I want to dance right now.

I am enjoying a little breather for the day, (as I have just handed in two papers).
Mmmm...happy Kara.

Speaking of dancing...
Let me tell you about DDR.
It stands for Dance Dance Revolution, an arcade type game where you dance. It's intense.As I was walking down the smelly hallway in the basement of mac hall, (smelly due the subway down there I think, or something), I heard a sound that I had only before heard at a camp I was at a month ago with the jr. highs I work with. It was the sound of one of the cutzie pop songs that accompanies DDR. The sound was coming from the campus arcade and I could see two guys dancin it up with sweat dripping, or flying, off them as they caused their feet to fly in every direction at once to hit the arrows on the floormat at the appropriate beat. I have to say I was impressed with their refined ability, although a little confused as to how they had time to get that good at DDR.
At the camp mentioned above, I was persuaded during free time by one of my girls to try DDR. NOTE: It must be understood that my style of dancing is what I will call freestyle, (a strain of dance that comes from having some mennonite in my background), I just kind of move to the music and I am not sure it looks too good but as long as I am confident I'm good to go, right. I think DDR was a little too structured for me as the computer game failed me and stopped mid-song telling me I was done, (ouch). I thanked my young friend for encouraging me to try it and then we went upstairs to do what I excelled at that weekend...button making.
After telling that story, I don't want my reader to get the wrong impression from me, I actually love to dance. (You should, or actually never should, see the dance parties my sister and I have in our kitchen when no one is around). It was actually at Bible School that I started to dance, (under the influence of some dear roommates and one DJ Walter on the mainstreet of Schladming).
I was pleased to find twenty references in the Bible (NIV) to 'dance' or 'dancing'. That made me happy. People in the Bible danced for many reasons, (some not so honorable...Exodus 32:19). I was stuck by how dancing is mentioned as a by-product of God's restoring relationships and people, ("You turned my wailing into dancing" Psalms 30:11) Also, there are many references to people dancing in celebration (Luke 15:25) and praise to the Lord (,Exodus 15:20, 2 Samuel 6:16, Psalm 149:3; 150:4...).So, I am thinking that there is a "time to dance" (Ecclesiastes 3:4)Today I may well do a little jig from the outpouring of the joy I feel inside, (and the relief I feel at being done some papers).
We need to express our joy of what God has done in us somehow, whether it is just talking or taking time to smell some flowers or whatever, find a way to tell God thanks.
I think dancing is a good choice today, (but not in the campus arcade).

I think I shall write
poetry
someday.
Express
myself.
Share my life,
my thoughts
through
words.

My Grandma says that flirting is a good idea.

This blog entry is dedicated to Grandparent appreciation.
Last nignt I went over to my Grandparents house. My sister and I have made that a monday night tradition this semester and it is sweet. We play cards with them, watch curling perhaps (last night), eat yummy food, (grandpa makes us porridge if we eat breakfast there), drink tea and get helpful advice like mentioned at the start of this blog. Tuesday morning, (we stay over night), we go out for breakfast at South Fork, the small diner that my grandparents go to every tuesday morning for two pieces of rye toast, an egg, (the usual for my grandma- she never has to order and just I tell the waitress I want "Grandma's usual"), and coffee, (of course) which we also never have to order and the waitress knows that I like cream so she doesn't even ask if I want some she just puts the two containers of cream beside my cup. My grandparents know everyone in the diner and visit across the room sometimes, (jokes and news exchanged). It is good.
Last night I "interviewed" grandpa and grandma and I did research for a paper I am doing on prairie women with a focus is on my great-great grandma Ada who was an amazing woman, (like many I know who have impacted my life.) It was good. I love these people who have had such a big part in shaping who I am today.
I am so proud of my grandparents, (both sets), and am very thankful for them.

"The three commandments, 'love [thy] neighbour as thyself,' 'thou shalt keep the Sabbath holy,' and 'thou shalt eat thy potatoes with thy fork,' impress themselves with equal vividness upon the aborigines and are likely to be seen by them to be means of grace of co-ordinate value."
- Vilhjalmur Stefansson
(My Life With the Eskimos, pg. 25.)
("co-ordinate value" = equal in importance)

This is a quote that I came across while researching for a paper recently. It was written by an Arctic ethnologist (someone who studies human culture and origin and whatnot) and explorer who observed how native peoples had troubles distinguishing between what they were taught about Christianity and grace and what they were taught about "civilization," as there were a lot of missionaries who had the goal not only of bringing the message of God's grace to people but also of "civilizing" them and teaching them how to dress and eat and live.
I was really struck by this quote. It makes me think about the pharasees, who were pretty caught up in rules. With all the rules they enforced, I can see how it would be very easy to forget what grace actually is, thinking that a whole bunch of rules, (eating potatoes with a fork... well, maybe not that one,) is the means by which one is saved.
I also got thinking about my own life. I found myself wondering if there is anything I do in my day to day life that others might perceive as foundational to my faith by the way I get so caught up in it, when in reality it is only an extra, or even a hurdle hindering my faith in God. (For example: the "commandment" that 'thou shalt be involved with every good activity and be so busy that you have no time to read your Bible except for a half verse in bed before you fall asleep and no time to ever stop at the natural food store to buy ginger chews'. No good.)
I want to live a life that provides a clear example of what living under grace is like. I want to be clear on what are simply extras, and what the Lord actually asks of me. I do not want to start thinking that anything I do contributes to whether or not I will be saved, thinking that God will approve more of me if I am involved in His work or if I'm just plum good. That stuff is good, but I, (and anyone who reads this) need to understand anything I do does not change the way He sees and loves me and that my number one priority needs to be a focus on building my relationship with God, everything else without Him is useless.
I do not want to preach with my lifestyle that useless things matter. I want my lifestyle to point to Christ as being most important in my life. I need to make sure it is clear that He is the most important.


"What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."
Philippians 3:8-9


p.s. I do not support the idea that ministry is bad and that we should have not commitments or anything, I just personally want to make sure I am using every aspect of my life, including the things to which I am committed, to point to Christ.

p.p.s. I hope this makes some sense, I haven't really slept for a while and my mind is heavy after just finishing a paper. I probably shouldn't be posting this until I have a clear mind again. I hope it makes sense in a couple days when I have clarity of mind to read it.

I think ginger chews are nice.

My mouth is hot.

I am happy when a chewing ginger chew.

(Not joyful, mind you, I don't need to be chewing a ginger a chew to be joyful.

That would be lame and shallow.)

Ah-choo!

As I was sitting at a computer in the library, I heard the guy beside me sneeze. This sneeze caused the girl on the other side of him to say "bless you." He liked that and responded saying, "thank-you. Not a lot of people say bless you anymore."
Thats true, there are not many people who give this response to a sneeze anymore.
I once heard, (and it could be completely wrong), that people used to say bless you during the black plague. When someone sneezed they would say this because they thought the sneezer had caught the plague and was therefore going to die. (Please correct me if my story is askew.)

I just looked up the word "bless" in a concordance and these are a couple of verses that came up...
Luke 6:28 NIV "bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
Romans 12:14 NIV "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse."

Maybe, when people were blessing sneezers, it was because they realized that the sneezers could be giving them the virus through the sneeze (if they even knew about germs back then) and therefore were cursing them with the plague.
I recall Hans Peter, the director of Tauernhof telling us not to say bless so much. He had a good point, but I can't remember what it was, (I'll have to look into that). I think he was telling us not to use it so flippently, maybe he was telling us we needed to be more sincere and real when we say it. I think that could be it (I'll still look into it), because we are supposed to use it when someone basically spits in our face. Bless those who curse and persecute you. Wow. Thats serious.
I think "bless" is another word that followers of Jesus need to think more seriously about, and use more correctly.
I would like to thank the sneezer and the blesser beside me for making me think about "blessing", (too bad they are both gone now so I can't give them big thank you hugs).

Please tell me what you think about "blessing". I think this is something to ponder.

Truth

This morning at a practice for the worship team I play with, a discussion came up as the importance of making sure everything sung and prayed is theologically sound. I have sometimes caught myself saying things that, when thought about, are not correct. When I try to pinpoint where I got that idea, it is usually from a book, or a song, or some conversation I had with someone. This is not always bad, but when these ideas do not line up with the Truth of God's Word they must be corrected. I have been challenged today to check everything I say and think and do make sure it is line with God's Word. There are so many songs and ideas in mainstream Christianity today that would not stand up to the standards of the Bible. It is very important that we are conscious of what is preached through our lives and in the church and make sure that it all points to the glory of God and the Truth of His Word.