Aslan

I really love this Kendall Payne song. As a child, the chronicles of Narnia showed me a God who was much bigger than any Sunday School flannelgraph or picture Bible. Even now, Aslan is the best picture I have of Jesus as the Lion of Judah. "Safe? Didn't you hear what Mrs. Beaver told you? Of course He isn't safe. But He's good. He's the King, I tell you."

Don't stop your cryin' on my account
A frightening lion no doubt

Well He's not safe, no He's not safe

Are you tempted now to run away?

The King above all Kings is coming down

And He won't say the words you wish that He would

He won't do the deeds you know that He could

He won't think the thoughts you think that He should

But He is good

He is good

I know you're thirsty, the water is free
But I should warn you it cost everything

He's not fair no He's not fair

When He fixes what's beyond repair

And graces everyone that don't deserve

And He won't say the words you wish that He would
He won't do the deeds you know that He could
He won't think the thoughts you think that He should
But He is good
He is good

No one knows Him whom eyes have never seen

No one knows Him, but He knows me

He knows me

Lay down your layers, shed off your skin

But without His incision you can't enter in

He cuts deep, yeah He cuts deep

When the risk is great and the talk is cheap

But never leaves a wounded one behind

And He won't say the words you wish that He would
He won't do the deeds you know that He could
He won't think the thoughts you think that He should
But He is good
He is good

Princes and Frogs

I'm a fan of the band Superchic[k] and my favorite song by them is quite possibly Princes and Frogs.

All princes start as frogs
All gentleman as dogs
Just wait till it's plain to see
What we're growing up to be..
Coz some frogs will still be frogs
Some dogs will still be dogs
But some boys can become men
Just don't kiss us till then

You hate men is what you say
And I understand how you feel that way
All girls dream of a fairy tale
But what you got's like a used car salesman
Trying to conceal what's wrong
Behind a smile and a song
And I'm not saying that boys are not like that
But I think you should know
That some of us will grow
Because...

All princes start as frogs
All gentleman as dogs
Just wait till it's plain to see
What we're growing up to be..
Coz some frogs will still be frogs
Some dogs will still be dogs
But some boys can become men
Just don't kiss us till then

You found him is what you say
And we all want you to feel that way
But the frog you've got seems cute enough to kiss
And maybe frogs seem like that's all there is
But just because you haven't found your prince yet
Doesn't mean you're still not a princess
And what if your prince comes riding in
While you're kissin' a frog
What's he gonna think then?
So look into His eyes
Are you a princess or a fly?

All princes start as frogs
All gentleman as dogs
Just wait till it's plain to see
What we're growing up to be..
Coz some frogs will still be frogs
Some dogs will still be dogs
But some boys can become men
Just don't kiss us till then

Sometimes it seems like as soon as you put 2 or 3 girls together, the conversation quickly turns to the subjects of guys or jerks- two terms that are used quite interchangeably. If I had a dollar for every time I heard "All the good guys are either gay or taken" I'd be able to buy the entire collection of Veggietales DVDs, and still have money left over. And there certainly are a lot of guys out there who can be real jerks, and are too shallow to care about a girl unless she is uber pretty and will give in to them (neither of which describe me). But I've been encouraged since coming to university and becoming involved with the Navigators (a campus Christian organization) to find that there actually are guys out there who are serious about their walk with Christ. I find that encouraging, and not even mainly from the perspective of a Christian girl who hopes to get married someday and doesn't particularly relish the thought of marrying another woman. I think the Kingdom of God needs both men and women who are wholly sold out to Him, because both genders bear the image of God in different ways and have amazing things to offer. And it's encouraging to know that women aren't the only ones seeking after God's heart, which often seemed to be the case in high school, which had several Christian girls and exactly zero Christian guys. It's encouraging to know that not all guys are frogs forever.


But lately the line of that song that has been really standing out to me is "Look into His eyes/Are you a princess or a fly." Especially the look into His eyes part. As long as I can remember, I've wanted to get married. But God has been teaching me in various ways over the past few years that I need to focus on Him, and let Him take care of those details. Most noticeably, lately, He's reinforced this through Phil Vischer's autobiography. That's right, the Veggietales guy. I expected to enjoy his autobiography, but I didn't think I'd learn that much from it. I'll be blogging more about it in the near future. But suffice it to say that it reminded me and deepened my understanding of waiting on God. When you want something badly, it's tempting to take matters into your hands and run off half-cocked. Abraham and Sarah tried that. Remember Hagar? They wanted a child, and Sarah was too old. So Sarah decided it would be a good idea for Abraham to sleep with her teenage maid and conceive a child that way. As a woman, I have to ask "Was she insane?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" Didn't she see the potential for awkwardness, tension, and jealousy? But I guess when you want something badly enough to run ahead of God in your haste to chase after it, it becomes easy to ignore potential consequences. I know that's true of me. And the thing is, Sarah's desire wasn't bad. She wanted a child. That's a natural, even God-given yearning, much like my desire for a husband. But even God-given yearnings can be stumbling blocks unless they're fully submitted to God, in Whom all our yearnings find their ultimate fulfillment. For those of you who are familiar with Christian girls' nonfiction, the gist of approximately 87.99421% of the genre is as follows: "You are a princess, and Jesus is your Prince." It's trite, it's oversimplified, and it's easy to mock, but there's a lot of truth to it despite all that. Jesus really is the sum of all I need, and it's my prayer that I continue to look into His eyes and hold His hand. I want to keep chasing after Him, knowing that He'll lead me wherever I need to go.

A New Law by Derek Webb

One of my friends introduced me to Derek Webb's music a few months ago, and I am immensely grateful to her. He used to be a member of Caedmon's Call and cowrote some of their best songs (including my personal favorite, "There You Go.") He now puts out solo albums, and while you can see resemblance to Caedmon's at times, he definitely fits less within the mold of more mainstream Christian music. Some Christian bookstores even refuse to carry his music. But I love it. It's refreshingly honest, and it really makes me think. It challenges me to examine my relationship with Christ and make sure its core foundation is Him and His word, rather than the cultural baggage that comes with my conservative Western evangelical upbringing. A lot of these things aren't even bad in and of themselves, but they don't deserve to be put on an equal footing with an alive and vibrant relationship with Christ. His song "A New Law" has really made me think about what it means to live under grace.

Derek Webb- A New Law
Don't teach me about politics and government
Just tell me who to vote for
Don't teach me about truth and beauty
Just label my music

Don't teach me how to live like a free man
Just give me a new law

I don't wanna know if the answers aren't easy
So just bring it down from the mountain to me

I want a new law
I want a new law
Give me a new law

Don't teach me about moderation and liberty
I prefer a shot of grape juice
Don't teach me about loving my enemies

Don't teach me how to listen to the Spirit
Just give me a new law

I don't wanna know if the answers aren't easy
So just bring it down from the mountain to me

I want a new law
I want a new law
Give me a new law

Cause what's the use of trading a law you can never keep
For one you can, but it cannot get you anything
Do not be afraid

When Random Facebook Apps Get Switched to Speeddate

Like approximately 99.57% of North American students, I am addicted to Facebook. However, I gave up on most of the applications that came with it ages ago, and mostly just ingnore anything they try to send me. What bothers me, however, is when applications like Speeddate start replacing old apps and you end up with emails from an application you didn't choose. Just today, I received the most ridiculous email from them (despite the fact that my settings have been changed to "don't send me any emails" for the past month.

"We found you a potential match on SpeedDate.

discoman69 is 32 and from Canada. Click here to learn more about discoman69, and send a flirt if you want.

Best, The SpeedDate Team---This email was sent by SpeedDate (Formerly Name Analyzer.) "


Now, the first thing that makes this email completely ridiculous is that I'm 17. So if the first potential match they send me is someone who is two years less than twice my age, it's not exactly a fantastic incentive for me to try their dating service. Plus you have to be 18 to use these services, which makes me wonder why they bothered contacting me in the first place. Obviously, they had access to my Facebook profile to find out my age.

Then there's the fact that this guy's username is discoman69. Nuff said. Although, in all fairness, coming up with decent usernames that don't involve your name can be difficult.

At this point, I'm not sure I like the whole idea of online dating services. I mean, I'm not saying God cannot use them to bring people together, and I'm sure there are some very happy couples who met through online dating sites, but when I picture my children asking em how their father and I met, it just doesn't seem to work. Maybe I'll go tell off some guy mowing the church lawn and tell him that he's making the ministry look bad with his shoddy mowing job. It worked for my mom.

Boom de yada

Some things just make me happy. They brighten my life by their mere existence. The simple mention of them is enough to make me break into a sappy grin and make me feel a little more like Pollyanna (albeit perhaps a little more sarcastic). These include, but are not limited to: sappy love songs, riverbanks, lupines, chipmunks, daisies, the Everything skit (based on the lifesong tune), catchy children's Bible memory songs, Baby Got Book, and Larryboy bookmarks. One of the things that make me really happy, however, is this Youtube video.

I realize that there is a fair bit that is wrong with the world. But sometimes we forget to thank God for what's right with the world. For the so-called little things like daisies and chipmunks and riverbanks. Boom de yada.

The Soundtrack to my Life

My Windows Media Player has grown exponentially since I started university. I think it's at about 2600 tracks right now. So it's always interesting to see what tracks come up in games like this.

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?

So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes or, if you don't already have iTunes use Windows Media Player)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next butto

Opening Credits:
Think About That - Janna Long

Waking up:
Whole World In His Hands - Tim Hughes

First Day at High school:
Over You - Daughtry

Falling In Love:
Jesus, Lover of My Soul - Hillsong

Fight Song:
Hark the Herald Angels Sing - Rebecca St. James
Well that fits perfectly...

Breaking Up:
In the End - Newsboys

Prom:
Jesus Loves Me - Hillsong Kids

Life:
Something Heavenly - Downhere

Mental Breakdown:
Until That Final Day - Keith Green

Driving:
One Day At A Time - Jeremy Camp

Flashback:
Renew -Tim Milner

Getting Back Together:
Love of Another Kind (B-Side) - Starfield

Wedding:
You Decide - Fireflight

Birth of Child:
When I Say Your Name - Jump5
Great, now I have to admit to still listening to them :$

Final Battle:
Please Come- Nichole Nordeman

Death Scene:
Today A Child Is Born on Earth -Avalon
Bahaha, not terribly fitting either

Funeral Song:
Because of You - Kelly Clarkson

End Credits:
Face of the Earth - Tobymac

So, what would the soundtrack to your life be?

Lest We Forget

Every November 11th Canadians celebrate Rememberance Day. It's our way of expressing our gratitude for the men and women who sacrificed their lives to preserve the freedoms we all enjoy. But, as a German-Canadian, Rememberance Day has always been a bit of a bittersweet day for me. Because while others around me talk about grandparents who fought against Hitler in the second World War, I have to remember with shame the fact that my great-uncle was in the Hitler youth. So while November 11th has served as a monument to the best of human nature, it has also served as a reminder of the failure of genuinely good people to stand up to a corrupt system. It has served as a sober reminder to always make sure I'm in line with God's will, and to not be too hasty in judging fellow Christians who make mistakes. After all, as much as I would like to think I would have resisted Hitler had I lived in WWII Germany, I have no guarantees that I would have done so.

Lately, though, I've been having more and more trouble celebrating Rememberance Day. When it comes to war, Christians tend to fall into 2 camps: those who believe in just war and those who believe in strict pacifism. As I've examined the views of both sides and found that both were making excellent points and could find multiple scriptures to back them up, I've become increasingly confused as to what position I, as a Christian, ought to take. Furthermore, in the weeks leading up to Rememberance Day, a sociology professor who taught at my university was murdered. He was a devout Christian, and also a strong pacifist who was involved in the alternatives to violence program. To honor his memory, all sociology courses in the past 2 weeks have focused heavily on his work. I've grown to respect this gentle man and, by extension, his views. At the same time, having gone to a military high school, I also know and highly respect several Christian soldiers. So it got to the point where I felt like a traitor whether or not I wore a poppy. I had to seriously wrestle with questions like "Is war ever justified? If so, when does it stop being just? And if war is never justified, how do we stop men like Hitler?"

There are no easy answers to these questions, and I can't pretend to have any to offer even now. I guess sometimes God gives different people different convictions. Maybe some men are called to fight for what is right while others are called to present the pacifist side to keep soldiers in check and to make sure that war is used only when absolutely necessary. And maybe both sides need to extend grace to each other. Maybe the Christian soldier and the pacifist need to recognize that even though they disagree, they are still brothers in Christ. This world, and the wars that come with it, will not last forever. Heaven, however, will. I am so thankful that it isn't my job to decide whether a particular war is justified or not. I think God extends a special measure of grace to people who are forced to make such difficult decisions. But as I've thought about it, I've realized that no matter what position I end up taking on war in general, the soldiers deserve my respect. Many of them were doing what God has called them to do, and have sacrificed their lives out of a genuine desire to help the cause of peace and justice. They deserve to be honored for that, regardless of whether I think a particular country was justified in declaring war on another. And I think it does us all good to remember that greatest struggle is not against flesh and blood but "against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12, NIV)

Most importantly, Rememberance Day is an opportunity to celebrate the greatest Soldier who ever lived, one who conquered Death itself so that we could have eternal life. It is this Man who is the common ground between all Christians, regardless on where they stand on the issue of war. And one day, this Man will reign and all wars will cease. That's something we cann all look forward to.