Living Blossoms

We've sung this at my church the past two Sundays and I absolutely adore it. I love the way it retells the Christmas story.

(It is the first 5 minutes of this video.)

Hear the heart of heaven beating,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
And the hush of mercy breathing,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
Hear the Host of angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King"
And the sounding joy repeating
Jesus saves.

See the humblest hearts adore him,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
And the wisest bow before him,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
See the sky alive with praise,
Melting darkness in its blaze.
There is light forevermore in
Jesus saves.

He will live, our sorrow sharing,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
He will die our burdens bearing,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
"It is done!" will shout the cross -
Christ has paid redemption's cost -
While the empty tomb's declaring,
"Jesus saves."

Freedom's calling, chains are falling,
Hope is dawning bright and true.
Day is breaking, night is quaking,
God is making all things new.
Jesus saves.

Oh, to grace how great a debtor,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
Are the saints who shout together,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves.
Rising up so vast and strong,
Lifting up salvation's song,
The redeemed will sing forever,
"Jesus saves."

+ It's been a while since I confessed my love for Jimmy Needham. That's probably because I haven't really listened to his CDs for a while. I've been listening to them today as I work, and wow. Boy is good. He rocks a few different styles, and his lyrics are often quite convicting. I was reading the bio on his site and this sentence stuck out to me: "I’ve learned how easy it is to cry ‘hypocrite’ to people who are struggling with things you aren’t struggling with." Whoa. Twist the knife a little, will ya? Even though I was raised in a family that many of you would consider not very conservative (we were definitely conservative, but not hyper-conservative), I still have to consciously stop myself judging others for things they struggle with that I don't, while giving my sins a pass. But I don't wanna be a Pharisee, 'cause they're not fair, you see! (Ah, Esther, I miss you.) 

+ It's hard to believe that it's been a week now since I was with the girls in TN for the first day of our trip. I miss you all so much! Seriously. I was pretty close to some of you even before last weekend, but now I miss you even more! Maybe that trip wasn't a good idea after all. Or maybe I ought to actually test my phone's ability to make outgoing calls one of these days. *sheepish*

+ Angela and AJ weren't feeling so hot this morning, so they canceled going to Chuck E. Cheese's. I was/am so disappointed! I should probably be very embarrassed about that, but I'm not. And now I'm still craving their pizza and Cherry Coke + Coke Zero. *pouts*

+ We went to a friend's birthday party last night. The guests were basically just our 20s/30s fellowship group, so it was a lot of fun. We played Pictaphone (apparently Forrest & Shannon are in love with that game since we taught it to them on Halloween) and had some absolutely hilarious results. One sentence started as, "I love shopping for gourmet foods, like cheese, olives and wine." It didn't even make it to the second sentence without being hilariously messed up. The person between sentences communicated pretty well with their drawing, except for the olives. The second sentence was, "I love to eat cheese, eyeballs and wine." LOL!

+ We watched Inkheart yesterday. At first we had trouble getting into it, but I'm glad we stuck with it. I liked it a lot. It's sort of like Stardust, at least in my mind. I love Andy Serkis. I had to IMDB the guy who played the author, and it turns out he was the Professor on The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. That certainly explains why I couldn't place him, seeing as he looked like Mrs. Doubtfire in this movie. Hehe.

+ Those of you who are girls when it comes to shoes should head to 6pm.com for their Kenneth Cole shoe clearance. There are several styles for just $14.95 (+ $6.95 s&h. Still a great deal for Kenneth Cole shoes!). I got the very last pair of these in my size. They're kinda boring, but they're classic, and I may have need for a brown pump someday (especially with potential future modeling jobs *crosses fingers*). I don't actually have any brown nice dress shoes! And if you need some jeans, check out Amazon's Friday sale on Seven7 jeans, where several pairs are $9.99 or $14.99. (NOT 7 For All Mankind. We can only dream!) After some searching, it seems their inseams are usually 33" or 34", so perfect for me in flats and you normal girls in heels. And they have a lot of dark washes left. I'm thinking of grabbing some of the boot cut ones and using some of my Amazon GCs earned from searching on Swagbucks...

+ Yeah, I know - not nearly as cold as where you live. I ain't complainin'. The other night there was a very slim chance of "ocean-effect snow" flurries at the beaches. I do believe that is the first time in my 6½ years of living in Florida that there has been even a chance of any snow in Jacksonville. Global warming, my butt. (Pretty please? LOL.)

+ I feel rather chic and stylish today. On my way back from St. Augustine yesterday I stopped at the outlets to make myself a liar and buy a pair of skinny jeans. Sarah and I tried them on when we were there a few weeks ago, both left without them, and both regretted it later. Hehe. I'm wearing them today (they're a dark wash, and the only skinny jeans I have ever tried that actually look good) tucked into my comfy black mid-calf boots, with a teal shirt, the black satin blazer I just got from The Thrift Store, and some intricate and rather large black earrings. The skinny pants tucked into riding boots + ponytail + blazer make me feel a bit like I should be riding horses in the English countryside. (*wistful sigh*)

+ This morning I did two workout videos that I got from the library. One was a strength training one by that guy with the long, blond, curly hair and way-too-big-for-his-body muscles. I already knew all the moves, but it was still a good workout. The other was a cardio salsa DVD. I swear I have some sort of disorder where my brain gets way too confused by even simple dance moves so it can't get my body to do them like the examples. I have, like, physical dyslexia, or something like that which doesn't exist. Hehe. Finally I modified two moves and ended up doing okay and getting a good workout. And then I went to McDonald's for lunch. *smirk*

+ Oh! The other day while hunting for solid-colored dress shirts at Goodwill I found what is now my best thrift store find ever! Yes, my $5 Joe's Jeans and $7 7 For All Mankind jeans have been surpassed by a $260 cream leather Banana Republic tote for (drum roll, please) $4! I got it because it was nice and figured it retailed for, oh, $80 originally. Then I got online to check and they don't have one large leather tote under $260! I will probably try to sell it because I can't see myself ever needing a tote that large, except when I'm a mom, at which time I won't be wanting to carry diapers and Cheerios in a very expensive one in a light color. Hehe.

+ Isn't it weird to think of me as a mom? Well, it is to me anyway. But I've thought that a lot lately - "When I'm a mom..." I guess psyching yourself into wanting kids in the near future really does work, 'cause I have done it. I still feel too young to have kids though. Maybe that's something I need to keep working on myself for... or maybe we should just keep waiting. I don't know.

+ I have been very good lately about keeping the dishes done. Now that my dishwasher is out of commission, I really need to keep up on it so I don't have to spend half an hour hunching over the sink to eliminate the pile of dishes that will inevitably appear if I slack off. But so far, so good.

+ I adore this song. I listened to it probably 10 times yesterday, and 3 more today. So pretty. I just wish it was longer!

+ I have a confession: today I listened to country music. A whole CD's worth, save for the few I skipped because they featured twangy guitar. I have never done that before. Seeing Phil Stacey at the McCain rally inspired me to listen to some of his stuff, and you can listen to his entire debut CD on his website. So, I did. And it's quite good. Like a country-tinged Chris Rice. I'm especially digging "'Round Here". Will I buy it? I sort of want to, but I'm not sure if I can, in good conscience, spend money on country music. Even Christian pop/country. But we'll see. Maybe if I listen to it a bit more, it'll wear down my prejudices.

+ Hard cider is the bomb. We finally found some at a local grocery store, and it's now one of my favorite drinks, alcoholic or otherwise. *takes another sip*

+ I downloaded some Bon Jovi songs today. Until now, my Bon Jovi collection was seriously lacking. (Yes, I said that with a completely straight face.) Although, I still maintain that Stellar Kart's version of "Livin' on a Prayer" is better than the original. But now I have both.

+ I did my hair up with with hair sticks today. I found out that the reason my hair stick updos never really lasted is that I always forgot to do an important step. Now that I know to do it, my hair stick updo is solid. Woo-hoo!

+ I'm singing with the worship team this week! It's been at least a few months since I did it last. We're singing "Your Love is Extravagant", by Casting Crowns. We went through it a few times, and I tried to adapt to the not-exactly-like-CC way the music leader was singing it, which was hard, since I'm used to CC's version. When we finished he said, "Vocals sound really good on that. In fact, Bethany, I was actually trying to follow you because I think you know the song better than I do." So I was trying to follow him and he was trying to follow me. Yay communication.

+ Well. I just broke the sink in our main bathroom. Go me. Hopefully we can fix it tomorrow, or some other time that's not 10:40pm with the next day being a work day. I don't know if we'll be able to fix it or not though, since it's falling off the wall. Heh. Perhaps we will view this as an opportunity to replace it with something a lot more attractive.

I have enjoyed and benefited from Christian music for as long as I've been alive. It started with my parents' cassettes by Larnelle Harris and A Capella. An obsession with Michael W. Smith, dc Talk, and Carman followed for many years, thanks to our local CCM station. Now I listen to a lot of secular music, but my CD collection is still overwhelmingly full of Christian artists. Most of those artists I discovered by listening to Christian radio.

Taken from SaveChristianRadio.com:
The FCC is considering rule changes that could force Christian radio stations to either modify their messages or be forced from the air.

Although not directed specifically at those using the airwaves to disseminate the Good News of the Gospel, potential rule changes could put Christian Broadcasters in an untenable position. If enacted, the proposals could force Christian radio programmers to either compromise their messages by including input from those who don’t share the same values, or to run the risk of costly, long and potentially ruinous government inquiries.

If you would like to read more about the proposed changes or tell the FCC that you think free speech should keep applying to Christian radio, please visit SaveChristianRadio.com.

Throughout the day I think of so many things I want to tell you guys, but when I actually sit down to do so, they fly right out of my head. It's kind of annoying. Perhaps it's the scent of the Crock Pot Italian Roast Beef wafting through the house that's distracting me. It smells heavenly. I can't wait to taste it!

I bought the roast at the grocery store this morning and amused Isaac by calling him to ask him where one might find bay leaves. Having never heard of them until I read that recipe, I didn't know what they looked like, and I (wrongly) assumed that they were in the produce section. Heh. I then also had to hunt for a rump roast. I figured I was just not seeing it because I wasn't 100% sure what to look for (my mom has made roasts before, but I never saw them pre-cooking), but when I finally told an employee I couldn't find any, he responded, "That's because there aren't any out here right now." Now you tell me. But he brought me one from the back and told me to come back and tell him how dinner was. Hehe. And since I began cooking, the house has smelled fantastic. I'm sure it is a very unhealthy dinner, but it may well be worth it!

The Kutless concert on Thursday night was so good! We went with David and his girlfriend Jenna, which was a lot of fun. It was the least acoustic-sounding acoustic set I've ever heard though, LOL. Somehow they managed to make acoustic guitars sound more rock-like than ever before. It was at a small venue, so we had a great view even though we got there late. (I went up to the front for part of Kutless' set, though, in the extremely calm mosh pit.) It was cool to see them in a more intimate setting like this acoustic tour. They explained the reasons/stories behind a few songs, and interacted with the crowd more. I thought it was funny that the (very few) parts they yell/scream on the CD versions, they whispered on the acoustic tour. Screaming, unplugged. Hehe. Also, we were sitting near the sound booth and saw their playlist... including their "spontaneous" encore a few spaces below the rest. Ha!

The first opening act is much better on his MySpace songs than he was live. The second, though, was awesome! Their name is Esterlyn (named after one of the guys' nieces, who was adopted from China) and they're great. Similar to The Swift, Everyday Sunday, Switchfoot, etc. I bought their CD that night and have been listening to it in my car ever since. So, this is me recommending it to you. =o)

The LJ strike was fun because it made me feel like one of the Newsies. Hehe. It was funny though, how knowing I couldn't go on LJ that day made me think of going there more often than usual. Silly subconscious.

Did you have a good Easter? I hope so. Friday night we had a really nice Good Friday service at church. My Sunday didn't feel very Easter-like, apart from church. We were in a choir for a few songs, which was fun. I think that's the first time Isaac has sung up front at this church. Crazy. After that, we went to Mom & Dad's for lunch, but AAAC were still sick, so it was just us, Mom & Dad, and Seth and two of his friends who are on spring break. While we were at their house, I put some ringtones I had made for Mom on her phone. (They were the theme from her all-time favorite TV show, The Big Valley, and "My Girl" by The Temptations.) She was thrilled. =o) When we got home, we finished up watching the 2001 Word of Life Passion Play video, which is the one we were in and during which we became best friends. It'd been several years since we watched it, so it was really cool to remember that. Being in that show changed both of our spiritual lives as much as our physical ones.

Sunday afternoon I took one of the youth girls from church to what I think is the first thrift store she's ever been to. She ended up finding a cute J. Crew dress for her sister for $2. I think she's hooked on thrift stores now, hehe. When I got back from that, Isaac really wanted to go lay around at a park (sounds weird phrased like that, but we love to go down by the river, lay out a sheet, and just chill). Chill we did, though, as it was quite cold. We didn't stay very long, but it was pretty while we were there.

Yesterday we went to the Cheesecake Factory for the first time, because we had a gift card. It was really good! I got the Herb Salmon and Shrimp Scampi with steamed broccoli. The salmon was fantastic, but sadly, the shrimp was fried. I can't eat fried seafood. =o/ The broccoli rocked, because it was in the lemon juice from the salmon and the garlic sauce from the shrimp. Amazing. And I saved some to eat for lunch today. We also had to get cheesecake, since, hello--Cheesecake Factory! To see what kind, check out my latest Project 366 post. =o)

Isaac had a great idea for raising money for El Salvador. We're going to see about setting up a small photography gallery of pictures I've taken and those that another photography enthusiast in church has taken, print out 8x10s or 11x14s, mat them, and put them up in the foyer at church, and then sell them. Assuming people buy them, we could raise a lot of money that way. That would be great, since Isaac and I are hoping to raise all our money for this year's trip.

Our body fat scale has definitely bit the dust. Today it told me that I have gained 2% body fat since I started working out. Yeah. I'm doubting that.

Haha, I guess I managed to come up with plenty to write after all. Well, keep in mind I haven't written since Thursday afternoon, and you can forgive me. Right? *puppy dog eyes* ;o)