So, last post's ramblings included a Detailed explanation of how I broke one of my phalanges. This time, I shall strive to stay away from any more teeth-clenching, bone-smashing stories!
September 10th, 2011 (4)
There is really nothing like being in Nebraska on a Saturday during football season! Some ignorant folks like to tease Nebraskans about their "idol", but we just smile and nod; knowing that they just don't understand!I took my former
room-mate and dear friend Aryn Sturgeon to her First NE game. It was a great experience and loads of fun! (I think that Aryn--a Kansas girl--might even be warming up to the Huskers!) It was a great time of seeing her and
some other friends (Andrew and Phil Johnson) and getting to see some NE
Football!!!The game was good, and we
won!
Aryn's 1st NE game...:)
We Won!!!
Evidence (5)
After auditioning for a vocal ensemble from Calvary,
I was accepted as one of the sopranos for the 2011-2012 tour.I have been privileged to sing and spend
time with some awesome musicians!Not only have I learned A Lot music-wise, but I have also been
stretched and challenged in many other ways personally!I am so thankful for music and the way
that God ministers it to my heart and through me to the hearts of
others!
Evidence with Gracia Burnham
Thanksgiving
2011 (6)
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of the year to set aside to spend
with family and friends, thanking God for all His blessings.This Thanksgiving was a little
different, but still a great time.I was able to see Leah Herrick (it had been about two years since I
had seen her) and Clara and Levi Williams (and my “honorary” niece Jemima)
and Aryn Sturgeon.These are all
very dear peeps from my CBI days, so it was wonderful to get to spend time
with them and catch up on all the things that have been going on in our
lives.You know a true, good friend
when it has been years since you have seen one another, but you are able
to immediately reconnect and enjoy one another again!
Leah didn't like her Thanksgiving meals' cheese
Traveling on Thanksgiving Day ...this is my turkey!
Hooray for Friends!!!
Handel’s Messiah (7)
Celeste and I after singing in the Messiah
The music dept. at Calvary put on a production of Handel’s Messiah for
Christmas. As a member of Evidence, I
was required to sing in it. But what an
experience! There were several times during the performance that I was so blown away by the music that I almost forgot to sing. It was a awesome experience!
For some reason, I am more aware of being an adult now that I am turning 22! The feeling in un-nerving. But I am excited for what God has in the future. So, in preparation for the 13th (my birthday), I thought that I would post about some of the fun things that I got to do this past year that I was 21! It was a good year, God is good!!!
July 13th, 2011
I
started out my 21st year with a birthday at Pinehouse Lake
Saskatchewan. I was with a group of
about 20 people who were spending two weeks in a rural Canadian village to
spread the Gospel of Christ. This
was my “first” mission trip to go out of the U.S.
(even though it is just Canada!) We were told, in preparation for this
trip, to beware of having to high of an expectation. In a way, we were all surprised by what
we found. It was only by God’s
grace alone that we were able to reach out to 100+ kids, teens, and
adults. I was very thankful to be
used of God in the lives of those people.
August 17th, 2011
I
arrived at CalvaryBibleCollege in Kansas
City, MO as a transfer
student to complete my bachelor’s degree.My car was Fully Loaded Down with just about everything that I
possibly thought I could use at college.This place was much farther from home (CBI was just 1 ½ hrs. away
from home), so I had to be much better at packing/planning for what I was
going to need.Let’s just say that the packing was a
challenge, But I got it all in!!!(It
was quite the personal accomplishment!
August 29th, 2011
It was a beautiful day that marked the event that gave me my first broken
bone and stitches!!!No, I don’t
even have a cool story to go alone with the slightly bent middle finger on
my left hand.But here’s the
story.It was just after
lunch.Some of the girls and I were
hanging out in the dorm lounge on our floor.We were laughing and having a great
time.Well, one of the things about
this old dorm building was that there weren’t screens on the windows, and
on the third floor there are many things that hyper minds can conjure up
to do from an open window.It
started out very innocently.We
just decided to throw things out of the window, like hats and flip-flops
(just stuff that had been left in the lounge).After depleting our arsenal of things to
throw out the window, I decided (as the gallant one!) to run downstairs
and retrieve our tossed items.Once
outside, I quickly realized that just hauling it up the stairs wouldn’t be
as fun as trying to throw it back through the window.However, I missed and the flip-flop
landed on the landing just outside the 2nd floor windows.I wanted to make good impressions, so I
knew that I should get the lost flip-flop.Therefore, all of us girls trooped down to the 2nd floor
lounge to get it.The problem was
that you had to climb out the window onto the ledge to get the shoe.I was assured that the ledge was quite
safe for a person to climb on, but I didn’t get that far.In my attempted to open a window, I
pulled a bar that was in the window (in my hurriedness, I didn’t realize
that it was the bar that was holding the 8 ft. window open…).It happened very fast, but I know that
the moment the bar was removed, gravity took its hold and smashed my left
hand!I was so thankful that others
were there with me to help me get the window up!I was determined Not to make a big deal
about this, I was going to be fine.But as a looked at my finger, which had a big cut down to the bone
from the lip of the window, I figured that it was probably more serious
than I thought.Long story short,
it was bleeding A Lot, I was trying to stay calm while all of the other
girls are frantically running all over the dorm looking for band-aids and
other first aid materials.I ended
up getting a ride from Security with the dean of women and one of my
friends to an Urgent Care.A couple
of hours later, I emerged with 5 stitches and a massive bandage on my
hand.I am very thankful because I
never really felt a lot of pain.I
cut and broke my finger, yet the worst amounts of pain were only when they
numbed my finger to put the stitches in and when they took the stitches
out.I am very thankful to the Lord
for that!!!Within a couple of
days, I had to go to a hand specialist (the doctors were afraid of an
infection in the bone, because the cut was on top of the broken
bone).The hand specialist gave me
an upgraded cast (No, this was no small, un-noticeable wrap on my finger,
but a massive cast that was hard on the outside and wrapped from my
forearm to the tips of my fingers, leaving only my thumb exposed! JIt was always funny to have to explain
that I hadn’t done anything to my hand/wrist, but I had only broken my
finger…)
Lessons learned
Typing
one-handed is difficult, but possible; and with practice a person can be almost
as efficient as with two hands
It
is okay and necessary to ask for help.
Others want to show that they care for you, by helping you do things
that you can’t do as easily because you only have one hand.
Yes, it is humbling, but it is good!
I
can now sympathize with people a little better having gone through this
experience.
I
am much more comfortable going/talking to doctors. They are rather intimidating at times, but
the main thing is just to Ask Questions…even if they seem inconsequential and stupid.
I have slowly been working my way through "The Valley of Vision", a compilation book of Puritan prayers. I am always blessed and challenged as I read the thoughts that came from the hearts of these godly men. Today has been no different.
Regeneration
O God of the highest heaven,
Occupy the throne of my heart,
take full possession and reign supreme,
lay low every rebel lust,
let no vile passion resist Thy holy war,
manifest Thy mighty power,
and make me Thine for ever.
Thou art worthy to be
praised with my every breath,
loved with my every faculty of soul,
served with my every act of life.
Thou hast loved me, espoused me, received me,
purchased, washed, favored, clothed, adorned me,
when I was worthless, vile, soiled, polluted.
I was dead in iniquities,
having no eyes to see Thee,
no ears to hear Thee,
no taste to relish Thy joys,
no intelligence to know Thee;
But Thy Spirit has quickened me,
has brought me into a new world as a new creature,
has given me spiritual perception,
has opened to me Thy Word as light, guide, solace, joy.
Thy presence is to me a treasure of unending peace;
no provocation can part me from Thy sympathy,
for Thou hast drawn me with cords of love,
and dost forgive me daily, hourly.
O help me then to walk worthy of Thy love,
of my hopes, and my vocation.
Keep me, for I cannot keep myself;
protect me that no evil befall me;
let me lay aside every sin admired of many;
help me to walk by Thy side, lean on Thy arm,
holy converse with Thee,
that henceforth I may be salt of the earth and a blessing to all.
Here is a video of the Sovereign Grace rendition of this prayer. The title is "O Great God". May the music cement the great truths of the scriptural prayer into your heart, so that you may be filled with "...psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord." (Eph. 5:19)
For all of those "extra" ambitious people today, if you find one of these stuffed in a box of hardly used Christmas decorations, please throw it out!
This particular item was highly prized for it's ability to always look "new" and "fresh" in the winter time. Because it is made of man-made materials, it didn't get brown over time like some other wreaths. At one point, it was considered to be at the height of a fashionable Christmas party.
Let's think for a moment of some descriptive titles for this once-desired holiday item.
Some of these were decked with "realistic" holly berries. Others were filled with pine-cones and bright bows. But, honestly, can you hide the plastic leaves? This ancient Christmas decoration is right up there with silver and/or multicolored tinsel and scary angel figurines. Let's keep our Christmas decoration storage free of such artificial holly wreaths!
I have been slowly working through John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Life" book. It has been very challenging, and I wanted to share a section from it.
The Christ-Exalting Paradoxes of Life A life devoted to making much of Christ is costly. And the cost is both a consequence and a means of making much of Him. If we do not embrace the path of joy-laden, painful love, we will waste our lives. If we do not learn with Paul the Christ-exalting paradoxes of life, we will squander our days pursuing bubbles that burst. He lived "as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything (2 Cor. 6:10). The Calvary road is costly and painful, but it is not joyless. When we embrace with joy the cost of following Christ, His worth will shine in the world. The cost itself will become a means of making Christ look great. The apostle Paul had one great passion in life. We have seen him say it several ways: to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2), to boast only in the cross (Gal. 6:14). Our Shame and Our Treasure (referring to Phil. 1:20-21) Notice the way he (Paul) makes this clear in verse 20: "It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed." Stop here just a moment. Shame is that horrible feeling of guilt or failure when you don't measure up before people whose approval you want very much. It's what the little child feels in the Christmas program when he forgets his lines, and the other kids snicker brutally. I remember those horrible times. Or shame is what a president feels when the secret tapes are finally played, and the foul language and all the deceit emerges, and he stands disgraced and guilty before the people. What is the opposite of shame? It's when the child remembers the lines and hears the applause. It's when the president governs well and is reelected. The opposite of being shamed is being honored. Yes, usually. But Paul was a very unusual person. And Christians ought to be very unusual people. For Paul, the opposite of being shamed was not his being honored, but Christ's being honored through him. "It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that...Christ will be honored in my body." What you love determines what you feel shame about. If you love for men to make much of you, you will feel shame when they don't. But if you love for men to make much of Christ, then you will feel shame if His is belittled on your account. And Paul loved Christ more than he loved anything or anyone. "Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." (Phil. 3:7-8). Whenever something is of tremendous value to you, and you cherish its beauty or power or uniqueness, you want to draw other's attention to it and waken in them the same joy. That is why Paul's all-consuming goal in life was for Christ to be magnified. Christ was of infinite value to Paul, and so Paul longed for others to see and savor this value. That is what it means to magnify Christ--to show the magnitude of His value."
(from "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper, 63-65)
Growing things. Green grass. Flowers. Rain. Chirping birds. Pomp and Circumstance. Funny flowing robes and hats.
Yes, May is also "graduation" month.
This year again was a happy time for me.
More importantly, this was my graduation from Calvary Bible College where I received my
B.S. in Biblical Studies.
Grandma and Grandpa Fricke celebrating with Aunt Teresa and I!
My mom and her sisters...
4 years as friends and 2 graduations...:)
the graduates.
My Family
proud parents
My brothers and I.
the Parker girls.
CBI'ers (aka the "Stoners")
So, this is the attempt to cram a ridiculously crazy weekend into a collection of 9 pictures....
Did I succeed? If you didn't catch it from the photos, there three basic things to understand about graduation weekend...
1. I graduated!!! (put on the robe, donned the funky hat, wrestled with the collar, and walked across the stage with diploma in hand!) 2. I loved seeing my family! (It is such a blessing to have a wonderful family that come 12 hrs. to see me. I love them all so much.) 3. I loved seeing "old" friends. (It has now become a tradition to have a CBI reunion at graduations and weddings...but only the graduation part applied here!)
Death and Life. These are themes that weave through every minute of our lives. They are controlling. There is uncertainty and fear related to both subjects. Ask anyone you like, no one really wants to die. Death is the great unknown. Life is all that is known. Today, I found out about the death of a young friend of mine. She was killed in a car accident. She wasn't even 22! It happened so fast, so unexpected. Why did this happen? The news speaks almost constantly of death. It happens everywhere! Murders. Suicides. Car accidents. Shootings. Fires, the list goes on. Death is inevitable and unpredictable.
Life This is more than just breathing moment by moment and having cognitive brain function. True life is eternal life! As believers in Christ, we have the hope of an eternal life with God when we die if we have placed our faith in Jesus alone for salvation. Death has no fear for us (aside from the fear of physical suffering and pain). Death is not the end of our "lives", but the entrance into Life with God! Though we hear of death everywhere around us, we need not fear that end. We sorrow for those who lose loved ones, because physical loss is hard to bear. We rejoice, however, to know that that child of God is in the presence of their heavenly Father.
As I have been traveling around the past month with the singing group Evidence from college, we have been singing the popular song "I will rise". In thinking about these two themes, this song has come to my mind over again.
It starts out by saying, "There's a peace I've come to know, though my heart and flesh my fail." This is the peace of the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God. This peace is not found in our circumstances, but only found in the joyful contentment of resting and trusting in God. "There's an anchor for my soul. I can say, 'It is well.'" As a result of God's peace, we can say 'It is well' in the midst of frustrating and difficult times. But what is our anchor? "JESUS has overcome, and the grave is overwhelmed. The victory is won. He is risen from the dead!" He is our peace. He is our anchor. He is the promise of eternal life.
Therefore, I don't have to fear death. For when He calls me home, "I will rise, when He calls my name, no more sorrow, no more pain. I will rise on eagle's wings. Before my God, fall on my knees and rise." In the presence of our Great, Almighty, Omnipotent God, we will join the host of heaven singing, worshiping and praising God. "And I hear the voice of many angels sing, 'Worthy is the Lamb'. And I hear the cry of every longing heart, 'Worthy is the Lamb'"
"Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads or myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!' And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 'To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!'" Rev. 5:11-13
