http://kevan.org/johari?view=hesseray

I think I've been trying to see what my life would be like without Him... I mean, without acknowledging Him, worshiping Him, or intentionally seeking Him...
truth be told, it hasnt been terrible, i am still friendly, still making friends, still have happy days, still have passions... but at the end of the day when my head hits the pillow, i am empty. ive always know this to be true.... but when thinking about presenting myself to others for the first time and having to know what i believe... there's a sense of insecurity, & even shame because what i want to say i believe is not reflected in how i conduct my days... how i spend my time.
where is my heart? how is my heart? what do i truly truly love? what do i truly truly worship? what do i truly truly fear?
i want to give my whole self from Him, but i fear... what is it that i fear?!
what is it that is keeping me from giving my whole self from Him?

Now. Now is my time. Not time under my ownership, but rather time for me to show who owns me. Time, space rather, in which i may live and breathe whatever it is that awakens my heart each morning. Passion.

WBSGE Blog Book

For small group, aka WBSGE!, we have these notebooks we call "blog books". They are a recent addition to the group. We each take a book home and write in it thoughts, prayers, meditations, Scripture... & then exchange the books. We can then read whatever the other person had written & either write off of their thoughts or begin our own new thought processes... all bringing our minds back to scripture and prayer for each other. Last week's "prompt" was open ended. Here is this week's "prompt". 

blog book thought! by Sarah Siegelin Crook
Hi senior-i-tas! :-)

I hope this note brings a smile to your heart as we have a few minutes to connect--I have missed you!  Our family has enjoyed a wonderful week of sunshine, blue skies, seventies, beach, pool and rest--THANK YOU, GOD!!  It is Psalm 23 rest for the lives of weary ones!

One of the treats for me has been to start into a re-read of The Chronicles of Narnia.  They are such great books, and I always walk away encouraged and renewed with new perspectives about God, our Lord and Savior, my own finite & sinful nature.  This week it was The Magician's Nephew--have you read it?  I am going to give you a few quotes to chew on from it...here's what I want you to do...make a new entry into the blog book you are holding this weekend, then bring it to school and make the trade on Monday or Tuesday--make sure everyone gets a new book!

Topic for this post?  Fiction words that have made you think deeply or differently about God--His character, how He sees us/knows us...read the quotes below and write on one of them...bring a different quote from the Chronicles or any other fictional piece...write out the quote (doesn't have to be the whole thing!) and then take a page or two to share how it has influenced you...tie it back to the Scriptures (never stop being a Berean!!).  As you encounter a new blog book next week, build on your sister's thought...

I am praying for all of you by name and by what you have chosen to share with me.  I love you!  I will look forward to hearing from you as you have time and to starting to meet consistently on 10/16.

LOVE YOU ALL!!

[From Chapter 6, as Uncle Andrew is getting gussied up to "serve" the Witch, Queen Jadis]
"Children have one kind of silliness, as you know, and grown-ups have another kind.  At this moment, Uncle Andrew was beginning to be silly in a very grown-up way.  Now that the Witch was no longer in the same room with him he was quickly forgetting how she had frightened him and thinking more and more of her wonderful beauty...He had also somehow managed to forget that it was the children who had golt hold of this 'superb creature': he felt as if he himself by his Magic had called her out of unknown worlds..."
[From Chapter 7, as Digory contemplated whether he could travel to another world to find a cure for his mother's illness]
"But suddently it flashed upon his mind that he now knew (even if Aunt Letty didn't) that there really were other worlds and that he himself had been in one of them.  At that rate there might be a real Land of Youth somewhere.  There might be almost anything.  There might be fruit in some other world that would really cure his mother!  And oh, oh--Well, you know how it feels if you begin hoping for something that you want desperately badly; you almost fight against the hope because it is too good to be true;  you've been disappointed so often before.  That was how Digory felt.  But it was no good trying to throttle this hope.  It might--really, really, it just might be true.  So many odd things had happened already...."
[From Chapter 10, as Aslan had just established the Talking Beasts in Narnia and one of them spoke out loudly when all else were silent]
"The Jackdaw became so embarrassed that it hid its head under its wing as if it were going to sleep.  And all the other animals began making various queer noises which are their ways of laughing and which, of course, no one has ever heard in our world.  They tried at first to repress it, but Aslan said:"Laugh and fear not, creatures.  Now that you are no longer dumb and witless, you need not always be grave.  For jokes as well as justice come in with speech."
[From Chapter 10, the perspective of Uncle Andrew as Aslan created the world of Narnia and the Talking Beasts}
"We must now go back a bit and explain what the whole scene had looked like from Uncle Andrew's point of view.  It had not made at all the same impression on him as on the Cabby and the children.  For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing:  it also depends on what sort of person you are."
"...Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed.  Uncle Andrew did.  He soon did hear nothing but roaring in Aslan's song.  Soon he couldn't have heard anything else even if he want to.  And when at last the Lion spoke and said, 'Narnia awake,' he didn't hear any words: he heard only a snarl."
[From Chapter 11, as Digory bravely asked Aslan to heal his mother]
"But please, please--won't you--can't you give me spomething that will cure Mother?'  Up till then he had been looking at the Lion's great feet and the huge claws on them; now, in his despair, he looked up at its face.  What he saw surprised him as much as anything in his whole life.  For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders) great shining tears stood in the Lion's eyes.  They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory's own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself."
[From Chapter 13, as Digory reflected on his thoughts and actions when in the garden, after his encounter with the Witch]
"They had started early that morning and what happened in the garden had not taken very long, so that Fledge and Polly both said they would easily get back to Narnia before nightfall.  Digory never spoke on the way back, and the otheres were shy of speaking to him.  He was very sad and he wasn't even sure all the time that he had done the right thing; but whenever he remembered the shining tears in Aslan's eyes he became sure."
[From Chapter 14, Aslan speaking of Uncle Andrew]
"He thinks great folly, child," said Aslan  "This world is bursting with life for these few days because the song with which I called it into life still hangs in the air and rumbles in the ground.  It will not be so for long.  But I cannot tell that to this old sinner, and I cannot comfort him either; he has made himself unable to hear my voice.  If I spoke to him he would hear only growlings and roarings.  Oh Adam's sons, how cleverly you defend yourselves against all that might do you good!..."
...SO MANY OTHER GREAT QUOTES IN THE BOOK, BUT ON THE CHANCE YOU HAVEN'T READ IT RECENTLY AND CHOOSE TO NOW, I DIDN'T WANT TO GIVE TOO MUCH...

HAPPY WRITING, DEAR ONES!

Encouragement

Haven't posted for a while, I know. Here's a little something that just made my heart smile in the midst of a heavy-laden time... oh dear miss Jenna, how you sing to my heart, hug me with your voice and shine His light with your songs, xo. 

24 August 2011

Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom. – Albert Einstein

Summerslide’11… The Updates I Never Gave, Until Now.

Byebye Sarah! Hope to come see you in Italy someday.

Glovers’ Lake Place (May 30, 2011) Justin, getting’ his two beers out to the pontoon.

Giant Moth in our entryway! (June 5, 2011)

200 S HWY 1… That neat building I always wanted to stop and see. (June 12, 2011)

This was also on the way home from Mamaw’s house, I picked TC & Taj up, TC had just flown in a few days before.

To Morristown, Tennessee We Go (June 24-27, 2011)

The Lookout…almost there

Cleaning Out the House

and of course I must have some photo fun!

The beautiful sunset after our long day of hard work, the guys were playing some catch

Mm, tunnellll!

interesante, you might think? I sure did, and in the cab of the truck, and Englishmen driver, and 5 Amish ranging from the age of almost double digits to grandpa. Cart racing maybe?

 

New Portrait Photos for MamaBirdie (June 30, 2011)

GTO x2 (July 8, 2011)

Walking Thru Three Rivers Festival.…

oh, who doesn’t love minions?

ITT, where my Daddy works

Cousins w/ GTO (July 13, 2011)

 

MoonShine (July 14, 2011)

Tasting Fireworks… Apparently, Spencer Likes Fireworks! (July 15, 2011)

after these ones went up and all the smoke was dangling in the air, he would bite at the air and stomp his feet all around in excitement

Run after it…

Wait! Late boomers!

AH! Is it safe!? Yes! NO! aeehh

Ok GO!

he almost seemed to be trying to put a fire out

hellloooo?

 

Oh, this is too much fun!

The Friendly Fawn (July 17, 2011)

this lovely friend of our has been seen many times, roaming the woods, backyards as she dares and I finally caught a glimpse of her, and we now know her mama is alive!

Sunrise Shoot w/ Sisa (original/not edited) (July 22, 2011)

Meet Mr. Baby Gardner Snake (July 27, 2011)

Quite a little feller he is.

This is about when Mr. Baby Gardner Snake gets a grip on Desi’s nose, Desi instantly shakes him off with a sneeze and he goes slithering off through the grass

Lesson learned, don’t put your nose next to a snake! It’s ok Des, everyone’s gotta learn somehow! (:

Sisa & Sissa (July 27, 2011)

Trying out some Night Shots (August 3, 2011)

My attempt at a long exposure heart

Glovers’ Lake Place (August 4, 2011)

Favorite time of the day at this place(:

 

that’s all for now folks!