Hand-Painted Art for My Kitchen: "Where You Invest Your Love..."

This post has been a long time coming. This project was finished a couple weeks ago, but I was waiting to get it hung up (with the help of my husband) before posting.

As you know, I live in a little cook-cutter, white walled, baby house on an Air Force Base. Base housing is far from character-filled...in fact it is a little stark white and very un-personal. We are allowed to paint or hang stuff, but it must be returned to the state we found it in upon leaving, which being in the military, you never can be sure when that will be. Someday we will live in an old house, full of charm and character, but for today we don't. For now, I am trying to make my little baby house as homey, charming and personal as I can without investing to much into it, as it is, after all, only temporary (only probably a year or so).

We were able to purchase plenty of furniture for our house together and now I am left with the task of doing the little ("girly") tasks of decorating. I'm not a huge fan of white walls, and white walls without art are super sad. I, however, have trouble finding art that I like within our budget, so I have therefore be doing the DIY thing (which I do anyway but..).

About a month back on a weekend, my husband and I were at his shop (he works in a Civil Engineering Squadron doing Structures). They have a bin of junk wood and scraps. He was throwing some stuff in there when I spotted this...cabinet door-like thing...

I am still not sure what it was. Looks like a cabinet door, but it has 6 weird little hooks on it, and no signs of and hinges ever being there so...it's a mystery. But I liked it. It looked like it wanted to be painted on. I waited another week of it being in the scrap bin before I ..*pilfered* it for my own.

I decided on painting some of my favorite song lyrics on it. "WHERE YOU INVEST YOUR LOVE, YOU INVEST YOUR LIFE." (Mumford and Sons: Awake, My Soul). If I was the sort to get tattoos, that would already be on me somewhere, but as I am not quite that sort I figured painting it as art for my kitchen was a close substitute. I pondered getting some stencils to make the letters crisp and precise, but that is not really indicative of myself. Instead, I free handed it. I did pencil in some lines to help keep it all straight- I have an horrible inability to make straight lines without ruler guidance.

 Lyrics alone don't make a painting for me, so I bordered it in some Hungarian-inspired flowers. Hungary has some gorgeous embroidery which has always been part of decorating my family's home (my grandfather was from Hungary and one of my sisters is adopted from there), so I decided to bring some into mine.I am incapable of embroiderying such beauty, but painting it is fun.  I considered painting flowers to also mimic Polish paper art (called Wincynanki), to honor my Polish heritaged husband. But it is incredibly detailed and when I practiced on other paper my flowers looked awful in paint, so I scratched that plan and stuck with my own roots. When I finished my couple days of painting it, I sealed it with spray varnish.

I am pretty pleased with how it came out. It's unique, I think. That's probably why I like it so much. JoJo helped me get it screwed into our kitchen wall and it now is hanging over our little dinning area. Just one more little bit of homey charm to our house!

Still a little stark and sad, but getting happier! If you can't tell, I'm a fan of color. You can't see the rest of my kitchen in this photo, but all the colors present in the flowers are basically the color scheme of my kitchen. Anything with a folksy print, bright color, or vintage vibe is welcome. I suppose salvaged cabinet door wall art fits in nicely.

 

quoteables- here's to the crazy ones....

I liked this quote. It is rather self explanatory, so I will keep this post short and sweet. I have a wedding to plan, people...

• "here's to the crazy ones. the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers. the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. they're not fond of the rules and have no respect for the status quo. you can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. about the only thing you can't do is ignore them. because they change things, they push the human race forward. and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." — Jack Kerouac (novelist)

Passionately Curious 4- Einstein on how to make a change, to solve problems and eliminate insanity.

...no subtitle...sorry...just not witty enough to produce something for this one. I try people, I really do...

 source 1, source 2.

"No problem can be solved 

from the same level of consciousness that created it."

-Albert Einstein 

Intellectuals solve problems, 

geniuses prevent them. 

"It is not that I am so smart, 
but that I stay with problems longer"

source 1, source2.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

Passionately Curious 3- Einstein on IMMAGINATIOOON and Fantasy

...this post doesn't have a subtitle, but it has a hand motion. That spongebob episode where Patrick and Spongebob are playing in a box and everytime Spongebob says "Imagination" he moves his hands in an arch and a rainbow appears over his head? Yup. That is what I am thinking right now.

On another note, I cannot believe I just in cooperated Einstein and Spongebob Squarepants into the same post....

source 1, source 2.

"Imagination is more important

than knowledge" 

source

 

"The gift of fantasy has meant 

more to me than my talent 

for absorbing positive knowledge."

source

Passionately Curious 2- what is, and isn't stupidty.

...I feel a great need to subtitle this post as "mama always used to say 'stupid is as stupid does...'" (and no, Einstein didn't say that one. That was Forrest. Forrest Gump.)

What is NOT stupidity...

 source 1, source 2.

 What IS...

(come on, don't even tell me that the above quote isn't incredibly witty!)

source

 "The difference between stupidity 
and genius is that genius has its limits."

source

Passionately Curious: Quote-ables from Albert Einstein...

SOURCE1, SOURCE 2.

I think I am going to begin a new series on this blog. Sort of a remake of my old Quote-ables  posts.

Everyone knows who Albert Einstein is. The fellow with the wild hair and the previously- impossible- to-solve math problems. E=mcsquared...whatever that means...

He is basically the first person to come to everyone's mind upon mention of the word "genius."  But he was also horribly witty and said ever so many highly intelligent, well phrases, and dry-humoured things. Which makes ME really like him.

He (up there with Churchill and Rev. MLK) is one of my favorite people to quote. So, without further ado, I give you my first "Passionately Curious" quote post from dear old Al...

As my first quote (not counting the one above), I wanted to post this. Someone said it at my youth group (MERGE AHEAD!) this past Sunday and I really liked it.

 SOURCE 1, SOURCE 2.

In other news, and also having to do with education and intelligence, I FINALLY WENT BACK TO SCHOOL! I only had one class so far, American Literature II, but it seems like it will be a good one. My one complaint thus far is that the Prof is going to make us study The Great Gatsby. I really hope that it is better the second time around, cause I sure didn't like that book in high school.  But other than that, seems like it will be a fun and challenging class! Hopefully my other 3 (Digital Photography, World Religions and Math for Liberal Arts...whatever that is?)  turn out as well. I was just so happy to be back on campus again. I do complain about college sometimes, but secretly I LOVE it. I thrive on structure and challenges. Really excited about this semester!

"When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. "

Isaiah 43 is one of my all time favorite bible passages.
This is the passage I read over and over again when JoJo went off to boot camp.
This is the passage I cling to when I am overwhelmed and uncertain.
Verse five is on an orange index card hanging next to my bed. It was the first thing I saw this morning. "FEAR NOT, FOR I AM WITH YOU."

I need to know it especially now, just like I need to know it always.
I am between rocks and hard places, as well as several other uncomfortable, scary locations.
But I have been bought with the highest price. I have been called and redeemed. 
I am made to know that He is I AM and who He is.
I am chosen. I will not fear.

Bit of a long passage, but...ladies and gentlemen...

Isaiah 43

The Message (MSG)

When You're Between a Rock and a Hard Place

 ^1-4 But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob,
   the One who got you started, Israel:
"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.
   I've called your name. You're mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
   When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place,
   it won't be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
   The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
   all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That's how much you mean to me!
   That's how much I love you!
I'd sell off the whole world to get you back,
   trade the creation just for you. 

  ^5-7"So don't be afraid: I'm with you.
   I'll round up all your scattered children,
   pull them in from east and west.
I'll send orders north and south:
   'Send them back.
Return my sons from distant lands,
   my daughters from faraway places.
I want them back, every last one who bears my name,
   every man, woman, and child
Whom I created for my glory,
   yes, personally formed and made each one.'"
 ^8-13Get the blind and deaf out here and ready—
   the blind (though there's nothing wrong with their eyes)
   and the deaf (though there's nothing wrong with their ears).
Then get the other nations out here and ready.
   Let's see what they have to say about this,
   how they account for what's happened.
Let them present their expert witnesses
   and make their case;
   let them try to convince us what they say is true.
"But you are my witnesses." God's Decree.
   "You're my handpicked servant
So that you'll come to know and trust me,
   understand both that I AM and who I am.
Previous to me there was no such thing as a god,
   nor will there be after me.
I, yes I, am God.
   I'm the only Savior there is.
I spoke, I saved, I told you what existed
   long before these upstart gods appeared on the scene.
And you know it, you're my witnesses,
   you're the evidence." God's Decree.
"Yes, I am God.
   I've always been God
   and I always will be God.
No one can take anything from me.
   I make; who can unmake it?"

You Didn't Even Do the Minimum

 ^14-15God, your Redeemer,
   The Holy of Israel, says:
"Just for you, I will march on Babylon.
   I'll turn the tables on the Babylonians.
Instead of whooping it up,
   they'll be wailing.
I am God, your Holy One,
   Creator of Israel, your King."  ^16-21This is what God says,
   the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
   who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
   they lie down and then can't get up;
   they're snuffed out like so many candles:
"Forget about what's happened;
   don't keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.
   It's bursting out! Don't you see it?
There it is! I'm making a road through the desert,
   rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say 'Thank you!'
   —the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
   rivers through the sun-baked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
   the people I made especially for myself,
   a people custom-made to praise me.
 ^22-24"But you didn't pay a bit of attention to me, Jacob.
   You so quickly tired of me, Israel.
You wouldn't even bring sheep for offerings in worship.
   You couldn't be bothered with sacrifices.
It wasn't that I asked that much from you.
   I didn't expect expensive presents.
But you didn't even do the minimum—
   so stingy with me, so closefisted.
Yet you haven't been stingy with your sins.
   You've been plenty generous with them—and I'm fed up.
 ²⁵"But I, yes I, am the one
   who takes care of your sins—that's what I do.
   I don't keep a list of your sins.
 ^26-28"So, make your case against me. Let's have this out.
   Make your arguments. Prove you're in the right.
Your original ancestor started the sinning,
   and everyone since has joined in.
That's why I had to disqualify the Temple leaders,
   repudiate Jacob and discredit Israel."

Christians only...sinners need not apply...

Today it was "club day" on my college campus. All of the clubs (outdoors club, art club, anime club, PRIDE club, etc) had set up little tables in the main foyer and were trying to get new members.

Smack dab in the doorway, separated from the masses, was one table that caught my eye.

"CATHOLIC CLUB."

On the table were some archaic looking pictures of Jesus with one of those orbs of utter holiness coming from his head.  A little box with a slit in the top was labeled "prayer requests." The only person at or around the table was the woman behind it. I couldn't help myself. I had to talk to her and try and figure this out.

"So...are only Catholics welcomed in your club?"

"The majority of the attendees and members are Catholics."

"Why do you have a club?"

"It is nice to have a group of people who share the same beliefs as you on campus. It is a good way for us (Catholics) to get to know each other. It is always nice to gather together, pray and spend time with other believers. If you would really like to check us out you could though."

"Oh, I'm a Bible-believing Christian. I was just curious, that's all." and I walked away.

The woman seemed nice enough. But something bothered me. I was bothered by the location of her table. She was so separate from the rest. The gays, lesbians, Hispanics, African American, culinary arts people, outdoorsy people, artists, military, writers, science majors and everyone else were grouped together, tables forming lines or semi circles. But the Catholics had their own table, off by themselves. I felt like they needed a sign that read "SINNERS NEED NOT ATTEND."

Now, I am not saying bad things about Catholics here. Really. I am also not against gathering with believers and praying. Not all at. It's Biblical. It is good and wonderful to build up each other and share in one another's lives. In fact, I am about to go attend a small group meeting with girls within my church. This is more me feeling let down by the "religiosity" we pin onto Christianity, though it shouldn't be that way.

People stereotype Christians. The horrible thing is that people are usually right. So many Christians come across as religious, "Holier Than Thou," and too good and clean for sinners. Instead of loving people, they judge them. Church gets portrayed as a place for the holiest of holy people who can manage to follow all the heavenly regulations without fail and filthy, rotten sinners need not attend.

Hold up. Maybe your church is fully of saintly perfect people, but I know mine is full of sinners. Lots of them. About 900. *GASSSP* As my pastor would say "there is no such thing as a perfect church and if there was, you'd it up when you start coming."

Church is practically a sinner club. Sounds awful? Not really. We are all sinners. Yes, I am saved and made clean by the blood of Jesus, but I do not live a spotless perfect life. Only Jesus did that. Church isn't supposed to be a place to protect Bible-believers from the big bad world. In fact, the Bible says BE IN THE WORLD, but not of it. Not hide from the world in your clubs and churches until Christ comes back to rescue you.

Jesus loved sinners. He hung out with them and liked it! He didn't do it to condemn them to eternal damnation in hell, but to show them the love of His Kingdom. He hung out with them far more than he did with the "holy" religious leaders of the time. Jesus hung out with the unlovely. The rejects of society. The people no one liked. And he loved them.

Jesus didn't attend community college, obviously, but if he had I don't think he would have joined a group promoting religious beliefs alike only to His. He wouldn't have joined the Jewish/Pharisee/Holy People Only club. But he probably would have gladly joined all the others.

In his book the The Irresistible Revolution, author Shane Claiborne (He is amazing, btw) says this:

What would twenty-year-old Jesus have said if they asked him "What are you going to do when you grow up?" I don't know, maybe something like "I am going to turn the world upside-down. I am going to hang out with prostitutes and tax collectors until people kill me."

I think this view of Jesus loving the unlovely is wonderfully portrayed in the Relient K (a band I once loved, but no longer would recommend) "Failure to Excommunicate." The chorus contains these lines...

"Jesus loved the outcasts. He loved the ones the world just loves to hate. And as long as there's a heaven, there will be a failure to excommunicate."

 I want to love the one the world just loves to hate too. Because Jesus is the one I want to model my life after.

Maybe this is all an unnecessary rant. Maybe there is nothing at all wrong with Christian clubs. But I would feel a whole lot better if Christians as a whole stopped segregating themselves from the world and just got out there and did some loving. Real, Jesus-style.

Britishness. And humor.

We all know I have an affinity for all things British...so obviously I found this to be funny.

*Dagsson, via A Cup of Jo

And for the record? I love tea.

*LIGHT*

I'm a fan of The Rocket Summer. Quite.

Lately I've head the bridge lyrics to "Light" (off the album Of Men and Angels), so out of lack of other posting material I am going to put them up here.

I am Yours, do what You wish
I am Yours, I am Yours
And I know this
Whatever happens next
Is in Your hands, in Your plans
Nothing less
Every day there is a choice
And through the joy
Through the pain
I will rejoice
I am Yours, do what You wish
I am Yours, I am Yours
And I know this

Good stuff, eh?

This is my therapy...just call it what it is.

To quote Capt'n Jack Sparrow, "Where's the monkey... I need to shoot something."

 

(*title quote: RelientK- Therapy)

Quoteables.

I'm currently writing a paper on Just Causes and Justice for English class. This involved a lot of research reading and that reading appropriately included Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience."

Now, some of Thoreau I like. Some of him I don't. He and I have very mixed feelings in our relationship towards each other. But this quote I LOVE. This quote is a great summation of how I feel about rebelling against normal and refusing to accept the commonly accepted just because it is common to do so. This quote is about knowing what you stand for and then standing. This is what I aim for.


 "LET YOUR LIFE BE A COUNTER FRICTION TO STOP THE MACHINE."- h. d. thoreau


I can't get it out of my head.

I liked it so much it even got stuck to my computer monitor via yellow sticky note. As far as quotations and my treatment of them go that is a high honor.

Quoteables.

"IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING."

I don't have tons of time for posting, but doing a quotes post on facing the impossible seems like a good idea today. I have a lot of things going on in my life that feel like they should, by normal worldly standards, should be impossible. But as the missionary Amy Carmichael said "...nothing is impossible if one if meant to do it." That to me is so encouraging, so provoking. Failure isn't an option when impossibility is my destiny.

Couple more quotes on believing and doing the impossible:

"Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools."- Napoleon Bonaparte (yes, just quoted him too).

"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."- Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland) (and why yes, I haven't had breakfast yet!)

"Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail"- Robert Kettering (and yes, yes it is.)

It makes no sense, but she has come too far to not believe in the impossible.- from a summation of a certain character in a certain book written by a certain passionate chick who happens to be me.

And this one is my fasvorite:

"impossible is an opinion"- Muhammad Ali (yes, I did just quote him.)

  Now go forth and do it.


*"impossible is nothing" quote is a popular Adidas slogan that I greatly enjoy.

"My Name is Narcissist."

Lately I have been spending a lot of time reading Henry David Thoreau's Walden for English class, so my mind if swarmed with deep thoughts of the wilderness and Thoreau quotations.

I shall leave you with one to ponder over the weekend. I like it because it feels like a mild reference to me and how much I talk about myself on this blog (and why).

"I should not talk so much if there were anybody else I whom I knew as well. Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme by the narrowness of my experience. Moreover, I, on my side, require every writer, first or last, a simple and sincere account of his own life, and not merely what he has heard of other men's lives..."- Henry David Thoreau (first page of his journal-style book Walden)

Happy weekend, all!

Random post involving my aunt that isn't my aunt and other such silliness

I have an aunt, who really isn't my aunt (or anything of blood relation) named Beth. My mom "adopted" her (like she does a lot of people) and we like her a lot. She is basically a really a good friend of my mothers, and is like an older sister/aunt/something to me. Her daughter is pretty much like my 6th little sister. We spend a fair amount of time with them.

Why am I telling you think? Well, it will make sense in a moment. This unintentionally became a Beth-themed post. Twice in this past week she has given me something worth posting about and now I'm at last getting around to it.

Might seems totally random, but both things made me laugh!

First off, on Tuesday Beth handed me some money (I weekly babysit for her daughter). As I look down at the bills she put into my hand I can't help but burst out laughing at one bill in particular. "BETH?! Did you happen to look at this five?"

She hadn't. I show it to her and we're both laughing, very disturbed at what out eyes are beholding. This, my friends, is what is wrong with America.

Yes, that does say "LEGALIZE" across the edge...and that generally means one thing...

What is wrong with this picture?

Yes, your eyes are not decieving you. That is one of history's greatest men, smoking what is most certainly not a fine cigar.
I don't know who the sicko was that did this (it wasn't Beth, that much we know. Just to clarify!) (I am assuming it was some college-aged male), but I know it's WRONG. Wrong to draw on national currency and wrong to make good ol' Abe out to be a pot head.
I've seen some weird things on bills, but this is no doubt the weirdest.
Now I'm afraid to spend it; I don't want a cashier to think I did *THAT* to poor Mr. Lincoln!

Second awesome Beth moment of the week occurred earlier on today when I received a (late but worth it) birthday present that had finally come by mail.

I'm sort of an unintentional coffee mug collector (as in I have a collection, given me by people who know what a coffee lover I am). I have some fairly interesting mugs, but this one I was gifted today WINS.

I don't know if you have noticed the side bar of my blog, but there are pictures there with which I state who and what I am. Foremost a writer. Lower down the list is pirate. That being said, look at this mug.

A calico jack surrounded with the words
"SOMETIMES A AM GLAD I BECAME A WRITER,
OTHER TIMES I WISH I HAD TAKEN UP PIRATING."

I don't know where on the world wide web she found that but WOW. Can it get any more well phrased than that? No. No, it can not.

Oh "Aunt" Beth, you make me laugh.

Quoteables (and more snow...)

I'm snowed in.

If you remember I am house sitting this week, and currently it is snowing. AGAIN. So here I am, sitting in a nice house, up atop a hill. A hill covered in snow. I can't really go anywhere until the plow guy comes, so my Portuguese water dog friend Madison and I are hanging out, reading, blogging and doing homework.

In my snowed in boredum I realized I sort of let the weekly "Quoteables" post die out (again), so I figured while I am sitting here, captive in a house that is not mine (and I don't want to go to mine as my family is all puking apparently?), I could do a post.

Saturday night I was at a Bible Study. We were looking at the life of the prophet Elijah and how God used him and other people in unusual ways to accomplish His will. In the passage we looked at (1 Kings 17) Elijah was living in a time of famine, but God had him where he was for a purpose. God was using Elijah to bring his word. There was no food and no water, but God kept him alive in miraclous (and actually weird) ways. He sustsained him by...having ravens bring him food. (whut wuuuut?) As we talked about this the leader of the study shared a quote that I liked and I immediately knew it was going in a blog post. It is by George Whitefield, a well known minister who was involved in the Great Awakening, and it talks about God working through us.

If you've ever read any of my other quote posts(or any post with more words than pictures) you know how I am about being passionate and living for a purpose.  Whitefield seemed like minded and I really like the way that he worded it.

“So long as the work God calls us to do is not complete, he will see to it that we are sustained. We are immortal until our work is finished.” - George Whitefield

You were created for a purpose. As long as you are breathing in air, there is a reason why you are here. And no one can stop you but you. You are immortal until you're not. I really, really, really liked that.

I know I was put here to live for God and bring Him glory. All of heaven has my back. There is no reason for me not live my life to its fullest, " to the hilt," and with much ardency as I can, and no one is going to stop me.

QUOTEABLES to honor my man MLK...

*brace yourself for a word/quote/passion heavy post. If you like looking at pictures and ignoring what I say, then I suggest you skip right along here and wait for something cuter and more artsy on another day.. I am a writer, so I cannot be crafts and photos all the time. Sometimes I have to WRITE. But, fair warning, this post may be unpleasant to you.*

I don't know if you have noticed (see here, here, and here), but I am quite the fan of Martin Luther King Jr.

I mean, look up a couple inches at that blog header. King? Yeah, as in the Reverend Martin Luther.

A familiar name, yes? He gets a holiday for his stand against racism and his fight towards racial equality (which by the way is something I believe in), but there is a lot more to the Rev. King than that. People often take this day, "Martin Luther King Day," as just another reason to get out of school/work, and maybe just maybe they think for a moment about his famous "I have a dream" speech and are briefly grateful for one of the men who changed our country's history. (But most of the time people don't have a clue about anything  and just want a day off...)

Though it is what he is most remembered for, during his life King didn't only stand for racial equality. His faith in God made him see the great wrong that was going on in his world and he did something to fix it. He stood for things that challenged what was seen as normal. He took a bold stand against many things, including but not limited to racism, which were not only socially tolerated in his time, but socially and morally accepted.

I don't know if you have look around your world lately, but he didn't entirely eliminate racism, or create a world in which everyone loves each other and gets along. Those problems still exist today. But he was bold enough to see the problem and do SOMETHING, and that is why I like him so much.

There is a verse in the Old Testament of the Bible, found in Micah chapter 6, verse 8 that every time I read it I think of Martin Luther King Jr. I don't know if he considered that a life verse of his or what, but he very clearly lived it out. 

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy
   and to walk humbly with your God.

Now, as you keep all of what I just said, particularly that verse, in mind, I want to share some of my favorite King quotes (outside of "I have a dream...") with you.  I love quotes, you know that, and King is in the top two people that I quote most (Winston Churchill, another history changer, would be the other).  

**And I want you to know, all the quotes I am about to put in aren't just some nice words I pulled up in google just today so I could have a fitting post for this holiday. They are quotes which I have written in notebooks and scribbled on sticky notes and stuck in various places in my room.**

Here now, on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, are some of the amazing things he both said and lived for;

He had great, PASSIONATE faith in God;

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

"To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing."

He had great, PASSIONATE love for others;

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?"

"The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

"There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love."

He had great PASSION for justice

"The time is always right to do what is right."

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

"Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal."

"The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict."

"When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative."

 And because he so strongly believed in those things, he had a great PASSION for living his life to its greatest potential and to the glory of His God;

"The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important."

"Whatever your life's work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better."

"The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be... The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists."

King was a man who was strong in what he believed. Not only did he believe in it, or dream about it, he stood for it. He stood for it so boldly that he got killed for it. He wouldn't be ignored, or shut up. He wouldn't back down. King was a radical. An passionate extremist. He knew why he was put on this earth, and nothing/no one, even assassination wouldn't stop him from standing for it.

My all time favorite quote by him is THIS...

"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."-MLK (1963)

 The best part about the above quote is that he meant it. He said that some 5 years before he was assassinated. He wasn't just some face in the public eye, saying pretty things to win favor, smooth talking people into liking him, but living a life contrary to his words. He said that and then he LIVED IT! And not only did he live it, but then he DIED FOR IT!

King knew what he was made for. He had a dream, a big dream, and they assassinated him for it.  He died for that dream, because dreaming always cost you something.  

I challenge you, on this day we remember the revolutionary dreamer MLK, to think about what your dreams are.  I've often been told  (by my 3rd most quoted person, my youth pastor "Rev" Eric Peoples) that "the thing that bothers you most is probably the thing you were put on this earth to fix." Maybe you aren't going to get assassinated for it, but what would you be willing to give *everything* thing for? What are you passionate about? God put you on this earth; what for? If you still wake up every morning with breath in your lungs, there is most assuredly a reason. If you are alive, you have a purpose! You were not created to just get by living a life of mediocrity. What were you made for? What are you dreams? And what are you willing to give for them?

I have a dream. Do you?

Dear He Who is Seated on The Liar's Throne (aka Santa)...

Dear Santa Claus,

Yes, I am writing you a Christmas letter. First time in a long time, eh? 

It is about time you and I had a talk. So, I'm back and I have a wish for you.

Santa, all I want for Christmas is for you to give my Savior back His holiday. 

There is a reason this holiday ain't called Santamas. That Christ in there? Yes, it is a direct reference to Christ, believe it or not. Christmas isn't yours and I refuse to let it be. You are not what I am celebrating.

On Christmas, and every other day of the year, I am celebrating the earthly birth of the Son of God. I am celebrating the fact that God so loved me (and the world) enough that He sent His son to be born amongst people who would despise Him, and ultimately kill Him in the worst way possible, so I could be part of the family of God. 

On Christmas I am celebrating the day that my Jesus was born to die. 

I don't care if you have flying reindeer, magical elves and the ability to fit your body mass up and down chimneys with the greatest of easy. I don't care if my society wants to celebrate you and stuff you haul down through fireplaces to bring joy.
The only gift I will rejoice over is the one the God of the Universe gave to me.

You stole Jesus birthday! AND you distorted Saint Nicholas into a commercialized beast. He was a pretty good guy, but you wrecked him.  AND THEN you let parents lie to their kids about you as you take credit for their hard work?
Those are big sins right there, buddy.

When did Christmas become yours? I am supposed to be celebrating love and joy and giving gifts to people I love because God gave to us. Who gave you this power you now have? What makes you think, oh man who has the same letters in his name as satan, that you can take over? When did Christmas become about you, closely followed by credit card debt pushed on my avarice and greed? (And by the way, who said it was okay for you to see me when I am sleeping or know when I am awake? You're a creeper, bro!)

So, dear Santa, don't come to my house. Keep your jolly, red self out of my chimney. (Not sure if anyone has told you but, breaking and entering is actually illegal.)
Refrain from checking on your list for me; I'd be on the nice side, but I am opting out.
Christmas cheer and holiday magic are nice and all but... I have all I need.

On the day you stole and made your own a Savior was born into our dark and ugly world. 33 years later that Savior died in a place that I could not have taken, so I could have a life eternal that I did not deserve. 

Sorry, Mr. Claus, you're gunna have to up yours if you think you are something worth my celebrating. Truth be told, you sit on a throne of lies, and I don't celebrate liars.

I am celebrating Jesus today, Christmas, and everyday.

Sincerely,

Isabella Kiss

 *source


*dear anyone who disagrees,
You don't have to side with me. 
But right along with not believing in Santa, 
I don't believe in sugar-coating what I believe.
Jesus, the Light of the World, is the only thing I am celebrating.
And I will not let Santa, or any other thing  try and 
dim that Light in this season or in my life.

Quoteables

It has been a good while since we've had a Quoteables post and I think that means it is now time to have another! My intention is to bring back the weekly quotes but...we'll see how that goes down. 

For now, check out this inspiring-ness from my man Spurgeon.

“The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains proves he has no brains of his own.”-Charles Spurgeon

{Good thing I do a lot of reading and quoting!}

HAPPY THANKSGIVING/Project 25-TwentyFive-25

First off, HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!
What are your plans for the day? My family will be watching a bit of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, going to watch an actual road race (tradition in our state) that will be passing by my Dad's office building, and then heading out to my grandparent's farm for time with aunts, uncles and many, many cousins.

Now, I have to be honest and say that thanksgiving IS NOT  my favorite holiday. I don't like it very much at all (*gasp!) but I do have good reasons. Heres why:

• I have a problem with people picking one day of the year to be thankful for what they have. That is just...so American! I believe that if we are thankful for the lives we have been given, the people we love, and the blessings God gives us that we should live like it 365. Not just one Thursday in November...I mean, it is a nice idea and I understand how it started but it has become very distorted. I feel like it should be a lifestyle and not a calendar holiday...
• It seems to me that the whole idea of thankfulness has almost been lost in the commercialization of the holiday. You are SUPPOSED to be thankful for what you have, but it ends up being a holiday of greed for more. Think about it! What comes to mind when I say "Thanksgiving." For most Americans food is the first thing in their brains. A close second would be the day that comes after- Black Friday. As of when does being truly thankful for what God has provided involve gluttony and excessive shopping?
• Reason three is a personal one. I am a vegetarian, so I don't eat the turkey and I just don't like cooked vegetables very much...I basically eat BREAD on thanksgiving, so it is a weird experience. But that reason doesn't really count, so just ignore it.

All in all, thanksgiving is a good day and we should be thankful for another year of life. We should be thankful for the freedom that we have in this nation. We should be thankful for the people around us and we should celebrate the love that we have for them. We should honor God by thanking him for his never-ending love and provision. I just wish we would do it more often...


All that being said I would like to introduce to you my latest idea.  

"PROJECT 25-TWENTYFIVE-25"

What the heckito am I talking about? Well, as I was thinking about thankfulness and how I should do more of it on other days of the year I came up with little idea of how I could put it into practice. I realized there are a lot of people in my life who I am super grateful for. I am surrounded by awesome people who love me for who I am and encourage me into who God wants me to be. Those people mean so much to me and I don't know what I would do without them. But I also realized, while I am extremely inwardly appreciative of them, I very rarely thank them for what they do in my life. Ooooops. So I decided I would send some handwritten thank you notes. Twenty five of them, in between Thanksgiving (the 25th of November) and Christmas (the 26th of December) (see it all makes sense now!) Sounds like a lot, and maybe thank you notes are a little bit lame, but it is a good start. I want to honor those people who mean so much to me and a thank you note is a simple way to show some of my gratitude. Plus, who doesn't like REAL mail!?

Here is how I'll do it.

First, I formed a list of 25 people who need some thanking. But I cannot show you this list, as if you are on it that would be a surprise ruin-er. This post kind of ruins it too but...erase it from your memory if you think you might be someone I am thankful for. Ya'll know who you are...

Then I printed up a bunch these:

I am going to cut them out and include them in with the thank you card, just to give a bit of explanation to the recipient. 

I took some thin cardboard (my came from the inside of a package of tights, but you could use like a cereal box or something) and traced out a stencil. Then I carefully cut out the letters (HARD STUFF! Rounded edges are no fun!) with a box cutter knife (because one lives in my desk... but you could use something more tame such as an exacto knife).

With put the stencil onto a blank note card (or you could make your own with paper. Be as facy as you want. I was going for "a simple thank you" look) and held it in place with a ...bobby pin (yup. I keep box cutters on my desk, but I could find no paper clips...). I took a sharpie and simply colored in the letters (spray paint crayons, pencils, markers, or just about anything else would be other options).

SUPER simple. Again, feel free to be more elaborate. I decided to let the card be plain and then have elaborate, heartfelt words inside.

That is all there is to it, friends. I am going to make a bunch of these and send 'em out. ANY ONE WANT TO JOIN ME? Any other particular ways you like to express thanks? I would love to hear about it!

Have a wonderful thanksgiving and don't forget to keep living in thanks the other days of the year!