Sophie

This is the first face that greeted me when I got home on Wednesday afternoon. Meet Sophie, the newest member of the family.

Only 5 cents?

Starbucks Joins RED to Help Save Lives in Africa

Is anyone else slightly annoyed by this? I'm all for businesses teaming up to fight a cause, especially one as worthy as AIDS. But come on Starbucks, only 5 cents out of each of your ridiculously overpriced beverages is going toward the charity?! I think you can probably spare more than that. Or better yet, I'll send my 5 bucks to the Red campaign. They need the money; I don't need the coffee.

A grateful heart

November 25, 2008

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.
Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles and the judgments he pronounced.
Psalm 105:1-5

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
For the LORD is the great God,
the great king above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Come let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Psalm 95:1-7

The latest from the Swem's

November 17, 2008

Is it Christmas yet? I'm aching to see these kids.

I Got the Feelin' (Baby Baby Baby)

Oh, Cosby Show reruns. This one's a classic; makes me smile. Check it out. (Sorry, embedding disabled on this one)

The Huxtables lip sync to James Brown
AKA Theo is awesome

Jenny: "I wish my family did that..."

The YHBS

November 12, 2008

Last night I went to the Yellow House Bible study which I hadn't been able to attend all semester because of a Tuesday night class. What a breath of fresh air! It seriously fed my heart and soul. These women are amazing: smart, funny, loving, confident, beautiful, humble, and truly seeking God. The group is just a mix of wonderful personalities that make me smile. And beyond the individuals, you have the group: a fellowship of women eager to learn about God, trying to follow his will, and finding practical application and relevance in the scripture we study. Last night I was struck with something I think I've taken for granted before--the honesty in this group. I think it really makes the difference. We're all honest with what we're struggling with and trying to apply what we're learning from scripture to our lives. I'm so encouraged knowing that these women are going through issues similar to what I'm going through and looking to God for answers, strength, and love. Love you ladies!

If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:10-12

Joy in the small things

November 9, 2008

Yet another reason why kids are amazing: they remind me to find joy in the small things and that everyday should be lived with laughter and friends.

Conversation between Nicholas and Zane (both 5 years old)

Nicholas: My name starts with an "N."
Zane: Hey, my name has an "N" in it too!
Nicholas: Really? Cool!

...and later...

Zane: I'm 5 years old.
Nicholas: Me too! Cool!

(Then they looked at me with something akin to pity when I told them that I was not 5 years old. :) )

Interesting snippets from the Inbox

November 5, 2008

#1
To: SiHall
Subj: Unicorn Training
(Apparently this is something to do with protein purification, and not mystical creatures. Disappointment.)


#2
To: AIs
"If you know a good place to find pillbugs & can
bring some in, it would be appreciated."

Overheard at the polls

November 4, 2008

"I wonder how much we spend nationally on those 'I Voted' stickers..."


Hmmm... you never hear politicians talk about cutting spending on patriotic paraphernalia.

Beauty, part IV: Simplicity, Complexity, Majesty

November 2, 2008

The fourth and final installment on beauty. I'm not going to completely explain all my thoughts here; just follow along...

God's beauty: Simplicity, Complexity, Majesty

Simplicity. I wake up in the morning; the sun is beginning to rise. As it does it casts light over the earth. By this light I can see--see to walk, see to read, see other people, see creation, etc. Simple: sun rises, gives light, every day, I use that light to go about my daily routine.

Complexity. "Deep in the sun's core, nuclear fusion reactions convert hydrogen to helium, which generates energy. Particles of light called photons carry this energy through the sun's spherical shell, called the radiative zone, to the top layer of the solar interior, the convection zone. There, boiling motions of gases (like in a lava lamp) transfer the energy to the surface. This journey takes more than a million years. In addition to light, the sun radiates heat and a steady stream of charged particles known as the solar wind." (nationalgeographic.com)

To see, you need light. Light reflects off of objects, into your eyes. The light passes through the cornea and the iris, which will contract or dilate to adjust the amount of light that goes deeper into the eye. The light eventually reaches the retina where it hits the photoreceptors (rods and cones). Signals from the photoreceptors travel along nerve fibers to the optic nerve to the brain where the information is processed and interpreted. (webmd.com) It's a whole lot more complicated than this and it all literally happens in the blink of an eye.

Majesty. Job 26: 7-14
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.

He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.

He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds over it.

He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.

The pillars of the heavens quake,
aghast at his rebuke.

By his power he churned up the sea;
by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.

By his breath the skies became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.

And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper we hear of him!
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?"

God's beauty is far greater than I can comprehend, but I know that I see it or at least glimpses of "the outer fringe of his works". Nature and science are just oozing with God's beauty. From the simplest bacterial cell (which is honestly still pretty complex) to the most complex chemical reaction, God's creativity shines in the range of his creation.