Thursday, March 31, 2005

Dawn's Interview Questions

Continuing the interview game, Dawn posted these questions for me to answer:

1) If you had to choose a part of your body to be in pain for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I would choose my left arm or hand. I guess it depends if the pain leaves it functional or disabled completely.

2) If you had to pick a place on your body to get pierced except for your ears, what would it be?
Nowhere. Is that an option? I have my ears pierced once. I have no idea what I would choose if I had to get someplace pierced. Definately not my face.

3) If you had to have a physical disability, what would it be?
I would choose to be deaf. It would be hard to loose the use of any body parts, but I think I could adjust the best to being deaf. I would seriously miss music and hearing laughter.

4) If you had to have cosmetic surgery, where would you have it done?
Cosmetic? Does that include the backside? I may have some pounds removed...

5) If you could buff up any part of your body instantly, what would it be? Only ONE part is allowed.
My legs.

Thanks Dawn!!!

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Puppy Love

It is happening. My house is full of the feeling of love- puppy love. Not towards any person... but true puppy love! We are going to look at Golden Retrievers tonight! We are so excited!!! It has been almost 7 months since our beloved Spaniel died.

Grief has passed and we want a puppy. Many hours have been spent talking about what it takes to raise a dog, what it costs and who will do what. The most exciting, giggle ptoducing topic has been a name for her. So far, these are the options:
- Brutus
- Fifi
- Pebbles
- Asante Sana
- Goldie
- Spike
- Chuckles
- Ask Her (yes, I am not kidding)

None of which excite any of us. Well, except the goofy, giggling people under 10 (and under 18!) who have thought of them. Personally, I have to see the dog before I would name it. Updates are sure to follow!

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Passover

Imagine. Today is a normal holiday for your people. You spend all day preparing a great feast that you will celebrate with friends and family. Except you are not with your family. You are with Jesus. You are sitting down to the feast of all feasts. The conversation is lively.

Everyone is talking about all that they have seen Him do the last three years:

Heal the sick. Do you remember that one time he spit in the mud and put it on the blind man's eyes? The man washed in the pool and could see! Do you remember the time ten lepers were healed and only one said thank you? Do you remember the little boy that was dead? He was dead and with a few words he was alive! Do you remember the centurion that came to Jesus wanting his servant to be healed? We were no where near the servant and Jesus healed him. It was even reported to us later that at the very time were talking to the man his servant was healed! There were countless other healings... bleeding woman, deaf, blind, mute, demon possessed... Do you remember???

Do the extraordinary. Do you remember the time Jesus fed thousands of people with that little boy's lunch? There had to be 5,000 men, not to mention all of their wives, the widows and the mobs of children! We all walked away full. Do you remember that time when Jesus walked on water? Sure, heal the sick, multiply the food, but whoever heard of walking on water, Jesus? Wait, do you remember when there was that huge storm? Jesus, You were asleep, man! We woke Him up and He told the storm to stop. Just like that, no more thunder, no more lightning, no more rain! Do you remember???

Silence the religious. Do you remember the times when those religious men would ask Jesus questions? Ha! He silenced them every time! They came to Him with their unrattainable rules and regulations. Jesus answered them with the fulfillment of the law- HImself! When we take over, then they will really have to be quiet! Do you remember???

Then you think, Wait, Jesus is getting up. He has been silent most of the conversation. What is He doing? No, it cannot be. He is bending down to wash John's feet! He cannot do this!!! This job is for the servant! What? He is saying that HE is our servant. He is moving closer to me. NO, I will not let Him wash my feet. Here is the one who has silenced the storms and raised the dead, now He wants to wash my feet???

The tears start to pour down your face as He slips off your sandals and touches your feet. He looks deep into your eyes. His eyes are sharp, focused and yet... troubled. His hands are gentle as He washes the dirt and filth off of your feet. Feet that have walked with Him for three years. Feet that have followed Him wherever He has gone. Feet, unknown to you, that will soon desert Him. He finishes, redresses and sits down.

Now He is speaking words you do not quite comprehend. You try to listen, but are confused. He says that we should do as He has just done, He is our servant, someone will betray Him, someone will deny Him, He has to die, Peter will deny Him?, He is leaving, He will come back, He is sending a Counselor and He must obey His Father.

Now He lifts the third cup- The Cup of Redemption. He is saying that it is His blood. Wait a minute, this is not in the Passover script! Your father and grandfather never said these words. Now He lifts the afikomen and says it is His body that was broken for us. He is the fulfillment of the law!!! He is the Messiah!

You are speechless. Never in your life have you heard someone speak with such authority and power over everything. For generations your people have been waiting for the Messiah. Here He sits. Flesh and blood before your eyes. You do not understand all He has said about dying and leaving. He is here for now.

Now Jesus stands to go. He heads to His beloved garden and you follow, silent.

Matthew 26 - Mark 14 - Luke 22 - John 13

Itch to Travel

Ben and I have been home from Africa for 2 months. Time to plan another trip. We are discussing the possibility of spending the summer of 2006 in our beloved Romania. We have both been to Romania several times and feel God wants us to return. Can I wait a year???

I guess I'll have to.

The other possibility is China. Or back to Africa. Part of me would love to go to China and experience something new. It would be awesome to go back to Africa for the second time... but there is a nagging in me to head again to Romania. The doors are wide open now that communism is gone. The doors are also swinging shut as Romanians are being influenced by every major religion in the world.

Whatever God decides, I hope He puts me on foreign soil for more than 2 weeks.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Interview Game

I will pose a set of questions. Only one person can answer the initial questions I post, either in my comments or on your blog (which you must inform me in my comments that you have done so!). If anyone else wants a set of questions, ask me in my comments and I will give you your own set of questions. You must post your answers on your blog and if you wish, continue the game by allowing people to ask you for questions to answer. If you do not have a blog, just answer in my comments. Make sense?

Here it goes...

1.) If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do?

2.) If you could write a book, what would it be about and what is its title?

3.) What was your greatest fear when you were 10?

4.) Describe your idea of a perfect meal. (Food, atmosphere and all!)

5.) Would you rather eat one fly or 5 sticks of butter?

The game has now begun!

Monday, March 21, 2005

Examples of why English is so hard to learn...

And this is my first language...

Word Wars
Try to read these outloud as fast as you can!

1- The bandage was wound around the wound.
2- The farm was used to produce produce.
3- The dump was so full that it had to refuse refuse.
4- The soldier decised to desert his dessert in the desert.
5- Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
6- They were too close to the door to close it.
7- After a number of injections my jaw got number.
8- A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
9- The buck does funny things when the does are present.
10- When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

Word Confusion
1- There is not egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. (and we wonder why kids refuse to eat things...)
2- Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
3- Quicksand works slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither a pig nor from Guinea.
4- Why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
5- If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth?
6- If teachers taught, why don't preachers praught?
7- If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
8- How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?
9- In English, your house can burn up as it burns down, you fill in a form by filling it out and an alarm goes off by going on.
10- Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick"?

(I read some of these to a Romanian woman who has lived in the United States for 13 years. She laughed and said "It is true!")

Thursday, March 17, 2005

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

So, why do we celebrate St. Patrick? What did he do to have a holiday named after him? It is about green beer and little men? Did he chase all the snakes out of Ireland? Did he find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow? Not really. There is SO much more behind a man that lived and died over 1,500 years ago!

As promised, here are the answers to the quiz posted earlier this week:

1.) St. Patricks Day, historically, includes which of the following: (answers in bold)
- Green Beer
- Pirates
- Leprechauns
- Scotland
- Pots of Gold
- Rainbows
- Maewyn Susscat
- Pigs
- God of the Bible
- Ireland
- Dreams
- Shamrocks
- Salvin McDowell
- Roman Empire

2.) True or false: TRUE
St. Patrick was not officially endorsed as a "saint" by the Catholic Church.

3.) True or false: TRUE
St. Patrick was kidnapped by pirates.

4.) True or false: FALSE
St. Patrick's real name is Salvin McDowell.

5.) True or false: TRUE
St. Patrick was known to pray over 100 times a day.

6.) True or false: TRUE
St. Patrick lived during the Roman Empire.

History of St. Patrick

Maewyn Susscat, better known today as St. Patrick, was born in Scotland around 360 A.D. during the time of the Roman Empire. When he was sixteen years old he was kidnapped by Irish pirates and sold as a slave in Ireland. While spending months tending sheep and pigs, isolated from other humans, he cried out to God. He remembered all he had been taught about the God of the Bible. He confessed his wrongs to God, believed in Jesus and asked God to forgive him.

During his six years as a slave, he grew close to God. He even documented praying over 100 times a day and almost as many times through the night. He wrote many songs, prayers and sermons. One night he had a dream that God was telling him to escape and return home. So he did. He fled that night and walked for 200 miles to reach the shore or Ireland.

When he arrived at the coast, he begged a captain to let him board, promising that his family would pay once he was home. The captain refused. Maewyn began to pray fervently. While he was praying a crewman came up to him and said that the captain had changed his mind. Maeywn climbed aboard and the ship set sail!

After three days the ship landed. They saw no people and no houses. They had gone astray in the voyage. For a month they journeyed, trying to find out where they were and how to get home. They were weary, out of food and lost. The captain, who had ridiculed Maewyn for his faith in God, mockingly asked Maewyn to pray to his "all-powerful God" for food. And Maewyn did. Moments after Maewyn finished his prayer, a herd of pigs appeared. God had answered his prayers. The captain believed in God and they had a feast!

They walked for several more days before finding civilization. They were each directed to their homeland and parted ways. Before Maewyn returned to Scotland, he spent time under the teaching of Bishop Germanus of Auxerre. While a slave, he had craved to read God's Word, the Bible, for himself. He spent several months studying the Bible and memorizing large portions. Then he went home.

Many years passed. One night he had a dream. He dreamed the people of Ireland were asking him to come back and tell them about God. Maewyn knew that if he went back he would be risking his life. But, he obeyed God's call and went back to Ireland. He preached the salvation of Jesus Christ, freedom from sin and heaven as the hope. He used the rainbow to remind people of God's faithfulness and the shamrock to teach people of the Trinity. He baptized tens of thousands of people who believed in Jesus and established hundreds of churches throughout Ireland. He lived there for 30 years, was given the name "Patrick" and served the Irish faithfully until he died. He died in his mid-seventies on March 17th.

In one century the pagan land of Ireland became predominately Christian. Such vigorous faith grew that Ireland in turn sent out missionaries to Scotland, England, France, Germany, and Belgium. The land which once enslaved him, he had set free.

As an old man, Patrick looked back in awe:
"Those who never had a knowledge of God but worshipped idols and things impure, have now become a people of the Lord, sons of God."

There are numberous other things that could be said about this great man of God. He was humble, referring to himself as "the sinner". He was bold. He was passionate. He loved God.

Without St. Patrick's obedience to God and his love for Jesus Christ, we would have no holiday today. There would be no parades. There would be no pinching. There would be no corned beef. Let us all remember to celebrate today for the right reasons- God's love for the people of Ireland and Maewyn Susscat's love for God!

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Oranges, Carrots and Cheese

I have decided. I am addicted. What to, you might ask? Hi, my name is Jaclyn and I am addicted to oranges, carrots and cheese. There, it is off my chest. Phew, I feel much better!

There is not a day that goes by that I do not eat one, if not two... or three of these foods. I have consumed an orange already this morning. I am working on the carrots. In a few minutes I will attack the cheese.

Maybe it's the color.

Carrots
Now, out of these three foods, I am teased mercilessly about my love for carrots. YET, I am not the only crazy one. At least I was not soooo addicted that I named my blog after them! ;-) Queen of Carrots is a fellow carrot fan!

What do you love about carrots, people ask. I love the flavor. I love the color. I love the texture. Did you know that you can tell what a carrot will taste like before you bite into it? If it is not as orange as others and a little stiff, then it will be bitter and taste like dirt. If it is softer and really orange, it will be sweet and have an awesome flavor!

Oranges
I LOVE oranges. If oranges are somewhat soft to the touch and easy to peel, they will taste great. It is a sad day when the orange you are eating is bitter or has a great lack of oranginess (I doubt that is a word!).

Cheese
Cheese makes almost anyting taste better. (Well, maybe except for oatmeal. There is nothing that will make oatmeal taste better!) I could eat cheese all day. Cheddar, Sharp, Pepper Jack, Motz, Swiss, American, etc. Cheese on casseroles, cheese in soup, cheese and crackers, cheese balls, cheese sauce and best of all- cheese PLAIN!

So there you have it. My addictions are out in the open. Do I want help? Nah...

Monday, March 14, 2005

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Aye, Laddies and Lasses!

Me had a great time at the St. Pat's Day Parade dis weekend! Me and me friends walked around the grounds talking to people about St. Patrick and handing out a tract with his history on it. Aye, we had so much fun!

So, how much do YOU know about St. Patrick? Who was he? What did he do to get a holiday named after him?

Reply to the following quiz in my comments. On Thursday, St. Patrick's Day, I will give you the answers and his history.

1.) St. Patricks Day, historically, includes which of the following:
- Green Beer
- Pirates
- Leprechauns
- Scotland
- Pots of Gold
- Rainbows
- Maewyn Susscat
- Pigs
- God of the Bible
- Ireland
- Dreams
- Shamrocks
- Salvin McDowell
- Roman Empire

2.) True or false:
St. Patrick was not officially endorsed as a "saint" by the Catholic Church.

3.) True or false:
St. Patrick was kidnapped by pirates.

4.) True or false:
St. Patrick's real name is Salvin McDowell.

5.) True or false:
St. Patrick was known to pray over 100 times a day.

6.) True or false:
St. Patrick lived during the Roman Empire.

So, there are your questions!

(OH, dear, does this prove my Mr. Potato Headedness???)

Friday, March 11, 2005

Mr. Potato Head!

I took the "What Type of Homeschooler Are You? Quiz" this morning. Yes, it is true, I walked away with the title of "Mr. Potato Head". The description of me is as follows:

You have your ideal of how things should look, but you’re flexible enough to allow for change. You are not bothered by changing methods, mid-course if necessary. You use an eclectic combination of curriculum sources.

I think it describes my experience as a homeschooled child and my mom's approach to homeschooling. Since I have no children of my own yet, I will be interested to see if this is how I will still be in 10 years! I think it describes me well!!! I need to work a little more on the flexibility part. I tend to resist change. ;-) I DO like creative teaching tools and a variety of them!

So, I could not leave this post without teasing those that ask silly questions of homeschooling families. I love answering these questions: (and these are NOT the answers I give, but I think they are what people expect to hear!)

1.) Do you get to do school in your pajamas?- Sure! ::puzzled:: Don't YOU?

2.) Where do you make friends?- ::tears:: Friends? Homeschoolers don't have friends.

3.) How can you be "salt and light"?- I thought Jesus said to be hermits!

4.) Homeschooled children are sheltered.- I sit at home, starring at the wall most days, wondering what the world looks like outside.

5.) Homeschooled children are not socialized.- Mommy, I don't want to play with other kids or talk to adults, I would rather read the dictionary, Mommy!

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

The "Otherness" of God

"Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say: My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please."
Isaiah 46:9-10

There are many verses that proclaim the "Otherness" of God. There are countless MORE verses that describe the characteristics of the "Otherness" of God. What am I thinking when I say the "Otherness of God"?

* There are NONE that compare to Him!
* He ALONE holds all authority and power over EVERYTHING seen and unseen, concrete and abstract, philosophical and simple.
* He is does WHATEVER He pleases, without consulting anyone.
* His acts are based on His PERFECTION and no one can say to Him, "What have you done?"
* He is eternally HAPPY in who He is and what He does.
* He lacks NOTHING.
* He IS!

THAT is what I mean when I say the "Otherness" of God. He is "Other" than anything I have ever seen, tasted, touched or imagined! Now, with that thought, picture the excitement and plea in the following Scripture (emphasis mine):

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touchedTHIS we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us."
1 John 1:1-2

These words were penned by the very BROTHER of the glory of God- Jesus! He SAW the "Otherness" of God with his own eyes. He walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus, listened to Jesus and touched Jesus- and now TESTIFIES to us and urges us to know Jesus Christ, the full OTHERNESS of God crammed into flesh and bone!

Can you even begin to fathom this??? I cannot. I am blown away by God's supremacy and sovereignty every time I try to comprehend it. It is NO wonder every need will and MUST bow before God's throne. I'd rather go to my knees in humility and repentance now than to be forced to when I see Him face to face.

Praise be to the Lamb that was slain and to the Father who is like no other!

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Things Every Woman Should Know...

A couple years ago I bought a book by Doug Fields called "365 Things Every Woman Should Know". It is comical and serious! I thought I would share some with you...

Every Woman Should Know...
2. dead insects are basically harmless.

7. men love to show their strength by opening "too tight" lids.

12. monday Night Football is a disease.

22. to shut the curtains when doing aerobics in front of the television.

42. the difference between dropping hints and nagging.

46. her faith, not society, should define her role as a woman.

54. how to duplicate her faith in the life of a young girl.

73. lotion prevents snags while putting on pantyhose.

112. the names of a few professional athletes.

115. quality men do not manipulate for personal gain.

136. how to unclog the toilet.

138. which ties can be machine washed.

155. when she has said too much.

160. how to lift a car hood.

183. how to de-ice a car window.

208. thinking like a man won't help.

215. how to read a treasure map.

231. housework can be considered exercise.

257. mothers remember everything they hear.

272. how to look natural while wearing makeup.

287. how to allow a man to be a man.

289. people who gossip to her will gossip about her.

311. how to deligate responsibilities.

321. compromise does not mean giving up.

346. to resist the urge to rub it in when she is right.

354. children are washable.

And my favorite...
365. it is not fancy hair, gold jewelry or fine clothes that should make you beautiful. No, your beauty should come from within you... this beauty will never disappear, and it is worth very much to God. (From 1 Peter 3:3-4)

Monday, March 07, 2005

10 Things I Bet YOU Have Never Done (or Seen)

1.) Served as a dental assistant in Romania, pulling teeth left and right, with roosters and pigs outside the window and a rooster walking into the dental office for a visit.

2.) Seen your baby brother, 21 years your junior, be born.

3.) Got a room of 50 people to hang spoons on their nose.

4.) Been drenched by a horrendous downpour at midnight in Austria while you are trying to "see" some tourist sights. (There were 8 other people with me...)

5.) Attained insurance licenses at the age of 18.

6.) Sat in a secret meeting watching your dad be forced to resign. (At the hand of the pastor and head deacon...)

7.) Babysat a 4 year old girl in the hospital while she received treatment for cancer.

8.) Had a personal tour of the United States Capital, seen all offices and been on the floor of the House of Representatives.

9.) Been apart of a crowd in 2 movies.

10.) Have a brother who will graduate highschool and at the same time be a junior in college. (Homeschool highfive! :::clap:::)

And a bonus one...
11.) Been told you look like Cindy Crawford by a homeless man you are giving a tract to.

Some of those are really lame. I have done some more things that I think are unique, but usually there are people doing it with me! Like eating boiled goat prepared by the Maasai tribe I visited in Africa or being yelled at for wearing capris in a monastery by a nun that looks 100 years old.

Weekend Whirlwind

Good morning!

It is a brand new day! The sun is shining and I am feeling great! We had a busy weekend, full of adventure and excitement! I wish I had got more done, but am thankful for the relaxation that I experienced.

Blind Cleaning Feat: (With some dumb mistakes ;-)
1.) Cleaned my desk off- THEN took down the dusty curtains and blinds right above the desk to wash them, making the desk a filthy mess again.
2.) Carried the blinds, fully extended, to the bathtub to wash- DUH, they were a little long and I got covered in dust in the process.
3.) Took the blinds outside to wash- WITH my socks on, which subsequently got soaked.
4.) Realized that A.) I had to dry the blinds by hand, B.) Hold them in the wind until they dried or C.) Design a way to hang them from the overhang on the back porch.
5.) Got my dad to hold the blinds while I went to get bungie cords.
6.) Came back to a wet dad.
7.) Attached the bungie cords to the blinds and overhang.
8.) Came back 10 minutes later to clean blinds!!!

I am SURE that there is more light coming through my blinds now that they are clean! My curtains are clean and smell fresh too! Now, for the rest of the room...

Saturday, March 05, 2005

Long Day

Today was a long day. Maybe that is because I had a short night! I was up until 1:30AM last night sewing Victoria's Easter dress. It remains sleeveless... I was was too tired to tackle that fun job. The dress looks absolutely adorable on her. Then again, everything looks cute on a seven year old with long blonde hair and beautiful blues eyes! I awoke and dawdled a little. The rest of my day was spent cleaning. I cleaned the blinds in my room and my parent's room, washed my curtains, vacuumed, cleaned up the kitchen and cleaned up me! It felt sooo good to get things done! I finished the day with a journey up north to a friend's house for small groups. We discussed everything from nursing to confessing sin. Wonderful time! Now, I am beat and ready for bed! And wondering why I cannot hit enter to seperate the paragraphs. Oh well, I will research that tomorrow! Goodnight!

Thursday, March 03, 2005

Hair Cutting Fest!

Tuesday was the day. I got my hair cut. There was hair all over me, all over the floor and all over the hairdresser! The only place there was not as much hair... was on my head! At least that is what I thought. I am on day two of the new look and I am loving it! The bangs are still a little long, which I will remidy with a visit back to the hairdresser today.

Dawn has cut her hair as well, although hers was a mite more drastic than mine! I am glad that we like what we have done. A woman who does not like her hair is a woman who is not herself!!! Well, I start to feel that way.

Anyway, enough of the hair story. I had a wonderful morning!!! I woke up refreshed and ready to face the world. Philippians 2 was my passage for this morning... along with Numbers 3 and 4. Why do we brush over the Old Testament so much? Personally, I love the Old Testament and am continually learning the beauty and the depth of the relationship between the Old and the New. Numbers 3 and 4 speak of the Tabernacle. Philippians 2 talks of the supremacy of Christ. Both are important, both are holy, both are beautiful!

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

My Very Own Blog

I did it. I started my own blog. I do have another one that I share with my brother (jaclynandben.blogspot.com), but this is my own! :-) I will continue to post on "Worship Driven Missions" about my passion for reaching the world. That site will also remain the blog where we will update people on our journeys overseas! This blog will be for more personal and lighthearted thoughts! Enjoy!