Book Lover's Day...Happy Day to me! Seems like everyday is a celebration of something or other. Like yesterday was Caramel Apple Day and just in case you're one who likes to throw parties for whatever reason this week's list includes Deviled Egg Day (tomorrow), Jelly Fish Day or Men Make Dinner Day on Thursday (I'll take that second option, thank you), Friday would be Love your Lawyer Day or Fountain Pen Day (and if you don't like those two options it is also Use Your Common Sense Day!) Some make total sense and should be celebrated and others you have to wonder if someone got drunk and had the idea of "Hey, let's post this of social media and see how many likes we can get and make a day of it!". If you want a good laugh here's a link to all sorts of days. Let me know if you're going to run with any of them.
But all that to say, I kinda like Book Lover's Day. Being a full fledged book lover, I'm all about celebrating those of my kind. I really don't know what I would do without books in my life. They've entertained me, taught me, shocked me, made me laugh and cry, inspired me, lifted me, made me empathize and sympathize and motivated me. And in the case of the greatest book ever written, pointed me to the One who loved me first and saved me, thereby changing my whole life.
If I had to write one reason and one reason only why I love books so much, it's because I am so grateful that I am able to have them in my life. It does not go by me that a lot of men, women and children are denied the opportunity to learn to read or to even hold a book in their entire lives. And that really grieves my heart. To me every day is a day to celebrate the great gift of having books in my life and thereby extending that to the book lover themselves. Nothing is as much fun as discussing a book between friends, whether in real life or on social media, whether we have the same tastes or not. So happy Book Lover's Day to all the book lovers out there.
Now, tell me, what are you reading?...just because my 300 or so For Later "shelf" at the library is not groaning enough.
With all the brouhaha swirling the social media about "that" movie to be released this weekend, I feel I just need to get my thoughts out in black and white. Never would I have thought I'd be discussing this on the blog in any other terms but in reference to choosing paint color. And truth be told, on the blog, I tend to avoid the controversial in fear of being too vulnerable but at this point I just have to sort out my head and heart.
And my heart, well, it is grieved. On so many levels. While I have not read the Fifty Shades of Gray books, nor do I ever plan to, I do think I have read enough of the debate and seen enough of the constant trailers that I am bombarded with on every channel of tv during prime time over the last two weeks, that I have some thoughts on the matter.
While I can get on the band wagon about the apparent explicit nature of the bedroom scenes within the book, and the whole issue of pornography and it's effects on families, I know we all have read all of that. What boggles my mind and grieves my heart the most is from everything I have read about the books and seen in the movie trailers is that it deals with domination, subservience and inflicting pain in a dating and sexual relationship. That women have crossed that border and are soaking it up in droves makes me shudder. What concerns me is that while we are getting our jollies and thrills reading this stuff and are now about to flock to theatres to see this stuff, are we not thinking beyond that? What has happened in our culture that we now as women, find it acceptable to be smacked and whipped and dominated, even if "only" in our reading and entertainment material? And much as we rise up and make a great outcry against abuse, let me say this... when we purchase the books and the movie tickets we are speaking loud and clear to authors and Hollywood that we as women are cheering on their perverted view of love and accept that that is how it now is. Let me repeat that ladies: we are speaking loud and clear with our $$$.
What concerns me the most and grieves my heart the most is the very mixed message we are sending our young people, girls and boys alike. We are telling them it's ok and it's the norm to bring violence and "roughness" into your relationships, that it's normal and ok to be dominated and hurt in the bedroom because that's how he likes it. We are letting our children know it's okay to get our thrills reading and watching it even if we don't participate in it ourselves. It has nothing to do with our "real lives" and absolutely nothing to do with our church lives. Yes, I did bring church ladies into it because I know lots who are reading it. (And that is a whole other post on what the bible says about our thought life and what we let enter our hearts). What is the message we are sending our daughters? Do we want our daughters experiencing that kind relationship and thinking that is what a Godly, loving sexual relationship is? That's it ok to experiment with violence and get pleasure from it? What are we voicelessly telling our sons? That pornography is ok and causing another person physical pain is normal and acceptable? We are kidding ourselves and have bought into a lie. I just shake my head and want to cry to think of my daughters in that kind of situation or my son perpetrating that onto a woman in the name of love.
Well in my household I am saying it's not okay. Just as we all shook our fists and said it was not ok when the radio dude tried to say it was in real life, we are saying it's not ok in fantasy either. We are shouting out that what we speak with our dollars speaks louder than words. We are making our stand so that our kids hopefully will have good and pure relationships that last them a lifetime. While I will certainly not be participating in any kind of picketing or anything like that at theatres I will keep our conversation open at home and not let the books or Hollywood have the only say.
I guess what I'm hoping with putting myself out there on this topic is that we as women pause to think beyond the moment and open our hearts to what is really going on in our culture and really think through if this is the way we want it to go. So now that I have dusted off my soapbox and got all of that off my heart and mind, I know you all are itching to comment. Please keep it civil and clean. Any comments with swearing, smut talk, or the personal tearing down of another commenter will be deleted.
Saturday, November 02, 2013
Wow, goes to show how we need to get out of our own little world and thoughts and pay attention to what's around us! And then be willing to do something!
What a difference a day makes. After a wonderfully warm autumn week of temperatures hitting the 30*'s, which would be in the 80's*F, overnight the weather has gotten mighty angry with us. Cold, super windy, a thunderstorm right over top of the house last night waking us all up with it's light show and loud clapping. I woke up this morning thinking how sometimes I can be like that thunderstorm. Brewing off in the distance, if I don't either deal with or let go of things that are bothering me, I stew. And stew. And stew. And then all of a sudden, I'm just so filled up with all the turmoil that has built up that it has to release. I become like the raging storm, big claps of angry outburst, howling like the wind. Might seem like a comical picture but it is really ugly if you are in the path of my storm. How much better it is to take to the Lord immediately, and deal with it in prayer and with the Word of God giving me strength and wisdom for handling the situation.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."
Phillippians 4: 6-8
See my issue isn't the getting mad or being hurt or the problem. Everyone, if you are alive and breathing, has those. If we live on this earth, there will be things come along that get under our skin. Guaranteed! No, it's what I choose to do with it. When I stew, when I rehash it over and over and over again, it gets bigger and uglier and more inner turmoil results. Until it can do nothing but burst in a big, ugly, loud, vicious storm and dump all over who happens to be near.
Now you may be thinking to yourself that you're not the type to "burst". You don't get ugly. You are pretty together in keeping it to yourself. But really that kind of storm does damage too. It burst inside of you. And it will change who you are and it will come out in some way or other, even it's not so visible.
But the Lord wants us to have peace. His peace. He doesn't us to be churned up, and brewing, and a storm waiting to release. And He has given us the key in the scripture above. Take all our trouble to Him is the first step. But we don't just leave it at that. He tells us to replace those anxious, troubling thoughts that we dwell on with pure, lovely, honorable, true thoughts filled with thanksgiving. And those we get when we get into His word.
How much better to feel light and calm and mild than to be a raging storm causing havoc.
A beautiful sunset last night. Hopefully that means we'll have a nice day today, though they are calling for rain. Looking at beautiful skies has always given me a real awareness that God is there looking out for us. It was a perfect ending to the day for me. The message in church had been on Courage to Face our Fears, one in a series on Fear. It has been so good and really timely for me. Me? I got a few fears. Coupled with the Beth Moore course (Breaking Free) we are wrapping up tonight, it has been quite a journey over the last couple of months for me in learning to tear down lies and strongholds in my mind and life, things that have been ingrained in me since childhood, and to trust God with some things that, to me, are difficult. I must stamp on my forehead, or at the least start using Post It notes, that courage is a choice. It is not the absence of fear. That fear demands action to be courageous. Do I choose to wallow in my fear or do I choose to step out and be courageous and trust God, laying all before Him? That is the question. Hopefully, I will be more quicker now to choose courage. The sunset tells me He is there and reminds me that if He can create all the beautiful things in this world, surely He can see me through.
Have you ever thought of the fact that it takes courage to have courage? Strange sentence, I know, but bear with me. I need to jot some thoughts and get them straight in my head and the printed word sometimes makes it easier for me to get a handle on things.
So, in ladies bible study we were taking a look at the early church, how it started, the community they built, how the gospel spread. We've come to the part where Saul had a life changing encounter with Jesus and has just got his sight back. We read how he immediately started to preach and teach about Jesus being the Son of God.
-Ananias was instructed by the Lord to go to a certain street and house to see Saul and heal him. You know the same Saul who had been hunting down & dragging them to prison? Yeah, that Saul! When Ananias reminded God of that, God still told him to go. And he did! Would I have the courage and trust in God that Ananias did and trust in the fact that I had actually heard from God that Ananias did? Hmmm.
-the believers were afraid to really believe that Saul had changed and they were petrified of him. What would I do if someone who had been hauling my friends before church officials and standing by while they were killed suddenly was trying to attend my church, saying he was saved and changed? Hmmm.
-Paul's followers lowered him out a hole in the wall in a basket because the gates of the city were being watched for him to leave so those against the gospel could kill him. How gutsy were the ones who lowered him. If they had been found, Paul would have escaped and been running while his helpers would have been left holding the basket, so to speak. Would I have the courage to do something like that? Help someone to the detriment of my own safety? Would I choke in fear? Hmmm.
-Where is my courage at? Do I believe God really changes people no matter their past? Am I willing to let go of my fears and take bold steps to follow God? Hmmm.
Just some questions about courage my mind has been turning over.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Christmas is coming fast and I have just a few more things to get. At least there will be presents under the tree. Now whether they are wrapped or not , we'll just have to wait and see. Just kidding, they will get wrapped. I always like to try and throw some books into the mix. I love to read and love to pass that along to my kids, even though they are not little anymore.
So enquiring minds want to know, well at least my enquiring mind, what books are you giving this year for the 13 and up to adult crowd?`
Oh dear. I'm seriously lacking the ho-ho-ho motivation this year. As I type, the mantle is empty, the tree sits naked for 3 days now in the living room, the window is wreathless, the cards have been sitting on my cart for a week now and there is a distinct lack of snowmen sitting around the house.
Maybe it's the odd, nicer weather we've been having. We haven't really had a major snowfall yet this year and the temperatures have been pretty darn balmy for what we should be getting by now. These nicer days however, do make for nicer shopping. I mean who likes lugging packages and bags while trying to locate one's car as it's blizzarding around you. To say nothing of sweeping off your car and scraping ice off the windows. It has been seriously windy, but that doesn't stop us Southern Albertan's from getting out there. We just get a firmer grip on our stuff, put our heads down and charge ahead. But just a few more things and I can say I'm officially done with the gift shopping.
Maybe it's the busy October and November I had. It left me t.i.r.e.d. But November has waved goodbye 7 days ago. So I'm running out of excuses.
Time to buck up, put on the running shoes and get to it. Christmas is coming and will wait for no one to dawdle around. Maybe I'll watch Christmas with the Kranks tonight and remind myself what can happen if I leave it to the last minute.
What is it about the weekends that seem to make them disappear so quickly? And what about the week makes it seem so long before the next weekend shows up? I've been thinking a lot lately about making my days count. A huge subject to tackle, at least in my life. Sometimes I think I just chug along, going from one thing to the next, without really being present. There is a lot going on right now, a lot on my plate again and I catch myself not being in the moment. I'm going through the motions but my mind is elsewhere. On that book I need to finish for a review, on those list of people that need phoning, on the fact that I keep forgetting to get in touch with my Dad until it's well past his bedtime. Etc., etc. And on and on it goes. It's no wonder the days drag on and I couldn't tell you what was going on.
So I gave myself a good talking to this weekend. It's September now and no more lazy, hazy days of summer excuses. I need to pull up my bootstraps and start to live my days a little more intentionally. More purposefully. Now that doesn't mean that I'm going to start filling up and scheduling my every waking moment with things to do. But it does mean that when I am in the midst of something, I'm going to make a point of focusing rather than multi tasking on the fly.
To do that I've bought myself a pretty little journal at a discount store and I'm leaving it open on the counter. If I think of something, I'm jotting it down right away, getting it out of my head, and then getting back on task, back into the moment. It's going to serve as a brain dump, if you will, so that I can get the clutter out of my head, and just be. Then when whatever is in the moment is done, and I have a minute I can go look and take that next moment to call my dad, to sit with my girl, to read that chapter without a bunch of other stuff swirling and colliding in my brain.
Hopefully this will help to get rid of the tyranny of the urgent and the undone and cause me to just abide in what God has given me for that moment. How do you guys live purposefully and in your moments?
Oh my. This girl so should win the infamous mirror ball trophy of Dancing with the Stars! This is a way better performance than a lot of them have shown over the years.
Yesterday Linda's Random Dozen questions were a lot to do with Valentine's Day. And it got me to thinking about Valentine's Day in general and how we celebrate it. One of the questions asked was what were our memories of Valentine's Day from school. And you know, I didn't really have any other than decorating the shoe boxes with the slit in the top. I vaguely remember doing the cards, but I can't say I have lots of warm memories associated with Valentine's day. It's one holiday that I have not really ever gotten into big time.
Even as an adult, Valentine's is not something that my hubby and I go all out on. Standing in restaurant line ups for Valentine's day, trying to vy for the attention of a harried & rushed wait staff is not one of our favorite things to do. We usually stay home, I cook a nice, though not fancy, dinner for all of us and we all get a little sampling of our favorite chocolates. Hubby and I may or may not share cards. Valentine's is a day that is way too close on the heels of Christmas and 2 birthdays in December, one birthday in January, and all clumped together with 3 birthdays in February. It's a lot of financial pressure! It seems the older I get the more disillusioned I get and I seem to be rebelling at the consumerism of such holidays that are dictated by companies looking for another way to take my cash. I would way rather have, and it means so much more to have the gift of a card, flowers, chocolates or a dinner out given spontaneously by my hubby rather than on a day when he is told to do it. And he does spontaneously do it and it's a thrill when he does. Yes, I am a bit of a Debbie Downer with Valentine's. LOL. Please don't throw any rotten tomatoes!
All that said, I will never, ever turn down one of these. I will sacrifice my Valentine's Day ideals and graciously accept it. :vD
What about you, guys? How do you celebrate Valentine's? Or do you celebrate? Do you love it or resent it? Is it just like any other day? Or do you really enjoy it and go all out?
So the big excitement in the house last night was the American Idol finale. Quite an exciting show they put on. Hubby and I were commenting about wondering how much those people paid to get into that show with all those big names performing. It was so much fun watching the top 13 get to sing with all these huge music greats. The music was great, but the Idol awards, Blech. I could have done without revisiting Tatiana or Norman and Bikini Girl. That is one part of the show they can totally scrap in my opinion.
What struck me through the whole show is the seemingly genuine friendship that the top 2, Kris and Adam, seem have developed. It was really refreshing to watch. As was Kris' total shock and tonguetiedness ( I just invented a word, let's go with it) when he was announced the winner. I think he truly thought he didn't have a chance against Adam.
So why did Kris win was the topic of conversation amongst us last night. Several thoughts came up. First of all, let me say, I thought both final 2 were very, very talented. Just in very different ways. Adam's talent is way more obvious and in your face, while Kris' was much more subtle. That said, why didn't Adam, the obvious judges' and producers' favorite, win? Well this little Canadaian, who picked Kris from the top 32 but having to watch from the sidelines and not be able to vote, is gonna go out on a limb and tell you what I observed from the sidelines.
First, Adam was incredibly talented but incredibly polarizing. Either you liked his style or you didn't. He was very interesting to watch and you couldn't wait to see what he would do week to week with his theatrics even if you didn't like the screeming, but that is exactly the point. Would the general viewing audience of American Idol actually buy his CD, and listen without the visual effects, to his style of music. The majority of American Idol viewers, I'll bet, are not your hard core rockers.
Second, I think the judges and producer's blatant, constant endorsement and near worship of Adam actually backfired on him. I think it galvanized voters to vote for the more mainstream music style of first Danny and then Kris. This was American Idol after all, and their music is supposed to go onto mainstream radio, not a rock station. And it brought out the underdog factor. We all like to get behind the underdog, well, most of us anyway. Well, ok, me. I like to get behind the underdog.
Third, Adam came into the competition already with mega stage and professional experience. I mean the guy performed a main role with Val Kilmer in The Ten Commandments, the Musical. (Who knew Val Kilmer could sing, BTW, but that is a whole other post!) He was already the comsumate professional with great work ethic and know how, with his name well known in certain circles. Kris was totally the inexperienced guy next door who had a good voice and a desire to sing, who didn't even know if he could be the next American Idol when asked by the judges. And isn't the point of American Idol to find that unknown gem out there , the one hiding on that farm, or working behind the grocery store till, not necessarily the one who's already in the business in one form or another?
We watched Kris grow and get better and better each week. There is something inspirational about watching the underdog listen to the judges critiques and put them into practice and come into his own as an artist and performer. The judges didn't really critique Adam, they just fell all over themselves each week praising him, except when Simon would mention theatrics, but even then, he was never really critiqued. It didn't grab you and want to cheer him on and become his fan. He didn't grow on you. You were either a fan from the beginning or not.
Fourth, there was the Danny factor. When Danny got out, the question was who would get his votes. It only made sense that Danny's fans would back the guy who's style was more like Danny, which of course, was Kris. And with only 1 million votes out of 88 million separating Kris and Adam at the final three point those votes obviously went to Kris.
Fifth, there was something appealing to the general population about Kris' humbleness, in spite of the fact that Simon told him to cut out the humbleness, even in the face of Simon's disparaging comments the last few weeks and his telling the audience to make sure and get voting for Adam and even in the face of Paula and Kara's outright worship of Adam. Don't get me wrong I thought Adam was actually a very humble person too considering all the "can do no wrong praise" but he did have a very professional confidence in himself and his talents, whereas I don't think Kris really knew how good he actually is.
Sixth, never discount the tweenie vote, with their hundred mile an hour texting talents.
Congrats to both the final 2. I'm happy that Kris won. This will be life changing for him and his cute little wifey. I hope American Idol backs & promotes him well even if he wasn't their choice for the winner. I know I'll be buying his CD. Adam will, no doubt about it, get a big recording contract and go on to huge international fame, I'm sure. All he really needed was the exposure and for big recording execs to see him. In fact, it was probably better for Adam to not win as now he is free to do exactly what kind of recordings he wants without being tied to an American Idol contract and putting out what they deem would make the most money for them.
And that my friends is my post for my "Why Kris Won" or "Why Adam Lost" or "About American Idol by a Canadian" or "I haven't a clue what else to post about today so hey, why not post about American Idol" post. You can go ahead and pick your favorite title.
I've now done a first, writing about American Idol. What could be next? LOL.
Last weekend hubby and I rented a movie without checking it out on our favorite movie rating website first. Big mistake. Big, big mistake. The movie was supposed to be some fantastic first directorial debut of Ben Affleck with a script he helped adapt. "Gone Baby Gone" is supposed be a story about a child gone missing and the private detective who takes on the job of finding her. In his search for her, the detective is forced to make decisions concerning good and evil, right and wrong. The film was supposed to leave one thinking and talking about long after.
Well, it left me talking alright. It left me talking to the movie rental place 15 minutes later about trading it in or getting my money back. It left me talking about the prolific use of the "f" word. We turned it off after 10 minutes. Ten minutes of being subjected at least a dozen times already to the word. Four or five times in one sentence, like rapid fire gunshots, from one character. In going over various reviews later, then I found out that the "f" word had been used at least a couple hundred times along with every other swear word and filthy phrase imaginable. Granted, I didn't watch the whole show to say that first hand, but seriously the 10 minutes I did watch does not make me doubt that statement in the least. To me it's not worth any movie or story to subject my ears, mind and heart to that kind of filthy talking.
And yes, it left me thinking. Thinking about how Hollywood loves to fill the general public with filthy trash under the guise of a great work. Yes, the movie is about Boston's underworld. Yes, it's about a very rough piece of life. But how talented does it show a person to be to make the majority of conversing in a 2 hour movie to be using f words. Wouldn't it show more creativity, more talent, more integrity to use that minimally (or at all) and instead use better dialogue to get across the same message? It left me thinking anybody can use prolific swearing in a script, but it is the more gifted that can take us into the world they are trying to show us without turning our ears and minds into garbage cans. Is it not a more talented and gifted actor that can make us "feel" and be in that moment without using the "f" word and numerous other swears?
As for Ben Affleck? It left me thinking I've lost a lot of respect for the guy's "talent" and integrity. Would I ever pick up another one of his movies he's directed or wrote? It left me thinking probably never. Even if it's not in the same genre. The movie left me thinking I've got a sour taste in my mouth and ears, to his style of storytelling. Give me someone who can write with real words.
Standing ovation to Chuck Norris for this article he wrote about language, America's use of it and the standard we set. Who knew that Walker: Texas Ranger could be so articulate and right on! It is well worth the read.
So why did Kris win was the topic of conversation amongst us last night. Several thoughts came up. First of all, let me say, I thought both final 2 were very, very talented. Just in very different ways. Adam's talent is way more obvious and in your face, while Kris' was much more subtle. That said, why didn't Adam, the obvious judges' and producers' favorite, win? Well this little Canadaian, who picked Kris from the top 32 but having to watch from the sidelines and not be able to vote, is gonna go out on a limb and tell you what I observed from the sidelines.
I've now done a first, writing about American Idol. What could be next? LOL.
