.
*We bring God glory by worshiping him.
*We bring God glory by loving other believers.
*We bring God glory by becoming like Christ.
*We bring God glory by serving others with our gifts.
*We bring God glory by telling others bout him.
*Jesus will give us everything we need to live for Him.



Seven, siete, sette, zeven, sept, syv. Seven. In seven days God created the entire universe. And that included one whole day He completely dedicated to rest. Hmm...
I worked again today with my kindred-spirited friend. And saw another friend I haven't actually had a decent conversation with in years. Not for lack of trying, mind you, or lack of effort on her part. Busy lives, you know :) We take the few minutes we can, anyways.
I didn't play a game with my brothers, so I couldn't beat them. I DID play in a string ensemble and only partly-butchered the songs :D. I didn't read a book that made me cry. But I DID think of ways to make my own stories tear-jerkers. I do plan on hanging with my big sista Gen tonight. Praise God for friends!!!


BTW, when I looked up an image for friends, google gave me Winnie the Pooh.Soooo, yeah. Just so you know...

Con amore,
Sophie

Hmmm/Day the sixth

Dearest you,
This is going to be a bit shorter than the others...just as a warning :)

"The Purpose Driven Life" day six: Life is a Temporary Assignment.
"Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and the my life is fleeting away." -Psalm 39.4
"I am here on earth for just a little while." -Psalm 119.19
*Our identity is in eternity, and our homeland is heaven.
*Earth is just a temporary residence. We won't be here long, so we shouldn't get too attached to the world.
*We are preparing for something soooooo much better.
*The fact that earth is not our ultimate home explains why, as Christians, we experience difficulty, sorrow, and rejection in this world.
*It also explains why some of God's promises seem unfulfilled, some prayers seem unanswered, and some circumstances seem unfair. This is not the end of the story.
*We're not completely happy on earth because we're not supposed to be.
*All that is not eternal is eternally useless. -C.S. Lewis
"We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."-2 Corinthians 4:18
Point to ponder: This world is not our home.



I read a book that made me cry. I studied geometry formulas that I will never use outside high school. I went hand surfing on the air with the car window rolled down. I considered major life principles, and whys?. I solved no questions. I beat my brothers at a word game. I ate more melting Easter chocolate. I helped my dad (see, Papa? I'm talking about you :P) with a top-secret project. I was not attacked by wasps. I let my hair dry in the sun, and my soul bask in the Son. Praise God for words!

Con amore,
Sophie

Heat and wasps and randomness/Day the fifth

Dearest you,

"The Purpose Driven Life" day five: Seeing Life from God's View
"What is your life?" -James 4:14
*We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. -Anais Nin
*The way we see our lives SHAPES our lives.
*Life on earth is a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment.
*Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test.
*The more God give us, the more responsible he expects us to be.
* At the end of our life on earth we will be evaluated and rewarded according to how well we handled what God entrusted to us.
"Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones."-Luke 16:10

Today I was sweating while I did my school work. We have yet to turn on the AC, and it's only April. It's going to be a hot and muggy summer. On a brighter note, we can soon douse ourselves in the swimming pool and drink ice-cold lemonade and play kick-ball at dusk. And we can make friends with lovely wasps like the one who landed--and remained-- on me (in our house) this evening and scared any wits I had left from yesterday out of me. You can blame him if none of this makes any sense.

I played a new card game with Blake. Of course I won. I watched Thumbelina with the little girls while trying to avoid a heat stroke upstairs. I'd love the fairy prince...if only his voice sounded less like a little girl's :)
The chocolates I hoarded from the Easter eggs yesterday are melting on my desk. They still taste delicious.
And my brothers mumbled unintelligibly when they came to bid me good night.
How's that for a random-yet-fairly-accurate account? :D Praise God for variety!

Con amore,
Sophie

Buona Pasqua/ Day the Fourth

Dearest you,
Happy Easter!!!! I hope you all are enjoying the day, celebrating Christ's resurrection! I sure am! :) We started the festivities quite early this morning, rising at 5:30ish am to attend a 6:30am sunrise service. Much to our disappointment, the service was held indoors (unlike every other year where they at least TRY to have it outside--sometimes the rain intervenes). It kind of defeated the purpose of a sunrise service, since we, of course, couldn't see the sun rise.
The service itself was...pleasant. Our family has had serious issues with important church services, mainly Christmas Eve and Easter. This morning, I had a rather difficult time containing laughter when the music director started us off acapella and then led us through several different music keys during each song (which was challenging to follow), all the while singing at the top of his lungs. It didn't help that my brother was almost shaking with mirth on my right, and my dad was elbowing me on my left. You kind of had to be there. Ah, good times :)


"The Purpose Driven Life" day four: Made to last forever
"God has...planted eternity in the human heart." -Ecclesiastes 3:11
*Surely God would not have created such a being as man to exist only for a day! No, no, man was made for immortality. -Abraham Lincoln.
*There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right then, have it your way." -C.S. Lewis
*This life is preparation for the next.
*Living in light of eternity will change how we handle every relationship, task, and circumstance.
*There are eternal consequences to everything we do on earth.
*Our values change when we live in light of eternity.
Point to ponder: There is more to life than just here and now.



Back to Easter Sunday--After church we hung around the house, rather lazily, for a while until we joined together for a big brunch. Yum! Then I was "Assistant Easter Egg Hider" to my dad, which, apparently, gave me an advantage to the egg hunt which followed. Least to say, we all received plenty of candy with which to rot our teeth. :D
I tried to play a football game on the wii with my brothers (Madden '08?). I'm pretty sure I creamed them...isn't the purpose to give the other team the ball and let them smash you to the ground? :P Then we all played Spoons, which is a really intense card game. Not to worry, nobody got hurt :D
Afterwords my dad made me drive him on an errand. Nobody died, and the car is in one piece!!! I'd call that successful :)
And THEN as I was calmly and pleasantly reading a book after supper, when, wonder of wonders, a horrid wasp fell from the ceiling and landed right in front of me. He was a stubborn little guy, but eventually my shoe got the best of him. He shall scare the wits out of me no more. My apologies to bug huggers. :D So there is my account of Easter, 2010.
Praise God for sending his Son to die for US and to rise again so that we might have eternal life!!!!!
Con amore,
Sophie

Sibling bonding /Day the third

Dearest you,

"The Purpose Driven Life" day 3: What drives your life?
"I observed that the basic motive for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy." -Ecclesiastes 4:4
*The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder--a waif, a nothing, a no man. -Thomas Carlyle
*Everyone's life is driven by something.
The five most common circumstances, values, and emotions that drive peoples' lives:
1. guilt (running from regrets, hiding from shame/manipulated by memories)
2. resentment and anger (holding on to hurts instead of forgiving them)
3. fear (missing great opportunities/ playing it safe, avoiding risks, maintaining status quo)
4. materialism (thinking more will make you more happy, more important, more secure)
5. need for approval (allowing expectations of others to control your life)

Five great benefits of living a purpose-driven life:
Knowing your purpose...
1. gives meaning to your life
2. simplifies your life (defines what you do and don't do)
3. focuses your life (become effective by being selective)
4. motivates your life (purpose always produces passion)
5. prepares you for eternity

* One key to failure is to try to please everyone
*Nothing matters more than knowing God's purposes for our lives, and nothing can compensate for not knowing them.
*If we want our lives to have impact, we must focus them.
*We weren't put here on earth to be remembered, we were put here to prepare for eternity.
Point to ponder: Living on purpose is the path to peace.　

So tonight I was doing my little sisters' hair in preparation for the early sunrise service tomorrow morning. As I was blow-drying Lilly's hair, we were singing songs at the top of lungs in order to be heard above the rather loud, obnoxious, hair dryer. I told her to request a song, and I though I heard her say "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Thinking this was an odd request for Easter Eve, but being the indulgent sister I am ;-), I began belting out "The Twelve Days of Christmas." She immediately burst into a fit of giggles. She hadn't said anything remotely similar to "The Twelve Days of Christmas." It was a made-up song about roses that she requested. Then I had to sing "Painting the Roses Red" from the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland ("Oh pardon me, but Mr. Three, why must you paint them red?"). Of course, following that, we went in to sing all the other songs from the film, which, by the way, my little sisters don't really know any of the lyrics to.

After I tucked them into bed, I went to the family room with my brothers. They forced me to sit through TWO episodes of Star Wars:The Clone Wars (animated). As of an hour ago, I knew nothing about the movie/series beyond the fact that jedis use glowing swords called light sabers. Now I know that it's filled with very strange looking creatures and plots and missions and really cool, enormous, flying saucers. I still can't remember any names though, and I did have difficulty differentiating between the "good" guys and the "bad" guys...or girls. The boys were horrified to find a hint of romance in one scene, and I was horrified to see animated "violence" in all the others. Oh well, all in the name of sibling bonding time :) Praise God for little siblings!
Con amore,
Sophie

Bouno Venerdi/ Day the second

Dearest you,
Yesterday was April Fool's day. Today is Good Friday. School's are out today. Students aren't allowed to pray. Oh, the irony. (And I honestly didn't mean for all that to rhyme:). When I was little(er), I used to wonder why it was called "good" when it was the day Jesus was crucified. It took me a while to understand that it is "good" for all of humankind. God sent His Son, and the Son willingly died--on a cross--so that you and I might gain eternal life, even though we're horrid, selfish sinners and don't deserve a speck of forgiveness. Thank God we don't have to earn our way to heaven. And praise God for Good Friday!

"The Purpose Driven Life" day two: You are not an accident.
"I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born." -Isaiah 44:2
*God doesn't play dice--Albert Einstein.
*God never does anything accidentally, and He never makes mistakes. He has a reason for everything He creates.
*God was thinking of us even before He created the world--in fact, that's why he made the world!
*We were created as special objects of God's indescribable, unconditional love.
Point to ponder--We are not mistakes.

I have a new name now. It's "Teacher." This morning I helped watch eight three-year-olds. One tiny blond lad only wanted to put puzzles together. As I was helping him, he looked up at me with his big blue eyes and asked, "Are you my best friend?" I've never seen this kid before today, and he wanted to know if I was his BEST friend. He didn't even know my name. Ahh, the admiration of a child :)

Con amore,
Sophie

A Purpose Driven Life, Day the First

Dearest you,
I've decided to re-read a book I went through with a friend two years ago. It's called "The Purpose Driven Life", by Rick Warren. It's a forty-day devotional designed to help you discover God's purpose for your life. I thought I might just jot down some of the main points I come across, thereby letting you know of my progress (and keeping myself on track :). The first of April, Fool's day though it is, seemed like a logical day to begin.
Day one, It All Starts with God
"For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible...everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him." Colossians 1:16
*Focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life's purpose.
*We were made by God and for God--and until we understand this, life will never make sense.
*God planned our purpose before our own existence. We can choose our career, spouse, hobbies, etc, but we don't get to choose our purpose.
*God is more than just our starting point in our life--he's the source of our life.
Point of the day to ponder: It's not about me.
Good food for thought...

Other than that, I've been enjoying the weather, though there may have been a few too many swarming bugs for my tastes. We decorated perfect white eggs with bright colors and waxed swirls outside while trying to dodge giant evil bumble bees. I studied. I read a 380-page book, which will brighten any day. I received a very belated birthday card; enclosed was a pretty bookmark that read, "Believe with faith all things are possible." I went on a walk with my wise papa. Praise God for little things!

Con amore,
Sophie