did you know that frozen grapes are amazingly wonderful?
the surgery didn't turn up anything they expected. there are still more mysteries to be explored.
of the last 7 days, i've had 4 bad ones and 3 good ones. that's a much more satisfactory ratio than i am accustomed to. hopefully that means the new medicine they gave me after the surgery is helping.
11:11 PM
9:30 PM
i have surgery tomorrow. i've been having pretty significant health problems for about the last couple months, and hopefully what they're doing tomorrow will tell them what the heck is wrong with me. we can all hope and pray anyway.
i should be pretty narc'd up after this - they are putting me on heaps and loads of pills - so don't be expecting to hear from me for a few days.
it's gonna be an early morning - we are leaving the house just after 6. it's been ages since i saw that side of six on purpose (i also have sleeping problems, which a different set of doctors will hopefully figure out in the next couple of weeks.)
leave me fun things to read. :)
12:16 AM
so i have been reading voraciously lately; novel after novel has been plowed through in my reading frenzy. and it has given me no little extra satisfaction to switch books from the "currently reading" shelf to the "read" shelf on goodreads, which just might be my new favorite thing. so i thought i'd share.
ps i'm writing on john owen.
11:22 PM
somewhere in podunksville, north carolina.... what were they thinking?
this was the worst rental car ever.... no power windows, no power locks, no power anything. we had to propel it with our feet, fred flinstone style.
stay away from the patriot!
me and my siblings (the bug and katie) out to dinner on easter weekend
my new chair that i am pretty much in love with.
1:10 AM
type " *your name* needs"
first 15 hits:
1. lauren needs attention [maybe should be changed to "wants"]
2. lauren needs attention.... revisited [yes, i need THAT much attention]
3. lauren needs to kick the crack habit [just so long as i can keep the book habit, i'm fine]
4. lauren needs a hotel room [...]
5. lauren needs a myspace [ugh. i have one but i have 2 friends and i only use it to look at people's pictures. facebook is where it's at.]
6. lauren needs to do the same [i don't know about that]
7. lauren needs new friends! [i'll take more, gladly, but i'm quite happy with the ones i've got!]
8. lauren needs a winterball date? [that sounds fun. dress shopping!!]
9. lauren needs to be involved in more stories on the show* [heck yes! more screen time for me!]
10. lauren is an idiot!/lauren needs to work on her self esteem [i'm getting mixed signals from that one.]
11. jack, sharon, mikey and lauren need to go on vacation [not with strangers i don't]
12. lauren needs to learn how to forgive [shocker]
13. why does lauren need someone with her when she is outdoors?/lauren needs constant assurance that we will not leave her alone... [um... i don't want to make jokes. this sounds serious.]
14. lauren needs to post about something completely unpredictable [i'll wager this counts]
15. lauren needs protection after being shot by a deranged fan [if my fans ever get that deranged, i'll let you know]
now you play.
*in case you hadn't noticed/guessed, most of these are about The Hills. or Gossip Girl.
12:39 AM
i was reading exodus 37 just now, which is all about the construction and crafting of the ark of the covenant, and i realized how totally different judaism was from all the religions around it in the ancient world. while other peoples are creating these statues and carvings, from wood and stone and precious materials like gold and so forth, both large and small, to represent their divinities and give them a special connection to them, Bezalel is over here crafting this amazingly detailed, fairly large item out of expensive materials. and what is this item? it's not something to be esteemed or bowed to, but the place that blood is poured. it is an altar, a place of sacrifice and atonement. instead of sculptures and figurines to link the divine to the human, the israelites were provided with a way to have a true, solid, and constant connection to the LORD God - the blood poured on the altar - ultimately, the blood of Christ.
i just thought that was cool. i hope it made sense - i haven't been very coherent, especially on deep things, lately.
{I hope it's not presumptuous to tag this "reformed theology"....}
11:43 PM
so i have to write a biography paper on somebody, and i'm trying to decide between the following individuals. anybody have any preferences on this list? note that i am planning to post about the winning fellow on here, so you will benefit (if you read it at least) from the final selection.
if you'd rather not comment, you can always email me.
John a Lasco (he just sounds cool. wikipedia him here.)
Philip Melanchthon (for obvious reasons)
Richard Baxter (wrote the reformed pastor, which is apparently the definitive work on pastoring)
John Owen (freaking brilliant - i love the death of death in the death of Christ)
Thomas Cranmer (i like the book of common prayer)
11:29 PM
Written by Philip Melanchthon, Luther's right-hand man, the Augsburg Confession was basically a last ditch effort to reunite the Reformation movement with Rome. Perhaps if you read the cited passages below, you will see why it didn't work.
I think it's interesting that Melanchthon is considered a "liberal" Reformer.
On Original Sin: "[...A]ll men are full of evil lust and inclinations from their mothers' wombs and are unable by nature to have true fear of God and true faith in God. Moreover, this inborn sickness and hereditary sin is truly sin and condemns to the eternal wrath of God all those who are not born again through baptism and the Holy Spirit." Doctrine of total depravity, anyone?
On Justification: "[...W]e receive forgiveness of sin and become righteous before God by grace, for Christ's sake, through faith, when we believe that Christ suffered for us and that for his sake our sin is forgiven and righteousness and eternal life are given to us." Go here, thanks to him.
On the New Obedience: "It is also taught among us that such faith should produce good fruits and good works and that we must do all such good works as God has commanded, but we should do them for God's sake and not place our trust in them as if thereby to merit favor before God." Just because something isn't necessary for our salvation doesn't make it irrelevant. (We talked about this a heap in my ethics class last summer.)
On Repentance: "Properly speaking, true repentance is nothing else than to have contrition and sorrow, or terror, on account of sin, and yet at the same time to believe the gospel and absolution (namely, that sin has been forgiven and grace has been obtained through Christ), and this faith will comfort the heart and again set it at rest." You can't have one without the other. Believe me, I've tried.
On the Use of the Sacraments: "It is taught among us that the sacraments were instituted not only to be signs by which people might be identified outwardly as Christians, but that they are signs and testimonies of God's will toward us for the purpose of awakening and strengthening our faith." Yay sacraments!!!
On Faith and Good Works: "[Our opponents] do not teach now that we become righteous before God by our works alone, but they add faith in Christ and say that faith and works make us righteous before God. This teaching may offer a little more comfort than the teaching that we are to rely solely on our works." Haha! A little more, perhaps, but certainly not much. At all.
[Emphases mine.]
1:26 AM
i am now one of those girls who wears sensible shades of toenail polish.
i think i'm getting old.
11:59 PM
Ted: Dude, do not pretend you're not the kind of guy who keeps a list of all the girls he's slept with.
Marshall: I have one. It's called my marriage license.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)