Just wanted to let you guys know that I’ll be taking a break from the blogging world for a little while. I’m leaving next week for a rather intense music training program, which will undoubtedly take up most of my energy and capacity for rational thought, whereas any posts you’d be getting wouldn’t be worth reading. Chances are they’d be on topics such as how to change a wire harp string without pliers, visual memorization vs. muscle memory, and using precaution when moving an 80-lb harp on sheet ice to get to an orchestra gig.

So yeah… I’m assuming most of you would either be bored to tears and/or would not benefit from such posts. Also, they wouldn’t line up with my topic goals, anyhow.

In other words… farewell for about one month, faithful readers, and check back by the last week of August, because I have some exciting things in store for this blog. You’ll find a basic list below:

• Less sporadic, more frequent posting (3-5 times per week)
• Interviews
• Free, downloadable weekly podcasts
• Vlog posts
• Guest posts
• Topical series (you pick!)
• Weekly political commentary (w00t?)
• More book reviews
• Contests
• And more…!

Let me know if you have any suggestions as well. I’ll take any and all into deep, pensive consideration.

Well… I suppose it’s farewell for a brief while, then, sorrowful though it be to part.

(Oh, and I’d appreciate it if you keep me in your prayers, as I’ll be living on my own, and safety is always a good thing in such situations. )

Thanks for reading, and be sure to keep in touch! I’m never too busy to hear from you guys.

Legalism was once a presence in my life, as I previously attended a church- several years ago- where it was ingrained into the doctrine. The church later collapsed on its own restrictive morals, and I now belong to a church that is focused on the Gospel and the Bible, not man-made rules. 

Little did I know, as I began to read The Midnight Dancers (a modern and ingenious retelling of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”), that I was about to obtain a glimpse of what life could have been like if I had continued on in my old church.  As I read, I saw many parallels between my former life and the lives of others I have known and observed, and that of the Durham family’s.  The same symptoms are there: a tireless and guilt-driven dedication to serving the church and its pastor, unfounded and restricting standards for dress, music, literature, etc., and a tightening hold on families and their inside relationships.

[Read more →]

Chances are you are aware of a prevalent feminist attitude in recent decades. The one I’m speaking of is the increasing trend of stereotyping historical female figures. It has become popular, especially during the last 30 years of the 20th century, due to feminism’s influence on sociology, philosophy, and even theology.

Today, this mindset screams, “Women who lived before The Feminine Mystique and NOW were deprived of their natural rights and had been socialized to become child-bearing machines!”  Feminists smother their pity with scorn and denounce women in several historical eras and cultures as having been brainless, disillusioned, and weak-willed. From Oregonian farmers’ wives to Jane Austen-esque aristocrats, they argue, perhaps not directly but subtly, in literature, articles, and oral lectures that many of these figures were not strong, but instead weak.

Why? Because, as they might phrase it, they “gave in to society’s demands.”

Well, we’ll take a look at a few of these stereotypes and determine whether or not feminist writers are justified in their presentations. (With the help of Wikipedia, of course.) [Read more →]

…in a post by my friend Kristin. So… the questions and my answers are below.

Who is your favorite author and why?

Well… I’m afraid that I don’t have a favorite author, and for a few reasons: 1) I have several, 2) I couldn’t choose among them even if I tried, and 3) it would take a few years to decide. However, one of my favorite authors, if I boiled the number down to about 10, would be Jane Austen.  (Sorry, Kristin, for stealing your answer…). I have read each of Austen’s books, excepting the ones which are uncompleted, and have been transfixed each time.

I suppose the reason for this would be the fact that I can relate so well to her heroines, even though they exist in a completely different time period than our own. Austen’s characters are very human, and though her prose may be difficult for those unfamiliar with early 19th century language, this comes across in their conversation and her brilliant dialogue. One thing I especially appreciate about Austen’s novels is that the action is carried out mainly through dialogue, versus description. It’s a challenge to be able to captivate your readers using this method, but she carried it out brilliantly. [Read more →]

All my life, I’ve struggled to be as original as possible. It’s always been some sort of subconscious compulsion: if someone else is doing it, then it’s old and uncreative and something new needs to be done. Even when I was in grade school, I’d refuse to emulate people and drag my heels against the flow. At the church my family and I attended, I was looked up to by every girl under 13. (Of course, as I was homeschooled and did not attend a public or private school, this was the closest I could get to being “popular”, per sé.) My family put up with my quirks and strange preferences, and I continued on my path of rebelling against the norm.

After a while, this attitude of pursuing originality caught up to me. The church where all of my friends existed suddenly slipped away after my family stopped attending, and with it went my social life. This was a crushing blow: I had lived for social interaction, even at that age, and was unused to being alone and without friends in my age range.

In my desperation for friends and social stimulation, I sought after friendship in the girls living in my subdivision. But these girls were different: they didn’t have the innocence and biblically-infused upbringing that I had had, and they were used to the competitive and trend-based social scene of the local public school. I quickly realized that if I wanted to gain the amount of friends I previously had, I would need to change a few things. With this realization came the knowledge that there was one thing that needed to be tossed out: my originality. [Read more →]

My friend Kristin just wrote a beautiful post on giving up; so head over to her blog, as I’m sure you’ll be as blessed as I was after reading it… especially if you’re going through a similar experience.

In Chapter 2 of The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer calls on Christians to strip themselves of all material lust and focus solely on desiring God, and God alone.  This chapter, aptly titled “The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing”, has convicted me to the point of extreme discomfort.  Perhaps the most effective quote is this:

The way to deeper knowledge of God is through the lonely valleys of soul poverty and abnegation of all things. The blessed ones who possess the kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and have rooted from their hearts all sense of possessing. These are the “poor in spirit.” They have reached an inward state paralleling the outward circumstances of the common beggar in the streets of Jerusalem. That is what the word poor as Christ used it actually means.

Tozer is quite correct when he describes the human heart as containing what he calls a “tough, fibrous root of fallen life” that pressures us to possess and covet things. This human and sinful urge is often the most unmoving obstacle in our spiritual lives, one that causes us to stumble and not reach the height of godliness we are capable of achieving with Christ’s guidance. 

The words “my” and “mine” are the evidence and, according to Tozer, the “verbal symptoms of our deep disease”.  I couldn’t agree more strongly, and, though these accusations hit me to the core, I know I need to change.  It’s a difficult process of stripping down to the very roots of lust for material and worldly pleasures, and though painful, I know the struggle will be worth it in the end.

Material things are so tempting; as human beings, we are all too easily drawn by physically attractive things, people, and even intangible ideas.  It’s in our nature to want to possess everything we admire and like, and this desire prevents a deeper relationship with God by drawing our focus away from possessing something much more important: spiritual maturity and time spent focusing on growing spiritually.

I’m quite guilty of this.  I could lie and say that I’m a perfect example of rejecting materialism, but I’ll refrain and state the truth: I love material things too much.  I’ve been convicted of this disgusting fact and am determined to change it.  

Thankfully, I’m reading The Pursuit of God, and not regretting it.  You should, too.

Women are emotional. Don’t like it? Deal with it… The end. 

-Kristin Braun

The female psyche is one that, as men from century to century have discovered, is not to be trifled with. However: I, as a woman, have determined to turn my back on my gender for one brief moment and provide the male population in general with several insights that, provided you learn them by rote, could give you the power to never underestimate our abilities again.  So please, swear yourselves to secrecy and commence to read the 10 things you never wanted to know about women and emotion.

1.   If you open a car door for a girl, offer to carry her bags, smile at her, or even look in her direction, chances are she is, by this time, already planning your wedding and naming your seven children.

2.   “I can’t, I need to wash my hair” directly translates into “Leave me alone and stop calling me, or I’ll come after you with an axe!”

3.   Girls are, despite our confident facades, extremely insecure.  One misplaced word or comment can prove to be a fatal blow and result in malnutrition, monasticism, feminism, chauvinism, and terrorism.

4.   The key to a girl’s heart isn’t a bouquet of allergen-infested roses; it’s watching the full-length (over 5 hours) of BBC’s Pride & Prejudice. 

5.   Girls do not handle initiative well.  Think of it as a natural instinct: it’s your job to do the pursuing, and our job to wait.  (Note: not all females handle their assignments well.  Hence, flirtation.  Not good.)

6.   No matter what we say, our main goal in life is always to be married with children.  (Not even feminists can deny this as a fact.)  

7.   Your muscular prowess will never be as impressive as a degree in political science.  Sorry, but genius always wins out over biceps in the end.

8.   We’re not really easily prone to tears.  That’s just a manipulation tool we’ve honed to our great advantage.

9.   Chances are that the snobby, silent girl you know is only shy.

10. Your best weapon against us?  It’s flattery.  Use it with extreme caution and subtlety, and you’ve destroyed us.  

Are these points all true or serious in nature?  Well, that’s for us to know and you to find out.  Enjoy.

Lately, I’ve been having some interesting discussions with friends on clichés.  To be specific, “Christian” phrases that are cliché.  

For example, how often have you heard…

“God bless you!”

“May God have mercy on your soul.”

“You’ll burn in Hell for that!”

“That’s a sin, brother!”

“Let’s share what the Lord’s been teaching us.”

“You’re a very dear sister/brother in the Lord.”

“I’m praying for you.”

“The Lord’s been blessing me a lot lately.”

These are just a few (thanks, Matt and Bonnie, for most of the above examples…), but can you think of any others?  And while you’re at it, what are some more efficient, original ways that you can re-phrase these sentiments?

While the emotion behind an over-used phrase isn’t necessarily wrong, it’s because the phrase is simply regurgitated and unoriginal that it gives the impression that saying “I’m praying for you” is simply an automatic response.  It doesn’t relay genuine sympathy.  Does that make sense?  So in order to convey an appropriate and heart-felt message, I think Christians need to give up a few of these clichés and think of different ways to respond.  

Again, I’d love to hear your thoughts and what you can come up with.  So, who’ll be first to come up with a phrase(s) and a new way to speak it? I’m anxious to see your ideas! 

I was thinking the other day… isn’t it interesting how stressful situations we place ourselves in can seem so dramatic until you put your thoughts in a different perspective?  Some things can appear to be tragic, horrific, and life-threatening, but when compared to true catastrophe only pale in comparison.  These situations can be anything: music recitals, plane flights, deadlines, feuds, and just plain stress.  In our own little worlds we can conquer these things easily, but it takes great strength of mind and spirit to overcome truly life-altering events.