Hymn de la Week July 15, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 2commentsToday our worship service closed with the Hymn Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder. This verse caught my attention:
Let us love the Lord Who bought us,
Pitied us when enemies,
Called us by His grace, and taught us,
Gave us ears and gave us eyes:
He has washed us with His blood,
He presents our souls to God.
I am thinking about what it would mean for us to pity our enemies. It seems like it is not OK for us to say we have enemies, either as a nation or as Christians, we are just supposed to “love” everyone. But maybe pity goes beyond love.
dictionary.com says to pity is “to show mercy or compassion.” You can do that while recognizing that someone is, in fact, and enemy ~ and maybe, only truly if you do recognize an enemy.
How Romantic July 14, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 1 comment so farLook what Devastatingly Handsome fetched home from his trip into the Big City today… one for him and one for me…
A great gift, but it does make me wonder if maybe we are past the honeymoon period.
Turtle Satchel July 13, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 2commentsThis week I actually did something that did not involve 1) books or 2) clicking on the mouse.
Miss Dance is learning to sew and was impressed. One of the best parts of having children is the way they can serve as a built-in cheering section.
The parts I’m proud of? I bought nothing for this project and added the little design things I wanted. It’s a long time since I just sat down and made up a project. And, it’s done!
Gaggy Food Poll Now Closed July 12, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 1 comment so farI am now closing my former blog poll, “What Food Do You Hope Never to Sample?”
The results are overwhelmingly in favor (?) of sheep-eyes. Here they are:
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Food Issues |
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Now I know what not to offer guests. :) Can the next poll be far behind? And this blight on my blog’s sidebar will be removed.
Discipline for Dumbbells July 11, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 1 comment so farI don’t like discipline. I don’t like exercise or being careful to eat healthy. I’d rather do what I feel like.
Elisabeth Elliot helps me think about the importance of discipline in my life, and how it carries over into all parts of life:
I have just read Jean Nidetch’s book on the Weight Watchers, and while it is obvious that her basic theme (that people get fat because they eat) is hardly a world-shaking discovery, her method is one that made her a millionaire: get people to work at their problems together. Reducing doesn’t just happen. It isn’t a thing the majority succeed in doing all by themselves.She doesn’t let them make up their own diet as they go along–that’s what put the fat on them in the first place. She doesn’t suggest that losing weight is best done when you feel like it. She doesn’t even say that it works only if you are being “yourself.”In fact, I was reminded throughout the book of how many analogies there are between losing weight and practicing Christianity. There are rules to obey. You will to obey them. Some people insist that the devotional life is somehow purer or better if it is pursued only when we feel like it. Worship for some is thought to be an “experience” rather than an act. Losing weight is also an experience–there’s no doubt about that–in fact, the expression “being born again” occurs in the testimonies of those who have done it. But losing weight most certainly has to begin with an act.
It is an act of the will. You decide to do this and not to do that. You must arrange, prepare, and carefully carry out your plan. The combustion of those daily calories will happen without fail, but only when the conditions are properly set up.
My thinking here tends to run in rather shallow ruts. But today while doing my routine I suddenly was struck by a new question: What is the spiritual parallel of doing lying kickbacks carelessly and whacking yourself in the forehead with the dumbbell?
Wannabe — Or Am I? July 10, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 1 comment so farLike any good homeschooling, language-loving mom I subscribe to A Word A Day. Today’s word is:
plenipotentiary (plen-uh-puh-TEN-shee-er-ee, -shuh-ree) noun A person, such as a diplomatic agent, fully authorized to represent a government.
adjective Invested with full power.
[From Latin plenipotentiarius, from plenum (full) + potent (powerful).]
That sounds so cool my first thought is I wanna be one.
A computer image search on “plenipotentiary” gives either this sort of thing:
or this:
But the Scripture image search returns believers: II Corinthians says I am an ambassador for Christ (5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.) ~ and in Acts 1:8 I am promised power (8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”)
Sounds good to me. The plenipotentiary Banana.
Lesson Learned at 4 AM July 9, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 1 comment so farThere are two kinds of people in the world. One, when the smoke detector goes off at 4 AM, can roll out of bed, remove the batteries, and go straight back to sleep. Problem solved.
The other walks around the house, sniffing and looking for any signs of smoke, for the next hour, then comes back to bed and is awake there for another hour before deciding that perhaps the husband was right after all and there really is no further problem.
I wonder if these two types always intermarry.
The Sound of Impending Happiness July 8, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 2commentsMy kitchen right now is a noisy place for the best of reasons. Peppermint Ice Cream is being churned in the ice cream maker, even as I type, the briny water is dripping into the sink.
We get this treat because today is the Lord’s Day, which always calls for something sweet and rich to remind us of God’s grace, and also because Miss Language is returning home tonight after a week away. Two great causes for celebration and sugar.
We use candy canes bought at after Christmas sales specifically for this purpose. It is fun to unwrap them in the summer. And I know that a hand-crank freezer is more fun for the purists but then we would have to think about how much work we want to do on a Sunday, wouldn’t we? Also, we Bananas are a frugal people, and Devastatingly Handsome is so bananas about ice cream we received two ice cream freezers as wedding gifts. And, would you believe, five picnic coolers? We nearly used them as luggage on our honeymoon.
Elephants July 7, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , add a commentI went to college in the low-tech days. When we stopped by to see our friends in their dorm rooms and they were not there, we wrote a message on a white board with a felt marker which was then erased with a tissue and some water. We thought it was a pretty slick system.
Really cool people put clever quotes on their boards and updated them regularly (the caveman equivalent of signature lines, I guess). One girl on our hall was an awesomely creative writer and for a week or so she had this poem posted. I am not sure if it is great art or not but as it has stuck in my memory, it has stood some sort of test of time:
“Elephants can’t swim in three feet of water,”
Said the elephant dad to the elephant daughter.
Said she, “Who’s to say if we not or we oughter?”
So she drowned, and piano key companies bought her.
I tried to track down the author but my google skills aren’t there yet. If you’re out there reading, let me know and I’ll give credit. 
Mr Music Goes to the Zoo July 6, 2007
Posted by carpebanana in : Bananalets , add a commentToday we had a zoo trip. Mr Music was the quotable one here. By the flamingos, he said, “You know what I feel sorry for?” I expected something like the fact that they have to stand around on one leg… or maybe that they are stuck being pink, even the guys, but no ~”I feel sorry for the shrimp.” I cry at just about any sentimental thing but even I have never felt sorry for the plight of shrimp.
Then later Mr Music thought he should ride the kiddie rides. I pointed out to him that he is taller than the “You must be shorter than this otter to ride” signs. Mr Music backed up to the sign and replied, “That’s just my head.” So, maybe I don’t understand the intent of the sign at all and heads don’t actually count at the zoo.
Then I made the mistake of asking what he thought of the Horned Owl presentation we sat in on. I should have known that anyone who feels sorry for shrimp would say, “They’re mean. They eat poor little animals who can’t fend for themselves.”