Smile – This is from Lyn’s blog about our adventure. Photos later
The latest flood
Along with the bat story, below, my parents also woke up to a flood in the basement. Again. This time, a pipe burst. In the library. There are probably 16 fully loaded bookcases in there, so the carpet can’t be air dried very easily. Dad used their carpet cleaner machine to suck up water for about 5 hours. I pulled another 3 gallons of water out of the carpet too. The plumber finally arrived and it took about 2 hours to fix the problem. Apparently the carpet can not be salvaged, so strong men must be hired to pack up the books, move the book cases. Then Beth & Dad will lay a tile floor in there. Good choice!
Batmen and Robin
Somehow a bat got into my parents house yesterday. Their cat was very fascinated with trying to catch it and was tearing all over the house batting at it. Dad tried to shoo it out the window for a while, then it hid behind a bookcase. It finally took three grown men to catch the bat in a trash can with the clothes hamper lid. Here are the mighty bat warriors:Notice that Tim is wearing 'professional' protective clothing...a coat and gloves...so that he is not bitten or scratched by said poor bat.And here's the cute little fella before he flew away:
Monday, June 2, 2008
Sunday, June 1, 2008
By George, She is a writer!
My favorite book in the whole world is, "The Bronze Bow" by Elizabeth George Speare (Nov. 21, 1908 to Nov. 15, 1994). I wrote letters to her many times telling her of my love for her books and the impact they had on my life but I never mailed them. They were too important to have end up on a publishers fan pile or trash instead of in her hands. She is rightly called one America's 100 most popular children's authors. Her books have received 2 Newbery Medals, the Newbery Honor Citation, the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and the Christopher Award. In 1989, Speare received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for her distinguished and enduring contribution to children's literature.
Elizabeth was born in to Harry Allan and Demetria George in Melrose, MA. Her childhood, as she later recalled, was "exceptionally happy" and Melrose was "an ideal place in which to have grown up, close to fields and woods where we hiked and picnicked, and near to Boston where we frequently had family treats of theaters and concerts." She had an extended family with one brother and many aunts, uncles, and cousins, and most importantly, very loving and supportive parents. Speare lived much of her life in New England, the setting for many of her books.
Speare discovered her gift for writing at the age of eight and began composing stories while still in high school. After completing her BA degree at Smith College, she earned her MA in English from Boston University and taught English at several private Massachusetts high schools. In 1936 she met her future husband, Alden Speare, (I imagine I would love their family histories. Sounds like he is an Alden descendant.) They married and raised two children; Alden, Jr., who was born in 1939, and Mary in 1942. Although Speare always intended to write, the challenges and responsibilities of being a mother and wife drained her of any free time. Speare began to focus seriously on literature when her children were in junior high school.
Speare's first published work was a magazine article about skiing with her children. She also wrote many other magazine articles based on her experiences as a mother, and even experimented with one-act plays.
Her first novel, "Calico Captive", was published in 1957. It tells of women and children captured by Indians in New England and marched to Canada to be sold as slaves to the French. In my family, we have a similar story of brothers who are stolen out of the fields in Texas and sold as slaves by the Indians to other Indians. "The Boy Captives" tells their tale. "The Witch of Blackbird Pond," tells the story of a young woman who struggles to adjust to her New England home after being raised Barbados. "The Bronze Bow", published in 1961, is a tale of Christ and a young Jewish boy's fight against the Romans. He learns that a bow of bronze will bend with love better than with hate. (Walden Media needs to do a film of it.) In 1984, "The Sign of the Beaver" my least favorite of her books was published. She wrote an interesting adult book on David Brainerd and the Christian colony of whites and Indians living together but I can find no references to it. She was a bright, articulate Christian who communicated her faith clearly to the secular world. She need more of her ability and grace.
Speare said, "it was always a thrill to watch some girl or boy discover for the first time the enchantment of reading and writing".
She died in Tucson, AZ at 85 years of age.
It is strange that there are other author's named, Elizabeth George. One is a speaker at women's events and television and radio programs. She worked for Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, California. She also taught at the Grace Logos Bible Institute, Talbot Theological Seminary and The Master's Seminary. Her husband Jim taught and served as Talbot Dean of Admissions and Placement. Jim and Elizabeth's ministry is to create books for practical Christian living and personal Bible study. They have two married daughters and seven grandchildren, and live and write on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula in Washington.
The other George is Susan Elizabeth George, who is an American mystery author who writes about Inspector Lynley in England. The stories are also on BBC TV.
Elizabeth was born in to Harry Allan and Demetria George in Melrose, MA. Her childhood, as she later recalled, was "exceptionally happy" and Melrose was "an ideal place in which to have grown up, close to fields and woods where we hiked and picnicked, and near to Boston where we frequently had family treats of theaters and concerts." She had an extended family with one brother and many aunts, uncles, and cousins, and most importantly, very loving and supportive parents. Speare lived much of her life in New England, the setting for many of her books.
Speare discovered her gift for writing at the age of eight and began composing stories while still in high school. After completing her BA degree at Smith College, she earned her MA in English from Boston University and taught English at several private Massachusetts high schools. In 1936 she met her future husband, Alden Speare, (I imagine I would love their family histories. Sounds like he is an Alden descendant.) They married and raised two children; Alden, Jr., who was born in 1939, and Mary in 1942. Although Speare always intended to write, the challenges and responsibilities of being a mother and wife drained her of any free time. Speare began to focus seriously on literature when her children were in junior high school.
Speare's first published work was a magazine article about skiing with her children. She also wrote many other magazine articles based on her experiences as a mother, and even experimented with one-act plays.
Her first novel, "Calico Captive", was published in 1957. It tells of women and children captured by Indians in New England and marched to Canada to be sold as slaves to the French. In my family, we have a similar story of brothers who are stolen out of the fields in Texas and sold as slaves by the Indians to other Indians. "The Boy Captives" tells their tale. "The Witch of Blackbird Pond," tells the story of a young woman who struggles to adjust to her New England home after being raised Barbados. "The Bronze Bow", published in 1961, is a tale of Christ and a young Jewish boy's fight against the Romans. He learns that a bow of bronze will bend with love better than with hate. (Walden Media needs to do a film of it.) In 1984, "The Sign of the Beaver" my least favorite of her books was published. She wrote an interesting adult book on David Brainerd and the Christian colony of whites and Indians living together but I can find no references to it. She was a bright, articulate Christian who communicated her faith clearly to the secular world. She need more of her ability and grace.
Speare said, "it was always a thrill to watch some girl or boy discover for the first time the enchantment of reading and writing".
She died in Tucson, AZ at 85 years of age.
It is strange that there are other author's named, Elizabeth George. One is a speaker at women's events and television and radio programs. She worked for Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, California. She also taught at the Grace Logos Bible Institute, Talbot Theological Seminary and The Master's Seminary. Her husband Jim taught and served as Talbot Dean of Admissions and Placement. Jim and Elizabeth's ministry is to create books for practical Christian living and personal Bible study. They have two married daughters and seven grandchildren, and live and write on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula in Washington.
The other George is Susan Elizabeth George, who is an American mystery author who writes about Inspector Lynley in England. The stories are also on BBC TV.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Sojourner Truth - anti-slavery and for women's rights
Isabella Baumfree (1797–November 26, 1883) was the name she was given at birth, but God renamed her: Sojourner "because I was to travel up an' down the land, showin' the people their sins, an' bein' a sign unto them." She soon asked God for a second name, "'cause everybody else had two names; and the Lord gave me Truth, because I was to declare the truth to the people."
To me, she has the prefect name for a Christian living for Christ at the beginning of a new millennium. We are to see ourselves as travelers in a foreign land speaking out boldly for truth to ears that do not want to hear or be disturbed in the midst of their pleasure.
All of Sojourner's days of slavery were in the North not the South. She lived in New York, 95 miles north of New York City. Slaves were freed in NY on July 4th, 1827. She spoke only Dutch in her youth and carried the accent all her life. When she was 9 years old she was sold to John Neely who raped and beat her every day, she reported. She was beaten by others for her speeches and stand.
Reminiscences by Frances Gage of the Women's Rights Convention, Akron, Ohio, May 1851.
"There were very few women in those days who dared to "speak in meeting"; and the august teachers of the people were seemingly getting the better of us, while the boys in the galleries, and the sneerers among the pews, were hugely enjoying the discomfiture, as they supposed, of the "strong-minded." Some of the tender-skinned friends were on the point of losing dignity, and the atmosphere betokened a storm. When, slowly from her seat in the corner rose Sojourner Truth, who, till now, had scarcely lifted her head. "Don't let her speak!" gasped half a dozen in my ear. She moved slowly and solemnly to the front, laid her old bonnet at her feet, and turned her great speaking eyes to me. There was a hissing sound of disapprobation above and below. I rose and announced "Sojourner Truth," and begged the audience to keep silence for a few moments."
"The tumult subsided at once, and every eye was fixed on this almost Amazon form, which stood nearly six feet high, head erect, and eyes piercing the upper air like one in a dream. At her first word there was a profound hush. She spoke in deep tones, which, though not loud, reached every ear in the house, and away through the throng at the doors and windows."
"Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the Negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?
That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen (historians say she had five) children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?
Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or Negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?
Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.
If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it. The men better let them.
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say.”
--Sojourner Truth
Her last words were "Be a follower of the Lord Jesus." This is the best advice anyone could ever give!
William Wetmore Story, the son of famed Supreme Court Chief Justice, Joseph Story sculpted his "Libyan Sibyl" and it is said to be modeled on Sojourner Truth. It is on display at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. His "Angel of Grief" is one of my favorite statures, especially the copy in the Friendship Cemetary in Columbus, MS. My 5th great grandfather, Charles Story, is reputed to be from this family but I have found no connection.
To me, she has the prefect name for a Christian living for Christ at the beginning of a new millennium. We are to see ourselves as travelers in a foreign land speaking out boldly for truth to ears that do not want to hear or be disturbed in the midst of their pleasure.
All of Sojourner's days of slavery were in the North not the South. She lived in New York, 95 miles north of New York City. Slaves were freed in NY on July 4th, 1827. She spoke only Dutch in her youth and carried the accent all her life. When she was 9 years old she was sold to John Neely who raped and beat her every day, she reported. She was beaten by others for her speeches and stand.
Reminiscences by Frances Gage of the Women's Rights Convention, Akron, Ohio, May 1851.
"There were very few women in those days who dared to "speak in meeting"; and the august teachers of the people were seemingly getting the better of us, while the boys in the galleries, and the sneerers among the pews, were hugely enjoying the discomfiture, as they supposed, of the "strong-minded." Some of the tender-skinned friends were on the point of losing dignity, and the atmosphere betokened a storm. When, slowly from her seat in the corner rose Sojourner Truth, who, till now, had scarcely lifted her head. "Don't let her speak!" gasped half a dozen in my ear. She moved slowly and solemnly to the front, laid her old bonnet at her feet, and turned her great speaking eyes to me. There was a hissing sound of disapprobation above and below. I rose and announced "Sojourner Truth," and begged the audience to keep silence for a few moments."
"The tumult subsided at once, and every eye was fixed on this almost Amazon form, which stood nearly six feet high, head erect, and eyes piercing the upper air like one in a dream. At her first word there was a profound hush. She spoke in deep tones, which, though not loud, reached every ear in the house, and away through the throng at the doors and windows."
"Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the Negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?
That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen (historians say she had five) children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?
Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or Negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?
Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.
If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it. The men better let them.
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say.”
--Sojourner Truth
Her last words were "Be a follower of the Lord Jesus." This is the best advice anyone could ever give!
William Wetmore Story, the son of famed Supreme Court Chief Justice, Joseph Story sculpted his "Libyan Sibyl" and it is said to be modeled on Sojourner Truth. It is on display at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. His "Angel of Grief" is one of my favorite statures, especially the copy in the Friendship Cemetary in Columbus, MS. My 5th great grandfather, Charles Story, is reputed to be from this family but I have found no connection.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Family Women's Suffrage and Temperance leaders
I am proud of the strong women in my family history. I never have been able to understand the feminists and their version of history with helpless women who hated their family responsibilities. I work in the prolife movement as the director of a Pregnancy Center which seeks to assist women to affirm their bodies, their pregnancies and their children. We also provide healing through Jesus Christ to women to have made poor choices. Here are two distant relatives who helped women get the right to vote and who helped to protect their families from the troubles which come from the abuse of alcohol.
Zerelda Wallace is a great niece of my great grandfather, Nathaniel Chalfant. Corporal Nathan Chalfant served in the War of 1812 under her grandfather, Lt. Col. Presley Gray.
Copied from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Zerelda G. Wallace
Zerelda Gray Sanders Wallace (August 6, 1817 – March 19, 1901) was a First Lady of Indiana, a contemporary of Susan B. Anthony, an early temperance and women's suffrage leader, a charter member of Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Indianapolis, and stepmother of Lew Wallace, author of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
Early life and family
Born Zerelda Gray Sanders, August 6, 1817 in Kentucky , she came to Indianapolis with her family in the early 1830s . She was a charter member of the Church of Christ in 1834 (later renamed Central Christian Church) which went on to be the "mother church" of all Disciples of Christ congregations in Indiana. She was elected the first president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union of Indiana in 1874 and was a member of the Equal Suffrage Society of Indiana.
She married David Wallace on December 25, 1836; they had six children, Mary, Ellen, Sanders, Jemina, Agnes and David. She was stepmother to Wallace's three sons from his first marriage to Esther French Test. Her stepsons were William, Lewis and Edward. David Wallace became the sixth governor of Indiana, serving from December 6, 1837 to December 9, 1840.
Temperance and suffrage leader
Zerelda spoke nationally on temperance and suffrage. On January 21, 1875, she testified before the Indiana General Assembly, presenting 21,050 signatures on temperance petitions from 47 counties. (Do you see that petitions have a long and effective history?) On January 23, 1880, Zerelda testified before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on women's right to vote. She died March 19, 1901 and is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
Zerelda Wallace became a temperance leader first in the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, when in 1883 she refused communion at Central Christian Church because of her convictions about alcohol. Her refusal eventually led to the use of grape juice rather than wine at communion celebrated during each worship service of the Disciples of Christ.
An Indiana State Historical Marker was erected in Zerelda Wallace's honor in 2004 along Fort Wayne Avenue in downtown Indianapolis on the grounds of the Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The marker is located on Fort Wayne Avenue, an angle street, in the block between Alabama and Delaware Streets. Indiana's first female lieutenant governor, Kathy Davis, led the dedication ceremony for the marker.
Caroline Thomas Merrick was the sister of my great, great, grandmother, Ellen Aurelia Thomas Miller. Here is a copied biography. The book that Caroline wrote in 1906 is available on line.
Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Person in Cyclopedia Form, Vol. 5, pp. 298 - 299.
Merrick, Caroline E., was a daughter of Capt. David and Elizabeth (Patillo) Thomas. She was born at Cottage Hall, parish of East Feliciana, LA., Nov 24, 1825, died in New Orleans, LA, 29 March 1908. Her father was a native of South Carolina and a soldier in the War of 1812, settling afterward in LA where he became a prominent planter.
Mrs. Merrick was secretary of the board of St. Ann's Asylum for Widows for 12 years, and in the constitutional convention of 1879 she with Mrs. Saxon petitioned the convention to remove those disabilities which restricted the independent action of women, and to grant them a vote in educational matters, since many were large tax payers. The convention gave them a public hearing, at which Mrs. Harriett Keating, of New York, and Mrs. Saxon spoke, and Mrs. Merrick made the concluding address. Her husband, Edwin Thomas Merrick - former Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, encouraged her to the undertaking which resulted in the concession which enabled women of 21 years and older to hold any managerial position under the school laws of the state.
Another constitutional convention was held in 1899 and another opportunity was afforded Mrs. Merrick and her associates to plead their cause. They begged for power for to sign notarial acts, to witness wills, to own their own wardrobes, to draw their own money from banks without written authorization from their husbands, and to exercise municipal suffrage. But the convention revoked the concessions granted in 1879, and gave in its place only the small privilege of voting when a question of imposing taxes came up, a privilege restricted to tax paying women. Mrs. Merrick continued to work for the enfranchisement of women in her own state and elsewhere. She was made honorary vice president for life of the Woman's Suffrage Association of LA when she resigned the presidency in 1900. For 10 years she was president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Louisiana, and was one of the first presidents of the Woman's general society of which she became honorary vice president.
She was the author of published stories of pronounce literary merit and of a volume of recollections of her own times entitled "Old Times in Dixie Land". She was a notable example of what a woman may do when actively interested in public and private benevolence, and at the same time maintain her position as a leader in domestic circles.
"She is clothed with strength and dignity." Proverbs 31:25a Hurrah for women who know their minds and speak them!
Zerelda Wallace is a great niece of my great grandfather, Nathaniel Chalfant. Corporal Nathan Chalfant served in the War of 1812 under her grandfather, Lt. Col. Presley Gray.Copied from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Zerelda G. Wallace
Zerelda Gray Sanders Wallace (August 6, 1817 – March 19, 1901) was a First Lady of Indiana, a contemporary of Susan B. Anthony, an early temperance and women's suffrage leader, a charter member of Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Indianapolis, and stepmother of Lew Wallace, author of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
Early life and family
Born Zerelda Gray Sanders, August 6, 1817 in Kentucky , she came to Indianapolis with her family in the early 1830s . She was a charter member of the Church of Christ in 1834 (later renamed Central Christian Church) which went on to be the "mother church" of all Disciples of Christ congregations in Indiana. She was elected the first president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union of Indiana in 1874 and was a member of the Equal Suffrage Society of Indiana.
She married David Wallace on December 25, 1836; they had six children, Mary, Ellen, Sanders, Jemina, Agnes and David. She was stepmother to Wallace's three sons from his first marriage to Esther French Test. Her stepsons were William, Lewis and Edward. David Wallace became the sixth governor of Indiana, serving from December 6, 1837 to December 9, 1840.
Temperance and suffrage leader
Zerelda spoke nationally on temperance and suffrage. On January 21, 1875, she testified before the Indiana General Assembly, presenting 21,050 signatures on temperance petitions from 47 counties. (Do you see that petitions have a long and effective history?) On January 23, 1880, Zerelda testified before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on women's right to vote. She died March 19, 1901 and is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
Zerelda Wallace became a temperance leader first in the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, when in 1883 she refused communion at Central Christian Church because of her convictions about alcohol. Her refusal eventually led to the use of grape juice rather than wine at communion celebrated during each worship service of the Disciples of Christ.
An Indiana State Historical Marker was erected in Zerelda Wallace's honor in 2004 along Fort Wayne Avenue in downtown Indianapolis on the grounds of the Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The marker is located on Fort Wayne Avenue, an angle street, in the block between Alabama and Delaware Streets. Indiana's first female lieutenant governor, Kathy Davis, led the dedication ceremony for the marker.
Caroline Thomas Merrick was the sister of my great, great, grandmother, Ellen Aurelia Thomas Miller. Here is a copied biography. The book that Caroline wrote in 1906 is available on line.Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Person in Cyclopedia Form, Vol. 5, pp. 298 - 299.
Merrick, Caroline E., was a daughter of Capt. David and Elizabeth (Patillo) Thomas. She was born at Cottage Hall, parish of East Feliciana, LA., Nov 24, 1825, died in New Orleans, LA, 29 March 1908. Her father was a native of South Carolina and a soldier in the War of 1812, settling afterward in LA where he became a prominent planter.
Mrs. Merrick was secretary of the board of St. Ann's Asylum for Widows for 12 years, and in the constitutional convention of 1879 she with Mrs. Saxon petitioned the convention to remove those disabilities which restricted the independent action of women, and to grant them a vote in educational matters, since many were large tax payers. The convention gave them a public hearing, at which Mrs. Harriett Keating, of New York, and Mrs. Saxon spoke, and Mrs. Merrick made the concluding address. Her husband, Edwin Thomas Merrick - former Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, encouraged her to the undertaking which resulted in the concession which enabled women of 21 years and older to hold any managerial position under the school laws of the state.
Another constitutional convention was held in 1899 and another opportunity was afforded Mrs. Merrick and her associates to plead their cause. They begged for power for to sign notarial acts, to witness wills, to own their own wardrobes, to draw their own money from banks without written authorization from their husbands, and to exercise municipal suffrage. But the convention revoked the concessions granted in 1879, and gave in its place only the small privilege of voting when a question of imposing taxes came up, a privilege restricted to tax paying women. Mrs. Merrick continued to work for the enfranchisement of women in her own state and elsewhere. She was made honorary vice president for life of the Woman's Suffrage Association of LA when she resigned the presidency in 1900. For 10 years she was president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Louisiana, and was one of the first presidents of the Woman's general society of which she became honorary vice president.
She was the author of published stories of pronounce literary merit and of a volume of recollections of her own times entitled "Old Times in Dixie Land". She was a notable example of what a woman may do when actively interested in public and private benevolence, and at the same time maintain her position as a leader in domestic circles.
"She is clothed with strength and dignity." Proverbs 31:25a Hurrah for women who know their minds and speak them!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Prince Caspian
We went to see PRINCE CASPIAN yesterday. Movieguide gave it 4 *'s (their highest rating and +1 for acceptablity) and found it to be an exciting, fantastic epic in the tradition of LORD OF THE RINGS. (Like LOTR it is basically a war/battle movie with some good lines and beautiful scenery.) Despite some loose ends, it re-imagines the C. S. Lewis book’s story, which is about having faith in God through the Christ figure of Aslan. (Aslan does not appear as much in the film as He does in the book which is too bad.) Ultimately it is God who determines the future of Narnia (and of America). MOVIEGUIDE® commends the filmmakers for being faithful to the book’s spiritually uplifting, redemptive themes. They turned a complex plot into an exciting adventure.
I am a Christian
In recent days I have run across several versions of the poem, When I say, "I am a Christian."
Here is the original poem.
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not shouting, "I've been saved!"I'm whispering, "I get lost! That's why I chose this way"
When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't speak with human pride I'm confessing that I stumble-needing God to be my guide
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not trying to be strong, I'm professing that I'm weak and pray for strength to carry on
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success,
I'm admitting that I've failed and cannot ever pay the debt
When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't think I know it all, I submit to my confusion asking humbly to be taught
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect, my flaws are far too visible but God believes I'm worth it
When I say, "I am a Christian," I still feel the sting of pain, I have my share of heartache which is why I seek His name
When I say, "I am a Christian," I do not wish to judge, I have no authority--I only know I'm loved. Copyright 1988 Carol Wimmer
Next is the version, incorrectly attributed to Maya Angelou, I posted in a letter sent to friends and family.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin'' I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.
When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect, My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain.. I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou, I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!'
Graham Weeks posted it this way and said, "I received this from an Afghan Christian friend who is suffering for his faith."
When I say, "I Am A Christian - A Follower of Jesus Christ" ... I am not screaming that I am HOLY! - I am only whispering that I was lost and now I am found and forgiven.
When I say, "I Am A Christian" ... I am not saying this with pride. I am only confessing that I slip and I am a sinner and I need Christ to guide me.
When I say, "I Am A Christian" ... I am not trying to be strong. I only confess that I am weak and to continue my life I need His Power.
When I say, "I Am A Christian" ... I am not proud of my achievements. I only accept that I have failed and need God to fix my life and my wrong doings.
When I say, "I Am A Christian" ... I am not claiming to be perfect. My weaknesses and failures are obvious, but God values me.
When I say, "I Am A Christian" ... I am not immune to pain and suffering. I have my share of pain and suffering, so I trust in His Name.
When I say, "I Am A Christian" ... I am not saying I am holier than you. I am nothing but a sinner who has received the Grace of God - His forgiveness through Jesus Christ. "
I must say like Graham, I like the last version best and thank God I can say, I am a Christian.
This quote goes well with it.
For whatever reason God chose to make man as he is--limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death--He had the honesty and courage to take His own medicine. Whatever game He is playing with His creation, He has kept His own rules and played fair. He can exact nothing from man that He has not exacted from Himself. He has Himself gone through the whole of human experience, from the trivial irritations of family life and the cramping restrictions of hard work and lack of money to the worst horrors of pain and humiliation, defeat, despair, and death. When He was a man, He played the man. He was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought it was well worthwhile.... Dorothy L. Sayers, Christian Letters to a Post- Christian World [1969]
Here is the original poem.
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not shouting, "I've been saved!"I'm whispering, "I get lost! That's why I chose this way"
When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't speak with human pride I'm confessing that I stumble-needing God to be my guide
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not trying to be strong, I'm professing that I'm weak and pray for strength to carry on
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success,
I'm admitting that I've failed and cannot ever pay the debt
When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't think I know it all, I submit to my confusion asking humbly to be taught
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect, my flaws are far too visible but God believes I'm worth it
When I say, "I am a Christian," I still feel the sting of pain, I have my share of heartache which is why I seek His name
When I say, "I am a Christian," I do not wish to judge, I have no authority--I only know I'm loved. Copyright 1988 Carol Wimmer
Next is the version, incorrectly attributed to Maya Angelou, I posted in a letter sent to friends and family.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin'' I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.
When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect, My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain.. I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou, I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!'
Graham Weeks posted it this way and said, "I received this from an Afghan Christian friend who is suffering for his faith."
When I say, "I Am A Christian - A Follower of Jesus Christ" ... I am not screaming that I am HOLY! - I am only whispering that I was lost and now I am found and forgiven.
When I say, "I Am A Christian" ... I am not saying this with pride. I am only confessing that I slip and I am a sinner and I need Christ to guide me.
When I say, "I Am A Christian" ... I am not trying to be strong. I only confess that I am weak and to continue my life I need His Power.
When I say, "I Am A Christian" ... I am not proud of my achievements. I only accept that I have failed and need God to fix my life and my wrong doings.
When I say, "I Am A Christian" ... I am not claiming to be perfect. My weaknesses and failures are obvious, but God values me.
When I say, "I Am A Christian" ... I am not immune to pain and suffering. I have my share of pain and suffering, so I trust in His Name.
When I say, "I Am A Christian" ... I am not saying I am holier than you. I am nothing but a sinner who has received the Grace of God - His forgiveness through Jesus Christ. "
I must say like Graham, I like the last version best and thank God I can say, I am a Christian.
This quote goes well with it.
For whatever reason God chose to make man as he is--limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death--He had the honesty and courage to take His own medicine. Whatever game He is playing with His creation, He has kept His own rules and played fair. He can exact nothing from man that He has not exacted from Himself. He has Himself gone through the whole of human experience, from the trivial irritations of family life and the cramping restrictions of hard work and lack of money to the worst horrors of pain and humiliation, defeat, despair, and death. When He was a man, He played the man. He was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought it was well worthwhile.... Dorothy L. Sayers, Christian Letters to a Post- Christian World [1969]
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Bear Story
Today I would love to be a bear. This was an email I received from a cousin. The writer must have shared it as part of her Sunday School lesson. Forget the reincarnation junk and smile.
"Hey ladies! Several of you asked for the bear story from my lesson yesterday, (glad you go for the spiritual stuff ), so here it is...In this life I'm a woman.
In my next life, I'd like to come back as a bear. When you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.
Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that too.
When you're a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.
If you're a mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I could deal with that.
If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.
Yup---gonna be a bear."
"Hey ladies! Several of you asked for the bear story from my lesson yesterday, (glad you go for the spiritual stuff ), so here it is...In this life I'm a woman.
In my next life, I'd like to come back as a bear. When you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.
Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that too.
When you're a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.
If you're a mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I could deal with that.
If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.
Yup---gonna be a bear."
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