The coming of students.

Well. It has begun. The coming of students. It happens every fall. Every fall we have the influx of freshmen, and with freshmen come parents and siblings and stuff beyond all power to comprehend. With freshmen comes more cars than our poor little parking lot can handle and the inability to drive in our only somewhat convoluted parking lot.
Before the freshmen even get here the craziness starts with insane set ups by the most fantastic greatest Conference Services crew (my second, third or fourth job, depending on how you count). This year it was a skeleton crew as we had two off playing soccer, three FYE leaders, an ASBSU rep, one off to the mail-room and a vacationer. That means that we set the gym the first couple of times last week with five people. We did a set up that included matting the entire gym floor, setting up the stage, four recs (rectangular tables), 11 pieces of lattice and cramming 56 round tables with eight rather large chapel chairs around each table with five crew members. It was a feat of genius. ANYWAY. The set ups and tear downs and moves have been RIDICULOUS this weekend. I've worked eight hours every day for the past week. It makes for a wonderful paycheck, but I'm so bruised I look like a dalmatian.
The parents of all the freshmen are the worst on campus when it comes to driving, they don't follow the speed limit (there's something wrong when the campus safety officer is begging you to go faster) choosing to go five mph instead of the 15 mph we're allowed as they gape at the people working or the buildings or whatever it is that they're looking at. AND, they drive the wrong way in my parking lot. The sign says 'Right Turn Only'. Not, "please, go straight here so that you're headed the WRONG way along the dorm parking lot while you don't look where you're going because you're trying to get to the dorm so you're craning your neck to see the name and then WHOOPS!!! Almost ran over the CS crew on the Juice who have already been working for five hours in this triple digit weather!!!" Yes, it annoys me.
By now the parents have left (or were supposed to have left). And today is the day that the rest of the students come back. For some of them I'm really excited. For most of them I just wish they'd go away so I can park somewhere remotely close to my dorm. Sometimes I think it would be worth it to be an RA just to have my own parking spot.
Tomorrow the freshmen have all this stuff they have to do, and those students who didn't arrive yesterday will get here to find the parking lot so full they can't back up to unload their stuff, their roommate here and only a third instead of half of their room to shove all their stuff into. I also have to work tomorrow morning all by myself again. It shouldn't be too big a deal, it just means that I have to be everywhere at once which is never fun.
Classes start on Tuesday. SUPER excited!!!! REALLY nervous - this is my senior year. I just can't get over that. This is my senior year. I am a senior in college. I have two semesters left and then I'm done. With college. I am on my way to being a college graduate. Its weird.
All of which to say that I'm back in Redding getting ready to start classes and that the posting will happen with some amount of regularity again. Just so you know.
The trivia could come back...it depends on who cares to answer.
I'm looking forward to updating you all on my life as I attend classes and work this fall, on my second to last semester. (Again, WEIRD.)
LOVE YOU!!!
Skippy

Wanted to share some pretty FABULOUS slightly (ahem) sarcastic quotes to brighten your day!!! Remember not to take yourself too seriously, no one else does.

Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me the hell alone.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.

Its always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor’s newspaper, that's the time to do it.

Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.

If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is probably not for you.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably a wise investment.

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.

Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

The quickest way to double your money is to sold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

A closed mouth gathers no foot.

Duct tape is like 'The Force.' It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

Never miss a good chance to shut up.

Be who you are say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.

SONG

Song: “n. 1. short metrical composition intended or adapted for singing, esp. one in rhymed stanzas. 2. poetical composition; poetry. 3. the art or act of singing; vocal music.” Music: “n. an art of sound in time that expresses ides and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and dynamics.” According to Mr. Webster, ‘music’ and ‘song’ are similar, as they will be for the purpose of this paper. Today the distinction is made between Song and song. Today, music and song will be what Webster states it as: “sound in time that expresses ides and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and dynamics.” And Song will be not only the countless songs I have known, sung, listened to and played myself over the years, but the way the wind moves through the trees and the glorious sound of community. Song is the crescendo of instruments in perfect tune and the voice of my best friend as she reads scripture. Song is the perfection with which some authors write their books and the encouraging notes I receive from friends. Song is not just voice, although that has been a significant part of it. Song is a language, an emotion, a state of mind, and an expression. It is all encompassing and yet the most exclusive thing I have ever known. Song, is complicated; and Song is simple. Song is perfectly balanced, and incredibly intuitive. Song just is.
Song has a great significance for me. My mother once said “Singing is breathing for us.” She’s right, I’ve sung my whole life, I don’t remember a time before there was song. The song has just always been, always. My father was a music minister for thirty years; my mother played the piano. I sang in church from the time I could speak, I’m fairly certain that my Dad taught me to sing before he taught me to talk. Throughout my life many things have changed, most of them in the past three years. Since I graduated High School my father has passed away, my mother and I have moved out of the home I had lived in my entire life; going to church (let alone singing in church) has become a sporadic event, and I have questioned my faith and the God that I have believed in and have loved for 13 years. And through all of that, two things have remained the same: the God I questioned, and the Song I carried in my soul. More often than not, it is that Song that carries me back to God. In the same way that Song used to carry me back to God, it continues to draw me in, opening my mind and my heart to God’s presence, making it okay for me to search for Him. Song can pull me into God, even when I am desperately running the other way. Song expresses to me the emotions and thoughts of God that I cannot seem to feel or understand. It allows me to express to God the way I feel and what I think when I cannot seem to find the words. Song is the way that I am able to openly communicate with God. In Song I am most open, and Song is the best mode for me to convey my inner self – especially to God. “Song is the best and only true expression of the human soul, especially this human soul.”
Song is ever changing, yet completely constant; more or less, good or bad, loud or soft, in tune or off key – it is continually shifting and yet is relentlessly the same essence. This is extremely significant to me because I get very frustrated when something is repeated without variation; and yet – I need the consistency of the same medium and of my understanding of that medium. Each time I listen to a song I hear something different: another instrument or recurring melodic phrase, another lyric or artist intonation, another sound. The song resounds repeatedly, each a unique part of a united whole. This resonates with me because in the same way that I hear a new sound in a song, through Song I hear, see, and learn a different strain of God. Song shows me the lessons about God that I have not fully learned; pointing out the parts of God I should be focusing on, and the promises that He has made.
The lines of song that impact me the most are the lines that are straight from scripture. There are countless songs that are taken straight from scripture. The Psalms in particular are a great source of song lyrics, mostly because they are songs themselves. Just as there countless biblical songs, there are two works that demonstrate Song and speak directly of the Singer. The first is an actual song call ‘The Singer” by David Phelps. Here are some of the lyrics:

The music began at His command and the Singer drew his breath
The melody rose and dawned on the land and pierced the emptiness
And from a barren and lonely place life began to spring
As on the stage of time and space God threw back His head and began to sing
Let there be light /Invade the darkness, fill up the void, replace the noise, with sweet harmony
Let there be joy, and echoes of laughter
And the Singer sings on and still writes the song of the redeemed
Though beautifully sung, the song went unheard and darkness returned again
But God had a plan in the second verse to win back the hearts of man
A star rose up in the eastern sky that night in Bethlehem
And as the baby Jesus cried God sang out His song and the angels joined in
And every time a soul receives that joyful Christmas song
He rises from His throne and all creation sings along

The second is actually from a well known book.

“In the darkness something was happening at last. A voice had begun to sing. … Sometimes it seemed to come from all directions at once. Sometimes he almost thought it was coming out of the earth beneath them. Its lower notes were deep enough to be the voice of the earth herself. There were no words. There was hardly even a tune. But it was, beyond comparison, the most beautiful noise he had ever heard. It was so beautiful he could hardly bear it. … the voice was suddenly joined by other voices; more voices than you could possibly count. They were in harmony with it, but far higher up the scale: cold, tingling, silvery voices. The second wonder was that the blackness overhead, all at once, was blazing with stars. They didn’t come out gently one by one, as they do on a summer evening. One moment there had been nothing but darkness; next moment a thousand, thousand points of light leapt out…you would have felt quite certain that it was the stars themselves which were singing, and that it was the First Voice, the deep one, which had made them appear and made them sing. … The Voice rose and rose, till all the air was shaking with it. And just as it swelled to the mightiest and most glorious sound it had yet produced, the sun arose. … The earth was of many colours: they were fresh, hot and vivid. They made you feel excited; until you saw the Singer himself, and then you forgot everything else.”

C.S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew. I included this section to demonstrate that this is not simply Lewis writing about Song, this writing IS Song. It’s a perfect example of Song not being music. It’s a perfect example of how reading a section of a book sends chills down my spine and makes my heart race. Both of these inserts are about the Singer and how He sang the world into being. The Creation story as told in Genesis are lyrics (so to speak) and David Phelps’ “The Singer” and C.S. Lewis’s prose are the melody and the harmony that take those lyrics from words on a page to real and tangible life that you can feel all the way down to your soul.

HISTORY OF SONG
I grew up in Southern Baptist churches where the standard service would begin with two praise songs and three hymns followed by an offertory hymn, the sermon, and a hymn or praise song for the benediction. Music was never discussed as anything more than music in my church; although we did talk a lot about the fact that musical talent was a gift of God and a gift not everyone had. We also talked about the people who have that gift being called to share it with everyone, and the way that everyone is blessed when those talented members share their gifts with the whole church. Song as I define it, my Song, was a non issue at my church: never encouraged, never discouraged – just never discussed. My family is where my Song really developed. As previously stated, song was always a part of my life at home; that song grew to become my Song. There was always music playing at my house: a tape or a CD, a music video on the TV, Mom playing the piano or one of us singing. I played the piano for several years; began playing the clarinet in the fourth grade and continued to play until after my first semester at Simpson; and danced from the time I was three until I started middle school. I sang in talent shows at school and during special times on Sundays at church. My family was always part of whatever musical production my church was doing. I learned early on that as long as it was music I was playing; it was liked by everyone in the house and I could blast my stereo as loud as I wanted it. All of that is just the ‘music’ part of it. Song is the language of my soul; my soul learned to speak the way it did at home because we shared feelings and thoughts through song. My Song was born here and nourished here in the way we lived our lives. At church, Song came through as we sang my favorite songs on Sundays, the ones that all the old people had memorized and what Mom played on the piano when she was just playing instead of practicing. At home, Song was in everything we did and felt. I believe that the Song I learned at home is not only a accurate representation but also what has carried me through the years to where I am now. I would also take the Song I learned at home one step further. Music can be Song, yes; but fabulous pictures are Song; so are amazing books, really good food, and a sunny day spent working in the yard. I find Song in getting things crossed off a list, or making someone happy. Song is all around me when I play with my nieces or work hard and fast with my crew to set up the gym. I have learned in the past three years that a place without Song is not a place I want to be; that the life permeated by Song is what I long for – and that Song is my highway to God. Life permeated by Song is life permeated by God, and that is my ultimate goal.

MY SONG TODAY
One way that my definition of Song changed recently is mode of expression. Just as Song is expressed to me in multiple ways, I can express Song in multiple ways. My first method of Song was my voice, and for a long time I thought that voice, specifically my voice, was the only method I had to express Song. I have been learning this year that sometimes the best way for me to express anything is through silence. My voice has been a source of pride in the past, and rightly so – my Daddy taught me well and I was gifted with that talent. I have lost most of that in the past few years, and I have also come to see that my voice should not be a source of pride for me, but a source of pride for God. I have learned that when I sing I am often singing for myself, even if the words I am singing are meant for God. I have found that in those times when I want to sing out loudly – especially when those words from my heart really are for God, that by being silent and just listening to the words and the music, reciting them in my head I am pulled farther in God’s embrace. By being silent, I allow my soul to sing, instead of my vocal box; Dad may have trained my vocal chords, but God is forever training my soul. I have learned that Song is everywhere – you just have to look for it. Intentionality is a word that we used often in my Spiritual Formation class, and it is the word that fits best here. Regardless of where I am or what I’m doing or how I’m feeling, if I can find my Song – my day instantly improves. If I am intentional about looking for Song in other people, I feel more akin to them and am more apt to show them love and support. If I search for Song in myself, I am more at peace with who I am and what I’m doing. I have also learned that I don’t have Song when I’m happy, I am happy because I have Song. I feel the presence of God near me when I am in tune with Song, even if what I am doing is not your typical ‘worship’ activity. When I listen to some of the movie scores in my iTunes, they strike such a chord in me that I can literally sit back from my computer, close my eyes, and soar above the clouds with my Maker. When I see pictures of my family I have taken, pictures others have taken of me– just my favorite pictures, I see in those faces or landscapes the hand of my heavenly Father and I am drawn into creation and Creator alike. Last year my suitemates and a few of the other girls were just sitting in our room hanging out while one of them packed to go home for weekend. We were there for almost three hours, just hanging out and talking and giggling as girls do – this was a time when Song was all around me, weaving in and out of my mind and my heart, binding us together as sisters in Christ. I find Song in the oddest things: movie lines and quotes from musicals, the random things that happen at work that we laugh about for days. Funny one liners that pop up on Facebook. The day that Jason Lezak came out of nowhere to win the Gold for the Americans – an event for which God was not given the glory by anyone involved; but I watched that and thought of the Creator who made those four guys muscle by muscle to be able to do that and the Great Orchestrator who brought them together to make it happen just the way it did. As I have come to have a more accurate, ‘backstage’ look at the church and the way ministry works it has become more and more important to me to find God in my everyday life. Song has helped me to see that He is here with me every minute of every day if I will simply reach out and touch Him. Song has shown me that God rejoices in the times that I spent with my girlfriends and the elation I get from seeing pictures of my niece walking. Some of the quotes I’ve shared recently are more examples of what Song is to me. A phrase or sentence that makes me stop and contemplate life, God, myself or others is Song. The words that speak to me enough that I write and rewrite them, the words that end up on my wall, on sticky notes in my Bible and notebook and planner – those are the Song in my everyday life. Song has shown me that all of life is the space God would fill if we would just allow Him to come in and take hold.
Song is so tremendously important to me in so many ways. Song is my home, especially now at a time in my life when I’m not sure where I belong; but Song is also my traveling buddy, going with me everywhere, always being ‘home’ for me. Song is my closest friend and my most challenging companion. She is the way God constantly, continually, always draws me back to Himself. She is the way God speaks to me, and often the way God speaks through me. Song is the language of my soul. Song is my soul. Without Song, I am just an empty shell filled with mistakes and regrets. Song fills me with life, laughter, and the will to go on.

Church Sunday Morning

So much to say!!! I know for me this isn't that new of a concept, but still.
I went to church today by myself. I went to Little Country which isn’t little its huge, perfect for disappearing into. Walked in and sat down just as the worship leader was starting the first song. Sat in the back, surrounded by people I didn't know. You know those song services that are so great it doesn't matter if the Pastor didn't preach at all, you'd still walk away with tons of new stuff to think about? This was one of them. We sang 'Your Grace is Enough' which reminded me that I don't need a guy or my best friend right here or those I love physically near to me to be okay or fulfilled. HIS grace IS enough for me; I just have to accept that. Then we sang 'I am a Friend of God'. Really - how cool is that? Creator of the universe, and He has called me friend!!!??!!And not just friend, His daughter, His beloved, one He died for. Mind boggling. Then we sang a song I'd never heard before called 'Made Me Glad'. The chorus is: "And I'll say of the Lord, You are my shield, my strength, my portion, deliverer. My shelter, strong tower. My very present help in time of need." Again - God is enough. And not only is He enough because He's God, He's enough because He is all those things. He is my strength - which means I don't have to do it by myself!! He's my help in time of need (most of my life, I know) and not only that but He's my VERY PRESENT help - He's not off in some far away land. Next came 'What Joy Is Found', another new song for me. The chorus goes: Singing oh how lovely is the King in all His glory. And the Christ who is Holy. Who was, and who is. And how amazing is His love so unfailing. And His grace that draws us near." I watched One Night With the King last night, it does a really good job of showing the splendor of the King. And the first time I read the line 'the King in all His glory' I started seeing all of that glory from the movie multiplied by like a gazillion with a Holy Christ in the middle of it. Again, mind boggling. We also sang a song containing the phrase "I am here to seek only Your face" and it reminded me of why I went to Little Country in the first place. To be able to seek His face without the extra crap of people and activities and tasks. Without having to dodge the pleas for involvement and money and ‘finding a church home’ etc. And it worked.
The pastor spoke on Jeremiah and the temple. The talk of the temple reminded me of a part in the movie last night where Mordecai is talking to one of the Jewish merchants who had come to Susa from Jerusalem and Mordecai is asking about the temple. The man says "What ecstasy to stand in the presence of the Almighty. Like the intimate embrace of a husband and wife. It is so much deeper than mere mortal love." Its that feeling when we're singing and the words are speaking into my heart and I no longer worry about what's going on around me or what I'm doing later or how I'm going to get the work done or what’s going on with my family. Pure focus on the greatness of God. Mind boggling is the word of the day.

The Seven Wonders of the World

To see – a sunrise, the mountains, artwork of God

To hear – a baby’s laughter, an old man’s chuckle, a trickling stream, the pouring rain; a crescendo, the swelling of marvelous voices; to hear the SINGER sing

To touch – clean sheets and a warm blanket; the future, the past

To taste – peanut butter! Mom’s fresh holiday rolls, mashed potatoes; meat made just for me by those who understand

To feel – loved, cherished, important; empowered; out of control and relaxed all at once.

To laugh – at yourself, with others; to smile simply because you are near someone

To love – your roommates, your family, your friends, your church; to love yourself – in all that God has made you; to love Him – because He has made you, saved you, killed you, and changed you.

Stupid Headlines

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
[No, really?]

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
[ That'll stop 'em. ]

Miners Refuse to Work after Death
[No-good-for-nothing lazy so-and-sos!]

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
[See if that works any better than a fair trial!]

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
[You think?]

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
[You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?]

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
[Taste like chicken?]

Local High School Dropouts Cut In Half
[Chainsaw Massacre all over again!]

Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
[Boy, are they tall!]

And the winner is....
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

No Wonder They Call Him The Savior

I read a book, I know, novel concept - no pun intended. It was a really good book. One of those books that makes you think about things and question things you thought you know but never cared or thought to fully understand. Its called No Wonder They Call Him The Savior by Max Lucado. I read it a few weeks ago while I was sitting outside gyms in Redding waiting for the NBC camps to be done so I could go back to campus. I decided that since I haven't posted anything even remotely personal lately, that I would start by sharing some of the things this book made me think about, the things from this book that stood out to me.

"The cross...its tragedy summons all sufferers, its absurdity attracts all cynics. Its hope lures all searchers." 'The cross is either history's hinge or history's hoax, there is no other option.'

"We're angry but don't know who we're angry at; we're scared but we don't know what we're scared of."

Here's something to get you thinking - Jesus' love for us does not depend upon what we do for Him.

"Forgiveness follows failure."

"Rest well sweet soldier, the battle is over."

"The rubber of faith meets the road of reality under hardship."

Or how about this one: the disciples. We don't know where they went that weekend, but we know they came back. They might have been halfway home, on their way back to their former lives, trying to understand all that had happened. Maybe they had completely given up, we don't know. But, we know they came back. Not only did they come back, but they all came back to the same place - the Upper Room. "From all sections of the city they appeared. Too convicted to go home, yet too confused to go on. Something in their nature refused to let them give up. Something in those words spoken by the Master pulled them back together. Too ashamed to ask for forgiveness, yet too loyal to give up. Too guilty to be counted in, but too faithful to be counted out."
How far did you get before the loyalty and faith came back into play, and you turned around and headed to the room?

Jesus as "a once upon a time storyteller with a somewhere over the rainbow promise."

Grace. A crazy, Holy grace. If grace were logical, it wouldn't be grace.

Ha!!! The two men who buried Christ - Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea - were members of the SANHEDRIN. The very group that had Him killed. Hmmm...

"Tears are tiny drops of humanity. They drip, drop and pour from the corner of our souls, carrying with them the deepest emotions we possess."

"God, may we never be so 'educated,' may we never be so 'mature,' may we never be so 'religious' that we can see Your passion without tears."

Contentment is when what we have overshadows what we want.

"Just when we find a place where God would never be (like on a cross), we look again and there He is, in the flesh."

Just some things to make you think, lastly - think on this, and know that you are loved by the Creator of the universe.

"Whatever you have done, whatever you have become, it doesn't matter, please come home."