Wisdom....

Man's hand assaults the flinty rock and lays bare the roots of the mountains. 
He tunnels through the rock; his eyes see all its treasures. 
He searches the soures of the rivers and brings hidden things to light.
But where can wisdom be found? 
Where does understanding dwell? 
Man does not comprehend its worth, it cannot be found in the land of the living. 
The deep says, "It is not in me"; the sea says, "It is not with me." 
It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed in silver.

God understands the way to it and he alone knows were it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.  When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it.  And he said to man, "The fear of the Lord - that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding."

~from Job 28

Some days I walk out of my philosophy class in a daze, with my perception and sense of reality shaken...wondering what in the world is knowable and solid, and how and why these long-dead philosophers twisted reality in so many ludicrous and painful ways.
It's such a comfort to walk out into a real world, with real trees, real air, a real blue sky and a real cold breeze to zap the convoluted abstracts out of my head...a comfort to come home and read a solid definition of wisdom in the Bible that fits with common sense and is balanced and practical... 

....and to read a chapter on Immanuel Kant.

It also was wonderful to find that Dad started the coal stove so the living room was nice and warm, and that Hoang made a delicious supper. (He's getting to be quite independant in the kitchen!)

Hebrews 11 is a great read...faith is such a big idea to wrap your head around!  Trusting that God is faithful and true...even if we don't see the results in our lifetimes...and in that knowledge living as pilgrims in a far away land, waiting till we can go home to our native country - wow.

Anastasia 

This week has passed so fast!
Sunday night I (and some of the coolest people around) went to Laurel's Aunt's Bed and Breakfast.  We got to stay there till Tuesday, and it was amazing!  We shared two gorgeous rooms, three bathrooms, a sitting room and a kitchen and had more fun than should be allowed.

This was the garden room.

On Monday we spent the morning making goodies for our all-out girlie tea party.  Aunt Flo is a wonderful cook and gave us lots of good ideas!
This is Angelina putting the glaze on the best dessert pizza I ever had. =)

And of course we had to look the part of the type of splendid ladies who have tea parties...
Roseanna in all her splendor

Angelina and I...

Bek and Felicia...aka Anne of Green Gables and the Lady of Shalott...

Our garden tea party...

It was fantastic. 
...That day was really, really hot, but that didn't stop us from being the most elegant, sophisticated, ladylike (er...or not =P) ladies you could dream of.

We had a cookout and stayed up late watching movies, and the next day we toured a really old house, antiqued and visited this amazing little ice cream shop called the Jigger Shop.
Then there was a crazy thunderstorm that we watched from our room...

...Then we drove home. 

The End.

Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
~Colossians 4:6

"Do not fear what they fear: do not be frightened", But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience...
~1Peter 3:14-16

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of "God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
~Romans 1:16

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
~2Corinthians 5:20

I have such a hard time actively pointing people to God, but it's something these verses really challenge me toward.  It's one thing to talk about Christ to people who agree with me, to people who share the same hope and salvation, and something entirely different to say the things to the people who ultimately need it most.  Jesus said that we were supposed to shine our lights for the world to see, but sometimes it feels like the only time I really let my light shine is when I'm in a safe Christian environment.  The whole point of shining is to light up the darkness, isn't it?
Another thing...
I try to apply my faith to every aspect of my life...my work, my fun, my words, my actions.  Yet I rarely give God the God the glory for that.  If I am an encouragement, if I help somebody, if God uses me to show his love to somebody and I don't let it be known that it's all because of him, they'll just think I'm a nice person or something.
I'll get the glory, instead of God.  And that's wrong. 
But on the other hand, a lot of the time I fail big time at being the person I'm supposed to be and I'm afraid that if I am publicly aligning myself with God as his ambassador, that my failings will reflect on God.  How do you give God the glory for all the good things in your life, be honest about your flaws, and at the same time let it be known that all the bad things have nothing to do with Christ?
Just some thoughts....
What do you think?